And here's another. This is a crossover with a fanfic I haven't released yet so it's ok if you're kind of confused by his sudden appearance, but it'll make sense later once I release it. Until then, enjoy~!

Chapter 13

Christmas Crossovers

It had been a few good months since Ray had been made a codemaster. Most people would say he had changed quite a bit from when he first started.

The location of the Virus Factory had been delivered to the council and the attack date was scheduled for New Year's Eve.

It was Christmas Eve and Ray was helping his boss close up when Justin dashed behind him.

"Hey!" He hopped over Ray as the teen was polishing Dance Dance Revolution's dance pad.

"Whoa! You gave me a heart attack! I'm guessing you finished the 'project'? Both halves of it?" Ray inquired as his heart started beating again.

Justin had spent all of his free time for the last 4 days in the Code Room on a present for Ray to give to Ralph.

"Here it is!" Justin held out a medal similar to the Medal of Heroes from Hero's Duty but it had a green orb in the center.

"This should allow Ralph to cross over to our world, but it's gonna hurt a bit his first time."

"Why?" Ray inquired.

"Well... His body needs to be configured to this world and that isn't really fun for the amount of data he posesses..."

"Oh."

"And I sent you the program you asked for this morning. It's in your gauntlet's 'to do' list."

Thanks for that, dude. I got you something too." Ray replied as he handed Justin a silver box with a green bow on top.

"What's this?"

"Open it." Ray instructed

He opened it and found 2 blank cards.

"You got me... How?!"

"A little gift from me and Codemaster X. Now when you're ready you can access to Code Change and X Mode."

"I don't know what to say..."

"Thank you maybe?"

"Thanks!" Justin hugged the air out of Ray, but he didn't mind much.

After a minute though, he let go and saluted Ray as he ran out the door towards his house.

"Ray! Going to Ralph's tonight?" Litwak inquired as he walked out of his office.

"Actually... Ralph's coming to my house... If that's ok with you." Ray replied as he adjusted his gauntlet.

"I don't know how that's possible, but as long as he's back by January 2nd, it's fine with me." Litwak replied as he locked up the front.

"OK! Be right back!" Ray shouted as he ran into the code room.

Ray teleported into Fix-it Felix Jr. and crept through the door to Ralph's hut.

"Ralph... You here?" Ray inquired as he walked through the house.

He found Ralph just getting out of the shower with a towel around his waist. Water was dripping down his broad chest and his arms glistened in the light. His hair was also matted down and covered his left eye a bit.

"If I didn't find you irresistable before, I do now." Ray rebutted as he began feeling up on Ralph's exposed upper body touching every crevice and cavity.

"Ray... You wanted to tell me something?" Ralph smirked as he pushed Ray away from him and began to dry his hair.

"Oh yeah... How would you like to spend the holidays with me?"

"Really?! But how?" Ralph inquired as he pulled out a fresh pair of boxers and slid them on.

"With this." Ray held out the medal and put it on Ralph's neck.

"Wait... You are Ray, right?! I'm not gonna get possessed again am I!?"

"Yes... No one's gonna troll you."

"Troll?" Ralph inquired confused.

"When we get to my house, you're watching Youtube videos." Ray stated as he pressed the orb.

"Hold on. This might hurt a bit." Sparks bean to fly and they disappeared.

"Yeeeowch!" Ralph cringed as he was shocked out of his game into the real world.

They teleported into Litwak's office as he was locking up somethin.

"Whoa! Ralph?! How'd you get here?! And where are your overalls?!" Litwak rapid fired his questions as Ray pulled out a red box.

Inside was a shirt similar to Ralph's old one, but it was brand new compared to his others, some overalls with both straps intact, and some over sized hiking boots.

"Here. Put these on."

"You planned this didn't you?" Ralph inquired as he slid on the shirt.

"Yeah... Justin helped."

"Why the shoes?"

"Well, people around the city and my family will wonder why you're not wearing any and that's a conversation I want to avoid."

"Oh... Wait, family?"

"Well... I have to go to my aunt's house tomorrow and you're going with me."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!" Ray replied grinning.

"Ugh... Only for you babe." Ralph mumbled as he finished putting on the boots.

"Later Mr. Litwak and Happy Holidays!"

"Wait! What about Vanellope?" Ralph interjected as Ray was running out the door causing him to smash his face into the glass doors.

"Crap... BRB!" Ray grabbed the medal off Ralph's neck and teleported into Sugar Rush.

He ran into the castle and found Vanellope sitting sideways on her throne.

"Hey President Fartface! Wanna spend the holidays with me and Ralph?" When she heard that, she glitched into his arms.

"Yes! Yes! And Super Yes! I'm spending Christmas with Stinkbrain and Stinkbrain 2!"

"2?"

"You and Ralph are like the family I never had."

Ray fought back the tears as he put the medal on Vanellope. He pressed the orb and teleported out.

Ralph was propped up on the Tekken 4 machine as Ray and Vanellope appeared in front of him.

"Well... Shall we go?"

To say that they got stared at would be an understatement. When a 9 foot man walks down the street at 4 in the afternoon with a 10-year-old on his shoulder, most people do a double take.

They finally reached Ray's house 8 minutes later.

As Ray opened the door, Vanellope ran inside and began hopping on the couch.

"I live alone so we got the house to ourselves." Ray gloated as he dropped on the recliner.

"You live here alone?"

"Well... Yeah. My mom gave me the house when I entered my senior year and my brother is a nomad."

"Well... Since we're all alone here..." Ralph commented suggestively.

"Ooooh... Vanellope. You can watch cable while Ralph and I go upstairs."

"OK! What's cable?"

"Here." Ray handed her the remote and pressed the power button. It just happened to land on Disney Junior.

"Ooooh! Magic box!" Vanellope had never seen or even heard of a tv, so when she saw Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she went ape and began watching it.

"Let's go while she's distracted!" Ray pulled Ralph up the stairs towards his room and locked the door.

Vanellope got sleepy and laid down on the couch, but had no idea where the blankets were.

"Ray! Where are the blankets?!"

"In the guest room, first door on the right when you come upstairs." He replied from his bedroom.

She got up and headed for the room, but went for the door on the left instead of the right.

She walked in and found a huge room with banners and ribbons all for an army she had never heard of.

All of a sudden, a holographic image appeared on the desk in front of her. It was Ray, but he looked about 12 years old and his face was caked in dry blood and dirt.

"Dear Holo-Diary... This is my final entry. I can't take the pressure anymore. My mentor is going to instate me as the Shadow King tomorrow, but I can't do it. It's either lie back and take it, or take him down for good. I know this is gonna be tough, but my magic has never let me down yet. I'll have to use all I've learned against him or die trying. Sincerely... Ray Hagane."

She stepped out of the room slowly as the recording ended and closed the door.

"Whoa... That's heavy." She thought to herself as she entered the correct room and crashed on the bed.

Ray woke up on top of Ralph's exposed upper body still caked in... sweat.(mind in the gutter readers!)

'I could get used to this!' Ray thought to himself as he sat up and headed into his shower. Ralph woke up to the shower's hiss.

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"You taking a shower?"

"Yeah... Aren't you? I mean... after last night?"

"Say no more." Ralph chided as he walked into the bathroom wearing a devious grin.

Vanellope met Ralph and Ray downstairs in the kitchen where Ralph was practically inhaling an omelet and Ray was placing one on a plate.

"Hey V! Eat up. We've got a busy day ahead of us." Vanellope sat down and began picking at the food.

She couldn't look him in the eye and that's what tipped him off.

"You found the room didn't you?"

She froze up and looked him dead in the eye.

"Don't judge me... I did what I had to do to survive."

"How did it end...?"

"I'd appreciate it if you'd forget what you saw."

"I'll try..."

Ralph was perplexed as to what was happening, but passed it off as something that Ray wouldn't want to talk about.

"Now, when we get to my aunt's house, you're my brother-in-law and you're his daughter." Ray explained 2 hours later.

"Why can't we be ourselves?" Vanellope inquired as she hopped on Ralph's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm with the kid."

"Well... I'm not exactly out to my family yet." Ray confessed as he leaned on Ralph's arm.

"But it's kind of obvious, don't you think?" Vanellope commented as she put her hands behind her head.

"How does everyone come to that conclusion!?" Ray shouted, exasperated. "Whatever... Let's go!"

Ray pressed a button and they reappeared in front of a house with a wide lawn and a skinny driveway. A chain link fence separated it from the sidewalk and a brick wall protected it from its neighbor on the right.

"Thank you, Justin." Ray silently cheered before he was met with a high pitched squeak.

"Ray!" It turned out to be his Aunt Nora.

"Who's this?" She inquired as she pointed at Ralph.

"This is Ralph, Candy's brother and his daughter Vanellope."

"You mean your boyfriend right?"

"WHAT?! B-b-but..." Ray's jaw dropped. He's not that obvious is he?

"I'm not stupid. Candy's brothers are all in Cabo with your brother and it's pretty obvious when you think about it."

"So your cool with this right?" Ray inquired as he looked her in the eyes.

"Only if you perform this christmas like you did last year." She gave him a devious grin.

"You don't mean..."

"Yep. Grandmaster Reezy!"

"Fine, but no one else has to know about this!" Ray sighed and led Ralph into the house.

"They will eventually!" She shouted back as he disappeared into the house.

Ralph had surprisingly gotten a bit shorter when he was converted so his head missed the ceiling by about a foot. They were all sitting on the couch when something broke their peaceful trance.

"What's with your hands?" Cousin Dannon inquired looking up at Ralph.

"Milk." Ralph replied politely.

"And your hair?"

"Lots of gel."

"And what's with..."

"Dannon! Leave!" Ray shouted as his cousin ran off into the depths if the house.

"Harsh much?" Vanellope commented as she perched herself on Ralph's shoulder.

"Not really. He knows how I can get." Ray replied as he sat on the sofa in the corner trying to fix the laptop. Ralph and Vanellope mimicked his action as Ray put in his headphones.

"You guys can look around. I have to fix this relic and no it's not the good kind." Ray blasted his music as Ralph tried to occupy his time elsewhere.

Ray's entire family gathered in the house that night. They exchanged gifts, made small talk, but worst of all, they bugged Ralph to no end.

Every 2 seconds there was someone asking about the 7 foot tall guy sitting with their dear Ray. Needless to say, neither the wrecker nor the codemaster were amused.

"Can someone save me please?"

"Ray sama... Come out and play~!" Ashton's voice rang out from outside.

"Son of a shit! Let's go, Ralph!"

Aunt Nora ran outside behind Ray and Ralph to find a bizarre sight. Another Ray stood next to Ashton on the far side of the lawn. The rest of the family poured outside behind them as Ashton spoke.

"Like what I've done with the place? You seem to like it fine here."

The area around them was a sickly green and what appeared to be blood was seeping from the ground.

"You're kidding right?! Can I get a damn break for one day?!"

That sentence seemed to come from two places at once in unison.

"But I brought someone special all the way here to meet you. The least you can do is say hi." He gestured to the Ray next to him.

This Ray wore the exact clothes as the original, but it had piercing yellow eyes and a dark purple aura dripped from his skin.

"Nice Dark Shard, but what's with the eyes?"

"Jealous?" The shadow began. I'm no Dark Shard. I'm you."

Ray let out a dry laugh. "This guy is a cut-up! He thinks he can look like me and talk like me and I'll believe anything he says."

"You just can't seem to stop lying to yourself. Even when you're looking right into your own eyes."

"I'm nothing like you. My eyes aren't yellow." Ray tried to shift the conversation in his favor, but he was failing.

"It's just a cosmetic choice being a shadow demands." Shadow Ray chuckled. "Don't try to lie to your inner darkness. Oh, the darkness. It must love living inside of you. You're so angry and pent up all the time. No one would ever know. You hide it so well..." Shadow Ray taunted his host.

"What do you mean?" Ray faltered in his stance allowing the shadow an opening.

"Being the Shadow Prince, the darkness must pour from your fingertips like waterfalls. It IS where all your strength comes from."

"You're lying..."

"You know what we are. It all comes with the territory, am I right? Me being a shadow changes very little when you think about it. I'm surprised you've held a boyfriend for this long."

Audible gasps were scattered throughout the crowd.

"Who are you?! How do you know so much!?" Ray was now on his knees clutching his head.

"Heh... now you're playing games. I'm you." Shadow Ray stepped closer. "Your inner thoughts. Your deepest fears. Your darkest secrets."

"That's not true." Ray gripped his head tighter. "I locked you away."

Shadow Ray got close enough to grip Ray's shirt in controlled rage. "I know exactly what you're thinking. I'm not Jack. I AM YOU."

"That's not true."

"Ray, stop!" One of his family members shouted from behind him.

"You're not me..."

"Does your boyfriend believe you?" Shadow Ray chuckled. "I don't believe you and I'm you."

"You're not me! No way!" Ray shoved his doppelganger away. "YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE ME!"

Shadow Ray stood there on a daze for a minute. Then he began to cackle like an evil genius. "You've done it now!"

The shadows pooled around him until they lashed back out. His appearance changed into something Ray thought he'd never see again.

Shadow Ray had grown to 9ft tall and wore battle scars all over his face and arms. His clothes were all blood soaked and his mouth was covered with a scarf. He had a giant katana in his left hand that stretched out 6 feet long.

The rest of the family dashed inside once they saw it was about to get dangerous.

"I am a shadow... the true self." He pointed the katana at Ray's head. "The darkness always wins! Don't try to fight it!"

"Let's see if the program Justin made me works." Ray slid on his gauntlet and took a fighting stance. Before he could armor up, he was shoved out the way.

"This is my forte. Leave this fight to me." He recognized him as his cousin, Kane. His matted hair and black t-shirt were dead giveaways. "I can handle this one no problem."

"Kane, get out of here! This is too dangerous!"

Kane pulled out a silver gun and pointed it to his temple. Ray was severely confused until he heard him shout, "Black Frost! Ragnarok!"

There was a sickening crack and a black snowman clad in a purple hat and purple boots appeared above Kane's head.

The way his cousin called that name was as if it was his lifeline; someone he had the utmost trust and faith in.

"Finally, something to do." Frosty cracked his knuckles and set the shadow on fire. It didn't do much from the looks of it as he dismissed the flames with a flick of the wrist.

"Ok, having Deserae here to tell me its weaknesses wouldn't hurt. I might need help."

"Project Medal, Armor Mode activate! Codemaster! Wreck the code!" Ray successfully summoned his armor and charged his copy, but he was deflected by a dark tendril that sprouted from the ground.

Ralph jumped in and punched Shadow Ray into the gate. He hopped back up almost instantly.

"Can someone please tell me how to take this thing down?" Ray commented as Kane pulled the trigger once more. "Bufudyne!"

Black Frost appeared once more and froze the shadow in a gigantic block of ice.

"I know this is a terrible time to ask, but where is this power coming from!?" Ray dodged a fireball that melted the ice and just missed his face.

"You're right. This is a terrible time to ask that."

"Can we just smash this guy?" Ralph butt in as he freed himself from another dark tendril.

"X-Mode!"

Ashton smacked Ray hard enough to make an audible pop. The face he gave Ray was surprisingly one of sincere concern.

"You're denying a part of yourself and you honestly expect X Mode to work?" He sighed. "I thought you were smarter than that."

Ray was taken aback by how Ashton seemingly helped him. He could have mocked Ray when it didn't work, but instead he stopped him before he made a fool of himself. Maybe there was some good in him.

Ashton snapped out of whatever trance he was in and gave the group a fed up look.

"This is sad to watch. Finish him!"

"Yes, master!" Shadow Ray shouted as he summoned a huge ball of darkness.

"Ralph... Stand back. I don't want you to get hurt."

"No! I'm staying by your side."

Ashton cackled at the display. "Aww! Looks like your boyfriend wants to die with you!"

"SHUT UP!" A dark aura surrounded Ray in an instant. "Like my shadow said, he isn't the only one with dark power."

Ray looked at his family peeping in the window, then to Ralph, then back to the battlefield. He swallowed his fear and began to speak.

"I come from a long line of dark paladins: swordsman gifted with magical powers for uneducated swine like yourself." Ray chuckled addressing Ashton.

"I was taught at an early age how to harness electricity and wield a variety of different weaponry. My father beat me to near death every time we trained and nursed my wounds afterwards. It left scars. I was told nothing of the evil origins behind my power until around my 12th birthday." Ray paused for a moment before he continued.

"My dad was forced to make me pledge to the Dark Paladin Core and become the next Shadow King. I don't blame him or hold any ill wishes towards him. My grandfather threatened to torture my mom to death if he didn't. He never really liked her to begin with, so there was no loss for him. So I fought the reigning Shadow King at the time to the death. I won obviously, but I lost family in the process..."

"So you admit your guilt!" Shadow Ray accused.

"I had no choice. He was consumed by the darkness. I vowed from that day on to never to let the same thing happen to me; to only use my powers fighting evil. And even then, I only tap into my power if there was no other way. I don't regret my choice, I'll make you regret them instead!"

Ray was crying silent tears as Vanellope wrapped her arms around his leg.

A sad smile worked its way onto Ray's features. "I thought I told you to stay inside..."

"It's all right. It wasn't your fault. Now finish this." Ralph whispered soothingly. He picked up Vanellope, hopped back and Ray began to charge power.

His armor disappeared and he pulled his gauntlet off and dropped it on the floor.

High tempo rock music started to play as he stepped forward.

"Thunderblade!" A blade of pure energy formed in his hand.

"You think you're me? Maybe you are, but you've never experienced darkness like this!"

He charged Shadow Ray and began slashing him up.

"A one man all out attack!?" Kane yelled. "Never seen that before!"

He tried to block, but Ray was too quick and his skill with his blade was too great.

He slashed at him to the lyrics of the song.

"I got your back, cuz!" Kane pulled the trigger once more and trapped Shadow Ray and Ashton in a circle of darkness. "This won't hold long!"

"You guys picked the wrong master of darkness to mess with!" Ray hopped up and slashed the kanji symbol for thunder under them.

"Night Night!" He pumped all his strength through the symbol, knocking Shadow Ray into his previous form, and sent Ashton flying as the song cut off.

"Never fuck with the master."

"Shadow restrained. Good work te- oh right, it's just me." Kane chuckled at his normal routine.

"This isn't over! I'm not leaving without some kind of victory!" Ashton flared up. He held out a remote and zapped Ralph. The wrecker was converted into code and beamed into Ray's pocket where his 3DS sat.

"Bring him back!"

"Claim him if you can Raidy-boy!" Ashton barked as he zapped himself into Ray's DS as well.

The Shadow stood, glaring at Ray. The boy chuckled and walked up to it. His shadow flinched, protecting his face from another strike that wasn't coming.

"So you're me... I would've never guessed something like you could even exist." The shadow lowered its arms. "I know how I can be on the inside, but I also know I'm not pent up. I have a way to let out how I feel and that's by protecting what I have. I'm sorry for how I made you feel. You're me and I'm you."

Shadow Ray nodded and dissolved into thin air.

"Good work, Ray." Kane grinned. "You faced yourself and won. But no persona popped up. Weird..."

"Whew... I did it!" Ray shouted to the heavens as he fell back on the grass.

"Yes, you did." Vanellope replied as she sat next to him."It wasn't your fault you know."

"I know. Thanks V." Ray replied as he pulled her in for a hug.

"You've got skill, Ray." Kane grinned and sat next to his cousin.

"Says the guy that can shoot himself in the head multiple times and not die. What was that thing you summoned anyways? That was you, right?"

"It's a long story."

"Umm... What the fructose corn syrup is going on?!" Aunt Nora exclaimed as Ray realized she just saw everything, along with the rest of their family through the windows.

"Your powers wouldn't also include mind erasing, would it?"

"Umm... nope."

Kane and Ray turned to their family and awkwardly grinned. "Uhh... we can explain."