Chapter Three- Pear
"Where has Vanellope been goin' all these days?" asked Minty as she watched the racer go off towards the rainbow bridge "It hasn't even been a MONTH since she got back! Ya'd think she'd be ready ta race by now!"
"From what I heard, she got in trouble over in Fix-it-Felix or something." said Sticky.
"SHE got into trouble at Felix's place?" the mint racer said, shock on her face "I didn't think Vanellope would do somethin' so brash so soon!"
"But she looks so happy." Said Adorabeezle "She hasn't said a word and she sure doesn't seem to mind…"
"Maybe they have her under some sorta spell!" droned Jubileena, eyes wide and fingers strumming the air "Ooooh! Somethin' was in those piiiies! They now have her under their controoool!"
"Lay off, Jub." Taffyta moaned, rolling her eyes "I can assure you that no one has Vanellope under their control. She just has things to do after all since she's the DARLING of the arcade now."
"I caught that."
Taffyta turned around, Minty giving her a suspicious look.
"You caught WHAT?"
"I caught that tone, Taff. Is somethin' botherin' ya?"
"Why would you think something as silly as that? I'm fine!" the girl responded.
"Nah-uh, ya always get this way when somethin' starts eatin' ya. Ya know it's okay ta talk now? There are no back-talks or fake smiles anymore. We're here for y-!"
"MINTY ZAKI." Taffyta said, her voice loud and strong "I said I. AM. FINE."
The racers all looked at each other; NO. No she was NOT fine but there was no way of getting her to crack.
"Alright….but ya know? We will listen."
"Sure ya will…." Taffyta mumbled under her breath as she left the garage. Walking outside the track, she took a glance at the rainbow bridge, her curiosity starting to grow.
"I wonder what IS going on with Nelly…."
"Hi, Ms. Mary!" Vanellope called, seeing that she had arrived just as the other Nicelanders were cleaning up.
"Hello, dear! It's so nice to see you!"
Vanellope hugged the Nicelander tight, already smelling the sweet strawberry pie off of her "Nice to see ya too! An' boy am I ready for my next lesson!"
"Oh, an' who is it tonight?" asked Ralph, brushing some stray bricks away.
"I believe its Ms. Meg!" Vanellope beamed "She's the one we helped back in the station right?"
"Meg?" Mary blinked, a hand going to her lips "Oh, dear…."
"Is somethin' wrong, Ms. Mary?" Calhoun asked, looking concerned. Mary shook her head, biting her lip.
"I tried talking to Meggy about it this morning but she seemed all a-fit about it!"
"What do you mean?"
Mary sighed, rubbing her hands together "You guys have to understand. Meg….she's…..well."
"She not upset is she?" Vanellope asked, a little nervous herself now that she heard the tone of Mary's voice.
"She's just been really figgty all week about this. I was surprised that we got her to agree to the entire thing but this morning? I think…."
All eyes went to Mary, disappointment coming upon her face.
"I don't think she WANTS to bake now."
Vanellope glitched, her eyes wide and sad "WHAT!?"
Calhoun ran a hand through her hair "Oh boy…"
"Too shy?" asked Ralph.
"I think it's more than that…." Said Mary as she lead the others upstairs "It took us such a long time to get Meg to break out of her shell YEARS ago and with everything that has been happening? I think it might be pushing her back inside!"
The more Vanellope heard, the more upset she was starting to feel. She had remembered the way the larger characters had ganged up on Meg that terrible night, she had remembered how nervous and scared she looked but she never thought that the encounter would affect her so greatly. She knew what it felt like to be bullied but even with an entire game after her, the girl ALWAYS found a way to keep going on. She never let the brain-washed racers or the evil king get her down.
Meg however? Meg was shaken from the way Mary had put it. So shaken she didn't want to see ANYONE, even those who meant no harm to her!
"We hafta see her!" the girl gasped, running into the apartment.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, kid!" said Calhoun but the marine missed the girl by an inch.
"No! I want Ms. Meg ta know we're here ta have FUN! Not ta mess with her!"
Calhoun sighed, shrugging her shoulders "No point but to follow now. Ya guys ready ta go?"
The adults nodded in agreement, following the racer up the stairs. Once the arrived at Meg's apartment, Mary stepped up front first, knocking on the door.
"Megan?"
There was no answer but the group could hear some footsteps inside.
Someone was home.
Mary knocked again, louder this time "Meg, are you in there?"
"Please don't come in! I-I have things to take care of!"
"Sweetie, there is no reason to hide! You know that!"
"I-I'm not hiding!" the voice came out, sounding shaky.
"Hey, Ms. Meg…." Called Calhoun "You have some visitors. Ya wouldn't want ta disappoint them would ya?"
"I'M SORRY! I JUST CAN'T!"
"What's going on here?"
The four turned, Gene standing at the end of the hall "Is it Meg again?"
"Dear, now before you do anything. Please understand the circumstances! Meg's just-!" Mary blurted, blocking the door with her body but Gene gently pushed her aside.
"Megan?"
Silence filled the halls again.
"Megan, you know better than to act so rudely with guest!"
Mary looked stunned, slugging Gene in his sides "Gene!"
Gene held up a hand towards the woman in pink, shaking his head; obviously he knew how to take care of the situation.
"I don't want to be rude, Mayor! You know that! I just can't show my face now!"
"And why not?" asked the man, leaning on the door "There's no one here but Ralph and Vanellope."
"I-I know but-!
"Yes?"
There was a faint sobbing sound from the other side of the door, all but the Nicelanders looking aghast at what they were hearing.
Was Meg really that upset?
Gene's brows furrowed as he knocked again "Megan, we talked about this. I promised myself that I would NOT let you hide away like this. YOU made a promise to yourself!"
"I-I just can't, Gene!"
"Yes, you can!"
"NO, I CAN'T!"
"Megan!" the mayor said in a scolding tone "I understand your concern for all of this but is THIS what you really want to do?!"
From inside her apartment, Meg hide beside the couch, tears rolling down her cheeks, eyes sad and scared.
"N-no…."
"Then please open up…." Gene continued "Vanellope wants-!"
"An' RALPH." Vanellope cut in. Meg could hear the mayor sighing from the other side of the door.
"AND RALPH want to come in a visit you. Isn't that nice?"
Meg peeked from her hiding spot, slowly making her way over towards the door.
"Are you sure…." The woman whimpered "Are you sure I won't waste their time?"
"Waste our time?!" Vanellope said "Ma'am! I've been WAITIN' ta bake a pie with ya all week!"
"R-Really?" the woman said shyly.
"Yeah! I've been seein' how AWESOME ya guys are at pie makin'! I wanna see what ya can do too!"
To hear such sincerity from someone outside the game made Meg feel slightly better but not by much. Nonetheless, she turned the knob of the door…..
"Meg?"
And finally, she let the others in.
"S-Sorry for behaving in such a manner….."
A few apologies were exchanged before the two characters walked into Meg's home. Like before, Ralph felt as if he had stepped into another world as he ducked into the woman's living space. It wasn't as crowded as Nel or the apartments shared by Tony and Lucy but it was just as busy.
"Wow. I wonder what Meg does again…." The men thought to himself, trying to gather up as many clues as he could.
He saw dried flowers, fresh fruit, sugar and spices. Many cups, several small cloth bags, fancy little labels and various pens and inks.
Flower arranger?
Stationary designer?
It was something fancy and frilly sounding.
He then saw the collection of kettles on the wall, his mind snapping to.
"Ah! Right, tea maker!" Ralph corrected himself mentally. He always remembered seeing such strangely colored tuffs of steam emanating from the woman's window when the weather inside the game was warm. The scents were always so sweet and floral and when he heard the others talking about it, he wondered what her brew could possibly taste like.
Maybe now he would get the chance.
"U-Uh, y-you can make yourselves at home…"
If Meg could manage to bring herself to talking, that was. She was shaking like a leaf before the two, her voice barely raising above a whimper.
"Sqnueak-sqnueak!" went something out of sight.
"WHOA!" Vanellope said, looking off to a cage near the window "What is THAT?"
Meg squeaked, running after Vanellope "W-Wait, be careful!"
"I-It's some kinda ANIMAL!" the girl gasped, looking into the cage to see a furry little tuff of grey residing inside. She poked her fingers on the grate, the furball sniffing at her fingers "Chu, chu, chu! What are you?"
"I-It's Earl Grey…"
"Ma?"
"Earl Grey…." The Nicelander whimpered, biting the sleeves of her sweater "My pet chinchilla…."
Vanellope's eyes had never sparkled so brightly as when she was given this glorious news.
"Chin. Chill. A?"
The Nicelander was feeling even more nervous as Vanellope looked at her. What was she supposed to do? Earl Grey was her beloved pet! Could she trust Vanellope with him? So many things had been said towards her pet.
"H-He's a little mountain rodent?"
"He's so CUUUUUUUUUTE!" Vanellope squealed in delight, poking the cage over and over. The ball of fur edged up towards the racer, its nose and whiskers twitching.
"There are mountains in Niceland?"
"No! No, I meant-!" Meg said, feeling horribly cornered "He COMES from the mountains or something! He was just programed here with me when we were plugged in! I can't relay the whole story!"
"Can we take him out?" Vanellope asked innocently "I bet he would love to-!"
"Not now!" Meg cried, grabbing the cage and taking it into her room "W-We need to make our pies before it gets too late! I wouldn't want you staying up past your bed time!"
"Oh, it'll be fine." Vanellope smiled "Besides, I wouldn't want to miss a moment he-!"
Meg stepped before the girl, Ralph looking on in confusion "I-I just don't want to disappoint you two. I-it is my job to make pie s-so-!"
Meg's skin felt clammy, her mouth drying. Vanellope and Ralph's looks felt as if they were going right to the very core of her code.
"L-Let's just get started…" the woman sighed, going over to the kitchen and bringing out a basket of fresh pears.
"So you make PEAR pie?" asked Vanellope.
"Y-Yes…" the woman said in a soft tone, washing the fruit before patting them dry.
"So who taught ya? Your mama, your papa?"
"U-Um no, they died when I was a baby…"
Vanellope gulped; wrong choice of words.
"A-ah, I-I think my backstory stated that I my aunt raised me…and I learned this recipe from her."
"I don't remember that much from my backstory." Vanellope said as she leaned on the counter, watching the woman cut the fruit "I just remember….DOOFY."
Ralph looked up "DOOFY?"
"Yes, DOOFY." The girl said haughtily "Just..silly thiings. Not a lot but everyone was silly."
Man, there were things still yet to be uncovered, no thanks to Turbo.
"Well, don't get too silly with Meg." The wrecker snorted "She's bein' nice enough lettin' us bake in her kitchen. Remember ta do what she says."
"You don't have to talk to her in such a manner, Ralph." Meg said, looking upset "We're just baking pies, I don't want anyone to be upset."
"I'm just playin' with her, Meg!" Ralph smiled "No frets."
Ralph looked over at the woman, noticing that she had lowered her head.
Apparently she was still upset.
The wrecker cleared his throat as he carefully inched forward "Er, ya want me to help with anything yet?"
Meg was starting to back away in caution towards Ralph, her head shaking "N-No! I-I have it!"
Even from her spot, Vanellope could see that Meg was NOT comfortable with the situation, whether it was from her being there, from Ralph, or perhaps BOTH of them. The young racer was now starting to regret coming to Meg in such a state.
"Ms.?" Asked Vanellope "M-Maybe we can-!"
"I-I have it!" the Nicelander said, trying her best to slice the pears "J-Just let me-!"
"Ms. Meg, we can leave if ya want us to."
"No, I have to-!"
"But you're not lookin' too good!"
"I-I can do this!"
"MA'AM!"
"OW!"
Meg let out a high-pitched squeak as she tumbled back, the knife clattering on the floor.
"MS. MEG!"
The Nicelander leaned on the wall, holding her fingers tight. Vanellope glitched towards her but the woman winced at the sight.
"Are ya okay?! What happened?!"
Meg was still shaking but Vanellope could get a clear shot of what was causing the woman so much pain.
She had cut herself, deep. A small line of pixelated blood trailed from the wound, Vanellope paling.
"I-! I-!"
"S-Sorry…." Meg meeped, eyes glossing over "I-I'm always so clumsy…."
"I-I need to sit…" Vanellope moaned, putting a hand to her head and glitching "Th-that's not raspberry syrup!"
"Vanellope?" Ralph gasped, noticing that the girl was weak on her feet "Whoa, I gotcha!"
Ralph put the racer on the couch, her head still dizzy as she tried to regain herself. The wrecker then went over to the Nicelander, extending a hand.
"Here, let me help ya up an' then we can get F-"
"Felix doesn't need to know!" Meg shouted, trying her best to back away from Ralph in fear "I-I-I mean, I would just be a bother to him!"
Ralph felt a terrible feeling as Meg tried to dart away from him, remembering all the times that everyone else in the arcade had feared him.
Apparently, some people still did.
"Meg, please. Let me help ya." Ralph said, nearly begging at this point "You're hurt an' I wanna make sure you're okay!"
Meg went over to the bathroom, putting her finger under the tap "I-I can take care of myself, Ralph! I-I'm not USELESS! I can-!"
Meg watched as the trail of red washed away in the water, the sting gradually going away.
Who was she kidding? She was in no condition to do ANYTHING at the moment.
Without warning, Meg began sobbing in the bathroom, Vanellope and Ralph looking on.
"W-what do we do?!" asked Vanellope, hoping that Ralph would know a solution. The wrecker was just as lost and as confounded as his friend but he knew he had to do something. Leaving Meg alone when it was obvious she needed someone would be another notch of regret on the man's conscious.
But what could he do to help a crying Nicelander?
"M-Ms. Meg?"
Meg turned and looked at Ralph, shrinking down as he overpowered her.
"A-are you okay?"
Meg said nothing, nodding as she looked down at her feet.
"A-Ah, we can still hold up that offer. We can go if ya don't want us he-!"
"Ralph, don't leave!" Meg cried out, stepping out of the washroom "I-I'm sorry I've been so JITTERY! I-It's just-! I don't know what to SAY! I don't know what to DO!"
"About what?" asked Vanellope.
"EVERYTHING!" the woman cried out, getting even more upset "Am I doing this wrong?! Should you even be talking to me?!"
"What?!"
"Why do I always have to mess things up?!" Meg called out "I know you guys just wanted to make a pie but I can't even do that right! I can't do ANYTHING right because I'm a NICELANDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Before either racer or wrecker knew what was going on, Meg erupted into tears.
"Ah, GEEZE!" gasped Ralph, rushing to think of what to do with the tiny woman "Uh? Don't cry?! It's gonna be okay?! I-!"
Oh, what a display this would be if EVERYONE in the apartments were to catch wind of this!
"Ma'am, don't be so upset!" said Vanellope "What happened was just a mistake! Everyone makes mistakes!"
It was if Meg hadn't listened, the tiny woman now on the floor as she continued to bawl before wrecker and racer. What were they to do in such a situation?
Vanellope thought! She pondered!
"Ms. Meg!" she called out, hoping her voice would be louder than the cries "DON'T BE UPSET!"
Things moved faster than Ralph could see and before he knew what was happening….
"AH?!"
Meg went silent.
He looked down, seeing that Vanellope was now embracing the woman tight, Meg looking shaken as the girl wrapped her in her arms.
"D-Don't cry! Th-there's nothin' ta be upset about! I'm not angry at ya! I don't wanna be angry at anyone!"
Meg sniffled twice, hands reaching up for the racer's back.
"You're not mad at me?"
Vanellope shook her head "I never wanted to be mad at you! Everythin' was all a mistake! So please don't be scared of us! We're not gonna do anythin' to ya!"
The small woman craned her neck up, looking at Ralph.
Did the wrecker think the same? Were both characters being truthful to her?
Vanellope hugged Meg tighter "I never wanted things to go this far. I never wanted ya guys ta be so scared, I didn't know! I'm so sorry!"
Moment later, things had cleared up, Meg having fixed the two a steaming cup of her homemade tea. Her eyes were a bit puffy, her chubby cheeks blushed bright.
"I-I'm sorry…." She moaned in shame "A grown woman like me crying in such a manner. It is so unbecoming…."
Vanellope took the cup into her hands "We all cry when things bother us like that. I just wish I could have done somethin' before things got outta hand like that."
"You shouldn't have to worry about this young lady. You should be having FUN. Not getting yourself mixed up into issues we caused…."
"No, this IS my business!" the racer said powerfully "I already know what it feels like to be pushed around so-! So, I wanna make sure no one else does, no matter who ya are!"
The girl looked away, a lump forming in her throat.
"'Sides, none of this mess would have even happened had it not been for me. I got angry at the wrong people an' now you've been worryin' yourself sick over it! The least I can do is help clean up…an' make pies, of course!"
"Pies?" Meg looked down, her eyes going to her wrapped fingers "I'm sure THIS session is ruined…"
"How so?"
"I killed the mood. Turning what was supposed to be such a wonderful night into such sadness. I should have gotten a hold of myself."
Meg felt a wave of guilt hitting her again, her tiny body shaking. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Ralph nor Vanellope, their presence before her making her feel even smaller than normal.
But she had to say it. She couldn't hold it in any longer.
"RALPH, I'M SORRY!"
Ralph nearly fell out of his chair, the yell was so loud "E-excuse me?"
"I'm sorry!" Meg whimpered "I-I'm sorry I'm so scared of you, of everything! I'm just a coward!"
Ralph had known that Meg was shy but he never realized just how far her shyness and worries went. Throughout the entire night, Meg had blamed herself the list of events that had happened, even to the point where both he and Vanellope knew she was blaming herself for NOTHING.
The big man reached a hand out, carefully touching Meg on the top of her head "Ma'am, you're not a coward."
"YES I AM!" the woman blurted out, Ralph jolting back "I can't do anything against everyone in this place! You saw how those guys rough handled me back there! W-why do you think I want to stay here?! It's because I feel safer!"
The woman faltered, looking away to the side.
"O-Or at least I USED to. With so many people coming in here to remind us how all of this is our fault, I don't know how to feel anymore."
Meg looked down at her tea, having not the stomach to even drink it.
"Ralph, I know I'm scared. I get scared a lot. But….but I never wanted to be scared of you."
Ralph blinked, a flash of warmth coming over him.
"It was just…it was just after what a lot of bad guys did to us when we first came here, what Turbo did to us. I began to believe them."
"Believe what?" asked Vanellope, her eyes wide. Meg shook again, her hands gripping together.
"That it was our role to be scared…" the woman began "We're Nicelanders, remember young lady? Our role is to be SAVED. To be saved from Ralph. Do you think that it's something to carry around like a badge of honor? That it's something we should be PROUD of and tell others about? NO!"
The girl said nothing, shaking her head.
"At least when you're a bad guy, you do Something! Anything! I-I would rather be a bad girl than…than helpless and shy."
Silence filled the apartment, Ralph holding his breath.
"I-I hate being like this…" Meg said in shame "I hate being a Nicelander…"
It is always a strange thing, to hear someone else declare they hate their role in their own game. Ralph had said it to himself, he had heard it from the other bad guys. He never thought he would hear it from a Nicelander.
"Being a bad guy is something to be prided over now. You can walk around and be proud of your job because you're more than that. But an NPC? Back then and now? What is there to be PROUD of? People have ALWAYS thought less of us. The weaklings, the pathetic ones. THINGS, not people."
Vanellope took a step back, a sense of discomfort coming over her as Meg described to her the 'role' she had accepted for so long.
Not too long ago, Vanellope was just a GLITCH. But then and even now, Meg was still just a THING?
A THING.
"I g-guess I could have been like some of the others…." The woman continued "I could have taken it less seriously but…I just couldn't. I can't turn this off! I can't turn off how I really felt and people knew that! They kept coming at us! They kept chasing us! They kept scaring us! They kept-! They kept…..they kept scaring me…."
Exploiting fear for pleasure? Vanellope knew all about that.
But there was something about knowing a NICELANDER shared it with her that made her hands shake. All this time, she thought the Nicelanders didn't know ANYTHING about what it felt like to be looked down on, to be pushed around.
It seemed like PIE wasn't the only thing wrecker and racer were getting a nice spoonful of.
"Is that why ya were so hesitant before, Meg?" asked Ralph "'Bout lettin' us in, of course…."
Meg nodded "Y-Yes. I was still worried that you two didn't really want to bake with me or that you were still angry with me. Especially YOU, Vanellope."
Vanellope blushed "I-I told ya, I wasn't angry at ya!"
"You had every right to be…"
"No, I didn't!" Vanellope yelled "I didn't because it all turned out to be LIES! I got angry because of a stupid rumor! Ya could have said somethin'! Or spoken up! Or-! Or…"
Meg shook her head "They still wouldn't have listened to me. I-I mean, you two have everyone's ears now. They'll listen to what you say. They'll consider it…."
Meg had to stop again, sadness welling up once more. She trembled, her fingers going deep into the fabric of her sweater.
"Don't feel bad that you feel for lies, child. It's not like you're the only person to have done so." The woman said, her arms wrapped around herself "I believed that bad guys could only be that; BAD. That they wanted to hurt us, that they wanted to do horrible things to us. And back then? There were a lot who DID."
Seemed like Bowser was right again, the wrecker thought back to the words his Bad Anon buddy had given him.
"I was just scared, okay Ralph? I hate being hurt, and I hate being told that I can't do anything…."
Meg looked down at her hand, the bandages on them making her think back to many of the words she had heard throughout the years.
"That's why I always tried so hard to be good for Felix. I didn't want to seem like burden to him anymore than we're programed to be…" She began "He always was so happy and friendly to me when I gave him pie and tea, he actually wanted to talk to me and even if he did have to save us…he never saw us as anything less than that. I know it's stupid of me to allow myself to let others guide what I should do, but he…he really did convince me to keep making teas. He enjoyed them so how bad could they be?"
Ralph's skin began to prickle over.
Everyone had one person, just one person that lit up their day and the more he was learning from the Nicelanders, the more he saw WHY Felix was their hero.
It was less about medals, it was less about roles.
He REALLY was there for them. He had ALWAYS been there for them.
"Ya didn't think anyone would like your tea?!"
Ralph looked over, Vanellope looking at Meg in disbelief.
"It tastes just fine ta me! What did ya think people would do if they drank it?"
Meg shook her head "I-I don't know. Say it was bland like our pie or something."
"Not EVERYONE in the arcade hates your pie though, an' not everyone hates your tea as I have heard…."
"I bet they're just trying to be nice…." Meg said.
"You're even shier than Beezie, WOW!" the racer said as she ran over to the woman "Ms. Meg, I know there are a lotta jerky people in this arcade but lemme tell ya this now!"
"What?"
"If I see ANY of 'em messin' with ya like they did in tha station, they're gonna hafta deal with President Tough Fist!" the girl growled, puffing her chest out and flexing her skinny arms.
"Ya mean President Noodle Arms?" Ralph chuckled.
"Ya think you're so much better cuz you're bigger than everyone, butt-head!"
"Yeah, an' what of it?"
A bit of a smile broke on the Niceander's face, tiny hints of laughter coming from her as she watched the two joke before her. Vanellope glanced over, happy to see her smile but the racer knew it still wasn't enough. Meg wasn't there yet, she wasn't out of her gloom just yet.
"Ah, there's that Nicelander smile I know ya guys are known for!" Vanellope chirped "Ya should do it more! Ya look so cute!"
More blush formed on the woman's face; CUTE?
"I know it was foolish of me to listen to all those people after all these years…." Meg continued "I just didn't know what to do. I've tried being welcoming to so many but when I get in front of people like that, I just feel…I just feel like they're gonna smash me. Like a mushy, undercooked pie."
"Meg? I never would have treated ya like that…." Ralph said, a truthful tone in his voice "I don't know WHAT those guys did back in their own games to their NPCs but? But I never would have treated ya so badly. An' I never will…."
Shame washed upon Meg's face, the woman seeing Ralph for who he really was. He really was a kind and gentle soul but her mind had already been made up by those who had gotten to her first.
Who knew what could have been had things turned out differently.
"I wish I could have known back then." Meg said "Our lives would have been so much better had it been that way."
Before Meg could say another word, she felt Ralph's gentle hand come under her chin, lifting up her head.
"Meg, it's okay."
The Nicelander was wide eyed in awe, Ralph feeling her quake in his hold. He knew what she was thinking; he was being so kind to her after she had ran away from him so many times, so many years. The wrecker had known that Meg was always the first to dart away from him but he had no idea her fears went so far, that her animosity towards him was something she felt towards all bad guys in the arcade and not because she hated them.
She really was scared.
She was TERRIFIED.
Ralph began to think about it; he began to think about Meg and what she must have thought every time a character had told her she was useless or went out of their way to needlessly upset her. After so many years, she had begun to believe it, to believe what they had said about her and the others.
That she was useless, that everything was her fault, that she did nothing to help the game.
She had believed it.
And she believed that Ralph thought the same thing.
The man wished there had been a way he could have stopped it all. He cursed to himself as he thought back to the past, thought back to the many times he would have gladly stepped in to help but he had his own issues to deal with, his own worries and his own qualms.
He just didn't realize that behind him, the Nicelanders were dealing with their own.
Vanellope smiled as she reached up and threw herself onto Meg again, the woman meeping in shock.
"Those guys dun know what they're talkin' about!" the racer laughed "Ya know what ya should have done?"
Meg shook her head "I don't know. What?"
"What ya should had done was give 'em a tast of their own medicine!" winked the racer.
"W-what do you mean?"
"When someone makes fun of your pie, ya give it to 'em! Toss a few right in their faces!"
Ralph leaned over "Ignore her. PLEASE."
Meg blanched, eight-bit bubbled popping over her head "W-W-What?! I could never do such a thing! That would be so rude!"
"I saw your throwin' arm out there back in that pie fight!" Vanellope smirked "Ya got quite an arm on ya! One well tossed pie an' their mouths would have been too full ta say anythin'!"
"I don't think I could work up the courage….the last time we took part in something that involved throwing, it didn't end well."
"Huh?" Vanellope asked "What do you mean?"
There was a void in Meg's eyes as she looked down, her brain going back so many years.
"Nineteen ninety-five….fourth of July…." The woman droned "I shall never try tossing a volley ball at someone's head again…."
Vanellope laughed tartly "Lemme guess. Ol' Mayor Genie-Butt got a face-full, didn't he?"
The racer stopped, the temperature feeling as if it had dropped a few degrees….or a few dozen.
"NO." Meg replied, irises shrinking down "DONALD. I HIT DONALD."
"Uh."
"Hey!" Ralph piped up, helping Meg back onto her feet "Er, we still have PLENTY of time! Why don't we make that pie?"
"Pie?" Meg blinked, getting to her feet "Why yes, of course!"
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Meg to regain herself and the pie making continued. As Ralph and Vanellope quickly learned, when it came to creating the very thing she loved, the woman was no slouch. Feeling less restricted, Meg took charge of the entire night, the two hapless bakers finding she was not unlike Calhoun towards the two when it came to pies.
"No, you have to slice them VERTICALLY!" the woman ordered, tapping Ralph's fingers with a spoon "You do it like that, it'll cause for uneven baking!"
"Okay, okay!" the wrecker gasped, nearly smashing the pear in his hands "Anything' ya say, Ms. Meg!"
"Ms. Von Schweetz!"
"GAH!" Vanellope jolted, glitching a bit.
Meg rushed over to the girl, taking the dough strips out of her hands.
"You put too much flour on them!" Meg growled, tossing the dough into the bin before taking Vanellope's hands and PLOWING them into a fresh mixture "The excess flour will seep into the fruit glaze! Make some more!"
Tears of shame began flowing down the racer's cheeks; pie making with Meg was a lot tougher than she thought.
"B-But…..I'm the President of sweets. How can I not get this right?!"
"Hey, this is NICELANDER pie we're makin'…." Ralph grimaced "We're on THEIR turf, buddy."
"RALPH! You have to make sure there is a perfect balance!" Meg called, Ralph's skin crawling "Not a single skin should be left on those fruits!"
It was almost as of the two were playing Break Out in the kitchen, one girl and one man bouncing from one edge of the kitchen to the other as they tried desperately to ensure that the pies were done perfectly.
And in the middle of it all stood a tiny, plump woman, a finger in the air.
"Is the oven at the correct temperature? It better be when I check!"
The pies were finally baking…
"AAAAAH. I'm EXHAUSTED!"
And Ralph and Vanellope were on the floor.
"T-they do this day in an' day OUT?!" Ralph panted "H-how-?!"
"I think you did a good job."
The two looked up, Meg smiling as she held a tray of her homemade tea for the two.
"Have you tried peach and passion fruit? It will bring your energy right back!"
"So pies AN' tea?" Vanellope smiled as she took her cup "Ms. Mary told me ya share your brew with a few people. Think ya wanna hand out some mix ta my game?"
Meg blushed brightly as she looked down, the tray shaking in her hands.
"Y-Y-You want ME to provide you with tea?"
Even King Candy hadn't reached out to the tea-maker. He had NEVER reached out to the Nicelanders at all for that matter, other when it was for a snotty and silly remark.
"Ms. Meg?" Vanellope blinked "A-are ya gonna me alright?"
The woman looked at the two, a feeling of warmth and bliss coming over her.
It was so shocking that only a few days ago, Meg had feared the two of them. She had feared that they would both come after her and her neighbors like so many had done before them. She was afraid that Ralph would never forgive her for those fears, that he would hold it against her for as long as they were plugged in.
She was afraid that Vanellope would echo those emotions.
She was always afraid.
Always scared.
Right?
Maybe not this time.
The smile on Meg's face grew larger, Ralph seeing the brightness come on her face.
Suddenly, all the pie making was proving to be worth it.
"I would love to!" Meg nodded, a glow about her "I would LOVE to, young lady!"