A/N: Slight crossover with a certain villan from MLP:FiM, but knowledge of the series isn't necessary.

Phlegmatic

It was a new day in the game of Fix-It Felix Jr. and all the characters got in their places. Ralph sat on his stump on the sidelines, waiting for a quarter alert, when he looked over and didn't see Felix on the other side. He was confused for a moment, but he shrugged it off.

After a couple of hours the opposite side remained uninhabited. Before Ralph could explore, one of the nicelanders opened their window and wondered aloud. "Where's Felix?"

"Uhh?" Was the only answer Ralph could come up with.

The nicelanders remained in starting position but began whispering to themselves. Finally Gene spoke up, "He's probably just having a rough day, he'll be here, he wouldn't let us down."

Ralph mentally sighed, "Count on Gene to defend him. But seriously, where is he?"

Fortunately, it turned out the arcade was rented out for a birthday party and the Fix-It Felix Jr. game went untouched for the day. Once the 'Arcade Closed' call was given all the nicelanders immediately headed to Felix's apartment in worry. Ralph was about to join them, but as he looked up he noticed that Felix's place remained dark. He then turned and headed to Game Central Station.

When Ralph emerged from the tunnel he was welcomed by the usual chaos of the many game characters running to and fro throughout the station, but as he looked around he noticed one certain figure standing still in the center of the room.

"Felix? I've been looking everywhere for you! Thank goodness!" The figure didn't respond leaving Ralph confused. He approached him carefully. "…Felix?"

The figure failed to answer.

As Ralph got closer he noticed something different about him, "Did you…buy a new shirt?"

The figure mumbled something.

Ralph failed to catch it. "Well, you're looking' a bit grey there Buddy. Maybe you ought to hop on over to Dr. Mario's office, I think you might have some dead pixels."

"What do you care?"

"Huh?" Ralph frowned, sure that the biting tone he just heard from the repairman was from his imagination.

Felix suddenly turned around and faced the demolition character with a sharp glare in his eyes. "Well? Need me to fix another one of your messes as usual?"

"Felix, what…?" Ralph blinked as he noticed the dark circles as well as the scowl on his friend's face. "What is going on?"

Felix ignored him as he began to walk past him.

"Hey, Felix! Felix!" Ralph called out as he followed him. He caught up to him just as he headed into Tapper's terminal. "What's wrong with you?" Ralph demanded as he began to feel annoyed at his friend's newfound attitude.

"I need a drink." He replied simply as he boarded the tram.

"You don't drink." Ralph answered, crossing his arms. The tram pinged signaling its departure, but Ralph grabbed Felix before it could take off.

"What are you doing!?" Felix argued as he squirmed in the larger man's grip. "Let me go!"

"Not until we figure out your deal. Come on, we're going home."

"No…No!" Felix started fighting against Ralph's hold, punching and smacking at the man's face; much to his chagrin. "Let go of me you….you…ogre!"

Ralph scowled as he begrudgingly brought the smaller man back to their game, glaring at the other characters that dared to gawk at their scene. He had to pause every so often in order to readjust his hold on the repairman when he slipped free, and, eventually, ended up dragging the man back kicking and yelling.

Neither of them noticed the golden hammer that lay forgotten in the center of the station.


Felix got up early and cheerful as he did every morning. He whistled brightly as he combed his hair, straightened his blue collar shirt, and made sure all his tools were in the right places. Once he made sure everything was perfect he stared into the mirror, the giant smile on his face twitching.

"Today's going to be another great day. Yesiree Bob, you're going to help all the nicelanders today, do your job, be strong for your friends, and make sure everyone has a smile on their face at the end of the day. Right?"

He paused as if waiting for a response.

"That's your job after all, Fix-It Felix Jr., it all rests on you to make sure everything goes a-ok. It's all up to you."

His teeth gnashed against each other.

"It's all on you. If anything goes wrong you have to fix it. If things don't go according to plan you have to fix it. Fix it, fix it, fix it! After all, what good is Fix-it Felix Jr. if he can't fix it?"

By the time he was finished with his usual morning mantra he looked into the mirror and realized he had a sad, almost broken look on his face.

"Well, this won't do." He mused as he pulled out his hammer and smacked himself in the face. "There, that's better!" He said cheerfully.

Felix pull his hammer back on its rightful place on his belt as he prepared to leave his apartment, but before he could, a soothing voice came from the mirror.

"Leaving so soon?"


As the tram housing Ralph and Felix returned to Niceland, they were met by the crowd of worried nicelanders and the Q*Bert characters.

Mary met them at the platform, "Ralph! We've looked for Felix everywhere but we-Oh! You found him!" She exclaimed excitedly as a bitter Ralph had to force the titular character out of the tram.

Felix immediately tried to dart back into the car, but Ralph made sure to block his way. "Ralph! Let me through! RALPH!" He argued.

The other nicelanders looked at the scene in confusion. "Um… He's not drunk again is he?" One of them mumbled.

"No, ack!" Ralph grunted as Felix tried to climb over his arm. "I don't know what his deal is today. Help me get him to bed would you?"

The nicelanders were hesitant, but the Q*Bert characters were more than willing to lend their assistance. Eventually they all got him into the building and to his apartment.

"No! No! I don't want to live here anymore! I don't want to do any of your meaningless labor anymore! I don't want to be near any of you!" Felix yelled as Ralph pushed him into the room and closed the door quickly. The doorknob rattled and shook as Ralph tried to hold it closed.

"He doesn't…really mean any of those things he said does he?"

"Of course he doesn't." Gene replied in confidence. "He's just blowing off some steam. Just a rough day, that's all."

Q*Bert looked up at Ralph "#/&%C ?"

" ^&*! P*&$#%P! $$W %H##***!" Ralph bellowed in response as Q*Bert went on his way.

"Where's he going Ralph?"

"He's just going to get Calhoun and I gave him my blessing."

"That's all?"

"And that if he can't find her I swore that I'd dump him in a level 22 tetris game for the night.

Some of the nicelanders chuckled dryly, unsure if he was serious or not.


Felix froze in his tracks as he tried to adapt to the metaphorical wrench thrown into his morning routine. "Um…? Is someone…here?" He looked around the room trying to avoid eye contact with the mirror.

"It's awfully rude to not face your guest, you know."

Felix gulped as he turned to face the mirror.

"There, was that so hard?"

"U-Um…I didn't mean to be rude friend, I'm just not used to characters greeting me through my mirror. I was just surprised that's all." Felix blinked as he was greeted with his own reflection, "Also, er… I can't seem to see you."

Felix's reflection shrugged, "Are you sure you're looking hard enough?"

Felix's heart sped up. "I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming. I must not be awake yet."

The reflection crossed its arms, "Relax Junior, this can't be the weirdest thing you've ever seen."

"Well no… I suppose you're right. Pardon me for being a might jumpy, I don't take surprises very well." A sudden realization awakened in Felix's mind. "Wait just a tic, talking mirrors aren't programmed into my game's code!"

The reflection awarded him with a slow clap. "Worried are you? I don't see why you would be; after all…" He reached down and held up the golden hammer. "You can fix it can't you?"

"Of course I can!" Felix replied in confidence only to realize he was holding his hammer in the same way at the reflection. "Wait, how…?"

"Did you forget what reflections are? A clear shadow that mimics you."

"Um right…" Felix replied shakily. "Now just hold still, this shouldn't hurt." He warned as he raised his hammer to the mirror. As he brought it down on the glass the familiar 'ping!' sound his hammer made after it fixed something was strangely absent. Felix stared on in surprise when suddenly a small crack appeared on the site of impact, quickly spreading out until the whole mirror shattered. "W-Wait…"

"Tsk, tsk, that's seven years bad luck. Think you can handle it?"

Felix's lip trembled in shock as he fell to his knees, "But…But I don't break things. I can't… How…?"

"Maybe that was the only way to fix the mirror."


Ralph left Coily to guard the door as the nicelanders tried to coax Felix out of hiding. He tasked Ugg and Wrong Way to watch the fire escape in case Felix tried to break out as he headed to the terminal to try and catch up with Q*Bert. When he arrived Q*Bert was nowhere to be found but the small tramcar was returning from the station, Q*Bert couldn't have been that fast could he?

The tram turned out to be empty, that is, until Ralph got closer. A small, raven-haired, head popped out. "Hiya Booger-breath!"

"Vanellope!"

She jumped out excitedly. "Let me tell ya this game jumping thing is fun! Each game is so different! Exciting! Like….a cacophony of newness!" She flailed about.

"Hey now, you're just visiting the other games. Game-jumping is when you visit when everyone is trying to do their jobs. Not cool."

Vanellope waved him off. "I know, I know. We don't want a repeat of your precious hero medal incident."

Ralph pouted. "Those were trying circumstances."

"Hey I'm just messing with you big guy. Plus, if you never put your game at risk you would've never met me!" She gestured to herself as if she were a grand prize. "Eh? Eh?"

"…Lucky me." He rolled his eyes.

"Aw, is that anyway to talk to your most royal guest?"

"I knew it'd be only a matter of time before you started milking this 'royalty' business." Ralph's mouth turned upwards into a small smirk as he gave Vanellope a mock bow. "Your majesty."

"That's more like it. A little respect from the peasant folk is all I ask; especially when I come bearing gifts." She reached into her sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a sparkling hammer. "Look what I happened to find!" She grinned like a puppy coming back from its first game of fetch.

Ralph suddenly remembered the situation at hand. "Where did you get that?"

"It was just lying in the middle of game central. I was sure it belonged to Mr. Felix, but it doesn't seem like him to lose something like this."

"Well, he hasn't exactly been 'himself' all day… or all night for that matter." Ralph wondered out loud.

"Isn't this thing important to your game or something?" Vanellope asked in confusion. Her eyes then sparkled with an idea, "You don't think he has extras do you?"

"I don't think so… Wait, why do you want to know?"

"No reason…" She put on her best innocent face.

"Right." He paused, "And why is he 'Mr. Felix' while you give me every random name in the book?"

"Because he's not a stink brain."

"Should've expected that."

"Don't worry Ginger Monkey, you're still my favoritest stinky brain ever."

As they were talking the second tramcar arrived housing Q*Bert and Calhoun. She hopped out of the small car and immediately stood to order, cocking her gun. "Alright Wreck-it, what's the situation here?"

"Err…It's about Felix-"

"Say no more." She answered firmly as she dashed off to the apartments.

"Hey, wait for me!" Ralph called out as he, Vanellope, and Q*Bert took off after her. "And would you put that thing away? Do you *want* scare everyone to death?!"


"I'm afraid that doesn't make sense." Felix replied as he observed the shattered glass.

"It doesn't? Didn't your counterpart make certain things better with his wrecking?"

"It was just…circumstance! It wasn't because of him breaking everything in sight."

"Oh?" The voice replied in interest, "So you could've done the same thing?"

"Well…like I said circumstance. We all had our parts to play during that whole…ordeal."

"But were they the right parts? After all, the villain had to save the day while the heroes stood helpless."

"T-That's not what happened. We won by working together!"

"Is that so?" Fingers snapped as Felix found himself in the middle of an empty Game Central Station. He looked around in surprise as his shadow became smoke that wrapped around him. He tried to shake it off but that only caused the smoke to grow thicker and surrounded him like a fog.

Images of memories started playing in the smoke. "Here I see you jumping around in a game you didn't belong in and failing to stop Ralph's escape pod." The scene shifted, "And here's you panicking the moment things started going wrong and accomplishing absolutely nothing."

"Well I…"

"And here's you being thrown in jail for most of the night. What good did you accomplish there for your game? For the arcade?"

Before he could answer the fog swirled and changed.

"Oh! Here's your enemy having to come to your rescue! And…this is interesting, he saved you by wrecking his way in. I guess some good comes from wrecking after all."

"I…I never said wrecking was a bad thing."

"It's not? Then how can you claim you do a good job if his wrecking isn't a bad thing?"

"Because…Because I'm the good guy…" He replied weakly, his eyes starting to swirl in bright colors.

"A good guy huh? Are you sure it isn't more like 'a guy who's only good for fixing things'?"


The group arrived on the floor of Felix's apartment. Surprisingly, everyone was able to hold down the fort in their absence, despite Felix's nonsensical ranting and fighting the door.

"Oh wow. Good job guys…" Ralph mused in clear disbelief.

"You can talk to him can't you?" One of the nicelanders asked Calhoun in tears, "He doesn't mean what he's saying right?"

"I make no promises." Calhoun said plainly, but saw Ralph shaking his head out of the corner of her eye. "But…err… he…I'll help him." She nodded in confidence as she motioned for Coily to move so she could enter the room. However, before she turned the doorknob she grabbed Ralph's arm.

"Wait! Why do I have to come?"

"What kind of soldier goes into battle alone?"

"The kind of soldier who's married to the…um…Felix?"

Calhoun gave him a commanding look.

Ralph looked away in fear. "Yes ma'am." Vanellope and Q*Bert decided to cling onto him as well. "What are you two doing?"

"What does it look like Soldier Buns? A'doy…"

"% !"

Ralph just sighed, "Is it too late to agree on knocking some sense into him with his hammer?"

Calhoun ignored him. "All right team, lets move in!"


Felix shook his head, "That's…that's not all that I am." He blinked, his eyes resuming their normal state. "I'm not just a nemesis to Ralph, we're brothers. I'm not just a hero to the nicelanders, I'm friends with each and every one of them. I'm not from the same genre, the same world as Tamora, but she loves me." Felix smiled proudly.

"I guess you're right." The shadow replied in sarcastic defeat. "What hope did I ever have of defeating a hero? After all, without you, everything would fall apart. That must be quite the burden to carry."

Felix blushed, "Well... I do do a lot for everyone, but I wouldn't say it all revolves around me."

"Oh really now?" The voice rose in pitch, "So you are a necessary character?"

"Wh-uh-I mean is... I have an important part to play, but so does everyone else! Pa always said never get too 'puffed up' in your own abilities or your tool belt wouldn't be able to fit the things it needs."

"So you're just saying that some people are more necessary than others?"

"That's not…No!"

"Well which is it then? Are you necessary or aren't you?"

"I'm…"

"Could your friends have saved the day with or without you?"

He thought of Ralph and Vanellope working together to take down Turbo, of Tamora doing her best to keep the cybugs at bay while simultaneously evacuating the Sugar Rush citizens.
He then remembered himself doing nothing after being the only one to recognize the character he once thought he knew; he remembered being helpless as he almost lost the girl he promised to protect, as well as the man he realized was truly his brother.
He remembered almost getting himself and the woman of his dreams killed due to his panic, and triggering painful memories for her by being too forward. Did he really deserve his friends' kindness? Their forgiveness? Had he truly thought of them, of what they really needed, even once?

The shadow, now having the physical form of a dragon-like creature, slithered around the shaken repairman whose colors were becoming muted and dull. "Then again, maybe the question shouldn't be if they need you, it should really be how much you need them. Did they even give you the chance to shine?"

Felix tightened his fists. "No. They just rushed off, causing more trouble. If Tamora hadn't gone looking for the bugs and woke them all up maybe there wouldn't have been so much panic. If Vanellope didn't just HAVE to show off during a big race we could have fixed her game without destroying half the area. If Ralph…Ralph… just told us what was wrong HE WOULDN'T HAVE RISKED OUR OWN GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

The draconequus uncoiled himself from Felix and began to float above him in a relaxed, but pleased pose.

"I shouldn't have been there at all! I shouldn't have to clean anyone else's messes! I hate…I hate having to fix everything!"

The draconequus spirit chuckled to himself as he departed the gaming world, his work finished. "After all," He echoed, "What is Fix-It Felix Jr. good for if he can't fix it?"

Felix straightened his cap and his resolve just as a nine-foot-tall man approached him. "Felix? I've been looking everywhere for you! Thank goodness!"


They all walked into the dark room and were surprised to find it quiet. Calhoun signaled everyone to look in the other rooms, but she was the first one to find him sitting still in the kitchen. For that moment she let her guard down just slightly, "…Felix?"

"What part of 'leave me alone' don't any of you seem to understand?!" He hit the small kitchen table with his fist as he kept his head down.

"The part that you aren't telling us." She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Honey, what happened?"

He quickly brushed her arm away. "Get out."

"Felix-"

"I SAID GET OUT!" He yelled drawing everyone else's attention.

The argument felt familiar to Calhoun, she remembered when she said those exact words to him and he bowed out gracefully. She remembered how she cried alone in the escape pod, hating herself for remembering, and trying not to think about him. Yet, here she was, together with him; the one she promised to obey and cherish. Is this what it was like to be needed?

"No." She answered firmly. "Not this time."

Her answer caused Felix to look up. His eyes were sullen yet glaring daggers at her. "In case you forgot, dear, I was the one who got kicked out by you. Iwas the one always being pushed around and taking it with a smile, day in and day out. Well those days are OVER!"

"Ok."

Felix blinked, "What?"

"Ok." She repeated as she stood up. "You have a right to be upset, a right to be angry, and if this is how you want to go about doing that then I won't stop you."

"Well…good." He nodded with a hint of confusion in his features.

"But I'm not leaving you."

He stood up and looked away, tightening his fists. "Why not?! Is it because you feel sorry for me? Because I don't have an army cache of weapons at my disposal or can tear down a building with my bear hands?"

"Is that it? You feel…unprepared?"

Felix just chuckled. "What a nice way to say how weak I am. Oh sure, rush into battle, save the day, don't worry about the mess because that's what Felix is here for! Leave him to deal with the little things because that's all he's good for."

"Nobody thinks that about you Felix." Ralph argued, finally coming into the room, stragglers in tow. "We need you."

"Oh, you need me?" He hopped up and started jabbing his finger at Ralph's chest. "Have you ever stopped and wondered if I really needed you all?!"

Q*Bert looked up at Felix "\\& #%$?"

Felix refused to return his gaze. "*! &%!"

Q*Bert's eyes widened. "^^#! %^*%?"

"~*! &%!"

Q*Bert looked down defeated as his eyes started tearing up. He quietly retreated behind Ralph.

"FELIX!" Ralph gasped in shock. "You know Q*Bert didn't deserve that!"

"Nothing I said wasn't true."

"That didn't make it right!"

"Like you know a thing or two about being right Ralph! Who cleans up all your messes? Makes a living from your screw-ups? Did you ever stop and think about all I've sacrificed for you? I risked my life for you! I ended up in jail for you! All for someone who turned his back on his own game!"

Ralph was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"No, I don't want to hear it Ralph!"

"I'm still gunna say it! You're right Felix, we take you for granted sometimes and we never realize it. But that doesn't mean you can act out like this! Something is wrong!"

"Nothing's wrong!" Felix rebutted as he turned to leave. As he spun around he realized his way was blocked by Vanellope.

"I don't have time you deal with you Vanellope."

She stared up at him sadly. "Mr. Felix…"

"I don't want to hear it! I'm tired of you all with your forced sympathy and platitudes. Why won't you all accept that I don't *want* you all in my life anymore! I'm better off without you!"

She looked down. "I'm sorry too." Vanellope suddenly jumped up and hit Felix over the head with his hammer. "But what needs to be done needs to be done."

The group looked at her in shock. "Vanellope!" Ralph scolded.

"What? You're the one who said that if nothing worked we should hit him with his hammer."

Calhoun glared at Ralph as he tried not to make eye contact with her. "That's not what I….nevermind, let's just get him to bed."

As they all helped carry Felix to his room they realized his pixels were becoming brighter, returning to their original colors.

"Is this an 8-bit character thing?" Vanellope wondered aloud, pestering Ralph.

Ralph had a look of annoyance on his face at the remark. "First I've seen." He shrugged. "Maybe it was just stress."

As he put Felix in his bed Calhoun took a seat beside him. "I'll stay with him."

Ralph just nodded. "Let us know if he's ok."

"I will."

"And call us if you need help!" Vanellope volunteered as Ralph shuffled Q*Bert and her out.

A few moments after they shut the door Felix's eyes fluttered open. He sat up for a second trying to re-adjust to his surroundings. His gaze drifted the person sitting at his side causing him to immediately hide under his covers and curl up into a ball. "U-Um w-who's there?"

"Sweetums-" Was all that Calhoun had to say.

"Oh! It's you Tamora." Felix sat up but still failed to face her. "I seem to be really tired tonight. I'm sorry."

"That's alright…" She trailed off unsure of how to address the matter at hand. "How are you feeling?"

"My head is pounding something fierce, like something's rattled my marbles." He chuckled slightly as he flinched in pain.

"You should rest then. A person without rest is like a single ox trying to pull a wagon meant for a team of six."

Felix nodded as if he understood as he fell back onto the bed.

"Get your rest soldier." She whispered as she walked out of the room. "You're going to need it."


Felix tossed and turned in his sleep until he eventually realized that it wasn't coming. He sat up shakily, having to force himself to look forward at his full-length mirror. He blinked, trying to confirm it's unbroken form in his mind.

"Whew…" He breathed out slowly, climbing out of his bed. There was a light coming from the kitchen which he decided to follow. At the other end sat his wife, dressed in more comfortable clothing, sipping a steaming cup of tea. "Um…hi?" He grinned shyly.

She handed him a cup of tea and motioned for him to take a seat. He complied as he clutched the blanket wrapped around him tighter.

"So how are you feeling?"

Felix rubbed his forehead, "Still a bit out of sorts."

Calhoun nodded, "Do you remember anything about today?" She asked directly.

Felix looked down at his tea as he sipped it. He failed to answer. Calhoun just waited patiently for his response. "Do we…have to talk about this now?" He asked in a low, hushed voice.

"How much do you recall?"

His voice was small and guilt-ridden, "All of it."

Calhoun looked looked away, unable to face him. "I see."

"I'm sorry." He dropped the blanket and stared at his hands, shaking. "I-I…I'm sorry. Why did I say those things? That wasn't m-m-" He clenched his fists letting out some choking sobs.

His wife came up behind him and embraced him, burying her face in his back. "Shh…"

"I…I…." He stared ahead in disbelief, "I meant every word." He blinked in shock. "I really…feel this way."

Calhoun stood back up and gently squeezed her husband's shoulder. He laid his hand on top of hers and returned the gesture.

"I don't know what happened to me. How can I face everyone again?"

"They're not what's important right now." She tightened the blanket around him. "What's important is dealing with the things that are bothering you. You can't expect to deal with others if you don't deal with yourself." She leaned her face in close to his, "I would know."

"But…I'm supposed to make things better for everyone. That's my job."

"That's not all that you are."

"I know but…"

"People depend on you Sweetums, and I understand not wanting to fail them. After…After Brad I never wanted to lose any one to a cybug ever again. However, sometimes we forget that we don't have to carry this burden alone."

"I couldn't trouble anyone with my problems. That isn't very polite."

Calhoun mulled over her thoughts for a moment. "Felix, said there was a problem in my game and we ran out of rations for a week. Say, the next time I see you, I was so pale I looked like Death's dining parlor sheets in the middle of a blizzard from the starvation alone and I came by right as you were about to eat your dinner. What would you do?"

Felix gasped at the thought. "I'd give the whole thing to you of course!"

"But I can't take your dinner, then what would you eat? I shouldn't have stopped by at all."

Felix hopped up, "No! You need it more than I do! It's not like I can't make more."

"I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"Eh? …Oh." The realization of the point of Calhoun's hypothetical situation suddenly hitting him.

"You enjoy helping people, but sometimes you're going to need help too. That's ok you know."

Felix blinked, Calhoun's words awakening something inside him.

"And it's ok to be…at a tactical disadvantage sometimes; that doesn't make you weak. It lets you support someone who needs it. Without you I might have died in a land made of sugar!"

He allowed himself to giggle lightly at that remark.

"Without you, Vanellope might have never forgiven or trusted Ralph again; or had been able to fix her game at all."

Felix's eyes widened as he pixels became even brighter, reverting to their original color scheme.

"But what matters most Felix, is that you didn't give up on any of us. Not Ralph when he went AWOL, not Vanellope when she couldn't go through the game portal, or on me when I wanted nothing more to do with you. You are needed more as a friend than as a repairman."

He smiled, wiping the tears from his face. "You're right."

"Of course I'm right. I-"

He cut her off with a soft kiss.

"Well that's never going to get old." She smirked.

"Thanks Tammy."

She bent down to his level and gave him a calming smile. "Next time, don't forget that I didn't need you, I chose you. I decided to help carry your burdens whether you want me to or not."

Felix hugged her tightly as she reciprocated. "I have a lot of apologizing to do later."

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll understand."

"I know, but this time I want to do it for myself. I want them to know that I finally realized that they're there for me." He smiled brightly at her, a genuine smile. "You're all here for me."