*Chapter 27*
That night, Vanellope and all of Sugar Rush fell into a comfortable lull in the night. Sugar Rush's sweet skies were coated in delicate stars. Vanellope unwound from the day with a lot weighing heavy on her mind. She figured it would all even out as time went on, but she couldn't help but think about all the things Taffyta had told her earlier that day. Doors of knowledge opened up to her; she figured all this sugary coding laid on her had to come off eventually. She was living a real life, she knew hard facts would set in sooner or later.
Vanellope fell asleep easily in her comfortable bed. She bundled herself up in her fluffy white blankets. She drifted to sleep, knowing her kingdom was happily at ease, but before she could sleep the next morning away, she was suddenly jolted awake. She gasped and sat up suddenly, her code electrifying all over her body. She gasped and clutched her chest before her code quickly subsided. She panted and gazed around her room. She quickly noticed it was late morning as she scanned her room. She heaved and chaotically looked around before her eyes suddenly landed on Ralph. He was wearing his usual attire along with a comfortable, red hoody. She blinked in confusion before suddenly scrambling for her blankets, covering herself; she was wearing a tank top to sleep in.
"R-Ralph?" Vanellope croaked, her hair a mess. She blushed like mad.
"Vanellope," Ralph breathed, he looked worried, "Your game got moved again."
"Just now?" Vanellope worried, her eyes wide with confusion. She panted as her code bulged a little bit on her arms. Tears billowed in her eyes from the sudden rush of confusion.
"About ten minutes ago," Ralph breathed as he stepped closer to her bed, trying not to seem too pushy to comfort her, "You slept right through it, I guess."
"Wh-where, are we now?" Vanellope asked, as if to beg. She gazed at Ralph, horrified. Ralph softened his facial expression and put his hands up.
"Everything is fine, don't worry," Ralph cooed gently with a smile, wanting to so desperately sweep her into his arms, but he kept his distance respectfully.
"A-Are we still in End of Line Station?" Vanellope asked in a sleepy, high pitched voice. A tear spilled down her cheek.
"No," Ralph smiled, "You're back home."
"Game Central Station?" Vanellope said with a very small smile, her eyes still glassy.
"Yes," Ralph breathed with a smile. He stood at the ready.
"Ralph, I had the most terrifying nightmare," Vanellope frowned.
"Are you alright?" Ralph asked gently before glancing at her bedroom door, "I-I can come back. I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you were okay. Everyone else was awake for the sudden move."
"I-I guess my nightmare is right on cue with everything that's going on," Vanellope panted, "I had a nightmare that we got unplugged for good."
"Don't think about that," Ralph said gently with a frown.
"Ralph, it was horrifying," Vanellope urged as tears spilled down her cheeks. She buried her face into her fluffy white blanket in a shy way.
Ralph slumped his shoulders and slowly moved over to her with a caring smile, knowing she needed him. He sat on the edge of her bed and very carefully pulled her head to his chest. Vanellope gladly leaned into him as she pushed her face into Ralph's heart. She gently laid a hand on Ralph's lower chest and slightly trembled as Ralph's large arms firmly came around her. Her code jerked slightly in an uneasy way. Ralph gazed down at her curiously before nuzzling his face into the top of her head. He placed a few lingering kisses atop her bed head.
"It was just a nightmare," Ralph said softly as he very carefully reached up to pet the back of Vanellope's head. He smoothed out her hair, relishing in the softness of it. He tucked his chin to the top of her head and smiled.
"A nightmare that could be a reality," Vanellope said in an uneasy tone. She shut her eyes and scrunched further into Ralph's chest. She wrapped her arms around his center as best as she could, wishing she could turn the world off. She gripped his hoodie in her hands, keeping herself latched onto him. Ralph chuckled at her attempt and wrapped his other arm firmly around her middle to support her.
"It's best not to think about it," Ralph breathed as he continued to rub Vanellope's head. He gazed down at her nervously, trying to be as gentle as he possibly could, this new endeavor of theirs still something his strength wasn't totally used to.
"I'm sorry," Vanellope breathed as she pulled away from Ralph slowly. She shoved her face into her hands and exhaled slowly. She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes before giving Ralph an embarrassed smile, "Sorry you had to see me like this."
"This is nothing compared to me in the morning," Ralph beamed as he unraveled his arms from around her. He then gently stood, "I'll give you your privacy. I think the arcade might be opening soon."
"Did I really oversleep that much?" Vanellope frowned as Ralph headed towards her bedroom door. Rays of light from the outside cast upon him as he passed Vanellope's large window.
"Well, you couldn't help it," Ralph said gently as he stood at the doorway, "Your game was unplugged."
"Right," Vanellope choked as she shook her head, not enjoying the thought of being unplugged.
"Hey," Ralph smiled at her, "Don't worry about it. I'm right across the station now. If you need me, I'll be over in two seconds flat."
"Thanks Ralph," Vanellope smiled and sighed a sigh of relief, her cheeks gently blushed.
"Go get 'em, Ms. President," Ralph said happily as he left Vanellope's room.
"I will," Vanellope smiled as she waved. She slumped her shoulders as Ralph left and threw herself back onto her bed, gripping her hair, she grumbled and muttered to herself, "He just HAD to see me like this." Vanellope quickly flew out of bed and rushed to her bathroom. She quickly fixed her hair, slicking it back into her usual ponytail. She reached for her gear and racing clothes before a voice startled her out of her focus.
"You okay, Vin?" Taffyta asked gently as she peered into her bathroom.
"Oh," Vanellope jumped as she clutched her chest again, her code wigged out. Taffyta wrinkled her nose and opened her mouth to speak, but Vanellope cut her off, "I-I'm fine, I'm good."
"I just saw Ralph leaving the castle," Taffyta said as she glanced back into Vanellope's room, "Our game cabinet got moved back to Game Central Station!"
"I-I know, I had a horrid nightmare about it," Vanellope said as she clumsily got dressed.
"You too, huh?" Taffyta frowned, "Our first move nearly rendered me sleepless for a whole week."
"Yeah, I don't know how I'm going to get through the night," Vanellope sighed as she examined herself in the mirror.
"Well," Taffyta sighed as she shot Vanellope a small look, "Ralph's game is only just across the station, now."
"Come on," Vanellope sighed as she grabbed her goggles, both girls slipped out of Vanellope's bedroom.
"Vanellope," Candlehead breathed a sigh of relief. All of the racers were gathered at the tracks, the stands were empty. Sugar Rush practically shook to its core with uncertainty, "We were worried about you."
"You all okay?" Vanellope asked all of her racers as she approached the group. Everyone mumbled positive words, but looked uncertain.
"I don't know how much more of this moving around I can do," Gloyd stated gently, everyone else mumbled in agreement.
"We have to just tough through it," Vanellope explained to everyone.
"How much longer are we going to be able to keep racing, knowing that our game doesn't have a solid position in the arcade anymore?" Adorabeezle spoke up as she adjusted her hat.
"We just have to play our hardest," Vanellope said to everyone, gaining her confidence, "We have to race our best. We can't let ourselves slip to the back of the arcade anymore."
"We've moved back to our original spot," Taffyta spoke up, "So
apparently we're doing something right."
"We don't want to end up unplugged, or worse, like EZ Living," Swizzle commented in disgust.
"At least they're still plugged in," Vanellope gently barked, "Let's just be grateful we're at the front of Litwak's Arcade again, where we originally were."
"I can't keep up with this uncertainty," Candlehead said softly with a frown, "One minute, we're racing as if the day will never end. The next minute, we're fearing for our little lives."
"We have to keep face," Vanellope said to everyone, "We have to just trust that whatever the humans do with our cabinet, its for the best."
"What if we get unplugged for good?" Gloyd worried, causing everyone around him to chatter on the subject matter in a hurried, scared manner.
"We won't get unplugged," Vanellope hollered over everyone; all eyes worriedly landed on their President. She inhaled sharply and looked at everyone in an urgent way, "We're one of the most popular games in the arcade. Fix-It Felix Jr is still in the arcade, isn't it?"
"That's only because that game is now considered an antique," Minty worried.
"We're still in the stages of the humans figuring out if we're just a Nintendo racing fad that will fade away," Adorabeezle threw her arms up.
"What are we going to do?" Jubileena worried loudly.
"There is nothing we can do, but race to the best of our abilities," Vanellope said over everyone, Taffyta put a hand on her shoulder.
"Vanellope is right," Taffyta said to everyone, "The only thing we can do is be as lively and as excitable as we can."
"We got moved to the font of the arcade, again. Surely this is a good sign," Vanellope eased with a small smile, causing everyone to nod a little and look around to each other.
"The arcade will open in five minutes," said the familiar, automated voice of Game Central Station.
"Trust me, you guys," Vanellope beamed as she put her hand out in the middle of her group of racers, "Let's give today our best, better than before. You guys with me?" Everyone perked up as they all reached their hands in, piling it on top of Vanellope's.
Vanellope beamed and caught eyes with each of her racers. She inhaled sharply, "Let's race."
Over the course of the next few days, the gamers of Sugar Rush and
Fix-It Felix Jr. didn't leave their respective games much. Vanellope would only see Ralph for a handful of minutes each day due to Ralph being busy helping Felix and Calhoun prepare for the new baby, and Vanellope's duties as president quickly getting more intense because of the move across the arcade. After a long and forced gaming day, Vanellope came down her spiral staircase, from her bedroom, and joined Taffyta and Candlehead in their kitchen. Vanellope was dressed in her comfortable mint hoodie and pants, her bare feet clumsily slapping against the marble tile of her kitchen.
"Vanellope," Taffyta smiled before double taking at her sister as she trudged in, "Vin, you look ill."
"Ill? No, I'm fine," Vanellope croaked. Her eyes were sunken into her skull, her shoulders weary and almost trembling.
"Vanellope, when's the last time you had a reset?" Taffyta barked as Vanellope sat down at the island Taffyta and Candlehead were at.
"It's not important," Vanellope breathed with a small, passive smile.
"Vanellope, it's not safe to go too long without a reset," Candlehead warned, all three girls were in comfortable clothes for the night.
"You really need to get some sleep," Taffyta worried as she stood and rummaged through a cabinet in the kitchen, preparing to make tea for Vanellope.
"I've been trying," Vanellope groaned, "I haven't felt like myself since our unplug."
"Resetting after an unplug is always difficult," Candlehead said gently to Taffyta, "I didn't get my first good night's sleep until last night."
"Do you not have peace of mind about it all?" Taffyta asked Vanellope as she gently poured steaming water into a cup, soaking the tea leaves.
"I guess not," Vanellope shuddered, her whole exterior looked as if she were a mere husk of unwritten binary.
"You were so confident during that meeting we had the morning of the unplug," Candlehead worried as she sipped her hot tea.
"Does not seeing a certain Wrecker enough have anything to do with this?" Taffyta chuckled as she set the hot cup of tea in front of Vanellope.
"Who knows anymore," Vanellope groaned as she gazed down at the tea in front of her, perfectly made.
"You don't want him finding out that you're not taking care of yourself," Taffyta chuckled as she took her seat back, "You'll get a swift kick in the code for that."
"I would," Vanellope chuckled a tired, breathy laugh. She looked down into her cup, reminiscing of being with Ralph, "I haven't seen him much because they're preparing their game cabinet for the baby."
"How much preparing do they have to do?" Candlehead chuckled, Vanellope shrugged as she finally sipped her tea.
"I guess they're making an extra house for Felix and Calhoun. The space where Felix was staying, in the Niceland building, isn't up to par for a wife and baby," Vanellope explained with understanding.
"Makes sense," Candlehead nodded, "Maybe you should go see Ralph before you go to sleep."
"I think you should probably sleep first, and then go see how Ralph is doing in the morning, so you have energy to be with him," Taffyta lovingly suggested.
"Good point," Vanellope croaked as she continued to drink her tea, "I miss him. Last time I saw him was yesterday before game time."
"Well, it's a good thing he's just across the station now," Taffyta beamed, "No more crazy train rides."
"Thank User for that," Vanellope smiled up at her two friends. They looked at her through concerned, sympathetic eyes. Everyone was silent for a second before Taffyta gently stood and yawned wide.
"Well, I'm off to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning," Taffyta smiled as she moseyed out of the kitchen. The two girls calmly said their goodnights to Taffyta. Candlehead gently took Taffyta's seat at the island, which was closer to Vanellope.
"How are you holding up?" Candlehead asked, her glorious eyes gently pierced Vanellope's, her question deep with purpose.
"I could be better," Vanellope breathed as she averted her gaze down to her cup, "I know I need sleep, but I feel as if I need something more. Maybe reassurance?"
"It's tough being the top dog, huh," Candlehead chuckled as she combed her fingers through her metallic, turquoise hair. It spilled over her shoulders in glimmering thickness.
"Its bitter sweet," Vanellope said gently.
"Sweet in the sense of having such a high honor, bitter because you don't have anywhere to rest your head after a long day… Or do you?" Candlehead asked hypothetically, giving Vanellope a knowing look.
"Hmm?" Vanellope furrowed her brows, confused.
"You should go see Ralph, tonight," Candlehead said gently. The words slid through Vanellope's head like silk.
"R-really?" Vanellope asked, feeling her heart jump slightly, "But, Taffyta-"
"You know Taffyta has your best interest at heart, as do I," Candlehead chuckled, "But, I can tell what you need most, over sleep. And that's Ralph."
"I had that thought in the back of my mind," Vanellope heaved a gentle sigh, "But I just don't want to pester him."
"A 'princess' always holds her head high with purpose and truth, no matter what," Candlehead smiled knowingly at Vanellope, "But it wouldn't hurt to rest it on the shoulder of someone who is removed from this sugary equation."
"I guess you're right," Vanellope sighed.
"Go," Candlehead urged quietly with a sincere smile, "Just watch out for Taffy."
"Thanks, Candlehead," Vanellope smiled as she gently got up and hugged Candlehead.
"You're welcome," Candlehead chuckled as she hugged Vanellope back, "I'll cover for you."
"You're the best," Vanellope beamed a tired, thankful smile. She swiftly made her way out of the kitchen.
