Lights flashed around the penthouse, 8-bit music blared from speakers unseen.
Laughter, conversation, food, it was perfect.
"Thirty-one years of gaming, eh?" Felix leaned against a wall, glass in hand. "First time we've actually invited you to one of these. I do feel bad about that…"
"Yep." Said Ralph. He was scrunched up a bit, so as not to break anything, but he was happy to be there nonetheless. "But hey, I'm here now. Feels like I haven't missed a thing."
"To wrecking, fixing, and everything that's made this game tick since 1982!"
The two of them raised and drained their drinks.
"Whoo! Getting a little tipsy!" Felix's eyes crossed and then reasserted themselves. "This stuff from Tapper's is serious stuff…"
A girlish giggle came from behind him. A small child with candy in her hair popped up. "You DO realize you've been drinking soda-pop, right?" She giggled again.
Felix stared down into his glass. "I guess I have…" he said. "Still a bit wobbly though."
Ralph laughed. "Only you, Felix. Only you…"
"Goody-two-shoes." Said Vanellope.
"Indeed I am!" Said Felix. "Say, have you seen where Tamora went to?"
"I think I saw her over with the Galaga pilots." Said Ralph.
"Ah. Bugfighters club." Said Felix. "Course we've had a bit of that ourselves." He chuckled.
"A bit?" Asked Vanellope. "Those things almost ate my game."
"Well, y'know…" Said Felix.
"Whatever." Said Vanellope. "Say Ralph, have you gotten a good look at the new game while you were getting thrown off the roof?"
The new game. It was a thing of fascination and mystery to every character in the arcade. The room had been rearranged so as to make more space, and many characters claimed to have seen a cloth-covered game cabinet behind the employees only door.
"No I haven't." Said Ralph. "Have you?"
"Well I wouldn't be asking ya if I did." Said Vanellope. "I heard it's another one of those REALLY old games, like yours."
"Gee, thanks…" Said Ralph. Felix just laughed.
"You know what I mean." Vanellope giggled. "But yeah, one of those 'retro' ones." She did air-quotes.
"It makes sense." Observed Felix. "I mean after all, we've gotten so -hic- popular when we added all those gameless characters."
Indeed they had. Fix-It-Felix Jr. had become one of the most played games in the arcade. Right up there with Donkey Kong and Pac-man. In turn, Niceville's penthouse was a popular destination for nighttime game-jumpers.
Vanellope giggled again. "You're funny too, mister." She said.
"Yes I am." Said Felix matter-of-factly. "Saved the lives of me and my lovely wife in your game."
"Pffft." Said Vanellope. "It wouldn't have been a problem if you knew what you were doing. You don't step on double-stripes!"
Felix opened his mouth to retort, but Ralph intervened. "So Vanellope, how's it feel being able to move out of your game?"
"It feels GREAT!" She pumped her fist. Long ago, she had been princess of Sugar Rush. When, however, the renegade Turbo snuck into her game, he had tried to delete her programming, throwing her out of the main web of code, in order to make himself the inconspicuous ruler of the game. When disconnected, she had become a glitch, an anomaly, and was trapped inside Sugar Rush. Only last year did she finally get the chance to race, and by crossing the finish line, restore the game, and herself in it. She decided to keep herself as she was as a glitch, powers and all, but occasionally would switch to her princess form if she wanted to leave her game.
"Hey guys." An orange ghost drifted up to them.
"Hey Clyde." Acknowledged Ralph.
"Look, I think Litwak's is about to open soon." He said. "People may want to get back to their games soon."
"This IS my game." Said Felix.
"He means me, goofball." Said Vanellope. She began to walk towards the door. "See ya!"
Clyde nodded. "And Calhoun."
Felix's eyes widened. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "See you at opening time, Ralph!" he sprang over to the other side of the penthouse.
"One game at a time, eh Clyde?" Said Ralph, turning his attention to the ghost.
"One game at a time." Said Clyde. "Listen, have you heard all this hubbub about the new game? I hear it's being plugged in this morning."
"Really?" Said Ralph.
"Really." Said Clyde. "Shame we can't get to see it until after closing time, though."
"Yeah…" Said Ralph.
"But I hear maybe Q*Bert might be taking a day off the minigame to check it out."
"Really?"
"Yeah, might even tell us between games."
The penthouse was slowly emptying.
"Better go." Said Clyde, and floated out the door.
It was now just the Nicelanders left.
"Where's Felix?" Asked Ralph. "Arcade's about to open." He walked around the room, they were nowhere to be seen. "Felix?" He called, sticking his head out the door.
Felix and Calhoun were in the middle of a long, deep kiss.
"Oh." Said Ralph.
The two broke apart.
"See you at closing, sweetie." Felix smiled up at her.
"Same to you." Said Calhoun. "You fix this building, you hear me?"
"I will ma'am." He saluted her. "And you go kick some Cy-bottom."
He watched her leave, smiling dreamily.
"You ready, buddy?" Asked Ralph.
"Indeed I am!" Felix sprang forwards to face him.
Ralph playfully punched him in the shoulder.
The Nicelanders peered out of the room when they heard Felix's death music play, and the sound of him regenerating. "I'm okay!" He peered out of the perfect Felix-shaped hole in the wall, fixed it with a hammer tap, and followed Ralph down the elevator to their starting positions.
"Sorry about that…" Said Ralph.
"Don't mention it it's not a problem!" Squeaked Felix, more than a little crammed due to the bulk of his colleague. "Besides, needed a good knock to get the soda out of my system. Don't want to be laggy for the players!" The two walked out of the building and both to their separate starting positions. Ralph by the dump, and Felix somewhere way over stage right that Ralph really hadn't seen much of.
The hours were then occupied with wrecking, fixing, jumping, pie-grabbing, and the pings and beeps from other arcade systems and the clink of quarters in the machine.
Finally, the last gamer left and the doors were locked. Ralph picked himself up out of the mud, brushing it off his clothes.
Felix pranced down the building, medal flopping around and glinting gold, and hopped down towards him. "You doing alright?" He asked.
"Yep." Said Ralph. "Aside from being thrown off a building, you know." He laughed.
Felix laughed along with him, although somewhat nervously, as though not sure as to whether he should or not. "Anyway." He presented a pie to him.
"A pie?" Asked Ralph, taking it. "Thanks!"
"No problem." Felix smiled. "Heading down to Game Central Station, wanna come?"
"Yeah." Said Ralph. "Supposedly that new game got plugged in today."
"Did it now?" Said Felix. "Aw well then we've got to go!" he hopped towards the exit train, Ralph lumbering behind, munching the pie.
The wind whipped their hair as they traveled through the cables and pulled into the station. Felix flew past the security guard and towards the Hero's Duty outlet, Ralph getting caught behind for yet another security check.
"&*%^&^&$%^!" An orange… thing… came barreling out of a newly added plug, shouting its nonsense.
"Whoa! Q*Bert!" Ralph picked up the creature, where it's legs continued running even though they were not touching anything.
"(!#&$(*!&(*#$&%^&%&^ !&" It shrieked.
"I can't even… What are you saying?" Ralph had never been good at Quebertise.
" #*&^$^&* #$!" It garbled.
"I honestly have no idea what you're saying." He said. "Could you maybe…" Motion it out? The thing only had two limbs and a trunk. Write it, maybe? Ralph borrowed a pad of pen and paper he found sitting on a bench, handing it to Q*Bert.
'! *()&%$^ !*&($%^ !(*#&^$%&* $^%! (*#&%$&*^! %*& !( *#&$*) ^$#&*%^! &(*' He wrote.
"Well that's helpful." Said Ralph, letting Q*Bert go, where he continued running. "Wonder what's got him so fussed…" He walked over towards the new plug. Didn't seem threatening. It hadn't gotten a nameplate yet, but that was no big deal.
A pinprick of light appeared far down the cable, slowly growing larger and larger as it came closer. He could see the silhouettes of the characters on the train, and slowly, their features.
He gasped and backed away when he saw who was on it. As the train slowed and stopped, others saw and stared as well.
The title character stepped off of the train, eyes roving over the whole station.
"Mama Mia…" Exclaimed Mario.
Felix pressed through, trying to see what the fuss was about. He froze, mouth falling open. "You're… You're…" he stuttered.
The newcomer grinned a sly smile, readjusted his racing helmet and cried his catchphrase. "Turbo-TASTIC!"
