Wreck-It Ralph 1. Surfaced

Fight For The Code

A/N: Hey everyone! This is Alisi Thorndyke coming at you with my first ever Wreck It Ralph fanfic. I'm a bit nervous about how this will turn out so please, if I make any mistakes, point them out to me as I am no stranger to being corrected and I'll be sure to fix them right away with hopefully my strict time limit allowing me to jump right on it! The pairing is VanillaButter all the way and this fic takes place about a year after the reset with an upgrade, putting everyone at the age of 15 years. If nothing else, the disclaimer, summary and then the chapter!

Disclaimer: Like all of my fanfics, I don't own WIR. Quite frankly I wish I did, but sadly, Disney owns it.

Summary: After their game was unplugged fifteen years ago, nothing was heard of the Turbo Twins until their recent failed attempts to become apart of a new game. When the two stumble into Sugar Rush bringing with them two unwanted guests, an enemy from Vanellope's past plots to use that to his advantage so to obtain control of the game by accessing the game's code, forcing the Princess into a fight for the code!

Chapter 1: Surfaced

One year ago, the eruption of Diet Cola Mountain by the numerous mentos candies that created a beacon so to attract the deadly swarm of Cybugs to their death has left the once troubled sugar themed game in peace. It's been one year since the defeat of not only the swarm, but also the deadliest virus to ever spew from the bowls of the arcade, Turbo. While the cleanup of the game was nothing too taxing for the citizens, especially with everyone's favorite handyman, his magic hammer, and wrecker at the helm, the game was quickly restored to its once former sugary glory with the rightful ruler taking her place at the throne. Or oval office, you choose.

However, after being plugged in for fifteen years at the standard mode, Litwak decided to provide the popular racing game with an upgrade due to the high demand for the game daily, shutting it down for a few days so to allow the game to download it's new programs and character avatars along with an interesting new look that is sure to please the arcade participants that will swarm the new game as they did the former game. Sugar Rush has brought in the most revenue to the arcade since Turbo's downfall along with the most luck for the racing participants. The new upgrade is sure to continue the abundant revenue stream that has surely pleased the owner.

And speaking of gaming luck, not many games have had the luck that Sugar Rush and even Fix It Felix Jr. has gotten from the daily visitors of the arcade, especially one game that was unplugged fifteen years ago by the name of Turbotime due to Turbo's need to remain in the spotlight and getting his game unplugged along with Road Blasters. Numerous rumors spread throughout Game Central Station that the Twins of the game died once the unplug took place as nothing was heard of the characters that once occupied that game, that is until now….

From the Super Mario game tunnel, the Turbo twins were seen running from the tunnel with massive fire balls on their trails, one nearly hitting the twin on the right, Jet.

"And stay out!" The husky voice of Bowser yelled after the two as the horde of fireballs halted.

"Well that was a disaster and could have worked out better." Jet expressed as he dusted his already damaged and burned racing suit.

"I could have told you we weren't going to fit in there!" Set fumed to his twin. "Look at us and look at them! We stood out like a sore thumb and that overgrown lizard spotted us right away! And that green dinosaur, don't even get me started!"

"That was a dinosaur?" Jet dumbfoundly asked.

From that comment, a stray fireball flew from the tunnel and landed at the twins' feet, making the two jump.

"So now what are we going to do?" Jet questioned to his twin as the two looked around GCS at the numerous game portals that surrounded them. "We can't just stay out here again. We've done that enough."

"The streets are so cold." Set expressed as he too looked around at the different game portals while rubbing his right arm, trying to decide which they and their graphics would better fit in. "I guess we should try a game where we would better fit in, a racing game in particular."

"Well there is always Crusin'." Jet pointed out while pointing to that game portal. "We would fit in there and our graphics would fit in there too. Think about it Set, we can finally be real racers again!"

Seeing the opportunity in the game to once again race, Set nodded in agreement.

"Crusin' it is then." Set answered as the two set off towards the game portal, both excited to once again become racers and get out off the streets of Game Central Station.

_**Fifteen Minutes Later**_

A smoking tire along with a cloud of smoke spewing out from the tunnel of the game was seen along with Jet and Set hacking and coughing from the thick cloud of smoke. The dingy look of their suits have become even more dingy due to the five car pileup they created on the race way that later caused an explosion that they were barely able to escape.

"Well that happened." Set coughed as he leaned against the wall next to the portal while Jet collapsed at his feet.

"I was sure we'd fit in there." Jet expressed. "It's a racing game."

"With higher resolution graphics than us!" Set fussed as his temper began flaring. "If you were looking, you would have noticed that none of those cars were what we were use to driving in our own game!"

Jet gave no response, but instead rolled over on his face with a groan.

"We might as well face it." Jet mumbled. "We're stuck out here for life just like when our game was unplugged!"

"I'd still like to get my hands on Turbo for that!" Set groaned. "We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for him and his ego!"

"I guess this is our fate." Jet spoke as he rolled over on his back. "We don't fit in anywhere in this arcade, not anymore and it's all thanks to Turbo."

Suddenly, a line of soldiers headed for the Hero's Duty game portal ran past the twins in formation from the train, catching the twins' attention. Watching as the soldiers ran into the portal dressed in their 'work' attire, an idea came to Set as he rushed over to his brother and snatched him off of the ground.

"I have an idea that just might work." Set spoke as he caught with his brother's gaze. "Just follow me."

"Ok, Set, what are you thinking?" Jet questioned as he noticed the look on his brother's face, the look that normally got the two in trouble when Set had an idea of any kind in mind. "I know that look and I don't like when you get that look."

"Don't ask questions and just come with me." Set simply replied.

Still concerned at his twin's idea, Jet didn't utter a response, but instead followed his brother into the Hero's Duty game portal. Upon entering the game as the soldiers ran ahead to get into formation, the two suddenly stopped in their tracks at noticing the scenery of the game, their eyes taking in the deep green and turquoise splashed with metallic black all mixed in with the high definition scenery of the game. While there weren't many new games plugged in when theirs got unplugged so many years ago, even they have to admit that this is one game that they will never forget.

Breaking his attention away from the high definition scenery of the game, Set turned to Jet and noticed how enthralled his brother was with what he was seeing, including the tower where the top hatch has been opened by a quarter alert.

"Come on Jet, we have to blend in." Set whispered to his brother as he grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the rest of the soldiers whom are lined up in rows of three.

"But it's all so beautiful." Jet dreamily replied to Set as he was drug out of sight and just in time as the leader of the game, Sgt. Tamora Jean Calhoun, stepped onto the scene.

"Alright soldiers, we are on a mission and that mission is to destroy as many cybugs as possible before they lay their _filthy _eggs to mass produce more and make it to the top of that tower." Sgt Calhoun informed her soldiers as she grabbed her gun and cocked it. "Just remember one thing, fear is a four letter word that I don't know the meaning of and neither do you! Soldiers don't show fear in the face of danger and you will give those cybugs a blastin' they will never forget! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sergeant!" The soldiers shouted in unison.

"I can't hear you!" Sgt Calhoun voiced.

"YES SERGEANT!" The soldiers repeated.

Jet and Set, dressed like the rest of the soldiers and carrying the same weapon the others are holding, ran back to the formation and lined up. A motorized computer screen made its way through the crowd and to the front of the line of soldiers with the image of a boy with jet black hair appearing on the screen.

"Now I'm only going to say this once and I want you to repeat after me." Tamora continued. "The first rule of Hero's Duty is you never interfere with the first person shooter and show no fear!"

"Never interfere with the first person shooter and show no fear!" The soldiers repeated after their sergeant.

"Now let's move!" Tamora commanded as her helmet placed itself on and closed the visor as did the other soldiers' helmets. A swarm of cybugs rushed out of the top of the tower and towards the army as Jet and Set positioned their guns to blast at the horde headed right for them. The two noticed how big the bugs were as they neared them and fear immediately took them over.

"I don't think I can do this Set." Jet shouted to his brother through the communicator in his suit. "These things are bigger than I thought!"

"We have to blend in Jet so you have to try." Set voiced back to his brother while doing his best to hide the fear that rose in him. "Besides, they aren't that scary."

A cybug landed in front of Jet and roared as it advanced toward him. Sweat started pouring down Jet's face as he stared the bug directly in the eye. It took another step towards him as Jet took a step back.

"Nice cybug." Jet meekly spoke as he swallowed the rising lump in his throat. "Please don't eat me."

The bug slowly took another step towards Jet as it waited for the right time to pounce on him as it picked up the fear he emitted.

"I'll give you anything you want, just don't hurt me." Jet tried to reason with the bug as it continued to slowly advance towards him while hissing.

"Don't reason with the thing, just blast it!" Tamora's voice spoke through the communicator. "Soldiers show no fear!"

With fear eating him alive, Jet shakily rose his gun to the bug with the aim being right between the insect's eyes. A shaky finger placed itself on the trigger of the gun, but didn't remain steady due to how much fear Jet is experiencing.

"Blast it soldier!" Tamora commanded to Jet. "There is no time to waste and be careful as those things become what they eat!"

Seeing that it is being threatened, the bug released a roar as it rushed towards Jet and pounced on him, knocking his gun from his hands. Before the bug can latch onto his throat with its fangs, Jet quickly grabbed the bug's fangs to keep it from latching onto him.

"I offered you anything you wanted, but that didn't include eating me!" Jet choked as he continued to keep the bug at bay despite it trying to forcefully take a bite out of him. Roaring in the twin's face, the bug tried to break from his grip so to get at him, but the strength the twin mustered is what is keeping the bug away from its mark.

"I am not your dinner!" Jet's strained voice spoke to the bug as he felt his grip on the bug's fangs beginning to slip. "You can eat anyone around here, just not me!"

A shot from a laser gun suddenly slammed into the bug's side and knocked it off of Jet, ultimately killing it. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Jet turned to see his brother approaching him.

"Man that was a close one!" Set expressed as he reached for Jet and helped him off of the ground. "If it weren't for me, you would have been a goner. Why didn't you just shoot it?"

"Did you see the size of that bug?!" Jet asked with a raised voice. "There was no way I was going to face off against something like that!"

"Well if we ever expect to fit into this game, you're going to have to fight and that includes fighting off a bug the size of a race car." Set reasoned with his brother. "I had to do it."

"Well I'm nothing like you and that thing really freaked me out!" Jet replied. "I have never seen anything that big before outside of a race car!"

"Look just stick closely by me and I'll take care of these things." Set expressed as he cocked his gun. "I wouldn't want you passing out on me."

Running back into the crowd of soldiers, the twins noticed a group of Cybugs attacking the first player's screen with the other soldiers blasting off the bugs one by one, despite more latching onto the screen when one was shot off. Grinning, Set raised his gun so to help shoot off the bugs when the announcement of "Return to start position" was heard overhead, indicating that the player has to start again due to gaming over. The beacon at the top of the tower lit up which attracted the cybugs towards the tower and away from the scene.

The motorized screen was then retracted as the other soldiers began moving back into formation, lining up in rows of three like before.

"Ok, what's going on and why are they lining back up?" Jet asked in confusion as he and Set watched the others line back up.

"I'm not sure, but let's go get those bugs!" Set spoke with determination as he positioned his gun in front of him and took off running towards the tower with Jet in tow.

The two continued to blindly run towards the tower when Tamora stepped in front of them so to stop them in their tracks, but with the two running at top speed, they instead ran into her. Falling backwards onto their backs, Tamora quickly snatched them up while fiercely glaring at the two.

"I don't remember training complete _idiots_ in my army and you two have been acting like mindless campers with a broken compass!" Tamora sneered at the two. "Just what is your deal?!"

"Um, we're new to the army." Jet voiced in a nervous tone. "We are your new recruits."

"Yea, we were brought in this morning." Set confirmed.

"I would have gotten word if I got new men in my army and I didn't get not one mention of either of you!" Tamora continued scolding the two. "Now spill who you _really _are or I'll feed you to the cybugs _myself_!"

With the game having started over, Jet and Set's helmets disengaged which revealed to Tamora who they really were. The sergeant gasped which quickly changed to a low toned growl accompanied by her grinding her teeth. Noticing the look on the woman's face, Jet and Set began sweating slightly, unsure of what their fate was going to be.

"Am I correct in thinking that you two have gone _Turbo_?!" Tamora expressed her tone of voice a bit louder than before. "Need I remind you gentleman that game jumping is illegal and can get my game unplugged by having unauthorized players here?!"

"Can it be considered game jumping when we technically don't have a game we're jumping from?" Jet pondered.

"Now isn't the time to ask questions Jet!" Set whispered in a hiss to his brother.

"I won't stand for my players being homeless because you two felt the need to _snake_ your way in here." Tamora spoke in a dangerously calm tone, which made the twins sweat that much more. "So allow me to show you two to the door!"

Rapid gun fire from a laser gun exited the portal right along with the twins as they ran as fast as they could so to avoid being hit by the gun shots. Leaning on opposite sides of the portal, both brothers began catching their breaths, having outran rapid fire machine gun blasts.

"That's it!" Jet managed to say between heavy pants. "I'm done! We're not going to fit in anywhere so we might as well face it! We're stuck out here for life!"

"So you're just going to give up like that?!" Set questioned, becoming aggravated by his brother's attitude. "Do you want to keep living out here?"

"What else do we have Set?" Jet snapped back. "We don't fit in anywhere! If you haven't noticed, we have been kicked out of every game we tried while nearly being killed in Hero's Duty! You can try as many games as you like from this point on, but I'm not following you anymore!"

"I refuse to let this be our fate Jet!" Set growled as he grabbed his brother by the collar of his suit of armor. "I'm not living out here another night and neither are you!"

"And I refuse to be kicked out of another game!" Jet argued back while trying to pry his brother's hands from his collar. "You can do whatever you want, I'm done following you! Now let go of me!"

"I'm not going to let go until you change that _goner_ attitude of yours!" Set argued as he gripped tighter onto Jet's collar that much more. "We are the Turbo Twins which means we are in this together!"

"Says you!" Jet growled as he tried to once more unhook Set from his collar. "Thanks to you, we were almost killed! What kind of twin would be so desperate to fit in that he is willing to get himself and his brother killed?!"

"You know that wasn't my intention Jet!" Set continued. "I just want a better life for us! Is that too much to ask?!"

"When I'm being shot at and nearly eaten by a bug the size of a race car, yes it is!" Jet continued as he swung his brother around to where Set's back slammed against the wall while still trying to unhook him from his collar. "Now let go of me!"

"I'm not going back to the way things use to be!" Set growled. "And I don't think my wanting to change things is wrong!"

"There is another way to do it ya know!" Jet fought back as Set pushed his weight away from the wall and into his brother.

A brown cloaked figure rushing past the two slammed into Jet rather roughly, which caused both twins to hit the ground with Set landing on top of Jet. Not bothering to check what caused the two to fall, Jet continued trying to unhook Set from him.

"You can let go at anytime!" Jet fussed. "I told you I'm not following you anymore!"

"I'm not doing this without you Jet." Set calmly voiced. "I don't want to see anything happen to you out here."

"But I've seen what can happen to me while I'm with you so what's the difference?" Jet expressed with a heaving sigh.

Climbing to his feet, Jet successfully unhooked his brother from him and began walking ahead of him, un-benoticed that he just entered the Sugar Rush game portal. Watching as his brother walked ahead of him and removed his HD helmet, Set immediately noticed a bluish green bug crawl out of the neck of Jet's suit, the wings of the bug sprouting as it moved to the center of the twin's back.

Having removed his helmet that matches his suit of armor, Jet slammed it onto the ground as he continued walking further into the game portal while his brother called after him and running behind him. Set removed his helmet as well with that same bluish green bug crawling out of a pocket space on the right side of Set's suit while sprouting its wings and crawling to the back of the twin.

Taking a few more steps forward, Jet stepped into the game with the barrier moving around him as he entered. Set ran into the game behind Jet as the barrier formed around him as he entered and the cloaked figure that bumped into Jet in Game Central Station silently stepped in behind the two with a twinkle shining from under its hood. The bugs on the back of the twins noticed the shine and flew off of their backs and to the cloaked figure whom held out its hands so the bugs could land in the palms.

"I'm so glad to see you little beauties again." The figure spoke as he moved the bugs closer to his hood as if to get a better look at them. "And I know a certain _princess_ would be happy to see you again as well. I can just imagine the look on her face right now."

With a chuckle, the hooded figure turned and disappeared into thin air.

* * *

_**So what did you think? As I said, this is my first story in this section so any help would be appreciate so to improve as I go along. I probably overdid it with Set being protective of his brother, but since neither has a set personality, then I did what I could. So if nothing else,**_

_**Review Please!**_


	2. Infection

Chapter 2: Infection

'With their previous plans faltering, the Turbo Twins stumbled into Sugar Rush, bringing with them a couple of passengers that are now in the company of a vengeful stranger. Just who this is cloaked individual?'

_Previously_

Climbing to his feet, Jet successfully unhooked his brother from him and began walking ahead of him, un-benoticed that he just entered the Sugar Rush game portal. Watching as his brother walked ahead of him and removed his HD helmet, Set immediately noticed a bluish green bug crawl out of the neck of Jet's suit, the wings of the bug sprouting as it moved to the center of the twin's back.

Having removed his helmet that matches his suit of armor, Jet slammed it onto the ground as he continued walking further into the game portal while his brother called after him and running behind him. Set removed his helmet as well with that same bluish green bug crawling out of a pocket space on the right side of Set's suit while sprouting its wings and crawling to the back of the twin.

Taking a few more steps forward, Jet stepped into the game with the barrier moving around him as he entered. Set ran into the game behind Jet as the barrier formed around him as he entered and the cloaked figure that bumped into Jet in Game Central Station silently stepped in behind the two with a twinkle shining from under its hood. The bugs on the back of the twins noticed the shine and flew off of their backs and to the cloaked figure whom held out its hands so the bugs could land in the palms.

"I'm so glad to see you little beauties again." The figure spoke as he moved the bugs closer to his hood as if to get a better look at them. "And I know a certain _princess_ would be happy to see you again as well. I can just imagine the look on her face right now."

_Currently_

With both brothers having crossed into the racing game's portal, Set quickly took notice of the game they entered, the high definition sugary scenery catching his attention. Just as quickly, Set broke from his trance and turned to his brother, noticing that he too is looking round at the scenery of the racing game.

"Geez Jet, you walk fast!" Set voiced as Jet turned to him with a less than gleeful expression crossing his features as he crossed his arms. "I called you, but you must not have heard me. I saw a bug crawl out of your suit and I was trying to catch up with you so to let you know about it, but you practically ran ahead of me."

"If this is your pathetic attempt to apologize for nearly getting me killed back in Hero's Duty, then you can save it!" Jet snapped. "I'm still upset at you and don't think I've ever been this mad at you before! I'm furious!"

"I know I overdid it back in Game Central Station when I were trying to make us fit in to a new game, but Jet you have to believe me when I say that I was doing it for us." Set apologetically replied to his twin. "I can't stand being on the streets of GCS as we've been there for fifteen years. It's time for a change Jet, that's all I want."

"That's just it Set, why can't you just accept things for the way they are?" Jet asked, his expression softening a bit. "I have."

Just as Set opened his mouth to speak, an idea dawned on him that included the current game they were in and who the ruler of the game is as the twin took a look around once more from where the two stood on the sour candy rainbow bridge. With a smile slowly creeping onto his face, Set turned to his brother.

"Oh no, not that look again." Jet sighed. "If you want to try and fit in here, you can do it all by yourself!"

"Jet, do you know who the ruler of this game is?" Set asked.

"Of course I do." Jet replied with a shoulder shrug. "It's Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz, everyone knows that. What's your point?"

Like a cascading waterfall, her named slipped from his mouth as a smile appeared on his face to match Set's at having spoken the princess's name.

"Now do you see my point?" Set asked as he began rubbing his hands together. "She's the nicest ruler in this game, in the entire arcade if you think about it."

"Do you think she will…?" Jet questioned, knowing where his brother was taking his idea.

"It's worth a shot." Set replied. "After all, she was able to put the past behind her when the game was reset and she was given her rightful title back. I never did like that King Candy, always kicking dirt in our faces as he passed us in GCS."

"That was Turbo all along." Jet corrected his brother.

"I know that." Set sighed. "It _was_ broadcasted all over Game Central Station. So why don't we go and find out. If she was able to put the past behind her, I don't see why she won't let us join her game. It's a racing game and after all, we're racers."

"Now this is an idea that I can get behind." Jet voiced with a nod. "But how will we find her? This place is massive."

The sounds of revving car engines were heard off in the distance which caught the twins' attention.

"I think I have an idea where she might be." Set spoke at noticing a bright sign off in the far distance that spelled 'Finish Line'. "Follow me."

Hovering above a red and white tiled line on an elaborate race track was the bright orange, almost neon sign that spelled 'Finish Line' in bouncy blue letters that the racers were racing towards, the Candy kart belonging to Vanellope von Schweetz, was in first place as her section of candy coated fans and admirers cheered her on. As a spark of determination gleamed in her eyes, the ruler of the land kept her eyes on the approaching sign ahead of her with the Kit Kart in second place, Pink Lighting in third, and the Ice Screamer in fourth place.

The Pink Lighting, belonging to Taffyta Muttonfudge, has tried for miles on numerous tracks to get ahead of her competitor Vanellope and even Rancis so to get to the number one spot, but she wasn't able to pass either racer. She went as far as using a power up sweet seeker and syrup puddles so to knock both from her path, but instead knocked off players she wasn't aiming for, Gloyd Orangeboar and Adorabeezle Winterpop, who landed in the frosting of a cupcake below the Cakeway race track. After those two were out of the way, she was close to passing Vanellope on the run through Royal Raceway, the track that runs through Vanellope's castle, but was still unable to pass her. The run around numerous tracks has brought all of the racers to this one point in time, headed towards the finish line with the princess in first place, her cart crossing the finishing line with Rancis Fluggerbutter coming in second place behind her and Taffyta coming in third behind him. As the racers crossed the finish line, that indicated the last roster race for that day and the next few as the holiday weekend has begun and the arcade will be closed for the next three days.

Raining streams of colorful confetti and chants of the ruler's name in admiration burst through the air as the first place winner brought her cart to a screeching halt which kicked up piles of dirt that landed on several citizens who sat along the front lines to watch the race. Fifteen year old Vanellope von Schweetz leapt from her cart and removed her helmet that matches her royal racing suit, her long raven hair that has been tied back in a ponytail cascaded behind her as she shook her head and waved to the crowd.

Sour Bill, carrying a large golden trophy with all of his might, scuttled his way towards the ruler.

"And the winner of the Roster Race is Princess Vanellope von Schweetz." Sour Bill announced in his usual monotone of voice as Vanellope took the trophy from him, the crowd cheering even louder for the winner. "Congratulations your majesty."

"And this is going on my shelf next to my other trophies." Vanellope voiced as she admired the trophy in her hands. "I think I'll put you in front of the rest."

"How do you find the space for them all?" Sour Bill sarcastically mumbled to himself as he scuttled away.

"Hey Vanellope!" The voice of Rancis Fluggerbutter called to the ruler, catching her attention. Fifteen year old Rancis Fluggerbutter made his way to Vanellope, him sounding as if he is out of breath.

Like the rest of the racers, Rancis grew a feet taller since the upgrade to match his age. His hair filled out a bit more and the curl that rests on the right side of his head grew a bit more as well, but remained tightly curled as when he were younger.

"Hey Fluggerbutter." Vanellope greeted to the Reeses Peanut butter cup themed racer with a sweet smile. "Nice kartin' out there. For a second, I thought you would pass me."

"Well you didn't do too badly yourself out there." Rancis voiced, a nervous smile making its way onto his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And congratulations on winning. You earned it."

"Thank you, thank you." Vanellope replied with a playful bow as Rancis lightly laughed at her display. Even at fifteen, Vanellope never lost her sense of playful sarcasm, something he has come to like about her, even though he will never admit it out loud or to her.

"So, tonight me and the others were thinking of going to Tapper's for a night out." Rancis began as droplets of sweat began appearing on his forehead. "Since the arcade will be closed for the next few days, I figured we could all use some down time and rest from racing as we've been doing that a lot lately. You know you can come if you, you know, want to, but if you're busy, then that's fine too and we can get together on another night."

"Are you asking me out to Tapper's tonight Fluggerbutter?" Vanellope questioned as she raised a suspicious eyebrow to the racer.

"Well, I mean, if you want to join us." Rancis replied nervously as he turned his vision to the ground, to his shoes.

"Oh I'm just messin' with ya Fluggerbutter!" Vanellope laughed as Rancis looked up to her. "Lighten up! Of course I'll come with you guys to Tapper's tonight. I need the rest too so we'll meet there about seven-ish?"

"Yea, seven it is." Rancis agreed with a nod. "So I'll see you there."

"Of course." Vanellope agreed once more.

"Vanellope! Hey!" Jubileena's voice cut in as both racers turned in her direction to see her making her way towards them. The cherry themed racer approached Vanellope and draped an arm around her shoulders as she pulled her away from Rancis while congratulating her on her Roster Race victory.

"You really owned the tracks today, especially on Royal Raceway!" Rancis heard Jubileena excitedly ranting on while he sighed. So close, so close. As he watched the two walk away, an arm draped over his shoulder which snapped him out of his thoughts.

"How long are you going to keep this bottled up Fluggerbutter?" The voice of Taffyta Muttonfudge voiced to the peanut butter cup themed racer as he kept his eyes on Jubileena and Vanellope, watching as the two exchanged words. "You're never going to get it out if you keep stuttering over every word you say to her."

"Well it's not as easy as you think it is." Rancis replied to Taffyta as he made eye contact with her with the strawberry themed racer removing her arm from Rancis's shoulder and removed her signature lollipop from her mouth. "I get choked up whenever I'm around her."

"Well, inviting her to Tapper's was a good move so maybe you'll get the nerve by then." Taffyta teased. "And pick up your jaw for mod's sake."

"Yea, maybe." Rancis nodded as he turned back to the front of him to see Vanellope and Jubileena have vanished. Turning away, Rancis began walking back to his kart as Taffyta watched him while shaking her head. While the strawberry themed racer still held some resentment towards Vanellope for being the best racer on the track and during the time she was a mere glitch, she had slowly grown to actually care for the girl and had even come to terms with the fact that Rancis actually liked Vanellope, despite how crushing it was to watch the one she cared deeply for dote over someone else.

Gloyd, who had pulled up in his kart the Kernel that was covered in pink cupcake frosting along with himself, leapt out and made his way towards Taffyta with annoyed look on his features.

"Taffyta!" Gloyd shouted as the girl whipped around to him. A snicker left the girl's mouth at seeing Gloyd covered in pink cupcake frosting.

"Oh hey Gloyd." Taffyta spoke innocently to the angry melocreme themed racer as he approached her. "I like the new look."

"Don't play innocent with me!" Gloyd angrily voiced. "The next time you are aiming to knock someone off of the track, avoid me! This cupcake frosting will take forever to clean off of me and my kart!"

Snickering once more, Taffyta ran a finger over Gloyd's shoulder and wiped up some frosting. Licking the frosting from her finger, the girl smiled.

"Strawberry, my favorite." Taffyta expressed with a light laugh as she walked away.

**Beneath The Racetrack **

The cloaked figure that followed the Turbo Twins into Sugar Rush walked through a dug out nesquik tunnel beneath the race track with nothing but a lantern to light his way through the endless powered chocolate path. The figure took a few more steps, stopped, and set the lantern down. He then removed his hood to reveal a guy with shaggy white hair and rose toned eyes with a light shine in them. With a slight smirk, he reached into his cloak and pulled out one of the bugs that he collected at the entrance of the game.

Setting the bug down on the ground, the bug settled in and the bottom of it began to glow. The bug then propped its back legs up with a bluish green hexagon egg appearing. The bug settled back in on the ground once more and repeated the process as before with another hexagon egg appearing in front of the previously planted egg. With his smirk widening, the figure watched as the bug rapidly produced egg after egg, the powered tunnel being lit by the bright glow of the cybug eggs.

"Excellent." He spoke as he watched another few dozen eggs being produced. "Before long, I'll have the army I need in order to take control of this game and dethrone the princess. I've always desired to be King and I'll finally have that dream realized in one sweet victory! Then I can do what Turbo wasn't able to, eliminate Vanellope once and for all!"

Reaching back into his cloak, the second bug is removed with the figure rubbing the top of its head gently as the bug purred and tried to grip onto his finger.

"And it's all thanks to you beauties." He voiced with a light laugh. "Now while he's busy here, I have a special place to put you and trust me, there is plenty of data there for you to devour. Like an all you can eat data buffet."

The second bug is placed back into his cloak as the figure vanished from the tunnel.

**Tapper's (7pm)**

The hottest spot in all of Game Central Station was lit up with literally every game character in the arcade there from Princess Peach to Rosalina to even the Street Fighter gang. The lounge was buzzing while some of everyone discussed what their day in their game was like to kicking back, to even gossiping about the hottest news in the arcade.

At a table in the far back of the lounge, Ryu and Zangief were having an arm wrestling match as Chun-Li cheered them on. In a fruitless effort, Zangief slammed Ryu's hand on the table and jumped to his feet with cheer, indicating that he won the hand wrestling match.

"In your face!" Zangief shouted to Ryu.

"Did you know there will be a new character added to our game?" Princess Peach excitedly expressed to Rosalina, who sipped on her sparkling water with a lemon wedge. "I can't wait to meet them!"

"I caught wind of that this morning." Rosalina replied with a nod as she took another sip of her water. "I think it's another plumber, like we _really_ need another one of _them_."

"I wonder who they'll be." Daisy chimed in.

Across the way from where the gossiping Princesses sat and the street fighters, two tables that were pulled together and that were littered with root beer mugs sat the characters from Sugar Rush, Fix it Felix Jr, and Hero's Duty. The sugar rush racers all sat on one side while Felix, Ralph, and Tamora sat on the other side while Jubileena ranted on about the day's race. Felix slipped his right hand into Tamora's as the two listened to the story, living up to the title of what they were known around the arcade as being 'Hero's Cuties'.

"So while Taffyta tried to get ahead, she obtained a sweet seeker that she tried to aim at Vanellope, but ultimately, ended up knocking Gloyd and Adorabeezle off of the Cakeway race track." Jubileena continued. "But while I was in six place, I was able to move up to fourth place with those two out of the way."

"You were aiming for me?" Vanellope asked as she sharply turned to Taffyta.

"Well Rancis was originally my target, but I figured why just him?" Taffyta laughed. "But I missed as the thing went the wrong way anyway. I was a little off my game today and that never happens to me."

"You knew where you were aiming." Gloyd mumbled as he lifted his cup of root beer to his lips.

"Compared to your game, I have it easy minus the falling bricks and ducks." Felix voiced as he fiddled with the straw in his mug. "Racing sounds brutal."

"I always make sure that you're not in the line of fire when I destroy the building." Ralph replied to Felix. "Minus that one time."

"It's not as bad as you think it is Felix." Vanellope chimed in. "You just have to know your opponents and their tricks. Once you know that, it's all pretty much a piece of cake."

"A piece of Cakeway." Snowanna joked, harping on Gloyd and Adorabeezle's unfortunate race accident during the roster race.

Sitting next to Vanellope is Rancis who hasn't said a word the entire time everyone gathered there after the arcade closed. His vision has traveled between Vanellope and his mug of root beer, often trying to find the words to talk to her, but instead, has taken a sip from his mug each time he tried to open his mouth.

When Vanellope was just a mere glitch, he, like the rest of the racers, had no trouble finding the right words to insult the girl, but since gaining his memories back and remembering her true place in the game, the right words to speak to her hasn't been found and only come out as mere utterances except for when it comes to racing. Then he has no trouble finding the words to encourage her right before a race.

"So kid, what do you plan to do during this time off?" Ralph questioned to Vanellope. "I'll be getting some rest that's for sure."

"Not sure Stinkbrain, really haven't given it any thought." Vanellope answered as she finished off what was left in her mug. "Might practice a few rounds on the track with my fellow racers. I have a thing or two to teach Rancis over here about a few cheats that I learned on the track, right buddy?"

His gaze has once more landed on Vanellope, noticing that she was looking in his direction, but the words to reply to her were once again caught in his throat. A look of confusion crossed the princess's face at noticing the blank look she is receiving from Rancis.

"Hey Rancis, you in there?" Vanellope spoke waving her hand in front of his face. "The lights are on, but is anyone home?"

Swizzle, who was sitting to right of Rancis, elbowed him in the ribs which brought him back to reality.

"Huh?" Rancis finally spoke as he turned to Swizzle.

"Vanellope is talking to you and you blanked out on her." Swizzle said with an eye-roll. "Now that you're back, you might want to answer her."

"What were you saying?" Rancis asked as he turned to Vanellope.

"I was saying before your brain shut off was I had a thing or two to teach you out on the track about a few cheats that I learned." Vanellope repeated herself.

"Oh right, you sure do." Rancis nervously voiced.

Taffyta, who is sitting on the far end, rolled her eyes and stood up as she made her way towards Rancis. Approaching him, she snatched him up out of his seat by the collar of his jacket and dragged him over to the order/serving counter.

"What was that about?!" Taffyta questioned.

"What was what about?" Rancis replied.

"That sudden ditch your brain went into." Taffyta clarified. "And before you say it, you choked I know."

"I just can't find the right words to speak to her, not even in a normal conversation." Rancis spoke in a defeated tone. "I mean when she was a glitch, then-"

"It was easy then, I know." Taffyta finished his sentence with a sigh, the shards of memory of when she and the other racers used to pick on Vanellope playing back in her mind. "It was easy for all of us."

"And now that things are different, I can't even get one word out without babbling." Rancis continued. "That's been happening a lot lately."

"Well then, allow me to give you a few pointers and pay close attention." Taffyta offered with a light sigh. "So in a little bit, we'll be heading home so here's what you do."

**Candy Kingdom (Main Hall)**

The castle guard who was knocked unconsciousness was dropped to the peppermint swirl tile floor right at the figure's feet, the purplish blue ring around his throat from being strangled into unconsciousness in clear view. He was the last guard in the string of the first line defense guards in the palace that were taken down.

"And she calls this castle security." The figure laughed as he walked away from the guard while reaching into his cloak. "What a joke!"

Taking a few more steps down the hall, the figure then entered the throne room as he pulled out the second cybug from the side pocket from his cloak. As he looked around, he immediately spotted the entrance to the code room that is locked by a NES game pad. A dark chuckle erupted from his throat as he eyed the security locking the room out from intruders.

"A gummy bear can run this place better than she can." The figure spoke as he approached the game pad. "But not even this will keep me from achieving my goal of taking control of this game."

Placing the bug to the front of the pad right above the start and select buttons, the bug bit into the pad and burrowed its way inside. A blue spark erupted from the pad with the door opening with ease seconds later. The bug flew out and back into the figure's palm as he proceeded inside while removing his hood so spot where he walked. Approaching the opening of the code room, he stopped short and his eyes instantly lit up at noticing the hundreds and millions of code boxes that flowed vigorously with streams of data in the zero gravity space.

"Just as I promised, a data buffet with plenty of data to go around." He spoke to the bug as he dove into the space, the game's track information code box coming into his view first. "But first, the appetizer before the main course."

* * *

Outside of the castle, the Kit Kart pulled up to the door as Rancis jumped out to help Vanellope out of his kart.

"Thanks for the lift Fluggerbutter." Vanellope thanked Rancis. "But I could have gotten home by myself. Tappers isn't that far from the game."

"Well I couldn't let you do that." Rancis replied as the two began walking to the door. "Plus I owe you for kind of blanking out on you back at Tappers."

"Kind of blanked out?" Vanellope reiterated. "Man, you totally checked out and if it weren't for Swizzle, you'd still be lost in your own thoughts."

Rancis lightly laughed as the two approached the door and entered the castle. The two didn't get too far into the main room when Sour Bill scuttled up to them with a look of distress on his face.

"Your majesty, thank mod you're home!" Sour Bill panicked. "There is an intruder in the castle! None of the first line defense guards could hold him off! They did their best, but he was unstoppable!"

"What did he look like?" Rancis questioned.

"All I was told was he was wearing a brown cloak, nothing more." Sour Bill answered.

"Do you know where the intruder is now?" Vanellope asked the small sour ball of candy while doing her best to remain calm.

"He was last spotted in the throne room." Sour Bill replied in a continuous panic. "Which means he could have…."

"Gotten inside the code room!" Vanellope visibly panicked.

"But it's protected by a code that only Vanellope knows." Rancis cut in. "Without that, no one can't get in."

"If Turbo was able to snake his way in, there's no telling what this one might do so we can't take any chances!" Vanellope expressed as her panicking dissipated into determination. "I'm not going to sit idly by while another _Turbo_ tries to take over this game! Come on, we're gotten stop him ourselves!"

"But it might be too dangerous your highness and I can't let you put yourself in danger for us." Sour Bill tried to reason with the raven haired teen. "Allow me to try to remedy this problem by calling in the last defense guards. They should be able to stop him before any real damage is done."

"If the first line weren't able to stop him, the last line surely doesn't stand a chance." Vanellope replied. "I'm going to handle this so hang on tight."

Grabbing Rancis and Sour Bill, Vanellope glitched them down the path to the throne room with a spark or two of her code left in their wake.

_**Review Please!**_


	3. Suspicious

Chapter 3: Suspicious

'The intruder has infiltrated the kingdom and has gotten inside the code room. Will Vanellope and Rancis stop him before any real damage to the game is done?'

_Previously_

Rancis lightly laughed as the two approached the door and entered the castle. The two didn't get too far into the main room when Sour Bill scuttled up to them with a look of distress on his face.

"Your majesty, thank mod you're home!" Sour Bill panicked. "There is an intruder in the castle! None of the first line defense guards could hold him off! They did their best, but he was unstoppable!"

"What did he look like?" Rancis questioned.

"All I was told was he was wearing a brown cloak, nothing more." Sour Bill answered.

"Do you know where the intruder is now?" Vanellope asked the small sour ball of candy while doing her best to remain calm.

"He was last spotted in the throne room." Sour Bill replied in a continuous panic. "Which means he could have…."

"Gotten inside the code room!" Vanellope visibly panicked.

"But it's protected by a code that only Vanellope knows." Rancis cut in. "Without that, no one can't get in."

"If Turbo was able to snake his way in, there's no telling what this one might do so we can't take any chances!" Vanellope expressed as her panicking dissipated into determination. "I'm not going to sit idly by while another _Turbo_ tries to take over this game! Come on, we're gotten stop him ourselves!"

"But it might be too dangerous your highness and I can't let you put yourself in danger for us." Sour Bill tried to reason with the raven haired teen. "Allow me to try to remedy this problem by calling in the last defense guards. They should be able to stop him before any real damage is done."

"If the first line weren't able to stop him, the last line surely doesn't stand a chance." Vanellope replied. "I'm going to handle this so hang on tight."

Grabbing Rancis and Sour Bill, Vanellope glitched them down the path to the throne room with a spark or two of her code left in their wake.

_Currently_

"You said she'd be here!" Jet fussed as he and Set walked through the empty littered race track, looking at all the empty fan/admirer stands that sat along the track including the announcer's stand that belonged to the ruler. "And yet, she's not here! All I'm looking at is confetti, tire track marks and a sign! Garbage, tracks, and a _sign_ Set, but do you know what _we're_ not looking at? Vanellope that's who! I should have known better than to follow you! Or even listen to you!"

"Ok so I miscalculated how long it would take for us to get from the start of the game to the race track." Set sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "Sue me, but she is still here and we are bound to run into her at some point so it's not a total loss."

"Unless you have a plan of how we are to run into her, especially in the dead of night, now would be a good time to hear it!" Jet continued fussing as he threw his hands in the air while Set shook his head in response to his brother's constant complaining. "She can be anywhere by now! Oh yea, I forgot about going to the Candy kingdom. We can go there and ask to speak with her where her guards are going to dispose of us because WE DON'T BELONG HERE! It'll be all your fault Set!"

As the two continued walking along the empty racetrack, noticing the amount of confetti and candy gathered alongside the racetrack while Jet continued ranting, something in the middle of the track caught Set's eye, immediately making the twin stop with his brother bumping into his back. A turquoise light shined beneath the track which made Set kneel to get a better look at the light that shined bright with each passing second.

"What are you stopping for Set?" Jet asked with irritation in his voice. "Did you find a _clue_ as to where the ruler might be?"

"No, I saw something interesting." Set calmly answered his brother as he touched the area of the ground that the light was emanating from. "Something is happening beneath the track."

"Would it happen to be Vanellope giving us a signal?" Jet voiced sarcastically. "Or maybe its her search party that found out that we weren't supposed to be here and is looking for us!"

Set ignored his brother and continued observing the bright light beneath the ground under foot. With his finger on the ground, sharp fangs suddenly sprung out of the ground, causing Set to leap backwards, those fangs bursting forward as if its mission was to cut off that twin's finger.

"What was that?" Jet curiously asked, having witnessed his brother's encounter with whatever was reaching for him.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, we better get out of here before we find out and I have a feeling that neither of us wants to know what that was!" Set replied as he quickly got to his feet and walked ahead with Jet in tow.

Beneath the track, two cybug eggs have hatched and the new born bugs are roaming around in the tunnel along the walls with the parent bug that has grown into a queen cybug, making her way back down to the new born babies, which quickly mature to adult cybugs.

Hearing the footsteps above ground, the crown tentacles of the queen bug began swishing wildly against the top of the tunnel which made some of the chocolate mix land on top of the eggs, but not enough to crush them as the shells of the eggs have hardened to protect the bug inside from being crushed, the second to last stage of the breeding process. The voices of the twins above, mostly Jet's, along with their footsteps has caused the queen to follow their voices as she moved beneath the ground right under their steps, her crown tentacles cutting through the top of the tunnel rather roughly, resulting in the thinning of the tunnel with each movement her tentacles made.

"Where are we going now Set?" Jet's irritated voice asked to his brother as the two continued walking, them now entering the candy cane forest. "And are these candy cane trees?"

"No, these are trees _made_ to look like candy canes!" Set sternly replied, just as irritated as his brother. "Of course they are Candy Canes trees! Now will you stop complaining?! I'm getting a headache!"

The queen continued following their voices along the tunnel with the ground thinning with each move she made.

"I think we've gone the wrong way." Jet's voice spoke as his footsteps stopped along with Set's. "This looks like a dead end."

"You know, since we've been here, this is the _first_ thing you've said that didn't include complaining." Set expressed as he sighed. "But you're right, this looks like a dead end. Let's go back the other way. Boy, this is one interesting game."

Hearing their footsteps walking back the other way, the queen turned around and began following their footsteps in the tunnel directly below their feet. With the ground already thinned out due to her crown tentacles, the twins took one step back on the race track and fell through the ground, both landing in the nesquik quick sand pit right on top of the cybug with the her sinking to the bottom of the pit due to their combined weight.

"Set, where are we now?" Jet asked nervously as he felt an invisible force pulling at his legs beneath the pit. "I don't like the looks of this."

Set didn't answer, but immediately spotted the sign behind his brother that told him where the two landed. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Set turned back to his brother's ever growing worried vision.

"We landed in a nesquik quick sand pit." Set cautiously answered with Jet's eyes widening at his brother's answer. The twin turned behind him and spotted the sign, further confirming what his brother told him. Jet's eyes narrowed at his brother as his temper began flaring!

"You! You, you got us into this!" Jet snapped as he flared his arms. "First you get us kicked out of several games because you are so desperate to fit in, then we nearly get killed in Hero's Duty, and _NOW_ you have us sinking in a quick sand pit with no way out! We are sinking in a sand pit made of chocolately drink mix! _DRINK MIX! _I should have known better than to follow you and because of you, we are stuck in this hopeless situation! We will never return to being real racers!"

While Jet was fuming, neither twin felt the mix below them shift and the queen cybug climb out of the mix below them and back onto solid ground with her crown tentacles swishing wildly and her fangs to her mouth opening and closing with precision speed as her sights landed on the twins. In other words, fresh meat for the queen!

"At least this is the only situation we have to worry about thankfully." Jet said with a sigh. "And once we get out of here, I'm going to find Vanellope by myself! You're on your own!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Jet." Set chimed in rather cautiously at spotting the Queen Cybug behind his brother. "We have another problem."

"What is it this time? One of those bugs you "saw on the back of me" in your attempt to apologize is in here with us?" Jet waved off. "You just won't give it a rest will you Set?"

A blood curdling roar behind Jet caused the twin to pause as his eyes widened. Slowly turning around, Jet is immediately met with the large fangs and eyes of the bug, causing him to quickly shift over to his brother, despite him sinking a bit into the pit.

"Why didn't you tell me that that _thing_ was behind me?!" Jet fussed as he kept his eyes locked on the queen cybug who was intently watching the two in the pit. "And it looks hungry."

"Because you're done following me remember?" Set sarcastically replied. "I wouldn't want to lead you into another bad situation."

**Candy Kingdom**

As Vanellope glitched her, Rancis, and Sour Bill down the path to the throne room, they all noticed the bodies the of unconscious first line defense guards littered along that hall leading up to the throne room. As the three entered the throne room, they noticed the last of the guards in there with Sour Bill lowering his vision in disappointment. While it was his idea to implement more guards after the defeat of Turbo, he had no idea how much help they wouldn't be in actually guarding the palace, let alone the princess herself.

"He made his presence no secret." Rancis voiced as he looked behind him at the line of guards that lay unconscious in the hall and on the throne room floor leading up to the code room. "I wonder what he wants with the castle."

"It doesn't matter what he wants, this is where his reign ends!" Vanellope spoke with determination as she ran to the entrance of the code room with Sour Bill and Rancis in tow. Stopping dead in their tracks, the trio noticed that the door to the code room was wide open and that the NES pad that locked the room had a large hole above the start and select buttons. Leaning in closer, Vanellope noticed the size of the hole and what it is in the shape of, the teen almost afraid of opening her mouth to inform the others of what could have been used to break the kinomi code to get into the room.

"That hole, it's in the shape of a…" Sour Bill began.

"A cybug?" Rancis finished with a question.

"It can't be." Vanellope replied with much disbelief. While she was well aware of what size the baby bugs were and what size they can grow to be, the ruler didn't want to call or rule out the cause just yet. "That _worm_ could have used anything to get into this room, but a cybug couldn't have been one of them. They haven't been in Sugar Rush for over a year now."

"Well no matter what the cause, he's got to be stopped before he does any damage to the game!" Rancis voiced with edge as he took a step into the lead way leading into the code room, but was quickly stopped by Vanellope's outstretched arm.

"No Rancis, this is my game and my responsibility." Vanellope informed him. "If it's anyone who is going to _rip_ this guy a new one for doing this, it's going to be me! Bill, the rope! I'm going in!"

"No Bill, give me the rope." Rancis chimed in. "Vanellope, you've done enough for us, including repairing the damage Turbo caused once he was defeated. I'm taking this one."

"Rancis, I can't let you do this." Vanellope tried to reason with the racer. "I appreciate what you're doing, but this is really my job."

"But if something happens to you, then the entire game goes down with no way to bring it back, but if something happens to me, I will regenerate, thus not affecting the game." Rancis calmly retorted. "Everything runs through your code, therefore we can't take any chances."

"For mod's sake, would somebody _please_ go into the code room before this game is altered beyond repair?!" Sour Bill stressed, gaining both racers' attention. Rancis and Vanellope turned to each other, but just as quickly turned back to Sour Bill.

"I'm going in." Rancis spoke, breaking the sudden silence that fell on the area. "The rope."

Sour Bill grabbed the licorice rope and threw it to Rancis with the peanut butter racer catching it. Quickly tying it around his waist, Rancis ran into the small hall leading to the massive zero gravity space and spotted the intruder right away. With the intruder in his sights, Rancis narrowed his eyes to zero in on the intruder.

"This is where it ends." Rancis expressed as he leaped into the zero gravity room.

"He can't have a decent conversation with me, but yet, he springs into action to stop the worm that got into the castle?" Vanellope voiced with a sigh. "_My hero_, but saving this place is my responsibility and can't let him do it alone. Bill, the rope."

Without question, Sour Bill threw Vanellope another licorice rope with the teen just as quickly tying it around her waist to go after Rancis.

Deep within the code room within the surrounding streaming data that ran vigorously through the numerous code boxes and wires that connected the boxes to the game, the figure freely floated from area to area with his winged companion, him being amazed at the amount of data that flowed within that one game. While the code box that he originally aimed for was still his main target, he decided to explore the area a bit more before going right for his target.

"There is far more data in here than I truly anticipated my friend." The figure voiced with a light laugh as he floated near Vanellope's code box, it sitting in the center of the surrounding code boxes and was bigger than the others in the room due to her being the ruler of the game. Her box is also encased in an indestructible shield to keep her game code from being altered in any way. "But a mission is a mission and we wouldn't want to be distracted from that now would we? Certainly once you've had your fill of the appetizers, the main course is yours to choose from, including that of the ruler's data. I have a feeling that you're just going to _enjoy _devouring that."

Swimming away from her code box, the figure approached the track information code box and placed the bug on top where the outer wire that connected the box to the game was located. The bug latched onto the box and wasted no time as it dug it's fangs into the wire, which caused the box to began sparking wildly. With the wire destroyed and what little data it gained from biting that one wire, the baby cybug grew into an adult bug in a matter of seconds.

"Now doesn't that taste delicious?" The figure cynically spoke to the bug as it disappeared behind the box.

"The buffet's closed and your business is no longer welcomed here!" Rancis's voice spoke out to the intruder as the figure whipped around to see an angry Rancis approaching him quickly. "If you haven't noticed by now, breaking and entering is illegal!"

"It's only illegal if one were to get caught for their crime." The figure nonchalantly spoke to the angry racer who approached him, being but within arm's length of the him. "And I don't believe you have seen me do anything other than being here."

"That's enough and your mind games won't work with me!" Rancis growled. "Get out of here before I _put _you out! _Bottom line_!"

"You might want to conserve what _little_ energy you can muster as you'll need it for later young one." The figure mused to Rancis, further angering him. "Trust me when I say that."

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Rancis growled once more as he balled up his hands into fists and fiercely swung the right towards the intruder. With a smirk, the figure disappeared from sight and reappeared further into the network of data, specifically in front of the racers' code boxes. Not seeing the intruder in front of him, Rancis frantically looked around the area for him while trying not to become distracted by the bright streams of data flowing through the wires and boxes.

"You're not very bright are you?" The figure asked with a dark chuckle as Rancis whipped his attention to him, noticing then where the intruder was. "It appears that the _princess_ didn't do a very good job with training her _subjects_ now did she? Truly pathetic!"

Not bothering to retort to the insult, but wanting to shut him up for good, Rancis began swimming towards the intruder only to be brought to an abrupt halt as a sharp crippling pain shot through his body, the feeling that his entire body was being torn apart one piece of data at a time. As he gripped his sides and shut his eyes tightly, the racer's body rippled digitally with cells of data breaking apart piece by piece, giving the appearance that he was horribly glitching.

Having landed directly in front of Rancis's code box, the figure had opened the box and had in his hand several important pieces of code belonging to the lifespan of the racer, having ripped them out from the open code box. Gripping tightly onto the pieces of code, the figure watched as Rancis twisted, squirmed, and glitched with the pain he inflicted him with.

"Now I'd like to see you _try _that again!" The figure growled, watching as Rancis began sinking in the zero gravity space. "One more move like that and you're finished! After all, the majority of a player's code connects to their _life span_ and at anytime one wants, they can tamper with it _endlessly_!"

"Step away from the box or you're going to have to deal with me!" Vanellope's voice spoke out as she approached the two, her catching Rancis so he didn't sink any further.

"Ah, princess Vanellope or is it president Vanellope now?" The figure voiced in a taunting tone. "How good of you to join us as your timing couldn't be better."

"No matter what my title is, the _better _questions are, who are you and what do you want with Sugar Rush?" Vanellope snapped. "And just how do you know about me?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets, but if you _must_ know who I am, I don't want to leave you wanting more." The figure replied as he closed Rancis's code box and the pieces of data that were in his hand glitching out of existence, ceasing the pain that he inflicted upon the racer. "For now, you will know my name is Garry and you can guarantee that we will meet again, _your highness_ as this isn't the last you've seen of me!"

Mustering up a soft maniacal laugh, the figure known as Garry, vanished from sight, leaving both Vanellope and Rancis confused. Turning to Rancis, Vanellope noticed how close the peanut butter cup racer was to falling unconscious from having his code invaded, his body lightly glitching.

"I better get you out of here as you don't look so good." Vanellope softly spoke and she pulled on her rope, indicating to Sour Bill to pull them back to the surface. Sour Bill began pulling them in and after the two were back on solid ground, Vanellope closed the door to the room. With the Kinomi code damaged, it was impossible to lock the room from further invasions.

"I'll call someone to repair the vault door right away, but will he be alright?" Sour Bill questioned as Rancis fell to his knees with his sides tightly gripped. "He doesn't look too good."

"He had his code invaded by the worm that got in." Vanellope informed Bill as she rubbed Rancis's back lightly. "Bill, schedule an emergency meeting right away! The others have to know about this!"

"Right away your majesty." Bill obliged as he scuttled away, leaving Vanellope and Rancis alone, the ruler becoming increasingly concerned for her friend as is body glitched once more.

The cybug that was placed on the track information code box destroyed the last wire that attached the box to the rest of the game as it floated out of synch with the other boxes and floating next to a detached and dimmed code box with the title King D Von Schweetz. The track information code box lightly bumped the dimmed box making both spark lightly with the now adult cybug flying over to the Game Information code box, ready to devour that box's data.

With those several pieces of Rancis's data missing from his code box, the box dimmed slightly as the destroyed wires that held those pieces of code began re-generating with dark blue pieces of code taking their place, a large white 'V' appearing in the middle of the replaced codes. The color of the V in the codes spread from the middle of the code, to the wires holding the pieces of code, and slowly began spreading to the other codes within the box like an infectious disease….

**Nesquik Tunnel**

In the nest of millions of cybug eggs, a few eggs hatched as the newly born cybugs rolled off of their backs and landed onto their legs. Within minutes, the newborns quickly matured into adults as one spotted the hole at the top of the tunnel made by the Queen Cybug. Starting up its wings, the bug flew to the top of the tunnel and broke through the minuscule hole, landing onto the track.

"I hope I didn't leave my medal out here." The voice of Minty Zaki spoke, catching the cybug's attention as she searched through the debris left behind on the race track. "Vanellope will be so vexed if I left it out here as I need that to get on the roster in the next race!"

As the mint themed racer walked along the track, she was none the wiser about the Cybug that eyed her closely, opening its fangs slowly as the girl continued coming its way.

"Where are you medal?" Minty asked to herself as she continued searching through the debris for her medal. Her journey led her right to the bug with her leaping back at the sight of it. Terror filled her eyes as she began backing away from the deadly bug.

"I—I thought t—t—there weren't any of you l—left!" Minty stammered as her legs gave way under her due to fear racing through her body, causing the girl to fall backwards on her butt.

The bug slowly advanced, awaiting for the girl to provoke it to further action.

"I've got t-to t-tel Vanel-lope r-right away!" Minty continued as she slowly got to her feet while keeping her eyes on the bug. Turning her back, she broke into a run with the bug loudly roaring and giving chase. The cybug caught up with her and pounced on her, but before she could scream, the bug devoured her whole. Standing on the tips of its legs, the bug moved its fangs at precision speed to make sure that there was nothing left of the racer. Within seconds, the bug morphed into the racer with a green and yellow elongated neck with the head and hair of the racer sitting atop it and a green mint colored body and legs to match. The mint cybug rubbed its chest limbs together as it began marching down the track in search of a place to lay her eggs and search for prey.

**Game Central station**

Felix and Tamora walked handed in hand to the game portal of Hero's Duty, the handyman's cheeks as red as tomatoes. Arriving to the portal, the 'Hero's Cuties' turned to each other as a goofy smile appeared on the handyman's face.

"Well here we are Tammy." Felix spoke with slight nervousness. "Same time tomorrow honey?"

"Of course short stack." Tamora sweetly replied as she leaned down and gave the blushing eight bit player a peck on the lips. "See you tomorrow."

The solider then walked into the portal so to get back to her game as Felix looked on.

"She does give me the honey glows something awful." Felix declared as he turned away from the Hero's Duty game portal to begin walking back to his own game. "Well, I better get home as it's getting late. Wouldn't want Ralph to get worried about me."

As he headed back to his own game, something green coming from the Sugar Rush game portal caught the handyman's attention. Stopping dead in his tracks, Felix turned to the portal and from what he could see, a peppermint green cybug flew past the entrance of the game, shocking and confusing the man at the same time. Shaking his head, the man stared into the portal once more and noticed that what he once saw was no longer there.

"Was that what I think it was?" Felix asked himself as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. Remembering that all of the cybugs were lead into Diet Cola Mountain to their deaths a year ago, he shook his head in disbelief. "No it couldn't be. My eyes are playing tricks on me. Either that or I had too many root beers. Two is the limit for me from now on."

Placing his hat back on his head, Felix continued on his way to his game, Fix It Felix Jr.

**Nesquik Quick Sand Pit**

The Queen Cybug has not taken her eyes off of the twins as the same can be said about them. They didn't want to do anything to provoke the bug considering that she had the ability to devour them whole with no chance of regeneration.

"What are we going to do now Set?" Jet asked through gritted teeth as he kept his eyes on the hungry bug that sat before them. "We just can't stay here and look at this thing all day!"

"Now you want me to come up with a plan after you planned to _ditch_ me once we were out of here?" Set questioned as he turned sharply to Jet. "Whatever happened to _I'm on my own once we're out of here_?"

"Well if you wouldn't have nearly got me killed back in Hero's Duty, I wouldn't have said that!" Jet retorted.

"We're not going through this again Jet!" Set replied with an irritated sigh.

The bug was becoming restless as it sat and watched the two go back and forth. A deep roar escaped from it, which caught the twins' attention. Their jerking from fear made them sink a bit into the pit.

"If you get us out of here in one piece, I promise not to ditch you and we'll find Vanellope together." Jet declared. "Just do something!"

"I believe I can be of assistance with that." A husky voice spoke to the twins as the two looked up to see Garry holding onto a laughing licorice rope. "You're in search of the princess yes?"

"Yes, but who are you?" Set asked Garry with a curious eye-brow raised.

"Just call me your new best friend." Garry replied with a smirk.

* * *

_**If you're wondering why the name Garry is appearing in this fic, I got permission from HardWrapping to include his OC in my fanfic. So special thanks goes to him for letting me use Garry! And I'm hoping I didn't make Rancis switch too much from being nervous around Vanellope to jumping into action when an intruder got into the code room. His protective instincts took over so he had to do whatever it took to stop the game from being altered. But if nothing else,**_

_**Review Please!**_


	4. Revisit

Chapter 4: Revisit

'The stranger revealed himself to be Garry, who seems to know more about Sugar Rush than he is letting on and has invaded Rancis's code. What will happen now?'

_Previously_

"Was that what I think it was?" Felix asked himself as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. Remembering that all of the cybugs were lead into Diet Cola Mountain to their deaths a year ago, he shook his head in disbelief. "No it couldn't be. My eyes are playing tricks on me. Either that or I had too many root beers. Two is the limit for me from now on."

Placing his hat back on his head, Felix continued on his way to his game, Fix It Felix Jr.

**Nesquik Quick Sand Pit**

The Queen Cybug has not taken her eyes off of the twins as the same can be said about them. They didn't want to do anything to provoke the bug considering that she had the ability to devour them whole with no chance of regeneration.

"What are we going to do now Set?" Jet asked through gritted teeth as he kept his eyes on the hungry bug that sat before them. "We just can't stay here and look at this thing all day!"

"Now you want me to come up with a plan after you planned to _ditch_ me once we were out of here?" Set questioned as he turned sharply to Jet. "Whatever happened to _I'm on my own once we're out of here_?"

"Well if you wouldn't have nearly got me killed back in Hero's Duty, I wouldn't have said that!" Jet retorted.

"We're not going through this again Jet!" Set replied with an irritated sigh.

The bug was becoming restless as it sat and watched the two go back and forth. A deep roar escaped from it, which caught the twins' attention. Their jerking from fear made them sink a bit into the pit.

"If you get us out of here in one piece, I promise not to ditch you and we'll find Vanellope together." Jet declared. "Just do something!"

"I believe I can be of assistance with that." A husky voice spoke to the twins as the two looked up to see Garry holding onto a laughing licorice rope. "You're in search of the princess yes?"

"Yes, but who are you?" Set asked Garry with a curious eye-brow raised.

"Just call me your new best friend." Garry replied with a smirk.

_Currently_

Garry and the Twins have begun their journey to Diet Cola Mountain in the dead of night in search of an item Garry said he needed after saving them from the Nesquik Quick Sand pit and near death by the Queen Cybug.

"I can't thank you enough for saving us back there." Set thanked Garry as the three continued their walk to the mountain. "One more second and we would have been cybug food to that beast that was eye-balling us."

"Among other things." Jet mumbled.

"Well I'm never one to let another player game over." Garry voiced, not making eye contact with the twins, but kept his eyes to the front of him as the three neared the mountain. "And if I hadn't shown up when I did, you two would have clearly done just that, but at least you have the luck of regenerating if that were to happen."

"Well not quite as this isn't our game." Jet spoke up, which brought Garry to a halt which in turned stopped the twins as well.

"What do you mean this isn't your game?" Garry asked as he whipped around to the two, a curious eyebrow raised.

"Well, we come from an old style racing game by the name of Roadblasters, but it was unplugged thanks to Turbo being jealous of our game receiving more attention than his." Set began explaining as he rubbed his right arm with his left hand rather uncomfortablely at having to explain the situation that lead he and his brother to the situation they are in now. "After he destroyed our game, then the both of our games got unplugged where he ended up in here once it got plugged in before being defeated, but we've been living in Game Central Station for fifteen years now. I've been trying to find a game my brother and I could fit into that is a racing game, but due to the luck that we've been having, this was our last stop, by accident, so we can become real racers again."

"We're hoping that once we find Vanellope, we can convince her to let us into her game." Jet chimed in. "We use to be racers and if she lets us into her game, we can become real racers again."

"I see." Garry voiced with a nod, the idea of using the twins in his current plot against the ruler of Sugar Rush beginning to stir in his mind having learned that they were stray game characters. "Well, how would you two feel if I told you that I _personally_ know the ruler and after some convincing on my part, she would be happy to take you in?"

"That would be great!" Jet expressed with cheer. "You hear that Set? We're going to be real racers again!"

Set didn't reply, but yet gave Garry a glance of uncertainty. While he would love to become a real racer again, something about Garry wanting to help them without any conditions is suspicious, even for him.

"Set, did you hear me?" Jet repeated, this time gaining his brother's attention. "We're finally going to be real racers again!"

"Yea that's great Jet." Set replied as he turned to his brother with a semi smile, but just as quickly turned back to Garry.

"Alright, now that the introductions are out of the way, please follow me gentlemen." Garry slyly voiced as he began walking with the twins following behind him. "I have to find a certain something and I have a timeline in which to do it in."

The three reached the mountain, them entering through an open space made by the boiling hot cola after the beacon was set off by Ralph releasing the mentos into the pool inside of the mountain. With them inside the mountain, Set and Jet looked in awe at the giant space, especially at the unfinished track that is positioned above them in the mountain.

"Hey, is that an unfinished track up there?" Jet asked Garry as the three continued through the mountain around the boiling hot cola pool that is littered with excess cybug data and destroyed limbs.

"I believe it to be a bonus level of some sort, but it was never finished." Garry replied as he kept his focus on what he was looking for in particular within the mountain. "That's my guess anyway."

"Wouldn't it be great if we could race on that thing?" Jet excitedly asked as an image popped into his mind of he and his brother racing on the unfinished track, crossing the finish line, and then receiving a gold trophy at the end of the race presented by Vanellope. "That would surely make us real racers again and we'll be loved by millions!"

Set didn't reply, but kept his eyes intently on Garry and what he was searching for. While he heard his brother, he was getting suspicious vibes from Garry, something he couldn't ignore.

As the three continued to walk along the hot cola pool, a large block of red and white data that was surrounded by red flashing code in the destroyed den that Vanellope once used when she were living in the mountain grabbed Garry's attention with him quickly approaching he block.

"This is what I've been hoping to find and I finally have it!" Garry mused.

Picking up the data block with both hands, the red flashing code that was swirling around the block reflected in Garry's eyes.

"What is that?" Set inquired, noticing how intently Garry was gazing at the data block as if it was a fine jewel.

"The next phase of my plan." Garry answered as he kept his eyes on the block. Quickly remembering who he was answering, Garry snapped back to reality and turned to the twins. "Oh I mean, something for Vanellope. She has been looking for this data block and I told her I'd find it for her to save her the trouble. She has enough to do with running this game after all."

Set eyed Garry while Jet happily whimpered at what Garry said about helping Vanellope.

"So now that we have this, let's get going as we don't want to leave Vanellope waiting." Garry encouraged. "She is the ruler after all and I know she will be very happy to take you two in after hearing my proposal."

Jet happily began walking ahead of his brother and Garry while Set took a bit longer to turn and walk away, but he did. With the twins walking ahead of Garry and with their backs turned to him, his happy demeanor changed to a devious one as his eyelids lowered.

"And my proposal will be one she won't have a choice _but_ to listen to once her past comes back to bite her and I obtain the game information code to Sugar Rush." Garry mumbled with a dark chuckle as he placed the block of data in his cloak pocket with his eyes briefly changing to those of a cybug and changing back to his own. "And you two are going to help me do it. Turbotastic."

Garry began walking behind the two to catch up to them.

**Candy Kingdom (Main Dining Hall)**

In the main dining hall in the Candy castle, all of the racers were tiredly gathered around the dining/conference table, especially Taffyta and Gloyd who were the most tired out of everyone there. Candlehead was tending to a glitching Rancis, keeping a warm blanket around him while Vanellope was gathering ice in an ice bag for Rancis so to place it on his head. With enough ice in the bag, Vanellope hurriedly left the kitchen and joined the crowd in the dining hall.

"I know that it's late, but I do thank you all for coming on such short notice." Vanellope diplomatically began as she handed the ice bag to Candlehead to place on Rancis's head which she did right next to his reeses cup hat.

"I was in the middle of a good sleep when you called me." Taffyta whined as she placed her head on the table. "Not to mention one great dream."

"You weren't the only one." Gloyd spoke with a yawn as he shut his eyes while leaning on his right hand.

"Well, I'll make this meeting as quick as possible so that we can all get some rest, and in the case of some of you, get back to sleep." Vanellope delicately replied with a sigh. "But I called you all here tonight to inform you that there was an intruder by the name of Garry in the castle tonight and he was cornered in the code room by Rancis."

Taffyta and Gloyd's eyes shot open at hearing what Vanellope said about the intruder being in the code room while everyone else stared in awe at the princess.

"What do you mean he was in the code room?!" Taffyta asked to clarify.

"Just what I said, he was in the code room and Sour Bill informed Rancis and I when we returned here after leaving Tappers." Vanellope clarified. "Rancis tried to stop him, but he had his code invaded by Garry which resulted in him glitching like he is now."

Everyone turned to Rancis and noticed his body glitch despite Candlehead doing her best to care for him.

"And the first line defense guards were taken down by him which means that the castle is vulnerable to intrusions until Bill can find replacements for them." Vanellope continued.

"Where is he now and how much damage was done to the game?!" Swizzle frantically questioned.

"That much I'm not clear on, but Garry vanished before I were able to get a clear answer out of him." Vanellope expressed. "However, he seemed to know a lot about me and seems to have a mission for this game."

"It's like Turbo's rule all over again!" Jubileena began panicking. "We're doomed!"

Jubileena's panicking riled up the other racers with them beginning to panic along with her!

"Everyone please calm down!" Vanellope calmly requested while gesturing for them to calm their panicking. "Turbo is gone for good, therefore we don't have to worry about a repeat performance of his terrible rule and I refuse to let another _Turbo knock off_ try to take this game from me! After being reinstated as the ruler of this game, I made a promise to make sure that all intrusions to this game be handled the moment they happen and I plan to stick to that!"

"But he got into the code room and there is no telling the kind of damage that was done to the game while he was in there!" Adorabeezle panicked. "What if he fiddled with the game trials or even one of our code boxes outside of Rancis? Anything could have happened before he was caught in there!"

"The game music could have been changed or even deleted!" Crumbelina panicked. "And what about our game scores?! I have the second highest in the game behind Vanellope!"

"Not for long." Taffyta mumbled to herself.

"I am well aware of all of your concerns and trust me, I plan to look into it." Vanellope calmly replied. "Nothing will be overlooked and I will take into account any damages and changes while keeping you all updated on them. Sour Bill and I will try to fix anything that could have gotten altered due to Garry's intrusion."

"No one here is asking the important question and that is." Candlehead spoke up, feeling Rancis glitch under her hands. "How did he get into the code room to do any of this?"

Everyone turned their attention back to Vanellope to await her answer.

"I think it's best if you all come to see for yourselves." Vanellope offered. "I have a theory, but I don't want to worry you guys anymore than you already are about the game."

"To the Code Room!" Swizzle declared as he hopped out of his seat.

Everyone then jumped out of their seats minus Candlehead and Rancis and began down the hall to the throne room with Vanellope slowly heading towards the hall everyone else has piled in, but stopped and turned towards Candlehead and Rancis, a worried expression crossing the royal's face. Candlehead noticed the look on the girl's face and shot her a comforting smile.

"I'll take good care of him for you." Candlehead softly spoke, which comforted Vanellope to a degree, her wishing that Rancis wasn't in such a condition. "You go ahead."

With a small nod, Vanellope gave both of her friends one more glance and glitched down the hall to join the others at the code vault in the throne room. Arriving, Vanellope heard everyone gasping at the hole above the start and select buttons on the NES pad that locks the code room.

"That hole was made by a cybug." Swizzle pointed out. "A cybug hacked into the code room and that's how Garry got in there."

"And how can you be so sure about that?" Taffyta argued Swizzle's assumption.

"Anyone with eyes can see that that hole was made by a cybug." Gloyd added in. "Even I can see that. Just look at the shape of the hole, it's in the shape of the bug's body if the wings are flattened on its shell or its curled up into a ball. Swizzle is right, he used a cybug to get into the code room."

"But how as the hoard was contained a year ago and not one cybug has been seen in this game since then." Jubileena added in.

"Now that you guys mentioned it, it sort of does look like a cybug ate through it." Snowanna spoke up. "But where could it have come from if none were spotted in the game since a year ago?"

Vanellope had to admit that Gloyd and Swizzle's observations were good ones and while she wanted to rule that out of how the code room was invaded by Garry, what other explanations were there? The shape of the hole spoke for itself and while she did what she could not to admit it to herself when her and Rancis were first informed about the intrusion, it seemed to be the only explanation. Not even a jawbreaker could break the Kinomi code!

"Alright everyone, I think it's best if I adjourned the meeting for tonight and further investigated the intrusion later." Vanellope suggested. "I will keep you all updated on what I find, but hopefully I don't find anything that could be of worry to any of us. However, if any of you spot something of suspicion, please inform me right away."

"Will do Prez." Snowanna saluted.

"Maybe you're right." Gloyd agreed as he and Swizzle turned away from the vault door. "I do need to get some rest so I can brush up on my tight turns and maneuvers since I plan to make you eat my dust in the next race Swizz. Your kart maybe named the tongue twister, but it's got nothing on the Kernel. Night Vanni."

"How many times have you said that, but haven't managed to pass me once, especially on the Pumpkin Patch track?" Swizzle smirked as he and Gloyd passed the crowd and began down the hall while planning their next 'One up' strategy. "And I believe that's your track. Now that's something, I'm beating you on your own track!"

"Hey, even I am allowed one day to be off my game." Gloyd shot back.

"In every race?" Swizzle laughed.

"I need to get back to sleep as well." Taffyta spoke up. "Maybe I'll be able to have that great dream I began before I got called here. Night everyone, see you later Vanellope."

"I'm out of here too." Snowanna added in. "I need to rotate my tires if I want my kart to stop turning awkwardly when I'm dodging power ups. Night Prez Vanellope."

"Night you guys." Vanellope softly spoke to herself as the last of the crowd cleared out of the throne room, that being Adorabeezle, Crumbelina, Sticky, and Jubileena.

Snowanna along with Taffyta turned from the vault and began down the hall with Taffyta leaning on Snowanna's left shoulder. The two racers gave a parting greeting to Candlehead and Rancis who came into the throne room. Noticing the two, Vanellope smiled at noticing Rancis who was without the blanket and the ice pack.

"I don't know what Candlehead did, but you look a lot better." Vanellope expressed with a smile. "Good job CH."

"Actually, he suddenly got better all on his own." Candlehead spoke up. "It's the strangest thing. One minute he was glitching and the next, he just suddenly felt better."

"Well, I did have a little help with getting back to myself." Rancis laughed a bit as he walked up to Vanellope. "But I'm going to head home now so I'll talk to you later or do you need any help right now?"

"No, I have everything under control here." Vanellope replied with a nod, her smile still in place. "You head home and get some rest. You too Candlehead."

"Ok, good night and I'll see you in the morning." Rancis expressed as he leaned over and pecked Vanellope on the right cheek, her cheeks turning as red as a tomato from blushing. Giving the Princess –President one last glance with a smirk, Rancis began towards the exit/entrance of the throne room and closed his eyes. Upon opening them, his eyes have changed to the eyes of a cybug.

"I'll make sure he gets home safe." Candlehead giggled at noticing Vanellope deeply blushing from Rancis's kiss. "See you later."

"Yea, later." Vanellope spoke in a trance as she placed her hand to her right cheek where Rancis kissed her.

Candlehead skipped out the room just leaving Vanellope and Sour Bill, who just scuttled into the room.

"So what's your next move your majesty?" Sour Bill spoke up as he looked to Vanellope, who has zoned out. Staring at the girl, the sour ball of candy cleared his throat which still didn't get the girl's attention.

"Your majesty?" Sour Bill continued trying to get the Princess-President's attention. "Hello? Anyone home?"

Vanellope snapped out of her trance and turned to Bill.

"I'm sorry, did you say something Bill?" Vanellope dumbfoundly questioned the sour ball of candy, who in turned released a sigh.

**Nesquik Tunnel**

With the red and white block of data surrounded by red swirling code in hand, Garry stood over the first nest of cybug eggs that were tightly huddled together. While dozens of eggs were laid and many nests were created since he last visited the tunnel, the enemy knew just what to do to get what he needed done. The Queen Cybug emerged from the darkness of the tunnel and approached Garry, who in turn eyed the Queen bug with a semi-smile.

"My, my, my, look how much you've grown." Garry calmly spoke to the large bug as it lowered itself to the ground at Garry's side. "I'm sorry I missed our children being born, but I do believe I can make up for such lost time with a peace offering."

Purring to Garry, Garry brought the block of data into view which made the Queen perk up instantly at the sight of it.

"I know you worked up quite an appetite making our army so you've earned this." Garry voiced as he fed the bug the block of data. With precision speed of its fangs, the bug devoured the data and within seconds, the Queen bug's body color converted to white with stripes of red appearing down its back between its wings, under its belly, on its wings and with a large red 'T' appearing on its crown between its tentacles. The cybugs who have yet to hatch from their eggs, their shells have converted to an all white with a red T appearing on the top of their egg shells by data transfer from the Queen bug. Seeing that his plan is coming together, Garry's smile has converted to a devious smirk as his cybug-ish eyes widened at the sight.

"Long live Turbo who's legacy will soon be revisited under my guide." Garry spoke as he turned to the Queen. "I shall return my dear. Be sure to keep an eye on them for me until I return will you?"

Outside of the tunnel in the Candy Cane Forest, Set and Jet were awaiting Garry to return from the tunnel. Jet found amusement in touching the double stripped branches and trees and watching them disappear while Set tried to talk to him about Garry.

"Jet, there is something I don't trust about Garry." Set quietly spoke to Jet, who touched another double stripped branch that disappeared. "I feel there is something off about him. I mean he offered to help us without thinking about it."

"Oh Set lighten up." Jet replied as he touched another double stripped tree. "You didn't like the programmer for our game and you always thought that he had a bad plan for our game. Sometimes you're way too serious and need to just loosen up. Hey, the tree didn't come back!"

"I'm telling you Jet, he's up to something." Set continued as he leaned against a single stripped tree. "I get strong suspicious vibes when we're around him."

"I'm sure it's nothing, just like when the programmer for our game upgraded our game and gave us those new racing graphics." Jet replied. "That is before Turbo ruined it for us, but you were suspicious of him too and he turned out to be harmless."

Thinking back to when their game was upgraded, Set expressed time and again how much he didn't trust their programmer, but when their game got the promised upgrade, his protests about the programmer ceased immediately.

"Maybe you're right Jet." Set nodded. "Maybe I am being too suspicious, but I'm going to keep an eye on him. However, if my gut feeling ends up being correct about him, we're going to find Vanellope ourselves and tell her about what's going on with him."

"That's a coincidence because that's where we're heading next." Garry's voice spoke, causing Jet and Set to jump from the sound of his voice. Both twins turned to him and noticed that he was standing behind them. "And I have thought of the perfect proposal for her to take you two into her game. Shall we gentlemen?"

"Just how long have you been standing there?" Jet questioned, still shaken by Garry's sudden arrival.

"Oh I just arrived." Garry cheerily replied. "I do apologize that I took some time to drop that data block off, but here I am. Now let's get going as we are on a mission."

Walking passed the twins, Garry began walking ahead of them as his eyes once again changed to the eyes of a cybug….

_**Review Please!**_


	5. Plummet

Chapter 5: Plummet

'Garry plans to revive Turbo and intends to include the twins in his plans to take over Sugar Rush. It appears that Set's gut feeling maybe right after all, but can he convince his brother of that?'

_Previously_

"Jet, there is something I don't trust about Garry." Set quietly spoke to Jet, who touched another double stripped branch that disappeared. "I feel there is something off about him. I mean he offered to help us without thinking about it."

"Oh Set lighten up." Jet replied as he touched another double stripped tree. "You didn't like the programmer for our game and you always thought that he had a bad plan for our game. Sometimes you're way too serious and need to just loosen up. Hey, the tree didn't come back!"

"I'm telling you Jet, he's up to something." Set continued as he leaned against a single stripped tree. "I get strong suspicious vibes when we're around him."

"I'm sure it's nothing, just like when the programmer for our game upgraded our game and gave us those new racing graphics." Jet replied. "That is before Turbo ruined it for us, but you were suspicious of him too and he turned out to be harmless."

Thinking back to when their game was upgraded, Set expressed time and again how much he didn't trust their programmer, but when their game got the promised upgrade, his protests about the programmer ceased immediately.

"Maybe you're right Jet." Set nodded. "Maybe I am being too suspicious, but I'm going to keep an eye on him. However, if my gut feeling ends up being correct about him, we're going to find Vanellope ourselves and tell her about what's going on with him."

"That's a coincidence because that's where we're heading next." Garry's voice spoke, causing Jet and Set to jump from the sound of his voice. Both twins turned to him and noticed that he was standing behind them. "And I have thought of the perfect proposal for her to take you two into her game. Shall we gentlemen?"

"Just how long have you been standing there?" Jet questioned, still shaken by Garry's sudden arrival.

"Oh I just arrived." Garry cheerily replied. "I do apologize that I took some time to drop that data block off, but here I am. Now let's get going as we are on a mission."

Walking passed the twins, Garry began walking ahead of them as his eyes once again changed to the eyes of a cybug….

_Currently_

**Nesquik Tunnel**

No longer having the Turbo twins in the cave to devour or share with her young, the queen cybug has gone back to the millions of cybug egg nests to watch over as some had shown signs of the being in the last phase of nesting before hatching. An egg on the edge of the first nest that she laid had begun shaking, the cybug inside moving as it had reached its final phase of nesting and was ready to hatch. The egg disintegrated with the new born hatching out and unrolling from its armadillo position it was in during its nesting phase after being laid by the queen. Another egg next to the hatchling that just hatched disintegrated with that new born unrolling from its position and getting to its feet like the previous bug. Opening their new eyes and lifting their heads on their elongated necks, both bugs resembled the defeated Turbo from their helmet to the grey color of their faces to their yellow eyes to the sharp burgundy-purple claws that could be called their hands. Within minutes of being born, the bugs quickly matured to their adult stages with both releasing an ear piercing screech.

**Candy Kingdom (Vanellope's Bedroom)**

With the racers gone back to their homes in the surrounding village of the castle, Vanellope retired for the night to her bedroom and was dressed in her normal minty green button down pajama top with matching draw string pants that had the game's logo on the right side of her pants. The princess-president was sitting at her vanity staring blankly into the mirror as she brushed her hair that was taken out of its normal ponytail style with Garry's invasion in the castle still playing on her mind. While she did her best to keep the other racers calm about the situation, she can't say if she succeeded in doing the same for herself while convincing them that there was nothing to worry about. In fact, just knowing that a cybug was the reason behind the Kinomi code on the NES pad being broken was enough to make the princess-president shake to the core of her code!

Having brushed her hair enough, Vanellope set her brush down on the strawberry swirl vanity counter and continued staring into her reflection in the vanity mirror as her silky black hair cascaded down around her shoulders and back.

"There's nothing to worry about Vanellope." Vanellope spoke to her reflection in the mirror. "There's nothing to worry about. Like you told everyone else, hopefully there isn't anything of worry to any of us in Sugar Rush. You are the princess, well president, and you can handle whatever is thrown at you. You took down Turbo with Ralph's help so you can certainly handle this by yourself. There isn't anything you can't do."

Vanellope ran a calm hand through her hair so to place raven colored hairs dangling over ears behind her ears in an attempt to further quell the worry that was rising within her.

"You told everyone the next steps, and now you are going to take them." Vanellope continued to her reflection. "No matter what you find, you can handle it."

Tucking more hair behind her left ear, a knock occurred at Vanellope's bedroom door that nearly scared the skin off of the princess. Quickly getting control of herself, Vanellope turned to her door.

"Come in." Vanellope called out.

The double doors opened as the green ball of candy entered the girl's room.

"I came to say good night your majesty and to ask if there was anything else that I could do for you before I retired for the evening?" Sour Bill questioned in his normal sour demeanor.

"No, things are fine." Vanellope replied with a semi-smile. "Good night Bill."

"Good night your majesty." Sour Bill gave a parting salutation as he bowed to Vanellope and exited her room, closing the doors behind him.

With Bill gone, Vanellope turned back to her vanity and heaved a heavy sigh with the situation of Garry still on her mind.

"_For user's sake, get a hold of yourself_." Vanellope mumbled to herself.

The observation of what broke the Kinomi code to the code vault by Swizzle and Gloyd were what she feared the most and her mind won't rest until she got to the bottom of the situation.

Having gone back and forth with herself enough of wanting to further investigate the cybug invasion that night, Vanellope's mind came to an agreement as the princess-president mildly slammed her open hands on the counter of her vanity.

"I'm going in." Vanellope spoke to herself as she grabbed her twizzler hair tie and placed her hair back into its usual style so not to have an obstacle in her way while she investigated inside of the code vault.

Running to her bedroom doors, Vanellope opened them and poked her head out of the room to see if Sour Bill was anywhere to be found. She noticed that the green ball of candy was nowhere to be found, therefore Vanellope glitched her way from her bedroom and to the throne room in a flash, arriving at the door to the code vault, the vault being protected as best as it could be considering the pad can't lock the door until it got repaired. Not even Felix's hammer could fix the door as repairing the Kinomi code can only be done with the help of a specially trained professional. The Princess-President grabbed the licorice rope and tied it around herself tightly, giving it an extra tug just to ensure that it was tightly tied around herself.

"Alright, let's see what's really going on in here." Vanellope said to herself as she furrowed her eyebrows. "If a cybug is really hiding behind door number one, it shouldn't be too hard to find and exterminate."

Opening the door to the code vault, Vanellope quietly walked into the small space that lead to the zero gravity space where all information related to the game was located. Walking up to the entrance of the zero gravity room, Vanellope took a deep breath and leaped into the area, her arms spread out like a bird's wings as it flew high in the sky to keep itself leveled in the air. Free floating into the space, the president-princess floated clear into the area of the numerous code boxes that shined bright with streams of data flowing vigorously through the wires, hers being the first she spotted. Moving her arms in a manner as if she were in a swimming pool, the raven haired teen scanned her eyes over the front side of her box to check for any damages in the event that the cybug Garry used to get into the code room was still there and altered her code, despite her code being protected. Floating to the back of her box, she noticed that it was still in intact with no damages, especially since it was encased to protect her code from being altered since her rule was reinstated.

"So far so good." Vanellope spoke to herself as she motioned herself upwards to inspect the other code data within the vault.

Continuing to float upwards, the teen immediately spotted two loose sets of vertical wires that were sparking wildly. Moving back from the wires so not to get even the slightest bit electrocuted, Vanellope looked to her right and then to her left for the box that was hooked up to those sets of wires, her eyes then landing on the track information code box that sat next to another dimmed box. Floating over to both boxes, Vanellope's eyes widened at the sight of the code box labeled: King D. Von Schweetz. Floating in front of the box, Vanellope gazed at the box as she began trying to decide whether or not to open the box to inspect the data inside of it. While that was one box that she never noticed when she entered the code room many times before, it was a shock to her to see it then.

"Well staring at it won't do me any good." Vanellope voiced, her voice echoing throughout the vault. "Might as well see what's inside."

Pressing the surface of the box twice, the dimmed code box weakly opened with the neatly lined up but dimly lit data chips inside of it being displayed to Vanellope. Eyeing through the data, Vanellope spotted a data chip of interest and tapped on it, a window of what the chip contained being opened in front of her and what she saw made the princess place her hands over her mouth in surprise as her eyes widened.

On the window of what is contained in the chip is a view of her father and her as a young baby, the brunette haired king cradling a sleeping Vanellope in his lap while the young princess had her pacifier in her mouth. The sleeping baby looked to be content while her father smiled down at her. From what she saw, the king had a full head of brunette colored hair that was slightly thinning at the front of his head, was dressed in his royal robes that Turbo tastelessly mocked, and wore a full sized golden crown encrusted with different jewels that sat snuggly on his head. The king sat quietly in Vanellope's room as he slowly rocked back and forth in the rocking chair with the baby while whispering small things to young Vanellope.

"…Daddy." Vanellope gasped as she continued watching the video clip.

"I love you my darling little princess." The King expressed softly to the sleeping Vanellope. "I wonder what type of princess you'll grow up to be. I bet you'll be strong and determined like your father is and like your mother was."

The young girl stretched her hands out and grasped at the air as if she were grabbing for something with her father carefully shifting her and letting the girl grip onto his right index finger. Feeling her grip tightly onto him, the king couldn't help but smile more.

"You've got one strong grip." The King voiced as young Vanellope opened her eyes to see her father. The baby happily cooed as she gripped harder onto her father. The video window turned to snow briefly, but just as quickly became clear with a view of her father, obviously having aged as evident by his once brown hair that was then grey, and Turbo facing off with each other with Turbo wearing a smug look as the king stared daggers at the condescending racer. The throne room in the background was in one piece with the seeming battle between the royal and racer having not commenced as of yet.

"You'll get this kingdom over my dead code Turbo!" The King declared.

"I don't see why that can't be arranged." Turbo voiced to him, his smug smirk widening. "I'll give your _lovely _daughter your regards."

"You better keep your _filthy_ hands off Vanellope!" The King ordered.

The video once again turned to snow, but cleared up to display the king standing before a five year old Vanellope as the girl curtseyed to him with a smile and turned to walk away.

"Don't worry little princess." The 'king' quietly voiced after Vanellope as his golden eyes remained on the back of the young girl. "You're in _very_ good hands."

"Dad." Vanellope weakly voiced as she felt tears stream down her cheeks and wiped them away quickly. "What did Turbo do to you before forcing me into exile?"

As the young Vanellope walked out of sight, a young man no older than thirteen years old with shaggy snow white hair, rose colored eyes, and dressed almost identical to the 'king' was approaching him with Sour Bill at his side. The sight of the teen caused Vanellope to squint her eyes to get a good look at him and what she discovered, a gasp escaped her lips and her eyes widened once more as she recognized that young man to be-

"Garry?!" Vanellope voiced rather loudly. "He was working with Turbo the entire time?!"

The data chip that was displaying the video dimmed and made the screen disappear with the box closing itself back up, it sparking with what little life it had left in it.

"No! I have to know what happened next!" Vanellope practically screamed as she pressed the surface of the box frantically, but to no avail, it didn't re-open. "Why was Garry working with Turbo?!"

Silence then fell on the area as Vanellope lowered her head as a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks.

Still floating silently in front of the box, Vanellope didn't notice the adult cybug crawl on the on the top of it and lock its sights on her, its lens like eyes locking its focus on her. A low growl escaped from the bug's mouth that caught Vanellope's attention, her whipping her attention to the bug. Before she could voice a word, the bug leapt at her as the raven haired teen quickly dodged the bug, it falling into the zero gravity space. Swimming upwards to get out of the way of the bug, Vanellope caught sight of Rancis's code box, noticing that it is a different color from the rest of the boxes in the space. Swimming over to it, Vanellope quickly tapped the box to open it, but the box didn't open, but yet, an error message appeared in front of her, it reading: **Data cannot be displayed at this time! **

"Data can't be displayed at this time?!" Vanellope expressed with disbelief. "What do you mean-" Before the teen could continue her protest, she felt a pull on her rope and turned to see the cybug biting on her line. The fear that was rising in her caused her form to glitch as she grabbed the rope and shifted it away from the mouth of the bug as it opened it to bite down once more, but had nothing to bite down on. Just one strong bite from the bug would have been enough to cut her life line from the rest of the castle.

"I don't know where Garry _dug_ you up from, but this is where you get _off_!" Vanellope growled as she narrowed her eyes in anger at the bug.

The bug roared and leapt at her with her shifting out of the way and the bug harshly face slamming against the front of the game information code box! Noticing that the bug was disoriented, Vanellope rounded up two large loops in her rope to so create a lasso, but before she could go through with roping and choking the bug into deletion, the end of the line was tugged on with the teen being reeled back to the entrance of the code vault. Recovering from the face slam, the cybug whipped around and noticed Vanellope was being pulled towards the door of the code room and roared, making a mad dash for the teen in the zero gravity space.

The entrance of the code vault was in sight and the bug was very close, but before the bug could open its mouth so to take a bite out of the princess, the girl was swiftly pulled back into the walk space leading to the throne room with the door closing on the bug's face. The bug slammed its front against the door and roared while scrapping its claws against the door so to get at Vanellope, but she was no longer assessable. Lying on her back, Vanellope opened her eyes to see Sour Bill standing over her with a look of disapproval, complete with its hands on what hips it could have. Nervously smiling, Vanellope gave a small wave to the ball of candy.

"Your majesty, would you mind telling me why you were in the code vault by yourself _and_ without the proper supervision this late in the evening?" Sour Bill questioned in his normal sour tone.

Vanellope got to her feet and removed the rope from around her waist, her eyes never leaving Sour Bill's.

"Sure, but _only_ after you tell me what you know about Garry _and _Turbo before Turbo exiled me after he got rid of my father." Vanellope commanded as she folded her arms across her chest. "Does _King D Von Schweetz_ ring a bell?"

The serious expression that the ball of candy held quickly dropped to be replaced with a look of guilt borderline nervousness, him swallowing the lump in his throat as Vanellope's vision bore into his own.

"_As if this night wasn't going to be long enough." _Sour Bill thought to himself.

Inside the code vault, the cybug pulled itself away from the door and swam back to the code boxes, the game information code box being the first it noticed. Approaching the box, the bug latched onto the top of it and began chewing away at the wires, taking large bites out of the wires as they sparked wildly. Tearing away at the last wire, the bug soon tore away at the wires at the bottom of the box with it loosening and dimming out, having been disconnected from the rest of the game. Biting onto the box, the bug and it then changed to string binaries of 10100101010101. They then vanished into thin air.

**Oreo Overpass**

Having left the Candy Cane Forest, the twins were continuing to follow Garry as the three walked along Oreo Overpass, the quickest way to get back to the villages surrounding the Candy Kingdom and the Candy Kingdom itself. Well there were the Sprite Springs and Cola streams which were also the check points to being close to the villages, but those check points were only seen if one were to pass through Caramel Toffee Valley and the Jawbreaker path on the other side of the game.

"How much farther?" Jet whined as he leaned on Set for support. "It feels like we've been walking forever."

"Well we have been walking for a pretty long time." Set voiced in agreement with Jet. "Maybe we should set up camp for the night and pick up first thing in the morning."

"Not to worry fellas, it won't be too much longer." Garry confidently replied. "We're closer than you know."

Without any further protesting, the twins continued to follow Garry, noticing the many landmarks that passed by them as they continued to trudge on late in the night. While they were only use to the setting of their game, they had to admit that Sugar Rush was one _interesting_ game!

The cybug that was in the Candy Kingdom's code room materialized on the back of Garry's right hand, the bug changing to a binary stream and quickly sinking into the skin of his hand with the bug's binary stream scrolling up Garry's eyes in a series of 10100101's. A sly smirk formed on Garry's face as he came to a halt with the twins stopping at noticing him halt.

"You know what guys, you're right." Garry voiced as he turned to the twins with a smile, them eyeing him oddly. "We should set up camp for the night and you two do look pretty tired."

"Thank user!" Jet heaved a sigh as he slumped to the ground.

"Why don't you guys gather some materials to make a fire while I go see what we can use for pillows." Garry offered. "I saw some soft gumdrops not too far from here so wait here while I go get those. Be back in a flash."

Jet fell backwards on his back while Set watched as Garry walked a short distance from them into the Lollipop fields. Creeping up to a tall lollipop stick that was holding up a cherry flavored sucker, Set noticed two pink tails sprout from under Garry's cloak and that he was looking at a holographic screen displaying Vanellope and Sour Bill as the two exchanged words. The screen then changed to a map of Sugar Rush starting from the area of the Candy Kingdom towards the race track. The screen changed once more to just the race tracks with the screen zooming in on them.

"Everything is going according to plan and right on time might I add." Garry chuckled. "Now that I have Sugar Rush's game code, it's about time I begin making a few changes around here. I'm sure Vanellope won't mind, especially after she's _bumped_ from the top!"

Just hearing what Garry said, Set's eyes widened.

"_I knew I was right about you all along!"_ Set thought to himself as he kept his eyes locked on Garry.

* * *

_**And the next chapter, things get really interesting as Sour Bill has a load of explaining to do and we see what Garry's first move really is! Please don't forget to,**_

_**Review Please!**_


	6. Secrets of the Code

Chapter 6: Secrets of the Code

'An overnight investigation into the code vault gave Vanellope more than a look into the game's threat and Set has discovered what Garry is hiding! What's going to happen now?'

_Previously_

The cybug that was in the Candy Kingdom's code room materialized on the back of Garry's right hand, the bug changing to a binary stream and quickly sinking into the skin of his hand with the bug's binary stream scrolling up Garry's eyes in a series of 10100101's. A sly smirk formed on Garry's face as he came to a halt with the twins stopping at noticing him halt.

"You know what guys, you're right." Garry voiced as he turned to the twins with a smile, them eyeing him oddly. "We should set up camp for the night and you two do look pretty tired."

"Thank user!" Jet heaved a sigh as he slumped to the ground.

"Why don't you guys gather some materials to make a fire while I go see what we can use for pillows." Garry offered. "I saw some soft gumdrops not too far from here so wait here while I go get those. Be back in a flash."

Jet fell backwards on his back while Set watched as Garry walked a short distance from them into the Lollipop fields. Creeping up to a tall lollipop stick that was holding up a cherry flavored sucker, Set noticed two pink tails sprout from under Garry's cloak and that he was looking at a holographic screen displaying Vanellope and Sour Bill as the two exchanged words. The screen then changed to a map of Sugar Rush starting from the area of the Candy Kingdom towards the race track. The screen changed once more to just the race tracks with the screen zooming in on them.

"Everything is going according to plan and right on time might I add." Garry chuckled. "Now that I have Sugar Rush's game code, it's about time I begin making a few changes around here. I'm sure Vanellope won't mind, especially after she's _bumped_ from the top!"

Just hearing what Garry said, Set's eyes widened.

"_I knew I was right about you all along!"_ Set thought to himself as he kept his eyes locked on Garry.

_Currently_

Sour Bill and Vanellope were sitting in the throne room as Vanellope sat on her throne and Sour Bill sat before her on the strawberry swirl carpet. After Turbo was defeated, the salmon color of the castle was replaced by the Princess-President's favorite color palate which was strawberry/peppermint swirl. The princess-president had her arms folded as she sternly eyed the sour ball of candy before her.

"Ok Sour Bill, out with it!" Vanellope demanded as she slanted her eyes at the ball. "Tell me what you know about Garry working with Turbo, my father's disappearance and my exile and user help you if you leave a single detail out!"

"Your majesty please calm down." Sour Bill pleaded with raven haired teen, seeing the anxious look in her eyes at wanting the desperate answers she sought. "I will tell you everything that I know from what I can remember. You are aware that our memories were temporarily wiped by Turbo before they were restored, including yours. I will tell you what I know so please bear with me."

Taking in a deep cleansing breath so to quell her anxiousness and what anger was rising inside of her, Vanellope sat back on her throne and waited for the ball of candy to begin while making an inward promise to try not to interrupt him and ask questions until he was finished.

"Now you're aware that Turbo's rule took place for fifteen years, starting from the day the game was plugged in." Sour Bill began. "You were just born and not too long lost your mother in a tragic kart accident as told in your father's programmed back story. It was my job to make sure the castle's operations ran smoothly while your father looked after you, but I did notice that one day things were off in the kingdom after the arcade closed."

**Flashback**

"_The castle had its usual calm and quiet after the arcade closed and your father just went to check on you after having returned from a day of racing." _ Sour Bill continued. _"I was put in charge of checking the major exits and making sure the virus protection for our game was turned on as it always went on after the arcade closed so to protect the game from being hacked by outside forces. As I went to make sure that the protection was on at its max like it was at the end of every arcade day, I noticed that it was turned off entirely and that the alarms that normally sound when an intruder is in the castle was also turned off."_

_Having checked on the king and princess in the west wing of the castle, Sour Bill scuttled his way down the spiral staircase and into the throne room so to begin checking the castle's exits and to ensure that the virus protection was turned on as the usual norm every day after the game day ended, but just as the green ball was about to check the first castle entrance, he noticed a trail of debris leading from the first exit/entrance that lead to the path leading to the code room of the game. Seeing that confused the candy ball as he hurriedly ran to the entrance to check it. The doors to the first exit/entrance were locked up tight Sour Bill noticed and he followed the trail of debris to the code vault only to notice that the panel that controlled the virus protection to the game and the alarms to the castle had a candy stripped dagger stabbed right through the panel while it's debris was laying in a heap in front of the NES pad that locked the code vault. He then noticed that the NES pad was unlocked and that the doors to the vault were wide open._

"_My first thought was to alert the king of the intruder, but since I was put in charge of the castle while we were slowly building our guardsmen after being plugged in, I decided to attack the problem head on and stop the intruder myself." _Sour Bill continued._ "However, that seemed like a good idea at the time, but I should have weighed my options of how rushing into such a problem would benefit in the end…"_

"_Were there any guards in the castle at all when the intrusion took place?" _Vanellope questioned curiously, politely interrupting the narration.

"_The few that were brought on board after we were plugged in, the knight and the two guardsmen that the king appointed, were on the east wing of the castle, therefore weren't aware of the situation at the time." _Sour Bill answered his leader. _"So instead of going with my first thought, I headed into the code vault to stop the intruder myself."_

_Sour Bill entered the cyan lit walk way that lead to the code vault and noticed that the first red licorice rope had already been pulled. The ball of candy leapt up to grab the second rope when he was caught midair by a pair of cold palms. The ball of candy was then turned around to face the owner of those hands, that owner being a young man with shaggy snow white hair and rose colored eyes. The young man deviously grinned at the green ball._

"_Going somewhere?" The young man casually asked. Sour Bill began to feel himself shiver under the man's stare and grip_

"_Who are you and what are you doing in the castle?!" Sour Bill demanded an answer, despite the height difference between him and the intruder. _

"_That's for me to find out and for you to never ask about again." The young man spoke to the ball before everything round him went dark for him._

**End of Flashback**

"After speaking to him, I blanked out." Sour Bill continued his story. "I don't know what happened to cause that, but I do remember seeing Turbo emerge from the code vault after I woke up. I heard him say that the citizens and the racers won't remember a thing after that night and that the game was officially under his control."

Just taking in that little bit, Vanellope felt her anger melt away to be replaced with a wave of sadness, knowing that her game was not only sabotaged, but it was doubled teamed while being sabotaged!

"What happened next was the worst memory that I wish I can erase from my memory bank." Sour Bill spoke as he turned his vision away from his leader's.

"Wait, after the reset took place, didn't everyone's memories of Turbo impersonating my father get wiped clean when they got their memories back about me being the ruler?" Vanellope questioned.

"If only it were that easy your majesty, but I'm afraid not." Sour Bill sadly answered her. "You see, when everyone's memories were restored, the memories of Turbo's rule stayed in place while they also remembered who was on the throne. If you recall earlier this evening when Jubileena panicked during the meeting about the recent intrusion possibly rivaling Turbo's past rule?"

"Oh right." Vanellope replied with a slightly open mouth with the thoughts of her trying to calm the crowd after Jubileena riled them up flooding back to her. "So what happened next that led to my exile and my father's disappearance?"

"I wish I didn't have to reveal this to you your majesty, but you do have a right to know." Sour Bill voiced as his vision caught back with Vanellope's eager stare. "Right after waking up, my programming was set to follow Turbo and Garry as they were in charge of the kingdom. Turbo altered everyone's memories to remember him and forget the original ruler which was your father before you were put on the throne."

**Flashback**

_Sour Bill sat alongside Turbo and Garry in the conference room, listening in as the two conspired to get rid of the king when he was at his most vulnerable. With the virus protection out of commission, everyone's programming in the game was able to be altered without hesitation, which was exactly as the two wanted and was the first on their list to be accomplished. The two were going over their next phase of their plan. _

"_Now that the ruler's thode is altered with the virus protection thown, it's time to deliver the final blow and thake my rightful place on the throne." _Turbo conspired as he brought a sharpened candy stripped sword into view and placed it on the table between he and Garry_. "I want thou and thowa Bill here to keep the west wing of the thastle clear while I finish off the thing(king). I just want to make sure he's not with the princessth as I have plans for the little one. It'll be a shame that she won't even get to gum the words good bye to the old lad!"_

"_What are your plans for the princess?" _Garry questioned_. "Surely you'll leave her unharmed for now."_

"_You'll find out thoon enough." _Turbo replied with a devious grin as he and Garry rose from the conference table to put the next phase of their plan into action.

_Sour Bill and Garry followed Turbo to the west of the castle as Turbo swiftly cascaded up the spiral staircase that lead to the king's quarters while Bill and Garry stood at the bottom of the staircase to stand guard. _

"_With each passing moment that Turbo was in that wing with your father, I knew something was wrong, but yet I couldn't get my program to distinguish who the true ruler was."_ Sour Bill continued as he placed his face in his hands. _"Especially after he returned from the wing with the spitting image of your father. Considering that your father was the core of the game, the virus protection code ran through him and without it on, he was an easy target, thus allowing Turbo to input his avatar into the game after he did away with your father."_

_Turbo cascaded from the spiral staircase dressed exactly like the king, royal robes and all. Proudly standing before the two, Turbo proudly showed off his new look. _

"_Tho, how do I look?" Turbo asked in his normal lisped manner. "I'm a spitting image am I right?"_

"_An exact replica your majesty." Garry voiced as he bowed to Turbo. _

"_From now on, you can call me, King Candy." _Turbo requested as he brought the candy stripped sword into view, Sour Bill and Garry noticing bits and pieces of the original King's code spotted along the sharpened blade_. "Now it's thime to make plans for my 'heir'."_

**End of Flashback**

"Considering my programming was altered along with everyone else's, I did what any loyal aid would do."Sour Bill expressed, his voice cracking as he continued. "I regret ever following Turbo and Garry's rule your majesty and if it weren't for Ralph defeating Turbo, I along with everyone else would still be under his control. I betrayed your kingdom."

Vanellope's heart sank as she took in the final area of Bill's explanation of how her game became a battle field of survival for her during Turbo's rule. But she did have several questions that were never answered and then would be a good of time of any to ask.

"There are several questions I'd like to ask concerning Turbo's defeat." Vanellope began slowly as she got to her feet. "When Ralph defeated Turbo, where was Garry?"

Raising his face from his hands, Sour Bill turned to Vanellope and noticed the emotionless expression on her face, an obvious indicator that she was still registering everything that he told her. Digesting something to that extent would be hard on anyone, especially never knowing the real truth years prior.

"I wish I could tell you your majesty, but I have no idea." Sour Bill replied. "After Turbo's defeat, he vanished without a trace. My guess is that since Turbo was out of the picture, there wasn't any need for him to stick around and face Ralph like Turbo did. He mostly worked in the background while Turbo did all of the work with reprogramming the game."

"When was I exiled from the castle?" Vanellope continued her inquiry in a dangerously calm manner.

"At the age of seven." Sour Bill promptly answered. "Turbo took the place of your father and raised you until you were seven. However, after finding out the kingdom would go to you provided anything happened to your father in the royal scrolls, he didn't hesitate to try to delete your code from the game, but he couldn't entirely take you out because of your status. Instead you became a glitch that he programmed everyone to turn against, casting you as the enemy and a mistake in the game. But once you crossed the finish line in the race, your code was once again restored, putting you in place as the core of the game where your father once stood. While he was able to delete the main core, he couldn't delete the second in command which was you. Your father made sure that your code was unable to be deleted in the game entirely provided something happened to him."

"I see." Is all Vanellope could muster to voice. Having learned the entire back story behind Garry and Turbo working together to sabotage her game, the president-princess was at a loss for words. At least those that would add positively to the story that is.

"Your majesty, is there anything you'd like to add to what I have shared with you tonight?" Sour Bill questioned, the deadly calm and thick tension of the throne room putting the ball of candy on edge.

"I—I'm just going to go to bed." Vanellope expressed with no emotion as she turned her back to Bill and faced towards the west staircase that leads to her bedroom. "Good night."

With that parting salutation, the princess-president slowly began her way towards the staircase, just leaving Sour Bill in the throne room as he watched his leader walk up the stairs and out of sight. He heaved a heavy sigh and began towards his quarters to retire for the evening.

**Oreo Overpass**

Set kept his eyes on Garry as he watched in suspension as to what the Cybug hybrid viewed on the holographic screen in front of him.

"_I knew you couldn't be trusted!"_ Set voiced mentally as he caught sight of Sugar Rush's code boxes on the holographic screen. "_I can't wait until Vanellope finds out about you!"_

"Ok, where are you, the two I'm looking for?" Garry spoke to himself in a whistle. "Ah, there you are."

With the code boxes displayed on the screen, a binary stream scrolled up Garry's eyes with the game trails and high score boxes coming into view by command, both lining up side by side and opening as if Garry opened them up by tapping them within the vault. With both boxes' information displayed on the screen, Garry observed what each contained while smirking. Closing his eyes, the information in both boxes were instantly erased with both closing and the word **'LOCKED'** appearing on the surface while flashing in big red letters. Opening his eyes, Garry's smirk widened at seeing what he accomplished thus far.

"Now let's take a look at the track information that I was able to obtain earlier on." Garry expressed as the image of the game's different tracks came up on the screen, replacing the previous screen. The tracks Pumpkin Patch, Gumball Gorge, Royal Raceway, Cake Way, and the Finish Line flashed across the screen. The images flashed again as the screen stopped on the Pumpkin Patch race track, that track reminding the hybrid of a certain Melocreme Pumpkin themed racer.

"Oh yes, I think my second order of business will be you." Garry slyly expressed as the track began morphing on the screen, the peaceful pumpkins and lush green vines alongside the road of the track morphed into large overgrown vines that began growing all over the road of the track with very sharp thorns attached that, with one prick, will not only burst every tire on the kart, but also rip the kart itself to shreds under the right conditions!

"User! He's changing the game!" Set gasped as he continued watching Garry. "I have to put a stop to this!"

Taking a step forward, Set's right foot got caught on a lollipop stem sticking out of the ground that sent him falling into the field face first. That startled Garry as he quickly made the screen disappear with large red, green, and pink gumdrops appearing in his palms. Whipping around, Garry noticed Set in the field behind him and lightly smiled at seeing the racer.

"Set, I didn't see you there." Garry voiced as Set quickly got to his feet with a cherry sucker stuck to his forehead.

"Ok, I saw the holographic screen and the game information on it!" Set began as he ripped the sucker from his forehead and pointed it at Garry in place of his right index finger. Spotting the sucker, Set tossed it aside and pointed his finger instead while keeping his stern demeanor in place. "Just what were you doing?"

"I was doing my friend a favor by locking the code vault from intruders." Garry replied. "What did you think I was doing?"

"What about you saying you were going to knock Vanellope from the top of the hierarchy?" Set continued his interrogation. "I overheard you saying that too! Don't you dare deny it! You will do _nothing_ to harm her!"

"I'm not going to deny saying that." Garry simply replied with a sigh.

"A-Ha!" Set practically yelled.

"If I'm going to be king of this game, then we would need to share the responsibilities of running the kingdom together." Garry replied as he handed Set his gumdrop. "Kings and Queens share such responsibilities, thus knocking her from taking on all of the responsibility at the top. Trust me, I would do nothing to harm her. Now why don't we get some rest as you're obviously more tired than I thought. No sleep causes delusions."

Gripping the two other gumdrops in his hands, Garry walked past Set and back towards where Jet could be seen lying. Reaching the other twin, Jet grabbed the red gumdrop from Garry and laid back down with Garry picking a spot across from the racing twin to rest.

Set narrowed his eyes at Garry as he looked outward towards the two, his hands digging angrily into the soft surface of the gumdrop.

"I'm not letting you off that easy!" Set hissed. "You're scheming something and I'm going to keep my eye on you to find out _exactly_ what you're up to!"

* * *

Darkness with glints of purple and blue light rays that ran through the area like fire flies lighting up a night sky. Within the darkness, a slender female figure emerged as her hazel eyes frantically searched around the area as if running from a predator. Labored breathing could be heard coming from her as she looked back behind her, the area still displaying the same purple and blue light rays. Small beads of sweat ran down her face as strands of raven hair clung to her forehead as if clinging to the woman for dear life. Wiping her face with her hand, the woman continued through the maze of darkness as she looked back over her shoulder once more to ensure her safety.

"I lost him." The woman spoke through a heavy pant. "I finally lost him. I'm finally safe now."

Within the darkness, below the woman, were large thick wires that were wavering about in the purple and blue oblivion as if looking for something in particular. As if having night vision and could see in that pit of oblivion, the wires spotted the woman as her back was turned to them and quickly raced towards her. One set latched onto her wrists, another her ankles, and the last her waist, causing her breath to hitch in her throat and completely immobilizing the woman.

"Hey! What's going on?!" The woman screamed as she tried to move her limbs but found that she couldn't move an inch. Blue surges of electricity ran though the wires and from the wires, the crackling blue electricity surged through the woman, causing her to scream out in agony, her code feeling as if it was being fried and reduced to ashes! Another thick wire laced with electricity latched around her throat to add to the agony the woman was already feeling!

The wires ceased electrocuting the woman, just leaving her panting even more while streams of smoke rose off of her skin. Her hazel eyes drooped to being open half way and feeling as if she were going to pass out at any moment.

"And here you thought you lost me!" An eerie voice spoke in a sing song tone to her as a dark shadow rose from the oblivion behind her. "If I recall, this is not how you play hide and seek!"

With her energy zapped when being electrocuted, the wires whipped the woman around to face the shadow as the face of it took on a familiar mask, that of grey skin, yellow eyes and golden teeth to match. The woman's half lidded hazel eyes opened wide at noticing the familiar mask of the shadow.

"N-No—No!" The woman stammered as she tried to move her limbs once more so to escape from the shadow, but the wires held her firmly in place. "What do you want with me?!"

"You know _exactly_ what I want." The shadow spoke, venom dripping from his tone. "Your game's core code and as I recall, you hold the core's code. Now if you'll be a good girl and hand it over, I'll let you run along and play."

"You'll _never_ get my game's code!" The woman spat back to the shadow. "You've been defeated once and you better believe you will be defeated again!"

Not caring for the woman's tone, the shadow snapped its fingers, which sent pulses of electricity through the woman once more, her screams of agony being music to his ears as her body horribly glitched with her blue code. The electrical impulses halted, leaving the woman on the verge of passing out from being tormented for a second time.

"Now, let's try this again." The shadow voiced. "I want your code, you will give it to me, and I don't take _no_ for an answer! Do we have an understanding?"

The woman remained silent, fearing that what answer she gave him would result in being tortured once more, something she would rather avoid.

"I believe I asked you a question." The shadow continued as he positioned his fingers to snap them in the event he would need reinforcements so to get his answer from her. "Do we have an understanding?"

The woman slowly shook her head in the yes motion, her tired eyes looking towards the shadow, its face sending several chills up her painfully tingling spine.

"Perfect." The shadow voiced. "Now, you are dismissed!"

The woman began glitching out of control, her lower limbs breaking apart as tiny data bits floated into the purple and blue oblivion and being transferred to the shadow, her data forming into an orb in its right palm. The woman looked down and noticed her lower body was disappearing at a rapid rate, the wires that were tightly holding her lower limbs disappearing along with them. Her eyes wide with fear, the woman turned to the shadow as he blew a tiny kiss in her direction as the rest of her body began breaking apart, her data floating and continuing to be transferred to the shadow before her. As the rest of her body broke apart, the woman released an ear piercing scream that echoed through the darkness as the remainder of her code was taken by the shadow, a venomous grin appearing on its mask as the remainder of her data joined the already formed orb that rested in its right palm.

Strawberry and mint swirled ceiling tiles quickly came into view as Vanellope sat up with a start, beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she breathed heavy pants from the nightmare she just had. She franticly looked around her and noticed that she was in her bedroom and was safe from what she just dreamt about, her heavy pants slowing down to steady breathing. Gripping her bed sheets as if clinging on for dear life, her death grip then loosened as she ran a shaky hand through her damp raven hair.

"Thank user it was just a dream." Vanellope stated to herself as she threw her covers back to so to climb out of bed. "Dreams are not real and I won't be seeing him ever again. He evaporated in Diet Cola Mountain and his data was destroyed. Sugar Rush is safe."

The strawberry swirl double doors to the girl's room opened, which sent the Princess-President into a glitch induced scare, the girl nearly jumping out of her skin as the images of her nightmare quickly flashed back to her, causing her to glitch blue and slightly purple code.

Through her near teary vision, Vanellope spotted Sour Bill who slowly scuttled into her bedroom, his normal sour expression plastered on his face.

"For user's sake Sour Bill, have you ever heard of knocking?!" Vanellope scolded her aid as she ran a shaky hand through her damp hair once more. Of course knocking probably would have resulted in the same glitch induced scare she just experienced.

"My apologies for disturbing you your majesty, but you have a visitor." Sour Bill informed her. "He says he's a racer."

"Who is 'he'?" Vanellope curiously inquired as she grabbed her minty colored robe and placed it on as she climbed out of bed.

Before Sour Bill could continue, Rancis entered Vanellope's bedroom and greeted her with a bow. Vanellope couldn't help but smile at him as the image of the peanut butter racer giving her a kiss on the cheek that previous night came back to her.

"Hi Rancis." Vanellope greeted the peanut butter themed racer. "This is certainly a surprise."

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you Vanellope, but I wanted to ask you that if you weren't busy tonight, would you like to have dinner with me?" Rancis confidently asked, his ice blue eyes shining with all the hope and confidence in the sugar coated game. "Any place you choose."

"Um, sure, I guess that would be ok." Vanellope answered as she ran her right hand through her hair for the third time since her awakening. "If you would like, we can have the dinner date here say, seven-ish?"

"I'll be here." Rancis confirmed. "See you tonight."

Giving his leader a flirty glance, Rancis then turned and began walking off as Vanellope looked to the ground, feeling her cheeks turn hot from blushing and a smile crawl across her face. Just as she was about to close her bedroom doors, she glanced back at Rancis and noticed two pink tail sprigs wiggling behind him, hanging from under his jacket, as he walked further away in the distance. Squinting her eyes so to get a better look at the back of the racer, she then shook her head and placed the palm of her right hand to her forehead.

"Ok I'm sure I was just seeing things." Vanellope voiced as she heaved a hard sigh and closed her bedroom doors. "That nightmare is making my eyes play tricks on me."

Vanellope proceeded to her vanity to shake that image out of her mind as Sour Bill scuttled after her to inform her of what the day's schedule consisted of, despite the arcade being closed.

**Pumpkin Patch Track**

Walls of dust arose as the Kernel swiftly flew around a right tight bend on the track. Since promising to Swizzle to never lose to him on his track again, Gloyd has been practicing on his track his sunrise and considering the moderate difficulty of the track, it wouldn't be too difficult to sharpen his skills on the track. After all, compared to Gumball Gorge, Mint Blizzard Mountain, and Royal Raceway, the racers that drove on the Pumpkin Patch track had it easy as the first three tracks mentioned were as hard as they got in Sugar Rush!

The Kernel took another sharp turn around the track and approached a hill that mocked that of a rollercoaster track that sharply shot downward and leveled out on the ground beneath its railings. Bringing his kart to a quick stop, Gloyd revved his engine as he peered down the steep slope with determined eyes.

"This one's for you Swiz." Gloyd voiced in a sing song tone as he slammed his foot on the gas, his cart accelerating forward down the hill. The pumpkin themed racer had to grab onto his pumpkin hat as it threatened to fall off as he accelerated faster down the hill, only having one hand on the steering wheel.

"One hand on the steering wheel?" Gloyd laughed. "How good am I?"

As the Kernel continued downhill, the track quickly morphed as large thick vines with sharp thorns covered the track, the peaceful homeostasis of the track quickly becoming chaotic and throwing off the balance of what previously was the best track in the game. Spotting the change of his track, panic quickly rose in Gloyd as he slammed on the brake to stop his kart, but the frantic turning of the steering wheel made that task impossible as the Kernel veered right into the chaos, the front wheels exploding from the thorns penetrating them. Bracing the steering wheel, Gloyd felt his kart topple and flip several times, each flip feeling as if the kart sustained major damage. The kart then came to a complete stop over a ditch in the road, the cockpit of the kart literally corking the ditch. The Kernel sustained tire, pipe, and paint job damage, but luckily didn't sustain anymore than that, especially the racer himself.

Gloyd peeked one eye open and noticed his surroundings. He was hung upside down in the ditch as his kart's seat belt still held firmly onto him, saving him from the mile drop below. His pumpkin hat had fallen off and was lying amongst several glowing hexagon eggs below, which Gloyd looked at curiously. His attention for what just took place with his kart becoming an immediate after thought.

"Wait a minute, those things." Gloyd began as he craned his neck to further peer around the ditch, spotting more of the hexagon eggs. "Oh my user! Those are-"

A green claw striking his hat shushed the racer as the owner of the claw came into view, that spine tingling hiss only adding to the boy's anxiousness as his eyes widened at what or rather who stepped into his field of vision.

"Minty Zaki?!" Gloyd practically screamed as the minty color cybug roared in his face, causing him to try to retreat into the cock pit, but thanks to his position, he failed.

With the minty cybug glaring at Gloyd, another cybug with a familiar mask stepped into view that made the boy begin to sweat profusely as the name he thought he would never utter again stammered past his lips.

"Turbo!"


	7. The Unveiling!

Chapter 7: The Unveiling

'One trick on the track has given Gloyd a discovery that even he can't believe and Garry is quickly making changes to Sugar Rush! What's going to happen now?'

_Previously_

The Kernel took another sharp turn around the track and approached a hill that mocked that of a rollercoaster track that sharply shot downward and leveled out on the ground beneath its railings. Bringing his kart to a quick stop, Gloyd revved his engine as he peered down the steep slope with determined eyes.

"This one is for you Swiz." Gloyd voiced in a sing song tone as he slammed his foot on the gas, his cart accelerating forward down the hill. The pumpkin themed racer had to grab onto his pumpkin hat as it threatened to fall off as he accelerated faster down the hill, only having one hand on the steering wheel of his kart.

"One hand on the steering wheel?" Gloyd laughed. "How good am I?"

As the Kernel continued downhill, the track quickly morphed as large thick vines covered with sharp thorns covered the track, the peaceful homeostasis of the track quickly becoming chaotic and throwing off the balance of what previously was the best track in the game. Spotting the change of his track, panic quickly rose in Gloyd as he slammed on the brake to stop his kart, but the frantic turning of the steering wheel made that task impossible as the Kernel veered right into the chaos, the front wheels exploding from thorns penetrating them. Bracing the steering wheel, Gloyd felt his kart topple and flip several times, each flip feeling as if the kart sustained major damage. The kart then came to a complete stop over a ditch in the road, the cockpit of the kart literally corking the ditch. The Kernel sustained tire, pipe, and paint job damage, but luckily didn't sustain anymore than that.

Gloyd peeked one eye open and noticed his surroundings. He was hung upside down in the ditch as his kart's seat belt still held firmly onto him, saving him from the mile drop below. His pumpkin hat had fallen off and was laying amongst several hexagon eggs below, which Gloyd looked at curiously. His attention for what just took place with his kart becoming an immediate after thought.

"Wait a minute, those things." Gloyd began as he craned his neck to further peer around the ditch, spotting those same hexagon eggs. "Oh User! Those are-"

A green claw striking his hat shushed the racer as the owner of the claw came into view, that spine tingling hiss only adding to the boy's anxiousness as his eyes widened at what or rather who stepped into his field of vision.

"Minty Zaki?!" Gloyd practically screamed as the minty color cybug roared in his face, causing him to try to retreat into the cock pit, but thanks to his position, he failed.

With the minty cybug glaring at Gloyd, another cybug with a familiar mask stepped into view that made the boy begin to sweat profusely as the name he thought he would never utter again stammered past his lips.

"Turbo!"

_Currently_

**Fix It Felix Jr. (Ralph's Apartment)**

Inside the Nice land apartments, the resident handyman could be found inside of Ralph's apartment tucked tightly underneath the kitchen sink, fixing a loose sink pipe that always got shaken lose during arcade hours when Ralph wrecked the building. Considering it wasn't truly an issue before, using the sink had become an issue for the wrecker during the break the arcade had due to the holiday weekend, especially when trying to make coffee while enjoying his break like the rest of the arcade.

Slamming his golden hammer against the side of the pipe once more, Felix yawned for the tenth time since working on the pipe, his eye sight not doing too much better considering he hadn't gotten much rest after the sight he saw in Sugar Rush's outlet the previous night. As much as he wanted to deny it to himself that what he saw was just the night's illusion, even he knew that something that clear couldn't be an illusion by any means. It had disturbed him, thus affected his sleep and ability to work on the apartment while the arcade was closed. Thank user for no quarter alerts as he wouldn't be any good to the gamers!

"Why won't you work?" Felix tiredly voiced as he slammed his hammer against the side of the pipe once more. "I can always fix it, but why not now?"

"Heya Felix, how's it going down there?" Ralph's voice could be heard following his heavy footsteps into the kitchen. "Did your golden hammer do the trick on that tricky pipe?"

Placing down his hammer, the handyman slid out from under the sink and faced his large friend with a sigh. Getting a good look at his small friend, particularly his eyes, Ralph's facial features quickly etched with concern.

"Whoa, Felix, you don't look so good." Ralph expressed as he kneeled down next to his 'Brother'. "You sleeping alright?"

"Not really Ralph and now I can't even fix a simple pipe!" Felix voiced with frustration in his southern drawl. "I just have to face the facts, my golden hammer doesn't do the trick anymore! How can I not fix a simple sink fixture?!"

Gaining a look of confusion, the wrecker kneeled up and leaned over to the sink, his large left hand gripping and turning the hot water fixture. The clear steamy water ran out of the spout as it has done numerous times before, even when the pipe began leaking. He repeated the same motion with the cold water, the cool stream running from the spout just as the hot did. The wrecker turned off the cold water spout with a smile, knowing that he once again had a faithful running sink thanks to his handy friend.

"Looks like your hammer did the trick once more." Ralph laughed as he kneeled back down in front of Felix. "So I wouldn't sell it short just yet."

"You mean you had water pressure?" Felix asked in amazement.

"The best there is when my brother and his magic hammer are involved." Ralph voiced with a light laugh. "But you look really tired. You and Calhoun doing ok?"

"We're fine, no problems there." Felix replied as he got to his feet and closed the cabinet that hid the pipes to the sink while grabbing his hammer. "It's just, I saw something in Vanellope's game outlet last night that really disturbed me. I haven't slept a wink since I saw it. I tossed and turned all night!"

"Well what did you see?" Ralph questioned.

"A saw a cybug that resembled one of the racers in the game." Felix revealed with a hard sigh. "I remember what Turbo looked like as a Cybug a year ago when Vanellope ran off after you when her game was invaded by them and there is no denying what I saw. I'm not sure what that racer's name is, but she was in cybug form. I didn't want to speak on it at first as it could have been the night's illusion in Game Central Station as things like that have happened in the past that turned out to be nothing, but my eyes couldn't have been playing tricks on me."

A serious look crossed the wrecker's face as he stood up straight and brought his right hand to his chin, his mind going into deep thought about what Felix told him. While the Cybug invasion took place a year ago, it was impossible for the game to still be harboring said life forms considering the game was inspected thoroughly by Calhoun and her men after the invasion. However Felix had always been honest in whatever he said so there had to be something to what he was saying then.

"What are you thinking about brother?" Felix questioned, seeing that Ralph had gone into deep thought.

"If you're certain about what you saw, then we will go to Sugar Rush later on and check things out." Ralph finally replied to Felix. "I need to check up on Vanellope anyway so once you get some rest, we'll head over there. You will be able to sleep now won't you?"

Grabbing his hammer, Felix beamed a confident smile to Ralph as he presented his hammer to the wrecker.

**Pumpkin Patch Track**

With his wide eyes still glued to whom he thought was long gone, Gloyd shifted his eyes to who use to be a part of the Sugar Rush race team, her eyes angrily narrowed to depict her new form.

"Minty, it's me Gloyd!" Gloyd voiced with reason to the turned mint themed racer. "How did this happen to you?"

Cybug Minty took a step closer to the trapped racer and snarled in his face loudly.

"Have you Cybugs ever heard of a mint?" Gloyd mused as he pinched his nose close while slightly gagging at the smell of Minty's breath. "I know you guys live underground, but that is no excuse! Ha! You see what I did there? Mint because your name is Minty?"

Hearing another loud snarl, Gloyd looked ahead of him and spotted another Turbug that had climbed up on the side wall of the tunnel so to get a bit closer to him. With a scowl etched into that bug's features, the bug extended its elongated neck and snapped at Gloyd, the boy reacting just in time so to avoid being bitten in the face!

"Ok, and that is my cue to leave so you bugs can do whatever it is you were doing before I just barged in!" Gloyd joked as he did his best to push himself up into the cockpit of his kart, but found that to be a fruitless effort since he was hanging upside down into the pit. "Ok that didn't work."

With that one Turbug and Cybug Minty eyeing the racer, more bugs emerged from the darkness, their attention also fixed on him as they angrily snarled in the boy's direction, having been tipped off by the other bugs of the intruder. Beads of sweat formed on Gloyd's forehead at seeing that he was fiercely outnumbered and swallowed the formed lump in his throat.

Beginning to wonder if he'll make it out alive, Gloyd resorted to the one thing he knew best that helped him out of multiple sticky situations in the past.

"So, since it looks like I'll be here a while, I have a joke for you guys to lighten the mood." Gloyd bantered as he locked eyes with Minty-bug, her scowl deepening. "Do you know what a Cybug that lives underground is called? Anyone?"

The bugs continued to slowly advance towards the racer while he did his best to remain calm, despite the situation he was in.

"A cybug that lives underground is called a ground bug!" Gloyd revealed. "It's like a bug that lives above ground, but only lives underground! Am I right? I'm sure your ground eggs smell minty fresh huh Minty?"

The joking banter Gloyd attempted so to lighten the mood did nothing but upset Minty as she swung her right claw in his direction, narrowly missing his face, but sliced his seat belt that held the racer firmly in place in the cockpit. Noticing that his safety net was cut and that there was nothing else left to keep him out of harm's way, Gloyd quickly latched onto to his steering wheel before he slipped out of the cockpit of his kart and into the bug pit below!

"So I guess that joke didn't sit well with you guys?" Gloyd voiced with nervousness as more Turbugs emerged from the darkness of the tunnel, eyeing the melocreme pumpkin themed racer that was dangling right before them. A deep growl escaped from one of the newly hatched Turbugs as it extended its elongated neck and snapped at Gloyd's feet, the boy retracting his limbs just in time to avoid losing them!

"When I said I was going to step up my game on the track to teach Swizzle a lesson, this is _not_ what I had in mind in the least." Gloyd mumbled to himself as he kept his eyes glued to the vicious cybugs below.

The revving of a kart engine above ground could suddenly be heard as the engine is then powered down within close range of where Gloyd was located, a kart engine that Gloyd was all too familiar with hearing on the track.

"Hey, that's the Tongue Twister!" Gloyd realized as he turned his attention to the ground above. "Which means that Swizzle-"

"What happened to this track?!" Gloyd heard Swizzle's voice express with surprise. "And why is the Kernel flipped upside down? User almighty! Gloyd is going to be so fudging mad about this!"

"It's quite an interesting story and if you help me out of here, I'd be happy to share it with you!" Gloyd practically shouted as another cybug snapped at his legs only for him to pull them out of the way of the vicious virus. "And hurry before I become the dinner to the hoard of cybugs living down here!"

"Gloyd? What are you doing down there and did you say Cybugs?" Swizzle questioned as he squatted down in front of the flipped over Kernel so to hear Gloyd's voice in the tunnel. "And what happened to your track? It's beyond a nightmare! I could barely drive on it!"

"The sooner you get me out of here, I can at least explain how I got down here and it starts with what happened to my track!" Gloyd voiced. "Oh and if you're wondering where Minty is, I can explain that too, but her appearance may shock you."

"Ok stay right where you are and I'll be right back with another racer!" Swizzle replied.

"No problem, I'll just be hanging around here." Gloyd mumbled to himself as he turned back to the bugs below, their scowls only deepening as their eyes remained trained to the racer. "Literally."

**Oreo Overpass**

With the rising sun came the continuing journey to the surrounding villages of the Candy Kingdom. Set, Jet, and Garry were continuing to walk, except Garry walked on the right side of Jet while Set walked to Jet's left. Considering how much Set saw of what Garry was doing that night, the last thing Garry wanted was his entire plan blown that involved the two of them once the important phase of his plan was complete. He was able to tuck his tail sprigs away so to avoid tipping off Jet, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep them covered considering how fast they were growing. However he would do whatever it took until the time came to reveal his plans as an entirety.

"So are you gentlemen rested?" Garry questioned as the three pressed on. "I know I got the reset I needed."

"I know I am." Jet happily answered. "Those gumdrops were so comfortable to sleep on! I didn't want to move at all."

"Yea, I guess I slept alright." Set begrudgingly answered, not bothering to make eye contact with Garry.

"Come on, Set be nice." Jet lightly scolded his twin, detecting the tone of voice the twin used when speaking to Garry. "He did get us comfy gumdrops to sleep on last night. The least you can say is thank you."

"_You may have Jet fooled Garry, but he'll come to see you as the lying slime that you are and that I already figured you out to be!" _Set mentally voiced. "_And that includes Vanellope!"_

"Set!" Jet urged.

"Yea _thanks_." Set half heartedly replied, his vision still turned away from Garry.

"Now was that so bad Set?" Jet smiled as he playfully nudged his twin brother in the side.

Continuing to keep his vision turned away from Jet and Garry as the two engaged in a conversation, something in the sky caught Set's attention from his peripheral vision, the twin stopping so to get a good look at what passed his vision. From what he saw, the entire south sky in which he was turned towards was becoming darker by the second as white and red creatures with large wings filtered into the sky by the hundreds! The thousands even! The swarm was being led by a deep green creature that bared the exact same features to the creatures behind it, the only difference was the color of the creature.

"Uh guys, what are those?!" Set nervously questioned as he pointed to what he was questioning.

Jet and Garry stopped and turned towards the sky as well, Jet's eyes widening at the sight and a malicious smirk crossed Garry's face as his sharp teeth bared at the sight of the cybugs.

"Ok, that can't be good!" Jet practically screamed.

"Oh it's a very good thing." Garry slyly spoke as his eyed remained glued to the sky. "My army is awake and ready to strike!"

"Your army?" Jet questioned as he whipped his attention back to Garry. "What are you talking about Garry?"

"Jet, we have to get out of here and now!" Set urged as he gripped onto his brother's left arm and attempted to pull him away from Garry.

"But we have to find Vanellope and only Garry knows where to find her!" Jet argued back. "But what army are you talking about Garry?"

"We'll find her ourselves, but for right now, we have to get moving!" Set argued back. "It's not safe to be here right now!"

With no further arguments for his twin, Jet broke into a run with his twin brother as the south sky continued to darken.

The sky continued to grow darker as the twins took off running in the opposite direction of Garry. Noticing the two running at break neck speed in the opposite direction of him, Garry simply smirked wider as the back of his cloak, where his shoulder blades were located, tore apart to reveal large white and crimson stripped wings. The rest of his cloak quickly tore away to reveal that he had evolved into a full cybug! The color of his shell and chest/back limbs where crimson red and pale white, his eyes were their normal rose color only fashioned to cybugs eyes, the lines on both sides of his mouth were a deep crimson, and his elongated neck where a mix of red, white, and pink.

"You can run boys, but remember I have the game's code so you can't hide!" Garry barked as his wings began flapping at a rapid rate. "I will find you and the princess too!"

It wasn't long before the cybug took flight to join the rest of the bugs that have dramatically darkened the sky.

* * *

"Thanks for saving me back there you guys!" Gloyd panted as he and Adorabeezle held tightly on to the spoiler of Swizzle's kart so they weren't tossed off during the fast paced trip back to the Candy Kingdom. "I got to hand it to you Adorabeezle, you are pretty handy with an ice bomb rocket. It sure saved my pumpkins back there!"

"Sorry about your kart though." Adorabeezle apologized with a slight frown. "I was trying to cork the hole in the tunnel so the bugs couldn't escape, but I hit your kart instead, turning it into solid ice."

"Hey, at least it saved me from being the next meal on their menu and you did a pretty good job with sealing that hole in the tunnel on your second try." Gloyd laughed, which brought a smile to Adora's face. "I can always have my kart restored in Sugar Rush's restoration center, but I could never regenerate that way."

"You're inside your own game pumpkin head!" Swizzle cracked as he hugged a tight turn. "Even if you would have been eaten, you would have still regenerated because you're inside of your own game and too bad Minty is now one of them. What are we going to tell Vanellope about one of our own being a cybug?"

"How do we tell her and does the regeneration rule apply to viruses?" Adorabeezle questioned with wonder as she noticed the area them change from a bright sunny to a gloomy black rather quickly. Turning to the sky, the racer's pupils shrank to the size of tiny dots at what she noticed.

"Swizzle, Gloyd, we have a problem!" Adorabeezle pointed out. "My ice rocket patch didn't do the job I thought it would!"

Gloyd turned towards the sky as did Swizzle, who briefly caught sight of what Adorabeezle pointed out, but just as quickly turned back to the road in front of him.

"You have a good set of eyes on you Gloyd when you depicted what made that hole in the code room's lock!" Swizzle expressed as he narrowed his eyes. "But I've got a plan on how to deal with this, but we're going to need Vanellope's help."

Gripping the gear shift, Swizzle thrusted it forward, which made the kart shift into high gear!

"Hang on tight you two because things are about to move a whole lot faster!" Swizzle informed them.

Slamming his foot on the accelerator pedal, the Tongue Twister picked up speed as its passengers headed in the direction of the Candy Kingdom.

**Candy Kingdom (Vanellope's Bedroom)**

Several pieces of clothing were strawn about on the royal's bed while she rummaged through her closet to find the perfect outfit for that night. She already viewed herself in the mirror with several outfits placed against the front of her, but those didn't please the teen so they landed in the maybe pile on her bed. While Vanellope was never one to fuss over her appearance or guys, this was her first _real_ date with the guy she had always had feelings for, even when she was the game's outcast, so she wanted it to be special by any means necessary.

Standing before her full length mirror with a red hoodie and matching skirt in her right hand as she held the outfit against herself, the teen shook her head in disapproval at that outfit and tossed it on her bed.

"I have no idea what I'm going to wear tonight!" Vanellope fussed, heaving a hard sigh as she flopped on her bed. "I can't very well wear my usual get up or any of _these_ tonight! Where's Taffyta and her fashion tips when you need her?"

The royal's bedroom doors suddenly flew open with Sour Bill, Swizzle, Gloyd, Adorabeezle, and the Turbo Twins running behind them bursting into her bedroom. That caused the teen to jump to her feet and glitch purplish blue code at their sudden appearance. Getting a good look at them, Vanellope noticed the look of urgency on their faces.

"Guys, we've been over this!" Vanellope began fussing. "How many times do I have to tell you-"

"Your majesty! Come quick!" Sour Bill panicked.

"We're under attack by Cybugs!" Gloyd practically screamed.

"They're everywhere!" Adorabeezle chimed in.

"Wait Cybugs?" Vanellope questioned as she gained a confused look that quickly changed to seriousness. "Wait, then that means the night of the meeting-"

Vanellope's voice trailed off as the flashbacks of when she and Rancis returned from Tappers and the emergency meeting from the night prior quickly flooded back to the royal as her eyes widened.

"_That hole, it's in the shape of a…" Sour Bill began. _

"_A cybug?" Rancis finished with a question. _

"_That hole was made by a cybug." Swizzle pointed out. "A cybug hacked into the code room and that's how Garry got in there."_

"_And how can you be so sure about that?" Taffyta argued Swizzle's assumption. _

"_Anyone with eyes can see that that hole was made by a cybug." Gloyd added in. "Even I can see that. Just look at the shape of the hole, it's in the shape of the bug's body if the wings are flattened on its shell or its curled up into a ball. Swizzle is right, he used a cybug to get into the code room."_

"_Now that you guys mentioned it, it sort of does look like a cybug ate through it." Snowanna spoke up. "But where could it have come from if none were spotted in the game since a year ago?"_

"That explains where that cybug came from that was in the code room and why the track information code box was detached from the rest of the game." Vanellope realized as she turned back to her friends.

"Well that explains what happened to my track." Gloyd sighed as he threw his hands up in the air. "Garry happened!"

"One of those _things_ were in the code room and you didn't tell us?!" Adorabeezle fumed.

"I was going to delete it myself, but Sour Bill pulled me out of the room before I could." Vanellope replied to Adorabeezle.

"One of those things was in the code room?" Sour Bill inquired with wide eyes.

"Garry is one of them!" Jet added in.

"Garry?!" Vanellope expressed with shock. "You're kidding me right?!"

"He's telling the truth your majesty." Set vouched as he bowed in her presence. "And might I add, it's a pleasure to meet you Princess."

"Uh thanks and who are you?" Vanellope replied politely.

"My name is Set and this is my twin brother Jet." Set introduced as Jet hopped up and down in his spot. "We're the Turbo Twins from a long unplugged game named Road Blasters. It was unplugged fifteen years ago thanks to Turbo!"

"I knew I recognized those guys from somewhere." Swizzle mumbled to Gloyd who nodded in agreement.

"Oh I'm so sorry about your game." Vanellope sincerely replied. "He did quite a number on this place back then as well!

"I can't believe it! We're finally meeting the great Vanellope Von Schweetz!" Jet happily fumed as Vanellope nervously smiled. "I have always wanted to meet you! I have had dreams, day dreams, pictures, and-" Set's hand slapped over Jet's mouth so he wouldn't further embarrass himself.

"Ok when did you guys spot the cybugs?" Vanellope seriously questioned her game cohorts.

"Just moments ago on our way back here." Swizzle calmly answered. "They are all over the sky."

"Garry said something about his army being awake and ready to strike!" Jet voiced through his brother's hand.

"Last night, I noticed that Garry locked two code boxes from a holographic screen he were staring at in the lollipop field!" Set remembered. "The high scores and game trials code boxes!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone screamed in unison.

"Ok, Garry picked the _wrong_ game and the _wrong_ president to screw with!" Vanellope fumed. "This ends today! If it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he'll get! Adorabeezle, Swizzle, and Gloyd, go into the village, get everyone to safety while trying to lassle up as many of those bugs as possible while I think of a way to lure Garry here! If anyone is still in their homes, urged them to stay inside at all costs!"

"Got it prez!" Swizzle confirmed as he, Gloyd, and Adorabeezle ran out of Vanellope's bedroom, just leaving the Turbo Twins with her.

"You two go with them." Vanellope politely commanded. "They'll need back up!"

"But what can we do? If we get attacked we'll be deleted instantly with no chance of regeneration!" Jet whined. "We were hoping to become a part of this game so we can be real racers again."

"Jet, we can worry about that later!" Set fused to his brother. "There are more pressing matters at hand right now in case you suddenly forgot!"

"Hey we can always use that wreck it guy to help us out with the invasion." Jet mused. "Ralph I think it is?"

Before Vanellope could add in to their conversation, an ear piercing scream erupted outside of her open bedroom window and from the sound of it, it sounded very close.

Glitching over to her balcony, Vanellope looked out at the city, at the exploding chaos that was unfolding in the village surrounding the castle as the cybugs attacked anything and anyone they could reach. She then looked down to the entrance of the castle directly below her balcony and spotted Jubileena, Candlehead, and Crumbelina with their backs pressed against the castle doors as Rancis, morphed into a Cybug, hovered directly over the girls ready to pounce! The sight of him made Vanellope's heart drop and every ounce of determination in her fade away with the only response she can utter out being,

"Oh no Rancis!"

* * *

_**And the action has begun as the next chapter will explode in a battle for Sugar Rush in a fight to the finish in a heated match between Garry vs Vanellope! Who will win? Keep reading to find out!**_

_**Review Please!**_


	8. Challenge For The Code!

Chapter 8: Challenge for the Code!

'A virus attack has began ravishing Sugar Rush and Garry is behind the entire swarm, even having recruited a member from race team! Are things as hopeless as they look?'

_Previously_

"Last night, I noticed that Garry locked two code boxes from a holographic screen he were staring at in the lollipop field!" Set remembered. "The high scores and game trials code boxes!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone screamed in unison.

"Ok, Garry picked the _wrong_ game and the _wrong_ president to screw with!" Vanellope fumed. "This ends today! If it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he'll get! Adorabeezle, Swizzle, and Gloyd, go into the village and get everyone to safety as quickly as possible while I think of a way to lure Garry here! If anyone is still in their homes, urged them to stay inside at all costs!"

"Got it prez!" Swizzle confirmed as he, Gloyd, and Adorabeezle ran out of Vanellope's bedroom, just leaving the Turbo Twins with her.

"You two go with them." Vanellope politely commanded. "They'll need back up!"

"But what can we do? If we get attacked we'll be deleted instantly with no chance of regeneration!" Jet whined. "We were hoping to become a part of this game so we can be real racers again."

"Jet, we can worry about that later!" Set fused to his brother. "There are more pressing matters at hand right now in case you suddenly forgot!"

Before Vanellope could add in to their conversation, an ear piercing scream erupted outside of her open bedroom window and from the sound of it, it sounded very close.

Glitching over to her balcony, Vanellope looked out at the city, at the exploding chaos that was unfolding in the village surrounding the castle as the cybugs attacked anything and anyone they could reach. She then looked down to the entrance of the castle directly below her balcony and spotted Jubileena, Candlehead, and Crumbelina with their backs pressed against the castle doors as Rancis, morphed into a Cybug, hovered directly over the girls ready to pounce! The sight of him made Vanellope's heart drop and every ounce of determination in her fade away with the only response she can utter out being,

"Oh no Rancis!"

_Currently_

Through an open window in the highest wing of the castle, a turbug clumsily flew into the dwelling, its golden eyes lazily darting around the room as if it were searching for something or someone. After bumping into a few walls and the door of the room it flew into, the bug made its way out of the room and into the hall that lead to the throne room. Flying through the hall and into the throne room, the bug noticed a small opening next to the throne itself and flew in that the direction, the cyan light acting as a flame that attracted the clumsy insect. Flying into the small opening, the bug followed the cyan light on both sides of the small walkway that ultimately lead to the code vault that contained every piece of information pertaining to Sugar Rush, regardless of what information was missing at that time.

Making its way into the massive zero gravity space, the bug flew around a few paces before ultimately landing on top of the first code box that drifted in its direction, the detached code box of King D Von Schweetz. Noticing the box's dimmed appearance, despite the small glitches that gave it what light it could muster, one of the wires that had been frayed since being detached from the game waved in front of the bug's face, it following the wire like an animal watching its prey. Unable to take the taunting of the wire any longer, the turbug bit the wire to the code box and experienced an electroshock that scrambled its code along with that of the code box.

In the slew of the electrocution, the code box changed to a series of binary 010010101's that mixed in with the bug's scrambled code, causing the bug's overall data structure to morph, the bug growing larger than its original shape. Its legs grew bigger and longer, the body of the bug grew to three times its normal size including chest limbs, it's elongated neck grew three inches longer with a clown like bow appearing at the top of the neck, it's claw like hands were sharper, it's tail springs also grew longer, and finally, the head of the bug was no longer what the bug originally came into the castle with, but instead, now had two identities that bobbed back and forth from Turbo to King Von Schweetz (in cybug form) with the scrambled appearance of its red and white data on command. With the code box's data mixed in with the bug's data, the ghost of the box disappeared from the vault, leaving behind the product of what it was absorbed into.

The bug raised its claws and looked down at them as a menacing smile appeared on its face, its razor sharp teeth bearing from behind the identity of the long dead king of Sugar Rush. The bug then turned its eyes towards the entrance of the vault, its eyes showing the malice that lied deep with the oversized pest.

"Oh Vanellope darling!" The King Cybug bellowed. "Daddy's home and I can't wait to see my _darling_ little girl!"

With one holler of maniacal laughter, the wings of the bug sprouted out of its back as it took off towards the entrance of the vault!

**Outside of the Candy Kingdom**

Havoc was wildly spread throughout the village and through every reach of the game of Sugar Rush. Citizens were being attacked and assimilated by the turbugs, the racers that Vanellope sent to try and round up the nuances weren't having very much success considering they had to make sure they weren't eaten and assimilated themselves, and the master bug himself hung high above the chaos and smiled down with much delight at the scene below. Garry couldn't take his eyes off of what was taking place below as couldn't Vanellope, but seeing her friends in trouble put her in a strained situation as if anything happens to her, the ruler, the entire game is down the digital drain!

Garry's smug smile grew wider as he eyed a few more citizens getting assimilated by the turbugs.

"And this is what I like to call success!" Garry beamed with glee as another citizen that was a part of Adorabeezle's fan group on the tracks got assimilated by a turbug and added to the massive swarm that was attacking the village. "Once all of these _pests_ have been cleared out, I will give this game a manual reset, clean the slate, and rename it to something a little more fitting once I'm on the throne! _Sugar Rush_ is certainly not fitting for a game such as this and here I thought the _princess_ would put up more of a fight than this. Heh and to think I actually gave her the benefit of the doubt when I've wasted a precious brain cell on that tiny weakling!"

Turning his attention to the castle, Garry noticed that Rancis cornered Crumblina, Jubileena, and Candlehead at the castle's front doors and that the look of terror on the girls' faces was enough to feed he bug's growing ambition to pounce! Bearing his fangs, Garry lowered himself just enough to be within earshot of the Rancis cybug as that was one opportunity that he couldn't pass up.

"If I were you, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have one hearty meal." Garry hissed to the anthropomorphic bug. "And once they are out of the way, there will be plenty more to feast on! Just look around you! The possibilities are endless!"

Hearing what Garry had voiced to him, Rancis took another step closer to the frightened racers who further pushed their backs against the doors.

Taffyta, whom have been fighting off and dodging the bugs who tried to assimilate her since leaving her home, made her way to the castle and noticed that Rancis had three of her friends cornered. Taking her attention away from him for just a second, the strawberry themed racer looked to the sky and noticed Garry, the master bug, hovering not too far away from him, hissing things to Rancis. Narrowing her eyes in anger, Taffyta scowled at the sight of him.

"So you're Garry!" Taffyta darkly mumbled.

Noticing a bug was coming in her direction as it beared its pincers and ready to swallow her whole, Adorabeezle materialized her ice bomb and shot it at the bug, the bomb directly slamming into and turning the bug to solid ice on the spot! It came crashing to the ground and shattered to a million pieces as anything covered in solid ice would do. With that bug down and her back turned, the ice themed racer wasn't aware of a bug that was slowly inching towards her, being on the ready to pounce. Spouting its wings, the bug didn't get a chance to spread its pincers when it was lasseled around the throat by a licorice whip!

"I'd like to see you try that again!" Gloyd barked as he harshly tugged on the rope and pulled the bug to the ground, it dematerializing in a messy pool of its structural make up. "No one attacks my friends and gets away with it!"

Adorabeezle turned around at the sound of Gloyd's voice and noticed the green messy turbug pool at the base of her feet. Turning to Gloyd, Adorabeezle shot him a kind smile.

"That's for saving me back there." Gloyd beamed back. "You're welcome."

Before Adorabeezle can kindly reply, Minty bug pounced on her and pinned her to the ground, her evil smug switching between Gloyd and Adorabeezle whom she had harshly pinned under foot. Gulping, Gloyd took a step back, but quickly regained his stance. Picking up his rope from the recently splattered turbug, Gloyd gave the rope two rounds before tossing it to the green bug so to lassel her, but knowing what his next move would be, the bug extended her neck and caught the rope in her mouth before it could even make it round her neck. Evilly smiling down at Gloyd, Gloyd released a gulp.

"Ok, that cannot be good." Gloyd choked as Minty reeled her neck back and lifted the boy off of the ground.

Despite being pinned her foot, Adorabeezle materialized her ice bomb and swiftly turned on her right side to the best of her ability as Minty's head came directly into the line of sight. Releasing the bomb, Minty was hit directly in the throat with the bomb and her shrieks pain released the licorice rope and ultimately released Gloyd. Minty took a step back as the ice bomb began to turn her throat to solid ice which gave Adorabeezle the chance to escape from under the bug's feet. She climbed to her feet with the help of Gloyd and dusted herself off.

"Now we're even." Adorabeezle finally voiced as she turned to Minty with a slight apologetic gaze. "Sorry Minty."

"We can count the score later, but for now let's clean up this mess!" Gloyd declared. Adorabeezle materialized another ice bomb and nodded in the pumpkin themed racer's direction.

* * *

Having viewed the chaos outside of her bedroom window, Vanellope and the Turbo twins made their way down the winding staircase from her wing of the castle, the boys doing the best they can to keep up with the glitching teen.

"How does she move so fast?" Jet asked through heavy pants as he and his brother ran down the main hall behind Vanellope.

"She can glitch Jet." Set answered, he too panting heavily from running through the large hallway so to keep up with the royal. "That's how she is able to move faster than we can."

"I don't know how much longer I can keep up." Jet whined as he stopped in his tracks, his brother stopping right along with him. "Ok that's it! No more sweets for me! I've eaten entirely too many!"

Just as Set opened his mouth to question his brother's recent statement, a strong wind blew past both brothers, Set catching sight of what was behind the strong wind as it moved at almost light speed. Narrowing his eyes, the first twin turned back to his brother.

"Jet, stay here." Set instructed. "I'm going on ahead."

"What are you doing?" Jet asked as the look of concern graced his face for his brother.

"Going to help Vanellope." Set answered with determination. "Stay here as I don't want anything to happen to you. You're all I have."

Set ran on ahead, despite having not caught his breath entirely as his brother continued leaning on the wall so to catch his breath up.

"No Set, _we're_ going to help Vanellope!" Jet voiced as he picked himself back up and ran down the hall after his brother. "I don't want anything to happen to you. You've always looked out for me and now I'm going to look out for you!"

Picking himself back up, Jet ran down the hall after his brother.

Vanellope arrived at the doors of the castle and didn't hesitate to sling both open. She took a quick second to evaluate the situation and a second was all she needed!

"Hurry in here!" Vanellope hollered to her three friends, them turning around and running into the building for safety. Rancis took a large step forward so to chase his prey, but was grabbed around the neck with a large candy cane. Her eyes widening at the sight, Vanellope looked behind Rancis to see Taffyta tightly gripping the handle of the candy cane while pulling back on it.

"Don't worry Van, I got this!" Taffyta happily hollered as she yanked on Rancis so to keep him from attacking Vanellope. The president smiled back to her comrade and turned to her three friends who were still shuddering with fear.

"You guys stay here, I'm heading out there." Vanellope informed them. "The Turbo Twins are here with you so you won't be alone."

"Who?" Crumbelina questioned, despite the apparent fear that has taken her over.

"I'll explain later, but I need to go find Garry and put his lights out before he does it to this game!" Vanellope stressed as she took a step towards the door, but was immediately grabbed back by Candlehead, Jubileena, and Crumbelina.

"But you can't go out there!" Jubileena voiced. "It's pure madness! There are cybugs everywhere!"

"You can get eaten and become one of them!" Candlehead chimed in, her voice filled with just as much terror. "You have to stay here! Without you, this game will get unplugged for sure!"

"I appreciate you guys concern, but I have to stop Garry." Vanellope informed them as she looked out the doors. "If I don't, then this game is going down for sure and Garry will get exactly what he wants! It's a huge risk, but that's a risk I'm willing to take for all of you!"

Hearing the clambering of feet hitting the strawberry swirl tiles under foot as the sound neared them, they caught sight of Set rushing in their direction. The Turbo twin neared them and stopped a few inches from them. The four girls could tell how out of breath he was.

"Vanellope, I'm going to find Garry and make him pay for wrecking your game!" Set panted. "I'll meet you back here!"

Before the president-princess could utter a word, Set dashed out the doors and into the chaos. Jet brought up the rear and stopped in front of the four girls.

"Have you guys seen my bother?" Jet asked.

"He just ran outside into the chaos." Crumbelina answered the twin, whose eyes widened at hearing what the Italian treat racer voiced.

"He did what?!" Jet practically screamed as he dashed out of the front doors behind his brother. "Stay here I'm going to get him!"

"Jet! Wait!" Vanellope screamed, but her words traveled in the twin's dust.

"He's going to get himself killed out there!" Candlehead expressed. "What is he thinking?!"

"He's not tha-" Vanellope's thought was cut off by a brief yet strong earthquake like tremor violently shaking the castle and knocking all four girls to the ground along with a few ceiling tiles. They then lifted themselves up on their elbows as a look of confusion graced their features.

"What just happened?" Crumbelina inquired.

"I don't know, but I bet Garry's behind it!" Vanellope replied as she jumped to her feet as a look of determination replaced the look of confusion. "I'm heading out there to find the twins and then ultimately, Garry! The moment I leave, Jubileena, close the doors behind me as you'll all be safe here."

Before the three girls can protest, Vanellope darted out the doors with Jubileena closing them behind her.

Jet avoided yet another turbug that tried to swallow him as he continued his search for his brother through the chaos. Due to the sudden tremor that hit the game, a lot of citizens were knocked to the ground and trapped under debris, which made them easy targets for the turbugs as they easily advanced on them and assimilated them into their structure.

Having watched one of Swizzle's fans get assimilated, what Jet saw next nearly made the twin feel as if his digital heart was being ripped out of his chest from the sight alone! Set was fighting off a cybug that managed to pin him to the ground with a sucker pop stick, but the turbug easily bit threw the stick and bit down onto the twin's chest, a large chunk of his data devoured by the bug.

"SET!" Jet screamed as he watched his brother's body quickly go limp as the bug ate the remainder of him. "NO!"

Taking a step forward so to make a break for the bug that ate his brother, an arm grabbed him back so to keep him from suffering the same horrid fate.

"Come on Jet, we have to keep moving!" Vanellope voiced as she began pulling the twin away. "We have to find Garry!"

"My brother! That _thing_ ate my brother which means he's gone forever!" Jet informed her of the situation as the two ran while dodging the bugs, Vanellope also glitching so to keep the two from being cornered by them. "He can't regenerate!"

"I know and I'm really sorry Jet." Vanellope tenderly voiced as she glitched her and Garry past a few more bugs that tried to corner them.

With the two out of sight, the turbug that devoured Set's data gained the anthropomorphic features of the Road Blaster twin from head to tail. The bug's golden eyes shined bright as it bared its fangs in a malicious smirk and lowered its body in anticipation of pouncing on its next victim.

"Don't worry Jet, I'm not down and _certainly_ not out!" Set taunted as his large blue stripped wings sprouted from his back and began to flutter wildly.

At the entrance of game, Ralph and Felix pushed through the barrier and were immediately met with the chaos, a turbug landing in front of the two as Ralph quickly reacted and rammed his fist through the face of the bug, causing its green matter to splatter on the sour candy rainbow bridge.

"Looks like you weren't kidding when you said you saw a cybug here last night!" Ralph barked as he smashed another turbug to its green matter.

"I said I saw one that looked like a racer." Felix replied as he grabbed his hammer and swung it at a cybug that landed to the right of him, it being reverted back to its egg form and Ralph stomping on it so to keep it from re-hatching. "These bugs all look like Turbo!"

"Looks like he didn't completely meet his fate in Diet Cola mountain like we all thought!" Ralph expressed as he and Felix eluded two bugs that tried to grab them as they made their way down the bridge. "Come on, we have to find Vanellope!"

"There is no way we are going to find her through all of this!" Felix practically shouted as he slammed his hammer into yet another turbug with it reverting back to egg form. "She can be anywhere!"

Considering the bug was hit while it was in flight, the egg hit the ground and splattered the bug's remains on the ground in Felix and Ralph's wake.

"I know exactly where to look!" Ralph called back to his brother as he grabbed a turbug by the throat and force slammed it to the ground. "Just follow me!"

As the two continued to dash through the chaos and fight off the advancing Turbugs, Ralph didn't notice a purplish blue glitch cloud heading right for him. The cloud then rammed right into him, which knocked the wind out of him and sent him to the ground! Even Felix didn't notice the glitch heading right for them.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Ralph grumbled as he quickly regained his composure only to see Vanellope lying on top of him, she being just as discombobulated as he was. His eyes widened at the sight of his best friend, despite the chaos that was taking place around her. "Kid!"

Peeling herself off of Ralph's chest, her eyes widened just as wide at the sight of him, seeing exactly who she and Jet bumped into amidst everything.

"Ralph?!" Vanellope questioned at first, but a wide smile made its way onto her face as she latched her arms tightly around his neck while happily squealing. "Ralph! What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you as Felix said he spotted a cybug in your game's outlet last night." Ralph informed her as he quickly got to his feet and helped her to hers. "He said he it was a racer he saw that looked like a cybug, but now I see it's much more than that and they all look like Turbo!"

"Garry is behind this!" Vanellope informed him as Ralph harshly grabbed two lowered turbugs by the legs and slammed them together, their green remains splattering in every direction. "He's the reason for the cybug invasion now!"

"I thought Turbo was evaporated in Diet Cola Mountain." Felix questioned.

"He was or so I thought like the rest of you." Vanellope replied to the fixer as Ralph struck one of the bugs that were coming right for them. "I don't know what happened that made them look like Turbo, but I know Garry is the reason why they do!"

"One of his _pests _deleted my brother!" Jet scowled. "I'm going to _rip_ Garry's wings off when I get my hands on him!"

A purple dome suddenly formed around the four as violently electric lines of code and binary ran along the walls of it, warning that if anyone should touch it, they are in for a world of hurt via high voltage!

"Now what's going on?!" Vanellope practically shouted with exhaustion as she took a step forward towards the front of the dome. "First my game is overrun by Turbugs and now this?! What is this?!"

"Vanellope, I wouldn't touch that if I were you." Felix warned as his eyes followed Vanellope to the front of the dome, a bright line of code that mocked that of a hot white bolt of lightning shot along the wall and to the ceiling of it.

"Oh Felix, you worry too much." Vanellope beamed a relaxed smile in his direction, but just as quickly turned back to the front of the dome as she reached her hand out to it. "If you haven't forgotten, next to my dad, I have the most powerful core in this game as the ruler so this little bubble won-"

Touching the dome's inner wall sent a violent current of code and binary streams racing through Vanellope's structure as if she were struck by lightning, silencing her with the princess falling to her knees as she howled in pain. Jet quickly pulled her hand away from the wall and cradled the princess in his arms as a current aftershock ran through her.

"Vanellope are you ok?!" Jet asked, his voiced laced with concern as he felt a twinge of the shock from Vanellope race up his arm.

"Ok, that was a bad idea." Vanellope coughed. "There must be thousands of volts of electricity running through this thing!"

"Actually, hundreds, but considering how strong your core is, you just took a bigger hit." An annoying familiar voice spoke to the four as they looked to the ceiling of the dome to see Garry hovering right above them while wearing the most arrogant smirk that anyone ever could have. "You should have listened to your little friend as they aren't all incompetent."

Garry then looked to Ralph and sneered at the sight of him.

"I take that back!" Garry barked.

"Hey back off!" Felix braved to the Garry. "Ralph saved this arcade a year ago from the most dangerous virus ever to show its face!"

"Yes, yes, how I am oh so aware of his heroic accomplishment!" Garry huffed. "I was bored of listening to it the first time!"

"I'd be more than happy to give you a demonstration of what I'm made of and remember, I don't show any mercy!" Ralph challenged.

"What did you do to my game and where did you find cybug eggs?" Vanellope questioned to the master bug as she got to her feet with the help of Jet, his grip still on her. "Any remains that were left were destroyed by Calhoun and her army a year ago!"

"Why don't you ask your little friend there." Garry replied as he gestured his claws to Jet. "He and his brother brought them here when they just so happened to stumble in here."

Vanellope, Ralph, and Felix turned to Jet, Vanellope's expression being the sternest of the three as she pulled away from Jet.

"You two brought those things into my game?!" Vanellope dangerously barked. "What were you thinking?! Do you have _any_ idea the trouble you and your brother caused?! My game could be unplugged for good and sent to the game grave yard because of you two!"

"Now now Princess, I wouldn't be too hard on him as his brother got something out of this experience so it wasn't a total loss." Garry slyly spoke as Set made his way over to the dome. Jet's eyes widened at the sight of his brother in cybug form after having witnessed his fate at the teeth of a turbug.

"S—S—et?" Jet stammered in disbelief.

"Hello brother." Set sneered.

"But I saw—you—" Jet stuttered out. "A cybug—"

"Well I thought I was a goner for sure as well, but I haven't felt this good in years!" Set darkly stated.

"But he wasn't the only one to get the best out of this." Garry continued as a large dark shadow blocked out what little light the dome received through the chaos. "Someone has been real anxious to say hello to you for quite some time and I'm sure you two have _a lot_ of catching up to do!"

"Dad?" Vanellope squeaked at the sight of her long dead father in cybug form.

At the sight of the bug, Vanellope began to feel light headed as the bug fashioned after her father greeted her, but not in the manner in which she would have ever hoped.

"Hello Vanellope darling!" The bug, King D. Von Schweetz, greeted to her in a menacing way. "What have you let happen to my game?! When I fell at the hands of my nemesis, I expected that you would do a better job than this! I knew this game would fall under your rule! You are not _fit_ to be the princess of the Candy Kingdom and heir to the throne!"

Just hearing the words that spilled from the bug's mouth stabbed Vanellope in the heart like a dagger cutting through a watermelon or an apple! Tears rushing to the surface of her eyes, Vanellope tenderly placed her hand on her chest as the bug's malicious eyes pierced her hazel eyes. What he just said to her can't be real, none of it!

"Vanellope, he's just trying to get into your head." Ralph mumbled to her as he placed his large hands on her shoulders for comfort. "That's not your real father. It's another one of Garry's mind games!"

As much as Vanellope wanted to believe what Ralph was saying, everything about the bug just screamed King D. Von Schweetz, from the face to the colors on his body the man once wore in his royal robes. Everything about the bug reminded the princess-president of the father she saw in the video inside of her father's code box. But shaking her head so to erase what the bug spewed to her, Vanellope's look of shock quickly changed to determination as she shot the bug a look that could cut glass!

"You're-you're not my real father!" Vanellope argued back. "My father would never talk to me this way! You're just another one of Garry's twisted minions! You're _not_ the king of Sugar Rush!"

"Oh am I?" The king replied as his first identity quickly switched over to the one face she, along with Ralph and Felix, thought they'd never see again. Just looking at the creature that shared an identity with her father was enough to send the princess-president back to her knees as the pit of stomach felt as if it had a lump of coal in it. The code running through her veins felt like ice as the image of her nemesis became engraved in her brain. "Heh, I guess you're right, but that will change!"

"I should have listened to my brother when he tried to warn me about you!" Jet snapped to the smirking monster. "You're nothing but a low life virus! He was right about you all along."

"And now you see why listening to your big brother is always a must!" Set darkly spoke to his brother. "You've never been a smart as I Jet! You've always been the inferior brother!"

Set's words stung like salt being poured into an open bloody wound, but knowing that his brother would never voice such words of hatred to him, Jet's expression hardened as he whipped his attention back to Garry.

"So what do you want with us exactly?" Jet barked as he pointed a daring finger in Garry's direction. "You may have my brother under your control, but you can forget about adding me to your _sick_ list of minions!"

"There is only _one_ of you that I particularly need while the _rest_ of you are of no use and will _only_ get in the way." Garry nonchalantly voiced as his eyes fell on Vanellope. "And that only one is her majesty, Vanellope Von Schweetz!"

"What do you want with Vanellope?!" Ralph defended.

"That is none of your concern as this is just between she and I." Garry continued as Vanellope turned her vision to Garry with hardened eyes. "And if she's as smart as I think she is, she will happily agree with what I'm about to say."

"Yes, let's hope that she is." The cybug king chimed as in Set cackled after the two.

"Don't listen to a word he says Vanellope." Jet expressed to her. "There's no telling what his next trick is!"

"Spill it!" Vanellope dangerously barked.

"From my great understanding, you love to race." Garry smugly began. "Not something so common for a royal, but yet, I find it interesting."

Vanellope remained silent as her stare narrowed in annoyance.

"Do you now?" Vanellope darkly replied.

"Thus I propose to you a race." Garry continued. "I'm going to give you the opportunity to _"earn"_ your game back and if you are as talented as you make yourself out to be, then I promise to humbly hand your game's code back over to you."

"Me, race you for _my_ game? Oh I'm going to win!" Vanellope quickly declared. "You can bet your _disgusting_ life on that!"

"I never said it'd be me you'd be racing." Garry corrected. "But I do have a few heavy hitters who would _love_ a chance to race you and if by some miracle you happen to outrace them, then I'd be more than happy to give your game back, under certain conditions of course. Yet I have high doubts that even you could leave them in the dust, but what do you say? All of this could be gone in the blink of an eye if you just agree to my proposal."

Turning her eyes from Garry, Vanellope looked about the chaos in front of her that had gotten long out of control. The future of her game was sorely at stake with the virus attack alone and she didn't want to waste her talent on the tracks with a couple of Garry's flunkies, but if it meant getting rid of Garry for good, then what other choice did she have? If the master bug was to be squashed, the drones will surely follow!

Turning her hazel orbs back to Garry, the right corner of Vanellope's mouth curled into a tiny smile.

"You're on!" Vanellope finally spoke as gasps rose from Jet and Felix.

"Great! Now let's get down to business shall we?" Garry mused as his eyes shined with greed.

_**Review Please!**_


	9. Race For The Code Part I

Chapter 9: Race For The Code Part I: A Sticky Situation!

'Through the chaos, Garry managed to trap Vanellope and forced her into agreeing to a race for her land and worse, her long dead father is now a cybug under Garry's influence! Just what are his terms for said proposal?'

_Previously_

"Don't listen to a word he says Vanellope." Jet expressed to her. "There's no telling what his next trick is!"

"Spill it!" Vanellope dangerously barked.

"From my great understanding, you love to race." Garry smugly began. "Not something so common for a royal, but yet, I find it interesting."

Vanellope remained silent as her stare narrowed in annoyance.

"Do you now?" Vanellope darkly replied.

"Thus I propose to you a race." Garry continued. "I'm going to give you the opportunity to _"earn"_ your game back and if you are as talented as you make yourself out to be, then I promise to humbly hand your game's code back over to you."

"Me, race you for _my_ game? Oh I'm going to win!" Vanellope quickly declared. "You can bet your _disgusting_ life on that!"

"I never said it'd be me you'd be racing." Garry corrected. "But I do have a few heavy hitters who would _love_ a chance to race you and if by some miracle you happen to outrace them, then I'd be more than happy to give your game back, under certain conditions of course. Yet I have high doubts that even you could leave them in the dust, but what do you say? All of this could be gone in the blink of an eye if you just agree to my proposal."

Turning her eyes from Garry, Vanellope looked about the chaos in front of her that had gotten long out of control. The future of her game was sorely at stake with the virus attack alone and she didn't want to waste her talent on the tracks with a couple of Garry's flunkies, but if it meant getting rid of Garry for good, then what other choice did she have? If the master bug was to be squashed, the drones will surely follow!

Turning her hazel orbs back to Garry, the right corner of Vanellope's mouth curled into a tiny smile.

"You're on!" Vanellope finally spoke as gasps rose from Jet and Felix.

"Great! Now let's get down to business shall we?" Garry mused as his eyes shined with greed.

_Currently_

"You're actually going to go through with this?" Jet asked with much concern as he and Felix shifted on the princess's rather large bed while she was in the bathroom changing. "What if he tries to pull a fast one and make you loose on purpose?"

"There's _nothing _Garry can't try that I _won't_ be able to _watch_ out for." Vanellope calmly answered from behind her bathroom door a she zipped up her royal racing suit. "I know every trick, nook, and cranny of the tracks. I _will_ know what move he will _think_ he's pulling and be able to maneuver before he _gets_ to pull it!"

"But he sounded extremely devious." Felix added in as he got to his feet, his being unable to sit still due to the confrontation facing them. "I'd be very careful if I were you Vanellope."

"Felix, with all due respect, she's the best racer this game has." Ralph defended as he ran his right hand through his hair. "Without her, this game wouldn't be what it is now."

"Thank you Ralph." Vanellope spoke as she zipped up her right boot to her suit. "I couldn't have put it any better myself."

Being primped and ready to go rip up the tracks, the door to Vanellope's bathroom opened with the princess-president stepping from out of the room as everyone's eyes landed on her. Gripping her matching helmet under her right arm, Vanellope eyed her three friends, awaiting what response they were obviously holding back. A dark red blush covered Jet's cheeks as he gave the racer in front of him the once over, his words becoming very tangled in his throat.

"Are you guys going to sit there and stare or are you going to cheer me on at the race?" Vanellope expressed as she giggled at her friends' frozen expressions. "If your mouths hung open any wider, you'd be able to hoard a family of cybugs in them and trust me, they'd be very comfortable."

"Any idea as to what we should say?" Jet whispered as he leaned over to Felix for suggestions as what he truly wanted to say could have him possibly deleted.

"You look great your majesty." Felix stammered out as Jet nodded in agreement.

"Kid, in this or any outfit you wear, you'll knock them dead for sure on the track." Ralph confidently replied to his best friend. "Garry and his hoard don't stand a chance against you!"

"So who are you supposed to be racing against anyway?" Jet questioned as he got to his feet while doing his best to push his blush down.

"Not sure yet, but I know Garry is waiting to gloat in my face as to who his 'heavy hitters' are." Vanellope lightly fumed as she turned her back to her three friends and headed for her bedroom doors, her three friends beginning to trail the royal. "I can't wait to meet them and just as soon, have them eating my dust!"

"But what if they are, you know?" Felix continued to worry as the four entered the hall that lead to the winding staircase that lead to the throne room on the lower level.

"Felix, I'm sure whatever Garry has planned, I'll still make out ok." Vanellope confidently replied as the four began descending the staircase, despite the slightly growing worry that she couldn't deny feeling. After all, he managed to turn her game into a cybug hoard in less than one day so there is some room for concern.

"Well, I'd be careful all the same if I were you." Jet warned as he walked to Vanellope's right. "My brother could very well be one of his racers and he's very good. Next to me, no one has ever beaten him in a race in our game."

"Well then, he's got a new competitor." Vanellope expressed in a lightly dark tone as the four reached the lower level of the castle and began towards the front doors. "Maybe after all of this, he'll come back to his senses and see who the true enemy is."

"_I hope so!"_ Jet thought. "_I can't imagine life without my brother!"_

"Don't worry kid, no matter what happens, we'll be cheering you on." Ralph added as his footsteps moderately shook the ground as the four continued on. "You're going to send Garry running for the hills with his tail between his legs!"

"At least then, my game will be under my control again." Vanellope mumbled as the four approached the doors and exited the castle.

They made their way away from the building and onto the road leading into the village only to find Set, Rancis, Garry, Minty, and King Candy not in cybug form standing in a line from left to right at the entrance of the road along with a distraught Taffyta, Adorabeezle, an annoyed Gloyd and Swizzle standing in front of them with their hands tied behind their backs. The main five's stance gave off the feeling that they were anxiously awaiting for the four to arrive.

"Wait, what's going on here?" Jet asked as he looked among the five villains. "Why aren't you guys in bug form? You were just mere moments ago!"

"Well Jet, that's the thing about having control of the game's coding." Garry gloated. "You can do whatever you please with it and _nothing_ can stand in your way."

Garry then turned his attention to Vanellope, an arrogant smirk gracing his face.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to arrive." Garry gloated, his fangs showing from behind his smile. "Trying to delay your shame as much as possible, _your majesty_? And I see you brought your _cheerleaders_ with you. I hope you guys enjoy the show because trust me, it'll be a good one!"

Seeing her friends at the mercy of the malicious master bug and his minions, Vanellope couldn't let her emotions get the better of her at that moment, despite wanting to relinquish Garry's control over them as much as possible. It was heartbreaking for sure, but she had to be strong for them.

"Garry, what are my friends doing here?" Vanellope questioned as she looked among them. "Your fight is with me, not them! Let them go!"

"Oh my land." Felix muttered. "This is going to get ugly."

"Well, I just wanted to _kindly_ remind you of what was truly at stake here and while your game is just one part of it all, those that reside in it such as yourself are another." Garry nonchalantly gloated. "Because without these guys, your game is _nothing_!"

"Get to the point of your little speech!" Vanellope fiercely barked. "I don't have all day!"

"Fine, if that will wet your palette." Garry arrogantly continued. "Here are the conditions for _my_ race: Three tracks, one lap on each. Gumball Gorge, Cake Raceway with the Ice Cream Mountain combo, and Pumpkin Patch. I believe your pumpkin themed friend here is familiar with that one all too well. You and of course my team here, have to make it around one lap without any fatalities of any kind and you are allowed only two mishaps on each track. Anymore than that will disqualify you from the race entirely, which means I remain in control of your game forever and everything in it, including you! You can only use the power ups, sweet seekers, and any other good cheats on the tracks."

"So other than the normal, just what are you getting at?" Vanellope challenged.

"You must also make it to the number one spot in each race." Garry revealed. "Second to none isn't what it used to be, but I'm sure that my team here will give you a challenge to be number one, but the question is, is that all they will give you?"

"Vanellope don't do it!" Adorabeezle pleaded, pure concern beaming in her vision. "We heard these guys plotting to ri-"

The iced themed racer's thought was cut off as her eyes lulled to the back of her head and she collapsed to the ground unconscious. Minty's deranged stare followed the racer as she hit the ground, but just as quickly turned back to Vanellope and her three friends. The royal could feel her heart literally skid into her throat from the racer/cybug's dark stare alone.

"I guess the excitement of the upcoming race was too much for her." Minty darkly expressed as her fangs bared from behind her dark grin.

"Adorabeezle!" Vanellope screamed. "Garry, let them go now! They have nothing to do with this!"

"Oh yes, I almost forgot the most important aspect of my proposal." Garry continued on. "If you endure more than two mishaps on the tracks, not only do I remain in control of your game forever, but I get to choose which one of your delightful little friends here suffers permanent _**deletion**_!"

Stepping from the middle of the lineup of villains, Garry took a step closer to Taffyta and firmly gripped her chin behind her. Taffyta scowled at the sight of the villain as he forced her vision to his.

"Will it be your cute little strawberry themed friend here?" Garry smirked as Taffyta yanked her chin out of his grip. "Or will it be the one who nearly spoiled the surprise? It could be your bodyguards here or even your other little friends Jubileena, Crumbelina, and Candlehead who are hiding in the castle. Oh yes, I knew exactly where to find them there."

King Candy raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. From that snap, two Turbo humanoids approached the group while shoving Crumbelina, Jubileena, and Candlehead harshly into the scene, the girls fiercely complaining along the way.

"Hey! Watch it!" Jubileena whined.

"Decisions, decisions." Garry continued with a low cackle. "Mmm, control, I just love the taste!"

Looking between her friends, Vanellope could feel her stern demeanor melting away as the distressed looks on her friends' faces sent her heartbeat bashing against her chest in a desperate attempt to rip them out of the situation ASAP. As desperately as she wanted to save them from Garry's tyranny, there was unfortunately one way to do it and it was now or never.

"I could have said it better myself." Set chimed in as his golden eyes shined with maliciousness.

A low dark growl was released from Vanellope's throat as she took a standing leap towards Set, but was quickly grabbed back by Ralph.

"Save it for the tracks champ." Ralph commented as he firmly held Vanellope in place.

"So Vannie, what will it be?" Garry pressed on. "Your friends and your game or you live under my rule for the rest of eternity? I promise to try to make it as painless as possible."

Narrowing her eyes, Vanellope sent a glare in Garry's direction that was sharp enough to cut glass!

"You should have known better than to ask me a question like that!" Vanellope growled, her words dripping with venom. "And don't you _ever_ call me Vannie again!"

"My apologies your highness, but let's proceed shall we?" Garry motioned as he raised his hands in front of him in defense, but then motioned them behind him to indicate what their next move was going to be.

Taking a last glance at her friends and the desperate look on their faces, Vanellope, Jet, Ralph, and Felix began following Garry, his list of tyrants and her imprisoned friends with Set picking up Adorabeezle and tossing her over his shoulder.

Garry led everyone to the race tracks where those who were participating in the race, their karts were already waiting on at the starting line. Vanellope approached her kart which was placed in slot five, King Candy approached the Royal kart, which was placed in slot two, Jet approached his kart which was eerily similar to his in Road Blasters and was placed in slot three. The Kit Kart was placed in slot one as Rancis approached and climbed in it, and finally Minty approached her kart, the Veloci-Wrapper that was placed in slot four.

Garry instructed for the twin Turbos to seat the prisoners in the stands, but are to sit nowhere near Ralph, Felix, and Jet in case they had the idea to free them during the race. Garry took a seat in the announcer's stand where Vanellope's father once sat before his demise and so he could have a grand view of the race.

Getting herself strapped in, Vanellope turned towards the announcer's stand and spotted Garry, noticing him staring down at her. Garry sent a wink in the royal's direction with Vanellope sending a scowl in his direction.

"Well, why don't we get started?" Garry said looking up at the traffic light before the track. The first track they were racing across was the Gumball Gorge, a track Vanellope knew she could take easily. If she were able to pull it off when she was a mere glitch, then doing it one upgrade later would be no problem! Then again, Rancis, Minty, and King Candy had an advantage here as well. Set was the only one who were unfamiliar with the track, but he still had racing experience.

The red light came on and everyone quickly looked forward with the anticipation of being ready to start. It then turned yellow with everyone revving their engines. When the light turned green, everyone took off at the same time at almost at the same speed, a large dust cloud rising as the racers took to the first track.

Vanellope had quickly taken the lead. With a grace of confidence, she smiled and glanced back at the others, seeing that she had a several mile advantage. Garry didn't seemed phased by this whatsoever as he just kept sitting in the announcer's stand with a smirk on his face. While she was quick to take the lead, Vanellope was slowly getting further ahead of them. She looked back over her should and saw the others seemed to be falling behind. That was strange to her as none of them were ever that slow.

Garry's smile grew wider as he raised his right index finger. Suddenly, a syrup slick appeared beneath Vanellope's kart, which threw off her kart's track dramatically. She began swerving out of control and spinning off the track. Grabbing a hold of her steering wheel, she quickly began drifting, but managed to regain control just a quickly. That was a close one, she had almost hit the wall in the gorge and wiped out, something Garry warned her about avoid. Having a suspicion as to where that syrup slick could have come from, Vanellope glared up at Garry with him sending an arrogant smirk in her direction. Syrup slicks just didn't randomly appear on the track.

"Garry will do anything to take over this game!" Ralph darkly barked as he kept his eyes intently on the jumbotron that the race was being telecasted on. "Even if it means playing dirty!"

"It's a good thing she managed to regain control." Felix half heartily cheered. "She can still win this thing."

Jet didn't add any commentary, but kept a watch on his brother's kart.

Garry just sat back and chuckled, he hadn't expected the syrup slick to work. He knew the royal was a bit too skilled for that, but he wanted her to know he was in control right now. As she made her way back to the track, Rancis and Set managed to pass her; Set saluted towards her as he drove by. Vanellope growled and slammed on the pedal.

She raced after them, but suddenly felt a bump from behind, her keeping the steering column aligned despite the current friction. She looked back and saw Minty and King Candy tightly closing in behind her.

"I didn't get to destroy you last time _glitch_, but I won't miss my chance this time, ha-ha!" Minty barked a demented chuckle as she flashed her an evil smile.

Vanellope groaned and turned back towards the road ahead of her. Before she could even try catching up to Rancis and Set, she had to deal with these two first. They began approaching the actual gorge, where gumballs were rolling back and forth across the track. Smirking, she knew could lose them there.

"Okay, I got this." Vanellope mumbled. She raced forward, swerving slightly to avoid the first gumball. It was easy enough to avoid them all considering she had done this plenty of times before. She glanced at her side mirror and saw Minty and King Candy were avoiding them just as easily as she was.

On the track, the good cheats sugar cubes appeared and Vanellope managed to grab an item.

"**Ice Cream canon**!"

A large ice cream cone appeared on the top of her kart. It fired and the scoop of ice cream went flying towards Set, who had gotten a fair distance ahead at this point.

Set managed to move out of the way just before the diary desert could hit him.

"Ha! Nice try loser!" Set cheered. "Next time bring your A- Oh fudge!"

While the slightly older Turbo twin was able to avoid the ice cream scoop, he didn't anticipate on what took place next. A large gumball rolled out onto the track and as much as he tried to avoid it, Set tried to move out of the way, but a large gumball rolled right over him, flattening him like a pancake.

Witnessing one of his players getting creamed, Garry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Unbelievable…" Garry sighed as he snapped his fingers.

A few seconds later, Set returned to normal. Had he not been a virus right now, he'd have had a game over, something he couldn't afford at that point. Vanellope smirked. With that, she had managed to catch up to Set.

"Please don't ignore me princess!" King Candy said with a maniacal laugh. He pressed a button on his kart and a canon emerged. Vanellope gasped. She didn't see him grab an item cube on the track. How could he have gotten that?!

"**SWEET SEEKERS!**"

Three Sweet Seeker missiles were coming towards her at a rapid pace and oddly enough, not a single one of them was going to Set, who was only a few feet in front of her.

"You've got to be kidding me! C'mon!" Vanellope shouted as she sped up. The sweet seeker missiles were right on her tail!

She kept driving from left to right, hoping to shake them, but they weren't letting up. They were acting as heat seeking missiles with a mission to wipe her out! All three Seekers suddenly began circling around her, leaving Vanellope utterly shocked. They were definitely not supposed to do this. Seekers were homing, but they did not circle around their target. The Seekers closed in and Vanellope glitched forward at the last second. She looked back at King Candy who was still laughing.

There was no way any of this should have been happening! Garry must have been messing with the game's code, the only way the impossible was becoming possible at that point in time, causing traps for her, and messing with the cheat items. As if this race wasn't hard enough as it was, that is the _last _thing she needed to deal with! She tightened her grip on the wheel and drove on. It didn't matter if he rigged the track. She would still find a way to win.

"Oh princess!" Minty's voice called out to her.

Vanellope looked back and saw Minty holding a large pumpkin.

"**TRICK-TREAT?!"**

Minty opened the top of the pumpkin and held it out towards her.

"**TRICK!**"

A flock of bats suddenly made their way out of the pumpkin. Vanellope gasped as the bats surrounded her kart and blocked her vision. She wanted to glitch out of the way, but she was having a hard time concentrating right now. She then closed her eyes and tried to ignore them. Blocking them out would do the trick. At least she hoped it would.

"I can do this, I can do this." Vanellope said taking a deep breath.

Gaining all of her concentration, she once again glitched and zipped herself right out of the flock of bats. Unfortunately, she reappeared right in front of a gumball.

"Fudge!" Vanellope screamed as she gripped her steering wheel tightly.

She swerved again, but the gumball winged the side of her kart. She went spinning out of control and onto the side of the road. It's always nice to get that nice broad side out of the way! The others went whizzing right by her with triumphant cackles and laughter.

"Catch you later princess!" Minty taunted.

Garry smiled as he watched his racers leave her in the dust. He would be sure to reward Minty for pulling that off later. Vanellope, meanwhile, sat on the side of the road so to gather herself.

She kept her eyes closed for a moment while trying her best to collect herself. Rushing back into the race angry would only make things worse so she had to get her head back in the game and fast as too much was at stake for her not to! After a few seconds, she grew a determined look and then drove after them. She quickly caught up with the four racers and easily whizzed by them with every danger on the track out of reach due to how close the finish line was, thus gaining the first place in the first race. One track and lap down with two more to go!

Ralph, Felix, Jet and the prisoners cheered as they witnessed Vanellope win first place in the race! A scowl etched into Garry's features as he witnessed Vanellope cross the finish line first when he was sure it would be one of his racers.

"You might have won this race, but I can guarantee you won't get lucky a second time!" Garry darkly spoke.

It wasn't long until Vanellope and the others reached the second part of the race: The Cakeway and Ice Cream Moutain!

* * *

_**The second half of this chapter, the race scene, was written by HardWrapping! He did an outstanding job and will be assisting me in the next few chapters in which the race continues so stay tuned and don't forget to,**_

_**Review Please!**_


	10. Race For The Code Part II

Chapter 10: Race For The Code Part II: A Piece Of Cake!

'Having barely cleared one race, Vanellope and Garry's team are headed for the second two-part race, Cake Way and Ice Cream Mountain. Will Vanellope be able to come out victorious on round two?'

_Previously_

"I can do this, I can do this." Vanellope said taking a deep breath.

Gaining all of her concentration, she once again glitched and zipped herself right out of the flock of bats. Unfortunately, she reappeared right in front of a gumball.

"Fudge!" Vanellope screamed as she gripped her steering wheel tightly.

She swerved again, but the gumball winged the side of her kart. She went spinning out of control and onto the side of the road. It's always nice to get that nice broad side out of the way! The others went whizzing right by her with triumphant cackles and laughter.

"Catch you later princess!" Minty taunted.

Garry smiled as he watched his racers leave her in the dust. He would be sure to reward Minty for pulling that off later. Vanellope, meanwhile, sat on the side of the road so to gather herself.

She kept her eyes closed for a moment while trying her best to collect herself. Rushing back into the race angry would only make things worse so she had to get her head back in the game and fast as too much was at stake for her not to! After a few seconds, she grew a determined look and then drove after them. She quickly caught up with the four racers and easily whizzed by them with every danger on the track out of reach due to how close the finish line was, thus gaining the first place in the first race. One track and lap down with two more to go!

Ralph, Felix, Jet and the prisoners cheered as they witnessed Vanellope win first place in the race! A scowl etched into Garry's features as he witnessed Vanellope cross the finish line first when he was sure it would be one of his racers.

"You might have won this race, but I can guarantee you won't get lucky a second time!" Garry darkly spoke.

It wasn't long until Vanellope and the others reached the second part of the race: The Cakeway and Ice Cream Moutain!

_Currently_

Having entered the second part of the race, Vanellope landed at the beginning of the Cakeway and was in the lead, having left Garry's four racer's in her dust, but she knew her role in first place was temporary and that they would come gunning for her sooner or later. However it was sooner as the sounds of kart engines could be heard gaining on her from less than a dozen feet away.

"Gee, what took you guys so long?" Vanellope mumbled to herself as she looked in her side mirrors to see Minty and King Candy's karts steadily approaching hers.

Within a blink of an eye, Minty and King Candy's karts whizzed by Vanellope while kicking up a light cloud of dust in her path. Pulling her racing goggles over her face before the debris could get in her eyes, Vanellope grew a determined look at the racers who were taunting her and knocked her from first place.

"Were you in first place? Woops sorry!" Minty taunted as she sped further ahead of the princess. "See you later loser!"

To match her determined expression, a dark growl erupted from the royal as her angered eyes trained to Minty's kart.

"Okay Vanellope, you got this." Vanellope expressed as she slammed her foot on the gas petal, accelerating her kart so to catch up with Minty and Candy. "This is _your_ game and once this is over, Garry will be buried _beneath_ the track, code by code and I'll _personally_ see to that!"

It didn't take her long to catch up with her two adversaries and gained a sly grin as she tailed them, Minty's kart coming into her line of sight particularly. Just to gain her attention, Vanellope rammed the front of her kart into the back of Minty's. The front bumper took a bit of damage, but it was worth it!

"Hey Cy-butts! You didn't think you could lose me that easily did you?" Vanellope taunted as Minty and King Candy turned to notice Vanellope tailing their karts.

Minty looked slightly surprised to see her, having through that Vanellope was still further back on the track. She didn't think Vanellope would catch up so easily considering how far behind them she was, but Candy on the other hand looked delighted. King Candy then signaled to Minty with an expression that only she understood, which made her slow acceleration as she drifted behind Vanellope's kart, knowing exactly what King Candy's next move was going to be. A look of confusion crossed Vanellope's face at noticing what Minty was doing, but she didn't let that deter her determination for winning the race. She did get the inkling the two were up to something dirty however.

"Didn't want it to be too easy brat!" King Candy voiced before pulling out a Gum-zooka as Vanellope's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. "Here's gum in your eye!"

Pulling the trigger, King Candy fired, but Vanellope glitched out of the way at the last second! The large wad of gum ended up hitting Minty directly, who had been caught completely off guard! Her kart tumbled over numerous times and she came tumbling out of it. The green haired girl bounced off the ground a few times, hitting her head as she did! When she finally landed, she tried to push herself off the ground, but her head was ringing too badly for her to do so. After a few seconds, she passed out onto the ground. Vanellope smirked and looked back at what remained of Minty's kart.

One down, three to go!

"Why you cheeky little brat!" King Candy shouted angrily. He fired the Gumzooka again, but Vanellope was skillfully avoiding the shots. "Stand still you little runt!"

But Vanellope kept on glitching out of the way with each shot fired. She thought she would have to come up with something clever to take King Candy out of the race, but it looked like he was about to do himself in. Vanellope began to drift, and King Candy smirked. He had a perfect shot now. "Got you now you little-what the?!"

He had been so focused on shooting at her that he had missed them approaching the spiraling multi layered cake. He quickly dropped his Gumzooka and tried to start drifting around the corner, but it was too late. His kart slid right off the cake, sending him falling into a cupcake on the side of the track! Now two down and two more to go!

"Alright Vanellope!" Taffyta cheered. "That'll show these bug-eyed freaks whose game this is!"

The strawberry themed racer was quickly quieted by the cattleprod gopher rod that the first Turbo humanoid were holding that wigged her code out a bit as she was slightly electrocuted

"Quiet down prisoner." The humanoid spoke in a deadpanned voice.

"Don't you _ever _touch me again you freak!" Taffyta screamed, having recovered quickly from her slight electroshock.

"Way to go kid!" Ralph cheered to Vanellope, having witnessed her victory.

"She can actually win this." Felix cheered. "Go Vanellope!"

Jet remained silent as his focus and thoughts were on his brother, but he kept his focus on the jumbotron.

"_Save my brother please Vanellope!"_ Jet mentally prayed.

Garry looked annoyed. Minty was out cold so even if he did fix her and her kart up, it was pointless and Candy was currently sunken in cupcake frosting. By the time he got out, he'd be much too far behind to do any good. The only ones left now were Rancis and Set. They were a good distance behind her, but he had no doubt they would catch up to her in no time. When they did however, she would be in for a big surprise. If she thought they'd be as simple as the others, she was dead wrong!

Vanellope kept speeding forward, hoping to stay ahead of Rancis and Set. They couldn't have been that far behind her, but she needed to hurry up and make up the lost ground. As he made her way through the Cakeway, she suddenly noticed a large shadow looming over her.

"What the-?!" Vanellope gasped as she quickly turned her vision to the sky above her to see just what trick was heading her way this time.

In noticing what that large shadow was that was looming above her, Vanellope drove to the side just before a large piece of cake crashed down on top of her. Vanellope looked back at the chunk of cake and then up towards the walls at the beginning of the stage. Sure enough there was a large chunk of it missing, which made the royal frown. That had NEVER happened before! This had to be Garry's work!

Noticing another shadow looming over here, Vanellope turned to the sky and gasped. What she saw were that the cake walls surrounding her were caving in.

"Fudge…!" Vanellope cursed as she slammed her foot on the gas to get out of the area and quickly. The ending to the race track was not that far away and right up ahead!

With the walls seemingly caving quickly, she picked up speed and began swerving and glitching to avoid the falling chunks of cake from above. Just as it looked like she was about to make it out free and clear, the walls completely caved in on her.

Gasps erupted from Ralph, Jet, Felix, Taffyta, Gloyd, and Swizzle as they witnessed what took place on the Jumbotron's screen. Garry, however, smiled at the sight in delight. If his racers didn't stop her, somehow, something would and that did it.

"Vanellope!" Ralph shouted as he jumped to his feet along with Jet and Felix.

"Cheater!" Taffyta said turning towards Garry. "You are _not_ getting your _grimy_ hands on this game by _any_ means!"

The antagonist simply shrugged.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Garry mused with a smirk. "But if she can't continue the race then I guess this little competition is-"

A spark appeared on the screen and Vanellope appeared in front of the massive pile of cake that had collapsed in on her, instantly shutting Garry up! She gasped for breath and wiped the cake batter and icing that were covering her hair and face. Vanellope had barely managed to glitch her way out of there. She then looked up towards the camera with a glare.

"That the best you got?" Vanellope dared as she drove off again.

Garry raised his eyebrow. If she was going to call him out, then he wasn't going to be subtle about it anymore! The rules were officially going to change!

"Fine glitch, you want a battle, I'll give you a war." Garry muttered snapping his fingers together. A large scoop of ice cream suddenly appeared in the air above Vanellope.

Spotting the scoop heading right for her, Vanellope gasped.

"Aw c'mon! Now you're not even trying to hide it!" Vanellope yelled as she swerved out of the way of the ice cream ball.

The scoop just barely missed Vanellope, and she almost lost control of the kart. The ground beneath her suddenly began shaking, and a large crack formed into the ground.

"Oh Man!" Vanellope groaned. "Now what?!"

Appearing before her was a Sweet Seeker item that floated above the crack in the ground. Vanellope reached out and grabbed the item as the crack in the ground grew wider.

**"Soda Burst!" **

Two cans of soda appeared on the side of her kart. They opened and fizz shot out from the tops, sending her shooting forward with a quick boost.

"That user for good cheats." Vanellope mumbled to herself in praise.

She managed to outrun the crack in the ground and felt a shiver up her spine when the track behind her split in two. Vanellope was starting to regret egging Garry on like that. The more she had to keep dealing with the traps he sent at her, the further the others would get ahead of her.

Garry was growing irritated. He knew taking her down would be difficult, but her driving skills were more impressive than he'd given her credit for.

"Alright then princess, let's kick it up a notch." Garry dared as his eyes shined a lime green.

Vanellope gasped as candy cane spikes began shooting out of the ground. She zipped left and right trying to avoid the spikes.

"I'm going to beat him to a pulp when this is over!" Vanellope shouted angrily as she continued swerving so to avoid the spikes.

She sped up moving as fast as she could, but then felt the kart rock. One of the spikes had managed to skim a wheel on the kart!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Vanellope yelled as she was trying to regain control of the kart. Another spike came up and scrapped the side of her kart. She went spinning out of control and slammed into a piece of cake on the side of the road.

"I'm going to slaughter you for doing that to her!" Taffyta screamed to Garry as she jumped to her feet, despite the bonds on her hands.

"That's one wipe out." Garry said smirking. "One more and she's done."

Vanellope tightened her grip on the wheel. Her kart was slowly repairing itself. There were plenty of crashes in the game, and the karts always repaired themselves mid race, but while they usually were back on the track in seconds, this repair felt agonizingly long.

"C'mon! C'mon!" Vanellope groaned, slamming her hands on the wheel. The repair was taking entirely too long!

The kart finally fixed itself and Vanellope took off. She reached the end of the Cakeway and made it to the Ice Cream Mountain. She drove upwards, feeling the temperature dropping as she moved forward. Forty degrees, thirty degrees, twenty degrees, the temperature just kept dropping with each mile she crossed on the ice cream'd track.

"Okay, gone through this plenty of times." Vanellope spoke to herself in an attempt to get her nerves under control despite the plummeting temperatures. "I got this-"

The royal's thought was immediately cut off as a large scoop of ice cream suddenly came rolling towards her. As it rolled it grew, collecting more ice cream as it rolled towards her.

"Fudge!" Vanellope cursed.

Vanellope was able to move out of the way of the first boulder, but saw more coming toward her up ahead.

"The boulders aren't supposed to come this early!" Vanellope reasoned, knowing the all knowing reason why the boulders were arriving sooner than they were supposed to. "Now you're not trying anymore Garry!"

Three scoops up ahead began rolling down at once and they took up the whole track with no way to avoid them. Vanellope grew a determined look as she eyed the boulders.

"Off road skills, let's go." Vanellope declared, driving off the road as she began making her way through the thick number of trees. At least this way she didn't have to deal with the boulder like scoops of ice cream. While that was indeed Ice Cream Mountain, that was ridiculous!

Set and Rancis had finally caught up to Vanellope's mileage, but didn't anticipate on what was to take place next.

Rancis spotted Vanellope within the forest area below the track, but wasn't paying attention to the large ice-cream boulder that was heading in his direction at lightning speed. When he finally looked ahead, the boulder smacked right into him, knocking him and his kart off of the track! The racer and his kart tumbled to the left and into a ditch!

Three down one more to go!

"Amateur!" Set chuckled as he dodged the incoming boulder with ease that threatened to knock him off of the track. He spotted Vanellope in the forest below, but didn't bother to give chase as he had something much better planned that would guarantee to throw the royal off of her game. He then continued into the cave up ahead so to head off with Vanellope at the end.

In the mountain's forest, Vanellope knew she couldn't keep that up though. She couldn't move as fast off road, but she just figured this would be better than dealing with Garry's stupid traps on the tracks. At some point she needed to get back on the track, but it wasn't a matter of _how_, but more, _when_. She then heard a loud noise and saw a tree falling towards her. Vanellope didn't even bother groaning this time; she needed to focus on staying alive and winning.

She sped up barely managing to dodge the falling tree. As expected, more started falling towards her. Vanellope used her glitch to avoid most of them. It wasn't too difficult. Unlike the other traps, the trees couldn't just change directions.

Vanellope finally zipped back onto the track, around the cave, and found she was further up the mountain. She was near the top already, which meant she at least had a chance at catching up. As Vanellope reached the peak of the mountain, she decided to do something crazy. The track downwards was curvy and she didn't have time to deal with it so she figured she'd cut straight across.

Vanellope kept driving straight, right off the side of the road and landed down on the side of the mountain while struggling to keep her grip on the wheel. The terrain was very rocky and rough, but she somehow managed to keep going. Continuing to struggle to maintain her trek through the rough terrain, Vanellope didn't spot Set driving right alongside her, having exited the mountain's cave and driving on the same terrain as her. However, the rough slam he gave the left side of her kart surely caught her attention.

"Give it up Glitch!" Set yelled over the howling wind of the frosty mountain. "You're done for and with you out of the way, Garry will surely rule this game!"

"Not if I have something to do with it!" Vanellope retorted as she slammed into the right side of his kart while the wind blew her hair around. "It will be that _terrible_ excuse of a ruler that will be living out in Game Central Station because I'd rather die saving this game than to let him run_ my_ game into the ground!"

"Famous last words!" Set slyly spoke.

The two continued to drive through the rough terrain side by side as Set gave her kart another rough slam, which nearly sent her kart spiraling into a tree, but glitching out of the way mere seconds before her and her kart were goners is what saved the royal from a vehicular homicide.

Looking past Set, Vanellope noticed the distance she was from the track and getting back on it was going to pose a challenge, especially with Set standing between her and it. However, a little light bulb came on in the royal's mind as a sly grin graced her face. With some quick thinking, Vanellope quickly decelerated backwards and glitched behind Set, instantly confusing the twin as he nearly slammed into an approaching tree, but he was able to avoid it at the very last second.

"How does Swizzle keep doing stupid stuff like this?!" Vanellope shouted as she made her way towards the next track, having crossed the milestone from Cakeway and Ice Cream Mountain.

Having witnessed yet another win on behalf of the Princess, a fierce growl erupted from Garry as he slammed his fists on the armrest of the announcer's chair.

"How could she manage that?! HOW?!" Garry fumed as he watched Set make his way back onto the track, miles behind Vanellope on the jumbotron. "I have done everything to stop her, but yet nothing will!"

Noticing how outraged he has become, Garry immediately took a calming breath to relax himself, despite the victory cheers that erupted behind him.

"Still yourself Garry, still yourself." Garry mused. "There's always the last and final track, my ace in the hole. She _will_ surely meet her end there, but just to make sure to level the playing field evenly."

The game's information, from the absorbed code box, scrolled down Garry's eyes with the list of the game's racers appearing before his vision. Three racers were highlighted on the list and, just as quickly, were removed with a sickening grin gracing the hybrid's features as the word DELETED appeared. His vision then returned to normal.

A colorful aura that matched the racers' themes suddenly surrounded Taffyta, Jubileena, and an incapacitated Adorabeezle Winterpop, the three quickly disappearing as tiny trails of their code remained in their wake.

"Oh no! Guys!" Candlehead screeched as Gloyd and Swizzle lowered their visions in despair.

"NO!" Jet screamed as he leapt to his feet.

"What just happened?!" Felix questioned.

Ralph didn't respond, but yet, turned his infuriated gaze to the announcer's stand, to Garry.

"Whoops, my fingers slipped." Garry lightly chuckled.

* * *

_**Can you believe that the drive behind this chapter (other than HardWrapping's amazing race writing skills) was the song "Weird Science"? Don't ask why lol, it just was!**_

_**My apologies for my two week hiatus as I had to contend with finishing my summer term's final exams and life in general. However, my Fall terms begin soon and I will try to have 'Friend' for Schweet Deal written and posted before then. With that said, please don't forget to,**_

_**Review Please!**_


	11. Race For The Code Part III

Chapter 11: Race For The Code Part III: Trick Or Treat!

'With three of Garry's racers down, there is only one left that is standing between Vanellope getting her game back from Garry's clutches! Will she be able to lose Set like the others? The final race will tell all!'

_Previously_

Looking past Set, Vanellope noticed the distance she was from the track and getting back on it was going to pose a challenge, especially with Set standing between her and it. However, a little light bulb came on in the royal's mind as a sly grin graced her face. With some quick thinking, Vanellope quickly decelerated backwards and glitched behind Set, instantly confusing the twin as he nearly slammed into an approaching tree, but he was able to avoid it at the very last second.

"How does Swizzle keep doing stupid stuff like this?!" Vanellope shouted as she made her way towards the next track, having crossed the milestone from Cakeway and Ice Cream Mountain.

Having witnessed yet another win on behalf of the Princess, a fierce growl erupted from Garry as he slammed his fists on the armrest of the announcer's chair.

"How could she manage that?! HOW?!" Garry fumed as he watched Set make his way back onto the track, miles behind Vanellope on the jumbotron. "I have done everything to stop her, but yet nothing will!"

Noticing how outraged he has become, Garry immediately took a calming breath to relax himself, despite the victory cheers that erupted behind him.

"Still yourself Garry, still yourself." Garry mused. "There's always the last and final track, my ace in the hole. She _will_ surely meet her end there, but just to make sure to level the playing field evenly."

The game's information, from the absorbed code box, scrolled down Garry's eyes with the list of the game's racers appearing before his vision. Three were highlighted on the list and, just as quickly, were removed with a sickening grin gracing the hybrid's features as the word DELETED appeared. His vision then returned to normal.

A colorful aura that matched the racers' themes suddenly surrounded Taffyta, Jubileena, and an incapacitated Adorabeezle Winterpop, the three quickly disappearing as tiny trails of their code remained in their wake.

"Oh No! Guys!" Candlehead screeched as Gloyd and Swizzle lowered their heads in despair.

"NO!" Jet screamed as he leapt to his feet.

"What just happened?!" Felix questioned.

Ralph didn't respond, but yet, turned his infuriated gaze to the announcer's stand, to Garry.

"Whoops, my fingers slipped." Garry lightly chuckled.

_Currently_

The Pumpkin patch track. It was a very tricky place. The roads sometime shifted and morphed or sometimes create turns that could either be short cuts or traps.

Right now Vanellope was praying this stage would give her a short cut. She wasn't sure she would have enough time to come up with a strategy so to lose Set so to come out of the race unscathed, but even she knew that Garry wouldn't allow that. Even if she did, Vanellope knew he would do anything to throw her off of her game so Garry would have the game in the palm of his hands. He was watching her every move, therefore, leaving her with little opportunity so to outsmart him. That only left her with one option and one option only, get the jump on him as fast as possible before he had the chance to do that to her.

As if on cue, some of the pumpkins on the side of the road rolled over and revealed a path. Vanellope grew wide eyed at seeing this. That path could be the short cut she needed to lose Set along the way… then again, it could be a trap. For all she knew, Garry rigged it and put it there to trick her, but she wasn't sure if she could lose him without it.

She narrowed her eyes and drove towards it. It was all or nothing! As Vanellope drove down the path, Garry smiled having witnessed her move on the Jumbotron. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist taking a short cut and he couldn't be more right. While she was miles ahead of Set, the next move she took was one Garry knew she couldn't resist driving into.

"It's all over princess." He muttered under his breath with a sickening smirk. "Your kingdom and game is as good as mine."

With Garry's attention on the screen along with the twin Turbo humoids, an idea came to Ralph. He tapped Felix's and Jet's shoulder and both turned to him as he began whispering his idea to them out of the ear shot of the twins, his vision shifting back and forth to the twin humoids as he spoke.

"While the wannabe ruler up there is busy, I have an idea of what to do about his twin flunkies over there." Ralph whispered as he gestured to the twin Turbos.

"What is your idea?" Felix whispered back in inquisition. "That one with the cattleprod is a bit vicious."

"Felix, I know how much you don't like confrontation, but you did stand up to Garry so you should have no problem standing up to them." Ralph continued. "Look at them! You could tear through them like paper."

"No, YOU could tear through them like paper." Felix corrected the wrecker. "You're the wrecker of the game."

"Yea, but if we get hit by that cattleprod, we are all outside of our games so we can be deleted." Jet added in. "If we die outsides of our games, we don't regenerate. That especially goes for me!"

"Who's to say the same thing can't happen to them?" Ralph slyly questioned. "They're not inside of their own game, despite Garry's control over them. Plus we have something that they don't at our disposal."

Ralph's eyes then shifted to Felix's utility belt, Jet and Felix's eyes landed there as well. Felix and Jet then turned back to Ralph as they nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! So here is what we're going to do." Ralph began voicing his plan to his comrades.

Back on the track, Vanellope made her way down the path and saw a dark cave up ahead. This was it. She would go in there and she would either be caught in a trap or she would be spat out further down the track. While now was not to the time weigh options of either or, it was now or never. Taking the first option, she revved her kart and zipped inside. Witnessing this, Garry laughed.

"Looks like I win." Garry nonchalantly declared as he got to his feet. "This game and this kingdom now belongs to…"

His thought was quickly brought to an abrupt halt when he realized the trap he set inside hadn't sprung yet. Garry felt his nerves starting to rile once more at this!

"What's happening?" Garry questioned as he leaned forward. "Why hadn't my trap sprung yet?!"

There was nothing but silence from the camera showing Vanellope path on the rack. Ralph, Felix, and Jet were on the edge of their seats at wondering what was going on and why Vanellope had suddenly disappeared into that pumpkin. Suddenly the camera zoomed to where Set was on the track.

"Looks like the princess is done for." Set said with a smirk.

Suddenly one of the nearby Jack-o-lantern's opened its mouth and Vanellope came flying out of it. She then landed next to him and grinned.

"Hello Set, did ya miss me?" Vanellope greeted him as she accelerated forward. "In front of you!"

"What?! No! No! No! NO!" Garry fiercely fumed as he banged his fists on the stand's front counters. He didn't understand it! He rigged the track with a trap! He knew he did! How could she have come out okay? It didn't make any sense. It was as if the track wanted her to win or something!

"The track keeps changing genius." Gloyd said smirking. "Even if you rig it to be a trap, there's nothing stopping it from changing back. Guess you're not as good with code as you thought."

He knew this track better than anyone, and he knew no trap set there would last for long.

Garry glared down at him.

"Oh, you enjoy your laughs for now Pumpkin head because you won't be smiling for much longer." Garry snapped. "She still has one more of my racers to face and even I know she _won't_ be able to win with him on the track!"

Vanellope slowly began taking the lead, but suddenly Set pulled out Cherry Bomb. He lit and hurled it towards Vanellope who barely moved out of the way before the explosion could hit her. Set took the chance to move forward.

"You have me to deal with now you're highness." Set said flashing an evil smile.

"Bring it on you Turbo reject!" Vanellope challenged.

Vanellope glared towards him as he pulled out two more cherry bombs. He began throwing them one after another in her direction. Where was he keeping all of those things? There was barely any room in their karts as it was! Vanellope kept dodging the bombs and kept on Set. She couldn't afford to let him get too far ahead as the fate of her game depended on her being in first place. They were getting close to the finish line in another three miles!

"You're really good at dodging those. Let's fix that." Set challenged pulling out a Gumzooka.

He fired behind him nearly, hitting her. Vanellope moved out of the way and a cherry bomb landed on the hood of her kart.

"Fudge!" Vanellope shouted at seeing the short fused bomb on the hood of her kart.

Vanellope shifted the kart quickly to the left and managed to shake the bomb off to the road side. However the explosion that took place road side from the bomb shook her up a bit. Before she could shake her mind back to the road, another Gumzooka shot came towards her and she glitched out of the way of the shot, but then found herself veering to the left to dodge another bomb. Vanellope couldn't keep this up. She had to think of something before she got wrecked, something Garry was _more_ than looking forward to see taking place.

Vanellope noticed that Set was pulling out two more cherry bombs. She narrowed her eyes before slamming on the brakes of her kart just as he was about to throw one in her direction. Noticing that she suddenly came to halt, the first bomb stumbled out of Set's hands and onto the road ahead of him. Bringing his kart to a screeching halt, Set began reversing his kart as he panicked at seeing the lit bomb in his path. He quickly moved out of the way before it had a chance to blow up in his face. That bomb that he tried to throw rolled in front of Vanellope on the track. It hadn't blown up yet and it looked like she still had time before the flare reached the end of the fuse!

The second cherry bomb Set had been holding fell down to the floor of his kart, rolling underneath his gas pedal, the twin none the wiser of it. Seeing that the first bomb was no longer his problem, Set shot a smirk to Vanellope.

"See ya later, _your highness!"_ Set smirked as he slammed his foot on the gas pedal with intentions of taking off quickly so to leave Vanellope with the problem, but yet heard his engine revving, but the kart not moving. This confused the virus as he tried taking off again, but found that he remained stationary.

"What is going on and why am I not moving?" Set questioned as he looked down, an immediate look of horror crossing his features.

While he was able foot the pedal before with the bomb underneath, he couldn't press on the gas again or the bomb would go off due to continued applied pressure. Set quickly reached down and began trying to pull it back up, but the bomb was stuck under the pedal.

"Not good! Not good!" Set voiced as he began to sweat.

Seeing that the bomb had a few seconds before it went off and that Set was engaged in getting rid of the second bomb, Vanellope pushed her gear shift forward and accelerated forward around the first bomb. She didn't want to give Set and the cherry bomb a chance to set her back anymore than she needed to be!

"Now see YOU later, _rookie_!" Vanellope shouted back.

Having gone ahead on the track, Vanellope kept driving and noticed a sweet seeker cheat in her path. Grabbing it, it turned out to be just what she needed to deflect Set.

**Cherry Bomb!**

"Couldn't have asked for a better cheat if I dreamed it up!" Vanellope expressed.

Having grabbed the bomb on the track, Vanellope set it in her lap to keep for when she needed it. However, later came sooner than she hoped as the back of her kart was harshly rammed! Looking back, she noticed Set driving in close proximity behind her. She grimaced at the sight of him.

"I missed you too." Vanellope mumbled to herself as she turned back to in front of her.

Looking in her side mirror so to determine if she would need to use her Cherry Bomb at that moment, she noticed that Set was taking aim with his Gumzooka, the barrel of the gun pointing right at her in her mirror! The mirror practically gave her deep insight into that barrel!

The finish line was right ahead, so he didn't need to worry about steering. Vanellope, however, began spinning the cherry bomb by its stem.

"Give it up squirt!" Set yelled as he harshly rammed the back of her kart again, while firing his gumzooka. A wad of gum hit her right side view mirror!

"Not a chance!" Vanellope said throwing the cherry bomb backwards towards Set.

Set pulled the trigger on the Gumzooka again, but the cherry bomb landed right in its barrel, corking it. The Gumzooka jammed and began smoking.

"Looks like Garry's hacking backfired on you!" Vanellope shouted as she continued ahead of set.

Set growled and threw the Gumzooka at her. She moved out of the way and ignored the explosion of the weapon behind her.

"Doesn't matter! I can still outrace you!" Set fumed loudly.

"We'll see about that!" Vanellope countered, glitching forward. She was now neck and neck with Set. The finish line was right ahead of them. "I'm not gonna let you or anyone else get in the way of me protecting my game!"

Set gritted his teeth at the ruler's statement.

"And I'm not gonna lose to some royal brat!" Set growled before ramming into her. Vanellope's kart shook, but she held steady. He kept on ramming into her, trying to knock her off the road.

"I've been racing since before your concept was thought off!" Set continued as he harshly rammed into the side of her kart again. "You're nothing but a rookie compared to me!"

"Who are you calling a rookie, you eight bit knock off!" Vanellope yelled back as she rammed into him. "Trying going HD before you even mention concepts to me!"

Set growled louder and fiercely rammed into Vanellope once more, knocking her that much closer to the side of the road and knocking off some of the candy from her kart.

With each ram, he knocked her closer and closer to the side of the road. She winced with each hit. She had been rammed on the track plenty of times before, but his kart felt much heavier than it should have. Did Garry increase its weight or something?

Set moved in for one final bump, but Vanellope glitched to the other side of him at the final second, which sent Set skidding off the side of the road and into a pumpkin, while Vanellope quickly drove forward. She smirked back at him.

"Hope you like pumpkin flavor!" Vanellope called as she crossed the finish line.

Garry watched, narrowing his eyes in disbelief as the winner's name flashed across the Jumbotron's screen. How had they lost? He had put all the odds in their favors. He'd rigged the track, gave them items, boosted said items, and yet, they still managed to screw it up! Some heavy hitters they turned out to be!

"For the love of mod…" Garry voiced in exhaust. "Fudge…"

Garry's calm demeanor quickly went south as the antagonist's vengeful side surfaced. He did everything he could to get his paws on this game from locking up parts of it, to changing the tracks, to even a cybug invasion, but no matter what, _she _stood in his way every time!

"She _will_ pay!" Garry expressed through gritted teeth as his eyes changed to those of a cybug. "They all _will_ pay! If I can't rule this game, then_ neither_ will she!"

Turning from the screen, Garry began his descent from the announcer's stand.

"NOW!" Ralph screamed as Felix's hammer slugged the first humoid Turbo in the side of the head. The humanoid took a hit and Ralph picked it up with one hand and slung him a distance.

Jet jumped on the other Turbo and locked it in a choke hold, tightening his grip onto it until it lost consciousness, which it was slowly doing while trying to pry the racer's arm off of its neck.

"This is for working for that _scum_ Garry!" Jet growled as he tightened his grip once more.

While Jet was holding the Turbo, Felix slugged that one in the head while Ralph slammed his right fist down into the stomach of the data hog. It then broke down into data bits that quickly winked out of existence.

"Hey, that actually felt good." Felix smiled as he twirled his hammer.

The put on pause virus invasion erupted once more, which quickly darkened the skies of the sugar themed game!

"Well, you'll get your chance to taste that victory again after we get these racers to safety." Ralph hollered over the high pitched screeching of the numerous cybugs. "Give me a hand!"

Jet, Felix, and Ralph raced over to the imprisoned racers with Felix knocking his hammer against the bonds on their wrists.

"Come on guys, we have to get you to safety!" Ralph urged.

"But what about Taffyta, Adorabeezle, and Jubileena?" Candlehead questioned as she rubbed her wrists.

"I'm sorry about your fallen comrades, but your safety is what's important first." Ralph continued to urge the racers to get a move on. A fully grown cybug landed in front of them on the stands, but before it could attack, Ralph punched it into data bits! Everyone winced as the bug's data flew everywhere.

"And this is why I am telling you all to get a move on!" Ralph pushed. "I can't guarantee your safety if another one of those things show up!"

Without another comment or question, the remaining racers of the game, Felix, Jet, and Ralph jumped from the stands and began to head for the village that was not too far away from the race track. However, along the way, they met up with Vanellope who was on her way to meet with them and give Garry a piece of her mind! Candlehead was the first to congratulate her on winning the race while almost knocking the girl over.

"You did a beyond fantastic job on the tracks Vanellope!" Candlehead cheered, despite the danger that was occurring around them. "Way to show those viruses who was boss!"

"Thanks Candlehead." Vanellope sheepishly replied as she looked among the racers and noticed that there were three missing. "Hey, where are Taffyta, Adorabeezle, and Jubileena?"

Candlehead, Crumbelina, Gloyd, and Swizzle looked between each other with Ralph being the first to speak up.

"I'm sorry Vanellope." Ralph sadly spoke as his facial expression matched his mood.

"Sorry for what?" Vanellope questioned in confusion.

There was silence among the group as they honestly didn't know how to give Vanellope the bad news about her racers, but Ralph speaking up broken the saddened silence.

"Garry deleted their codes." Ralph stated, the words coming out of his mouth seemed to spill slowly to Vanellope.

A gasp escaped from the ruler as she put her left gloved hand to her mouth in disbelief. Tears threatened to prick the corners of her hazel eyes as she looked among everyone, not believing what she just heard. They, like her, were saddened by her fallen comrades. Vanellope's sadness quickly turned to anger, rage beginning to seethe every binary in her code! First, he corrupts the game, then pits her against her friends, and now he deleted her friends' codes? Plus to add insult to injury, he revived her deceased father in cybug form! That was enough to send her rage spilling over the edge!

This had to end and she would be the one to do it!

Vanellope quickly glitched away in a blur of purplish-blue binary that made up her code, that blur rushing towards her castle.

"Where is she going?" Jet questioned.

"I'm thinking to find Garry." Ralph spoke. "Trust me, she'll be fine, but for now, the rest of us better get to safety. You racers can regenerate, but us, we can't and won't!"

**Candy Kingdom**

Vanellope glitched to the castle's front doors to see that they were torn off of the hinges, both doors horribly desecrated as they lay in array on the broken tiles in which they lay atop of. Vanellope didn't bother to inspect the damage as she already knew what was behind the carnage. Even the walls in the hall leading to the throne room and other parts of the castle had mile wide slashes in them as if someone with a machete raced through the hall while running the blade through both sides of the hall. The picture of her father that hung on the right side of the hall was cut in half as it laid horribly maimed on the broken tiles. That's the _last_ thing she needed to see!

She quickly glitched to the throne room to find Sour Bill barely conscious and laying in front of the horribly desecrated throne, positioned as if he were roughly thrown aside. Vanellope made her way over to him and picked him up.

"It….it was him." Bill choked out as he tried to open his closed right eye. "He's…..Garry. Code…..room."

Just seeing her assistant in such a bad state made the raven haired princess even more furious!

"Just stay here." Vanellope calmly spoke to Bill as she set him gently on the throne. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The teen then glitched into the walkway leading to the code vault and quickly grabbing a licorice rope. After securing it around herself, she entered the code vault, but was immediately knocked aside by a blunt force, her back harshly and sickeningly hitting a random code box as her back cracked a bit from hitting the hard surface. The box wobbled a bit from the blunt force of the teen's body.

Quickly regaining her composure and releasing a disgruntled groan, Vanellope's eyes widened at what she saw before her. While she had seen Garry in cybug form before, this time, he was a lot bigger than previously! The neck of the bug was long and winding like a coil, his legs were bigger and much longer, his body was much larger, his tail sprigs were longer and more winding, his wings were wider, and his fangs were much sharper than she remembered! Even his chest limbs were bigger and sharper! Taking in the look of the antagonist, Vanellope noticed that his crimson virus code was streaming all over his body along with the codes of Minty, Set, her father, and Rancis! She wasn't just dealing with any ordinary corrupt wannabe ruler, she was dealing with something much more dangerous than that!

Garry currently held a string of wires to code boxes that he ripped from the game that still had the boxes attached to the wildly sparking wires. With her in sight, Garry flashed a sickeningly evil smile to her as his virus code began entering the code boxes that were tightly clasped in his claws!

"Oh my cybug!" Vanellope gasped after giving Garry the once over once more.

"Hello my dear and welcome to the Boss Level!" Garry screeched, his high pitched voice causing Vanellope to cover her ears. "Or should I say, welcome to your end!"

* * *

_**Good news everyone! While jotting down the final chapters points to this story between my studies (which I'm not sure how many chapters are left honestly), I have decided on a part two to this fanfic that will be named 'Secrets Of The Code". The summary is on my profile as it would be too much to write here, but just know a sequel is coming! With that being said, please don't forget to, **_

_**Review Please as part I of Fight For The Code begins!**_

_**(Thanks once again for to Hardwrapping for his awesome race writing skills!)**_


	12. Fight For The Code Part I

Chapter 12: Fight For The Code Part I

'The races are completed with Vanellope coming out victorious, but Garry has stepped his game up and decided to take his revenge a step further, into the code room! How will Vanellope fair in the final battle against him?'

**Chapter inspiration song: Hear The bells (feat. Imaginary Cities) by Porter Robinson**

_Previously_

**Candy Kingdom**

Vanellope glitched to the castle's front doors to see that they were torn off of the hinges, both doors horribly desecrated as they lay in array on the broken tiles in which they lay atop of. Vanellope didn't bother to inspect the damage as she already knew what was behind the carnage. Even the walls in the hall leading to the throne room and other parts of the castle had mile wide slashes in them as if someone with a machete raced through the hall while running the blade through both sides of the hall. The picture of her father that hung on the right side of the hall was cut in half as it laid horribly maimed on the broken tiles. That's the _last_ thing she needed to see!

She quickly glitched to the throne room to find Sour Bill barely conscious and laying in front of the horribly desecrated throne, positioned as if he were roughly thrown aside. Vanellope made her way over to him and picked him up.

"It….it was him." Bill choked out as he tried to open his closed right eye. "He's…..Garry. Code…..room."

Just seeing her assistant in such a bad state made the raven haired princess even more furious!

"Just stay here." Vanellope calmly spoke to Bill as she set him gently on the throne. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The teen then glitched into the walkway leading to the code vault and quickly grabbing a licorice rope. After securing it around herself, she entered the code vault, but was immediately knocked aside by a blunt force, her back harshly and sickeningly hitting a random code box as her back cracked a bit from hitting the hard surface. The box wobbled a bit from the blunt force of the teen's body.

Quickly regaining her composure and releasing a disgruntled groan, Vanellope's eyes widened at what she saw before her. While she had seen Garry in cybug form before, this time, he was a lot bigger than previously! The neck of the bug was long and winding like a coil, his legs were bigger and much longer, his body was much larger, his tail sprigs were longer and more winding, his wings were wider, and his fangs were much sharper than she remembered! Even his chest limbs were bigger and sharper! Taking in the look of the antagonist, Vanellope noticed that his crimson virus code was streaming all over his body along with the codes of Minty, Set, her father, and Rancis! She wasn't just dealing with any ordinary corrupt wannabe ruler, she was dealing with something much more dangerous than that!

Garry currently held a string of wires to code boxes that he ripped from the game that still had the boxes attached to the wildly sparking wires. With her in sight, Garry flashed a sickeningly evil smile to her as his virus code began entering the code boxes that were tightly clasped in his claws!

"Oh my cybug!" Vanellope gasped after giving Garry the once over once more.

"Hello my dear and welcome to the Boss Level!" Garry screeched, his high pitched voice causing Vanellope to cover her ears. "Or should I say, welcome to your end!"

_Currently_

"And so I said, if I can't use my rifle, I'm not going to use this puny gun against those monsters!" One of the soldiers from hero duty cracked as he and the rest of his platoon were exiting tappers. "Those things are way too big for that tiny hand gun to do any real damage."

"Yea I know and we can't even defend ourselves because those things grow so big!" Another officer added in as they followed closely behind Tamora, who was leading the group back to their game. "They go from babies to adult monsters in under sixty seconds!"

"You guys don't realize just how lucky you have it." Tamora spoke up as she continued leading the group back to the game while checking her handheld tracking beacon. "Whether you have a small gun or a riffle, at least you can defend yourselves unlike any other game here that's not prepared for such a battle. If it weren't for our game, this arcade would be a smoking crater in the middle of a dessert after a fierce world war."

As the group continued walking back to Hero's duty, the screen of Tamora's tracking beacon began blinking wildly, several triangular signals appeared on the screen at once. The Sergeant cocked an eyebrow at the odd behavior of her beacon.

"What in arcade is going on with this thing?" Tamora questioned as she lightly tapped the side of the beacon in the palm of her right hand. Noticing the device still behaving oddly, she tapped it once more. That, however, didn't change the behavior of the device. "I could have sworn I charged it fully this morning."

"Uh sarg, you might want to take a look at this!" One of the soldiers called out to her.

"What are you going on about now Markowski?" Tamora sternly questioned as her attention was diverted from her beacon and halfway to him before something else caught her attention.

The marquee of Sugar Rush was wildly blinking in and out while the red lights that sat on both sides of it flashed orange instead of maintaining a solid red color. The strange behavior of the marquee had drawn the attention of a small crowd that seemed to grow a bit larger with characters from other games gathering around to see what was going on with the famed sugar themed game.

"A virus outbeak!" Tamora hissed as she angrily eyed the marquee. "Markowski, gather the rest of the troops, a load of rounds, and a few backups and meet me in Sugar Rush! Those bugs have a sweet tooth and I intend to cure them of it! I am the dentist that they wish they never met!"

"Yes ma'am!" Markowski replied with a salute as he and the other soldiers that were following her ran ahead back to the portal of Hero's Duty.

Tamora reached around and pulled her military rifle off of the strap on her back. Cocking the gun, she began making her way into the crowd while requesting the gamers stand aside so she can enter the game and for their own safety.

**Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

It's as if time stood still for the royal as she was face to face with the monster far greater and more dangerous than Turbo! After his defeat, she never thought she had to enter a battle this fierce again, but sometimes lightning does strike twice and she felt that bolt strike every binary in her code as she took in the appearance of the monster!

Vanellope's eyes delicately followed the color codes of Set, Rancis, Minty, and her father as they streamed all over Garry's virus infested body along with his own crimson virus code. As much as she wanted to weep for them and her fallen comrades, she knew that wasn't the time to mourn their loss, but yet avenge them by destroying Garry at all costs!

Noticing the stunned look on her face, Garry couldn't help but smirk. To him, seeing Vanellope speechless was far better than any victory he would hope to gain from ripping the game right from under her!

"My princess, you seem stunned by my new look." Garry solemnly taunted the royal, noticing her wide hazel eyes glued to him, particularly to his body as the codes of the defeated racers streamed all over his body. "Do you like what I've done with the codes of your father and friends? I made sure their codes had a great home and once I _devour_ you like I did them, you'll be joining them! While your father made your code indestructible, trust me when I say, I _will_ find a way around that!"

Vanellope shook her head lightly while trying to shake the chill that ran up her spine each time a code from one of her comrades and even her father streamed into sight on Garry's body!

"It's like you didn't even care for them!" Vanellope began, her voice in a slight stammer, the shock evident in her words. "You used them and then….and then…treated them as if they were nothing but pawns to you! How can you do something like this?!"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I didn't care for them." Garry nonchalantly voiced as he devoured the code boxes that he ripped from the game with one swallow, the data from the boxes adding into the streaming codes that were already present on his body. "I gave them more than an ample chance to prove to me they were worthy to join my side after I became ruler of Sugar Rush, but yet, they proved they were nothing more than useless data! Especially your father and your little _boyfriend_, Rancis!"

Taking in what Garry said about her deceased father that he heartlessly pit against her on the tracks and Rancis, her shock then turned into raging anger, the same rage that seethed her code when Ralph revealed to her that Taffyta, Jubileena, and Adorabeezle had been deleted by Garry after the second race was completed. Her hazel eyes visibly narrowed and her code began sparking wildly at separate corners of her body! Garry smirked in delight at the sight of the visibly angry royal, seeing that he knew just what to say to get under her skin!

"Oh, did I say something to upset the little pri-" Garry began, but was cut off by a blunt force slamming into his right jaw that made the large bug stumble backwards a few clumsy steps. Whipping his wide eyed attention forward, Garry noticed Vanellope had her left leg extended while her fists were clenched tightly in front of her.

"_Don't you __ever__ besmirch the name of my father or any of my friends __ever__ again_!" Vanellope hissed, her gritted teeth clearly visible. "_My father will always be more of a ruler than you'll EVER be!"_

Placing his right claw to his injured right jaw, Garry narrowed his eyes to Vanellope, the shock of the temper he underestimated her having wearing off quickly.

"You're going to wish you never did that you _royal_ parasite!" Garry dangerously voiced as he moved his large legs forward to firmly plant him on the code box he was standing on, the tips of the claws on his legs creating a light dent in the box.

Before he could gather what his first move was going to be, a blunt force from the left of him sent the big stumbling backwards again and to the right, Vanellope having delivered a swift right punch and kick combo, her anger still visibly surging through her.

"You'll _never_ be the ruler of this game!" Vanellope declared in a dangerous tone as she kept her hatred filled gaze on Garry, him turning his angered attention to her. "You are just as _delusional_ as that idiot Turbo! He too thought he was going to rip this game from under me, but met a fate far worse than being deleted and Ralph saw to that! Your ego trip ends _here_!"

Unable to take the royal's verbal lashings any longer, Garry swiftly swung his open right claw in Vanellope's direction at lighting speed. Spotting the claw heading right for her, the girl quickly jumped out of the way, mostly dodging his claw, but the tip of his index digit connected with the fabric of her suit on her right leg, slashing it and grazing her skin in the process! Feeling a draft on her right leg, Vanellope looked down to assess the damage she just took and with her attention off Garry, the virus swiftly swung the back of his right claw at her and sent Vanellope flying into a code box that was floating nearby, her head and the left side of her body hitting the box the hardest!

Feeling her head ringing from the impact of hitting the box and shaking it to straighten her blurred vision, she quickly looked to the front of her and noticed that Garry was quickly approaching, his front chest limbs positioned outward so to pin her against the box! Despite how weak she felt from being attacked, Vanellope managed to shift out of the way in time as Garry plunged his chest limbs into the code box, damaging it as sparks flew from the crater that was made! If she hadn't move when she did, that crater would have been her instead! From his chest limbs, Garry's crimson virus code streamed into the box, it becoming corrupted and breaking down into horribly corroded strings of binary!

"You know you can't keep this up forever!" Garry shouted, the sound of his angry howl echoing through the vault as Vanellope looked between him and the area around the code vault for a safety point until she could come up with a plan to stop Garry. She mostly kept her vision on him in case he decided to perform a sneak attack. "I thought _daddy_ taught his _little_ girl how to fight! Or was it he taught you to sit on your high horse all day long and bark orders just like he did?!"

Vanellope felt a pang of guilt slam her in the heart hard, her jolting just a bit as if Garry had delivered the blow personally! Those words stung like a knife piercing her in the heart, but she couldn't let Garry know how much that stung! She couldn't figure out for the life of her why he kept pulling that card, but one thing was for sure, she was tired of hearing it and planned to shut him up for good!

Continuing to frantically look around the vault, Vanellope's eyes landed on the Factory Reset Code box, an idea quickly springing into her mind as to what she could do once she reached that box and fused her active data with it. She smiled to herself, knowing that's exactly what she needed in order to halt Garry in his tracks!

"_Thank user!_ _That's just what I need!" _Vanellope mentally smiled to herself. "_All I have to do is reach it and Garry would be done for! I'd be there by now if it weren't for the lack of gravity in here!"_

"This is your game, but yet you're doing everything you can to avoid fighting for it!" Garry continued taunting the royal as she glitched to a code box a good foot away from the virus, despite her glitch being slowed by the lack of gravity in the vault. "Isn't that why you accepted my challenge to race? Isn't that why we're here? To fight for your _precious_ game?! Where is the fighter that entered this room and out raced my racers on the tracks?! Don't tell me you're_ suddenly_ intimidated by me!"

Seeing that Vanellope was positioned on a code box not too far from him, Garry grinned and took a large leap upward with all of his might in the zero gravity space so to reach her, but she glitched to another code box two feet away just as he reached her! Releasing a growl, the virus spotted her and narrowed his eyes in frustration.

"You _will_ get tired of this little hide and seek game eventually because I already _have_!" Garry growled as he clenched his claws and crawled to the top of the current code box. "Face me like the _ruler_ you _claim_ you are and fight for the code of this digital ground you _claim_ will _only_ be ruled by _you_! Show me that you're the capable ruler that is fit to run this game or I will have _no_ trouble taking it from you!"

"Trust me, you'll get what's coming to you and more once I reach that code box!" Vanellope mumbled to herself.

From the code box she was standing on, Vanellope looked to the the box she needed to reach once more, an inward smile surfacing to her features as she noticed just how close she was to it. Just keeping her paces far enough ahead of Garry so to reach it was going to be a challenge considering the lack of gravity in the vault that slowed down her normally fast moving glitch. However, due to Garry's size, it would take effortless steps on his part just to reach her despite the lack of gravity they faced! Looking to her left briefly and back to her right, Vanellope took notice of how far Garry was from her and quickly used that distance to continue to assess just how far she needed to glitch next to get to the Factory Rest box.

Seeing that the royal was distracted, Garry took that as an opportunity to plan a sneak attack. Quickly stepping to the edge of the current box he was planted on, Garry leapt towards the box Vanellope was standing on, but a sudden violent tremor threw him forward onto the box she was on, bumping him into her, and knocking her off. Vanellope, reacting quickly, reached out and latched onto the top of the box, her gripping onto it as if she were on the edge of a cliff hanging on for dear life! And she was!

With Garry on top of the box, his looming presence approached the edge and looked down at her, a wicked grin appearing on his features. Vanellope looked up and noticed the virus standing over her, her licorice rope being just mere inches from his razor sharp claws! Looking down below her, the princess took notice of the infinite drop that would be her doom if Garry were to cut her only life line out of the code vault.

Swallowing the formed lump in her throat knowing just what her possible fate would be, she turned back to the enemy above her, his hysterical cybug eyes locked on her that read her doom in many different ways that only he could come up with!

"Looks like I have the upper hand once again princess!" Garry dangerously expressed, his cybug eyes widening as he slowly moved the tip of his front left leg close to her licorice rope. "Any last words?"

"User help me!" Was all the princess could muster as she locked eyes with her enemy.

**Race Tracks**

Felix swung his hammer towards another cybug and reverted it back to the egg in which it hatched from. He then stomped on it, not minding the lime green slime that surrounded the bottom of his shoe. A slam in the face from Ralph's fierce left hook scattered another cybug's data everywhere, ultimately destroying it. Ralph, Felix, and Jet stood back to back as they fought off the hoard of bugs that surrounded them with only Ralph and Felix destroying the bugs that were brave enough to attack them. Since Jet didn't have a weapon to defend himself against the bugs, Ralph and Felix took the stance to not only fight off the hoard, but to protect Jet as well since he was vulnerable and could easily be deleted!

"There have got to be at least a millions of these things!" Felix expressed as he swung his hammer at yet another bug, destroying it. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up! My hammer is used to fix things, not destroy them!"

"Your hammer is fixing something!" Jet voiced loudly over the cybugs' screeching. "It's exterminating a huge bug problem!"

"We have to keep tearing through these things until there's nothing left!" Ralph voiced as he grabbed a bug by its front legs and swiftly swung it to the ground on top of another bug, destroying both. "I saved this game once and I will do it again by any means necessary!"

Having destroyed a great deal of the bugs that surrounded them, more bugs flocked to the three by the hundreds, replacing the bugs that were previously destroyed by the two. Noticing the quick increase in the number of cybugs, Felix released a frustrated sigh as a twinge of pain stung his right arm down to the wrist. Grabbing his arm, Felix closed his eyes briefly, but just as quickly opened them as he leaned forward a bit. Jet, whom heard the handyman's sigh, turned to him and noticed that he looked as if were on the verge of passing out.

"Felix, you have to keep fighting!" Jet encouraged the handyman. "You can't give up now!"

"Felix, stay with us buddy!" Ralph added in with encouragement as he destroyed another bug. "Remember we are outside of our game so if we get deleted, we don't regenerate!"

"You've got a great point there junk pile!" Calhoun's voice shouted as a row of cybugs was instantly destroyed by what looked to be plasma blasts. Despite how fatigued he felt, Felix perked up at the sound of his wife's voice as a wide smile graced his features.

More cybugs were destroyed with Calhoun, Megaman with Rush Jet, Sonic and Amy (with her hammer) the hedgehogs, Knuckles the Echidna, and Gloyd and Snowanna, whom were riding on Rush Jet behind Megaman, coming into view.

Megaman's arm blaster quickly charged as he took aim at a cluster of cybugs that began surrounding the three once more, plasma beams from his blaster destroying the bugs on contact and scattering their data everywhere! Rush Jet lowered to the ground as Gloyd and Snowanna leaped off.

"Thanks for the lift buddy!" Gloyd thanked the blue warrior and his canine companion. "We got the ground covered, you guys cover us from the skies!"

With a curve of a right sided smile, Megaman silently saluted to Gloyd and Snowanna as he took to the skies, Rush jet barking to confirm what his and Megaman's next mission were.

"Now that's what I call a warrior in blue." Snowanna dreamily beamed after Megaman as Gloyd gave her an annoyed side eyed stare.

"Really Snowanna? You're doing this now?" Gloyd voiced as Snowanna turned to him with a nervous grin. "Right in the middle of a war?"

"What? Can't I admire him for helping run damage control?" Snowanna defensively replied.

Shaking his head, Gloyd quickly placed his palms side by side as a large Jack-O-Lantern materialized in them. The mouth of the pumpkin opened wide as a flock of ferocious bats flew out and began attacking the cybugs that tried to attack him and Snowanna. The bats quickly ate the bug's data and began surrounding the other bugs that surrounded him, Snowanna, Ralph, Felix, Jet, Calhoun, and the new comers, their data being eaten and destroyed by the bats.

"You guys couldn't have come at a better time!" Ralph excitedly voiced to Calhoun, whom had her arm around an exhausted Felix. "But how were you able to convince these guys to come along with you? It's dangerous in here and they could get deleted! One hit from these things and its game over!"

"Let's just say I owe these guys a huge favor and not to worry Wreck it, I've got them covered." Calhoun answered as she looked among the recruited warriors. "Alright guys listen up! Megaman and Rush have the skies covered which means we have a lot of ground work ahead of us. Amy Rose, you take the right quadrant while Sonic and Knuckles, destroy every bug you see while capping off at the left quadrant of the game! All of you have been given temporary invisibility abilities that will only last for so long! I advise you use it wisely!"

"You got it sarg!" Sonic saluted as he turned to Knuckles. "You ready?"

"As if you have to ask!" Knuckles chuckled in response as he and Sonic curled into fast moving balls so to perform the double maneuver spin dash attack. The two quickly sped away as they tore through every cybug within a five mile radius and beyond.

"Sonic, wait up for me!" Amy Rose shouted as she swung her huge mallet and smacked two bugs to the ground while chasing after sonic and Knuckles.

"Now as for you guys." Calhoun continued as she turned back to the group. "Ralph and Felix, go find Vanellope right away because if anything happens to her, we're all done for. You, unnamed racer and candy kids, stick by me. I can't let anything happen to you on my watch!"

"I know just where Vanellope is." Ralph expressed.

"My name is Jet ma'am." Jet politely voiced to the stern commander. "And my brother is named Set. We're twins."

"Ok _Jet_, take this and stay within close quarters." Calhoun replied as she tossed the turbo twin a charged plasma pistol, whom caught it with ease. "You don't have a game to return to so use that pistol wisely."

"I'm sorry Tamora, but I don't think I can go on." Felix voiced with exhaustion as his tired eyes caught with his wife's vision. "I've lost my bite."

"I can tell which is why I brought you this." Tamora voiced gently as she brought into the handyman's vision a freshly baked pie. "I told Mary I'd make sure you got it and had a inkling that this would be the time you needed it most."

A renewing smile made its way onto the handyman's face at the sight of the freshly baked pastry.

**Code Vault**

Vanellope was harshly slammed against the front of her code box, it wobbling a bit from the girl being thrown roughly against it. Garry's right claw quickly latched around her throat to prevent her from getting away as the virus himself came within close range of the girl.

"You think you're so _clever _don't you?_"_ Garry growled as he roughly shoved Vanellope against the front of her box once more, his claws tightening around her throat just a taste more. "I know _just _what you were planning to do once you reached the factory reset box, but let me tell you, I'm a lot _faster_, not to mention, a lot _smarter_ than you are! You gave away your plan the moment you gave that box a glance!"

"And here I thought cybugs were all code and no brains!" Vanellope cracked as she gripped her small gloved hands around Garry's claw to try and pry it off of her neck. "If you think what I had in mind was all there was, you're sadly mistaken! Just as you think you'll become the new ruler of Sugar Rush!"

Turning his angered vision from the girl, Garry turned his eyes to the licorice tether that was still tightly tied around the royal's waist. With his sharp left index digit, Garry began fingering the rope just lightly as a worried expression crossed Vanellope's face.

"You know, I've always wondered what would happen if this were to get cut while you were in here." Garry taunted as he continued to finger the tether, stroking it as if it were a guitar chord. "Would you be trapped in here for eternity or would you slowly become _devoured_ by the very thing you hold so dear to you? So many questions, so little time!"

The virus then turned back to Vanellope, that same wicked grin appearing on his face at noticing the growing fearful expression on hers.

"If I had to chose, I would go with _B!"_Garry hissed as he swiftly reeled his left claw back and roughly slammed it into Vanellope's chest, the girl releasing an ear piercing howl from the impact. "Because you hold this game so dear to you, let me help you become _one with it_!"

From his left claw, Garry's virus code began entering Vanellope's system, her code box reacting to the incoming foreign code as the box's normal purple color began rapidly turning blue.

"You should have seen it coming!" Garry hissed as he delightfully watched Vanellope struggle against him. "The very thing that you hold close is the _very_ same thing that is destroying you! Tsk, tsk is what I always say!"

"You might want to keep that one in mind because it will certainly come in handy after I'm done with you!" Ralph's husky voice echoed through the code vault. Hearing the voice of the wrecker, Garry turned around only to be met with Felix's golden hammer smacking him dead in his left temple! From that hit, Garry's grip on Vanellope's throat loosened as the raven haired girl slumped forward a bit on the claw that was still imbedded in her chest cavity.

Turning her weakened vision to Ralph and Felix, Vanellope mustered a small smile before her eyes rolled up into her skull and she ultimately slipped into unconsciousness. Felix's hammer returned to him and he positioned it in case he had to hammer more sense into Garry!

Turning his full body around towards the two, Garry slung Vanellope aside with her roughly landing on the top of a nearby code box like a rag doll. Shaking his left claw as if he were shaking off dirt, Garry focused his vision on the two.

"Oh goody, more company!" Garry beamed a fake welcome to the two as he clasped his claws together. "I was becoming bored of toying with the princess and was wondering when I'd be able to play with more gamers! Looks like I got my wish sooner than I thought I would!"

Dropping his phony act, Garry narrowed his cybug eyes at the two as he straightened his legs.

"Felix, make sure Vanellope didn't take any major damage while I do some major pest control!" Ralph commanded as he kept his eyes on Garry. "If anything happens to her, this game is going down with us in it!"

"Correction, it'll be _all of you_!" Garry added in.

With a nod, Felix quickly made his way over to Vanellope and cradled her in his lap as a worried expression grew on his face at seeing the unconscious girl, particularly, the hole in her chest created by Garry. Her face was pale and the hole in her chest was beginning to close up, but the color of the code that was closing the hole was not her purplish blue code, but was Garry's crimson virus code.

"Come on Vanellope, stay with us." Felix silently prayed as he continued cradling the royal in his lap. "You can fight his code! You've got to fight it! You're stronger than you realize! Without you, Sugar Rush is doomed!"

The hole in Vanellope's chest closed Felix noticed, but Garry's virus code began circulating throughout the rest of her system, which in turn made the other code boxes in the room react to their core's change in codes. Hearing the boxes shifting loudly including the one they were perched on, Felix looked ahead of him and noticed the rapidly changing code boxes, each one quickly changing from their default color to a blue tone, one behind another. The sight alone saddened the handyman as he turned back to the unconscious Vanellope in his lap.

"Oh my land." Was all that left the man's mouth.

* * *

_**Can anyone tell me why Fall 1 term instructors are so evil? Is it the lack of sunlight or what is it because every year I get one! Lol! Anywho, for the promo art for this fanfic and another I have for Wreck it Ralph, check out my DeviantArt page under the name Alisi-Christine! Enjoy!**_

_**Happy early Halloween everyone and Review Please!**_


	13. Fight For The Code Part II

Chapter 13: Fight For The Code Part II

'The fight is down to the wire, Garry has taken Vanellope down, and his vicious virus code is spreading rapidly through the game! Will Ralph be able to take Garry down and reverse the damage or is it truly game over for Sugar Rush?'

**Musical Inspiration: Calling All The Monsters by China Ann McClain**

_Previously_

Turning her weakened vision to Ralph and Felix, Vanellope mustered a small smile before her eyes rolled up into her skull and she ultimately slipped into unconsciousness. Felix's hammer returned to him and he positioned it in case he had to hammer more sense into Garry!

Turning his full body around towards the two, Garry slung Vanellope aside with her roughly landing on the top of a nearby code box like a rag doll. Shaking his left claw as if he were shaking off dirt, Garry focused his vision on the two.

"Oh goody, more company!" Garry beamed a fake welcome to the two as he clasped his claws together. "I was becoming bored of toying with the princess and was wondering when I'd be able to play with more gamers! Looks like I got my wish sooner than I thought I would!"

Dropping his phony act, Garry narrowed his cybug eyes at the two as he straightened his legs.

"Felix, make sure Vanellope didn't take any major damage while I do some major pest control!" Ralph commanded as he kept his eyes on Garry. "If anything happens to her, this game is going down with us in it!"

"Correction, it'll be _all of you_!" Garry added in.

With a nod, Felix quickly made his way over to Vanellope and cradled her in his lap as a worried expression grew on his face at seeing the unconscious girl, particularly, the hole in her chest created by Garry. Her face was pale and the hole in her chest was beginning to close up, but the color of the code that was closing the hole was not her purplish blue code, but was Garry's crimson virus code.

"Come on Vanellope, stay with us." Felix silently prayed as he continued cradling the royal in his lap. "You can fight his code! You've got to fight it! You're stronger than you realize! Without you, Sugar Rush is doomed!"

The hole in Vanellope's chest closed Felix noticed, but Garry's virus code began circulating throughout the rest of her system, which in turn made the other code boxes in the room react to their core's change in codes. Hearing the boxes shifting loudly including the one they were perched on, Felix looked ahead of him and noticed the rapidly changing code boxes, each one quickly changing from their default color to a blue tone, one behind another. The sight alone saddened the handyman as he turned back to the unconscious Vanellope in his lap.

"Oh my land." Was all that left the man's mouth.

_Currently_

"There, that should be enough keep em' coming back." Mr. Litwak sang to himself as he closed the quarter slot on the front of the newly plugged in Tron Legacy game cabinet. Despite the length of time the game has been plugged in, next to Sugar Rush, the amount of quarters the game accumulates in a day equals out to close to eighty dollars! The many playable characters and the mind blowing graphics form the longest line of kids during the after school and weekend arcade rush. However, the game still has a ways to go before it could catch up to the arcade's ever popular racing game Sugar Rush as its daily gross brings in nearly one hundred dollars.

Having emptied the quarters in the game's slot, Mr. Litwak made his way over to the Wack-A-Mole game and refilled the tickets that spewed from the slot whenever a mole was successfully wacked by the player.

"These rolls are always empty before the arcade even closes." Mr. Litwak commented as he placed and tucked the end of the second roll of tickets firmly into its slot.

Closing the slot on the game, the older man then made his way over to the register to input the amount of money the arcade racked in, despite being closed for the past two days, into the money binder. While totaling out the amount of money the games have made individually, Mr. Litwak noticed that Tron and Fix It Felix Jr.'s games were all totaled out to about the same amount of gross income daily. Smiling at the matching scores, the older man shook his head as he chuckled a bit.

"Well I'll be." Mr. Litwak voiced while taking another look at the totals. "Looks like the upgrades to these games did the arcade wonders. However, I think Sugar Rush is due another upgrade in another month or so. Better check on that really soon."

Moving on to totaling out the other games' gross, a buzzing sound in the distance caught the older man's ears which stopped the pen in his hand. Looking up from the book, Litwak's attention landed on Sugar Rush's game cabinet where the erratic behavior of the cabinet earned a confused look from the arcade owner.

The cabinet was flickering like a bug lamp would during a summer's night after an unfortunate fly or mosquito made its way over to the beckoning cyan light to it untimely death. Hair line zig zag lines occupied the screen within three minutes of the first set vanishing, but yet still displayed the roster on the screen of the playable characters. This erratic behavior the cabinet displayed only heightened the owner's curiosity about the game.

"What in blue blazes?" The older man expressed as he stepped from behind the counter and made his way over to the game cabinet. Standing in front of the game, the older man peered closely at the game's screen and noticed the hair line zig zags distort the roster displayed on the screen. Following that, the cabinet flickered once more like a bug lamp. Scratching his head, Mr. Litwak turned his attention away from the screen and to the side of the cabinet, specifically to the space bar the game was plugged into while cocking an curious eyebrow. Fingering his lip, the older man then released a chuckle and slapped his right hand to his right knee.

"For a minute there, I thought this game was corrupted or worse, on its way out." Mr. Litwak voiced. "With a game as new as this, it needs to be plugged into a two string surge protector instead of this old fashion one string. I'll put in the order right away! Then I'll send that thing out to the pastures, like my nana."

Continuing to laugh at his own silly conclusion, Mr. Litwak began making his way back over to the counter to continue tallying up the totals for the games and with his attention completely off of Sugar Rush's game cabinet, the game dimmed as the screen flickered to complete darkness….

**Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

As her head continued resting on Felix's lap while he cradled the weakened leader, Vanellope's code box began trying to resist Garry's virus code by resisting the change of color the box would take on once it has became completely corrupt. Even within Vanellope's physical form, her code did the best it could to eradicate the dangerous code, but yet was struggling against it to restore order to the quickly corrupting game.

Yet with each box changing with the exception of a few that the virus code had not reached as of yet, Garry could see the damage his code was causing out of his peripheral vision, a smug delightful grin crossing his features as he kept his vision fixed on Ralph. While he originally had one idea in mind to rip the game from under Vanellope, he couldn't deny that the way things were working out currently, his plan was working out better than he had planned! Corruption, the core of the game being down, havoc was running rampage, these were the things he loved!

"My, I must admit that this worked out much better than I originally planned." Garry nonchalantly voiced as he prepared himself for the fight that was to take place between him and Ralph, seeing that the extremely angry wrecker was seconds from leaping in his direction. "With the princess quickly succumbing to her new code and my deadly swarm tearing everything within their reach a part, it won't be long before this game is under my complete control! Looks like the better ruler won after all!"

Gritting his teeth together to the point of nearly grinding them to stumps and not being able to stand looking at Garry's smug smile any longer, Ralph swiftly leapt toward Garry while raising his giant fists in the air.

"It's game over for you!" Ralph roared.

Not even flinching as the wrecker neared, Garry closed his eyes and swung the back of his right claw towards Ralph, the bony knuckles of his pointy digits slamming into the wrecker and knocking him into a floating code box that has yet to be corrupted by Garry's code. Considering the wrecker's weight of six hundred and forty three pounds, the box completely shifted in another direction after Ralph slid from the front surface of it.

"I can't wait until I'm sitting on the throne because I will _easily_ be able to exterminate pests like you!" Garry angrily voiced as he opened his eyes and turned his attention toward Ralph who recovered quickly from being slapped into a code box. "Bugs have _no_ place in a game like this!

"Well then prepare to be exterminated with the no chance of regeneration!" Ralph retorted as he leapt towards Garry once more.

Smirking as the wrecker neared once again, Garry leaned back on his back legs so his chest limbs were visible and were not hiding behind his larger claws. Garry's eyes followed Ralph's every move with the intention to execute his plan without delay!

"Take your best shot wrecker!" Garry darkly challenged as Ralph was in arm's reach of him. "This move will be your last! I guarantee it!"

Just as Garry anticipated, Ralph landed on his chest limbs with the intention to try to rip his limbs from his body, but the wrecker was not prepared for what Garry had planned for him next. Garry tightly closed his chest limbs around Ralph with much smaller and sharper claws extending from the limbs and piercing into the skin of the wrecker. Bellowing in agony from the pincers penetrating further into his skin, Ralph's red code appeared where he was taking damage from Garry as Garry grinned in delight at the sight of the player slowing deteriorating at his hands.

"And here I thought you_ actually_ posed a threat to me." Garry voiced as he tightened his grip on Ralph. "Silly, silly me, but I did guarantee that this would be the last move that you made!"

Shutting his eyes as the pain intensified, Ralph began ramming his fists on the front of the large bug with hopes of making him release him, but to no avail, Garry's grip only tightened on the wrecker.

"You know I've been thinking, you _could_ come in handy when I become king considering how strong you are." Garry pondered as he lightly fingered his lip with his sharp right index digit while Ralph continued to struggle to get free of his grip. "So if you're a good little player, I'll give you my code so you can become my right hand man in this kingdom. What do you say? Ruling above all of these weaklings and watching as they bow down to you!"

Cracking open one eye despite the pain that was shooting through his system, Ralph growled at the giant bug.

"I'd rather lose my ability to regenerate than to _ever _work for you!" Ralph hissed. "No deal!"

Unhappy with his answer, Garry leaned forward as he tightened his grip on Ralph, the wrecker feeling as if his bones were on the verge of protruding out of his body from the pressure of being crushed and sharply prodded!

"Wrong answer!" Garry growled as Ralph shut his eyes tight once more.

Felix, who noticed the peril his best friend was in, was torn between jumping to Ralph's aide and staying with the weakened Vanellope. Turning back to the unconscious princess in his lap, Felix noticed the quick rise and fall of her chest as her system continued trying to destroy Garry's virus code, despite the misfortune the game and code boxes suffered as a result of.

"Oh, I dislike being positions like this!" Felix expressed as he turned back to Ralph and Garry, noticing that the bug now had Ralph pinned to the surface of a code box below them. The code box was the first to be corrupted by the virus code. "I don't know whether to stay with Vanellope or go help Ralph. I know Vanellope really needs me right now, but so does Ralph. Oh I don't know what to do!"

"Go help Ralph." Vanellope's weakened voice spoke to the handyman as she sputtered a few coughs. Felix turned back to Vanellope and noticed that her eyes were open. Barely, but they were. "He really needs you right now. Go help him, I'll be fine."

"Oh my, you're awake!" Felix voiced in surprise. "You had me worried there for a moment Vanellope. You gave me quite the scare after Garry put that gaping hole that in your chest, which is healed, but you almost made me game over with worry!"

The raven haired girl closed her eyes as she sputtered a few more coughs and upon opening her eyes again, Felix noticed that her hazel orbs were different from when they were open before. Looking a little closer, Felix noticed that the life in her eyes had changed and were replaced with those of a cybug! Placing his left hand to his mouth in shock, the handyman shook his head while fighting back the oncoming tears that threatened to spill over.

"Vanellope, I can't stress enough that you have to fight Garry's code!" Felix urged as Vanellope closed her eyes once more. "You are more powerful than he is and I know you can defeat him! Just please fight it! We need you! The game needs you! Everyone is counting on you!"

"My code." Vanellope weakly voiced as she shifted a bit in Felix's lap. "My code, it's-it's still there. It's working."

"I'm not entirely positive of that Vanellope." Felix retorted as he turned back to the front of him, to the code boxes that were rapidly changing to the virus code's color.

A few more code boxes had changed to the color of the virus code with the exception of a handful that were able to resist the code as it spread through their wires, bouncing it back to whence it came despite the struggle it was to do so.

The virus protection code box, that was lying dormant amongst the others, began glowing brightly while sprouting wires from the bottom and top of the box. The wires quickly attached to Vanellope's, Minty, Taffyta, Adorabeezle, Rancis, King Candy (which was recently reattached to the game under Garry's doing), Factory Reset, and Jubileena's code boxes, creating a network and building up enough of the anti-virus code, especially through the two core and main control boxes, to destroy the infection once those boxes had enough of the code and networked with the other infected boxes in the game. Considering the upgrade the virus protection recently got, it would be a miracle to user if the protection networking actually worked!

Noticing the brightly glowing Anti-virus code box, a look of confusion crossed the handyman's features.

"While I shouldn't question why the anti-virus suddenly kicked on after the infection had already spread, I am surely curious." Felix continued. "Why now?"

Outside of the code vault, within the cyan hallway, Sour Bill was lying on the ground underneath the emergency lever that activated the virus protection, in the event the control panel was ever destroyed, with his eyes tightly shut. The ball of candy's system was shut down by Garry's virus code rendering it inactive.

"I told you my code was still working." Vanellope weakly voiced as she opened her eyes to reveal that her hazel eyes were back to their original form, Felix noticing that as well since having turned back to her.

"I wish I could confidently agree with you Vanellope." Felix sighed as the girl closed her eyes once more. "I honestly wish I could."

The virus protection code box shined brighter as the code boxes that were networked with it began shining the light of the anti-virus code they were being given by the program. Vanellope shut her eyes once more from the bright hue while Felix shielded his eyes while making sure not to move too much with Vanellope still resting in his lap.

With Ralph pinned under Garry as the large bug kept him firmly locked between his chest limbs despite how much the wrecker squirmed to free himself, Garry began feeling himself rapidly slow down with each passing second with the anti-virus code box shining bright with the exact amount of elapsed time.

Becoming frustrated with the rapid slowing of his motions, Garry released a dark growl while trying to raise his front claws.

"What's going on and why am I slowing to a crawl?!" Garry barked as he continued trying to raise his front claws, but found moving them to be impossible. "I am too powerful to be stopped!"

With the limbs closed around him and the smaller pincers pierced into his skin, Ralph felt the limbs loosen and the pain from the pincers quickly lessen, giving the wrecker the relief he was looking for from the start. Ralph took that opportunity to slip from Garry's deadly grasp by pushing away from the large bug and resting on the surface of the code box Garry had him roughly pinned against. The areas of his body that his code appeared on enlarged, indicating the current health of the wrecker outside of his game. If his life meter were to appear, the status of Ralph's health would state sixty five percent and dropping.

"Sugar Rush refuses to be corrupted by you that's what!" Felix confidently added in as Garry turned his deadly gaze to the handyman. "Have a look for yourself!"

Growling darkly once more, Garry turned his vision to the code boxes behind him and noticed the network they have set up, the Anti-virus code box sitting in the center of it all. The boxes that were linked to the anti-virus code box sprouted wires of their own and began networking with the neighboring code boxes to aid in stopping the rapidly spreading infection. However, the wires that reached out to the boxes that were already infected were quickly burned as if the wires touched the surface of the sun!

"It appears the racers that you _thought_ you deleted were only disabled codes as _only_ the core can delete the racers!" Felix continued as a confident smile came to his face with a renewed confidence that the game wasn't totally out of Vanellope's control despite the events prior. "Anyone with an elementary knowledge of coding would know that!"

Scoffing, Garry tried to move his claws once more, but found that they were frozen in place from the consist building of the anti-virus code against his virus code.

"Heh, this is just temporary after all." Garry darkly laughed as his vision shifted to Ralph who looked as if he were on the verge of passing out from nearly having his bones crushed and his flesh torn asunder. "My code is far more powerful than Vanellope's and once it prevails, my first order as ruler will be to make sure _pests_ like _you _are deleted _once_ for and _all_!"

With her eyes shut from the brightly glowing anti-viral code box, Vanellope suddenly groaned in response to an unfamiliar shift within herself, one that she was praying to user wasn't what she feared.

**Candy Kingdom Village**

Megaman, Amy Rose, Sonic, and Knuckles continued destroying the endless swarm of bugs in their path while Calhoun and Jet fought back to back with the bugs that dared surround them. Despite his fear of the damage the bugs could do if they were to lay even the tip of their legs on him, Jet continued blasting the bugs with the pistol that Calhoun gave him. Despite how tired he was becoming, Jet mustered as much energy as he could to keep blasting, his brother as his fuel for inspiration.

"How ya holding up there solider?" Calhoun questioned to Jet as she swiped a grenade from her utility belt, quickly pulled the pin from it, and stuck it in the mouth of the bug that was aiming to sink its teeth into the sergeant. The grenade then detonated, which sent the guts of the bugs flying in all directions.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" Jet voiced as he grabbed the bottom of his right elbow with his free hand as he continued aiming and blasting. "No matter how many of these things we shoot, they keep coming back! How many of those things hatched anyway?!"

"If I knew that, we'd taking out the source of the problem right _now!"_ Calhoun replied as she right hooked a bug with the butt of her gun, the ammo inside the weapon having run out. "Where are my men with the rest of my ammo?! Just because we're out of the field doesn't mean they are off duty!"

Taking another blast at a bug that was mere inches from him, Jet noticed a clear path and took that opportunity to rest his overexerted arm. From his elbow down to his wrist, a searing pain was felt that made the racer shut his eyes tightly while hissing in pain.

"Stay with me solider!" Calhoun voiced to Jet with urgency as she detonated another cybug, its innards splattering everywhere. "You never let your guard down with these things or you will live to regret it!"

"I think I'm _beyond_ living to regret it." Jet expressed as he opened his eyes, his vision focused to the ground below him.

Closing his eyes once more, Jet opened them to spot a shadow hovering over him, allowing his eyes to trace the shadow. What the racer noticed that hung over him as his heart leapt into his throat was a cybug that was much larger than the bugs previously fought off and that resembled what looked to be a transitioning Queen bug from a drone. Jet's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets at seeing how close the bug was to him and while he didn't want to emit any fear, that was the one thing he wished he had better control over.

The bug's eyes pierced his as the racer began sweating heavily while the rest of him trembled fiercely, Jet's finger beginning to slip from the trigger of the pistol. While frozen in place, an earlier memory flooded back to Jet when he and his brother were looking to join another game and wound up in Hero's Duty, a similar scenario taking place now as it did then.

"_Don't reason with the thing, just blast it!" Tamora's voice spoke through the communicator. "Soldiers show no fear!"_

"_Blast it soldier!" Tamora commanded to Jet. "There is no time to waste and be careful as those things become what they eat!"_

_Seeing that it is being threatened, the bug released a roar as it rushed towards Jet and pounced on him, knocking his gun from his hands. Before the bug can latch onto his throat with its fangs, Jet quickly grabbed the bug's fangs to keep it from latching onto him._

"_I offered you anything you wanted, but that didn't include eating me!" Jet choked as he continued to keep the bug at bay despite it trying to forcefully take a bite out of him. Roaring in the twin's face, the bug tried to break from his grip so to get at him, but the strength the twin mustered is what is keeping the bug away from its mark. _

With a shaky hand and slow to build confidence, Jet began raising the gun to aim it at the bug, but did so slowly so not to enrage the already advancing virus.

"_I am not your dinner!" Jet's strained voice spoke to the bug as he felt his grip on the bug's fangs beginning to slip. "You can eat anyone around here, just not me!"_

_A shot from a laser gun suddenly slammed into the bug's side and knocked it off of Jet, ultimately killing it. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Jet turned to see his brother approaching him. _

"_Man that was a close one!" Set expressed as he reached for Jet and helped him off of the ground. "If it weren't for me, you would have been a goner. Why didn't you just shoot it?"_

Jet continued to raise the pistol with the aim being right between the bug's eyes, the memory renewing the confidence he held before the transitioning bug arrived.

"_Did you see the size of that bug?!" Jet asked with a raised voice. "There was no way I was going to face off against something like that!"_

"_Well if we ever expect to fit into this game, you're going to have to fight and that includes fighting off a bug the size of a race car." Set reasoned with his brother. "I had to do it." _

"_Well I'm nothing like you and that thing really freaked me out!" Jet replied. "I have never seen anything that big before outside of a race car!"_

"_Look just stick closely by me and I'll take care of these things." Set expressed as he cocked his gun. "I wouldn't want you passing out on me."_

"And I'm going to take care of things just like you Set!" Jet fiercely voiced as he finally aimed the gun towards the virus that zeroed in on the barrel of the gun. "You took care of me and now I'm going to take care of you!"

Pulling down on the trigger, one shot behind another slammed into the head of the bug, the last completely destroying the bug with its green innards flying onto the fierce racer. Lowering the smoky barrel of his gun, Jet stared down at the green mess pool that was once the bug that dared threaten him.

"That's for Set!" Jet growled. "Your leader won't be too far behind you! I guarantee that!"

**Code Vault**

The protection network that the anti-virus code box began, from the two core code boxes, the factory reset, and the select racer's boxes, wires were sprout from those boxes to continue to fend off the infection, but the attempts that were made to reach out to the infected boxes were just that, attempts. When the wire from a healthy box reached an infected one, the wire would immediately burn away as if it were burned by a fiery source, ultimately causing the boxes to rewire so to try and stop the infection another way all the while, the virus code was gaining strength.

The bright light that the anti-virus code box was emitting began dimming as the protection network began failing. The boxes that were hooked up to the anti-virus box were given enough of the anti-virus code, but not enough to reach the infected boxes and for the network to properly succeed, all of the boxes would have to be networked to it to strengthen the network.

The light of the box grew even dimmer as the virus code began rewriting its code to Garry's and the wires that connected the other boxes to it began falling away as if they were mere paper hit by a fierce wave of water. The confident smile that Felix held quickly faltered as the scene unfolded in front of him.

"Oh no Sugar Rush." Felix voiced quietly as he looked back down to Vanellope who appeared to be asleep. "I'm so sorry Vanellope."

Noticing the light of the box fade to dark, a devious smirk grew on Garry's face as he kept his eyes glued to Ralph. With a swift motion, Garry brought his claws down towards Ralph, but shifting quickly out of the way, Garry's claws dented the top of the box instead of him!

"As I said, that was only temporary!" Garry voiced as his eyes followed the scrambling wrecker as he quickly climbed to the top of a code box. "Looks like I win after all!"

The network the anti-virus code box began was completely dismantled as the virus code continued spreading through the network rapidly with Vanellope's code box being the first to react to the rewriting of the game's code.

Shifting in Felix's lap once more, Vanellope opens her eyes and turns to Felix, the girl's eyes completely changed from her hazel orbs to those of a cybug. Spewing a cough, Vanellope smiled to the handyman.

"It's my time Felix." Vanellope weakly voiced. "I have to do this."

"Vanellope, what do you mean?" Felix questioned, unsure of what the girl was saying to him. Quite frankly, he didn't want to know considering what just took place in the wake of the failed anti-virus network.

"You'll understand." Vanellope voiced as she closed her eyes. "Trust me when I say, it's for the better. You, Ralph, and everyone else were great friends to me and I'll never forget you. Tell Ralph I said he was the best friend any girl could hope to have."

"Vanellope." Felix expressed barely above a whisper as tears rushed to the surface of his eyes. "We can't lose you, we just can't!"

"I see Vanellope gave you a page from her book!" Garry taunted as he closely watched the wrecker leap to another code box, Ralph having avoided a swing from the virus's claws. "She too thought she could out think me and yet, she sealed her own fate! Face it, the ruler you once knew is no more, especially now that my code reigns supreme!"

Before Ralph could retort to Garry's comment, his eyes nearly bulged from his sockets at what he noticed rise from the darkness and immediately latch onto Garry's neck, causing the giant bug to loudly howl in pain.

Getting a better look, despite Garry's flailing arms to try and remove the obstruction, Ralph could swear he and Felix were in a nightmare and that what he was seeing wasn't real.

"Vanellope?!" Was all the wrecker could muster to voice.

* * *

_**Man, the stupidity I had to deal with this past week just to get this written and posted! But have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone from me to you! **_

_**Review Please!**_


	14. The Last Verse of Sugar Rush

Chapter 14: The Last Verse Of Sugar Rush

Alternate Title: The Last Versus

'The game couldn't stop Garry's virus code from spreading and Vanellope maybe pulling the last ditch effort to save her game, but will it be the ultimate sacrifice?'

**Chapter Inspiration: If You Wanna Fly (Mike Rizzo Remix) by Myra Veronica**

_Previously_

The network the anti-virus code box began was completely dismantled as the virus code continued spreading through the network rapidly with Vanellope's code box being the first to react to the rewriting of the game's code.

Shifting in Felix's lap once more, Vanellope opens her eyes and turns to Felix, the girl's eyes completely changed from her hazel orbs to those of a cybug. Spewing a cough, Vanellope smiled to the handyman.

"It's my time Felix." Vanellope weakly voiced. "I have to do this."

"Vanellope, what do you mean?" Felix questioned, unsure of what the girl was saying to him. Quite frankly, he didn't want to know considering what just took place in the wake of the failed anti-virus network.

"You'll understand." Vanellope voiced as she closed her eyes. "Trust me when I say, it's for the better. You, Ralph, and everyone else were great friends to me and I'll never forget you. Tell Ralph I said he was the best friend any girl could hope to have."

"Vanellope." Felix expressed barely above a whisper as tears rushed to the surface of his eyes. "We can't lose you, we just can't!"

"I see Vanellope gave you a page from her book!" Garry taunted as he closely watched the wrecker leap to another code box, Ralph having avoided a swing from the virus's claws. "She too thought she could out think me and yet, she sealed her own fate! Face it, the ruler you once knew is no more, especially now that my code reigns supreme!"

Before Ralph could retort to Garry's comment, his eyes nearly bulged from his sockets at what he noticed rise from the darkness and immediately latch onto Garry's neck, causing the giant bug to loudly howl in pain.

Getting a better look, despite Garry's flailing arms to try and remove the obstruction, Ralph could swear he and Felix were in a nightmare and that what he was seeing wasn't real.

"Vanellope?!" Was all the wrecker could muster to voice.

_Currently_

**Hero's Duty**

"Riffles! Riffles! We Need RIFFLES!" The soldier, Dave, yelled as he searched through the arsenal closet for the military riffles that were often used in practice and during game hours. "Markowski, where are the riffles?!"

"I don't know, I was about to ask you the same thing!" Markowski barked back to Dave as he searched the second arsenal closet next to the entrance/exit of the shooting range's room. "If we don't get to Sugar Rush to help the sarg soon, we'll be demoted and quick!"

"Well if we could find those riffles, we would be there before she even notices we're gone too long!" Dave replied as he continued his search, but grabbed a clip belt full of hand grenades and mini-rocket launchers. "If we expect to get the upper hand over those viruses, we have to have the right arsenals!"

"The right arsenals would be the riffles that we're missing!" Dave screeched in panic as he got to his feet and slammed the closet door. "I'm _not_ going over there without those riffles! Those cybugs grow into monsters and I'm _not_ taking any chances because I don't have the right weapons to fight those things off! We're going to be outside of our game and if we take any major damage from those things in that game, we don't regenerate!"

"Well we're going to have to do something because the riffles aren't here!" Another soldier, Mike, added in as he emerged from the shooting range, his features displaying his frustration of the missing military riffles as well. "But I do know of something we can use to guarantee us a win in Sugar Rush against those beasts."

Before any of the soldiers in the area could question Mike about his idea, Markowski's walkie talkie began hissing as Tamora's voice came in over the frequency. Grabbing the device from his utility belt, Markowski held it out in front of him.

"Markowski, are you there?!" Tamora's voice growled. "Solider, you better answer me and now!"

"We're here sarg." Markowski replied, the hissing from the bad radio reception causing the man to flinch.

"What are you bozos doing over there?!" Tamora barked. "You should have been back here ages ago! I need back up and quick as this swarm hasn't died down in the least! I better not find out that any of you went AWOL!"

"We're on our way sarg, but we can't find the riffles!" Markowski informed their leader as the bad radio reception once again made the solider flinch. "The Riffles will help destroy those things faster!"

"The riffles were placed in protective custody after last week's mishap at the shooting range!" Tamora reminded them. "You know that solider! What we need for this particular situation are the Jackhammers!"

"The Jackhammers?!" Dave yelled, still in a state of panic. "We aren't trained to use those yet! What if we get killed while using it? What if we accidentally kill one of those marshmallow kids while using it? I can't have that on my conscious! I just can't!"

"Get yourself together Dave!" Tamora fumed, her patience grown thin with the current state of her soldiers. "Consider this your training day gentlemen. Get those Jackhammers from the shooting range and get over here _pronto_!"

"And bring more pistol ammo!" Jet's voice could be heard radioing in. "I need more ammo!"

"Calm down Jet!" Tamora demanded slightly to the twin. "Real men don't act squirrely in my platoon."

"But I'm not in your platoon." Jet lightly whined.

"Where are the Jackhammers in the shooting range?" Markowski calmly questioned as he turned to Mike, ready to give the man directions as to where he can obtain the weapons once the directions were given.

"They're in-th-Shot—loset." Tamora's broken reply radioed in.

"Where?" Markowski questioned over the radio snow, the reception of the talkie getting worse by the second.

"I-aid-th-in-Queen!" Tamora's broken message radioed back.

"Qu-een—bu-!" Jet's voice was heard screaming before the radio contact was cut entirely.

"Sergeant?" Markowsi called, hoping to get a reply through the bad reception that was pouring in. "Sarg, are you there? Come in! Where are the jackhammers?"

Slamming the side of the talkie against his left hand, Markowski called out to the sergeant once more only to get more radio snow coming in over the line.

"Did they say Queen?" Mike inquired as his mind finally wrapped around just what was being said. "They're dealing with Queen Cybugs?!"

"Sounds like it, but we don't know where those Jackhammers are in the shooting range area." Markwoski replied as he turned to Mike.

"Not to worry about that because those were my idea and I know exactly where they are." Mike spilled, which bewildered Markowski and Dave.

"You were going to use those without her permission?" Dave questioned as he felt his nerves becoming more in control.

"Not entirely." Mike mused. "But you heard what the sarg said. Today is our training day and it's time to show those bugs who really is in charge here!"

"But we're going to be dealing with Queen Cybugs!" Dave felt himself going back into a panic. "Queens! You know how big those bugs get!"

"Well after they get a taste of what the Jackhammer can do, they'll be ready to call us kings!" Mike quipped back. "It's time to load up and ship out!"

**Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

From the code box he was perched atop, Ralph could swear that he and Felix were watching a horror film as only things such as this only take place in the theatre. If only that factoid were true as before them both and what Garry managed to free himself of was Vanellope Von Schweetz in Cybug form. The teen's racing suit made up the shell casing for her bug body with a crown symbol on her back between her large white wings, her white, orange, and green stripped legs were a bit larger than Garry's, her neck stood a bit shorter than his, her racing gloves where formed into her signature claws, chest limbs included, and her facial features held those of a cybug with the most menacing scowl that could cut glass if looks could kill! Even her fangs were sharper than Garry's were! Her hair was not in its normal ponytail, but was freely cascading over her shoulders and down her back.

"Oh my land!" Felix quietly voiced as he gave Vanellope the once over.

"Vanellope, how did you…?" Ralph questioned as he too gave his best friend a look over, not understanding how the girl made such a dramatic change in appearances.

"Why don't you ask the coding _genius_ here that question!" Vanellope hissed as she took a fierce swipe at Garry with her claws, the virus quickly dodging her attack. "It was his idea to infect my game so if anyone can answer that, it would be _him!"_

"I had one idea in mind, but I never expected this to happen!" Garry defended. "Although I must say the fight will square evenly with you in this form."

Becoming irritated at his comment very quickly, Vanellope took another swipe at him, this time her claws racing across his right cheek. The virus stumbled backwards as he grabbed his cheek.

"Ralph and Felix, I want you to listen to me very carefully." Vanellope deeply growled as she kept her vision on Garry. "I want you two to get out of here while I handle Garry. This is _my_ fight and _only_ my fight! Help everyone clear the village of the other cybugs and don't come back here until it's clear! Do you understand?"

"Vanellope, we can't just leave you in here." Ralph tried to calmly reason with the angry girl. "There's no telling what-"

"I said _NOW!" _Vanellope barked to the handyman and the wrecker as her near demonized vision landed on them. "I don't want _either_ of you involved in this!"

Seeing her true temper in this form, Felix felt a cold chill run up his spine as he quickly turned to Ralph and signaled for them to quickly take their leave before they suffer the fate that Garry was sat in at that moment. Without hesitation, the wrecker quickly leaped from code box to code box towards the exit of the vault, with Felix in tow, so not to further anger the princess-president.

"Remind me to never get into a fight with her." Ralph mumbled to himself as he and Felix continued towards the exit of the code vault.

Turning her vision back to Garry, the princess could see a smirk across his face as he kept his right claw glued to his bruised cheek. Seeing that only made her temper boil that much more.

"You know something Vanellope." Garry began as his vision caught with her angry hazel vision while removing his claw from his cheek. "I thought I'd never say this to an adversary, especially to someone in your form, but I must admit, you're very cute when you're angry. This will make things very interesting to say the least."

"Well then, I must be _gorgeous_ because I'm _furious!"_ Vanellope growled as she shifted her legs.

"No arguments there." Garry flirted as he conceitedly smirked.

"And haven't you heard? Flattery _doesn't_ get you everywhere!" Vanellope dangerously growled. "You're more _disgusting_ than anything!"

Dropping his civil act at seeing that she was not flattered by his compliment, Garry angrily narrowed his eyes as he too shifted on his legs to prepare for the battle he knew the two would be locked in very soon.

"There's no need to delay the inevitable in taking you down so let's just get this over with so I can finally take my rightful place on the throne." Garry hissed.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!" Vanellope barked as she rushed towards Garry. Not having enough time to dodge or block her, Garry was roughly slammed against a code box as Vanellope latched her right claw around his neck, quickly tightening it so to gain the upper hand early in the battle.

With Garry locked in place, Vanellope fiercely swiped her left claw cross the virus's right cheek once more, adding more damage to what was already done prior. She then straightened her chest limbs and rammed them into Garry's chest with swiftness, causing the virus to howl while chocking as the princess kept her claw tightly wrapped around his neck.

Refusing to be taken down so easily, Garry growled and raised his front legs, swiftly kicking Vanellope in the chest, which lifted her grip on him. The bug princess flew backwards into a floating code box behind her, but landed on her feet on top of another that was floating underneath her.

Hacking a few coughs while rubbing his throat, Garry only caught a short glimpse of Vanellope charging towards him and with not too much time on hand to dodge the girl, Garry was able to catch her outstretched wrists at the last second as she was aiming to do more than swipe at him this time around!

"You made it so easy to predict what move you were going to make next." Garry gloated as Vanellope began struggling to get out of Garry's grip. "For a royal, you should know that, but its a shame that you don't."

"You think so?" Vanellope retorted with a smirk.

With lighting speed, Vanellope looped her neck around and roughly bit into the right side of Garry's neck, causing the virus to once again howl in agony! With her teeth deeply sunk into his neck, large streams of colorful binary data began streaming from him, his data bank, and into Vanellope via the bite.

"You're really starting to _annoy _me!" Garry hissed as he tightened his grip on Vanellope's wrists and roughly tossed her aside. "I don't care how cute you are!"

"How was that for predictable?" Vanellope smirked.

With Vanellope's teeth released from his neck, large patches of Garry's virus code appeared where he took damage from Vanellope. Running his right index claw lightly over that area, the virus flinched at how deep the bite sunk into his neck.

Landing against the surface of her code box, Vanellope quickly recovered from being tossed and straightened her posture as her glare landed on Garry once more. With the princess standing straight on her legs, Garry caught a glimpse of her bug body and noticed that something changed from when he first noticed her transformation into a cybug. The code streams of King Candy, Rancis, Minty, Set, Taffyta, Jubileena, and Adorabeezle were streaming all over her body! Looking down at his body and then back at hers, Garry's eyes widened!

"The codes of my racers and yours!" Garry stammered as he pointed to Vanellope, the girl then looking down at her body to notice the code streams of the seven racers flowing through her system. "How? They were streaming through me and now you?!"

"You're the coding genius, you tell me!" Vanellope snapped. "Or did you not know that one simple bite from another bug can transfer data? I guess my friends and father wants you dead just as badly as I do!"

"I'm far more powerful than you are so you're going to have to go through me if you want this game back!" Garry hissed. "Because I'm not backing down without a fight _your highness!"_

"Not a problem by me!" Vanellope retorted as she rushed towards Garry, delivering a kick in his direction and then nailing him to a code box that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the battle between the two bugs, the surface of it becoming lightly damaged by the impact.

As the two continued their war, the Factory reset, Anti-virus, Taffyta, Adorabeezle, King Candy, Jubileena, Minty, and Rancis's code boxes sprouted wires and linked up to Vanellope's code box, attempting once more to network and eradicate Garry's virus code from the game through Vanellope. The ruler's box glowed a golden light from the incoming codes of her friends and the anti-virus code streaming in from the anti-virus code box. The boost that her box received from the others made the bug princess grow four inches larger than Garry, giving her not only the size advantage, but also the strength advantage over him.

With her body pressed down on Garry's, Vanellope wound her neck around once more and sunk her sharp teeth deeply into the left side of Garry's neck. Through the bite, data streams of anti-virus code entered into Garry's system, counteracting his virus code and destroying it in large quantities as it began streaming through his system. Feeling himself becoming weak, Garry mustered up what strength he could and flung Vanellope off of him as he grabbed onto the left side of his neck. Locking his glare to her, Garry began panting heavily, feeling what energy he started out with was starting to fade quickly. Lifting his left claw to the left side of his neck, the virus lowered his head as his energy continued to fade away.

"What's the matter Garry?" Vanellope taunted with fake sympathy as she crossed her arms with Garry tuning back to her. "You don't look so good, but don't worry, you'll be seeing that _slime_ Turbo real soon!"

"It's…not…over…yet!" Garry managed to spill as he straightened his legs and lunged towards Vanellope, slamming into her and knocking her head against the game music code box. He then wound his neck down and bit into Vanellope's right arm, causing the princess to howl as he began shaking his head with his teeth sunk deep into her arm. Grabbing a hold of the virus's neck, Vanellope forced Garry off of her arm and slung him aside.

With Vanellope receiving eight different codes through her own, the memory code box began flashing an angry red as a loud warning echoed throughout the code vault: Warning! Game Memory Low! Reset the game or a shutdown will take place in two minutes! All data will be lost!

A timer counting down from two minutes began as the warning was once again announced. Vanellope and Garry continued their war as Garry was thrown into a code box, ignoring the warning as only one minute and thirty seconds remained on the clock.

**Candy Kingdom (Village)**

After the transmission ended with the soldiers from Calhoun's army, two Queen Cybugs fashioned after Turbo entered the area followed by several more rounds of Turbo drone cybugs, further complicating the short lived success that Jet and Calhoun managed to achieve. The Turbo twin and the sergeant were back to back as Calhoun took on the responsibility of protecting the vulnerable racer along with Gloyd and Snowanna, both using their character items to fight off the giant hoard that surrounded them. Gloyd's Hallow-death Pumpkin and Snowanna's Ice Trail.

With Snowanna's ice trail, those cybugs that landed near them were instantly frozen solid and destroyed and for those that weren't frozen by the ice were devoured whole by the fierce bats that Gloyd released. As his pumpkin opened once more to devour more cybugs, Gloyd suddenly felt a hitch enter his code, which made his pumpkin suddenly vanish and the pumpkin themed racer fall to his knees.

"Gloyd, what's wrong?" Snowanna questioned, having noticed Gloyd fall to his knees and clutch his head. Releasing another ice trail for the bugs that have surrounded them on the ground, the bugs froze as Snowanna quickly rushed to Gloyd's aide.

"I suddenly don't feel so good." Gloyd stammered as he began to shake fiercely. "This headache just came out of nowhere and it feels like it's getting worse by the second!"

Shutting his eyes tightly due to the pulsating headache, Gloyd quickly opened them and turned to Snowanna, the girl jumping to her feet and away from the boy at noticing that his eyes and facial features have changed to those of a cybug.

"Gloyd, your eyes and—and face!" Snowanna choked out, still overcome with shock at what her friend was becoming. "You're…you're changing into one of them!"

"And I had to run out of ammo at the worst possible second." Jet muttered with an eye roll. "That's just great!"

"I can't be!" Gloyd began panicking as he turned his vision to his hands, turning them backwards and forwards as his headache continued to worsen. "Wait, that means if I'm turning into one, then so-"

Gloyd's thought was interrupted as Snowanna was brought to her knees through the same ailment that was plaguing him.

"Um, what's going on and should we be worried?" Jet questioned in a slight panic as he turned to Tamora.

"That virus is doing exactly what it set out to do, corrupt anything and everything in this game." Tamora answered the twin as they both kept their vision on the two racers that were slowly changing into what the game was already overrun with. "Get behind me as this could take a real ugly turn."

With the turbo twin and Sergeant out of ammo and openly vulnerable to the cybugs, the Queen cybug began advancing on the two with Jet doing his very best not to pass out from the fear that was racking him. As the bug inched closer, Jet shut his eyes and lowered his head, knowing that once the bug reached them and delivered the final blow, it was game over!

"_I'm sorry Set."_ Jet mentally apologized. "_I tried to save you, but I failed. I hope that you can forgive me!"_

The queen was just mere inches from the two and opened its salivating mouth as it raised its front claws. Reaching behind her to the last grenade on her utility belt, Tamora clutched it with anticipation of feeding it to the bug once it was close enough. Not knowing if such a small explosive would work in deflecting a bug of such grand size, it was all she had and was hoping it would do the trick until her soldiers brought the rest of the weapons so they could clear that level.

As the queen bent her head down and opened her mouth a bit wider so to devour the two, Tamora quietly removed the grenade from the belt and slipped the tip of her index finger into the loop of the pen that was to be removed to set off the grenade.

"_Come at us ugly!" _Tamora dared as she kept her stern gaze on the approaching bug. "_Since you're so hungry_, _I got something for you to munch on!"_

Jet opened his eyes and as he blinked, the events that followed could be described as a blur for how fast it all took place. The bug went in for the kill as Tamora effortlessly slipped the pin out of the grenade and tossed it into the bug's mouth. Feeling the grenade slip down its throat, the bug stumbled backwards as an orange and brown blur slammed into the side of the bug, knocking it off of its feet and skidding a distance from the group.

"Not so hungry now are ya?!" Ralph triumphly voiced. "That's what I like to call the Wrecker's diet! Try it sometime!"

The grenade that the bug swallowed detonated with the queen bug exploding to pieces. The green data that the bug consisted of splattered on nearby landscapes and even onto the drone bugs that surrounded her. With the queen bug destroyed, two dozen drone bugs were instantly evaporated, lessening the large swarm that plagued Sugar Rush.

"Hey, did you notice that?" Felix questioned, noticing what just took place. "When the queen was destroyed, a large number of drones disappeared along with her!"

"Well then, we know what we have to do then!" Ralph expressed as he cracked his knuckles. "We have some wrecking to do! There's one more queen bug and the king which Vanellope is in the process of eliminating now. Once we get rid of both pests, we can clean this game up before the arcade opens in another day."

"But what are we going to do about them?!" Jet panicked as he pointed to Gloyd and Snowanna, the two racers still in the process of changing into drone bugs due to Garry's virus code corrupting their codes. "We can't just leave them like this!"

"I hate to say it kid, but there's nothing we can do from out here." Ralph sadly expressed as he watched Gloyd and Snowanna try to fight off Gary's virus code. "The rest is up to Vanellope."

"Alright civilians, enough chit chat!" Tamora interrupted. "We know what we have to do and with Vanellope hard at work in the code vault, we have our work cut out for us here! Wreck it and Felix, do what you do best while Jet and I stay behind and watch how this unfolds with the candy kids. Now move out!"

With a nod, Felix and Ralph departed from the group while Jet rushed to Gloyd and Snowanna's side.

**Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

Time was steadily ticking down with only twelve seconds remaining on the clock displayed by the memory code box. The two bugs stood two feet apart from each other as they panted heavily, both looking pretty banged up, although Garry bared the greatest amount of scars from the battle. The warning echoed once more through the vault as the box flashed an angry red, the neon red flash casting a shadow on the right side of Vanellope's face as she intensely glared at Garry. The time counted down to ten seconds as the two continued their glare off!

…_9…_

"It's over Garry and your reign of terror ends here!" Vanellope barked as the warning echoed once more. "I pumped you so full of the anti-virus code, you can barely stand! It doesn't take a genius to figure out who will walk out of this and who won't!"

…._8….._

"The throne of Sugar Rush is mine and I'm not letting you or that _overgrown_ sized boar take it away from me!" Garry hissed loudly. "When Turbo killed your father, he should have done away with you too! I urged him, but he wouldn't listen to me!"

….7…

"Well that _oversized_ boar would make a better king than you'll ever be and my code is indestructible as you'll soon find out!" Vanellope retorted as she straightened her legs and lowered her upper body. "And it was coded that way for a _reason_!"

…6…

"If your game was so vulnerable to my code, then surely you don't stand a chance!" Garry barked as he leapt at Vanellope, slamming into her and knocking the girl against her code box once more.

…_5_….

The princess gripped his neck and held him at a distance as she balled up her right fist and slammed it into the virus's left jaw.

…._4_…

Garry stumbled backwards as Vanellope leapt on him and pinned him down.

…_3_…

"There is only one core in this game and _THAT'S ME!"_ Vanellope threatened as she wound her neck around and delivered the final deadly bite into Garry's neck, injecting the last dose of the anti-virus code into his system!

…_2_…

With the last dose of anti-virus code streaming through his system, Garry quickly became immobile as Vanellope still had him pinned down. With a dark smirk gracing his face, Garry caught with Vanellope's vision.

"You may have won this battle princess, but the fight for the code is far from over." Garry voiced as he shut his eyes with his smirk remaining. "Your fight is just starting!"

His body then broke down into a series of binary that faded away into the code vault.

…._1_….

With Garry defeated, Vanellope felt her energy quickly fade as she reverted back to her normal form, her racing suit torn on her right arm, left shoulder, left leg, and right thigh from the fight. Her tired body fell stomach flat onto the surface of a code box as her long jet black hair cascaded down her back and around her shoulders as she lay unconscious. All of the code boxes that were linked up to hers separated, breaking up the antivirus network that was formed and successfully eradicated Garry's virus code.

…0…

The timer then hit all zeros as the warning echoed one last time.

"Game memory is full! Game will now shut down and all data will be lost!"

From the code vault to the village and even the game's marquee in Game Central Station, all of Sugar Rush suddenly went dark…

* * *

_**Was Garry really telling the truth about the fight being far from over? Stay tuned to find out!**_

_**And from me to you, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and for Garry, it's a good night! **_

_**Review Please!**_


	15. Press Start!

Chapter 15: Press Start!

'The battle for Sugar Rush is finally over and Garry was defeated at the hands of the core, but is it true that the fight for the code is just starting as he stated?'

**Chapter Inspiration: Sad Machine by Porter Robinson**

_Previously_

"If your game was so vulnerable to my code, then surely you don't stand a chance!" Garry barked as he leapt at Vanellope, slamming into her and knocking the girl against her code box once more.

…_5_….

The princess gripped his neck and held him at a distance as she balled up her right fist and slammed it into the virus's left jaw.

…._4_…

Garry stumbled backwards as Vanellope leapt on him and pinned him down.

…_3_…

"There is only one core in this game and _THAT'S ME!"_ Vanellope threatened as she wound her neck around and delivered the final deadly bite into Garry's neck, injecting the last dose of the anti-virus code into his system!

…_2_…

With the last dose of anti-virus code streaming through his system, Garry quickly became immobile as Vanellope still had him pinned down. With a dark smirk gracing his face, Garry caught with Vanellope's vision.

"You may have won this battle princess, but the fight for the code is far from over." Garry voiced as he shut his eyes with his smirk remaining. "Your fight is just starting!"

His body then broke down into a series of binary that faded away into the code vault.

…._1_….

With Garry defeated, Vanellope felt her energy quickly fade as she reverted back to her normal form, her racing suit torn on her right arm, left shoulder, left leg, and right thigh from the fight. Her tired body fell stomach flat onto the surface of a code box as her long jet black hair cascaded down her back and around her shoulders as she lay unconscious. All of the code boxes that were linked up to hers separated, breaking up the antivirus network that was formed and successfully eradicated Garry's virus code.

…0…

The timer then hit all zeros as the warning echoed one last time.

"Game memory is full! Game will now shut down and all data will be lost!"

From the code vault to the village and even the game's marquee in Game Central Station, all of Sugar Rush suddenly went dark…

_Currently_

Off in the distance, the sun was beginning to set on the horizon as yet another day came and went in the sugar themed game. The racers retired to their homes in the village while two beings stood on the balcony of the castle that looked out over the village, one small and one tall. The small raven haired girl fiddled with her tiara for the hundredth time while her father lightly laughed at seeing his daughter struggle with her new attire.

"Why do I have to wear this dad?" Five year old Vanellope questioned as she successfully removed the tiara from her head. "It's annoying!"

"Well honey, that's what a proper princess wears to show her status in her kingdom." King Candy voiced as he turned from his daughter and to the setting sun on the horizon. "Plus you look so adorable in it."

"More like stupid." Vanellope fussed as she gripped the candy apple red tiara in her right hand. "I look I'm wearing twisted cotton candy with this dress and this collar is just like this head thingy, annoying and itchy!"

The king couldn't help but laugh at his daughter's constant complaining about her new attire. He knew that when it were time to dress her in her proper attire for her status, it wouldn't come without complaints, something he was more than ready for. Shaking his head, the king continued his light laughter.

"You know something Vanellope, you're becoming more like your mother every day." King Candy voiced softly as he turned his vision toward the village as the memories of his wife came back to him, including the day of the racing tragedy that took her away from him and his young daughter. "If she were here today, she would agree with me. Her demeanor, her voice, and even her beautiful raven hair. I could swear when I look to you, I see her standing in front of me."

"But daddy, mommy is here." Vanellope softly voiced as she inched closer to her father. "Remember what you told me? Mommy is always with us and is watching over us. I bet she already knows that I hate wearing this thing and this collar is so itchy! Do you think you can tell her that I don't want to wear any of this? I don't think she would want me to wear it either!"

Feeling the collar of her dress chaffing against the side of her neck once more, young Vanellope began trying to remove it, instantly forgetting that it was strongly attached to the collar of her dress. Being unsuccessful in removing her collar like times before, the princess began scratching her neck with her gloved hand again, that same area of her neck becoming redder from the constant scratching she gave it.

Laughing a bit, King Candy turned his vision back toward his daughter with a smile and noticed that she was scratching at her neck once again. Turning completely away from the balcony, the king knelt down so to meet Vanellope at eye level, a small tear slipping down his right cheek. Grabbing her small hands, the king caught with the young princess's vision as all of the sincerity and love within the sugary land shined through them.

"I did say that didn't I?" King Candy smiled. "I know that one day when you grow up, you'll be everything like her and be the kind queen she once was."

"But mommy was big daddy and I'm little." Vanellope voiced as she moved that area of her neck against the collar so to scratch it without using her hand. "To be like her, I have to be big like her."

"That's right and one day you will grow up to be as big as she was." King Candy voiced. "Not only that, but you'll be queen of this land and rule it as well as she and I did. That would even mean finding a guy that catches your fancy. A queen has to have a king and knowing you as well as I do, I know you will find the right king to rule by your side."

"That would mean touching a boy and boys are gross!" Vanellope spat as she stuck out her tongue, which made her father laugh harder. "Boys have cooties and they're stupid!"

"Well as true as that is right now, you won't think that way when you get older." King Candy continued as he released his daughter's hands, but his vision never leaving hers. "You will meet all kinds of guys who will come to like you, love you even."

The king noticed Vanellope lightly shutter at the 'L' word, the word that she has time and again voiced made her sick with each time it was mentioned.

"But you must be careful Vanellope because not all guys will want to be with you for you." King Candy expressed, his tone more serious. "Some guys will want to be with you because of your status and will want that status by association. You are a princess and a lot of guys want will want to be your king simply because of that. Those types of guys will only do you and the kingdom harm, be sure to watch out for them."

"But how will I know those guys are the wrong ones?" Vanellope curiously asked as she began scratching her neck again.

"That's a good question, but the best way to know is to be observant." King Candy gently voiced as he reached for the girl's hand to stop her from breaking the skin on her neck from scratching it continuously. "But as smart as I know you are, you will know that right guy when you meet him and that will be the king that will rule this kingdom with you. Trust me when I say, he will be the luckiest guy in the land to have someone like you."

Turning from her father's vision, young Vanellope looked to the ground, to her ankle strapped sandals that were visible despite the ball gown style of her dress.

"But what if I pick the wrong guy daddy?" Vanellope softly voiced. "I don't want to upset you and harm our game."

Feeling tears prickling at his eyes, the king let a smile grace his face. Hooking his curled right finger under the young girl's chin, he gently turned her vision to his.

"Vanellope, you are going to make mistakes and I can't get upset at you for that." The king assured her. "That's all apart of being human, royal status aside. I made mistakes and even your mother made mistakes, but it is how you fix them that make the ultimate difference. You may date the wrong guys, but you will pick the right one to be your king. I know you will."

Gently taking the tiara out of her hands, King Candy gently placed it back on the young princess's head as a smile came to her face.

"You have the Candy Code and there is nothing you can't achieve when you set your mind to it." King Candy praised. "Now why don't we go inside and get you into something more comfortable for the night eh? That spot on your neck looks a little red so let's do something about that too."

"Yay!" Vanellope cheered. "Thank you daddy!"

"Anytime princess." The king expressed as he planted a small kiss to the girl's forehead.

Getting to his feet, the king took his daughter's tiny left hand and led her from the balcony to the inside of her room. By then, the night sky had fallen with the clearest of constellations being visible in the crystal clear midnight blue night sky. As the two disappeared into the room, a shooting star flew by overhead, leaving in its wake a gorgeous iridescent cosmic trail that one has ever seen.

"I promise to not let you down daddy!" Vanellope excitedly spoke. "I will be the best queen ever!"

_The best queen ever….._

_Ever…._

"_I know you will honey."_

* * *

"Oh I knew I had one laying around here somewhere." Mr. Litwak expressed as he quickly unplugged Sugar Rush's plug from the first string surge protector to the second string just as quickly._ "_Second strings work better than one string surge protectors now a days, if that's not already obvious."

With the game plugged in to its new power source, Litwak powered the game on and placed his hands on his hips.

"There, good as new." Litwak smiled. "Now this game will be running just as efficiently as it always did. Can't have my biggest money maker flat lining on me now can I? Now that the game is up and running, I better cancel that order since I had a surge protector already lying around here."

Litwak's footsteps against the padded carpet could be heard as he walked away in the opposite direction of the cabinet. With the cabinet powered on fully, the familiar chime of the Sugar Rush theme played along with the game demo appearing on the screen. The demo quickly finished with the racer roster appearing soon after, each racer appearing in their designated slots.

* * *

"_Daddy, do you know what type of princess I'll be?" _

"_I'm not sure Vanellope, but if I know you like I do, you'll be one strong leader that everyone in the land will look up to."_

"_I hope so becuase I want to be just like mommy."_

Within the darkened code vault, the code box belonging to King D. Von Schweetz sparked a bit of light as a small binary bug fashioned after a cybug crawled from behind the box and to the top of it. The bug stood straight on its legs and scanned the darkened room, its eyes then landing on the unconscious princess-president as she continued laying on the surface of a code that has held her since the end of her fight with Garry, the royal's form showing no signs of life. Squeaking a noise of obvious excitement, the bug sprouted its wings and took flight, its destination being in Vanellope's direction. Reaching the girl, the bug scuttled onto her back and observed her for mere seconds before breaking down into colorful streams of binary and absorbing into her body. The colorful streams of binary began circulating throughout Vanellope's body, her form emitting a colorful glow that mocked that of the northern lights.

The king's box then sprouted a single wire that firmly connected to the back of Vanellope's code box and as the binary continued streaming through her form, Vanellope was lifted off of the code box she was lying on as a colorful sphere encased the royal as if were trying to protect her from further harm. From what little life that was left in the king's code box, the remainder of the code within that box was transmitted to Vanellope's box, once again giving it the life it had before Garry's virus code took over and corrupted the game.

"_I knew you were going to be the strong leader your mother and I once was." _The dignified voice of the king spoke throughout the vault, however his voice meant only for her. _"I couldn't be more proud of you my dear daughter. Sugar Rush needs you as well as the Candy legacy. Now continue to make me proud of you. I will see you soon, I promise."_

A ghost outline of the king appeared and looked down to the unconscious Vanellope surrounded by the colorful sphere that was protecting her. The corner of the king's mouth formed a smile as his ghost form then dispersed throughout the rest of the code room, colorful blocks of data further breaking down and floating about.

From her code box, the other code boxes surrounding hers began changing back to their default color as the purplish-blue effervescent streams of data began to once again stream through the boxes one by one. The colorful blocks of data from the king's ghost form landed on and entered the code boxes of the racers Garry disabled and who were transformed into viruses. Taffyta, Minty, Rancis, Adorabeezle, and Jubileena's code boxes were quickly brought back to life with the normal stream of data beginning to circulate back through them as if Garry never invaded the game. A few blocks of data then merged with the memory code box, sparking it back to life as well.

Having given Vanellope's code box what code was left remaining within the King's code box, the wire that connected the two boxes fell away as if it were dead sea weed with the King's code box disconnecting from the rest of the game. The box went dark as it began floating among the colorful boxes that remained attached to the game.

With the memory code box sparked back to life, a green loading bar appeared on the front of it as the percentage began racing towards the end to one hundred percent. The percentage reached one hundred percent which then brought full functionality back to the rest of the game, from the race tracks, to the village, to the Candy Kingdom. Through the sacrifices of the king, the entire game was fully functional once more and any traces of Garry's invasion within the code vault were completely erased.

In the village, colorful binary appeared before the group and formed the distinct outlines of several individuals, those several individuals being the racers that Garry disabled the codes of and turned into his virus minions. Everyone except for King Candy. The racers and former minions formed fully into existence with Taffyta being the first to fully form.

"When I get my hands on you for hurting Vanellope, you'll regret it!" Taffyta snapped as she flung her arms in front of her, but her argument quickly dropped at noticing that her arms were free from the bonds that were placed on them. Looking to her wrists and then around, Taffyta noticed Ralph, Felix, Jet, Set, Jubileena, Minty, Rancis, Tamora, and an unconscious Adorabeezle, but no Garry. "Ok, what's going on and where's Garry?"

Just as Ralph opened his mouth to answer Taffyta, a loud squeal was heard coming from Jet as he leapt onto his brother, his hug nearly squeezing the life out of his twin.

"Set, you're back!" Jet continued to happily squeal.

"Glad to be back, but how?" Set asked in confusion as Jet continued to hug him. "This isn't my game and I should have been deleted after everything that has happened."

Jet then released his brother and punched him hard in his left arm as a faint scowl appeared on his face. Grabbing his arm, Set then turned to Jet, surprised at the quick turn of emotions he just made.

"Jet, what the heck?!" Set questioned as he rubbed his arm. "What was that for?!"

"That's for everything you said to me when you were evil!" Jet snapped. "You know you're _far _from smarter than me and we agreed that _neither _of us is weaker than the other!"

"I was turned evil, what do you want from me?" Set complained as he continued rubbing his arm. "I'm sorry about that."

The faint scowl that Jet wore quickly disappeared as he resumed hugging his twin, in which Set returned the hug.

"How did we regenerate after what has been happening?" Jubileena added in as she looked to her hands and the rest of her to see that she was fully regenerated back onto Sugar Rush's grid like her cohorts. "I thought Garry deleted our codes for good."

Minty and Rancis looked to each other in confusion and back to themselves as they continued observing their forms.

"I'll tell you all how you regenerated." Tamora began as she placed her hands on her hips. "Sugar snap is why you all are back and while I haven't the slightest clue of what she did, I do know that she put her neck on the line for the rest of us. Set is right, we're not in our own game and should have been deleted once the game shut down, but somehow she saved all of us. I'll tell you, that little lady is truly a leader by definition."

Taking in what Tamora said, a sudden feeling of dread came over Felix and Ralph with Felix turning to Ralph, sadness clear on his features.

"Jiminy, Jaminy Ralph, you don't think Vanellope could be..." Felix began, but couldn't bring himself to continue as his heart quickly leapt into his throat.

Running a slightly shaky hand through his wild chocolate hair, Ralph turned to Felix, but just as quickly turned his vision to the ground in contemplation of what could have happened to his best friend as to why none of the non-sugar rush gamers weren't deleted after the shutdown. Did she truly sacrifice herself for their sake? The arcade wouldn't be the same without the bouncy teen that he met as a kid a year ago.

"I don't know Felix, but I'd hate to think about it." Ralph finally voiced to his brother. "I really can't even bring myself to think about it."

"Why don't you gentlemen head into the castle and-" Tamora began, but the screeching of her soldiers rushing into the game with Jackhammers blazing interrupted her thought. Everyone turned to see one soldier directing the others as they blasted the weakened Turbugs that remained in the area.

"It's about time they showed up!" Tamora sighed, her patience level for her platoon clearly thinned. "I swear they are a bunch of crippled moths who fly in circles instead of towards the light. Ok everyone, it appears that everything is under control here. Felix, Ralph, and strawberry kid, you head into the castle to check on Vanellope. Hopefully she is still with us while I help them clean this game up. With their power source gone, these bugs won't survive too much longer under our firepower."

"We can only hope for the best." Felix expressed as he straightened his hat.

"The name is Taffyta." Taffyta replied with a frustrated sigh while flailing her arms. "Think of Taffy and that's how you get my name!"

"Well 'Taffy', we better get going." Ralph spoke as he gestured to Felix to begin making his way towards the castle. "We don't have a minute to waste."

"And I want good news Wreck It!" Tamora called to the three as they began rushing towards the castle. "Don't let me down."

"I'll see what I can do!" Ralph called back.

**Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

The colorful sphere that surrounded Vanellope held the teen in waited suspension as if it were awaiting further instructions of what to do with her. Within the sphere, the strands of binary continued to stream through Vanellope's form, the binary steadily healing the royal's numerous battle scars. From the tears in her racing suit to the paleness of her skin from her temporary transformation, to even the open wounds on her delicate skin, the royal was fully healed and back to herself again.

Having done its job, the sphere then lowered Vanellope back onto the code box she was lying on, this time laying the girl on her back before it disappeared.

_"You'd always be the princess I imagined you would be." _The voice of the king spoke in a whisper.

Ralph, Felix, and Taffyta arrived at the entrance of the vault and frantically searched the zero gravity space for any sign of their leader, an overwhelming sense of dread hitting the three all at once.

"Is she in there?" Felix questioned as he continued his search for the royal.

"It's too dark to tell!" Taffyta panicked as she quickly grabbed a licorice rope and tied it around herself. "I'm going in!"

With the rope securely tied around her waist, the strawberry themed racer leapt into the space and began swimming in the direction of the code boxes.

Without anymore questions, Ralph and Felix followed Taffyta's lead and leapt into the space themselves once their ropes were tied tightly.

"Come on Vanellope, where are you?" Taffyta questioned as she looked around the vault for Vanellope despite the darkness that surrounded her. "I know you made a sacrifice for us, but that didn't mean leaving right after!"

Looking behind her and then to the front of her once more as she continued to swim through the vault, Taffyta's eyes lit up at what she spotted before her. Her heart practically leapt into her throat with excitement as a wide smile came to her face.

"Guys, I found her! She's over there!" Taffyta hollered with excitement as she began making her way over to Vanellope.

Reaching the code box the princess-president was lying on, Taffyta leapt onto it and immediately cradled the girl's head in her lap as Ralph and Felix soon joined her. Ralph and Felix looked Vanellope over and could tell from the steady rising and falling of her chest that she was alive, but there were no traces of her battle scars anywhere. The wrecker cocked an eyebrow in confusion at this.

"Vanellope, I thought we lost you!" Taffyta squealed as she hugged her leader. "Don't you ever scare us like that again! The next time there is fight, we're all joining you! Do you hear me?"

From the pitch of the racer's voice, Vanellope's eyes fluttered and then opened slightly. She then closed them while shifting in Taffyta's lap.

"I'm sure even the players in Tron Legacy heard you Taffyta." Vanellope tiredly voiced, a smile coming to Ralph and Felix's face as her eyes opened all the way to notice not just Taffyta, but them as well.

"Kid, you gave us quite the scare." Ralph calmly voiced as he continued smiling. "I could never imagine life without you, you little crumb snatcher."

A small smile came to Vanellope's face from Ralph's words of endearment, the endearment she knew was only meant for her.

"Hey Ralph, can you do something for me?" Vanellope began.

"Anything kid." Ralph eagerly replied. "You name it."

"Could you thank my dad for me?" Vanellope requested as she lowered her eyelids in relaxation. "He really came through for me today."

Cocking an eyebrow at her request, Ralph looked to Taffyta and Felix who gave him equally confused stares at what they heard.

"Your dad?" Ralph questioned in hesitation. "I mean I guess I could."

"Ralph, she maybe a little confused from the battle and may not know what she's saying right now." Felix whispered.

"After the battle she just fought, that could happen to anyone." Ralph expressed as he looked to Vanellope to see that she closed her eyes and was resting peacefully in Taffyta's lap. "If I had to face another deadly virus, I'd be in her position as well."

* * *

_**The inspiration for this chapter outside of the song listed was my late father R. J. Sr. While my dad and I didn't have the best relationship, I can't tell you guys how much I miss him as his death was untimely in 2014. However, I know everything happens for a reason and therefore, I know he is watching over me as I go through this life, taking care of my family as I am the pillar for my family of origin and the one who is holding them all together in his place. I still struggle with his death sometimes, but for the majority, I have accepted it for what it is. So this chapter is dedicated to R.J. Sr. **_

_**Review Please!**_


	16. Goin' Turbo

Chapter 16: Goin' Turbo

'Through the sacrifices of Sugar Rush's King, the land has been restored and Vanellope has been healed from the battle. Everything appears normal, but what's next for our Candy Kingdom's leader?'

**Chapter Inspiration: When Will I See You Again? By Owl City**

_Previously_

"Guys, I found her! She's over there!" Taffyta hollered with excitement as she began making her way over to Vanellope.

Reaching the code box the princess-president was lying on, Taffyta leapt onto it and immediately cradled the girl's head in her lap as Ralph and Felix soon joined her. Ralph and Felix looked Vanellope over and could tell from the steady rising and falling of her chest that she was definitely still alive, but there were no traces of her battle scars anywhere. The wrecker cocked an eyebrow in confusion at this.

"Vanellope, I thought we lost you!" Taffyta squealed as she hugged her leader. "Don't you ever scare us like that again! The next time there is fight, we're all joining you! Do you hear me?"

From the pitch of the racer's voice, Vanellope's eyes fluttered and then opened slightly. She then closed them while shifting in Taffyta's lap.

"I'm sure even the players in Tron Legacy heard you Taffyta." Vanellope tiredly voiced, a smile coming to Ralph and Felix's face as her eyes opened all the way to notice not just Taffyta, but them as well.

"Kid, you gave us quite the scare." Ralph calmly voiced as he continued smiling. "I could never imagine life without you, you little crumb snatcher."

A small smile came to Vanellope's face from Ralph's words of endearment, the endearment she knew was only meant for her.

"Hey Ralph, can you do something for me?" Vanellope began.

"Anything kid." Ralph replied. "You name it."

"Could you thank my dad for me?" Vanellope requested as she lowered her eyelids in relaxation. "He really came through for me."

Cocking an eyebrow at her request, Ralph looked to Taffyta and Felix who gave him equally confused stares at what they heard.

"Your dad?" Ralph questioned in hesitation. "I mean I guess I could."

"Ralph, she maybe a little confused from the battle and may not know what she's saying." Felix whispered.

"After the battle she just fought, that could happen to anyone." Ralph expressed as he looked to Vanellope to see that she closed her eyes and was resting peacefully in Taffyta's lap. "If I had to face another deadly virus, I'd be in her position as well."

_Currently_

"Ok, that's all of them." Dave announced as Mike and Markowski walked to his right carrying a large thermos filled to the brim with the cybug data that was cleaned up around the game. "Now we just need to begin reconstructing this place back to status quo."

"Brings back memories doesn't it?" Mike cracked as he and Markowski set the thermos down so that it was standing vertical between them. "We should really do a perimeter check of our game to make sure this doesn't keep being an occurrence in any other game. Especially after the close of each arcade day."

Calhoun, who was standing in front of Dave, kept her eyes on her tracking beacon to make sure that the count of cybugs that multiplied and were destroyed didn't leave behind any offspring in the crevices of the game that they couldn't get to or didn't know about. The arrow cursor on the screen frantically moved about the area the beacon was checking for.

"That's not a bad idea Markowski." Calhoun half replied as her tracking beacon beeped, indicating that the check was complete and that no bug offspring were left in the game. "I know that our game is very advanced, but it seems to be causing more trouble than it is actually worth. Not that I would change the programming mind you, but those cybugs are slippier than a chubby kid on a water slide."

"Well that's everything." Sonic voiced as he, Knuckles, Amy, and Megaman with Rush Jet approached the crowd. "Man this place is a real mess."

"Angel Island's ruin can't even compare to damage this place suffered." Knuckles stated which earned him a jab in the ribs from Amy.

"Tell me about it." Calhoun voiced in agreement as she placed her beacon back on her utility belt and looked about the area that was rampaged by the cybugs. "Garry really did a number on this place that rivals the invasion that took place here year ago. We have a real clean up job on our hands here, but you guys did what you came here to do so you can take off. The less cameos here the better. I do appreciate your hard work and the citizens of Sugar Rush couldn't be more grateful for your presence. You are honorably dismissed and have earned yourselves a place in Hero's Duty's Hall of Fame."

Rush Jet happily barked in agreement with what Calhoun stated. With their right hands to their foreheads, everyone saluted simultaneously.

"No problem Sarg." Sonic replied with a salute. "Anytime you need a favor, you can count on us."

"Now we can officially begin planning our date for the weekend!" Amy excitedly voiced as she latched onto Sonic's right arm. "I was thinking something French and at sunset."

The blue hedgehog didn't voice a word, but instead just sighed as he, Amy, Knuckles, and Megaman with Rush began making their way towards the entrance of the game.

"Hey, has anyone heard from junk pile, the pink candy kid, or Felix during the clean up procedure around the kingdom's perimeter?" Calhoun questioned as she looked around, having just remembered them after their departure to the kingdom. "Vanellope even?"

"No ma'am." Dave answered. "When we cleaned up around the castle, not a soul came out or went in."

Biting her bottom lip, Calhoun turned her attention towards the castle as what has kept their attention that entire time crossed her mind. While the game is back to being fully functional, she does wonder what exactly happened to the core herself. She told Ralph she wanted to hear good news regarding Vanellope's whereabouts and wondered if she was going to get that considering all that had taken place...

**Several Days Later….**

Several days passed since the defeat of Garry and the king's sacrifice that revived Sugar Rush and Vanellope. Tamora finally got the good news she was hoping for from Felix about the whereabouts of Vanellope, her prayer to user being answered. She couldn't believe what she heard regarding the King reviving the game since he had been deceased for sixteen years. Yet, she has heard stranger things so she took the news with a grain of salt.

Tamora and her crew did one last perimeter check for any hidden threats around the game just as they did a year ago. Parallel to a year ago, Felix and Ralph also had a hand in putting the game back to status quo while adding a few interesting additions to the village and its homes that were destroyed during the attack. A little something to let the citizens know that regardless of what games each belonged to, they always had friends within the arcade, even from the best buy guy himself!

The game functioned as normal during arcade hours as if the invasion never took place with the help of the deceased king. So in the land of everything sugary and sweet, things are back to normal, right?

**Castle Corridors**

The end of yet another arcade day had come and the citizens of Sugar Rush returned to their homes in the village, their minds set on resting after a long day of racing. As for Vanellope, she changed up the roster for that week to give herself some time to rest after everything that happened with Garry. So in her stead, she placed Torvald Batterbutter in her slot to race. Normally for a re-colored character to be unlocked and playable, the user must race and win first place on the Cake way, Gumball Gorge, and Blizzard Mountain tracks, but in this instance, the core made an exception to that rule.

During her time of rest, she had every intention of spending as much time as possible alone to think, but her close friends would not quite leave it at that. Especially when Taffyta is in the lead!

"Can't you guys go any faster?!" Taffyta fumed as she directed the palace repairmen who were repairing the control panel to the code vault's doors and virus protection. "When my friend gets down here, I want this work done! The poor girl has already been through enough! She had to fight a deadly virus and nearly died in the process for user's sake! Just remember, you're being paid by the hour and if you don't do a good job, Vanellope will know!"

The men simply turned to the racer and then to each other as they shared a glance. They then went back to working on their designated controls.

"Way to crack the whip there Taff." Gloyd casually commented as he lazily strolled into the area where the repairmen and Taffyta were, his hands lazily placed into his chocolate brown pants pockets. "I heard it all the way down the hall."

"I'm just doing my job." Taffyta commented with a sigh as she placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the kitchen with Adorabeezle, Jubileena, and Candlehead. We do have Vanellope's coronation and birthday combo to begin setting up for. You're supposed to be helping them with the menu."

"Yea, in like three days." Gloyd shrugged as he leaned his back against wall while titling his head back against it. "Plus they kicked me out. Something about frosting and me not being helpful. I didn't really catch all of it considering I was being pushed out the doors. So I came out here to see what was going on. If I had of known that you were cracking the whip, I would have stayed in the kitchen with the others."

Closing her eyes, Taffyta could feel her temper spiking once again, but just as quickly took a calming breath to simmer it. Since things returned to normal around the sugary themed game, Taffyta took it upon herself to make sure Vanellope didn't have to worry about anything except for what she announced she was going to do. While Vanellope didn't formally give the strawberry themed racer the role she was currently playing, Taffyta felt it was within her right to make sure Vanellope didn't have to resume her role of the game's ruler until she felt better. According to her and ONLY her, that's what best friends are for.

"Well, it's not too late to join them." Taffyta calmly stated. "Besides, I'm overseeing this operation so things are fine here."

"Actually I came out here to ask if you've seen Swizzle." Gloyd inquired. "I want to reinstate our bet about who is the best racer between the two of us. Since the invasion took place that got put on hold, but now that things are back to normal, so is our bet."

"He is with Minty currently." Taffyta answered as she turned her attention back to the repairmen. "When I last saw them, they were headed for the village."

"Oh no! The last time I found him with Minty, I got whiplash with a verbal assault from Minty!" Gloyd protested as he leapt off the wall and raised his hands in front of him in defense. "I will wait until he has detached from her and then I'll reinstate our bet. I don't know what changes about her when she is around Swizzle, but if her bite were a snake, it would be poisonous!"

"And let's be serious pumpkin head, Vanellope and I would run circles around the two of you without even trying." Taffyta continued as she turned her attention back to Gloyd. "On my worst day, I can take the two of you down. Even Jubileena can out race you two and she's not as fast as Vanellope and I."

"I heard that Taffyta!" Jubileena's voice called out.

The cherry themed racer was entering the hall the two were in on her way to the main hall with the decorations for Vanellope's dual parties. The conversation carried through the hall and she happened to catch what Gloyd and Taffyta were saying in passing.

"Would that be before or after you fuss about your hair?" Gloyd teased with a smirk. "User forbid if it's windy and you have to race. _Oh my hair! I didn't race as well as I could have because the wind messed up my hair! I want a recount!_"

With a seething grit of her teeth, Taffyta turned her attention back to the repairmen.

"Could you go find a track to go get stuck on or something?" Taffyta begrudgedly requested. "I've got things here and you're in the way."

"Sure, but keep up the good work Taff." Gloyd gently spoke. "Vanellope will be grateful for what you're doing for her after all she's been through. Try not to crack the whip too hard."

The gentle tone of the pumpkin themed racer's voice made a small smile sprawl across her features, her vision still turned away from his. Out of her left peripheral vision, Taffyta noticed the racer turn heel and begin making his way down the hall. She then refocused her vision back on what the repairmen were doing. The one repairman working on the virus protection control panel pulled a few wires out of the wall and began clipping at the ends of the wires.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Taffyta fussed. "Those are supposed to stay in the wall! Stop cutting them and put those back!"

"These ends are dead miss so I have to cut them so the panel can receive the power it was missing." That one calmly explained as he went back to his job. "If I'm going to do my job, I'm going to do it right."

Hearing the explanation, Taffyta's argument was dropped as a blush covered her cheeks.

"Oh well, then keep up the good work." Taffyta rushed as she waved her right hand shooing motion.

"Hey Taffyta!" Snowanna's voice chimed as she made her way over to the strawberry themed racer with a large box in her hands. "I looked everywhere for this perfect gift so I know the prez is going to love it! This gift has happy birthday/welcome to being a queen written all over it! When she opens it in three days, she is going to scream with excitement! She might even pass out!"

"Among other things." Taffyta mumbled. "Ok, you can set it in the conference room with her other gifts."

"Ok and wasn't Vanellope resting in her room an hour ago?" Snowanna questioned as she shifted the box in her hands a little. "Crumbelina went to check on her, found her bed empty, and began to panic like crazy. Any idea where she is?"

"I'm sure wherever Vanellope is, she's fine." Taffyta assured the snow cone themed racer. "No need to worry. She told me what she will and maybe doing during her time of rest so tell Crumbelina to turn it down two notches. The threat has passed so things are fine."

"Alright, will do second in command boss lady." Snowanna cracked as she turned heel and began down the hall towards the east wing conference room.

The repairman working on the NES gamepad that locks the code vault set his screwdriver down and picked up a pinpoint laser. Aiming it at the area the cybug created when it chewed its way into the vault, the laser began making the hole bigger which made Taffyta go into a panic of her own.

"What are you doing?!" Taffyta nearly screamed as the hole got bigger and bigger.

**West Wing Conference Room**

With Taffyta making sure a good majority of the castle was problem free under her rule, Sour Bill was holding a conference for the Turbo twins that Vanellope instructed him to hold considering the contributions the twins made to her game during the invasion. Despite Set being reprogrammed by Garry and turned into a virus during the invasion, the core knew the good intentions the turbo twin had for helping her land and couldn't deny him for the reward that was soon going to be bestowed up him and his brother.

"For your untiring service for the great land that is Sugar Rush, it is not only my honor, but Vanellope's as well to present you with the Sugar Rush Medal of Honor." Sour Bill congratulated as he handed each twin a golden medal with Sugar Rush's logo engraved in the center. "Your help with restoring this great land will be forever remembered and your avatars will be integrated into the game, thus allowing you to become official racers of Sugar Rush."

The final words of Bill's speech hit Jet as if his code were struck by lightning, his hands tightly gripping the medal with excitement. Oh how he longed to hear those two sweet words "real racers" after fifteen long years. To hear those words spoken that very day, no amount of sweets in Sugar Rush could compare to the sweet feeling of being given the privilege of racing again. After their tiring journey to become apart of a racing game when Road Blasters was unfortunately put out of order thanks to Turbo, the twins finally found a new home. That new home being the most profitable, not to mention popular, game in the arcade.

"Thank you Sour Bill." Set calmly thanked the ball of candy as his attention fell to his medal. "Although I don't think I deserve this. I mean, I helped Garry damage this game and attack Vanellope on the tracks. No hero would ever do that."

"Your programming was corrupted by Garry." Sour Bill corrected the twin in his usual sour tone. "What happened after that was not your fault. You did try to help her before the invasion got out of hand so you're being honored for that."

With a small smile, Set pulled his medal to his chest as he closed his eyes.

"I do have one question." Jet asked as he turned his vision to Sour Bill. "Why didn't Vanellope present our medals to us?"

"Vanellope is taking time to clear her head after the invasion." Sour Bill answered. "It really did a number on her code so she is currently doing some code sorting to figure things out. I have never seen her like this, even after Turbo's invasion. Garry reviving her father really messed with her if you want my opinion about it."

"Will she be alright?" Set wondered.

"She has the candy code, she will pull through just fine." Sour Bill stated confidently, a small smile appearing on his face. "She made it through Turbo and the worst virus invasion yet, Garry. She is a one of a kind leader with non stop resilience. The king was right. She really does take after her mother and it shows with each passing day."

"It really shows." Set spoke with a nod. "Well, now that we're official racers of the game, there is nothing we wouldn't do for Vanellope."

"You said it brother." Jet added in as he slipped his medal around his neck. "Now that we're real racers again, let's go pick out real karts! I got dibs on anything blue! Race you to the kart factory!"

Throwing his hands in the air, Jet ran out of the conference room with Set running behind him, just as excited as his brother to begin tearing up the multi-leveled tracks.

"Great, just what this game needs." Sour Bill sighed as he began shuffling towards the conference table. "More racers."

**Code Vault**

With the main castle's activities being directed by Taffyta, the core found refuge inside the code vault, deep inside. With a licorice rope tied around her waist, the royal was sitting on top of a code box with her attention glued to the video footage she was watching from her father's code box. Tears stung her eyes as she watched her father sing to her younger self at what looked to be her bedtime. A tear slipped down her cheek as the king held the young princess close while lightly bouncing her around her bedroom. Her eyes were on the cusp of closing and within a few more centimeters, they were going to be.

"Just think of what your future holds my darling princess." The king voiced almost above a whisper as the young princess laid her head in the left crook of the king's neck. "An entire kingdom in the palm of your hands. Not to mention the many friends that you will meet along the way. I can't wait for you to grow up and see all that awaits you here in the land of everything sweet."

A sniff escaped the core as more tears ran down her rosy cheeks, but with a swipe of a gloved finger, they were whisked away.

"Daddy." Vanellope whispered as more tears appeared and spilled down her cheeks. "I miss you so much."

"You have the candy code, the best code there is." The king continued as he walked closer to the girl's crib. "You're a Von Schweetz and you were lucky to be blessed with one of the greatest legacies in the land. I would know, I gave it to you."

The king lightly laughed as he looked in his daughter's face to see that her eyes were fully closed and that her mouth hung open a small bit. Fingering her lip lightly, he continued laughing.

"Just like a Von Schweetz." The King smiled. "Your mother slept just like this too. You are too adorable for words."

Lowering her head, Vanellope's figure trembled as a stifled sob racked her frame. Wiping away more tears, the royal turned her attention back to the video. Needing to collect herself before continuing to view it, the royal taped the center of the video and paused it.

"Daddy, I wish you were here." Vanellope voiced clearly as she wiped her eyes clean of tears. "I know it was you that saved me and the game after I defeated Garry. I felt your presence and heard your voice. I just want to see you and talk to you. I have so many questions to ask you. Everyone says I'm a good leader, but I question that sometimes. I'm not like you or mom who were Sugar Rush's greatest leaders. You two were so strong and could handle everything that came your way. I will never be like either of you, especially you daddy."

"If your dad were here, he'd disagree with you." Rancis's gentle voice added in, causing Vanellope to perk up.

Hurriedly wiping her eyes, Vanellope turned around to see Rancis steadily approaching her. The peanut butter cup themed racer took a seat next to the core while placing a comforting hand on her right shoulder.

"Everyone thinks you're doing a great job. Never doubt yourself." Rancis continued while gesturing his hands to lead his point. "So two invasions took place. It's not like you were given a heads up before things got out of hand. The important thing is, you got to the root of the problem and eliminated it before it could destroy the game. You're an awesome leader Vanellope and this game would be nothing without you."

With a crack of a small smile, Vanellope turned to the dark abyss below the two as she kicked her legs lightly. The small smile then grew into a bigger one as she turned back to Rancis.

"Thanks Rancis." Vanellope nodded, her smile unchanging. "But I felt I lost a part of myself when I were transformed into that cybug. I felt like I lost control when that happened. My dad would have never done that."

"Your dad would have if it meant saving those that were most important to him." Rancis reasoned. "If he were here and had to convert into a virus just to save you, he would have done it in a heartbeat. You did that for us to make sure Garry never got his hands on this game and that's what makes you a noble leader Van."

Turning away from the racer's vision, Vanellope nodded her head in agreeance. She knew like any parent would, the king would do anything for her, even if it meant sacrificing his life for her.

"You always know just what to say to make me smile don't you?" Vanellope wondered as she turned back to Rancis.

"That's what boyfriends-I mean friends are for." Rancis immediately corrected himself, a noticeable blush coming to Vanellope's face at his slip up. "Friends! Nothing more! This is what good friends do for each other! We're good friends right Van?"

"You know, we never had our first date." Vanellope casually reminded him as a deep red blush appeared on the peanut buttercup themed racer's cheeks. "I would have really liked to see what my 'boyfriend' thought of. Maybe a balcony date or even something at sunset."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Rancis recomposed himself as he stared deep into Vanellope's vision. He felt himself wanting to lose his composure once more at feeling Vanellope slip her right hand into his left. Quickly turning to their intertwined hands, Rancis quickly turned back to her vision.

"It's never too late you know." Vanellope voiced, her words trailing off into a whisper.

"Well I did have one thing in mind." Rancis began, quickly getting his stammering under control as the two began closing the gap between them slowly.

"Yea?" Vanellope replied as she lowered her eyelids. "What was that exactly?"

"Something I know you'd love." Rancis hinted as the two got closer to one another, their lips mere centimeters a part. "Something with a scene from the top and not a cloud in the sky. A scene of the sun that stretches for miles."

The gap continued closing, this time with a bit more pace. With their lips just mere seconds from touching, a strong tremor suddenly struck that threw off their concentration and threatened to send them rocketing off the box they were sitting on. Rancis gripped tightly onto Vanellope as did the core with Rancis so to keep the other steady. Looking into each other faces, their attention was immediately drawn to the king's code box that brightly flashed his silhouette in neon blue along with a map of the game. Purple dots quickly blinked on different areas of the map that were accompanied by a beep.

Confused by the sudden occurrence, Vanellope released Rancis and got a closer look at the map and her father's silhouette.

"What's going on and what is that?" Rancis questioned as he joined Vanellope's side to figure out what they were being shown.

"I'm not sure." Vanellope replied as she reached towards the game's map with both hands. With her two index fingers, the royal pressed them firmly onto the surface of the map and pulled them apart, expanding the map. "It's the map of the game, but what does this have to do with my father?"

"Maybe he's trying to tell you something." Rancis expressed.

"But _what_ is what I'm trying to figure out." Vanellope answered. "What are you trying to tell me daddy? Is it something that I should know? Is there something you want me to do?"

Continuing to look at the map with Vanellope, small writing below the map caught the racer's attention. Squinting his eyes, Rancis read the print as a gasp escaped his figure. Vanellope turned to him having heard the gasp.

"Rancis, what's the matter?" Vanellope asked.

"You might want to read the fine print at the bottom of the map." Rancis pointed out to her. "Your dad left a message for you."

Looking to the bottom of the map, Vanellope expanded the map more so she could read what Rancis read. Silently reading the words of the print, Vanellope raised her right hand to her mouth in shock.

"Oh my user!" Vanellope managed to say. "That would require me to game jump! Daddy always forbad game jumping!"

"Well you have to if you want to keep this game stable and plugged in." Rancis encouraged. "Garry damaged the stability of the game when he invaded it and only your father's code can stabilize it. The print specifically read, for the game to survive beyond it's prime..."

"The king must exist in this time." Vanellope finished what the print laid out. "The points blinking on the map must be where parts of his code are located. The top area of the map is located in the first segment of Tron Legacy. How did part of his code get way out there?"

Before Rancis could add to what Vanellope questioned, a much stronger tremor hit that nearly knocked the two off the box once more. Recomposing themselves, the two turned back to the map.

"I'll do it." Vanellope determinately voiced. "I will find every bit of his code and return it so the game can be stabilized. My code can only do so much, but not as much as my father's."

"What about game jumping and your father's rule against it?" Rancis wondered.

"Daddy left that message for a reason, which means to save this game, I'm going Turbo!" Vanellope sternly replied.

_**TBC...in Secrets of The Code!**_

* * *

_**Yes, yours truly is still alive and kicking! I apologize for my near month hiatus, but if you read my profile, that will explain it all. :) Wouldn't want to bore you all with the details lol. I also didn't want to post this without making sure it was absolutely perfect as you all know what a perfectionist I can be lol! I never deliver less than my best! **_

_**With one chapter closed, another one will begin, the true roller coaster ride that will be Secrets Of The Code! Coming this March so stay tuned!**_

_**Review Please!**_


	17. Secrets is finally posted!

Secrets Of The Code!

Hello everyone! As promised, the sequel to this fanfic is finally out! Please check it out and the fanart for this fanfic is on my DeviantArt: Alisi Christine! The artist ArtistianCoffeeShop has an acquaintance that created the wonderful fanart for my story. While it is not complete as of yet, it does capture the essence of the fanfic just right! :) So please enjoy!

Alisi Thorndyke!


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