*Chapter 40*
"Vanellope, when I said Ralph would be proud, I wasn't hoping you'd come down here and ruin everything," Taffyta barked as her and Candlehead entered their garage. Vanellope had accidentally wrecked one of the toolboxes, as well as a few other tools and things in storage, in their massive warehouse like garage. It housed all the racer's race cars. All of them gleamed and glistened under the large hanging lights.
"I didn't mean to!" Vanellope frowned as she gazed down at her hands. They looked completely normal, but they slyly hid Ralph's wrecking abilities, "The toolbox wouldn't open and I sort of got frustrated with it. So I swat at it and it practically shattered in half."
"Please don't come near my race car," Candlehead laughed as she approached her car. Everyone's cars had looked similar to their old Sugar Rush style, but they were a lot bigger, shinier and more futuristic.
"I'm not going to wreck your car!" Vanellope hollered as she shoved a bag into the back of her car. It was its chaotic mix of minty green and dark brown color it had always been, but it was a bit more organized, sleeker and prettier. The only thing Vanellope hated about it was the fact that hers and Ralph's signature had vanished from the side of her car.
"We should meet Ralph at the entrance of Sugar Rush," Taffyta explained as the three girls readied their cars.
"Sounds good," Vanellope sighed as all three girls got into their cars. Vanellope quickly turned on her car; it growled and roared to life, as well as Taffyta's and Candlehead's carts. Fire spout out the back of Candlehead's cart like usual, the garage vibrated with the loud roaring of their engines. The three quickly peeled out of their garage, Vanellope leading the way. The drive to the entrance of Sugar Rush took about five minutes. The three screeched up to the rainbow road, their impressive cars growled and heaved with power as Ralph was seen entering their game.
"You letting Ralph ride in your car, Vin?" Taffyta called ahead, Vanellope turned around and waved her hand as a way of saying yes. She and Taffyta slowly got out of their cars as Ralph approached.
"Let me guess," Ralph sighed, "I have to ride the whole way on the spoiler of your car again?"
"You guessed it," Vanellope chuckled as she lifted her pink racing goggles and rested them on her forehead. She was dressed in a pair of sporty, black skinny jeans and her comfortable mint green hoodie. Ralph was wearing his usual orange polo with a pair of dark jeans, torn like usual at the ankles, and his worn, red hoodie. Ralph tried not to let his eyes wander.
"You look nice," Vanellope said up to him with a smile.
"Why thank you," Ralph chuckled, "I'm assuming it's going to be cold, because of how high we're going."
"You're better off riding with Vanellope, Ralph," Taffyta said nervously as she glanced back at Candlehead's car, "I highly doubt you want to be barbecued on the way to the camp site."
"I'd like to NOT catch fire, thank you very much," Ralph chuckled as he nervously tugged on the collar of his shirt.
"Let's go, guys!" Candlehead hollered as she revved her engine; it squealed with life suddenly.
"Alright, alright," Taffyta rolled her eyes as she headed towards her car.
"Like old times?" Ralph chuckled as he got onto the back of Vanellope's car. He made himself comfortable on the spoiler of her sleek car. It creaked under his weight, but held up.
"Like old times," Vanellope beamed as the two bumped fists, "Except, THIS cat has some kick to her."
"Just don't send me flying, and we'll be alright," Ralph chuckled as Vanellope quickly got into her car.
"Not gonna make any promises," She teased as she quickly put her car into gear.
She quickly stepped on the gas; her car peeled out for a second before gripping the road and rocketing forward. Her car growled with life that made their very core tremble. Ralph widened his eyes and gripped the sides of Vanellope's spoiler. He gazed over his shoulder, seeing Taffyta and Candlehead speeding up behind them. He beamed and gazed ahead as the wind quickly brushed their faces. He was shocked at how quick their new cars were; they were agile, fierce, and extremely fast.
The three headed west from the castle, their carts roared and growled with life. They made their way onto the race track, whizzing through the start line. Speckled pieces of the road flew every which way as they followed the race track for a little while. Vanellope quickly peeled off the road after a few minutes of following it. Her cart rumbled onto a raw, chocolate road and whizzed past all sorts of different candy like trees and sprouts. Large stalks of pretzel sticks housed green, leafy Twizzler like trees.
The three stayed close, Taffyta and Candlehead never falling too far behind Vanellope. Their trek gradually turned into an uphill chase. Their view turned from thin, small twizzler trees to thick, dark green forests. Small patches of snow could be seen after the first half an hour of fast racing up the mountain side. Ralph noticed that the road they raced up began to become narrower and narrower. He bit his lip and gazed down at Vanellope, hoping the judgement in her new code wasn't wrecked as well. Just as his thoughts went to worst case scenario, Vanellope slowed down, causing Taffyta and Candlehead to slow as well. They wound up the mountain in a chaotic zig zag pattern. Ralph finally had a good chance to look around. He noticed the towering twizzler trees had gotten a lot taller and thicker the higher they went up the mountain. They were coated in a fresh sheath of snow. The grass underneath the trees glistened in the sunshine.
They finally came to a wider road that straightened out, but before them was a very long, narrow bridge. Vanellope slowed to a stop before the bridge and softly sat up. She peered over the bridge, obviously debating something. Ralph heaved a hard sigh and gripped Vanellope's car spoiler. The two turned around as they could hear Taffyta get out of her car.
"Are we going over it one by one?" Taffyta asked gently as she approached Vanellope and Ralph.
"I think so," Vanellope said with a smile as she gazed over the bridge. She softly glanced at Ralph and pat his thigh, "I've got a lot of cargo."
"Hey," Ralph wrinkled his nose. Taffyta chuckled and nudged Ralph on the way back to her car.
"Be careful!" Taffyta called, Ralph glanced back at Taffyta before gazing down at Vanellope in a worried way.
"What does she mean by 'be careful'?" Ralph worried as he gazed across at the bridge.
"This bridge is old," Vanellope stated gently as she sat back down in her car, shifting gears, "We go over it one by one because we just don't want to take any chances."
"Hoo ho no," Ralph breathed as he put his hand out, Vanellope softly pressed forward. Ralph widened his eyes and swallowed hard, "Y-You sure you know what you're doing?"
"Just don't make any sudden movements," Vanellope snapped as her tires softly creaked onto the large, wooden bridge. It looked sturdy enough, but it creaked under the heavy weight of Vanellope's car, with Ralph included.
"Vanellope," Ralph breathed nervously as he gazed down at her.
"Ralph, trust me," Vanellope barked as she eased her car slowly across the bridge. She made it to the other side with care, her tires softly making the rubble underneath them fly every which way as she made room for Taffyta and Candlehead.
"You guys ever think about replacing that thing?" Ralph barked, he got off of Vanellope's car once she stopped. He slowly stood on the edge of the mountain and gazed down at the gaping canyon underneath the bridge. He nervously watched as Taffyta and Candlehead slowly crossed it. It creaked and moaned under the weight of the carts. Once they were back on the other side of the mountain, Ralph let his shoulders slump. He rubbed his forehead and looked around nervously.
"Ralph, you look like you've seen a ghost," Taffyta laughed as the sky began to sprinkle rain a little bit.
"Aw, he was scared for our lives," Candlehead chuckled.
"Or his," Taffyta barked playfully as she cocked an eyebrow.
"That was terrifying," Ralph barked as he heaved an annoyed chuff and made his way back to Vanellope's car, "I hope there are no more surprises further up the mountain."
"No more surprises," Vanellope smiled as her car slowly jerked forward, "We're almost there."
"Good," Ralph sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.
After a good ten minutes of more weaving up the mountain, Vanellope finally pulled one last turn and emerged on a large, flat field on the mountain. Nooked between large, billowing trees was a small, cozy cabin. It was dusted with light snow, it looked cheerful and inviting. Ralph heaved a soft sigh as the three girls pulled up, their carts finally roaring to a stop. Vanellope quickly got out of her car and put two thumbs up.
"We did great!" Vanellope beamed as everyone piled out of their cars.
"Ralph looked like he was going to pass out on that bridge, though," Taffyta laughed.
"That was a far drop," Ralph barked as he got off of Vanellope's car. It creaked with relief.
"Well," Vanellope beamed as she opened her arms wide, "We're here!"
"I love it here," Candlehead beamed as she took off her goggles.
"It is beautiful," Taffyta smiled as the four slowly moseyed towards the cabin, "I call the master bedroom!"
"Ralph gets that room!" Candlehead laughed, "It has the biggest bed. Sorry Taff."
"Dangit," Taffyta slumped her shoulders as everyone unloaded their cars of their lightly packed bags and head towards the cabin.
"I don't need the biggest bed," Ralph frowned, looking down at the three girls that surrounded him. He slumped his large hands into the pockets of his hoodie and inhaled a deep breath, "I think one of you should have it. I don't want to hog all the nice stuff. I did used to live in the garbage, after all."
"It's okay, Ralph," Vanellope chuckled, "The other beds in the house aren't much smaller. We're fine with those."
"I don't need too much space," Candlehead agreed.
"Me neither," Vanellope smiled up at Ralph.
"Vanellope's the kicker in the group," Taffyta chuffed, Vanellope gaped.
"I am not!" Vanellope whined before looking to Ralph for help, "Tell her!"
"I don't know, Vin," Ralph chuckled nervously, "I don't think two nights matches up to the countless sleepovers you girls probably used to have."
"Hah," Taffyta said in Vanellope's face as everyone trudged towards the cabin.
"Thanks for your help, Ralph," Vanellope sneered as they all stepped into the cabin.
It was cozy; wooden floors blanketed the entire cabin, making it woodsy and cabin-esque. The walls were a soft white and the ceilings were high and beamed with wood logs. Ralph smiled and looked all around; he heaved a surprised breath before looking around at the living room. There were two modern, comfortable looking light green couches. The large bay windows showed the beauty of the dark green forest and snowy scenery outside. The whole place breathed with comfort; it was a snowy, nature get-a-way in the heart of Sugar Rush.
"Wow, I pictured this place to be a lot more run down for some reason," Ralph chuckled as he continued to peer around. Everyone gently set their stuff down near the large, sturdy front door.
"You are traveling with a princess, you realize," Taffyta chuckled as all three girls made their way to the kitchen, which was attached to the open roomed living room. A long hallway led down to three bedrooms. Ralph peered down the hallway curiously before slumping into the kitchen with the three girls.
"Sometimes I forget," Ralph breathed, "I befriended Vanellope when you guys hated her as a glitch, remember?"
"Right," Taffyta wrinkled her nose, "A time I'd like to forget."
"Me too," Vanellope glared at Taffyta playfully, "Remember when you guys destroyed the cart I built by myself?"
"Hence, trying to forget!" Taffyta laughed as the three stood at the kitchen island. Ralph joined them, his large hands placed on the counter before them.
"I liked that cart," Vanellope playfully frowned before Ralph inhaled deeply.
"If they hadn't broken your cart, we never would've snuck into the cart bakery and made you a new one," Ralph chuckled.
"I liked that cart too!" Vanellope said suddenly before staring into space, "Man, a lot has happened between then and now, huh."
"Come back to Earth," Taffyta chuckled as she waved her hand in front of Vanellope.
"So what is there to do around here?" Ralph chucked.
"Well, we DO have a jacuzzi," Candlehead beamed excitedly.
"Snowball fight?" Vanellope beamed eagerly.
"Bonfires," Candlehead continued to list.
"Snowball fights," Vanellope said casually.
"Fishing," Taffyta added as she threw her finger up in the air.
"Fighting with snowballs," Vanellope added again, Ralph wrinkled his nose at her.
"I think I know what Vanellope wants to do," Ralph chuckled.
"There's no way I'm playing against you, Ralph," Taffyta barked as she crossed her arms.
"Why not?" Ralph furrowed his brow.
"You'll make a snow ball the size of our heads!" Taffyta exclaimed before all three girls gazed up at him nervously.
"Oh, come on, I will not!" Ralph barked with a chuckle, "How about you three against me. Is that fair?"
"That sounds fair," Vanellope said to Taffyta and Candlehead, they nodded nervously.
"Fine, but I'm not excited to get decked in the face with a snow meteor," Taffyta said in a dull voice.
"Oh come off of it," Ralph barked as the three girls excitedly began to skip outside. Ralph slumped his shoulders and followed.
"Vanellope, I think even three of us against him still is an unfair way to play," Taffyta laughed as the three girls quickly rushed outside, Ralph followed slowly behind, grumbling to himself, "And by that I mean he still has a huge advantage over us."
"Okay, look," Ralph barked as he picked up some snow and made a small snow ball, it was dwarfed in his hand, "Is that small enough for
you?"
"Perfect!" Candlehead chuckled as the three girls quickly made mounds of snow, as big as they could, "Vanellope, I don't think we really thought this through. That may be a tiny snow ball he's holding, but can you imagine the strength behind one, from his arm?"
"He's not going to hurt us," Vanellope laughed before a snowball clipped her shoulder. She wobbled backwards a few feet before gaping at Ralph, "Oh it's on."
"War!" Taffyta hollered as all three girls began to rocket snow balls at Ralph. Ralph laughed and tried to dodge them, but a few clipped his chest and shoulders.
"Ow!" Ralph laughed as he tried his hardest to fight back. They weaved all around the grounds, diving in between trees and trying to be sneaky. Ralph bit his lip and chuckled, "I think I should be the one worried, you're practically throwing ice at me!"
"Take it like a man!" Vanellope hollered as she raised one fist in the air.
"I'm trying!" Ralph barked as a few snowballs clipped his jaw and shoulders, he winced and shook off the snow that feathered him. Before the fight could continue, a loud scream could be heard from his right. Everyone froze as Candlehead suddenly slipped down a snowy bank, out of sight of the three.
"Candlehead!" Vanellope screamed as everyone quickly rushed over. They slowly approached the bank where she slipped. She was a dozen feet down, holding onto a loose root from one of the Twizzler trees. She had a look of sheer terror as the bank she was rested on dipped off of the mountain's side.
"Hold on!" Taffyta cried as everyone looked around frantically.
"I got her," Ralph barked as he slid down the bank, his large hand wrapped fully around the trunk of the tree Candlehead was latched onto. The tree croaked and shook from the force Ralph set upon it as he held it tight. He warily got to where Candlehead was and quickly reached his hand out to her. She pleadingly looked at Ralph with glassy, teary eyes as she immediately latched onto his hand. With no effort at all, he quickly yanked her into his chest and trekked up the side of the bank, slipping a few times. He quickly came back to solid ground and everyone quickly stepped away from the bank. He set Candlehead on her feet. She nervously let go of him before peering up at him through grateful, glassy eyes.
"Thanks, Ralph," Candlehead choked as she peered at the bank that almost took her life.
"You okay?" Ralph frowned as both Taffyta and Vanellope swarmed her.
"Candlehead, are you hurt?" Vanellope worried for her other sister.
"I-I'm ok," Candlehead uttered before looking back at Ralph, her face pale, "You saved my life."
"It's not like you would've had a permanent game over," Vanellope said as she suddenly noticed Candlehead's adoring look at Ralph.
"That would've been a nasty fall, Vin," Taffyta stated calmly.
"Well, you still would've been ok," Vanellope said as she shot Ralph a glance, her heart itched a hurtful pang of jealousy as Candlehead gazed up at Ralph in an adoring, earnest way.
"I think that's enough fooling around for right now," Ralph chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head; he glanced at Vanellope, wondering why she was suddenly acting cold.
"I could really use that jacuzzi right now," Taffyta beamed as she pat Candlehead's arm lovingly. Candlehead nodded warily and hugged her arms to herself as Taffyta linked her arm around her shoulder.
"I could use a drink," Vanellope muttered as the four head back to the cabin slowly. Ralph wrinkled his nose and gazed down at her in an annoyed way.
"What's your problem?" Ralph suddenly barked down at her; Vanellope flinched.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Vanellope said, trying to sound honest, "Turns out you're not just my hero anymore."
"What should we make for dinner?" Taffyta suggested, noticing the tension between Vanellope and Ralph. Ralph gave her a frustrated, confused look. Vanellope glared back at him before the three girls quickly pushed into the cabin. Ralph heaved an annoyed sigh.
"I try to be nice," Ralph said to himself as he shut and locked the cabin door behind himself.
"I try to be nice," Vanellope mocked him in a nasally voice, only audible to herself before she rolled her eyes with the utmost annoyance.
Later than evening, Taffyta made dinner for her two sisters and Ralph. They all were comfortably cozy in their warm cabin as the cold, winter air chilled the HoneyDew grounds outside. The four ate Taffyta's specialty, homemade chili with sweet corn bread. Everyone was chatty and excitable except Vanellope. She softly scoot the food around in her bowl with her spoon. She knew she shouldn't be getting so upset over something so small, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous with how friendly Taffyta and especially Candlehead were being towards Ralph. She felt weird, as if the code inside of her was itching the undersides of her skin, as if Ralph had secretly bugged her with every single aspect of himself, which included the few things that she found annoying about him. She kicked herself for the fact that she should be happy, but she kept replaying the moment where Candlehead gave Ralph adoring, googly-eyes earlier, in her head. She knew if it weren't for Ralph, their vacation would've been cut short. She pondered why it was so difficult for her to just get over it and know that Candlehead wasn't intentionally trying to flirt with her mate. She glared down into her bowl, hardly having an appetite.
"Vin, you okay?" Taffyta suddenly asked as she put her hand on Vanellope's lower arm. Ralph and Candlehead continued to chat.
"Oh, I'm fine," Vanellope said softly as she gazed out one of their bay windows by the kitchen. The snow had stopped falling and the sun had gone down. The sky was dotted with thousands of glorious, Sugar Rush stars.
"I'm sure you just need a good jacuzzi soak," Taffyta said sincerely as she nudged her sister.
Vanellope breathed a small noise of acknowledgement before fixing her eyes on Ralph. He and Candlehead chummed it up, good friends they were becoming. Vanellope wanted to smile, knowing that the three of them were just friends, but she wanted to hold on to earlier. It felt good to be upset at Ralph; she didn't know if that was his angry, wrecking code talking or the fact that she was subconsciously hoping Ralph would somehow come crawling to her, vying for her affection once more. She smiled on the inside, hoping that if she kept up her facade, Ralph would give in and shower her with love like the night prior. She caught eyes with Ralph across the table; he had a loving look of confidence in his eyes. He gazed deep into her eyes as Candlehead chatted with him and Taffyta. Vanellope furrowed her brows slightly, keeping a facial expression of calm annoyance. She felt as if Ralph had suddenly penetrated her soul, as if he knew what she was up to. She wanted so desperately to act as if two could play at this teasing game, but she felt outmatched against Ralph's palpable strength. He smirked at her before continuing to give attention to Candlehead, who continued with her story. Vanellope glared at Ralph before quickly standing. Everyone suddenly averted their attention to Vanellope.
"I'm going to go get changed," Vanellope said gently as she grabbed her bowl, giving Ralph a look, "The jacuzzi is calling my name."
"Woohoo!" Taffyta threw her fist in the air, "I thought that was never going to happen."
"I'm game," Candlehead chuckled as she and everyone else at the table stood.
"Of course you are," Vanellope said to herself as she rolled her eyes and vanished down the hallway. She went into her bedroom and slammed the door.
"Geez, what is up with her," Taffyta barked quietly as Ralph and Candlehead put their bowls on the counter.
"I think I have an idea," Ralph heaved a long sigh as he rubbed his face, "I think she's having a hard time quelling the cranky side of my code in her system. Quite frankly, I'm feeling like being snappy and mean for some reason. I didn't realize how feisty she really was until it was shooting through my code."
"Is she mad because you saved me earlier?" Candlehead chuckled and gave Ralph a knowing look.
"What, suddenly Ralph does something nice for someone else and she gets all uptight?" Taffyta wrinkled her nose and threw her arms up.
"I didn't mean to cause a problem," Candlehead said softly with a frown.
"You didn't," Ralph chuckled, "I think it's the fact that I purely showed another girl care…you were about to fall off a cliff, for User's sake! I wasn't about to let you fall, or let Vanellope or Taffyta go frolicking down the cliff after you. I think we're both just trying to figure this whole relationship thing out. Give her time, she's bound to come around."
"The way she was glaring at you across the table," Candlehead chuckled as she pointed both of her fingers in a sharp manner, "Daggers."
"Trust me," Ralph rolled his eyes, "I was prepared for her to slit my throat the whole time. I could practically feel her code burn me alive."
"It's weird that you can feel each other's emotions" Taffyta said gently, almost in a curious but weirded out tone, "I think you should go talk to her."
"I should," Ralph lulled his head with a small smile, "But I think a lesson is to be learned here."
"You're speaking my language, Wreck-It," Taffyta beamed as she folded her arms.
