;Nice one-year fakeout, huh?

Everything turned dark as everyone closed their eyes.

"What..?", Turbug utterred.

Everyone opened their eyes to see that they were still there.

"Why the Hell isn't this working?!".

Calhoun wasted no time in getting a shot in while he was still stunned. She fired a few more, causing him to flee, but not before regrettingly looking back at lt a few times.

"What just happened? Why aren't we all toast?", asked Felix.
"That would be me. I enterred a code to cancell all reset-game codes.", said Bobby.
"But how did you get in without anyone seeing?".
"I found out about a secret power-up.".
"I didn't know you know coding.", Calhoun said, dumbfounded.
"Fun fact. I'm the one Turbo learned from.".
"You taught HIM?", Felix asked, more confused than mad.
"No, more like he stole my cheat sheet.".
"Don't celebrate yet. He'll be back. He's relentless.", Calhoun warned.

Everyone took some time to prepare for their next encounter. The consensus was still mainly positive since they weren't dead. Now that there was time to think, Calhoun spoke up.

"We need to find Felixs hammer. Has anyone seen lt?".

The answer was an unanimous, 'No'.

"How about the Princess?".

Still, nobody knew.

"Vanellope. Hang in there. Okay? Can you hear me?", Minty asked.

She opened her eyes. Minty was surprised, since she hadn't in almost ten minutes.

"Yeah, I can hear you.".
"You're not going to die. Ralph is coming up with a plan right now. Can you hold on?".
"Maybe", she said, somewhat optimistically.
"There's something I want to tell you, in case I never get the chance again.", Minty began, soft & unsure.
"Tell me.".
"This will sound weird.", she paused for reconsideration. "I think I love you.".
"Oh", Vanellope said, sounding almost disappointed.
"You don't feel the same way. Is lt.. is lt because I'm a girl?", she asked, slightly taken aback.
"No. On the contrary, there's someone else.".
"Who is he?".
"Her name is Vanirce.".

Minty didn't expect for the person to be another girl.

"Where is she? I never see you with anyone.".
"I don't know.", she said sadly. "She disappearred last week. And lt isn't like her to do so. We searched the whole Arcade.", she closed her eyes. "I failed her.".
"As long as you're still alive, you haven't failed her. We can still find her.", Minty assured.
"You're not mad.. or jealous?".
"I didn't have a chance. I wasn't there in your time of need. She was. She's lucky to have you.", Minty admitted in modesty.
"Don't beat yourself up. You have helped me. But I'm glad you understand.".
"Yeah".

This time, she did seem a bit upset.

"We may not be together, but you're still very dear to me.".

Banannaby spotted the others.

"There they are.", she told Stan.

She & Stan went over there to regroup.

"There you are.", said Tamora. "Vanellope needs...".

She was cut off by a big rumbling. It continued for a few seconds, shaking the ground.

"Too' thoon?", asked Turbug, with an early return.

He was huge.

"No. What'd he eat this time?", Tamora moaned, not knowing lf they could handle another upgrade.

More cybugs appearred at his side, ofcourse. They had grown substantially as well. All of the atrocities that Turbo & cybugs in general had committed came flooding back to Seargeant Calhoun.

"You're going to pay!", shouted Tamora.
"Do you athept thalactites?".

He spat a bunch of stalactites at them, pinning Hologram, Don & Lockload to the ground. Tamora furiously leapt off of a nearby cybug onto Turbugs head & held on, whilst firing everything she had into his face.

"Get off me!", he tried to fling her unsuccessfully.

Suddenly, she fell to the ground.

"What the?".

He attacked her from behind, knocking her into the castle wall.

"Careful! He can teleport now!", yelled Bobby.
"Thanks for the memo.".

Tamora was preoccupied, so Banannaby & Stan sought out Felix.

"Felix. We have a plan. But we need your help.".

Tamora continued trying to take down Turbug. Even the armor-piercing bullets weren't cutting lt anymore.

"Stan, any rockets left?!", she asked
"I ran out.".
"Load 'r up!", Lockload said, tossing the spare rockets to Stan.
"Fire!".

[Fshzoom] [BOOM]

The rocket slammed into Turbug & knocked him off balance.

"Vanellope!", Ralph said with hope. "Just glitch back to Sugar Rush!".

She tried, but no code envelopped her.

"Wha... I can't.", Vanellope was alarmed.
"What do you mean you can't?! It's your ability. It's what you do best.".
"He must have got me where I glitch.".

Ralph began slamming the walls of Game Central Station in his fury.

"NO, NO, NO!".

Surge watched on sadly, knowing that there was nothing to be done.

"If I can't save you, then I'll kill Turbo! I'LL...".
"No, Ralph.", she tried to sit up, painfully, but Minty gently held her back. "Don't leave me. Please stay with me. I don't want us to be apart again.".

He considerred her words. His hatred for Turbug was unmatched & he was already at the gate to Sugar Rush. But even more did he want to stay with Vanellope as long as he could. With one last look through the railway tunnel, showing a much darker light at the end than he was accustomed to, he positioned himself back at her side.

"Thank you for not leaving me. I want him dead too'. But Felix & Tamora won't let us down.".
"You're right. They've never let us down. They know what they're doing.", he assured himself, sitting down on Vanellopes left, opposite of Minty.
"I'm sure they won't.", Minty said. "But they probably need some help. Maybe I could do something.".

With another whack from Turbug, Calhoun was getting worn out. It was a painful sight, causing Felix to wince & Banannaby to glitch. Everyone else was either surviving the indestructible cybug lackeys or trying to recover.

"Tamora. Keep holding the fort!", Banannaby tried to hint at a plan.
"Do I have a choice?", she said with full sarcasm, getting off of the floor.
"Ready, Felix?".
[Pause] "You know, maybe lf I had my hammer...".
"GO!".