Jubileena's Jubilee

There is always someone in Sugar who is always there to lend a hand, someone who is always there to ensure someone is having a bright and cheery day.

Her name was Jubileena Bing-Bing.

Many considered her to be the brightest, the kindest, the most heartfelt of all the racers in the land and when she wasn't on the track, blasting off a la mode, she was somewhere else, making sure someone was taken care of.

Juibileena did have a lot of spunk about her, so much so that it always seemed to rub off on those around her. When she was happy, she would always give a cheer, sugar and cherry sparkles going everywhere. Even the lowest of the low felt better when they were around her, her warm smile and bright eyes reminding her that things could get better.

Things would ALWAYS get better.

One day, everyone was ready to race as usual. Jubileena made her way through the crowd, smiling and waving as her crowd called her name. Seeing them smile was almost as exciting as racing itself and once the countdown began…

Three!

Two!

ONE!

And off like a light they went!

Jubileena was taking the lead, weaving and swerving around every kart that rushed towards her! She could feel it in her blood that THIS was going to be her race, that she was going to take first place! She rounded a corner, seeing an obstacle coming ahead.

Weak popsicle sticks.

Hello, old enemy…

Things always got rough near the end of Popsicle Lane but Jubileena knew she had to hang on! She made a sharp turn, the wheels of the kart BURNING against the pavement as the perfect spin was made!

Round and round Jubileena goes!

Where she stops?

IN FIRST PLACE!

There were a few gasps from the crowd, a few 'OH!'s and a few 'NO!'s but she made it!

"Whoo-hoo! YEAH!"

She always made it!

The girl mad a quick peek behind herself, the competition coming up fast! She had to make it, she just had to!

The popsicle stick bridge shook under the weight of her kart, the weak wood breaking underneath. She had to remember to move FAST but CAREFULLY, the trap being that one wrong move could send a racer down and down below into a the pit of melted popsicle goo.

Jubileena had fallen for this trap before.

But not today.

TODAY WOULD BE DIFFERENT!

The kart shook and stuttered as it went over the bridge; she was so close to the edge, so close to the end!

"Alright, one more-!"

*KA-KRACK!*

The girl let out a shout, looking back to see that her tire had gotten caught in one of the holes, the ice cream becoming separated from the inner crust! It broke apart before her eyes, frozen treat and pastry flakes going everywhere! Jubileena grasped the wheel, skating dangerously close on the rim now. It looked like first place was out of sight but if she could make it off the edge of the bridge then things would be okay! Things would be safe!

"J-J-JUST KEEP GOING!"

She wasn't going to make it, she wasn't going to make it!

Or could she?

Her eyes opened bright as she remembered something. She had two power-ups still in her stash, what perfect timing for them to appear!

"Yes!" the girl said "Let's show these guys how we do it, BING-BING style!"

Her tires were nearing the end, the others catching up behind her but like always, Jubileena had a plan. She pushed the first button on her kart, the first of the remaining power-ups activating.

JU-JU BEE-UTIFUL!

In a flash, the girl's crumbling tires were replaced with those of bouncy, chewy, gummy candies, her momentum regained and her speed increasing!

"Yes!"

She was back in the lead but the others were catching up! It was time for the second power up!

*Ding!*

CHERRY SLICK!

Out in the back, a nozzle came out, spraying the roads with sticky sweet, sticky goodness cherry juice. The other racers tried their all to move out of the way but to land first place? Oh, ho! It was far too late for them!

Some became stuck, others slid out of the way but one thing was for certain!

JUBILEENA BING-BING WINS!

The crowd went wild as the cherry-racer crossed the finish line first, another victory under her belt!

"Thank you, thank you!" she cried out to her fans "I couldn't have done it without you guys! I love ya all so much!"

That was so like Jubi, always thanking her fans, always celebrating with them no matter what place she took. She just loved seeing them so happy. She loved seeing ANYONE happy but that was a fact that everyone knew.

What would Jubileena be without her Jubilee?

As the crowds began to disperse, the racers heading home, something caught Jubileena's eye.

"What is this?"

It was small.

It was red.

It was….

"A doll?"

Yes, it was a doll.

A small, patchwork, raggedy cherry doll.

"Oh my!" the girl said in shock "Someone must have lost this!"

"And where are you going?" asked Sakura, watching her friend hop into her car "The races are over for the day!"

"I must return this doll to one of my fans!" said the cherry racer "I can't just let them go home without it."

"Why not put it in lost and found?" suggested Sakura "They'll find it eventually."

"I can't let someone miss their doll for so long!" the cherry racer gasped, surprised that her friend would suggest a thing.

"Even so, how do you know its even from one of your fans? It might be a cherry but it could belong to anyone here!"

"Well, I guess I'll have to ask EVERYONE." Nodded Jubileena "If they are my fan, if they are not. It does not matter. I must return this doll to its rightful owner!"

And off the girl went, the bright red of her kart flashing in the setting sun.

Jubileena first stopped at Orchard Grooves where many of her fans resided but even after asking all the citizens in the neighborhood, the doll did not find its owner.

"Oh no…" moaned Jubileena, feeling rather sad "I guess your home isn't here, lil guy. But I will bring you back to your owner yet!"

The racer went west to Cake Lane but again she got more of the same.

"It's not my doll."

"No, mine is different!"

"Try asking my neighbor!"

Nope.

No.

Nada.

Jubileena went all over, both near and far, but no matter where she went, no matter who she asked she just could not find the owner of the doll.

By this point, anyone else would have given up, anyone else would have just stopped and called it a day.

Not Jubileena.

She wasn't going to quit anytime soon!

She had to find the owner of the doll because she knew how much it meant.

"A doll should not be away from home for so long…." Said the girl "And its owner should not be without their doll."

Days went by, days came and went but it didn't seem to matter what Jubileena did; the doll still remained without a home. She put up fliers, she asked all her fans, she asked her friends but the mystery remained.

Who's doll could this be?

The longer the doll remained without a person to hug it, the sadder Jubileena became. The others just did not understand; how could Jubileena care for a doll so much?

"I don't get it…" said Gloyd "It's just a doll, what does it matter?"

"Its not just a doll!" shouted the cherry-racer "It belongs to someone and I know they miss it! That's why I have to return it! I don't want someone to be without their jubilee!"

"I'm sure there are other things that will bring people Jubilee…." Gloyd huffed, a brow arched "You're gonna run yourself ragged if ya keep goin' in circles over this!"

Jubileena said nothing, her cheeks as red as her fruit. She was much too upset, much too frustrated and without another word she turned and started her search anew, leaving the other racers to wonder just what was going on in the girl's head.

"It's just a doll…." The pumpkin-racer repeated "Why would a doll matter so much…."

"Because….."

Everyone turned , Citrusella walking up with her hands clutched together.

"Because of me…."

"You?" blinked the boy "What do ya mean?"

"It happened when we were younger…." The blueberry twin began "Our mother made us dolls, one blueberry. One cherry. We loved them so much, we loved them like we loved each other. But one day, while our family took us for a trip in the orchard, a gummi crow snatched my doll away. It didn't matter how much we tried to get it back, we just could not retrieve it. In the end, we had no choice but to leave it to the birds, the doll I loved so much. And for days, I was so sad. I was so sad because I no longer had my doll to play with Jubileena."

Citrusella had lost her jubilee.

"I felt so lonely, I felt so sad but one day I found a box with my name on it. When I opened it up, a new doll was inside but it wasn't like the one that our mother had made. It was a bit lumpier, a bit frumpier, and the stitches were all out of place but it was a blueberry like me! And do you want to know who made it?"

Jubileena.

"She had made it just for me."

The others were starting to understand why the quest the girl had given herself was so important, why she had to complete it.

She hated to see people so sad.

She didn't want someone to lose their jubilee.

A doll might have looked small but to someone else, it was something big.

Something they loved.

Something they lost.

Even though days had passed, even though no one had come forward, Jubileena continued her search for the owner of the doll. Every time she looked into the button-eyes of the thing, she remembered her sister, how upset she was when her own dolly was lost.

She didn't want someone else to feel that sadness.

But with her search coming up fruitless, Jubileena was now the one who felt as if she were losing her jubilee.

"If I can't return this doll…." She said to herself "How bring happiness to others?"

The other racers saw a change in Jubileena. She wasn't as cheery, her red wasn't as bright. She didn't feel as sweet, she didn't feel as jolly.

Had she lost her jubilee? Was it gone for good?

On that day, another race was held and Jubileena found herself nearing first place. Again, she was inching towards Popsicle Lane but this time?

*KA-KRACK!*

"OH NO!"

This time, things went a little sour.

She had no power-ups and her wheels were coming apart! She tried her best, she tried with all her might but she could not keep her spot in the lead. The others blew past her, her kart struggling to make it to the finish line but once she did….

"Am I in last place?"

Sadly, she was.

First had been taken by Gloyd that day, the boy celebrating with glee but poor Jubileena.

Jubileena was much too glum to celebrate like she usually did and it wasn't because she so craved first place. She just wanted to make her fans happy, to make them proud and cheer.

How could they cheer for such a racer, a racer who could not make anyone happy?

She couldn't find the owner of the doll.

She couldn't bring them jubilee.

So what was the point?

The others cleared the stands, the little racer all alone with her kart and…

And…

And the doll.

"What rotten luck." She sighed "You still don't have a home, little one. What am I to do?"

"Hey!"

The girl looked around, a tiny little voice calling towards her from somewhere in the stands.

"Hey, is that my doll?"

MY doll?

Jubileena turned, seeing a little candy girl walking up to her, a large doll clutched in her hands.

"Um, are you the one who asked about the doll?"

"Ah-huh?" smiled the candy girl, nodding fast "Where did ya find it?"

"I found it here a while back." The racer said "I don't know who it belongs to but-!"

"YOU FOUND IT!"

Jubileena's eyes nearly popped out of her head "E-E-Excuse me?!"

"That's my doll!" smiled the little candy girl "OOoh, I can't believe ya found it! I've been looking for it all over!"

The racer had no idea what to say. What could she say after everything she had been through? She then looked at the girl, a smile forming on her face.

"Yes, YES! I wanted to find its home!"

"Thaaaank yoooou!" said the girl as she took the large doll into her arms "I missed it so much!"

But now it was home.

Home where it belonged.

But what about the other doll.

"Wait….where did the other doll come from?" Jubileena asked.

"I made this one…." Said the girl.

"You….MADE it?"

"Yup, yup, yup!" grinned the candy "I searched and searched all over for my first dolly but everyone told me I could never get it back. So I made a new one instead. I-I know it doesn't look as good as the one you found but…but…."

The candy girl was told that she could never find her doll.

So she made one instead.

Jubileena couldn't believe it.

"Now I have two dolls I guess…." Said the girl "But….but maybe that's too much?"

"No, no, no! You can never have too many dolls!" said Jubileena "Especially if they make you happy!"

"But…."

But what?

The girl looked at her old doll and then looked at the one she had made.

What was she going to do?

"Here…" the girl said as she handed Jubileena the doll that she had lost "I want ya to have this!"

"M-Me?" the racer pointed to herself "W-Why would you-?"

"Because. Ya seemed so upset when ya lost the race today. And you're usually the one who makes US smile."

"W-Well, I'd figured you wouldn't smile because I didn't win so…."

"Because you didn't win?" said the girl "I LOVE coming to all your races, no matter what place ya take!"

"R-Really?"

"YES! That's why I want you to have this doll! So you can be happy!"

Jubileena held the doll in her hand, the little sewn-on mouth appearing to smile even brighter than before.

All this time, she had searched and searched for the doll's home.

And now it had a new one.

The racer hugged the doll, she hugged it so tight, the feeling causing her to smile .

Jubileena was always that racer who wanted to being jubilee to others.

She never thought that she would need jubilee from someone else.