Chapter 10: Home
"Wow," Vanellope said with wonder as they approached the Castle, perched on Ralph's shoulder, "It's so much prettier up close."
"Yeah," Ralph agreed, lifting his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked up at the Castle's spires as they towered above him, "I was starting to think that I would never get here."
"Well, I'm just happy this is all over," Emma said, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked up at Ralph, "You think you can handle it from here?"
"Yeah, I think I can manage," Ralph chuckled in reply as he turned towards Emma and held his hand out to her, "Thank you for your help, Sheriff. To you and your men."
"Don't mention it," Emma stated, chuckling as well as she carefully shook Ralph's massive hand, "Do us a favor though."
"What's that?" Ralph questioned.
"Can you try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day?" Emma requested, "Maybe tomorrow too, if you're feeling up for it?"
"I'll see what I can do," Ralph answered with a snort of laughter.
"I appreciate that," Emma said with a grin before turning back to the rest of the police force, "Alright, boys, I think our work here is done."
"Great," Eddie sighed as the group began walking away from the castle, "I think I need a drink after all that. Anyone up for the Ink Spot?"
"If you're buying, Valiant," Phoebus agreed with a grin.
"In your dreams, blondie," Eddie replied with a snort as the group began to walk away.
Chuckling and shaking his head, Ralph turned back towards the castle. Walking across the small bridge that spanned the moat surrounding the Castle, Ralph came to a stop in front of the large, wooden doors that marked the entrance.
"Should I knock?" Ralph questioned, glancing at Vanellope.
"It's sort of a public building, isn't it?" Vanellope asked with a shrug, "I think you can just walk in."
Nodding, Ralph stepped forward and pushed on the door, which swung open easily. Stepping inside, Ralph and Vanellope gasped in awe at the grand entrance hall that greeted them. The floor was made out of polished, white marble and covered in a plush, blue rug. The walls were an off-white in color and the high, vaulted ceiling was painted sky blue. A hall ran perpendicular to the one they were in, leaning to other parts of the castle. The hall Ralph and Vanellope were in ended ahead of them in an elegant split staircase that led to a landing on the second floor. Gleaming suits of armor and colorful tapestries decorated the hall, illuminated by electric lights designed to resemble candles in holders attached to the walls. The faint hints of music played from somewhere else in the castle.
"Wow," Vanellope said in wonder, "It's even nicer on the inside."
"Sure is," Ralph agreed before a thought came to him, "Oh man, how am I going to find this Mouse guy's office?"
"You don't know where it is?" Vanellope questioned as the music began to grow louder and clearer.
"No, I think Jiminy was supposed to show me before everything happened," Ralph explained as he looked for something that could help him find his way.
"I guess we'll have to ask someone for directions," Vanellope decided, the music continuing to grow closer, a happy, showtune beat with words neither of them could make out.
"Yeah, but from who?" Ralph questioned.
"How about that guy?" Vanellope suggested as she pointed down the hall.
Looking in the indicated direction, Ralph saw something that he quickly realized was a robot come rolling down the hall. Standing shorter than Vanellope, the robot consisted mostly of a block-shaped torso with a pair of of triangular tank treads supporting it. It possessed a pair of mechanical arms that ended in three fingered hands which it clutched together in an almost nervous gesture. Its head was mostly made up of a pair of large, binocular-like eyes that sat on top of a skinny, collapsable neck. The robot was a dull tan in color with equally dull grey in some places. The word 'Wall-E' was written in the top left corner of what was effectively the robot's chest. It took a moment for Ralph to realize the music he had been hearing was coming from the robot, which it seemed to be humming along with.
"Okay, I think a robot was the last thing I expected in a shiny, princess castle," Ralph commented as he and Vanellope observed the robot.
As they watched, the robot rolled over to a wastebasket sitting in the corner of the hall. Picking the wastebasket up, the robot's chest seemed to open up, allowing it to turn the wastebasket upside down and empty it's contents into its chest cavity. The robot then simply closed its chest back up and placed the wastebasket on the floor once more.
"Wait a minute," Vanellope muttered, narrowing her eyes at the robot, "Is it….the janitor?"
"I guess so," Ralph replied before taking a step forward and raising one of his hands over his head in order to catch the robot's attention, "Hey, can I talk to you?"
Jumping in surprise, the robot turned to face Ralph, it's mechanical eyes widening as it looked up at Ralph, letting out a electronic noise that sounded strangely like the word "whoa" to Ralph. Reaching up, the robot pushed a button on it's chest, cutting off the music it was playing.
"Hey, uh, I guess I should introduce myself first," Ralph stated, "My name's Ralph."
"R-Rlph," the robot repeated with an electronic voice.
"Oh….I didn't know you could talk," Ralph admitted, "And it's Ralph."
"Raaaalph," the robot replied.
"Now you've got it," Ralph stated with a nod before indicating to Vanellope perched on his shoulder, "And this is my friend, Vanellope."
"Vanillaaaa," the robot replied.
"Eh, close enough," Vanellope stated with a shrug.
"Raaalph, Vanillaaaa," the robot said, pointing to them in turn before putting its hand against his chest, "Waaaall-E"
"Wall-E?" Ralph questioned, glancing down at the word written on the robot's chest, "That's your name?"
Wall-E nodded in reply.
"Well, it's good to meet you, Wall-E," Ralph stated with a smile, "Hey, so, you work here right?"
The robot glanced around, almost as if he was unsure Ralph was talking to him, before nodding his head.
"Awesome," Ralph continued with a grin, "Do you know how to get to Mr. Mouse's office?"
Wall-E nodded again, before glancing around to get his bearings. After a moment, Wall-E let out a little squeak before going down one of the halls, beckoning Ralph to follow him. Trudging along, Ralph followed Wall-E down the hall until they came to an elevator door at the end of it, the robot pushing a button to summon the elevator. There was a ding and the doors opened, allowing Wall-E to roll in before he turned around and looked at Ralph. The wrecker looked at the elevator dubiously, having to hunch down to look into the elevator properly.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ralph questioned hesitantly.
"Yeah, what's the weight limit on this thing?" Vanellope asked as she hopped off of Ralph's shoulder and stepped into the elevator.
Looking at Ralph, Wall-E seemed to realize the large man might be too big for the elevator. Glancing around for a moment, Wall-E scooted to the side before beckoning Ralph to enter. Ralph shot a questioning look at Vanellope, as she stood next to the opposite wall, earning a shrug from the princess.
Sighing, Ralph squeezed into the elevator, his bulk forcing Vanellope and Wall-E against the walls as the elevator shook and groaned ominously. After a few moments of grunting and confined movements, Ralph settled into an uncomfortable squatting position as the doors closed with a ding. Reaching out from where he was buried in Ralph's girth, Wall-E blindly clawed at the button panel before he managed to push a button for a higher floor and the elevator began to lift.
A few awkward moments past as the elevator rose, the smooth jazz muted by Ralph's bulk being the only sound coming from its confines. Eventually, the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened with a ding, sending its occupants sprawling outwards. Ralph groaned as he picked himself up while Vanellope stood up and stretched her back before helping to put Wall-E back on his treads.
Shaking his head clear, Ralph took a moment to observe his surroundings. They now stood in a short hall much decorated much like the other ones. The wall opposite the elevator had a pair of wooden doors with a desk sitting to the side of it. A few leather chairs sat between the elevator and the desk, situated around a coffee table covered in magazines. As he looked around, Ralph noticed he had caught the sight of three individuals.
Behind the desk was what Ralph could only describe as an anthropomorphic white duck. It appeared to be a female, going off of its long eyelashes and the large bow and smattering of makeup it wore. She wore a crisp, white blouse and a small earpiece clung to the side of her head approximately where her ear was. Leaning on the desk across from her was another duck, this one a male, dressed in a blue jacket and grey shirt.
The third person was the one who caught Ralph's attention though, as she was the most drop dead gorgeous woman he had ever seen. She sat in one of the waiting chairs, her long, slender legs crossed, her dangerously short, black skirt barely covering the top of her thighs. She read a home and garden magazine with one eye, the other covered by the long red hair that draped over the left side of her face and hung down to her shoulders. She lowered the magazine as she turned to look at Ralph, revealing the tight white blouse she wore with a number of the top buttons undone, leaving surprisingly little to the imagination. For a few moments, Ralph openly stared at her, bringing a smirk to the woman's lips.
"Excuse me, sir," the female duck spoke up as she cleared her voice, bringing Ralph's attention back to her, "Do you have an appointment?"
"Uh….Uh…." Ralph mumbled, his face turning bright red at having been caught openly ogling the other woman, who merely chuckled and went back to reading her magazine.
"What's the matter, pal?" the male duck questioned with a laugh, his voice a strange combination of raspy and squeaky, "Cat got your tongue?"
Ralph glared at the duck as Vanellope stepped forward.
"He's Wreck-It Ralph," Vanellope stated, "He should have an appointment or something."
"Aw, of course," the female duck said with a friendly smile, "We heard about the troubles you were having today. Happy you could make it. Mr. Mouse is in another meeting right now but that should be over shortly, so if you just have a seat he'll be able to see you soon."
"Uh, right," Ralph muttered, looking down at Vanellope who merely rolled her eyes at him before she turned to Wall-E.
"Thanks again for you help," Vanellope said, Ralph nodding in agreement behind her, "I'm sure you have to get back to work now."
Wall-E nodded in reply before heading back to the elevator, waving as he went. Ralph and Vanellope watched him leave before making their way over to the waiting area as the elevator doors once more.
Sliding into one of the seats, which was slightly too small for him, Ralph glanced at the woman sitting across from him. She looked up and smirked at him again, causing Ralph to blush.
"You know," the male duck said, suddenly at Ralph's side, "From my experience, women don't generally like it when you stare at them like that."
After being caught by surprise by the duck's sudden appearance, Ralph turned and glared at him.
"Yeah, well, who asked you?" Ralph growled.
"Hey, listen, pal," the duck replied, growling more irate as well, "I'm just trying to keep you from embarrassing yourself more than you already have."
"I don't recall asking for your help," Ralph snapped, "And I especially wouldn't ask for it from a little chicken like you."
"Chicken!" the duck exclaimed with indignation, "Why I outta…."
"Donald!" the female duck snapped from her desk, freezing the male in his track.
"Daisy, you heard what he called me!" the male, Donald, argued.
"Be that as it may, I don't need two hotheads at my workplace," the female, Daisy, replied, "Why don't you walk home and cool off?"
"But Daisy-" Donald began to say but was cut off by the stoney glare Daisy gave him.
"Now, Donald," Daisy said sharply.
Donald grumbled and shot Ralph one last glare before stalking over to the elevator, mumbling obscenities under his breath as he went.
Ralph smirked as he watched Donald leave before he noticed the other woman still watching him, his face turning bright red as the smirk fell away.
"I don't bite, you know," the woman said with a sultry voice, "Not usually, anyway."
"I….uh….I…." Ralph stumbled, prompting Vanellope to smack her head with the palm of her hand.
"I like a man of few words," the woman continued, "The name's Jessica, by the way. Jessica Rabbit."
"I'm….uh….I'm…." Ralph continued to mutter.
"Wreck-It Ralph, I heard," Jessica supplied before turning her attention towards Vanellope, "And you must be the little spitfire, Vanellope."
"I guess," Vanellope replied with a shrug.
"You know, your friend here isn't very good with women," Jessica stated, "A pretty girl like you should teach him how to treat a lady or else he'll end up all by himself."
"I guess we wouldn't want that," Vanellope observed, a small smile growing on her face.
"No, we would not," Jessica agreed.
"Um….uh, so do you have an appointment with Mr. Mouse?" Ralph asked. embarrassed by Jessica's teasing.
"No, but my husband is in there right now with him," Jessica explained, "I'm just waiting until he's done."
"Oh….your husband…." Ralph muttered feeling even more foolish than before.
"Yep," Jessica replied, setting the magazine down on the table, "You know, after seeing your movie, I admire you, Ralph."
"Huh?" Ralph asked in confusion, "You admire me? Why?"
""I think you'll find there are a number of people like you here in the Magic Kingdom," Jessica explained, "People who are forced into a role they chafe against."
"You mean like….being a bad guy?" Ralph questioned in surprise.
"Exactly," Jessica agreed.
As she spoke, the door opened and an anthropomorphic white rabbit stepped out. He stood a little taller than Vanellope, with long, floppy ears and bright, red suspenders. Jessica brightened as he walked over to her.
"How'd it go, Roger?" Jessica questioned as she stood up.
"I'm wearing them down, Jessica," the rabbit, Roger, responded with a slight lisp, "I'm wearing them down."
"Good to hear it, darling," Jessica replied as she leaned down and kissed him on the top of his head, "You'll get that sequel yet."
"Wait a minute," Vanellope questioned in astonishment, "This is your husband?"
"That I am," the rabbit said with a friendly smile as he offered his hand to Vanellope, "Roger Rabbit, at your service!"
As Vanellope shook his hand, a thoughtful look passed over Roger's face as he looked up at Ralph.
"Hey, I know you! You're one of the new guys, right?" Roger questioned as he began to tap his chin thoughtfully, "What was your name, again? Crush-It Carl? Smash-It Sam?"
"Wreck-It Ralph," the large man supplied.
"That's the one!" Roger exclaimed as he snapped his fingers before sticking his hand out, "Good to meet you!"
Reaching down, Ralph shook Roger's hand, causing the rabbit to hiss in pain as a small cracking sound came from their joined hands.
"Oh jeez, sorry," Ralph apologized, embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it, I've had worse," Roger replied with a nervous chuckle as he rubbed his injured hand, "Strong grip you've got there, though."
"Comes with the territory," Ralph explained as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Wreck-It Ralph?" Daisy spoke up, catching the wrecker's attention, "Mr. Mouse will see you now."
"Well, looks like you have your appointment to get to, Ralph," Jessica stated, "Roger and I will get out of your hair."
"Right," Ralph replied nervously as he stood up, taking a moment to unstick himself from the chair he had sat in.
"Don't be nervous, Ralph, you'll be fine," Roger assured him.
"After you're done, why don't you find your way over to the Ink Spot?" Jessica suggested as she and Roger made their way over to the elevator, "First round is on me."
"Sounds good," Ralph replied with a grin, "You know, you didn't strike me as someone who'd be this friendly to a stranger."
"You're a good guy, Ralph, I can tell," Jessica stated as she stepped into the elevator, "It's like I always say. We're not bad, we're just drawn that way."
Ralph chuckled as the elevator doors closed.
"I like that," he admitted as he turned away from the elevator, walking towards the office with Vanellope in tow.
"So, what do you think this guy is like?" Vanellope questioned.
"Probably some sort of corporate fat cat," Ralph replied as they reached the door, "Everyone talks like he's a nice guy, so he can't be that bad."
Stepping inside, Ralph and Vanellope found themselves in a spacious office. The color scheme was much like the rest of the castle and large windows offered a spectacular view of the Magic Kingdom. Numerous pictures and photos lined the walls, along with shelves upon shelves of various items. A large, ornate desk sat across from the door, topped with standard office equipment such as a phone and a computer monitor.
Sitting in a comfortable, rotating chair behind the desk was a cartoon mouse who was talking on the phone. His fur was black except for around his face, which was a pale, slightly pinkish color. He had large, expressive, black eyes, and particularly large ears that looked like a pair of large, black circles on the sides of his head. He wore a black jacket over a white, button-up shirt along with white gloves on his hands.
"Yeah, he just left," the mouse said with a high, squeaky voice, "I really think we should try and make this thing happen."
Ralph and Vanellope paused, looking at the mouse in surprise.
"I know it's out of your hands, Bugs, trust me, I know," the mouse continued with a sigh, "But we owe Roger a lot. We have to try something."
Ralph and Vanellope stood awkwardly as the mouse chuckled.
"Alright, we'll do the whole 'your people talking to my people' thing again," the mouse said with a smile, "Hopefully, we can get through to those stuffed shirts this time."
Glancing up, the mouse's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Ralph and Vanellope standing there.
"Oh, gosh Bugs, I have to go," the mouse quickly said into the phone, "Another appointment just walked in."
The mouse paused before smiling.
"And you tell Lola the same," the mouse stated, "Talk to you later, pal."
Hanging up the phone, the mouse quickly hopped out of his chair and made his way around his desk.
"Gosh, sorry about that," the mouse apologized, "You're Ralph and Vanellope, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Ralph answered, still caught off guard, "Are you….Mr. Mouse?"
"Oh gosh, I don't know how many times I've told people not to call me that," the mouse replied with a chuckle as he held out his hand to Ralph, "The name's Mickey, pal."
"Nice to meet you….Mickey," Ralph said with a growing smile as he carefully shook the mouse's hand before Mickey shook Vanellope's hand as well.
"So, I heard you had some trouble finding your way here," Mickey said with a chuckle as he made his way back to his chair, Ralph and Vanellope taking seats in the chairs on the other side of the desk, "Ol' Ches give you the run around."
"Something like that," Ralph replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Don't let it get to you, he get's the best of everyone at one point or the other," Mickey said with a dismissive wave, "You enjoying what you've seen so far?"
"Yeah, it's pretty great," Vanellope spoke up, "Even the princess stuff was fun."
"I don't think I got to have the tour you guys planned, but I got to meet some pretty interesting people all the same," Ralph added.
"Glad to hear it!" Mickey exclaimed happily, "Your first day can be rough, but you'll get settled in no time!"
"So, now what?" Ralph questioned.
"Well, tonight, we'll have our formal ceremony to welcome you to the Magic Kingdom," Mickey explained, "That will give you a chance to know everyone. After that, it's basically up to you."
"What do you mean?" Ralph asked in confusion.
"Bar the artists making a sequel to your movie or wanting to use you for something else, we usually get left alone here," Mickey explained, "So, your time is your to use as you wish."
"Oh wow," Ralph said in surprise, "I've never had that kind of freedom before. I don't think I'll know what to do with it."
"Don't worry, you'll figure it out," Mickey assured him, "The new folks always do."
"You sure have a lot of pictures," Vanellope commented as she looked around the room at the photographs on the walls and shelves.
"I have a lot of memories I like to keep around," Mickey explained with a chuckle.
Prompted by Vanellope, Ralph looked around at the photographs as well before his eyes fell on one in particular. Narrowing his eyes, Ralph stood up and walked over to the shelf the small frame sat on.
"Something catch your eye?" Mickey questioned as he got up and walked over to Ralph.
"Yeah, I ran into this guy," Ralph said picking up the black and white photo of Mickey standing next to a mustachioed man in a suit and showed it to the mouse, "He wanted me to tell you something actually."
"That's not possible, Ralph," Mickey stated, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern.
"What are you talking about?" Ralph replied, equally confused, "I just met him an hour or two ago. His name is Walt."
"That's the thing, Ralph," Mickey said as he took the photo from Ralph and looked at it sadly, "You couldn't have met Walt a few hours ago because Walt's been dead for almost forty years."
"What….that's not…." Ralph tried to say in shocked confusion, but as his mind began to digest what Mickey had told him, it started making a strange sort of sense.
"Alright, so mabye I didn't really meet him or something, I don't really know," Ralph admitted with a serious look on his face, "What I do know is that there's something important that I need to tell you."
Later,
The sun had almost finished setting by the time people had finished gathering in the square near the castle. Ralph stood with Vanellope, Felix and Calhoun near the front of the crowd that was spread out enough to allow space near the center of the square. At the square's center was a tall bronze statue that depicted Walt and Mickey walking hand in hand. Ralph glanced up at it before turning his attention to the people before him.
Mickey stood in front of Ralph, with a group of what he had described as the best good magic users in the Magic Kingdom. As Ralph looked at the four of them, he thought they certainly looked the part. The two men were wizards, with flowing blue robes and long, grey beards, one standing tall and imposing, the other looking a bit doddering. Ralph had heard them referred to as Yen Sid and Merilin respectively. The other two were women, fairies to be specific and both dressed in blue as well, one young, blonde and radiant, the other older, matronly and grey haired. They didn't seem to have names, only referred to as the Blue Fairy and the Fairy Godmother.
"You're certain of this?"Yen Sid asked solemnly, almost tall enough to look Ralph in the eye.
"Completely," Ralph replied, "I was there, after all."
"Fascinating," Merlin mumbled, "A land for forgotten things in a place between places."
"And you said people were trapped there?" the Fairy Godmother said, her face wrought with concern.
"There are," Ralph confirmed with a nod, "That's the whole reason I was supposed to tell you about it."
"Then it's decided," the Blue Fairy declared with a resolute nod, "We must do something."
"But do what?" Yen Sid questioned, "We can't just reach into nothingness and expect to pull something out. We must have something for our magic to latch on to."
As the four talked amongst themselves, a thought occurred to Ralph.
"You're all magicians, right?" Ralph questioned, "How about you pull a rabbit out of your hat?"
"This is no time for jests, young man," Yen Sid stated, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Ralph.
"No, hear me out for a second," Ralph insisted, "You guys said you needed something to latch onto, right?"
"Indeed," Merlin agreed, stroking his beard as he listened to Ralph.
"Well, I can give you something," Ralph explained before indicating towards Mickey, "Focus on a rabbit who looks like him."
"Like me?" Mickey questioned in confusion.
"Yeah, his name is Oswald," Ralph explained, "He's one of the people trapped in the Wasteland."
"That might work," the Fairy Godmother said with a nod.
"It's enough to try," the Blue Fairy concurred.
"Very well," Yen Sid stated with a nod, "Let us begin."
The four of them stepped into the clearing that had been left for them as everyone in the crowd took a step back, prompting Ralph and his friends to do the same. The four spread out into a circle, equidistant from one another. Facing each other, they all raised their hands in unison above their heads, the two wizards with both arms outstretched and fingers spread, while the fairies gripped magic wands in their hands. Each of them closed their eyes in concentration and began to recite words that Ralph couldn't begin to understand.
On and on they chanted and Ralph began to notice the air growing heavy with something. Something he couldn't put into words but nonetheless made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Suddenly, the four of them said a single, arcane word in loud unison and their was a flash of light followed by a sudden whoosh of wind as a vortex of energy appeared at the center of their circle. The crowd let out a gasp of shock and surprise as the air began to swirl around the vortex, tussling hair and loose clothing as it howled, forcing Ralph to lift a hand up to shield his face from the biting wind, the other holding onto Vanellope protectively as she clung to the side of his leg.
"I feel something!" the Blue Fairy announced, her eyes still closed.
"As do I!" Merlin concurred, "I do believe we've found this Wasteland."
"And the people, I can feel them as well!" the Fairy Godmother shouted over the whipping wind.
"Then let us take them out!" Yen Sid declared.
In unison, the four of them bent down and made a motion as if they were picking something up. Together, they began to stand back up, moving as if they were suddenly burdened with some great weight. As they rose, figures began to appear in the vortex, first a few, then dozens. Slowly but surely, the figures began to rise out of the vortex as the four magicians stood up straight. Then, with a unified cry of effort, the four thrust their hands above their heads and the vortex closed as the figures suddenly plopped to the ground.
Lowering his hand, Ralph glanced around, watching as the crowd began to collect itself while people pulled from the vortex slowly gathered their wits. As he looked around, Ralph smiled as his eyes fell on a familiar figure. Oswald sat only a few feet from him, one hand pressed to his forehead as his eyes spun from the dizziness he was experiencing.
"Oswald!" Ralph called happily, "Hey, Oswald!"
Blinking his eyes back to focus, Oswald looked around before spotting Ralph. The rabbit looked at Ralph in surprise for a moment as the wrecker waved at him before an ecstatic smile spread across his features. Leaping to his feat, Oswald looked around wildly, growing more and more excited with each passing moment. Giddily hopping up and down, Oswald turned his attention towards Ralph before rushing over and throwing himself at the large man. Ralph was momentarily caught off guard as Oswald slammed against his chest and clung to him with his arms outstretched in a vain attempt to hug the wrecker. Smiling, Ralph gently returned the gesture before setting Oswald down and turning to Mickey, who was watching the scene with a growing smile.
"Mickey, I want you to meet Oswald," Ralph said, motioning between the two as the rabbit turned to face the mouse, "Oswald, Mickey."
"Pleasure to meet you, pal," Mickey said, grinning as he held his hand out to Oswald.
Quickly glancing at Mickey's hand, Oswald beamed before grasping it with both hands and shaking it vigorously, catching the mouse by surprise before he began to laugh in amusement. Looking around, Ralph saw the crowd had already started moving forward, helping the new arrivals to their feet and get themselves oriented.
"Seems like you just saved a bunch of people from magical limbo," Calhoun observed as she stepped up next to Ralph, her arms crossed as she smirked at him, "Not bad for your first day, Wreck-It."
"Hell of a first day too," Ralph stated with a smirk.
"You said it, brother," Felix agreed with a tired sigh from Ralph's other side, "Seems like this can be a crazy place."
"I like it though," Vanellope declared as she glitched onto Ralph's shoulder, "I think it will be fun here."
"Alright, gang," Mickey spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him, "Seems like we have a lot more new residents tonight than I was expecting."
The crowd chuckled at the joke.
"So, I guess the next step is welcoming them in our own Magic Kingdom way!" Mickey declared, earning sounds of approval and excitement from the crowd, "Sing along if you know the words!"
"When you wish upon a star," the crowd began to sing to Ralph's surprise and then amusement, "Makes no difference who you are."
"Anything your heart desires will come to you," the crowd sang as Ralph looked around, spotting something that gave him pause. A group of people were standing apart from the crowd, near an alley that kept them partially in shadow. Even so, Ralph recognized a face or two amongst the crowd, especially that of Turbo. It didn't take much for Ralph to figure out who they all were and as he did, a thought struck him.
"If your heart is in your dream," the crowd continued as Ralph began making his way through it towards the group, "No request is too extreme."
"Ralph, where are we going?" Vanellope questioned in confusion, still perched on the wrecker's shoulder.
"When you wish upon a star like dreamers do," the crowd sang as the group noticed Ralph approaching, watching him wearily.
"Fate is kind, she brings to those who love," the crowd went on as Ralph stopped in front of the group, Vanellope glancing nervously between Ralph and the people before them.
"Can we help you with something, pal?" the person Ralph recognized as Hades questioned with a quirked eyebrow.
"The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing."
"I wanted to talk to Turbo," Ralph explained evenly.
"Yeah, well, who says I want to talk to you, you big oaf?" Turbo questioned as he took a step out from the confines of the group.
"Like a bolt out of the blue, suddenly it comes to you,"
"Look, I'm not thrilled at this idea either but could you at least hear me out?" Ralph asked with a sigh.
"I'm listening," Turbo stated after a pause.
"When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."
"Okay, so we don't really like each other, right?" Ralph questioned, going on one knee so he couldn't better talk to the much shorter Turbo.
"Brilliant deduction there, peabrain," Turbo responded with a snort.
"When a star is born, they possess a gift or two."
"Yeah, well, this is a new place, a place to start over," Ralph explained, "So, I figured, why don't we go ahead and bury the hatchet?"
"...What?" Turbo asked in confusion as the others in his group looked at Ralph in surprise.
"One of them is this, they have the power to make a wish come true."
"Ralph, are you sure about that?" Vanellope questioned, equally confused.
"Look, this seems like a nice place, I don't think we should ruin it by sending glares at each other all the time," Ralph explained, holding his hand out to Turbo, "What do you say? How about we turn over a new leaf and start over?"
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are."
"...Alright, deal," Turbo agreed as he hesitantly shook Ralph's hand.
As Ralph stood up, a tall, imposing woman with horns and all black garb stepped forward, eyeing the large man like he was a riddle she was trying to solve. Ralph was struck by her intimidating presence and he noted the other members of the group watching her wearily.
"Anything your heart desires will come to you."
"What is your game here, Wreck-It Ralph?" the woman questioned suspiciously.
"That would be Fix-It Felix Junior, ma'am," Ralph replied, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, "But if you're asking me what I'm up to, that would be nothing. Since I've come here the one thing I've learned is that whether we knew it or not, we were all characters in a story, people doing a job, both good guys and bad guys. I'm guessing you all are the bad guys."
The group said nothing, so Ralph pressed on.
"If your heart is in your dream,"
"I know a thing or two about being a bad guy," Ralph explained, "I know what it's like having no one like you for just doing your job. So, pardon me if it upsets the balance around here or something, but I'm going to try and make sure I don't put people through the same thing that others put me through."
The woman said nothing in reply and her face was an almost unreadable mask, but Ralph had the sense that his words had surprised her.
"No request is too extreme."
"I've got nothing else to say," Ralph stated with an awkward shrug as he started walking away, "So, I guess I'll just say good night."
With that, Ralph turned and walked away, knowing the group of bad guys behind him were watching him every step of the way.
"Okay, I've got to admit, that was pretty cool, Stinkbrain," Vanellope spoke up, "What made you decide to do that?"
"It's like Jessica said back in the office," Ralph explained, "We're not bad, we're just drawn that way."
"When you wish upon a star,"
As Vanellope chuckled, Ralph took the time to look around the crowd as they continued to sing. As he did, he spotted a man in a suit about to turn the corner of a street. The man paused and looked back at Ralph, his grin ruffling the small mustache above his lip. As Ralph's heart skipped a beat, Walt took a moment to wink at him before continuing on his way and winking at him.
"What you looking at?" Vanellope questioned as she tried to follow Ralph's line of sight.
"Nothing, you little fartmuncher," Ralph chuckled as he began walking over to his friends, "Nothing at all."
"Like dreamers do."
A/N: That's a wrap. It took me awhile to get this story finished, but I finally got it finished! And now that it's done, that means I can get to work on the sequel! ….Yay? All kidding aside, I am excited for the next story, maybe even more than I was to write this one. I think you guys will like it! Won't tell you much yet other than keep an eye out for a story called Frozen Heart coming soon! And thank you all for following along with this story as well! You are all the best! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!