The six lost racers trudged ahead through the tick blanket of snow, Vanellope at the head. After being separated from the others, they had simply went off in an unknown direction.
"President Vanellope, are you even sure we're going in the right direction?" Taffyta whined. "The real question is, which direction do you think is the right one?" Vanellope inquired. Taffyta sighed and shut her mouth.
"The right direction is the one leading away from those Frostbites and back to our game," Witchy stated, her hands on her hips. "We can't leave this game," Vanellope said firmly.
"Why not?" Witchy asked.
"You heard that Willow doppelganger, they're just going to victimise all those other arcade characters and turn them into ice as well," Vanellope reminded. "Including our game."
"Vanellope has a point," Licorice said. "We have to keep those guys from leaving this game or it's game over for everyone."
"But how are we going to stop them?" Rancis asked. "They'll just turn us into ice like they did to Vanellope and Willow."
"If you ask me, we should go somewhere and get some fire," Candlehead suggested. "Like that little house over there."
She pointed a finger at a wooden cabin lying in the middle of the icy forest. Snow covered the roof and windows, but the six could just barely make out an orange glow coming from inside.
"Fire!" All six shouted in unison. Instantly, they bolted through the forest and towards the small hut, ecstatic at having found something warm after spending hours in the freezing cold.
Vanellope didn't even bother to knock on the door. She instantly barged right through, swinging the door clean open. There, she saw the Winterson twins.
"Willow?" Vanellope said, confused. "Wynter?"
Unfortunately, Vanellope was standing right in front of the open door just as the other five racers barged in, smashing right into Vanellope's back. The group tumbled inside and crashed into the wall.
Willow and Wynter stared bemused at the racers, who were sprawled humiliatingly on the ground. "That was…unexpected." Wynter managed to say, shrugging his shoulders.
"What are you doing here?" Vanellope asked, getting to her feet.
"We were brought here by our parents," Willow explained briefly. The other five racers stared at them, sceptical.
"I thought you were orphans," Taffyta said.
"Well, it's a pretty long story," Wynter mumbled. "Actually, it's a pretty brief one, you see-"
Wynter was cut off by another door swinging open, revealing Noel.
"Blast!" He shouted, frustrated. "That darn lucky wolf beat me at chess again!"
From inside the other room, the kids could hear the wolves laughing victoriously. Holly soon appeared holding a plate of cookies.
"Don't be mad, honey," She said. "You'll-" She started but then saw the racers standing near the fireplace.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise," She said, smiling. "Our children have made a few friends. And what might your names be?"
"We'll explain later, but right now, we have an issue on our hands," Vanellope said. "We all will have to leave soon because of it."
"And what is this issue?" Noel asked. "Willow and Wynter mentioned something similar when they arrived.
Before Vanellope could explain, Witchy covered Vanellope's mouth. "Actually, we don't have to leave very soon," She said as Vanellope struggled to pry her hand off her mouth. "We would love to stay for a bit and warm up after our long trek."
"Okay, if it's fine by you all," Holly said. The other racers nodded, except Vanellope. With that, Holly and Noel set the cookies down on the table and left.
The moment they were gone, Vanellope swatted Witchy's hand off her mouth. "What is wrong with you?" Vanellope shouted angrily. "The fate of the whole arcade is hanging in the balance, and you want to stay in some cabin and warm up?"
"Face it, Vanellope, we all need to warm up," Witchy said. "We just found a place to rest, and you want to abandon it?"
"If it will save my game, then yes," Vanellope answered.
"Please, president, we need to stay here for a bit," Rancis said. "We don't stand much of a chance out there, what about in here?"
Before Vanellope could respond, Taffyta spoke up.
"We've been busting our candy-coated butts out there, I think it's safe to say we deserve a rest," She said. The other racers nodded.
Vanellope opened her mouth to say something, but found herself unable to make a proper response. Finally, she just hung her head and nodded quietly.
"Fine, it's official, we're staying here for a while," Vanellope reluctantly said. The other racers started cheering a bit.
"But," She said. "Don't get too comfortable. When the time s ready, I am going back out and I am going to stop those Frostbites, with or without you." With that, she stormed off through the door and slammed it, leaving the five racers alone with the Winterson twins.