Swizzle's Flying Kart

Everyone knows Swizzle Malarkey. He's the kid in Sugar Rush who's brain is always filled with ideas.

Even after the races, Swizz was always cooking up something for his kart; new wheels, new engines, new body. Anything to make him go faster, faster, FASTER!

But Swizz didn't just tinker with karts. He tinkered with EVERYTHING.

All the racers knew that Swizz loved to invent and if there was one thing they loved to do around Swizz, it was watch him invent.

On one day, he'd create a super charged strawberry picker, just right for Taffyta.

"It picks, washes, and shines the berries in no time flat!" he would say.

On another, he would create an extra-large cake contraption for Candlehead.

"You can now bake till your cakes reach the sky!" he would chuckle.

Swizz's mind was already cooking with ideas, with inventions, with creations and every chance he got, he would make them.

Some were successes.

But some were not.

Nonetheless, he kept building. He kept going.

He couldn't let his mind stop.

One night, Swizz lay fast asleep in his bed but even as he rested he was still creating in his dreams. This time however, something different was going on.

"I present to you!" Swizz said to the others in his dream "Sugar Rush's first FLYING KART!"

Swizz pulled away the cloth but while the others ohed and awed at what was before him, to his shock Swizz was unable to see what they could see.

"It's AWESOME Swizz!" said Jubileena.

"It looks WONDERFUL!" said Sticky.

There were many cheers and many cries but as Swizz stood on stage, the sight was not before him. What was everyone looking at? What was everyone cheering at?

"Guys, guys!" the boy cried out, waving his hands in front of the others "Hold on! What am I-?!"

*DING DING DING!*

The sharp clang of Swizz's alarm rocked him from his slumber. The boy sat up in his bed, looking shocked and shaken but one thing was for sure.

The dream had lit an idea in his mind.

What could it mean? What did it say? As Swizz prepared for his day, he began to wonder. What it a sign? Was it an inspiration? He remembered standing up on the stage while the others cheered him on but he was unable to see the very thing he had claimed to create yet everyone was still excited.

"Wait!" the boy said, a twinkle in his eye "I get it now! I get it!"

The reason why HE couldn't see his own creation was because HE hadn't made it yet! He KNEW everyone would be excited once it was finished but as he had not made it, that was the reason why he couldn't see it in his own dream.

At that moment, the boy knew what he had to do. He had to get building and he had to get started now!

Swizz began to plan, he began to draw, he began to design. Hours and hours were spent on crafting the perfect shape, the perfect size. The wings had to go this way, the tires had to go that way. The cockpit had to seat him just right and then-!

And then!

"It's gonna be perfect!"

And then Swizz began to gather his tools and equipment. He rushed all over the candy world, gather the best items he could find.

He used study wings for made of wafers and the toughest licorice for tires. Anything he could gather. Anything he could find.

But after a while, the other racers began to notice that their little friend had been missing for a few days.

"Has anyone seen Swizzle?" asked Vanellope "It's been nearly a WEEK an' he hasn't shown up for a single race!"

That was unlike Swizz. Even in his busy schedule, he ALWAYS made certain to get to a race on time but a week without showing up? That was strange! After the daily race was done, the others made their way to Swizz's workshop but what they saw stopped them in their tracks.

The entire yard was LITTERED with stuff, parts and candy everywhere. They could hear loud clanging and drilling sounds coming not too far away and stepping up from the crowd…

"Swizz?"

Vanellope saw Swizz hard at work, unaware of the others that were behind him.

"YO SWIZZ!" shouted Minty, yelling as loud as she could "Where have ya been?!"

Hearing Minty's voice nearly sent Swizz up into the clouds, turning around to see the others gather behind him. He leapt to his feet, covering his invention as best he could.

"NO PEEKING! NO PEEKING!" he huffed, jumping around like a spring "It's not done so ya can't see it!"

"What is this thing?" asked Taffyta, a brow arched.

"The next greatest invention ta hit Sugar Rush!" Swizz said "I betcha by the time this is finished, you'll ALL want one!"

"Er, we'd all like one if we knew what it was…." Said Snowanna. Swizz snickered, wiping his jam covered hands.

"You'll see guys. You'll see…."

A few more days were put into the project, Swizz acting tirelessly to make sure everything was put together right.

But as one puts in so much work, even the greatest minds begin to get tired.

Swizz had works his hands to the bone trying to get everything perfect and as the sun rose on the final morning….

"F-Finished….it's FINALLY finished!"

Back in the village square, the other racers were milling about, waiting for Swizz to make his appearance.

"Do ya think the cart is gonna fly?" asked Candlehead.

"Heh, up or down, I don't care…" chuckled Gloyd "I brought my camera an' I'm takin' EVERY shot I can!"

The kids then heard the squeaking of wheels coming towards them and as they turned they saw it.

Swizzle's Flying Machine.

It was glorious. It was SPECTACULAR.

It was….the strangest thing that any of the racers had ever seen.

They were all used to seeing souped-up karts but those karts were always confined to the GROUND. Swizzle's new kart was beyond that. The wings stretched out and the nose was pointed upwards. There were propellers and others things they had never seen on a normal kart.

And there sat Swizz in the diver seat looking proud and ready.

But the racers?

They looked a little stunned, a little worried….

"So is THAT thing gonna fly?" asked Gloyd.

"You bet it is!" Swizz said with a grin, pulling his goggles down "Like I said, once this baby lifts off the ground, you'll all want one!"

"Yeah, unless you end up in the hospital first!"

"Shush!"

Swizz paid the others no mind as he started the engine. It sputtered a bit but after a few moments, it began to pure and hum perfectly. Swizz could feel his heart beating as he began to roll down the lane, going faster and faster and faster!

"C'mon, c'mon!"

But there was one problem.

"What's wrong with this thing?!"

Swizzle wasn't getting any lift.

He pressed on and on, the other racers running after him as he rolled out of the village and into the grass but no matter what he tried, no matter what he did, the plane would not leave the ground. The other racers could smell the trouble looming as they watched their friend move, their arms stretched out and their legs running as fast as they could.

"SWIZZ! BAIL!" said Vanellope "BAIL BEFORE YOU GET HURT!"

"JUMP!" said Rancis "I CAN SEE SMOKE FROM THE TAIL!"

"Its okay guys!" Swizz called back, not ready to give up yet "I can get this! I CAN GET-!"

*BOOM!*

A LARGE explosion tore through the plane just as Swizz began to pick up speed. He yelped, looking back to see that the smoke that Rancis had warned him about was now BILLOWING from the back of the plane! The poor racer felt his heart sink and the hair on the back of his neck raise but he just couldn't give up now! Not after all the work he had put into the plane!

"Swizzle Malarkey!" roared Minty, the only one keeping up speed "There is NO way I'm gonna let ya get busted up by this thing!"

"MINTY! WAIT!" screamed Vanellope, trying to glitch and reach for the girl but she was a pixel off. Minty had already taken off and grabbed onto the back of the plane but in doing so, SHE was now being dragged along with it!

"MINTY!" Swizzle cried out in horror once he saw his friend hanging on. He then realized what the girl was trying to do.

She was trying to help him before he got hurt.

A wing fell off and then a tire but Minty was using all her strength to climb up to reach Swizz.

"Gimmie your hand!"

"Mint, if there is anyone who needs help now, it's YOU!" called Swizz.

Another explosion tore through the plane and it was then that Swizz knew what he had to do.

He had to bail.

He knew he didn't want to do it but for his sake and Minty's he had to. He unbuckled his seat-belt and climbed out of the cockpit.

"I hope that grass is as soft as it looks…"

And with one might JUMP, Swizz jumped from the plane, grabbed Minty and sent both himself and the girl TUMBLING down the hill.

As for the plane? Had Swizzle now jumped soon enough, both he and Minty would have crashed painfully into a large candy-cane tree.

The crash was a spectacular sight for Swizz, he was less than excited as he watched his creation come falling to the ground, lying in a crumbled heap of burnt cookies and melting candy.

All that work. All that work for nothing.

And even worse…he could have hurt Minty.

"Are ya NUTS?!" Minty said roughly as she slugged the boy in his arm "I could have saved ya had ya not jumped on me!"

The others gathered around, all frantic to the well-being of their friends but before any questions could be asked, Swizz got up, his head still low….

And walked off.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"He's actually going to walk away after that?"

Minty watched the boy slink back to the village, only to turn and see the remains of the plane still smoldering not too far away but when she turned back, Swizz was gone.

The night set after the disastrous flight, Swizz looking around his workshop gloomily.

All that work, all that dreaming. He had put everything into that plane and what had happened? It only plummeted to the ground.

Swizz looked around his workshop, seeing a collection of things he had created. Many of them had been successes, but there were quite a few lying around that had failed. Swizz was used to making creations that didn't work, not everything he made worked.

But that wasn't the reason he was so upset.

In all the years he had been making things, in all the years he had been sharing his creations with others, he had never felt like he had really put them in danger.

He thought back, thinking back to all the times some of his inventions would explode or break around the others.

Were they scared when this happen? Did they think that Swizz was careless in his actions when something of his didn't work?

All those thoughts, all those worries, they were starting to pile up on the poor boy and he suddenly felt very scared.

And then he thought of Minty.

She had risked her own skin to help him when he refused to bail. Even after Vanellope and the others told him that things were too dangerous, that he had to jump out for his own life, he didn't listen and as a result he nearly hurt Minty in the process.

All because he was too selfish and wanted to fly.

Swizz lay eyes on the plans he had made for the plane and seeing them only brought about a wash of anger and sadness about him. He grabbed the paper in his hands and just as he was about to rip it in two…

"Hey."

The boy turned, seeing the figure of Minty standing at his door, hands on her hips, giving him that pestered look she always did.

"Whatcha doin' with that?"

"What do ya think I'm doing with this?" Swizz sighed heavily "I'm gettin' rid of this thing before I hurt anyone else with it."

"Hurt anyone else? If I recall, you're the only one who's butt was almost burnt."

"Yeah, but what about YOU? What about everyone else?" asked Swizzle "I mean, ya saw their faces, ya saw their looks. They knew this thing had about as much chances of flyin' as a lead doughnut!"

"But ya didn't…." Minty said, pointing over towards the boy "From tha way ya were yackin' on an' on about this, ya were really excited about."

"I WAS."

"An' why was that?"

"Because….because I really wanted to FLY!" the boy said, his voice loud "I wanted to take to tha skies an' see Sugar Rush from a new point of view! But I guess I was meant ta be grounded, eh?"

Minty scowled; she couldn't stand to see Swizz like this. In all the years she had known him, he was always going on and on about making something, about creating something and in those years, he NEVER let anything stop him. Even when experiments blew up in his face, even when things came crashing down, he NEVER gave up.

But she knew why he was so scared now.

She knew why he was so worried.

But even with that….

"Get up!" she said powerfully, nearly picking Swizzle up as if he were nothing "We've got work to do!"

"WE?" asked a confused Swizz "What do ya mean WE?"

"Swizz, drop tha sad act! I know ya!" the girl said, knocking the boy on his forehead "Ya hear that? Ya hear that? That's tha sound of your BRAIN tellin' ya it wants ta build that plane an' I swear as my role of a racer, I'm not gonna let ya waste your brain stewin' around an' bein' a sad sack!"

"But Minty!" Swizz said in concern "What if I hurt ya again!? What if I hurt anyone!?"

"Swizzle, I'm glad ta see ya care about m-US so much…." Minty smiled, catching herself "But ya know what would hurt me more than any tussle I could find myself in?"

"W-what?"

"Knowin' that ya were so worried that ya stopped doin' that thing ya loved."

Minty walked over to some of Swizzle's tools, twirling them between her fingers gracefully "C'mon, how could ya say no ta THIS? They're callin' ta ya Swizzle! 'Build! Create! Have fun!'"

Swizzle thought.

Swizzle thought and thought.

And as he looked at Minty smiling before him, he knew that she was right.

He couldn't give up.

He couldn't stop!

He had an idea! He had a dream!

SWIZZLE MALARKEY WAS GOING TO FLY!

"Let's get started."

And the building began.

Days and days it took for both Swizz and Minty to come up with new plans. They thought, they designed, they built and they created.

And some days later…..

"What, he wants to fly AGAIN?!" said Taffyta "But what about his last crash?!"

"I still have my camera!" chuckled Gloyd.

"Guys, c'mon give him a chance." Said Vanellope "If Swizz wants to try, he can try again."

"Funny comin' from the girl who I seem to recall sayin' they never seen Swizz tumble so hard in his life." Sneered Gloyd, Vanellope scowling as her cheeks turned red.

"GLOYD, I don't have time for you-!"

"MAKE WAY!"

Everyone stood out of the way as Swizzle came driving through, his new flying kart shining like fresh candy and Minty walking along side, looking as proud as ever.

"Ya guys ready ta see this thing take flight?"

The other racers looked at each other; they were still wary over the previous crash and didn't want to see a repeat or WORSE.

"Well, are ya?" smirked Minty "Don't just stand there silent an' all!"

"We're not standin' in your way, Swizz…." Said Vanellope "But if things get hairy again…."

"Don't worry." Swizz smiled "There won't be any troubles this time!"

The engine started.

The propellers hummed.

Swizz was about to take off!

Just like before, Swizz started by gaining speed, going down the road of the village and out into the field, the others running after him. This time however, there was no smoke, no fire, just smooth sailing.

"This is it!" Swizz said to himself "I can make it! I can make it!"

But then….

A shake.

A quake.

The wings began to flutter!

Swizz felt the kart gaining lift as it stated to come off the ground but so entranced he was in the moment that he didn't notice one of the wings starting to come apart! The other racers gasped in shock as they saw the event and began running once more.

"NOT AGAIN!"

"SWIZZLE!"

"SWIZZ!"

"YO, MALARKEY!"

It was too late; Swizz was gaining speed and altitude with each passing second but if something were to happen to the wing?

Game over!

"SWIZZ! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!" Minty cried out, but the boy could not hear her over the roar of the engine!

If no one did something, Swizz was sure to crash!

And that was something Minty wasn't going to let happen.

She once more picked up the pace, running faster than she had ever done so before. The others were left behind as she kept running, kept running, kept running!

"SWIZZLE!"

And with one great leap.

She caught up with the plane once more.

"Huh?!" Swizz said as he felt the sudden jolt of the added weight behind him. He looked back, shocked to see Minty climbing on the plane "Minty, what are ya DOIN'?!"

"KEEP THIS THING STEADY!" Minty said, holding on for dear life "KEEP IT STEADY!"

By now, Swizz heard the CRUNCH of the wings crackling once more. He yelped, watching a piece starting to come off but if it were to fall off completely, then both he and Minty would come crashing to the ground! He was already too high up and if he attempted any tricky move, Minty would go flying off!

He had to help her!

She had to help him!

What were they both to do?!

And then he saw it. And then she saw it. Two minds clicked at that very moment as Minty's bow fluttered in the air.

"THE BOW!" both racers said together.

"Minty, be careful!" Swizz said "Take your bow and tie it around the fracture! With enough hold, it should be able to hold until I can bring us down to a safe speed and level!"

"Keep this thing balanced!" Minty said, doing her best acrobatics to make it over to the wing, her untied bow in her hands.

Back on the ground, the other racers could only watch in still horror as the sight unfolded before their eyes. Swizzle was trying his best to keep the plane steady for Minty and Minty was trying to keep her balance for Swizzle!

They needed to do this together!

"I-I got this!" Minty struggled, balancing and tying as best as she could "I GOT THIS!"

Swizz forced the controls as best he could but he could feel the drag trying to pull both he and Minty down. It was a fight, a struggle but he wasn't going to let things end like this! He couldn't! There was no way!

"SWIZZLE LOOK OUT!" cried Vanellope from the ground "You're heading for the trees!"

The groove of spearmint trees were coming in close but Swizz was knew he couldn't bail at this point. He had no choice but to fly through!

"HANG ON!"

Everyone held their breaths as they watched what unfolded above.

Swizz's kart disappeared into the thick brush of leaves and branches, the sound of the engines muffled. They waited, waited for any sign but none came.

They all shook, they all worried, they heard not a peep from either of their friends.

"S-Swizzle? Minty?"

And then they saw it.

With a large explosion of leaves, the kart twirled into the air!

THEY HAD MADE IT!

"They're alive?"

"THEY'RE ALIVE!"

To the astonishment of everyone down below, the kart flew gracefully above their heads, Swizzle at the controls and Minty still hanging on, the girl completely stunned at the view she was getting! The racers cheered as they watched the two glide gracefully through the air.

"Swizz….YA DID IT!" cheered Minty, making sure to continue holding on "YA DID IT! YA DID IT!"

"Y-Yeah!" the boy breathed out "I-I guess I really did get this old kart in the air!"

Minty smiled, happy to see that Swizz was indeed back to his old self and even more so since she was enjoying his dream with him. She looked down at the grass, the other racers running and jumping below. It was a sight and feeling she had never seen before and as for Swizz?

Swizz felt the same way.

He was up in the air, up in the clouds, having never felt so proud or happy in his life. And what was more, he just felt so good that another one of his inventions had made someone ELSE smile along with him.