The three karts pulled up to the starting line of the main race track of Sugar Rush, preparing for a big race between them. "Is everybody ready?" Vanellope asked eagerly.
"The Queen shall be victorious!" Nightmare proclaimed loudly.
"I'm gonna wreck this track!" Ralph chimed in eagerly.
"Alright!" Vanellope proclaimed. "Let's hit it!"
Sour Bill stood in the announcer block. "Ready..." he stated in his monotone. "Set...Go!"
The three karts took off down the track.
As the lightest kart, Dream Eater started out in the lead with its high acceleration. Vanellope's kart, "The Precious Gift", was firmly in second, being an overall balanced kart with its glitch bonus. Ralph's kart, "Bull Dozer", was in last at first. As the heaviest kart, it had the lowest acceleration of any kart. However, it had both the highest max speed and could break through most of the course obstacles without slowing, as long as it hit them head on. Between its high traction and the speed boost it got for smashing something, he was able to keep close once it got to the giant gumballs.
Two other things also became plain to balance out the discrepancy between the karts. Nearly all of Sugar Rush's attack items had to be launched in a given direction to target an enemy kart. Due to its small size and light weight, however, Dream Eater's launch range was half that of other karts, and it suffered recoil from launching, pushing the kart in the opposite direction the item was fired in. When impacted by an item or course obstacle, Dream Eater also took 15% longer than other karts to recover and drive normally again. However, between the light weight and high drift and control stats, it was far easier to avoid such things if one knew how. Bull Dozer, on the other hand, had twice the normal launch range, and recovered 15% faster from item damage.
However, with the inclusion of items in the race, Vanellope's experience at using them proved the most advantageous, not to mention her familiarity with the track itself. As a result, she came in first. Ralph came in second, due to the sheer power of his kart, while Nightmare came in close after him, but still in last.
"Great race, guys!" Vanellope called happily as she leapt out of her kart.
"That was real fun!" Ralph said proudly. "I can see why you love racing so much!"
Nightmare, however, pouted furiously. "Cheaters!" she grumbled.
Ralph and Vanellope glanced at each other. "Think we should have gone easier on her?" Vanellope asked.
"Wouldn't know how to," Ralph replied. "I was as much of a beginner as her. More so, since she was at least familiar with the kart controls."
Turning, Nightmare blew them both a raspberry before driving off in a huff.
Vanellope sighed. "Forgot we were dealing with a little kid here," she admitted. "Shoulda let her win."
"Maybe," Ralph allowed. "But for right now, I need to go catch up with her and talk to her." Getting back into his kart, he drove to a boost pad before taking off after her.
Vanellope rolled her eyes. "Didn't she say I was Mom?" she demanded, hopping back in her kart and driving after them.
Ralph drove easily through the countryside, Bull Dozer boosting speed every time he crashed through something, following whatever trail he could find of Nightmare and Dream Eater. Unfortunately, the light kart didn't actually leave much of a trail, and he was forced to rely on other ideas.
"Let's see...if I were a filly sprite with strange powers...no, that's the wrong way to think," he muttered to himself. "If I were a little kid born of the night, where would I go if I was upset? Hmm...someplace dark and quiet where no one was likely to bother me..." He suddenly grinned. "I know where she went." Turning, he set his course for the gate back to Grand Central Station.
After a time, he was in the Pac-Man maze, following a path blank of pellets. Before long he found Nightmare pouting in one corner, her face buried in a melon, munching away. "Moony?"
She turned away, still pouting.
Walking up, he sat beside her as the shadows of the maze wrapped around them. "You wanna talk?" he asked softly.
Nightmare was silent for a time. "...why didn't I win?" she demanded petulantly.
"It was your first race with items," Ralph explained. "Without any experience with them, you were at a huge disadvantage."
"But I won before..." she complained.
"That was a no items race," Ralph explained. "Also, it was mostly uphill. You had a massive advantage there. Here, Vanellope had the advantage of more experience, both with the course and with items."
"But...but you beat me too," Nightmare countered. "And you had even less experience than me."
Ralph chuckled. "My kart's built around breaking stuff. I'm an expert at that. I got bonus speed for breaking the course."
Nightmare pawed the ground with her hoof. "So...it was just stacked against me?"
"Kinda, yeah," he replied. "You lacked the one thing that really decides races like that: experience. Get a few more item races under your belt, and you'll get back to owning us." He tickled her under the chin. "Also, be a bit more careful launching items. You recoiled yourself off the course three times."
Moony stuck her tongue out at him, blowing another raspberry. However, it was plain she was cheering up.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go back. Vanellope's probably worried about you, and she can't leave her own game."
Nodding, Nightmare walked with Ralph back to Sugar Rush.
Wily pushed his empty drink mug back as he stared down at the data before him. No matter how many times he read it, it didn't get any easier to accept or wrap his mind around.
Nightmare Moon was not a sprite. She was manifesting as one, but the full nature of her being went a great deal beyond that. She wasn't born of video games, or even of the internet. She came from somewhere beyond that, and had somehow entered the world of data. Not only that, but her full magical nature couldn't be completely expressed as code.
And she wasn't going to stay small and adorable forever. That aspect of her functioned like a chibi-custom. As best as he was able to determine, there would be three stages of growth minimum. She was currently in her first stage, and there would be at least two more. He couldn't begin to understand what would cause those two growth stages, but he could see that her ability set would drastically alter with each one, and she'd be constantly aware of everything she could do in each stage. Thankfully, as far as he could tell, she'd demonstrated the full range of her abilities of this stage already: warping, her lightning, and a shield she'd crafted once.
"So how's it look, Pops?" Zero asked, setting his own mug down.
Albert sighed. "...this would be so much easier if I were actually evil," he grumbled.
Zero raised an eyebrow. "You aren't?"
Chuckling, Albert shook his head. "Not technically. Chaotic neutral at worst. In my own game, I want what's best for the world. My perception of that is just completely different from what others perceive it to be."
Zero raised his eyebrow. "Really?" he asked in disbelief.
"Read the manga," Albert replied, chuckling. "My goal was for robots to be treated as equals to humans, rather than treated as disposable tools."
"So...your goal was the Reploid society I'm a part of?" Zero's wide grin was telling.
Wily rolled his eyes. "Yes, I get the irony. My ultimate weapon towards that goal - the Wily Virus - is the thing causing the greatest discord in the very society I wanted to create. Very funny, son."
Zero chuckled. "So how would this be easier if you were evil?" he asked.
Albert sighed as Tapper poured him another mug. "Because I could just make the tough decisions for the good of the arcade. Because I wouldn't care about who I hurt in the process. ...because I wouldn't feel guilty for even thinking about it every time I looked into those adorable cat eyes..."
Zero wrapped his arm comfortingly around his old man, doing what he could to make things easier.
Wily rested his hand on his son's. "...thank you."
They sat in silence for a time. "...so," Zero finally spoke up, "why the boob lights?"
"Do not start that again!" Albert growled through his laughter.