6Summary:
What if glitches could leave their game, but Vanellope was trapped. A little one-shot about how Ralph comes home with something more valuable than a medal.
Story One:
"I found that secret opening and now I live here," Vanellope said slightly embarrassed at coming out with it as she played with her hoodie sleeves. "See look, look! Welcome to my home." The black haired girl was more than happy to jump over to her home to show her new pal.
Ralph looked on at the hut made of sugar, feeling more sorry for her that he felt for himself; because just like her first cart, her house was built by her from whatever broken things she could find.
"I sleep in these candy rappers and bundle myself up like a little homeless lady." the racer said with a voice all too convincing and heartfelt to the massive man.
"All alone? Surrounded by all this garbage?" he asked her with a long face, even though he already knew what she was going to say. "Look, kid, I know it's none of my business but why do you even stick around here?"
Vanellope sat up and faced away from him playing with her hood tassels. "I've tried leaving, but the guards chased me back to the edge of the game. And they haven't let me on the bridge since," she told him with a few sniffles at the memory of having to run and hide for so long.
The wrecker took a sad look at the sad girl and the 'home' around her. "Listen, kid, I can't promise anything more than a pile of bricks…" Ralph trailed off trying to think of the right words for his confused thoughts. "But why don't you come to my game?" he shrugged.
"Really? Y-you'll help me even after what I did with your medal?" she was wiping away the water building up in her eyes. She had gotten her hopes up before and wasn't about to let some big dummy do that again.
"I mean only if you want." He responded with a little half smile. "Felix is nice as far as good guys go and I'm sure everyone would be fine with it as long as you don't cause trouble for them," Ralph explained thinking about how the Nicelanders would react to him bringing someone into their game.
It was nighttime in Sugar Rush and Ralph was 'driving' the candy cart down the road speeding away from the devil dogs chasing after them with their donut guards stumbling far behind them. His fingers dug into the sour rainbow bridge after leaving them in the sugary dust and with one final push, he propelled the cart down the power cord and barely making it all the way through.
Vanellope was taking her first steps out of her game as she got out of her car and looked around at the massive corridor filled with other games and best of all so many new people. She was just awestruck as she took in her new surroundings. "Ralph! Ralph can you believe all these people! Look at everyone!" she jumped back to him brimming with energy and excitement.
However when Ralph crossed the threshold his great 'friend' the surge protector was there to greet him. The alarm and flashing red startled Vanellope to glitch behind him and instinctively he put a hand back keeping her hidden as he went through the motions with Surge.
"Hey who was that guy?" she asked getting a grumble as they walked through Game Central Station.
"And just watch he's gonna stop me at my game too," Ralph predicted, and sure enough when he stepped into the metal archway the same alarm triggered. With that little annoyance out of the way they hopped into his little box train; her in the front bouncing along with him in the middle after having put her car in the back standing on its side.
As the little box train pulled out of the tunnel Vanellope took her first look at Ralph's game and where he's from. She was so focused on the classical apartment complex that she didn't notice Ralph watching her from the middle cart with a smile of his own; even if it was much smaller than hers. "Wow…" she breathed as she took it in. "What is this place?"
"It's called the Niceland's apartment," he said trying to remember the name of the building. It was never really important to the wrecker or even the story of the game so he never kept it in mind. "I don't suppose you wanna go take a look at it do you kid?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck.
"Sure as sugar I do." she beamed at him not knowing the full truth about his place in the game; or rather after the game. So pushing her cart up to the side of the building and walked with her bounding figure and pushed open the doors for her. It wasn't anything really special or elegant but she loved it none the less. The non-candy decor was new to her and she loved the way everything looked and smelled so different to her. "Hey where is everyone?" she asked not having heard a footstep since they arrived.
"You know I'm not sure." Ralph put an ear to the walls around him hearing nothing he scratched his chin thinking. "You know what, they might all be in the penthouse," he said thinking of the only place big enough for all of them at once.
Up in the penthouse, all the Nicelanders were gathered in front of Felix who was trying his best to calm them down. "Listen everyone calm down for just a minute." he raised his hands over them easing them slightly to his voice. "We are heading back early in the morning go search for Ralph again. We'll go straight to the castle and ask around alright everybody?"
"What if you don't find him?"
What if we get unplugged?" Mixed shouts of 'what ifs' were all trying to be heard.
"Come on guys, how hard do you think it will be to find the big guy. I promise I can fix it," he said with his hand over his heart and the golden hammer raised in his free hand. And no later than that there was a hefty knocking at the double doors. "Ralph!" the protagonist exclaimed knowing no-one else with a heavy hand.
Felix hopped over and threw the door open revealing none other than the missing character in question giving them a sheepish wave. "Hey there Felix, I uhh I'm back." his nervous chuckle ever present.
"Ralph where have you been? You had everyone worried sick!" Felix was more than glad to see him back, but that didn't mean he wasn't angry; not in the least.
"How dare you put us in danger!" shouted Gene in accusation as he stormed up next to the handyman.
He was just about to continue when Ralph stopped him. "Yeah yeah I know, can I talk to you outside Felix?" The mentioned character was surprised by the way Ralph was asked and confused he looked back at everyone who was just glaring angrily at the large man. But after he stepped out of the room and closed the door he waited for an explanation.
"Well?" Felix asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence passed.
"Well...I have someone I want you to meet," he said as he stepped aside revealing a little girl hiding behind his leg and who wished to remain so as she only came out halfway.
Staring wide-eyed at the new figure Felix bent down with his hands on his knees. "Hey, there my name's Fix-it Felix. What's your name?" he asked trying to peek around the large leg.
"Vanellope." she introduced as she stepped out fully looking up at Ralph still holding onto his pant leg for reassurance. After years of torment in her own game seeing how angry and rash the room full of people was made her worry.
"It's alright kid, Felix is the good guy." her 'protector' assured her with a smile and a little nudge forward.
The Nicelanders have gathered around in the middle of the room trying to figure out what the main characters could be talking about. And after a few minutes, the door creaked open just enough for Felix to slip inside. And get barraged with questions. "Now hold up one minute. Alright before anything I just need you all to take a deep breath for me alright?" he said with an optimistic smile on his face.
"What's this about Felix?"
"And what happened to Ralph?" some questions came again but now a lot softer in tone than before.
"Well… There's someone here for you guys to meet," he said nervously about the reaction after hearing the sugar girl's past. He opened up the door again and gestured to someone outside.
Much to all the NPC's shock, a little girl stepped in to stand next to Felix. "Hi." she squeaked shyly "I'm Vanellope." the black hair girl gave an equally shy wave to the crowd. Her nervous getting the best of her cause a small glitch.
Seeing a new character from another game was strange in the situation, but seeing her image waver made them worry. After a few hushed whispers and worried looks, Mary being the most accepting and understanding of the group stepped forward first. "Hello there Vanellope, I'm Mary." she smiled kindly to the newcomer.
With a bit of prompting Mary introduced Vanellope to everyone there and while that was going on Ralph stepped in unnoticed. "You sure it's fine Felix? I don't want her feeling unwanted." Ralph said worrying about his friend. It felt so foreign for him to be worried about someone after living alone in the dump for thirty years.
"I'm sure she'll be just fine brother." The smaller man promised as he watched her interact with the other characters, all of them smiling and welcoming her without any hostility; well aside from Gene but even then he was polite.
Vanellope was happily bouncing on her bed in an empty apartment room on Felix's floor right across from him in fact. "I can't believe it, Ralph, a real bed!" she cheered filled with excitement and joy as she rolled herself into a ball in the warm blanket.
Ralph couldn't help but feel almost hurt by her excitement. He was the bad guy and he lived in the dump, but her; she was just a small girl. Why anyone would ever treat someone so badly he would never know. "I mean it's okay I guess. A little small if you ask me." he chuckled with a fake smile on his face; and lucky enough she never thought twice about it.
They talked for only a few minutes before Ralph heard her snoring from under inside her blanket burrito. Tiptoeing outside as quiet as he could, however, he nearly broke the handle as he closed the door when Felix snuck up behind him from his room. "What was that about having a real bed Ralphy?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.
With no other option out of this situation the antagonist decided to fill his counterpart in on the life he found Vanellope in; he filled in all the spaces she had left out of her explanation and answered any other questions Felix had. "I couldn't just leave her in that place knowing what was going on. I know I'm not the good guy like you but know right from wrong." Ralph sighed as he slumped over his knees sitting on Felix's bed where they were talking.
A small hand was placed on his arm and he looked to see the handyman smiling at him. "Well brother, I think you made the right choice," he said lifting the wreckers spirits with his approval. While Ralph had never needed anything from anyone, it was nice to know that someone thought he was doing something good.
End of Chapter 1
Author's Notes:
Well, there's the first chapter! I have a few more chapters for this story that I will put out once a week, and in the meantime, hopefully, I can write some of my stories that I have kinda abandoned in the cold winter. So again, I am really sorry about leaving everyone out to dry... that was mean.
Thanks for reading along, and let me know what you thought!~