ROTSRR - Chapter 4

Studying the files, Greedy's mood was getting better and better. New racers means more contestants take part in racing. More contestants means more coins! More coins means... more coins! He quickly put the folders onto the desk.

"Thank you, Peanorax. That's definitely good news."

The king went back to his desk. As he sat, he asked his lackey:

"How's our prisoner?"

"Guarded and given the proper care," - the mustached peanut answered, - "just like you wanted."

Greed-Pop sighed and stood up one more time, this time to look at the beautiful portrait behind him. Portrait of his dear little sister Vanellope von Schweetz, wearing her royal gown: a large, pink and glittery long-sleeved gown with a pink, flowing cloak and white gloves. Her pink petticoat is noticeably covered in pink, white and red gumdrops with a few chocolate sprinkles at the bottom. The dress also had a lace collar with detailed designs of candy canes and lollipops over it. Princess's raven hair, wrapped in a bun, were covered in sprinkles with various shades of pink. On her head was a red tiara, and she was holding a pink lollipop scepter with a noticeable crown symbol over it. All of this obviously uncomfortable outfit is usually lying uselessly in Vanellope's wardrobe, for she really doesn't like this dress, in fact, almost hates it, preferring her favorite mint green hoodie with a brown skirt, green, white and purple striped leggings, and small black boots, only putting on this whole mass of pink on some important formal events.

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Kids enjoyed themselves as they approached Sugar Rush Speedway, where all the other racers have already parked their karts. Jubileena parked her vehicle in a free spot between Swizzle Malarkey and Adorabeezle Winterpop. Hiccup, MeriDough, Rapangel and Jack stopped in a line behind them. Around them, along the track, were candy packets which served as spectator tribunes, which were filled with Sugar Rush citizens, who looked like candies with tiny bodies and arms, walking on equally miniature toothpick-like legs. In front of the karts was a big golden sigh saying "Start". On its left were two Jumbotrons. The four got out of their cars and approached others standing in a line on the right of the starting line, who've already noticed them and watched them curiously.

"Guys, come on here, you gotta meet everyone else!" - Jubie, waving her hand at our heroes, was as cheerful and joyful as ever. Kids calmly approached 6 girls and 3 boys. Still, their nervousness was totally obvious. - "I happily introduce you to our new fellow racers! Girls, these are Minty C. Hiccup, Jack Frosting, Rapangel Cake and MeriDough BunBroch."

A snorting sound came from behind Punzie, and everyone gasped in horror as the big black dragon raised his head above blondie's, a little tired but with emerald green eyes full of eager.

"Don't worry, Toothlice is completely harmless." - Hic said, scratching his friend underneath his chin. He was purring in satisfaction. - "He's my licorice dragon."

Then Pascal jumped from behind Toothlice's ears onto Mer's flock of fire red hair, turning strawberry flavored. Blondie carefully took him by his tail and placed onto her shoulder.

"And this is my gummy bear chameleon, Pascal."

Girls immediatly "Aww"ed from that whole amount of animal cuteness.

"So, now that you've introduced yourselves, it's time to finally get acquainted with everyone else." - Jubileena walked along the line, showing every other racer. She started with a strawberry-themed girl who was sucking a small lollipop. - "This is Taffyta Muttonfudge, our second best racer... That's Candlehead..."

"Hello..." - she said, looking at Hic with what seemed to be dreamy eyes.

"Say, what's with that candle on your helmet?" - Jack couldn't help but tease her a little. - "Someone's baked you in a birthday cake by accident and you decided to keep it as a memorial souvenier?"

Green-haired girl frowned as the prankster giggled at his own joke.

"Hey, good move there, man!" - a voice of a boy in the middle of the line was heard. - "Nice joke about that stick of hers!"

"Thanks." - Jack smile and came to the boy who had a pumpkin hat and shook his hand. - "Jack Frosting, ya heard my name just now."

"Gloyd Orangeboar." - he shook the white-hair's hand back. - "Welcome to my prankster's club!"

MeriDough and Rapangel shared quick smiles. As they say, birds of feather flock together.

"Alright, I go on. These are Rancis Fluggerbutter," - cherry-themed gurl carried on introducing her friends, - "Snowanna Rainbeau, Crumbelina DiCaramello, Swizzle Malarkey, Minty Zaki and Adorabeezle Winterpop."

Each of them shook their hands with our heroes.

"Oh, may I hug him? May I hug him, pleeeeeeease? - Beeze asked Hic, referring to Toothlice. He nodded in agreement, and an Eskimo-looking girl squeezed the dragon in a tight hug. Well, maybe a little too tight, for the poor creature's facial expression was clearly saying "Help me!"

"Wow, Vanellope would be so glad to meet you guys..." - Rancis's eyes suddenly fell down and a heavy sad sigh ran across the line and all of the tribunes.

"Who's Vanellope?" - Mer asked Taffyta.

"What?! You don't know Princess Vanellope?" - she was noticably furious, but then clapped herself on the forehead. - "That's right, you're newbies. Vanellope is our princess and the number 1 racer in the whole Sugar Rush."

"Yes, she's just so awesome." - Rancis's voice clearly showed his crush on her. - "But... she's missing. Nobody knows where she is."

"How long she's been missin'?"

"About 3 weeks or something." - Candlehead sounded almost teary.

Rapangel and her friends felt sorry for their new fellows. 'I hope she'll come back one day' - she thought to herself.

"Alright, let's leave all of our sadness behind for now. Now that you know each other, it's time to tell you about the Random Roster race, as I promised." - Jubileena pointed her finger at the Jumbotrons. - "Every evening we compete in the Random Roster race to represent Sugar Rush as tomorrow's avatars. To do so, you must be among the first nine racers to cross the finish line. The track itself is quite long, but to make it a bit easier for you, there are three main points of the road: Gumball Gorge, Birthday Cake Serpentine and Ice Cream Mountains. To enter the competition, you must pay one gold coin. Go on, take it out, every racer has one."

After a bit of search through their clothes, kids finally took out their coins.

"And so you just need to put it over here," - Taffyta pointed to a little round thing on her right, - "And your coin will be tossed into that Winner's Cup at the top. And ta-da! You're added to the board! I'll show you."

She put her coins onto the trigger and it sent that little golden piece of metal into the cup. As soon as it was inside, Taffy's name appeared on the board, followed by an announcer saying it out loud. As usual, she jumped up, saying her famous catchphrase "Stay Sweet!" Spectators sitting in a "Taffyta" tribune cheered her loudly.

"It's your turn now. Go on, give it a try." - Candle humbly let our heroes go forward. There was something about Hiccup that made her feel all wobbly inside. And besides, anyone who could befriend such a fierce creature as a dragon deserves respect.

The mint chocolate chip ice cream boy put his coin first. It was quickly sent up the starting sign and soon Hic's full name appeared on the board. Then it was MeriDough's time, and after her was Jack. Rapangel was the last one of the four to toss her coin. Now it was inside the metal Winner's Cup. And on the board appeared a name of...

"Punzie Sprinkles?!"

This was a true shock for everyone, especially for Rapangel. It wasn't her name. Has never ever been it! What was that "Punzie" doing on the board then?

"Girls, I can see only one explanation for it." - Taffyta suspiciously looked at her. - "Rapangel is a glitch!"

Spectators gasped in horror.

"Me? A glitch? Come on, it's not true! That's only a little mistake up there on the screen! You really believe I'm a..." - blondie didn't finish her sentence when her glance fell onto her tiny hands for a split second. They were slightly dissolved into a pinkish-purple code. So it is true! She's really glitchy, just like Taffyta just said!

"See? Told ya!" - the strawberry racer raised her head proudfully and scornfully looked at Punzie, who was now on the brink of tears, for the only things Taffy hated as much as losing were glitches. - "She can't be allowed to race!"

"I'm not a glitch!" - the cupcake racer tried to sound strong, even though her whole body was now ripping with pink pixels and tears started forming in her eyes. - "I've just got pixelexia, okay?" - she turned to her friends. - "Do you believe that liar?"

"Angel, calm down, please, you're only making it worse for yourself." - Jack tried to help Punzie a little somehow, but was rewarded with a frying pan pointed right at his nose.

"So you're now on Taffyta's side, too?" - blondie's frying pan was still pointed at the white-haired boy who stared at her, quite astonished. - "You believe her? Well, that's fine with me, traitor!"

"I'm not a traitor, Punzie, I..."

"You're a RAT! And I don't need you!" - she was now glitching all over her body, tears falling from her face. Angel hit Jack quite powerfully with her frying pan on his arm and ran away towards her kart. Pascal immediately jolted after her.

"Now listen to me, you little lollipop-sucker: second best racer or not, it doesn't give you any right to humiliate others only because of a mistake on the Score Board entry! AND it doesn't give you any right to pin her down just because of her glitching, do you understand me? Or I should repeat it once again?"

Looking shocked from what just happened, Taffyta slightly nodded a couple of times. That was more than enough for Jack to let go of her.

"Okay, go to Angel and apolo..." - he turned around only to find Rapangel and her kart missing. Did she leave while he was dealing with that "Miss Strawberry Nose"? - "Where is she?"

Hiccup and MeriDough, still either startled by Jack's action or not understanding anything, pointed to their left. Rapangel drove away from here! Man, how couldn't he hear that stupid engine? Little prankster quickly jumped into his kart and moved into the direction his friends showed him, hoping he will be able to find her before it's too late.

"Listen, Hic, we gotta do somethin' fer Punzie, she's our friend anyway!" - Mer said to Hiccup, meanwhile surprised that this weird "Punzie" got so glued to her mind.

"You're right. What about a little gift? Flowers or something? And some candy?"

"Sounds good ter meh. But where are we gonna find 'em?"

The two looked around. There's not much to find in the valley. The hills won't do too. The last option was the Candy Cane Forest growing in the distance.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sticky?"

"Most likely. C'mon, it shouldn't be far."

"Okay. Toothlice, come on, buddy!"

The dragon, whom, fortunately, Adorabeezle has already let go of, followed his human friends. Soon the two got into their karts and, along with their black reptile, moved towards the seemingly endless mass of peppermint trees. Behind them was Taffyta, watching them leave, definetely shocked. She then turned to Candlehead and Rancis.

"What was that just now?"