Chapter 20 – Crumbelina's Honesty

Gloyd had to agree with Ralph and Lina: Vanellope's royal bed truly was the comfiest in the world. It was warm, plushy, and impossible to not to sink into.

But perhaps what made it even comfier was the fact that Lina was huddled closely to him under the warm blanket that enclosed them both. At this point, his mind should have been firing away a million frantic questions: what would Swizzle or Rancis say if they were to see him now? What would the girls say? What would the grown-ups think?

But he didn't care about any of that. Lina needed him.

Initially, he had slid beneath the covers expecting to just keep her company, but within the next minute, Lina had curled up right against him. Pretty soon, she was even clinging to him. Judging by the intense quivering of her body, Gloyd deduced correctly that she must have been really scared and had simply been doing a fine job of hiding it this whole time, for she had shown no signs of such fear all through the night as far as he could remember. And now, she was grasping him in a way that seemed to let all those fears that she had been concealing finally reveal themselves.

"It's okay," he murmured into her ear as soothingly as he could. He gently stroked the side of her body, hoping to calm her down. "I'm right here."

"Please don't go," she begged in an almost despairing whisper.

"No way. I won't go anywhere. Racer's honour, I promise."

With these words, and his continuous stroking motions, he finally felt Crumbelina's trembling beginning to slow, little by little. Her tense body began to relax and she snuggled closer to him with a sigh.

He waited patiently for her to settle before speaking again. "Is this why you didn't want to go back to bed? Because you were scared?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she whimpered in a small voice that did not suit her at all. "Every time I closed my eyes…I saw myself in that empty void again…halfway between living…and death. Oh, it was so scary, Gloyd."

Her eyes closed painfully. "It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep. I couldn't sleep. I'm exhausted, but no matter what I do, I…I just can't."

She let off another involuntary shiver, but then felt Gloyd stroking her side again, trying to ease her fears. "It's okay, Lina," he whispered. "You had a really rough night. Of course you're scared. But now I'm wondering…why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were scared?" Gloyd asked.

Crumbelina was quiet for what seemed like a long time before she finally answered in a shaky voice. "I-I didn't want to you to worry about me…"

There was silence.

"I take back what I said before," Gloyd stated, his voice suddenly rather accusing. "Maybe you're too kind for your own good."

Crumbelina looked up at him when he said this. "W-What do you mean?"

Wiggling free from her grasp, Gloyd shifted himself slightly away from her and propped his head up with his elbow on the pillow so he could face her properly. "You thought that by not telling me that you had a problem, you wouldn't bother me. And that I wouldn't worry about you," he said. "But Crumbelina…I'm more bothered and worried now that I know you were hiding this problem from me."

The girl's heart fell heavily. "Oh," she said in a small voice.

"Lina, listen," Gloyd pressed, reaching for her shoulder. This was incredibly hard for him to tell her, but for her own sake he had to. "You may be the big sister of this family, the prettiest girl in the world, plus the coolest and most amazing racer I've ever met…but you're also a kid. You're still 10 years old. You have feelings like the rest of us. And that means you can have problems like us too."

"Don't you remember your secret problem with the players?" he asked her before she could speak. "And how upset it was making you inside by hiding it instead of telling us? I thought…I thought after that you weren't going to hide anything anymore. And that you would be honest…and let me know if you had any problems."

"…Remember how worried you were about me when I tried to hide what happened to my teeth?" he added. "Well, now the tables are turned: I'm the one worried about you."

Recalling all this, as well as Vanellope's words to her earlier, Lina's eyes lowered in shame.

Gloyd noticed this and he sighed. Her saddened state wasn't making it any easier for him to confess this, but he pressed bravely on. "What I'm trying to say here is…I don't like it when you hide your problems just because you think it'll be better for us if we don't know," he pressed. "It only makes it worse for you. All of us…Mom and Dad, Vanellope, me and the guys…we can help you with whatever the problem is…but only if you tell us when there is a problem. We're here for you. Because we love you. I love you."

Crumbelina's cheeks tinted red, and now tears were beginning to well in her eyes as she felt her candy heart swoon. Her hand slowly found Gloyd's and squeezed it gently; Gloyd didn't hesitate to return the gesture.

He peered into her honey-amber orbs in the moonlight, not seeing how much they had now dilated as they focused on him. "But look at you now," he said in a strained voice. "Look how scared you are by keeping this to yourself. Honestly, I think this hurts me more than it hurts you. You gotta believe me when I say that I'll help you with any problem you have because…"

His eyes lowered, wishing with every beat of his heart that she would believe him. "…because I just want you to be happy."

Filled with Gloyd's heartful message to her, Crumbelina couldn't hold back the tears that clouded her vision as she scooched right up to him again, this time to wrap her friend up in an emotional hug. "I'm already happy," she whispered softly, letting her tears spill free. "I have you. I have a wonderful family of friends who care about me when I'm in trouble. And I should have realized that from the start. You're right, Gloyd. You're absolutely right. I'm so, so sorry for not being honest with you." She buried her face into his neck, overcome with intense guilt and an even more intense wave of affection.

Gloyd exhaled deeply as he felt her tears; he rubbed her small back comfortingly. "Well…I guess I can't really blame you too much," he mumbled. "You were just being kind to us…but not very kind to yourself. I really wish you would be."

A quiet minute passed before Lina pulled back and wiped her eyes dry. "I will from now on," she promised. "You have my word. I won't hide anything anymore. Especially not from you. I'll always tell you if I'm ever in trouble. Starting right now, I'll be 100% honest. And I do mean right now…"

Before he could question that last statement, Lina's hand reached up to caress his cheek. "I just want you to know…Gloyd," she whispered, "you're the most wonderful friend that I could ever ask for. I've never realized how special you are until recently. Especially tonight. You're sweet…caring…sincere…loyal…and…"

She now smiled. "…cute."

Gloyd blinked. "You…you think I'm cute?" His cheeks were as orange as a flaming Sweet Seeker.

"Yes…in a dorky, round-faced hooligan sort of way," she murmured with her smile growing. She gently brushed aside the flick of hair that often covered his eye.

"You've proven that you refuse to leave me when I may be in trouble," she went on. "I should have realized this sooner."

Then she lowered her eyes regretfully. "But I'm sorry for not opening up to you. I told you just last night not to worry about opening up to me…and that I would let you know when I had a problem. But I was the one who worried. And I backed off on my own word. Maybe I'm the one who's the lousy friend…"

In response, Gloyd tightened his grip. "No, you're not," he insisted firmly. "No one's perfect, Lina, not even you. We can't always make the right moves all the time. Believe me, I spent my whole life fudging up and making bad decisions."

Crumbelina soaked in his words and reached up to caress his cheek. "But there's no reason for me not to open up for you, though," she hummed, "especially when you're so willing to help me."

Gloyd felt his heart hammering as her fingers slowly grazed along his blushed cheek, the same one that had met the business end of Snowanna's fist. "I'm always willing to help you, Lina," he told her. "You've helped me so much already. I'm not trying to even the score or anything…it's just the right thing to do."

Lina's eyes twinkled, her heart melting. "Gloyd…" she whispered.

He sensed the hesitation in her voice. "Yeah?"

There was a moment of silence, then…

"I don't want this to happen again."

She spoke in a whisper, but the sudden shallowness in her voice was evident. Gloyd looked at her with concern. "You don't want what to happen again?" he asked, a little apprehensive of what she would say.

Crumbelina bit her lip. "I almost died because of this update, Gloyd," she finally struggled out. "But what if it happens again in our next update? What if the developers let another one of our codes slip again? What if…what if it's Snowanna or Candlehead or any one of our friends who get a faulty programming job next? What if it's you?"

A twisting sensation began to grip Gloyd's stomach as he caught on that Crumbelina was referring to the very thing that he had been fearing before. "Lina…it'll be okay…" he started to speak.

But tears had begun to pool in her eyes again, and Crumbelina suddenly pressed her face into Gloyd's shoulder, gripping him like he was her lifeline. "You don't know what it's like," she whimpered, her breathing increasing with alarming rapidness. "I was there. I saw what death was with my own eyes. I…I don't…"

The last scar that she had been hiding all this time finally escaped her heart for Gloyd to hear.

"I don't want to die," she let out painfully, tears falling down her face. "Pumpkin Pie…there's still so much I want to live for. So much I want to do with you. There's still…so much about you that I don't know…so much that I want to know…but most of all, I don't want you to die, Gloyd. I don't want Juerugemu to target you next. I don't want to lose you…"

She squeezed her eyes tight. "Not again."

The still silence that fell upon them forced Gloyd to listen to her hitching sobs as she clung to him. Never in his life had he seen Crumbelina so broken. The agonizing sounds of her sobbing were escaping her in heavy packages to travel through to his ears and unpack their gut-retching loads, shaking his code to the core and making it impossible for him to not begin tearing up as well as he experienced her sorrow full-force.

And somehow, this reminded him of everything he had learned tonight. Everything his friends had said to build him up when he felt lost. Everything he had learned on his own just by experiencing it himself. Now Gloyd knew what to say to her, but he also knew that she wouldn't fully listen to him until she had let out all her tears. Left with no other choice, he let Lina cry. Allowing her whimpers and sobs to reach his ears in full, it was the most painful sound he had ever heard.

Not until she had finally wore herself out did he finally speak.

"I know you're scared," he whispered slowly into her ear. "Believe me, I am too. But…it really is gonna be okay because…"

He paused, choosing his words very carefully.

"…because we're alive right now," he finally said. "This sounds weird to say, Crumbelina, but it's true. Video games don't last forever and neither will we. But right now, Sugar Rush is still standing. We have a life now. So let's live the best life we possibly can before it's over."

He cupped Lina's face with his hand, gently drying her tears. "You want to know so much more about me. I want to know even more about you," he whispered. "So let's do it. Let's stick together, have fun together, give our players the best races ever…make some more memories with all our friends. It's all or nothing, Lina. Don't make the same mistake that I did for the last 22 years and take life for granted. We can regenerate as many game lives as we want, but we only have this one real life. So let's live the heck out of it so we have nothing to regret."

"Besides," he then stressed, "there's no point in worrying about our end since we can't control it. But the thing is, it's not the end yet. We still have now. So let's make now count."

"And right now, Lina, I'm the happiest I've ever been when I'm with you. I may never know what you went through today…and to be honest, I really don't want to…and nothing I say will erase what happened to you. But maybe I can help you ease the pain just like you've been doing for me all this time. Just let me into your heart, Lina. Let me help you."

Crumbelina DiCaramello stared at him, the threat of more tears now ceased as she took in his honest words with genuine surprise. Surprised partly at how he had seemingly thought this up out of the blue, but mostly at how right he was. There had been nothing subtle about it whatsoever.

She had almost given up. Traumatized by her death, her colourful spirit had been nearly depleted to grey, so much to the point that she had questioned the very worth of living her life after discovering for herself first-hand how fragile it was. The intense fear of this revelation tonight had nearly vaporized the music that flowed through the violinist's digital soul. But Gloyd, the boy whom she had only just met a month ago, had helped her to see just how wrong she was.

"You're right," she breathed. "You're…you're right."

Taking in a deep breath to calm herself, she released her tight grip, but still kept her arms around him. "Snowanna always says that musicians are some of the toughest people on the planet. I've felt everything but that tonight," she admitted.

"But now…I want to keep going. I want to live. What kind of a racer would I be if I just decided to forfeit the race before it was actually over? Especially when I have…the best racing partner I could ever ask for."

Lina snuggled her face into his chest, squeezed her eyes tight and then slowly smiled, tears once again falling down her face, but now for an entirely new reason. "This is the only life I have," she whispered with growing determination. "But no matter how long or short it is…it's mine."

She gazed up at him, her smile as wide as ever and her eyes filled with shining tears. "Better make it count, right?"

With his own heart fueled by the rising gusto in her voice, Gloyd smiled too. "Right."

Crumbelina may not have been sparkling anymore, but in that moment, both she and Gloyd could see the light of her spirit, once faded and lifeless, burning brightly.

Who knew what threats to their electronic nature lay down the road in the future? Would either one of them or any of their friends be next to die by an accident on their developer's part? But the thing was…they hadn't yet reached these difficulties if they were to show up at all. And here they were now, in each other's arms with the clear intention to make the life they had count. That was all that truly mattered.

There was no way they could know what would happen before it happened. So why bother worrying about it now? It would only distract them from their life while they still had it.

Allowing her body to relax, Lina relished in Gloyd's warmth and the comfort of his protection. She could hear his heart beating as she inhaled his pumpkin scent.

"I'm not ready to die," she whispered.

"Good. 'Cuz I won't let you die," Gloyd replied firmly.

"I really want to go to that concert," she pouted.

"Then we'll go to that concert."

"There's still so much else we have to do together," Lina went on. "I haven't even invited you over to try out my hot tub."

She then grinned mischievously. "I have dozens of swimsuits that I would positively love your opinion on."

Gloyd's whole face flushed a bright orange. "Uh…yeah, we'll make sure we do that," he mumbled.

His response made Lina giggle; only Gloyd could make her giggle like this, even in such a serious moment. She wrapped her arms securely around him.

"You're so…cuddly," she sighed with a dreamy smile. "Just like my gummi teddy bear. Who knew that the destructive Gloyd Pranks-a-lot Orangeboar would be the sweetest cinnamon roll I've ever met?"

While Gloyd found the idea of Crumbelina sleeping with a teddy bear amusing, reality seemed to sink in upon hearing her question; he tensed up in slight embarrassment as his mind seemed to catch on to the fact that he currently snuggling with Crumbelina DiCaramello. "Well…don't get used to it," he muttered, squirming a little as a glow of his reserved personality began to kick in. "I'm only doing it so you can go to sleep. We're not doing this ever again."

This made Lina laugh. She couldn't help it; Gloyd was simply adorable when he was flustered. "Don't make up your mind too soon, Pumpkin Pie," she purred. "Who knows what can happen down the road, hm?"

The boy blushed hotly. She was doing it again. She was always doing it. "You know I really hate it when you mess with my brain like that," he complained.

"Why do you think I love to do it?"

She broke out in a fit of silly giggles, and Gloyd, who wanted to be annoyed, couldn't suppress his smile. Truth be told, it bugged him to no end whenever Lina found sneaky ways to lasso his mind and reduce it to jelly…but heavenly hash knows that he would miss it wholeheartedly if she were to ever stop. He nudged her foot and she scootched closer to him. They smiled sweetly at each other as matching blushes found their way to their cheeks once more.

"Am I really the prettiest girl in the world?" she cooed.

It took him a moment to remember that he had indeed said that out loud for her to hear. "Yeah, you are," he answered.

She beamed. "Am I the cutest girl in the world?"

His mouth twitched. "Don't push it," he replied, but his tone was light. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

There was a minute or two of silence as the kids cuddled together, enjoying not just their company, but their newfound peace. Gloyd lay on his back and let Lina rest her head on his shoulder; his arm holding her protectively to his side while she practically folded herself around him. Somehow, he didn't mind being so close to Lina now; it was making her happy, and…okay, he was feeling pretty happy too. Maybe because he knew that she had returned. Or maybe because she seemed to fit so perfectly against him, like they were puzzle pieces placed in just the right way. He had never done anything like this with anyone before. But he liked it. And after tonight's nightmare, he felt blessed to be holding her alive in his arms.

But maybe he felt so internally happy knowing that she now knew how important she truly was to him. Hidden words and feelings that he had feared were too late to reach her were now hers to keep.

"Pumpkin Pie?"

"Yeah?"

There was another pause, but Gloyd swore he could hear her hesitating. "Lina?"

His suspicion was confirmed when she spoke. Or at least tried to.

"I…well, um…I just wanted to say…"

Inside her mind, Crumbelina struggled to put her deep thoughts into the right words. But then she remembered what Gloyd had practically begged her to do. Be honest. Be honest.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she finally whispered. "Thank you so much."

Gloyd stiffened a little as he heard this. She sounded almost sad, stressing every time she said 'thank you'. Wasn't she giggling just a few minutes ago? Girls were strange.

"Stop that," he mumbled, shifting his eyes to look at her better. "You don't need to thank me. I just want you to get a good night's sleep. I-I don't mind snuggling with you."

Lina, in fact, was not sad. Far from it, actually. Timing and life-changing experiences sometimes have an uncanny habit of failing to mesh together, and it was only now, as she lay there thinking deeply, that the true weight of what Gloyd had done for her today was finally beginning to settle upon her.

"No, not the…snuggling," she muttered with a blush of slight realization. "I meant thank you for saving me. If it hadn't been for you, who knows if I could have made it out alive. I may have been stuck in the void forever."

Gloyd winced uncomfortably, not wanting to think about that.

"You really did save me, Gloyd," she went on quietly. "And I'll never forget that…because I'll always be in your debt. Thank you."

He blushed heavily, not feeling very worthy of all this praising. "But all I did was cry over you."

Lina gazed misty-eyed at him and shook her head slowly. "No. No, you didn't. You cried for me. That's much different. And it was what was needed to call me back to life. That means so much more to me than you will ever know."

"And," she whispered before he could speak, drawing absent-minded circles along his chest with a dainty finger, "thank you for your honesty. It must have taken some guts to tell me that I was doing something to upset you."

Gloyd sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah, it kinda did."

"But I needed to hear that," she murmured. "Just like up on the tower when I didn't want to forgive Snowanna. I'm not perfect. And just as you like me to point out your flaws, I want you to point out mine. Let your honesty shine, Pumpkin Pie, and I'll try to do the same. I guess I can learn a lot from you about my own honesty."

Eyeing her fragile frame in the moonlight, Gloyd felt a wave of relief wash over his code. "Just remember, Lina…you'll always be my big sister. But sometimes even big sisters need a little help."

Crumbelina nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck warmly. "Well, if this big sister has a little brother who cares about her so much, then she doesn't mind asking for help anymore. From now on, I'll open up if I want to...because I know you care for me," she whispered.

Hearing this, Gloyd felt a smile cross his face and glow through his heart. She accepted his help. That was all he needed to hear. Slowly, he pulled the blanket up to her chin, the back of his fingers briefly grazing her cheek as he did. "I'll always care for you," he whispered back. "There's no way I couldn't."

Lina grew quiet as she closed her eyes.

"You've changed, you know that?" she murmured with a small smile.

"What do you mean by that?"

She opened her eyes to meet his gaze. "You're sort of…different," she whispered thoughtfully. "All through the night, you've seemed more confident than before. And mature. I could see a gradual change in you since the night we met, but now it's like…like I don't quite recognize you. You're still you, but at the same time, a just little bit different."

Gloyd mulled over her words for a quiet moment. "Let's just say I had a lot of time to think while you were knocked out," he admitted at last. "So yeah, I do feel little bit different,"

"The way I've seen it, you've grown," Lina hummed with a wider smile.

He wasn't really sure how to respond to that as he considered her thoroughly in the moonlight. "You've changed too," he told her.

Lina's eyes twinkled brightly. "Oh? In what way?" she challenged softly.

"You seem…happier now."

His answer was so simple, yet it reached Lina's heart in a way that made her positively beam. Very slowly, she unraveled her arms from around him to lift herself slightly up and prop her chin upon his chest, so that she was lying partially on top of him now, just like their accidental encounter on the rooftop earlier. They gazed into each other's eyes, their faces nearly touching.

"I am happier," she agreed, her voice rich with gentleness and love. "In fact, I'd say I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life. Ever since a certain idiot prankster landed himself into my life after he tried to drop a bag of flour and a pistol full of cherry syrup on my head. Who would know he would be the one to make me the happiest racer in the world?"

She reached up to stroke his cheek. "After all, he helped me see the light I was missing in my life. He reminded me why I was created. He pushed me to keep living the life I was given. His devotion to me… has struck a chord deep in my heart to give me the strength to want to keep going. He returned the colour and music to my life in a way no one else has before. And that's the reason I want to keep pushing myself."

Gloyd looked into her shiny honey-amber orbs, their upgraded pixels enhancing every detail of their final render. Even when she was pinning him down, she was as light as a marshmallow as a few loose strands of her swirling hair tickled his face. "Funny," he said with a crooked smile. "Those are the exact same things that come to mind when I think of you."

A single tear leaked from her eye. "I'm really glad we found each other, Gloyd."

Feeling brave, he gently put his hand to the back of her neck, bringing her closer. "That makes two of us."

Those little red hearts were soon floating quietly into the air as their lips met one more time. This time, Gloyd had felt it coming, so he was able to return it. He wasn't sure who had initiated their second kiss, but it didn't matter. What he was overcome with now was the most beautiful sensation he had ever felt in his entire life.

One that Crumbelina was feeling in the exact same way.

"Feel happier now?" he joked, upon pulling apart.

The Italian girl smiled in a giddy way, her long eyelashes brushing his face as they fluttered. "Yes."

"I really think you should try to get some sleep now," he told her, hating to ruin the moment, but knowing he had too sometime. He gently rolled her off of him back to her side of the bed. "We can talk more in the morning, okay?"

She yawned in response, her eyelids drooping heavily. But while her mind was tired, her heart wanted more. She lay her palm against Gloyd's chest gently, feeling his steady heartbeat fill her hand.

"You said earlier that you thought of things that you loved about me. What were those things?" she murmured.

Gloyd looked over at her, feeling her delicate fingers caress his skin through the fabric of his T-shirt. If he told her, then maybe she would return the favour and tell him what she loved about him…besides the fact that she thought he was cute. He really wanted to know. Studying her hopeful face, he could see that she wanted to know. She deserved to know. And above all, he really wanted to tell her.

But not right now.

"I'll tell you later," he said, once again trying to be polite and honest at the same time. It was hard for him to refuse her requests, but in times like this, it had to be done. "We have a big day of racing tomorrow. Right now, you need to sleep."

She let out a soft disappointment moan. "But…"

"Shh."

To both her and his own surprise, he shushed her, even raising a finger gently to her lips. It felt weird for him to be doing it, but it worked. He removed his finger and let his hand lay upon her shoulder. "Sleep now," he whispered, "and it'll be morning before you know it. And then I'll tell you everything." He gave her shoulder an affectionate rub.

Lina reluctantly complied, still feeling anxious about trying to sleep again, but also somewhat impressed by Gloyd's bold initiative to silence her. Wrapping her bare feet around his socked ones, she pushed as closely as she could into him.

"You won't leave me…will you?" she asked drowsily.

Gloyd could detect that there was still a bit of fear in her voice. He slowly shook his head. "No…I'll be right here when you wake up," he told her just as quietly.

"Promise?"

He paused for a moment, considering his words, then took to stroking her long swirling hair. It felt amazingly soft.

"I promise I won't leave you. And I don't just mean tonight…I mean forever. From now on, I'll be right by your side. We'll be a team and be honest with each other. That way we can tell each other right away when we have problems and solve them right away. Even when you tell me not to worry about you, I won't listen. I'll still be here and ready to help. 'Cuz I'm not going to leave you."

He cupped his hand gently upon the side of her head. "I won't ever leave you."

And in that moment, it was clear to Crumbelina DiCaramello that Gloyd Orangeboar was truly special. She breathed contently under the comfort she felt from both his sincere promise and the way he was stroking her hair in such a gentle manner. "Then there's just one last thing I must thank you for," she whispered.

"What's that?"

Summoning the last of her strength, she stretched up to press her lips softly upon his cheek, letting the kiss linger for a several seconds before snuggling her head comfortably upon his shoulder as her eyes finally closed.

"For never leaving my side."

That was the very last thing she said. Though the fears that gripped her candy heart had made Crumbelina feel so small and afraid, and certainly not the confident honourary big sister figure she always tried to be, Gloyd had done so much to restore the confidence and peace that she had lost. Her anxiety was eased, but she also now understood that being a big sister didn't mean she wasn't allowed to feel scared. Especially when she had someone so kind to walk with her. And now, though her eyes were closed and the darkness was threatening to consume her just like before, there were key differences that were putting her mind at ease. Immersed with the sounds of Gloyd's heartbeat and gentle breathing, along with the warmth of his body, it was enough to know that she was truly alive again and would not be reentering that unknown void of mortality. And she knew that she had been reunited with Gloyd. He would protect her…just like his core racing ability protected the players. The acknowledgment of that alone seemed to make her fear of death slip thankfully away as she lay comfortably next to him, feeling so warm, so safe, and so loved. It was as if death could never reach her again.

With her eyes closed, she couldn't see him, yet she knew that he was right there.

She still longed to know what were those things about her that Gloyd had stated that he loved. But she decided that she could wait…at least until tomorrow. Crumbelina doubted that he would forget what they all were by then. With her mind finally at peace and visions of her upcoming date filling her comfortably, she let the rhythm of Gloyd's heart and the assurance of having his protection to guard her from this moment onwards lure her into the blissful slumber that she had been aiming for all night long. What Gloyd had done for her tonight had healed her heart more than what any dose of medicine could in a lifetime.

As for Gloyd, well, he lay perfectly still as he dutifully watched over his sleeping friend, holding her protectively in an effort to shield her from any nightmares that would try to break her down.

It was funny: he had been programed by Sugar Rush's developers since Day 1 to provide extra protection against attacks on the racetrack…yet now he was offering a very different kind of protection. He was shielding not the players, but his friend. Mot from Sweet Seekers or Ice Cream Cannons, but from her fears. And not by a special coded ability that he had been programmed with…but an instinct that he had discovered that he had been born with. By the small relaxed smile etched upon her face and her hand resting upon his chest in the same way she had done so at that beach party, he knew that she was going to be just fine. They both were. The smile she wore could only be interpreted in one way: her heart had found peace at last after concealing her hidden fears all this time. This was a smile of trust that he would always be there for her and be ready to help her out. It was a simple fact that Gloyd would take comfort in whenever again he would question his reasons for living. So many of those reasons were fast asleep in his arms right now.

"You're safe now," he whispered to her. "I won't let anything bad happen to you again."

It couldn't be emphasized enough that he wasn't used to comforting people, and definitely not like this. He had never been so close with anyone before. And he never dreamed that he would ever get this close to Crumbelina, the girl he had secretly admired for years, but always felt she was far out of his league to even notice him. Tell Gloyd a couple of months ago that he would be snuggling with the arcade's supreme posh queen, and he would assume that you had dunked your head in the Fun Dip and subsequently driven to insanity by the high-pitched laughter of the Laffy Taffy to even think of such a crazy idea. Heck, he wouldn't even have believed that he would ever become friends with Crumbelina.

But this crazy world works in really crazy ways.

All this time, he had been wondering what he could bring Lina to help her feel better…when really, it would seem that the one thing that had helped her to truly feel better…was himself. And just like as she had told him that night on the beach all those weeks ago, he had not done anything special or try to be someone different in order to please her…he had simply been himself, which had somehow made Lina the happiest he had ever seen. And that alone made him happy too.

Lina mumbled quietly in her sleep, then snuggled even closer to him. He wondered if she was subconsciously thinking that he was her teddy bear. Maybe she was dreaming of him. She felt really warm. When she was asleep, she couldn't make his mind spiral with her teasing, nor could she comfort him with words of wisdom.

Yet Gloyd found himself drawn to her all the same. Maybe even more than ever before. She was tough and confident on the racetrack. Right now, she just looked so innocent in his arms. So peaceful. So beautiful.

Why are you so beautiful? he thought.

The moonlight shone silently upon her body as Gloyd took Lina in. She had indeed been fully updated at long last, for she was now matching the shine and enhanced resolution that he and everyone else had been enjoying ever since the update had arrived a month ago. He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed this about her until now.

Her steady breathing and body warmth contrasted strongly from the image of Lina lying so deathly still in this same bed just a few hours ago. Even just by looking at her, Gloyd knew that she was not lifeless, but very much alive and simply fast asleep. And this meant that he could smile with satisfaction as he felt himself drifting off too. He didn't fight it; might as well sleep too since he wouldn't be going anywhere even if he wanted to. Just before his internal systems shut down for the night, the words of his mother slowly drifted into his mind:

Every friendship is tested, Gloyd. And I think it's safe to say that you're on track to passing this one with flying colours.

And Gloyd knew with full confidence that this time, he had passed the test.

Sweet dreams, princess, he thought contently as he closed his eyes.

That night on the beach had now been bumped down to his second happiest memory with Crumbelina.

THE END


A/N: That's a wrap! This has been without a doubt the longest and most complex one I have ever made, having to constantly weave around with so many different story directions, juggle all these characters in a single go, experiment with the emotions, and repeatedly go back and forth to insert new ideas and remove old ones. Never did I think that something like this would exist, because honestly, I was extremely satisfied with Violin's Song. It was a simple story about 2 of the most obscure background WiR characters whom no one even thinks about these days, and how they could build an unexpected friendship. I liked where I left Gloyd and Crumbelina, truly believing their story to be over. But just like they learned, life has a funny way of bending your expectations, and the more I thought about where I could take these characters, the more I realized that their story was far from over. There was plenty for both of them to learn from the experiences they went through in Violin's Song that would challenge them to the limit in Devastated.

I asked myself countless times over the last 7 months of writing and subsequent 9 months of publishing: Is this worth it? Will this be a good story? Is there an audience out there who will actually invest in this story as much as I have, especially for one where death and loss are big themes during an era when the world population is literally dropping drastically by the day? However…I pressed on because I love this story. And that's all that really matters for a fanfiction author. I had great fun crafting this, watching my little idea grow into the biggest project ever from the very first sentence to the very last period, and it was completely worth it.

For what started out as a simple idea for a short story, I must say that I'm super proud with how it ended up growing: pouring in my ideas, the excitement that filled me as I played with the writing, saying farewell to deleted scenes, creating sketchdumps based on the story alongside its publication, teasing you guys as I foreshadowed hidden secrets and upcoming parts, and meeting several avid readers and writers of Wreck-It Ralph. I think the latter is one of my biggest enjoyments from this; I had fun chatting with all of you and sharing my passion in a way that you and future readers can enjoy. Thank you all so much for coming along for the journey and reading all the way to the end. Your enthusiastic feedback present in reviews and PMs have been a delight to receive and even if you didn't like a particular aspect, you still took the time out of your day to read enough to pick out your least favourite parts, and that still makes me happy.

We've reached the end now, and it's time for the arcade to shut down for the night. Gloyd and Crumbelina's story is now complete, but who knows? Maybe I'll have another idea for this duo. It won't be as long as this one, but it's sure to be sweet. Or maybe I'll focus on different characters. Or I might read a story that YOU wrote following a wee bit of inspiration from Devastated. The possibilities are endless. But until then, I'll see you along that fine copper wire, awaiting the day when we can get together to play…maybe even sooner than you think. Peace y'all.

Seth: You've hung on to every last word of this story and it's always a pleasure receiving thoughtful and insightful feedback from you. Seriously, man, get a FF account and we can talk day and night about nonsensical WiR goodness!

car9723: I'm glad you made your way over from Twitter to follow the story along directly! Those chats we've shared in PMs are much better when not constrained by Twitter's word count. I love hearing from you and all your suggestions of how much bigger the WiR universe can truly be.

momojelly: I hope the sweetness hasn't rendered your mind inoperable by this point, haha. Love our super long chats we've shared about WiR and just the thrill of being an author in general. I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us here!

Guest: One big aspect of fun that I enjoyed here was absolutely the fact that no one has thought of this before. It's always daring to embark on an new journey as you have no idea how it will turn out…but the thrill of being one of the few to do it is where the payoff is found. Thanks for reading!