Taffyta's Tried and True

Once again, the track at Sugar Rush was filled to the brim with spectators, many of them from near and far the arcade. There was just something about a race from Sugar Rush that got the blood pumpin' and the mind going! Who couldn't say no?

As usual, Vanellope Von Schweetz and Taffyta Muttonfudge were neck and neck, each one trying to outdo the other. Vanellope tried to glitch but Taffyta caught her, using a Gummie Dummie power-up, to add a bit of BOUNCE to her kart.

*Boing!*

*BOING!*

*BOING!*

Taffyta jumped ahead of Vanellope with her gummie tires but neither girls were about to give up. Vanellope knew she had to use something other than her glitch but what? There was one more power-up and who knew what it could be!

"GOTCHA!" the raven-hair racer called as she snatched the candy up at the last second. It blinked, it glowed and finally.

*SOUR POWER!*

Vanellope shoot a mouth-puckering candy at Taffyta's cart and with a ZING and a SCREECH!

Taffyta froze in place, the shocking power of the sour much too great for her to carry on! Vanellope sped ahead, taking on first but after a few second Taffyta was able to break through the power, smacking her lips to bring forth the sweetness and managed to push the gas to go in for second!

The crowd was going wild as everyone cheered!

GO, GO, GO, GO!

"Great race!" Vanellope said with a smirk, but Taffyta surprised her, an equally cheeky grin appearing on her face.

"Got kinda desperate this time, eh?" Taffyta chuckled "Ya didn't USED ta go for power-ups a long time ago!"

Vanellope prepared to say something back but before a word could even escape, someone spoke up behind her.

"Aw, leave her alone Mutton-FLUB!" jeered one voice.

"You're just JEALOUS!" said another.

Vanellope looked behind her to see several characters glaring down at the two from the stands. They appeared to be from other games, their figures MUCH larger than any racer and citizen in the game.

"Hey guys, it was just a joke." Vanellope said, hoping to calm everyone down "There's no reason to get upset!"

"The only one who is upset is HER!" shouted another spectator, pointing an accusing finger at Taffyta. The strawberry racer shrank back, feeling very much embarrassed by what was starting to brew around her.

"What's wrong Mutton-Flub? Upset that ya LOST another race!" came the first voice.

"I came in SECOND!" Taffyta spat, getting quite upset this time "From the way you put it, you make it sound as if I came in LAST!"

"With how bad you driving is we should expect ya at the tail every time!" cackled the biggest of the bunch, apparently enjoying giving the racer a taste of his own mind.

Vanellope GLITCHED away from the group, her hands held out before her "We're not going to have any of that HERE." She said angrily as she stomped her foot on the ground "We're a FRIENDLY game! No fussin', mussin', or butt bustin'! Ya try ta fight an' I'm BANNIN' ya!"

The group mumbled as they all turned and lumbered off, looking none too pleased but their anger was not focused on Vanellope.

But rather, it was once again aimed at TAFFYTA.

Even as they walked away, the strawberry racer could feel their cold glares and hurtful words.

"Why should we hafta be kicked out cuz of her?"

"Yeah! Its not OUR fault she can never be as good as Vanellope!"

"She can never be as good as ANYONE! She's a Mutton-Flub! The WORST of the racers in the game!"

Vanellope might not have heard those words.

But Taffyta did.

Her heart sank as she walked back to her kart, "I gotta go…"

"Go?" asked a confused Vanellope "Go where?"

"Somewhere…anywhere….just a place where I can think."

Vanellope couldn't get a word in otherwise as Taffyta took off, leaving a large cloud of pink dust behind her as she drove away.

Taffyta rode and rode until she reached Strawberry Hills, a high away place she would often go to think.

And think.

And think.

This time, the only thing she could really think about was how much everyone seemed to hate her now but she could understand why.

After all, she had been the one to lead the others to bully Vanellope, not showing an ounce of mercy or compassion.

And she had also followed King Candy the closest, waiting on his every whim and hanging on his every compliment.

His little darling he used to call her but with him gone and Vanellope back in charge, things had changed.

Taffyta was no longer seen as a 'darling' but instead a brat.

A low down, dirty, no good, untalented brat.

And it wasn't like people were hiding their feelings from her either.

Race after race, Taffyta had to hear it; whenever she won, people were convinced that she had cheated.

How could a BRAT win a race after all? No one could EVER beat Vanellope! She was the only REAL racer in the game!

If she came in second, they would lap up her 'loss', reminding her that she would always lag after the rest, the final link in a collection of mediocre racers.

But she would ALWAYS lose to Vanellope.

That's how everyone WANTED it to be and that's how everyone WANTED it to stay.

As she sat on the plush grass of the rolling berry covered hills, Taffyta's mind was not in peace. It was ful of sadness and anger, doubt and discouragement.

She was angry that people had the nerve to speak to her like that but her sadness? What was the cause of that?

Simple; maybe they were right.

Maybe she was nothing. Maybe she was just a loser.

Loser.

That's all she heard.

And day after day, that's all she could think off.

Soon, races were starting to become a chore; she no longer liked to go. Every time the sun rose over the pink clouds, she began to DREAD going to the track. She just didn't want to go.

She could still see the eyes, hear the words.

Loser! Brat! Crybaby! Bully!

And that's all she could hear.

AS she drove, it seemed as if the entire world were calling her those names, the ice cream canyons echoing, the cupcakes laughing, the chocolate cackling.

She just couldn't take it.

And she began to lag further and further behind.

Soon, she was no longer coming in first or second.

Then she stopped coming in third.

Fourth?

Fifth?

Last?

Every time.

Seeing the tail pipes of the others was starting to become a common sight for the little racer but whenever she thought of speeding up, those words came right back into her mind.

CRY BABY CRY BABY CRY BABY!

LOSER CHEATER LOSE CHEATER!

It was official.

Taffyta Muttonfudge no longer wanted to race.

On a Sunday, Taffyta didn't show up for the daily race, instead deciding to remain in her little cottage and keep her mind off the tires, off the engines, and off the sound of the blaring horns.

"Is this who I really am?" she sulked to herself, a large cloud of gloom hanging over her head. She looked over to the side, seeing a picture that she had taken with the rest of her friends. She and Vanellope led the bunch, the two right in the middle, arms on shoulders and teeth flashing white.

People loved Vanellope. That's all everyone every talked about now.

Years ago, they wouldn't say such things because even they didn't know she existed but now that the truth had come out, everyone started to file into the game as if they had known she had been there all along, as if they had been by her side the entire time, as if they had been around to stop the bullying.

And they never stopped telling Vanellope how much she wasn't like the others.

Vanellope was special.

Vanellope was different.

Everyone else?

They were the same, bland, lack lusters, especially Taffyta.

ESPECIALLY TAFFYTA.

Maybe….

Maybe that's what Taffyta had to do!

Maybe she had to be someone else. If they didn't like Taffyta, maybe a NEW racer would be just the thing they would respond towards! After all, that was something else they apparently wanted.

They always told Taffyta they couldn't stand how she was a bully, how she was a sniveling coward.

But whenever she did change…

Ignored, that's all she got.

But how could Taffyta change? After all, it wasn't as if she could alter her code; she didn't want to.

But she still had to be someone else.

Someone different.

Someone special.

Someone who wasn't Taffyta.

The next day Taffyta went to the town square, going into the tailor and carrying a MOUNTAIN of clothing with her.

"I want these altered!" she told the little chocolate tailor as she busted through the door and dropped the heavy load on the floor.

"How so?" he asked, not sure what to make of what he was seeing "Do you want them taken in, taken out? Dyed, decorated, dipped?"

"I don't care!" Taffyta cried in frustration "Mix them up! Sew them together! I don't want this! I want….I want-!"

Taffyta stopped; she didn't know what she wanted as she looked at her old clothing.

"I DON'T WANT TAFFYTA!"

"Then what DO you want?" asked the little chocolate man, quivering.

"I WANT…I WANT TO LOOK LIKE VANELLOPE!"

The tailor had his work cut out for him quite literally and doing as he was told, he created a mishmash of outfits for Taffyta.

JUST THE WAY SHE WANTED.

And they looked AWFUL.

Taffyta was torn herself to see her favorite pink dresses hacked and slashed into something no Candy Racer would ever wear but she held her tongue.

This was for the better, this was good.

Soon she would be DIFFERENT, just like everyone wanted.

She tried out her new outfit, but as she looked down she was not pleased with the results. She stood in front of the mirror, looking a complete fool with a jacket that looked two sizes too big, a skirt that was an ugly shade of green and tights that bunched up around her knees.

But it SORT OF looked like Vanellope's outfit, right?

And everyone LOVED Vanellope, right?

Taffyta couldn't fool anyone, not even herself; she hated the outfit. She hated it so much. She wanted something pink and comfortable.

But people didn't like pink.

Pink was too Taffyta.

"I-I'll take it…" the little racer shivered, not at all enjoying what she had done but swallowing it nonetheless.

Next stop, the bakery.

Once inside, Taffyta BROKE her old kart to bits, using one of the large mallets to do so. She then hopped into the kart select and began mixing everything she could into the bowl.

But time after time.

Pink and strawberries.

Pink and strawberries.

PINK AND STRAWBERRIES.

No, no, no! This wasn't right! People didn't like pink and strawberries! They liked whatever Vanellope had!

But it was no use. Every time the girl tried to make a new and random combination, her true love always came through. Each kart MIGHT have looked different but they all had the same theme.

Pink.

And strawberries.

Taffyta was growing more frustrated by the second and after so many hours of breaking and baking, breaking and baking, she finally gave up, settling for a hobbled together kart of everything she had tossed aside.

One wheel was smaller than the others and the muffler wasn't even on. The engine sputtered and spit out jam and the seats had holes.

Taffyta HATED what she was looking at.

But still, it wasn't like Taffyta. It was like VANELLOPE.

And that was all she needed.

Finally, the tricks.

Every racer in the game had their own skill set plus many more they had learned over the years but apparently if Taffyta wanted to get anywhere and CHANGE, she had to toss aside everything she knew and focus more on being like Vanellope.

"Here goes nothin'…." She whimpered to herself as she got into her wreck of a kart.

The kart started up just fine but with the insides so strewn and cobbled, she could bearly get a decent speed but she had to deal with what she had chosen. Taffyta tried to do a trick with the kart but she fell out.

She tried another.

And yet, the same results followed.

Every time she practiced, nothing would come forth. Either the kart would mess up, or SHE would.

*SPLAT!*

Face first into the mud she went, her kart turning over on its side and simply crumbling into a misshapen pile.

"Hah! Look at Mutton-FLUB!" she heard one voice say.

"Isn't she a MESS!" came another.

"She's where she belongs!" laughed the third.

She looked around, seeing that she was surrounded by the very people she had hoped to convince that she had changed but instead of cheering her as they had done with Vanellope, they were only laughing harder and harder, taking much delight in seeing her in the mud for a change.

Dirty, sticky, and a complete mess from head to toe, Taffyta walked out of the mud and made the long trek back to her home.

And with each step, she could still hear them, laughing and laughing in pure delight.

As she passed the village, a familiar racer spotted her, surprised to see a chocolate covered racer trudging by.

"Taffyta? Is that YOU?" asked Vanellope.

Taffyta didn't answer and continued to walk on by but Vanellope caught her, trying to pull her back.

"Wait, don't go!"

"Leave me alone…."

"Why?" asked a worried Vanellope "Ya look like ya 've been dragged from one side of the kingdom to the other! An' why are ya wearing rags?"

"I thought this is what people wanted…." Taffyta sniffed, a tear rolling down her face "But I guess I didn't get it right, as usual."

Vanellope was a little confused; what had Taffyta meant by 'what THEY wanted'?

"I guess I'll never be good. Never be as good as you…." Taffyta finally squeaked, rubbing her eyes "I'll always be a Mutton-Flub. A loser. I should just stop racin' to spare myself any more torment or at least be less of a burden to you."

So THAT'S what all of this was about.

Vanellope looked up and down at Taffyta and crossed her arms "Taffyta. Did this REALLY make you happy?"

"No…." the girl said "But if everyone else-!"

"Why does it matter what everyone else says?" Vanellope interrupted, trying to pull the tattered hoodie off of Taffyta.

"YES IT DOES!" Taffyta shouted "I WANT TO BE A GOOD! I WANT TO BE A GOOD RACER BUT I CAN'T! I NEVER CAN BE!"

"Why are ya sayin' that?" said Vanellope "You've ALWAYS been a good racer!"

"No, I never was….." Taffyta shook, more tears coming from her eyes "Ever since you came back, I've been nothing. Nothing, just like I was always programmed to be."

Taffyta stopped, shaking her head.

"No, I am something. A BULLY. An' that's all I'll EVER be. That's all anyone will ever see me as."

Vanellope took a step back, a little surprised to hear Taffyta say such things about herself. She wanted to say something to calm her down but the little racer found herself lost. Anything snarky or silly would only be ignored, all of Taffyta's humor and drive sucked from her.

But she still couldn't leave the racer in the shadows, not like she had been left so many years before.

Think Vanellope, think!

"Taffyta…." Vanellope began "I know we are more than who we are programmed to be but….but you don't have to go so far as to change yourself into someone who you KNOW you don't want to be."

No reply. Had Taffyta even heard the girl?

"I know who I am, and I'm happy. Weren't you happy with who YOU were?"

"I don't know…." Said Taffyta "I was happy before. But everyone keeps saying…."

"What about when everything was returned to normal? Weren't you happy then?" asked Vanellope "I don't know what else I can do other than say….I don't think you're a bully."

Taffyta could feel the tightness in her chest easing but her eyes remained focused on the ground.

Vanellope was worried; had she made things worse? Taffyta wasn't saying anything.

Instead, the little racer got up from the ground…

And began walking back to her cottage.

Vanellope was alone in the middle of the street, left only to wonder what her friend was thinking.

And what she would do.

The next day came just like the others, the racers all preparing themselves for another go around the track. Vanellope looked everywhere for Taffyta but she couldn't spy the racer from the crowd.

Where could she be, where could she be?

And then…

Pink.

Bright, sweet pink.

The beautiful purr of a motor pulled into the track, none else than Taffyta Muttonfudge sitting at the driver's wheel!

No longer was she wearing a messy ensemble but her own, much loved threads. Pink Lightening had been put back together, polished so bright that it glimmered like a star.

Was it possible?

Was Taffyta Muttonfudge back?

"Taffyta?" asked Vanellope, the other racers looking on just as surprised.

"Yeah, yeah!" the other girl said tartly, twirling her lollipop in her fingers "What are ya all GAWKIN' at for? We got a race ta go! Hope ya don't choke on my dust!"

Vanellope smirked; yup! She was back!

And from what the other saw when she began to race, she was better than ever!

Taffyta swerved, her kart moving as fast as lightening down the roads! Whenever an obstacle popped up, she was quick to avoid!

Whenever a power-up showed up, she was the first to grab it!

TAFFYTA WAS ON FIRE!

And as usual, both she and Vanellope were neck and neck with each other, the finish line just in sight!

It had come to this yet again.

And Taffyta remembered what always come after words.

But she didn't blink. She didn't even flinch. She had ONE chance to get this right!

Vanellope glitched ahead but Taffyta was waiting for that moment. A power-up appeared, her fingers ITCHING to get it.

*SLOW AS MOLASSES!*

Taffyta activated the gun and BOOM!

*SPLAT!*

Vanellope's tail end was caught in the stick goo, making her movements slow as…

"MOLASSES!"

Taffyta sped through the side, taking first as the flights flashed and confetti fluttered all around!

For the first time in a LONG time, Taffyta had WON!

Not by trying to be like Vanellope but because she remembered to be HERSELF.

Taffyta took her trophy, turning in time just to see Vanellope walking up, a second-place cup in her hand. The others waiting on baited breath, excited to hear what Vanellope was going to say to Taffyta for her 'unfair' win.

The two girls glared at each other.

"Mutton-Flub is gonna get it!"

They looked mad!

"Serves her right for CHEATING!"

The looked ready for a fight!

"Great job!" smiled Vanellope, taking Taffyta's hand.

"As always!" the other racer returned, gripping tightly onto the president's hand.

Something was different.

Something had changed.

"H-Hey, where are ya goin' Mutton-Flub?" called the biggest of the spectators, a little unnerved to discover that Taffyta no longer reacted so negatively

"Ta tha malt shop, like I ALWAYS do after a GOOD race!" the strawberry racer cooly, their words no longer bothering her "You're welcome to come if you want to!"

"No way!" shouted the second, appearing flustered.

"There's no way I'd go ANYWHERE with-!"

"I would LOVE to go!" said Vanellope smugly, much to the shock of the spectators "Winner buys?"

"I thought it was FLIPPED today!" laughed Taffyta, joining her friend.

Was this really happening?

Had Taffyta and Vanellope become FRIENDS?

That's what it appeared to be.

And once it became clear, everyone held their tongue.

Whatever words they had saved to bring Taffyta down, they no longer had the bite they had first thought. Taffyta was much too happy to let them get to her anyway, her feet feeling light as cotton candy and as energized as pop-rocks.

"Don't wanna go?" she said as she looked back at the others "Well, too bad. Stay Sweet!"

With no other worries, both Vanellope and Taffyta went off to the village but one thing caught the eyes of everyone who remained at the track.

Even though Taffyta had won, she had not taken her trophy with her. With how good she was feeling, she didn't need it anymore.

A strawberry malt with Vanellope was a better prize anyway.