Save the King

Chapter 1 - Back at Litwak's

After winning yet another race with her "Special Power," Vanellope von Schweetz was ecstatic; she cheered while holding her trophy and playfully holding her free hand out for the player to fist bump her. And the best part of being on the winning screen was when she saw her best friend, Wreck-it Ralph; the said large wrecker smiled and waved at her as being lifted up by the Nicelanders to throw him off of the building, but he didn't care.

After months of nothing but peace and friendship at Litwak's Arcade, Ralph, Vanellope and their friends simply couldn't ask for more. And after the player left Sugar Rush in search of another game, Vanellope wiped her brow after a hard day of racing, and stepped down from the winning screen to get back down to her cheering subjects and fellow racers.

"Great race today, Vanellope!" one of the racers complimented, knowing that if she said "Your Highness" or anything like that, Vanellope would nag them about referring to her by her real name again. She just didn't like being treated like royalty, for it felt overwhelming and unfair.

"Yeah, when you blasted Taffyta with an Ice Cream Canon, I almost died laughing!" Fancis chuckled loudly, much to Taffyta's dismay.

"Yes, Rancis, I was there. And nearly the whole kingdom could see it on the spectator's screen, so you don't need to remind them, either," the once pompous racer growled threateningly.

"Aww, lighten up, Taffyta. It's all in good fun, and you're all better now, aren'tcha?" Vanellope reassured, "And if you want, we can go get dinner together."

"I'd like nothing more, Princess," Taffyta answered sarcastically.

"Don't push your luck."

Vanellope and most of the racers waited until the arcade closed to get something to eat, the rest of the racers went off and called it a night. The president of the Candy Kingdom took them to Tapper's, and they sat down and waited for their food while drinking root beer.

"I know we keep pestering you about it, but what're you gonna do with King Candy's castle since you're clearly not using it?" Candlehead inquired, breaking the silence.

"You mean, King Icky Bug Dictator? He's lucky he was burned to death, or else he would've had to deal with me," Taffyta huffed while crossing her arms in disgust.

"Yeah, that's a fate worse than death," Rancis muttered under his breath, hoping Taffyta didn't hear him.

"He may have been ruthless and power-hungry, but ya gotta admit, his Cybug form was pretty awesome," Vanellope added with a nod.

"Uh, Vanellope, you and your friends were the only ones who saw his transformation before he died, remember? We weren't trapped like you—no offense," Taffyta protested, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"None taken," Vanellope sighed, "But think about it. Wouldn't it have been great to have someone like King Candy…King Cybug…King Candybug? …Whatever! Wouldn't it be cool to have someone like him on our side? He could protect the entire arcade with one wing tied behind his back."

"I don't think it'd be wise to test that theory, not that it's possible anyway," came a raspy and powerful voice, and everyone smiled when they realized it was Sergeant Calhoun, with Fix-It Felix Junior and Ralph close behind.

"Hey, guys! What're you doing here?" Vanellope greeted happily.

"We love Tapper's food and drinks just as much as you do. Now, scooch over, kids!" Ralph demanded while gently trying to fit into the booth with the other racers, and Felix and Calhoun sat on the other side of the table with Vanellope.

By the time Ralph was situated, Rancis, Taffyta and Candlehead were all in a pretty tight squeeze, but Ralph seemed oblivious; luckily, they weren't compacted to the point of suffocation.

"So, what's got ya'll talkin' 'bout someone as evil as King Candy? You know he's long gone, right?" Felix questioned out of great concern.

"Of course we do! You defeated him with the lava soda in Diet Cola Mountain," Rancis explained eloquently.

"Exactly, so let's just leave it at that, alright? We've got enough Cybugs ta deal with in my game as it is," Calhoun pointed out with a huff.

"Now, go easy on 'em, Hon. They're just kids," Felix softly reminded his wife.

"But Calhoun's right. You guys don't need to worry about King Candy anymore, so why talk about him? He's history," Ralph stated with a shrug.

"We know. I just don't know what to do with his castle," Vanellope pointed out.

"Why not remodel it? You could it turn into something that fits a president, and call it the 'Peppermintgon' or the 'White Chocolate House'." Everyone either stared blankly or unimpressed at Ralph's idea. "What? Too formal?"

The president of Sugar Rush sighed and slumped forward with her elbows on the table, "I dunno—it just doesn't seem right. I mean, King Candy did keep the game and the kingdom running for a few good years."

"Why are you defending him?" Taffyta sneered.

"I'm not defending him, I'm just stating the facts! Plus, I don't think I wanna destroy such a nice castle."

"Listen, Kid, King Candy was nothing but a heartless villain who only cared about himself and his reputation. You know that better than anyone. And don't forget, he was Turbo, too, the same guy that destroyed his and another innocent game. If it wasn't for us, that could've been Sugar Rush and then the whole arcade," Ralph explained firmly, knowing he triggered some awful memories for Vanellope when she lived all alone and unloved in Diet Cola Mountain. And she couldn't deny it: Turbo or not, it was all under King Candy's rule.

Vanellope put on a fake smile for the rest of the night as she continued to sit and chat with her friends, but her frown came back once she returned home to Sugar Rush with the other racers. Since she didn't want to be considered royalty, Vanellope stayed at a fancy hotel for a very low price, courtesy of saving the Candy Kingdom and ruling with kindness.

"Hey, Mason," Vanellope nonchalantly greeted the male marshmallow at the front desk.

"Evening, Vanellope," Mason responded grimly, and although his tone wasn't as dreary as Sour Bill's, it was a very close second, "What's got ya down?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"When you're as depressed as me, it's easy to tell. Wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know. Do you feel like talking about Cybugs?"

"Now that you mention it, not really."

"I thought so. I gotta get ta bed before the next Random Roster Race in a few hours, anyway. G'night!"

"Goodnight."

Vanellope didn't even bother to look back at Mason as she left the foyer, trudging tiredly down the halls until she came to her room. She knocked a few times before Sour Bill opened the door a mere second later; since she was still technically a princess in the game's programming, Sour Bill refused to quit his job as her majordomo/servant. But Vanellope never abused her power over him, and always made sure to treat him like a true friend, if not family.

"What's got ya down?" Sour Bill asked immediately when he saw the ebony-haired girl.

"You, too?" Vanellope sighed in disbelief, as she hobbled into the room and plopped face-first onto her bed. The room she and Sour Bill stayed in was in fact a suite, so it was far more spacious and luxurious than the other rooms in the hotel, complete with two separate bedrooms, two separate bathrooms, and even a rec room.

"Let me guess: You argued with your friends about some stupid subject," Sour Bill stated matter-of-factly.

Vanellope lifted her head and stared at the green candy in astonishment, "You're good."

"I try. But I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yeah, alright, you've got me. They want me to completely destroy and remodel King Candy's castle, but I just want to preserve it for a reminder of the good, albeit very few, years he was ruler. And it's such a beautiful castle. And given the kind of person he was, he was really brave to be surrounded by the color pink."

"You mean, 'salmon'?"

"Whatever. My point is, who am I to destroy such a national landmark?"

"Only the rightful ruler of Sugar Rush. That being said, it's your decision, not your friends'. I'm with you either way, Vanellope."

The said racer couldn't help but smile, "You're too loyal, Billy."

"Please, don't call me that," Sour Bill huffed.

"Whatever you say. I'm gonna get some sleep. Goodnight, Billy!"

"I said, don't call me that." Vanellope chuckled as Sour Bill protested with a louder grunt, and he left her alone and retreated into his own room.

After she dressed into her pajamas, Vanellope set her alarm to go off before the Random Roster Race, and she finally got into bed and pulled the covers over.

But as Vanellope got comfortable, she turned over and stared out the window, where the faint light of the full moon shone in. It was just so peaceful—maybe a little too peaceful. Even in a place as bright and bubbly as Sugar Rush, anything could go wrong, and it could happen under her rule. What would she do? What if she wasn't ready to protect her people?

It's thoughts like these that make Vanellope contemplate and look for new ways to protect her people and her friends, even though they don't know it.

The idea came to me, and I literally wrote this in one sitting(less than an hour, I think). I'm amazed with myself0.0

Also, for those who can guess what this story is inspired by, kudos to you because you probably know what's coming;)

And one more thing: The cover art for this story is rightfully owned by Monster-House-Fan92 on DeviantArt. Monster-House-Fan92, if you're reading this, I hope you don't mind if I use your art. But if not, I understand and will immediately replace it.

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!