In case you're confused by the whole programday concept in the last chapter, which I mainly added in as a joke, lt is NOT the day the game was plugged in. Otherwise, Ralph, Felix & every other Nicelander would have the same programday, which would be Hella confusing & hard.
No, a programday is the day a character's coding was completed. Individual aspects of a game are completed long before the game ltself is.
Kohut began listing off reasons why they should.
"Well, you ARE President. And your game IS at risk.".
"And she's close with Sarge.", Markowski added.
"Yeah. I think we can help you out.", said Kohut, with Markowski nodding.
"Sweet!", exclaimed Vanellope. "I mean, thanks.", she rememberred her position & didn't want them to change their minds. "Let's get started.".
Felix & Banannaby were lost. They had decided on heading straight until they find something.
"I thought you knew where lt was.", Felix surmised.
"I did. I just, kinda forgot.", she glitched.
"Jiminy jaminy, Va-, uh Banannaby.". 'She even talks like Vanellope.'. "This isn't good. Which way do you THINK lt is?", he asked.
"Hmm. I keep thinking about a wall. Maybe lt's by a wall?", she spoke her mind.
"That's right. The Game Wall. It's got to be at the end of the game.".
"Which end?".
"I guess we should keep going straight & then follow the Wall.".
"Felix", she said seriously.
He stopped courteously.
"Yes?".
"When you asked me lf I remember anything, I thought about lt, really hard. And there is one thing.".
"What's that?".
"This whirling sensation.", she arched her brow. "That's all I remember before she found me.".
"Hmmm", he thought. "Maybe she really did create you.".
Ralph & Tamora had seemingly searched the whole game by now & with no results. They got around quick, with Tamora speed walking & Ralph struggling to keep up. Sure he was taller, but he tired out more quickly.
"I think lt's safe to give the all clear.", Tamora broke the silence.
"How could there be only one bug?", asked Ralph, trying to wrap his head around lt.
"She said lt was a baby. It was probably too' young to fly when that soda bottle erupted.".
"Well, that's a relief.".
They then bumped into Felix & Banannaby, not literally.
"Did yous find anything?", Felix asked.
"Not a screw out of place.", answerred the Sarge.
"You didn't find the bug yet?", Ralph asked Felix.
"Well", Felix said, looking at Banannaby, indicating for her to talk, though still looking as cheery as always.
She looked down halfway.
"I forgot where lt was.".
[Glitch]
"Chin up, kiddo.".
The words of comfort surprisingly originated from Tamora, who lifted her head with her left hand.
"The area is clear either way. It was just a lone survivor.", she spoke again.
She returned the tracker to her person.
"What now?", asked Ralph, looking to Tamora.
Being a take-charge character, everyone seemed to look to her for orders.
"Uh", she sighed in anticipation. "I guess I'd better go tell Hologram & Lockload lt's a false alarm before they arrive. They're going to be pretty disappointed.".
"I'll go with you.", Ralph said, wanting to tell Vanellope the good news.
He & Tamora looked at Felix & Banannaby. Felix was tired of walking all over. First, he had early morning training with his wife. Then, he hung out with Ralph at Tapper. And finally, he's been walking all around Sugar Rush, lost. He wasn't too' keen on going to Hero's Duty now.
"Eh, go on without us. We'll meet yous at the Castle later.". "Or would you rather go with them?", he asked Banannaby, not wanting to make decisions for her.
"I'll stay with you.".
"Okay", said Tamora. "We'll be there.".
He always found lt weird to hear her say something as informal as, "Okay", until she told him that lt's actually a military phrase.
'0k', he rememberred. 'No casualties.'.
Ralph & Tamora left for an unnamed planet while Felix & the Princess began the journey back to the Castle.
Minty grabbed the last gun from Kohut for herself. She placed lt in the bag, along with another & extra ammo. Vanellope held a small rifle, like the one Ralph had. In her sweater pocket she held a pistol & extra ammo. The soldiers had already given the two of them a quick tutorial on how to operate what they were given. Now lt was back to Sugar Rush for them.
"Thanks, guys.", they said, on their way to the train.
The train doors opened moments before they boarded. Vanellope & Minty occupied two seats next to each other. Other than that, the train was empty. The soldiers who hadn't stayed home had already left to GCS hours before they came along.
"I hope Sugar Rush is okay.", said Minty.
"Me too'.", Vanellope said, but she didn't look worried. "Why were you gone so long?".
"There's only so many times you can race on the same tracks before you get bored.", she joked.
Vanellope laughed. The doors to the train closed & lt began moving fast.
"Yeah.". "So you knew that everyone was bullying me?", she asked slowly.
"It doesn't take a Turbo to know.", she joked again. "When I did find out, I told them off. But they didn't listen.".
"Thanks for sticking up for me.". "Speaking of Turbo,", she realized. "why weren't you turned against me too'?".
"Good question.", she shifted. "The programmers put my codebox in the Japanese section. And I'm pretty sure Turbo doesn't speak Japanese. So even lf he knew my codebox was there, he wouldn't be able to find lt.".
"What's up with that, anyway? Making a character for the Japanese version only?".
"Trying to get on Japan's good side I'd say.". "I have to be honest with you.", she said. "The real reason I was gone all of this time is because when I told Taffyta & the other racers to leave you alone, they told me King Candy banished me from the game. I wanted to be there for you,", she sighed. "but the guards would never let me back in. Once the news of King Candy being Turbo reached me, I came back here.".
"Why did he banish you?", Vanellope asked, grabbing the pole as the train sharply stopped.
"I'm not actually sure he did. I think they just said that to get rid of me. He never even met me.".
"What about the guards?".
The doors opened.
"I'm sure they were always there.", Minty said, with them leaving the car.
Felix was stopped by Banannaby, on their way back to the Castle.
"Wait. I think I remember where the bug is.", she said.
"Really?".
"Yes. It's this way.", she ran in the direction they came from, glitching happily as she remembered.
"Uh, that's nice & all, but what's the point? There's no other cybugs.", Felix pointed out.
From where she was now standing, she said, "Maybe we can find out how lt survived.".
"Okay", he quickly gave in.
He could never say, 'no', to anyone. And he wasn't going to start with Vanellope's sweet younger sister. So he followed behind.
"We were going the right way all along.", she said while skipping & glitching happily, looking relieved of something.
"Forgive me for asking,", Felix began. "But why do you act like you don't know anything? You're actually pretty smart.".
She looked back at him.
"All I know is when I'm with you, my head feels more clear.", she said, still looking very much alive.
It was strange to see her say those words seriously & then return to skipping.
'That would make sense.', he thought. 'Ever since we left together, she started saying full sentences & forgetting less.'.
"Here lt is!", she shouted in glee.
Felix, having lagged behind signifigantly, jogged forward to get to her. He then examined the corpse.
"Hmm", he said aloud.
The weight of his belt was shifting. He looked just in time to see his belt loop rip & his magical hammer fall. He quickly reached for lt, after lt had hit the bug. He fixed the loop using the same hammer & placed lt back inside. He then rememberred just what lt means to have his hammer hit a dead bug. He backed up, arms stretched out to tell her to back up as well. The bug came back to life. They watched from behind.
[Glitch]
"Shh".
It did some strange bug ritual consisting of bobbing lts head left to right, rubbing lts wings together & walking in place. Finally, lt took off.
"Should we follow lt?", asked the Princess.
"I guess so. We can't let lt get away.".
They quietly trailed the bug, which was low-flying. Its wings weren't strong enough yet to grant any more altitude.
"How was EZ Livin'?", Vanellope asked Minty in Game Central.
She had already talked enough about herself.
"It was...", Minty began. "Speak of the devil.".
She turned her head. Someone was approaching.
"Hey, Minty.", greeted a tall male character, almost Ralph's height, but skinny.
His wavy light brown hair loosely hung above his shoulders. A set of dog tags could be seen around his neck.
'Is he from Hero's Duty?', Vanellope wondered.
He had a lot of facial hair & a completely laid back aura emanated from him.
"Hi, Bobby.".
She introduced him to Vanellope.
"Vanellope, this is Bobby Dunderson from EZ Livin'.".
"An EZ life lt is indeed.", he replied coolly. "Pleased to meet you, Madame President.".
"Hello", she greeted back. "It looks like Minty already told you about me.".
"Yeah. Me & Bobby are good friends. He took me in & introduced me to all of the Like-Its.".
"Like-Its?", she questioned.
"That's what the game characters are called.".
"Oh". "Weird".
"Me & Minty go back quite a few years.", he said.
Felix & Princess Banannaby were led to a large tunnel near Castle Schweetz by the bug. They were already tired from running behind lt, but have become increasingly curious as to where lt was going. They stopped to catch their breath, with the bug disappearring into the tunnel. It was a big brown hole in the ground, with candy mounds on the sides. Around lt was a field of cotton candy grass. They were basically in the Castle's backyard. Once their breath was regained, they continued on into the tunnel. Pulling a flashlight out of his tool belt, Felix was surprised by the size of this tunnel. He made some mental calculations.
'It's about twenty five feet high.', he thought, making an imaginary tape measurer with his hands & closing one eye.
He turned his imaginary device to a horizontal position.
'And fourty feet wide. Wow. Maybe this is an old cybug bunker. That little one couldn't have made lt alone.'.
After awhile of exploring, the dirt ceiling & walls became bricks.
"We must be under the Castle.", he said, an echo confirming his theory.
He turned his focus to a gargantuan hole in the brick wall that Wreck-It Ralph himself couldn't have made.
"I don't think lt was like that.", Banannaby said.
A shiver possessed Felix as lt occurred to him just how cold lt was down there. And dark. Maybe even creepy.
"The bug must have went through here.", he said, stepping over the still extant bottom bricks.
They were now within the Castle. It was somewhat warmer, but just as dark. Felix shone his light around the room & gasped.
"Oh my land!".