But It's MORE than Just Pie

by CandleHeadButt

A continuation of But It's Only Pie, Ralph and Vanellope find themselves baking pies alongside the Nicelanders of Niceland and discover that there is indeed more to the little NPCs than just pie. What will our wrecking hero and racer learn about these guys that no one else seems to know? Maybe this punishment isn't so bad.

13. Blueberry

Chapter Thirteen – Blueberry

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHY DO YOU HIT HER?! ANSWER ME!"

"Gene, NO! STAY BACK!"

"FELIX, PUT ME DOWN, NOW!"

"Daw, is the widdle egg-head upset? Does him needa time out?"

"DON'T talk to me like that! DON'T talk to ANY of us like that you arrogant, DISGUSTING-!"

"Back off small fry! I already got my hands dirty from touchin' tha pink one. I don't any from YOU."

"Alright Turbo, that is ENOUGH! Ya have gone over tha line this time!"

"An' what are YA gonna do about it, HUH? Ya've already shown me you're just as much of a pussy as that Wrecker of yours!"

"Ralph has NOTHIN' ta do with this an'-!"

"Heh! Just proves ta me that EVERYONE in that oversized box ya call a game IS pathetic! Pathetic good guy, pathetic bad guy, even MORE pathetic code-blobs!"

"Turbo, I swear…I was bein' nice enough ta ya before. I was gonna turn tha other cheek but ya have gone too far! The Nicelanders have done NOTHIN' ta ya! Ralph's done nothin' ta ya! But ya still treat 'em all like-!"

"Oh, drop tha lecture Hammer-Boy. Tha last thing I need ta hear right now is your goody-two-shoe blubberin'!"

"No! You're gonna listen ta what I hafta say because I am SICK of EVERYONE actin' so rude that-!"

"Rude? RUDE? HA! Boy, ya don't know RUDE but I will be GLAD ta show just how BAD of a GOOD GUY I can be, startin' with YA if ya so like. So what is it gonna be, Pie-Boy? Ya think ya can fight without that dumb-ass hammer a'yours?"

"….I-I know that I-!"

"You're just as weak as I thought ya were, right from tha start. But I guess that's MY fault, thinkin' that some 'hero' like ya could be worth anythin' when ya got…whatever these lil shits are ta protect an' save. 'Sides, I warned ya both before."

"You warned us about WHAT, young man?"

"I told ya, Pinky. Keep your lil fat- ass in place an' shit like this won't happen to ya."

Yeah.

THAT night.

Everything that had occurred back in the station had unleashed vivid memories that Gene had wanted to keep buried, that he wanted to keep from returning to his mind but he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop going to that night, that moment when everything had come to a head, when it became clear to him that he and the others had a 'place' and it was a place that various others wanted them to remain even to this day.

The Mayor couldn't move. He didn't want to move. All he could think about was what everyone had told him. There were so many words, so many CONFLICTING words.

Felix had told him things would be okay.

But things were NOT okay.

Calhoun had said that no one would mess with NPCs.

But then someone WOULD mess with the NPCs.

Actions spoke louder than words and the actions of the arcade had made it very clear as to their true thoughts and intentions; Litwak's hadn't changed, It hadn't changed at all. Everywhere he turned, it was the same.

No, it was worse.

It was getting worse.

He remembered what Quasar had said, the threat he had made towards Mary. The Mayor wasn't even sure Mary knew who the man was but he was so gleefully ready to hurt her, to harm her.

To put her in her place.

Quasar had made such an open threat in front of many and as usual they did nothing to stop it. They said nothing to stop it. Like so many years ago, they just stood back and watched, watching as if it didn't matter or as if they didn't care. But Litwak's was moving forward right?

If so, why were there so many who remained the same?

---

"So this is tha big one?" smiled Vanellope "We're gonna see the Mayor himself? Ol' Blueberry Britches? Big Gene?"

"Yup." Nodded Ralph as he and Vanellope strolled down the halls "Consider this the final boss in our quest."

"Heh, with tha trainin' we've had, I doubt HE will be a problem!" the girl cackled, rubbing her fist.

"Kid."

The racer looked up, noticing that Ralph wasn't sharing the same look of enthusiasm as herself. If anything Ralph looked a little serious about the situation, a strange thing to show just before one goes baking.

"Say, Ralphie-Boo. What's up?"

"Nelly, I want ya ta promise me somethin'."

"Yeaaah?"

"When we go in there? Don't engage Gene about ANYTHIN'."

"Engage? What do ya mean?"

"I know Calhoun wanted us to do more than just BAKE with tha lil guys….." the wrecker said, scratching his chin nervously "But….with Gene? Somethin' tells me it would be best if we DIDN'T try ta get a rise outta him."

Vanellope stopped in her tracked and eyed Ralph suspiciously "Wow Stink-Breath, if ya didn't have that much faith in me ya could have told me earlier."

"Ya know that's NOT what I meant."

"Ya sure about that?" the girl said, sounding miffed "Look, I know I like ta mess with Genie but give me a lil credit here!"

"Vanellope? REALLY?" the wrecker grumped, arching a brow "Tell me ta truth. Ta my FACE."

"Ooooh, I can't help it okay?!" the racer blurted, throwing her hands up in aggravation "He's just so fun ta mess with! How could I resist?!"

"I'm not against ya havin' 'fun' but tha last thing I would want is a scoldin' from Felix if it were ta get out that we ended up goin' too far with 'im."

"Oh, like Genie can do anythin' about it." The girl snapped, not thinking too clearly about what she had said "He mewls to Felix about so much stuff so-!"

"No."

The girl turned, noticing Ralph looking very sternly towards her.

Uh-oh.

"No."

"No, what?"

"Watch what ya say kid."

"Watch what I say about what I say that I watch? SAY WHAT?" the girl asked curiously, her head moving to the side.

"Tha whole 'ya can't do anything!' attitude is what landed us into this mess in tha first place." the man said with a frown "It's been thrown at me, it's been thrown at you. I don't wanna hear it anymore, least of all comin' from YOU because ya know better than that. I know ya do."

"I didn't mean to sound so harsh if that's what you're belly-achin' about." the girl said "I wasn't sayin' that the blue jellybean can't say anythin' if it bothers him. I was just-!"

She stopped, putting her hands in her pockets. Darn it, why did Ralph have to give her that look? NOW she was falling for it!

"Okay, I get what you're sayin', but I can still have fun right? Or am I barred from that as well?"

"I never said ya couldn't have fun." Ralph nodded "I just don't want anyone ta leave here tonight upset. Especially you."

"Heh, actin' as if I can't take care of myself." The girl said with a forced smirk "Who knew ya were such a worry-wart?"

"Right, that's it. I'm nuthin' but a big ol' worry-wart." Ralph grimaced, turning the corner as the two neared Gene's apartment "But can ya blame me? We've had so many incidents!"

"But that will soon change! Ya can bet on it, Ralphie-Boo!"

The man knocked the door as gently as he could, taking another look at Vanellope.

"I really hope you're right kid."

"I KNOW I'm right!" the girl grinned.

Ralph knew she meant well, that she wanted nothing but the world for him but he was still cautious, still worried. Having talked with his neighbors, Ralph was getting a new perspective of just how things were turning in the arcade. After witnessing first-hand what people were doing to others, and in both Vanellope and his own name at that, the wrecker began to worry more and more that the bullying would not stop. If anything, it felt like it was starting to pick UP and knowing that people thought by doing so would put them in good favor with HIM was what struck him as the most disturbing.

The only thing Ralph wanted was for people to not view him as just the bad guy and for people to not see Vanellope as just a glitch but people were going too far. As the old saying went, the more things change, the more things stay the same and while things had indeed CHANGED, for someone it was NOT for the better.

By now, he knew the Nicelanders had gotten more than their share of 'payback' when it had gotten out how Ralph had been treated but to know that this treatment wasn't new? That people had been going after them and other background characters for YEARS and no one cared or did anything about it?

No wonder Ralph was so nervous about baking with Gene the most. He had already seen first hand what happened when something had made him upset so to imagine what would come out if the wrong words were said, if something else were mentioned?

The big man shivered; who knew something so SMALL could scare him like that!

"Ralph?"

The wrecker looked down at Vanellope "Yeah, kid?"

Vanellope tapped her foot on the ground "Try knockin' again. It's been a bit."

"O-oh, right!" the man chuckled "Somethin' was on my mind. Sorry about that."

Ralph knocked again, trying his best not to blast the door from the frame but after a moment or two, there was yet to be a Nicelander to greet them.

"Huh, that's odd." Ralph said, putting a hand on his hip "Gene is NEVER late, especially when food is involved."

"Maybe he's out?"

"He would have said somethin' beforehand." Ralph said, shaking his head "Left a note on tha door, told another one of tha Nicelanders, told FELIX!"

"Then…where is he?"

Where was Gene?

Not that far away.

It wasn't as if the man hadn't heard the knocks on the door; he could hear them clearly, the voices talking behind the wooden frame even louder in his ears.

"Ya don't think he backed out on us, do ya?" said one voice.

Vanellope Von Schweetz.

"Not likely. He might be a grump but I can say that he ALWAYS keeps his promises, no matter what!"

Wreck-it-Ralph.

Just hearing that made Gene twitch, realizing that Ralph was right. It had been thirty years of living in the arcade and in that time the little Mayor had never once dropped out of a promise he made.

Then what was holding him back?

"I can't do this….." he mumbled, his body refusing to move off the bed "I can't do this!"

"Oh PROGRAMMERS, what do I do?" Mary whimpered, clutching her hands tightly "Gene thinks HE can't move!? I feel even WORSE!"

"Okay, I don't care HOW weird it looks comin' out like this, we gotta move!" growled Calhoun but before she could KICK the door down-

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

One more set of knocks.

Gene looked at the door, feeling as if the entire hall were stretching out for miles in front of him. His head was hurting, his body felt so heavy and slow.

But he had to move. He HAD to keep his promise.

With Mary and Calhoun still peering from the hiding place in the closet the man FINALLY rose from the bed and slugged his way towards the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

"Please, I just don't want this to end badly."

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

"Please, I don't want to make things WORSE!"

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

"PLEASE! I just want-!"

"Genie!" Vanellope chirped brightly, and most importantly, LOUDLY "'Bout time ya opened up!"

The girl's high-pitched voice was doing wonders to add strength to Gene's headache but he pushed through the pain, looking up and forcing a wide grin.

"Ssssssorry. I was cleaning up last minute. I wanted to ensure that things were orderly before-!"

"Whoa, what happened ta ya?" The girl interrupted, her mind catching up to realize that Gene wasn't dressed in the usual fashion she was used to "Um, this IS the right apartment? Mayor Gene? Always dresses fancy, combs his hair back, stern look on his face?"

The man put a hand to his forehead, feeling his body shudder with his growing annoyance.

"I-I just had to dress down, if you must know. I-I erm, SPILLED some things on my suit before you arrived, that's all."

Ralph knew better than that. No matter what would happen, even if things got incredibly chaotic, Gene would go out of his way to ensure that he looked his best for whatever event he had to appear in. Seeing him look so, for the lack of better terms, FRUMPY just didn't add up to the man.

Something HAD happened, something BIG but for whatever reason the Nicelander was keeping his lips shut about it, even if his attempt to do so were coming off rather badly.

"Oh, if that were the case we could have helped ya." Ralph said, now finding himself trying to poke Gene on "I wouldn't have complained!"

"Th-this was something that didn't concern you!" the Nicelander snapped, cursing to himself a second later that he had come off so aggressively "I-I mean-! I'm SURE you two had other things to worry about! There's no need to rush here ALL THE TIME for every little skirmish!"

Skirmish?

Ralph arched a brow; NOW he knew that something had DEFINITELY happened.

"Then let's get started!" Vanellope sang as she glitched passed Gene, the bright light of it only adding to his migraine.

"Kid, wait." Ralph reached out "Gene knows the way 'round his kitchen better than YOU. Let him get things set up for us!"

"R-Right…." The Nicelander said as he staggered towards the kitchen "So if you could PLEASE just move back a bit, I would-!"

"So what type'a pie do ya make?" the girl asked curiously as she inspected the tools before her, Gene trying his all to reach up and take them from him.

"It's just a blueberry pie!" he pleaded "JUST blueberry! Nothing special about it!"

"Nothin' special?" the girl scoffed, poking Gene on his round nose "It seems like EVERY pie here has a story, so I EXPECT ta hear tha HISTORY OF THA PIE from you as well, MAAAYOR!"

Ralph looked over, never having seen such an irritated look on Gene's face.

"I just-"

Ralph looked down at the girl, giving her a warning glare "Kid, what did I tell ya?"

"I'm not botherin' tha man, Ralph!" Vanellope protested, unaware of the look forming on Gene's face "I just wanna know!"

"Awwww, MAN!" whispered Calhoun as she looked at the unfolding scene from the bedroom "He's givin' 'em a look junior Cybugs give before they eat someone's FACE off!"

"Young lady, get back here!"

Even if Mary wanted Calhoun to move away from the door, it wasn't as if SHE didn't want to take a look at what was going on either. The Nicelander in pink had let her curiosity get the better of her and now she wasn't sure if she wanted to escape or continue to watch on. She felt so conflicted as part of her knew it would be better to hide but the other part, the part that cared so much for Gene, just wanted to rush out of the bedroom to embrace him, to tell him that things would be okay.

But given the situation, doing so might not have been a good idea.

"Hey, Ralph?" Vanellope whispered as she leaned over to her friend "Ya can't tell me I'm tha only one who feels a bit odd here."

"Shhh. Maybe he just had a rough day. I mean, we DID have a lotta extra bonus rounds so-!"

"DAMN IT!"

Both character jolted as they heard the slight swear from over at the refrigerator. Gene was standing before the open door, his attitude not improving at all.

"Genie?"

"I try to get everything set up…." The man growled to himself "I try to make sure everything is PERFECT, that you two will enjoy yourself but EVERYTHING STILL FALLS APART!"

Vanellope was certain that EVERYONE in the ARCADE could have heard the man shouting after that!"

"What's wrong, sir?"

"I-I just don't have any blueberries." The Nicelander said, hands shaking "I-I mean-! I HAD some but when I was in the station earlier, I-!"

"Did somethin' happen?" Ralph asked in concern, walking over the Mayor "Because if it did, then I can-!"

"No, no, NO!" the Nicelander declared "Nothing happened, Ralph. Absolutely NOTHING!"

"Okay, Gene! Somethin' is goin' on! Tha way you're actin', tha way you're dressed! Did someone DO somethin' to ya?"

"NO!" the man growled, reaching up and taking a bowl of flour from the counter "NOTHING happened Ralph so can we PLEASE get started before-!"

"How can we make a pie without the fillin'?" asked the Wrecker "We can go ta market somewhere an' get some more if we-!"

"I am NOT going back out there tonight!" the Nicelander said in a rush "No! NO, I'm sure one of the others have some blueberries! We can-!"

"Gene, STOP!" Ralph said as he grabbed the man by the back of his collar "I just wanna help! Don't-!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Gene cried out but in his haste to pull away he stumbled, tripping over his own feet and rolling backwards towards the wall.

"GENE!"

"NYAAAGH!"

In his stumble, the bowl of flour flew into the air only to land atop Ralph's head. He too let out a cry and fell back hard on his bottom, a bowl of eggs and some other things taking flight into the air and raining down on EVERYTHING within the kitchen!

"YIKES!" Vanellope cried out, glitch-stumbling on her face as she was pelted with eggs and sugar. Gene tried his best to duck but he too ended up covered.

Not even a minute.

It had taken less than a minute and already the Mayor's apartment had been trashed. Everyone, from the three in the kitchen to the two other unknown guest in the bedroom, was silent. Ralph's nose tickled from the flour and he sneezed, only to hear a few more things rolling from the counter and crashing onto the floor. Vanellope slowly peeked up, her hair covered in yolk and shell but Gene looked ahead. Butter and a few other things were splattered all over him but he just looked ahead, both seeing the red just spreading throughout his entire body.

"Oh no…." Mary meeped as she pulled Calhoun away from the door "This isn't going to end well."

Indeed it was not.

The little Niceland couldn't even hear Ralph and Vanellope talking amongst themselves as they got in a scramble to figure out what to do.

We have to clean this up!

Wait, that doesn't go there!

Ralph, watch out!

Vanellope, you're spillin' more on tha floor!

All the noise! All the clattering! It was just everywhere! It was too much! It was-!

STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!

Now THAT was a shout that everyone heard! The two guest looked over at Gene, the man getting back on his feet and glaring daggers at them.

"Gene, if ya want us ta clean up tha mess we got it!" Ralph said franticly "Its no problem at all an' then we can-!"

"Mess?" the Nicelander growled in his voice "YOU WANT A MESS?!"

"Gene?!"

In a fury of anger, Gene grabbed the remaining eggs on the counter and HURLED them throughout the kitchen!

"THIS IS A MESS! BUT I CAN MAKE IT BETTER THAN THAT!"

"Gene, STOP!" begged Ralph, getting his on the side of the face with an egg.

"FORGET PIE!" Gene screamed as he threw a bowl at the wall "FORGET BAKING! FORGET MEDALS! FORGET EVERYTHING! IT DOESN'T MATTER! NOTHING MATTERS!"

"Mayor, that's ENOUGH!" the Wrecker said as he reached down and took the still thrashing Nicelander into his giant hands, holding him tight "For programmer's sake! If this isn't a clear sign that somethin' happened before we got here, I don't know WHAT is!"

"You can't wrench anything from ME, Ralph!" the man said, continuing to struggle "Don't even TRY your stupid condescending 'nice guy' talk on me! I've had enough of it!"

"I'm only tryin' ta help, SIR!" the larger man growled "You're tha one who is makin' everythin' into a bigger problem!"

"HOW CAN YOU BLAME ME FOR THAT?!" the Mayor roared, Ralph certain he could feel heat building up around him "I wouldn't be in HALF the condition I'm in right now if YOU and your patronizing friends weren't trying so hard to 'teach us a lesson' then-!"

"I don't even know what you're talkin' about Gene!" Ralph said as he placed the man back on the ground "I already told ya before that I wanted nothin' ta do with those guys who keep botherin' ya so there's-!"

"There's no need for YOU ta keep blamin' him like that, GENE!"

Both men turned, Vanellope marching right up to Gene and looking just as angry as he was.

"Vanellope, WAIT!" Ralph said as he reached down for her but she glitched just out of his hold "We don't need this! I-!"

"I can't believe ya! All ya ever do is YELL at him!" the racer growled, making her presence known to the smaller man "WHY?! He's just tryin' ta help ya an' you're goin' after him like a rabid devil dog!"

The Nicelander was a little surprised at just how angry the racer could become but that didn't mean he had been backed into a corner, not with the way he was feeling.

"Young lady, don't you DARE start with me!"

"Then what is with tha act, huh?!" the girl yelled.

"What ACT?!"

"Ever since we got here, ya've been actin' funny! Don't try ta pretend ya haven't!"

"Th-there are reasons for my mood at the moment, I can assure you!" Gene growled, placing a hand on his throbbing temple.

"Then what is it?!" the girl bellowed "What happened an' what does RALPH have anythin' ta do with it?!"

"THAT is none of your business, Ms. Von Schweetz." The Mayor hissed as he looked up at the girl.

"Then why are ya actin' like ya don't want him here, that ya don't want EITHER of us here?!"

"I DID!" the man cried out "I had everything planned out! I had everything ready! I DID want both of you here, I assure-!"

"Liar."

Gene looked up, the girl looking down at him with such bitterness.

"What….did you call me?"

"I said you're a liar, MAYOR." The girl said, poking him in the chest hard "Admit it."

Ralph went in to take Vanellope by the shoulder "Vanellope, stop!"

With one glitch she had moved from Ralph's hand and continued to march up to Gene.

"Admit that tha only reason you're actin' like this is because ya don't want Ralph or ME here!"

"That-! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" the Mayor said, pushing the girl's hand away but she glitched out his way only to appear on the other, making him stumble.

"VANELLOPE!"

"WHY DO YOU STILL HATE HIM!?"

"I DON'T!"

"WHY DO YOU STILL HATE RALPH?!"

Gene covered his ears, his head pounding "I said I DON'T hate him! If you just let me EXPLAIN myself then-!"

"No! I'm tired of watin' on ya!" the racer said "Ralph has done nothin' ta ya! ABSOLUTLY NOTHIN' an' this is how ya treat him?!"

Gene felt as if he were surrounded from all corners, the racer's voice binding him tighter and tighter "Young lady, please understand-!"

Vanellope was FUMING now, sick of the little man's excuses "I've had it up ta HERE with YOU, Nicelander Gene! Why can't ya just leave Ralph alone!?"

"I HAVE!" the man screamed, trying his all to keep from reacting too harshly towards the girl "For the love of God, I've given him nothing but space and respect since all of this happened! Why won't you guys see that!? WHY WON'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME?!"

"All you've done is bully Ralph!" the girl cut in, pushing Gene back "THAT'S ALL YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO HIM!"

"Stop PUSHING ME!" the mayor said, his temper slipping "You have NO RIGHT to put your hands on me like that young lady, NO MATTER YOUR TITLE!"

"Ya talk like ya know!" the girl said, feeling tears coming from her eyes "Ya guys act like ya know what it's ike ta be bullied but ya don't! YA DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TA BE-AAAH!"

Vanellope cried out as she felt a strong grip grab her wrist and upon looking down she noticed WHO it was that had grabbed her.

"Don't….you DARE."

Gene?

"Don't you DARE say that." the man repeated, pulling Vanellope closer "Don't you DARE say we don't know what it feels like to be bullied! DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT, MISSY!"

The girl quickly glitched out Gene's hold, tip-toeing back towards Ralph as she held her wrist. She had never expected Gene to react in such a way towards her but from what she was looking at, she quickly realized that she had made a mistake in her words.

"Gene, don't start this again." Ralph said as he stood protectively over his friend "We both went through this before and-!"

"You don't think we know what it's like to be bullied? Is that what you really think?"

"Gene, it was a mistake! She didn't mean it!"

"You want to know something?" the Nicelander said, taking off his glasses "THAT. THAT right there. 'We didn't MEAN it!' 'We didn't know!' THAT is the little song and dance people have been giving us for YEARS when they want to pass the buck off themselves."

The mayor placed his hands behind his back as he approached the two. He had calmed down but not by much, the anger still clear in his expression.

"No, I guess WEEE don't know what it's like to be bullied, PRESIDENT. Us Nicelanders have NEVER been pushed around! Have NEVER been told that we don't matter, have NEVER been made to feel like crap because of our jobs or who WE are! Only BAD GUYS and GLITCHES ever have trouble, right Ms. President! EVERYONE ELSE LIVES PERFECT LIVES, NO PROBLEMS!"

Gene's tone struck a chord with Ralph, the man reaching down "Okay, I was bein' patient before Gene but NOW you're goin' too far with this! I already know what ya told me so-!"

"YOU know!" Gene said as he side-stepped Ralph's move. He then pointed towards Vanellope "But SHE doesn't!"

"ME?!" Vanellope pointed to herself.

"Yes, YOU!" the Mayor said "Yes, YOU young lady! I've been nice enough about it before! I've TRIED to be more open minded since I learned about what happened to you but I can't do this anymore! I JUST CAN'T! I am not going to let everyone else here suffer just so people can entertain YOU and RALPH by kicking us around! We already went through that with TURBO when he tried to rope both Felix AND Ralph into his little gang, I'm not repeating it again!"

"RALPH?!" Vanellope gasped, a look of horror written on her face "W-Wait….what do you mean-?"

"Tell her." Gene growled "Tell her, Ralph my boy. TELL HER."

The girl looked up, eyes as wide as dinner plates and her mouth nearly hitting the floor.

"R-Ralph…what does he mean you-?!"

"What's Genie talkin' about?" Calhoun asked Mary as the two remained ducked down in the bedroom "What's this about Turbo tryin' ta get Felix an' Ralph ta join him?"

Ralph hesitated, his hands starting to sweat but he knew he could not deny the truth. If he didn't let it out, it would only fester within him and looking at Vanellope's face, it would only make things worse. If he wanted anything to get better, if he wanted to feel better, he would have to tell the truth.

"I-!"

"Ralph, tell me!"

The big man took a breath and finally….

"Y-Yeah. Turbo tried to get me onto his side."

Vanellope paled, her legs shaking under her. She turned towards Gene, the man looking off to the side with a disappointed expression on his face.

"H-he did?!"

"Y-yes." The big man nodded "It was just so long ago an'….an' after I learned what he had been doin' ta so many other people here, I couldn't do it."

"But I remember it." Gene said, his voice rumbling low in his chest "I REMEMBER it plain as day. I remember those nights when Turbo would tried to lead both you and Felix off into his little gang, to add to his collection of 'friends'."

"Friends?" said Vanellope.

"We all know how much of an ego Turbo had." Ralph frowned "When we were plugged in, tha first thing that he did was try to get Felix ta join him because he was a good guy an' after he saw me? I'm guessin' since I was tha big one of tha bunch, he figured if he schmoozed me over I could have been his BODY-GUARD."

"B-But you didn't fall for it, did you?!" asked Vanellope "Please tell me ya didn't!"

"NO."

The two looked over, Gene looking down at the floor with an admission of guilt on his face.

"No, he didn't." the man said "At least….I found out he hadn't much too late."

"But by that time, tha damage had already been done."

"What damage?" asked Vanellope.

"Tha whole bad guy thing? Tha way people were scared of us? Let's just say that before that night, THAT mindset was never in place, at least not as strong as it had been since then."

Vanellope was confused, hoping that either men would answer her questions but it felt like both were trying their best to avoid stating the truth, no matter how much keeping it shut hurt them.

"I had heard rumors…." Ralph continued "I had heard RUMORS of what Turbo an' some of his gang had been doin' but I didn't believe it. Even I didn't think a good guy an' main characters could be that bad! For tha most part, I just thought that Turbo was ANNOYIN' but had I known that he was treatin' tha Nicelanders like I WOULD have stepped in! I WOULD have done somethin' about it!"

"It wouldn't have mattered anyway." Gene said "As I have said, NO ONE cares what happens to an NPC an' its not just US. It was EVERY NPC in tha arcade!"

"But Mayor!" Vanellope said, looking at the man with such a look of heart-break he couldn't take it "Why would you get angry at Ralph all these years?!"

"He had his reasons."

"What were tha reasons?!"

Ralph crossed his arms against his chest "I blamed him."

"And I the same….." said Gene.

"A-About what?"

"It was about that night. That night Turbo hit Mary." Started Gene.

"A few hours before, I had cut my ties with Turbo." Said Ralph "I didn't want ANYTHIN' ta do with tha lil crook but by that time, he had already got me ta think that NPCs WERE just scared of me because of who I was an' because they couldn't think beyond that. Programmin' ya know? I had no idea that his actions or those of his buddies were just layin' tha groundwork for what was ta come."

"After what had happened, when we came back to Niceland?" continued Gene "I found out even MORE of what had happened to the others, what Turbo had done to them, what his FOLLOWERS had done to them. It was just so much at once that I had no idea how to take it and then when Ralph came back…."

"When I came back, I saw that everyone was so upset but since I was still angry at Turbo, at what he had said about me AN' Felix-"

"Felix?" Calhoun whispered, her heart racing.

"I just let my anger take over, I really did think that tha Nicelanders were panckin' over NOTHIN'."

"And then the fight began."

"An' in it, I hit G-"

Before he could finish, Ralph took a quick look up, noticing that Gene was frantically shaking his head, as if he were warning Ralph.

Don't tell her! DON'T TELL HER!

The Wrecker quickly got the message, even more so when he saw just how upset Vanellope was looking. It was clear she understood what had happened but she still could not believe it. She just could not believe the reason the Nicelanders had distanced themselves from Ralph and just how tightly Turbo had was wound into EVERYTHING. She looked at Gene once more, seeing just how tired and exhausted he looked.

"So you see Ms. President, THAT is it. THAT is the reason why we were scared of Ralph." The man said "No, it wasn't programming, it wasn't code. We had all gotten caught into a web that was spun by you-know-who. ALL of us. He had made Ralph think we were too stupid to think of him as anything else and he had gotten us to think that Ralph actually WANTED to hurt us."

The little racer swallowed back, walking towards the Mayor but he seemed to want to keep his distance from her, if only because he was so ashamed of what he finally had to admit.

"And the thing that hurts the most? He actually SUCCEEDED. Turbo actually won because he got ALL of us to distrust each other when there was no reason to do so. And after he was gone, he had left his mark on EVERYONE'S minds. They began to follow in his footsteps in some form or another."

"B-But….the others…." Vanellope squeaked "Th-they told me what happened! W-was it really even WORSE than that?"

Gene straightened up, walking through the kitchen to avoid the mess on the floor.

"You know Meg's pet?"

Vanellope nodded "Ya mean Earl Grey?"

"Cute thing, isn't it?" the man smiled "I'm pretty sure she acted a little funny when you tried to get close to it, right?"

"Y-Yes, she did."

"Well, did she tell you about the time some guys broke into her apartment, STOLE IT, and threatened to KILL IT?"

Vanellope glitched in horror at the words, subconsciously reaching for her neck "W-what?!"

"Or Roy's album. I know he told you how Felix got beaten up just to get it back? But I'm sure he left out the parts where he opened the album to find the photos VANDALIZED and he's NEVER asked Felix to repair those!"

Ralph blanched, remember the moment the album had torn in his hand "Oh programmers, REALLY?"

"Or when Nel had her dress nearly ripped off by one of Turbo's devotees!" the Mayor continued "And for what reason? No reason at all! She was just another background NPC who DESERVED to be harassed for the entertainment of others!"

Now it was no wonder Nel had gotten so upset when Ralph looked through her drawings.

"I could go on, you know." Gene said "Donald? What they did to him when they found out his programming was MEANT to be a joke? Lucile and Anthony? What they did to them to nearly force them to move away from each other? Or maybe I should state some of the LOVELY words that were thrown at KAL over the years! He's nice enough about it, but I doubt that Miss Von Schweetz even knows of the details about THAT or do you think she is OLD enough to hear some of them?"

The girl slid to the floor, her hands on her head.

"How could he do so much to this place?"

"Power."

Vanellope blinked, looking over at Gene again "Huh?"

"Because he had POWER." The man said "Think about it for a second. He was the hot new guy in what at the time was the most powerful game in the arcade. Turbo KNEW he could get people to listen to him and he LAVISHED in it. And with the arcade being a lot smaller back then, it wasn't as if Turbo had THAT much competition. Even when WE were plugged in, he made sure to play the part to try to get Felix and Ralph onto his side."

"Then what made Felix say no?" asked the girl "I mean, he's so nice an' has a heart for ANYONE. What could have made him turn away?"

"I guess ol' Felix saw through tha ol' doof before I did." Ralph said, as he sat next to Vanellope. He paused, laughing softly "I know I keep makin' of him for bein' so flighty but I hafta give Felix credit where he deserves it. He KNEW Turbo was trouble after their first meetin' but I guess it was his friendly nature an' his own disdain for paintin' people so badly that kept a lot of people from listenin' those first few years."

"Even when he got into that fight." Gene piped in.

"Even WHEN he did." Nodded Ralph.

"An' you?" Vanellope asked Gene "Didn't ya do anythin'?"

"Little Miss, you've heard it from all of us." Said Gene "We TRIED to get people to listen to us. We TRIED to get people to stop Turbo but they didn't-DO-ANYTHING. That's why it kills me to see people acting like this because all it proves it that after THIRTY YEARS, NO ONE wants to change! They want to keep things as they are so they won't have to admit their own mistakes!"

Gene ran a hand through his hair, as he always did when he was nervous.

"You know something though? I admit it. I admit that we were wrong about Ralph right here and now but it still won't mean anything to these people. NONE of my words from day one have meant ANYTHING and all they want us to do is keep us in our little shells of fear since it makes it easier for them. I mean, with everyone ordering us to apologize do you think ANY of them apologized for what they've done to us?"

Gene began to turn red in the face again, tossing a pie pan on the floor.

"Do you think ANYONE apologized to Megan when they scared her so much she refused to come out of the apartments or a WEEK? To Norwood when they purposely made him sick to see his reactions? To Pearl? To Carlos? TO Deanna?! TO ANYONE ONE OF US when they made our lives a living hell back then!?"

Gene slammed a hand on the wall, still feeling the rush of anger all around him.

"NO! No they did not! They NEVER apologized! That was fine, that was okay! We're BACKGROUND CHARACTERS! It's ALWAYS our fault because we're nothing but stupid, useless bits of data that HAVE no purpose just to be in the back! We mean nothing so they treat us like NOTHING! What they did wasn't BULLYING! IT was teaching us a lesson! A lesson we apparently deserved for having the AUDACITY of trying to enjoy ourselves in this stupid arcade!"

By now, Vanellope had gotten the message loud and clear. While she had found her freedom with the fall of Turbo there was still so much more that the arcade needed to do if it were to untangle itself from his influence. The racer might have been gone but from what she had been told and what she had witnessed, it was like he had never left. People were still being bullied, people were still being pushed around.

She knew it wasn't right, she felt that THEY knew it wasn't right but it didn't matter to them. Just so long as they had an excuse, whether they were calling it revenge or justice, people would continue to bully.

The girl looked around the kitchen, the entire place a mess. Gene leaned on the wall, his hands covering his face.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for messing up EVERYTHING." The man said, sighing heavily "Trust me when I say that I really WAS looking forward to this. I WAS….but before you arrived I was quickly reminded of my 'place'."

"In other words, ya got in a fight." Snorted Ralph "Guess that explains why ya looked a bit tossed around when we got here."

"Yes, and I could have handled it so much better had they not brought Mary into the mix."

Upon hearing her name, Mary felt her face flare with blush, almost crying out in shock.

"Th-they did what?"

"In the end of things, I've come to the realization that while I do get annoyed when people take their jokes too far with me, it's only when the OTHERS are brought into the mix that I get REALLY angry. They don't deserve to be dragged into this, they don't. Yet people still feel the need to force them into some nonsense issue and as I've stated before, it's not just US. Its EVERY NPCs that I've talked to since our meetings began!"

The mayor rubbed his temples, unable to stop at this point.

"The things that we've learned from other background characters. The things that their good and bad guys have done to them! You'd turn green in DISGUST if you could hear it yourself but if there is anything that has disturbed me the most is how it's picked up since YOU two have come into the spotlight!"

"That's what I don't get!" said Ralph "I will take your word that people have bullied background characters but why pick it up?"

"Because of US." The Mayor said "Since WE'RE the ones who caused you the most pain, everyone is using what we do to YOU as an excuse to go even harder on EVERY background character!"

"But how is that fair?!" growled Vanellope "I mean-! I don't treat our NPCs bad! Tha other guys don't so-!"

"Oh, those little candy people haven't said anything about YOU, young lady." Said the mayor "If anything, your NPCs, the one that come anyway, have always spoken the world of you and your friends."

"Then who HAVE they been talking about?"

"King Candy of course. It seems that he had a particular way of going about some of your NCPs back when he was in rule but even if he has bitten the proverbial dust, someone else has taken his place outside your game."

"Oh gobs…" said the racer "An' no one is doin' anythin' ta stop this?"

"Not since we put up the NPC Support Group." Said Gene "Before then, we had nowhere to go, no one to talk to. Looking back, I can only count myself and the others lucky that Felix was around. He was always there to listen to us and we could always count on him. That's why we 'worshipped' him as so many have put it. THEY weren't helping us, but HE was!"

Gene lowered his head, looking off to the side.

"But I guess asking for a little peace is too much to ask, isn't it?" he grumbled "You wanted to race young lady?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanted to prove you're more than a bad guy, Ralph?"

"Er, yeah."

"Well, what I want is for people to LEAVE US ALONE. Simple as that. I never wanted people to praise us, or to fawn us, or to wait on us hand a foot. I just wanted people to stop messing with us and scaring us. What is so difficult about fulfilling a request like that? That's basic character respect right there. Or are NPCs not characters so we don't get respect?"

The mayor slouched on the wall, feeling so worn and exhausted.

"Blurgh, I'm just TIRED."

As if to embarrass the man even further, Gene's stomach growled loudly. He blushed deeply, putting his hands on the chubby surface.

"Check that. Tired AND hungry."

"Um, I guess PIE is out of the question?" Ralph asked as he looked around at the unholy mess that had once been the Mayor's kitchen.

"I don't know…." Gene moaned "I feel like I'm being pulled in thirty different direction of AWFUL. I don't know what I want anymore."

"Well, I know what ya NEED." Ralph smiled, reaching down and picking the tiny man off the ground.

"NYAAGH!"

"I think SOMEONE needs to take a visit to a certain eatery in Street Fighter Two. That'll put ya right back on your feet."

"As long as you're payin'!" laughed Vanellope "C'mon! I'm hungry too anyway! Maybe something spicy? Maybe something savory? Ya think they got that?"

"They have all of that an' more!" Ralph laughed "An' knowin' Big Gene's appetite, it's just right up his alley!"

Gene didn't even attempt to fight free, allowing Ralph to carry him out of the apartment like a rag doll.

"Yeah….yeah. Getting out of this place DOES sound good…."

"Say, um. Do ya think we should, I dunno, shower before we go anywhere?" asked Vanellope.

"A quick spray with a hose should do fine!"

Gene had all but given up now "Oh, sweet GHOST."

Once the door was shut, all was still in the tiny home. That was until…

"Wow. Just….WOW."

Calhoun exited the bedroom, still looking astonished at what had taken place before her.

"Geeze…an' I thought OUR game was rough. Guess ya learn a thing or two once ya been here a while, huh?"

Mary didn't respond, the little woman following slowly after the marine. She just couldn't speak up after what she had witnessed. She was hoping that things wouldn't come to such a head, that Gene wouldn't explode like he had done on Ralph after the strike but there was no way to hide the facts anymore. The group couldn't sugar-coat what had transpired on all parties over the years and it felt like no amount of smiles or nods could hide the shame nor pain that Mary was feeling.

"Do you understand it now?" she finally said, still looking at the wrecked kitchen "Do you see WHY I wanted you to speak, young lady?"

Calhoun tapped her chin "I think so?"

"We need heroes like you, like Felix. Like….like Ralph and Vanellope…." The woman trembled "We need heroes like you to remind others that not everyone looks down on us, that not everyone is out to scare us or…or put us in our place."

Calhoun understood exactly what Mary had meant, the woman standing tall above her.

"Ma'am, you have my word that I'll help take care'a things here."

The woman smirked, rubbing her nose as she looked over towards the wall, spying the clock.

"In fact, why don't cha take a break on tha meetin' tonight? I think I can cover it for ya!"