Gloyd's Best Trick

"Gloyd, stop it!"

"That's not funny, Gloyd!"

"Come back here, GLOYD!"

Day in and day out, these calls came from the many racers of Sugar Rush. Day in and Day out, the many racer would find themselves chasing after one Gloyd Orangeboar and day in and day out….

Well, it was always the same.

Gloyd would think of some masterful prank.

Gloyd would pull of said prank.

And the others would chase after Gloyd.

Wash, rinse, and repeat.

This was something that Gloyd just couldn't get enough of.

Every new day, when he wasn't doing twist and turns on the tracks, seemed like a new day to try out a prank and with each one, he knew he had to top himself.

The next prank had to be BIGGER, BADDER, BETTER!

A prank that would go down in Sugar Rush history!

On Monday, he replaced Rancis' hairspray with Silly string.

"Oh no!"

On Tuesday, he planted Laffy-Taffy vines where Crumbellina's caramel vines were.

"Urgh, make them stop!"

On Wednesday, he put pudding in Vanellope's helmet.

*SPLAT!*

On Thursday, he filled Snowanna's guitar with shaving cream.

"Oh, YUCK!"

On Friday, he put chili pepper in Taffyta's soda.

"HOT! HOT! HOT!"

On Saturday, he replaced Swizz' pants with skirts.

"What the-!?"

And on Sunday?

On Sunday, he had the best saved for last.

On Sunday, everyone looked all around for Gloyd, wondering where the pumpkin racer could be.

"Has anyone seen Gloyd?" Rancis asked, looking none-too-pleased. Who could blame him, especially since his hair was still sticking out from the silly string.

"I haven't heard from him all day." Said Vanellope, her helmet still sticky and reeking of sour chocolate.

Taffyta could not reply, her mouth still sour from her chili-pepper beverage and the others looked around in caution.

A missing Gloyd was not a GOOD Gloyd.

"Hi, everyone!" Candlehead said in a cheery voice "What's gotten ya guys down?"

Did Candlehead even know? In a lot of cases, it seemed like the cupcake racer was Gloyd's prime target for pranks but unlike the others, she came in just as bright and oblivious as usual.

That couldn't be good.

The horn for the rooster race blew and the racer began to file out, the audience cheering as they arrived. All eyes looked about, as if they expected Gloyd to suddenly appear from any corner, ready to rope them into another prank but to their surprise, the boy was nowhere to be found.

That still didn't make them feel any better.

"What's got yta guys down?" Candlehead said as she looked at the others "Tha race is about ta start! Hop inta your karts!"

The others sloooowly stepped in, checking every inch of their karts for a susrprise.

Things looked as if they were going about smoothly.

"On your marks!" said the announcer.

Engines roared.

"Get set!"

Eyes were on the road.

"AND-!"

Just as the announcer was about to wave the flag, he felt something give under him. He yelped, he screamed, he tumbled about and was shocked to find that right under his chair, someone had placed WHEELS on the legs!

But that wasn't it.

The announcer fell forward but as he did so, he landed on what appeared to be some sort of latch. With his weight on the latch, the latch lifted up, the rope it was holding onto coming loose. The rope swung forward and loosened another lever, a low metal creak heard all about. The audience looked up and so did the racers.

All except ONE that is.

A large item loomed overhead, casting a huge shadow upon all.

"EVERYONE! LOOK OUT!" shouted Vanellope, glitching out of her kart just as the others ran in shock, the huge shadow coming down closer, and closer, and CLOSER!

Just then, Gloyd popped his head out of the crowd, eyes wide in shock.

Things had gone terrible arawy!

"CANDLEHEAD! LOOK OUT!"

Unlike the others, Candlehead was much too preoccupied with getting her kart together to even NOTICE the oncoming object but as she looked up.

There was a giant SPLAT.

There was a giant BOOM.

Cream and crust rain down EVERYWHERE.

And in the middle of it all was a tiny, pie-covered racer.

All was still in Sugar Rush, racer and candy people alike aghast at what they saw before them. Even Gloyd was pale with fright and regret. He had planned the pie to fall on EVERYONE, for EVERYONE to take a bit of the joke but things had gone wrong during the execution. The others had run off just in time but Candlehead?

Candlehead was in the middle of the mess, too stunned to say a word as she lay on her back, cream and pie crust slathered all over her.

The other racers turned their heads towards Gloyd, all eyes now on him.

Uh-Oh.

How much worse could this get?

"Look at Candlehead!" someone said.

"She's a mess!" said another.

Soon the stands were filled with chatter and talk, fingers pointed at Candlehead who was just mortified.

She sniffled, she sobbed, and….

And…..

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She cried.

Candlehead jumped from the pile of mush and tore off as fast as she could, her cries only drowned out by the mummers of the crowd and as things got even more heated.

"Gloyd…." Said Vanellope "What did you DO!?"

All eyes were now on Gloyd Orangeboar.

Pranks can be silly, pranks can be fun.

But what happens when those pranks go OVERBOARD?

It had not been a day since Gloyd's 'perfect prank' had gone so terribly wrong but the boy wanted to show his friends that he meant no harm by it. It was all in good fun and it was all in good taste! What's the trouble of getting a pie in the face?

It had happened to the others so many times before and THEY never complained!

"All I need'ta do is apologize!" the boy said, slapping his hands together "I HAVE to apologize! I WANT to apologize!"

Gloyd made off for the village as fast as he could but no sooner had he gotten there did he see the lingering effects of what had happened at the tracks. He noticed that a few candy people were making great haste and hurry to avoid him, walking along the other side of the walkway to avoid any sort of contact.

Some looked ANGRY but most looked SCARED.

SCARED?

SCARED.

"I hope he doesn't get me!"

"I don't WANT to be pranked! It doesn't look fun!"

"Why does he have to be so mean?"

Gloyd gulped. In the past, he would get a scowl here or there but never anything like THIS!

Had he finally taken things too far?

No, that couldn't have been possible! People LOVED his pranks!

The racer continued on, hoping to find any of his friends about.

"Hey, Snowanna!" he waved, the snow-cone racer ahead of him. She scowled, saying nothing but her eyes told an entirely different tale.

She was angry.

VERY angry!

A cold glare from a cold racer!

Gloyd hurried along, hoping to run into someone else.

"Crumbellina?"

The caramel racer said nothing, her pace still solid as she looked head-on at Gloyd, her glare cutting in deep.

But those two weren't the only ones.

Taffyta.

Rancis.

Jubileena.

EVERYONE.

All the racers were giving Gloyd the stink-eye for what had happened the day before. But there was just ONE racer Gloyd wanted to see, ONE racer who he wanted to talk to.

Candlehead.

He rushed through town as fast as he could, looking in all her usual hangouts.

The bakery?

She wasn't there.

The candy bar?

Nope, not a trace!

He ran here, he ran there but Candlehead wasn't anywhere to be seen. Exhausted and upset, Gloyd stopped by the malt shop, Vanellope and Minty sitting together. They took one look at Gloyd and said nothing, their eyes doing the talking for them. The boy knew when he was in trouble and he knew when it was up to him to make things better but if he wanted to do so….

"W-where's C-Butt?"

"Candlehead is back at home…." Said Vanellope "But if ya really think ya can smooth talk your way outta what happened-!"

"Look, I'm sorry everyone!" Gloyd said "I-I didn't think that tha prank would turn out like that!"

"THINK?" said Minty, looking quite angry "Ya THOUGHT about it? Hey' there's nothing wrong with a prank or two but c'mon, Gloyd! Tha heck was up with YESTERDAY?"

"I-I was just tryin' ta break my record, I guess…" the pumpkin racer said sheepishly, his cheeks flashing.

"Ya broke somethin' alright…." Minty huffed, crossing her arms against her chest "But don't take MY word for it. Its somethin' ya gotta see for yourself."

Gloyd looked up, worry on his face "I need ta see WHAT?"

After a little heartfelt 'talk' with the others, Gloyd ran off for Candlehead's cottage as fast as he could but once he got there, he was stopped in his tracks.

Candlehead was there alright but she looked LESS than the usual bright girl Gloyd knew her to be. The prank and the laughing had taken its toll on the poor girl. She was sitting on her little cupcake chair, head down and worst of all?

Her candle was out.

Gloyd knew that only the worst of the worst could cause such a thing to happen.

"D-Did I really go that far?" the boy whispered to himself. He felt so conflicted inside, so torn.

On one hand, he felt sorry for Candlehead but on the other, he knew he couldn't just STOP his tricks and pranks.

He LOVED to pull surprises, he LOVED to create new tricks.

But he hated to see his friends so upset because of them.

Especially Candlehead.

It was plain for anyone to see the reason why. Out of ALL the racers in the game, Gloyd's tricks always seemed to gravitate towards Candlehead the most. She got the silliest gags, the goofiest pranks, the daffiest riddles.

All the time, without hesitation.

Even though the two would bicker, even though the two would fight, there was something that the other racers NEVER saw when the two parted ways afterwards.

Candlehead would smile.

Gloyd would grin.

Their eyes would meet as they parted ways.

And for a moment, Gloyd saw that Candlehead's candle glowed even brighter than before.

But in this case?

It was dim, it was dark.

The spark was gone.

And it was gone thanks to Gloyd.

The writing was right there before the boy, sprawled out in bright frosted letters.

He had gone too far.

He had HURT Candlehead.

Gloyd slid down besides the house, feeling terrible for what he had done. As the master of pranks, he had failed at his job but the biggest question was would he be able to recover from it.

NOT his pranking career.

But rather his friendship with Candlehead.

He had to do something, ANYTHING to bring the light back into her heart and show everyone that his pranks were not as mean-spirited as they now viewed them but what could one racer do? What could one small boy do to show an entire town that not only was he sorry but he cared.

Think, think, THINK!

Wait.

What was the one thing that everyone loved?

What was the one thing that CANDLEHEAD loved more than racing?

Gloyd felt his heart flip, his eyes widen and the gears turn in his brain. He had an idea and it was an idea that would go down in Sugar Rush history!

A few nights later, the citizens of the sugary land awoke to find flyers fluttering down from the sky like snow. Such odd weather, even for a world of candy and sweets. What could have caused such an event.

Come one, come all! A celebration at nightfall!

Come dressed in your spooky best!

There shall be fun, tricks, and treats galore!

Tonight at the pumpkin patch!

Don't be late or you'll miss it all.

It seemed that the lot of Sugar Rush had gotten the invites and as expected, they were a bit skeptical about the whole thing. It didn't take a genius to figure out WHO had written the things….

"Gloyd…."

But the biggest question of them all was what was going to happen if they DIDN'T show up. If Gloyd was involved, they knew something was going to happen but a bigger knot formed in the stomachs of everyone at the thought of what was to come if they DIDN'T show up. Who knew what Gloyd had up his sleeve waiting for them.

Biting the bullet had never been so hard.

All were asked to dress in their spooky best? It was time to break out the Halloween fare! Everyone came dressed sharp and dandy as they entered the pumpkin patch but as they looked around they still had one question on their minds.

Where was Gloyd?

They had shown up, dressed for the occasion, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"I should have KNOWN he would have done this!" said Taffyta, turning to leave "This is just another one of his tricks! I know it!"

A bright flash of light filled the area, a pale yellow glow reaching all the way up to the stars. Music began to drone throughout the area, smoke spilling down towards the ground.

"Ladies an' gentlemen…." Came a smooth voice from near a stage "I wanna thank ya for comin' out tonight."

The candy racers were astonished at what they were looking at.

Fancy black suit, tie included!

Shiny, black shoes!

Slicked back brown and green hair!

Black eye-mask!

It couldn't have been!

But it was….

"GLOYD?!"

The boy stood on stage, a smug smile on his face as he ran his fingers through his slicked back hair.

"Ya might be wonderin' why I did all this…." The boy began, striking a flashy pose before all "Don't think I haven't heard what ya've been sayin' about my tricks."

A few mummers came from the crowd; yeah, they were all still a little sore from what had taken place not too long ago.

Especially someone who had just arrived on the scene, the small figure creeping amoung the back but looking in surprise at what was taking place before her.

"G-Gloyd?"

"What can I say ladies an' gents? I love ta prank. I can't help that…" Gloyd said, though it was easy to hear the honesty in his voice "But hey! I'm a sharp kid. I know when I've done enough!"

"Oh really?" smirked Taffyta "I think years of TRICKS would prove otherwise!"

"What was that?" Gloyd said, putting a hand to his ear "I can't hear ya, Taff!"

The strawberry racer pouted, tapping her feet "I said-!"

"Hold on, hold on!" the pumpkin racer interrupted, waving his hands "Lemme just adjust my suit!"

Gloyd tugged at his collar, than tugged at his ear but with a flick of his wrist.

*POOF!*

An explosion of strawberries!

"Gosh, I always thought ya had my ear Taffyta, but I never thought it went THIS far!"

The audience was stunned by the trick but a moment later, a few hands clapped. The racers exchanged looked; what was going on here?

"Too much?" smiled Gloyd "Okay, I'll just clean them UP!"

The boy gave a twist and a jump and suddenly, the strawberries that were once there seemed to SHOOT from the ground up into the air, exploding into pink burst of light!

"Whoa! Did he use a power-up for that?!"

"I can assure ya that no power-ups were used in tha creation of that!" Gloyd smiled but then he reached into his coat, pulling out one power up "Or maybe not?"

Then two.

Then three!

Then….SIX!

"Oh, they keep comin' an' comin'!" the boy said, juggling the lot of them.

"Hey, be careful!" shouted Swizz "Ya got some of the worst ones up there!"

"What? Just because I have ROCK CANDY, JELLY BOMBS an'-oh! Sizzlin' Sugar on MAAAH hands doesn't mean I can't handle 'em!"

Gloyd then tossed ALL the power-ups into the air, the crowd letting out a terrified cry as they began to sail back towards the ground. If they were to BURST who knew what could happen but to their surprise.

"HO!"

Gloyd caught each and every one of them….

On his FOOT!

"See, no problem at all!"

The boy twirled the power-ups on his foot and threw them back into the air once more, catching the dangerous ones in one hand while the others landed in his right.

"Hmmm, what ta do. What ta doooooo…." The boy cooed "On OOOONE hand, I could just set these down. But on tha other…."

Gloyd's right brow arched up and then the left.

That smile; that tricky smile.

The boy magician took a hold of the dangerous power-ups and SLAMMED them onto the stage, a massive EXPLOSION of light and sugar sparkles going everywhere! The audience cried out in shock as the blast covered them all but as the smoke cleared.

"Gloyd!" declared Crumbellina "He's GONE!"

"Am I?"

Everyone turned, seeing Gloyd in the crowd but more importantly, he was next to….

Next to…

"Candlehead."

The girl blushed from head to toe as the boy stood near her. He removed his mask his eyes clear.

"C-Butt?"

Candlehead didn't know what to think as Gloyd looked at her. She hadn't expected him to put on a show as such but that didn't remove what he had done to her.

"W-What do you want?"

"I want to….." the boy sighed "I want ta apologize."

A hush fell over the crowd, everyone holding their breaths and awaiting for any sort of response for the candle-headed girl.

Her hear was racing, her cheeks were red-hot.

She took one look at Gloyd and-!

*PINCH!*

"OOOOOOOOOOW!"

"You're such a pumpkin-headed butt, Gloyd!"

Looked as if Candlehead WASN'T as ready to accept an apology as Gloyd first thought, the crowd in shock. Gloyd rubbed his sore cheek, eyes wide and his heart broken.

"B-But C-Butt!"

The girl folded her arms against her chest as she glared at the boy before her "Ya really hurt me back there, Gloyd. Ya did. An' for WHAT?"

Gloyd looked down in shame, feeling quite the fool to think that some flashy tricks could mend a friendship.

"I-I just wanted to…."

Candlehead reached out and PINCHED Gloyd's OTHER cheek, making him cry out even louder.

"Pull some pranks? A'course ya did! Ya ALWAYS hafta pull somethin'!"

"Ooow! Candlehead!"

"In fact Gloyd Orangeboar!" the girl said, sounding even angrier than before "After what ya did ta me, I don't EVER want ta see ya again!"

Say it wasn't so!

"Ya don't mean that C-Butt!" Gloyd said in anguish "Y-Ya can't really mean-!"

"I do!" the girl blurted, her hands on her hips "Cheap tricks can't bring me back!"

Gloyd felt as if his heart had been ripped into two, the words echoing around his brain. He just wanted Candlehead to know he was sorry, he just wanted Candlehead to know that he never meant to hurt her!

He just wanted!

He just wanted…..

Wait…..

Her candles.

Her spark.

As she was dressed for a special occasion, Candlehead did not wear her usual cake-shaped hat, her hair tied back with two pink candlesticks. Gloyd had seen her when she arrived, despite her efforts to hide the crowd, and even from the stage he saw that the wicks of the sticks were not lit.

They were as dim as they had been since the day his trick when horrible wrong….

But this time?

This time they were lit.

They were sparkling.

And then her candles sparkled, she was HAPPY.

But she had just said-!

She never wanted-!

A trick?

Had it all been a trick?

Gloyd looked at Candlehead again, noticing that this time SHE was the one wearing the smirk on her face.

"Gotcha."

She had done it.

Candlehead had pulled one on Gloyd.

The pumpkin racer blushed again as he looked about, noticing his friends giggling up a storm around him.

"Oh ho-HO! Someone's cheeks are turnin' ORANGE!"

The boy scowled, he growled. He wasn't going to take this anymore.

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" he said "I get your point! Ya got me…."

"Did I?" Candlehead cooed, batting her eyelashes "Did I really get cha."

"Ya did."

"Can't hear ya!"

"You did."

"EXCUSE ME?"

"YA DID, YA DID! OKAY! YA GOT ME!" the pumpkin racer shouted "Okay, I get it now."

"Good!" teased Candlehead as she poked the boy in his nose "Now can we drop this mushy stuff? Ya planned a party, let's have at it!"

The others cheered as they began to celebrate but Gloyd couldn't help but feel a tad bashful to join in, especially after the way he had behaved during Candlehead's own little joke.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the girl asked.

"Nothin'…." Gloyd responded, rubbing the back of his neck "Just feels a bit odd ta be on tha other side. Ya know, bein' tha one who gets tricked an' all."

Candlehead smiled, taking Gloyd by his hand "Wanna know somethin'?"

"What?"

"I like your tricks."

Gloyd's eyes widened "Y-Ya do?"

"Tha GOOD ones…." The girl said quickly "Ya know. Tha ones that are actually FUN."

"I get it Miss Smarty-Pants…." The boy chuckled "I guess I'll tone it down a bit."

"Well, just so long as they're still fun…." Candlehead said "What's tha point of a prank or two if ya can't have fun with 'em?"

"Yeah." Gloyd said, feeling a bit better "Just so long as we still have fun."