A Racer's Heart (Wreak-it Ralph Fanfic)

Chapter One

"She's a glitch--she can never be a real racer,"

"Why does she exist anyway? It's not like she's needed,"

"Glitches can never race..."

These cruel words echo in my head. I can never escape them, for they're all true.

My name is Vanellope von Schweetz;

I am a Glitch,

I don't matter,

I should never have existed--my entire existence is a waste.

But somehow, I can't help but feel differently.

I walked along the path in Peppermint Forest --the only place that allows me to feel safe from the judging eyes of everyone around me. Most everyone was busy racing, either practicing for the big race each week, or simply racing for the entertainment of the children who play our game.

Well, their game at least.

Glitches aren't supposed to be part of a game. They're that faulty programming that causes the game to flip out whenever they come into contact with anything. That's why I'm not allowed to race.

But oh, how I want to! How I would love to feel the breeze through my hair, to feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, to taste the sweet sugary rush of winning. I often dream about racing. But even though the dream always begins with me winning, my glitching always causes it to turn into a disaster.

I've got my glitch under control...somewhat. Sometimes I'll glitch when something startles me, or just when I feel an intense emotion. Other than that, I could almost pass off as another ordinary racer of Sugar Rush.

But that's not possible--most everyone knows my appearance: Dark raven hair littered with assorted candy pieces, teal worn-out hoodie, black skirt that partially covered my striped teal and white stockings, chocolate brown eyes, and light skin.

My thoughts were dashed by a strange noise. I glanced around me, hoping that it wasn't Taffyta and her clique. The last time we happened to bump heads wasn't a pleasant experience.

The sound came again, the source of it somewhere above me. I looked up, focusing on what appeared to be another person--one whom I never seen before, climbing up one of the Peppermint trees. I smirked, shimmying up a nearby tree with ease. When I was a bit higher than he was, I crossed over a pair of thick branches, sitting comfortable on the tree.

Now, I was able to see him better. He looked odd, and kinda disproportionate--large hands grasped at the branches, heaving his body up higher, slowly but surely. He was muttering to himself as he climbed, seeming to be in his own little world.

"Hey there!" I spoke out, startling him. He looked at me in surprise. "What's your name?"

He looked at me oddly. "Um, Ralph...Wreck-it Ralph," he said.

I tilted my head slightly. "You're not from here, are you?"

He tried to keep climbing. "Well, no--at least not from this area," he stuttered. "I'm just here to do some work..." He trailed off.

I nodded. "What kinda work?"

"Oh, uh, just...trimming trees," he said. "Yeah, we're just some routine candy trimming. You might wanna stand back. In fact, all of this area's off limits for the moment, so-"

"Who's 'we'? I don't see anyone else," I said, looking around. It was very odd that this man was a candy tree trimmer. I never even knew we had those.

"It's just me today," he said, covering up his statement. He slowly climbed higher.

"So, you mean like the royal 'we'?" I asked.

"Yep," he said. I watched as he climbed higher. Quickly, I scurried to a higher branch, hugging the trunk of the tree.

"Are you a hobo?" I asked suddenly.

He looked up at me confused. "Wha--no, I'm not a hobo!"

I decided to have some fun with him. "Sorry, what? I couldn't hear you, your breath smells so bad, ya made my ears numb,"

He frowned, slightly glaring at me. I let out a giggle. "Look, kid-"

"I'm not a kid," I interrupted him. "For your information, I am seventeen. Plus, my name is Vanellope. What if I just started calling you 'Stinkbrain'? Wouldn't like that very much, would ya Ralph?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever,"

"Whatever,"

He stared at me. "Are you mocking me?"

"Are you mocking me?" I mimicked, making my voice deeper to try to sound like him.

He glared. "You're acting very childish right now, you know that right?"

"You're acting very childish right now, you know that right?" I stuck my tongue out. He sighed, climbing farther. I frowned. "Um, you might not want to grab that branch..."

"Please, I'm a professional, I know what branches are safe to-" he shouted as he grabbed the particular branch I was referring to. He hung onto a branch lower than I.

"That was a double striped branch. Don'tcha know that double stripes break?" I asked. "I thought you were a professional?"

He didn't answer, so I continued. "Hey, why are your hands so freakishly big?"

"I dunno, why are you so freakishly annoying?"

Ouch.

He climbed passed me, and I sighed, watching him. My eyes caught something shiny.

"Sweet mother of monkey milk, is that a coin?!" I squealed. Hanging from one of the highest branches was a golden coin. My eyes widened, my face broke into a smile. Ralph tried to protest, but I ignored him, jumping from branch to branch to reach it.

I grabbed the blue thing that was attached to it, swinging the gold coin. I laughed. Now I would be able to participate in a race!

You see, to be able to participate in a race, you have to enter a coin--from previous wins. I've never raced before, so I didn't have a coin. But now, I do.

I turned to see Ralph trying to catch me. I leap down with grace, while Ralph was swinging with his large hands. I landed on a double-stripped branch, and I gasped, wasting no time to hop to the next branch. Luckily, Stinkbrain grabbed the same branch, and he plummeted down. This time, ye couldn't grab another branch on time, so he landed in the murky icing pond below. I chuckled as I reached the ground, racing off to go get my homemade candy kart.

Looks like things are finally looking up for me.