Well, let's see what I've written so far. Honey has been maimed two times as karmic punishment for kicking major butt across the arcade, Choko has transformed from an overly polite secretary to a hard-racing code extraordinaire, and Skrillex is trying to fit his new-found powers next to his music skills. Action, adventure, Schadenfreude, and a bit of drama...but where is the true lovey-dovey romance beyond background pairings and Choko discovering the pangs of first love?
So with that, here's a rather action-lacking chapter that finally made its way from Wreck-t Ralph. Skip if you want if gooey wedding glory isn't your style, but who can resist Choko in a sugar-sparkle dress?
Disclaimer: Choko Pockystix technically came from Sugar Rush which is owned by Disney, Honey the Cat came from Sonic the Fighters which is owned by SEGA, Skrillex sorta came from DJ Hero 2 which is owned by Activision, and a buttload of people came from Hero's Duty (and Fix-It Felix, Jr. for that matter) which is also owned by Disney.
Skrillex's POV
The crowd screamed as Skrillex mixed to his heart's content, music spinning over their heads like flames from a chariot. While his fellow Djs egged him on, he began melting more and more songs together in a deliciously dirty electro-dubstep-trance-rap rock remix, enough chords to build a skyscraper rattling the reinforced walls. Here he was in his zone, a master of ultra-layered synth screams and bass deeper than the Marianas Trench. Building up to the grand finale, his fingers sparked with static as he yelled over the noise "D-D-DROP THE BASS!"
The resulting shock wave of pure sound blew the roof off the club's walls, tsunamis of color and music flowing through the audience. The song ended with a vicious downshift and a moment of silence filled the empty slots where his remix had been. One person coughed, then the entire room was filled with cheers, people ecstatic at destroying the building with the power of electro-dubstep-trance-rap rock. "SKRILLEX! SKRILLEX!"
Bowing to the adoring masses, he stumbled off the DJ table and was held aloft by his fellow music masters. Suri was screaming for an encore, deadmau5 demanded he give him samples from his set, and in the back corner he could see his code busting pals flopping on the ground proclaiming that they were not worthy.
Skrillex bade farewell to his friends, promising to reset the club's code on his way out, and skipped over to Choko and Honey. "Had I known you guys were here, I would've given you front-stage seats!"
"Dude, people in the computer room could hear that!" Honey was bouncing in her steps as they traveled across the neon back-level to the port. "That was epic, you need to figure out how to do that in other games!"
He blushed at the praise, ducking his head. "Well, I've been working on augmenting my music skills with my super-epic Toby Litwak skills, so I'll get back to you at the end of the week."
Choko jumped on his back, hooking tiny legs on his shoulders. "You simply have to play...whatever that was for Sugar Rush one day. Just imagine the racing that would inspire..."
While she daydreamed on his head—for a girl who only ate candy, she was rather lightweight—he played Shove the Sissy with Honey. Her hair was still in its bob, but Skrillex was sure Dr. Mario had untangled that bit of code. "Rocking the flapper look I see."
"Thanks, I'm experimenting with player reactions to different hair styles." Preening under his attention, she smirked, "And it turns out that the shorter the hair, the more aerodynamic the fighter. Maybe you should get a haircut, Mr. Background Event."
He clutched his head. "Come near me with scissors and I will have to end you."
"He's right Honey-chan, he'd look funny with short hair." Choko ducked as they took the train to the Codemobile waiting outside the port, pondering the great mysteries of attraction. "Cut it short and he'll go from bishounen to dangerously androgynous."
"Yeah, I—hey, I am not a girly boy!" Brat.
Honey snorted and Choko giggled into her palm, and he decided to sit on both in retaliation for their sass. Their muffled protests was very soothing on his back, and he let his admittedly large butt squish Honey into the seat. Sure, he'd probably end up with shaved eyebrows and pink hair for his insolence, but it's not like they didn't have it coming.
After Honey kicked his arse to the Codemobile, Skrillex patted Mr. Waddles the Security Pig, receiving an oink in return. Such a well-mannered pig, he didn't try to eat his clothing like the rest of Choko's half-Minecraft half-Sugar Rush horde. Idly wondering what Sugar Rush-raised pork chops would taste like, he raised an eyebrow as they pulled into their destination. "Hero's Duty?"
"A special request, no evil cybugs glitching out and ready to send me back to the infirmary." Honey looked rather embarrassed at having her code be torn open through another game's code matrix, and Skrillex thumped her on the back. "But if one tries to murder us, just blast the game's BGM at him. You technically made the soundtrack, you know."
Skrillex grinned—he was super stoked to actually listen to what his character model designed—before waving at the group of soldiers standing at attention at the unloading area. "Good after-hours. How can we help you?"
They parted to allow Sergeant Calhoun to step forward, and man was she an impressive blonde. Not that he'd ever hit on her; he knew his league and she was in the punch-flirtatious-bums-in-the-face league. She nodded at them, still stern and super soldiery after half a year in the arcade. "Codebusters, glad you could make it in such a short notice. I have a proposition for you."
"Anything for the lady who helped save Sugar Rush." Choko smiled cheerfully at Calhoun, softening some of the battle-hardened gloss. "Is there something wrong with character avatars? Enemy respawning?"
Calhoun shook her head, and—by the name of auto tune, she was blushing! "No, nothing of that nature. It's just...well, could you be able to regenerate a location that only exists in back story?"
Honey nodded, adjusting her belt. "Choko did the same for my level when she reformatted my programming, so three of us together should be able to make a stable recreation. What do you have in mind?"
Calhoun shifted her weight, smiling nervously. "A wedding chapel."
Choko gasped, Honey snorted that she owed M. Sonic five rings, and Skrillex grinned. "We do wedding programming, building, decorations and music on my part."
Skrillex whistled at the intimidating vault hiding the code well. Calhoun entered a very complicated cheat code that probably triggered the cutscene she had in mind, and the giant web of Hero's Duty's lifeblood gleamed in the darkness. Diving in once Choko and Honey rechecked their safety harnesses, they carefully entered the matrix. "This is more complicated than I thought. Try looking for Calhoun's data and we'll go from there."
Skrillex resisted the urge to snoop on the data presented, knowing that dropping intel around this game's crowd would end up with him in the brig. They probably had...he didn't know, psycho cy-bug laser lava sharks waiting to tear code traitors apart at the pixels.
What seemed like an eternity of flashing code later, Honey waved them over. "I think I found something!"
They swam over to her end and oh jeez, this was totally private stuff from Calhoun's back story. Code for a guy called Brad, info about her tragic loss of her parents, friends, fiance...oh boy. "Who is she marrying again?"
"Fix-It Felix, why?"
"Good, she's not asking us to bring to life a guy that doesn't really exist." Skrillex paused. "I know Felix, he's an old-fashioned sweetheart, paid really well for the anniversary party. And like half her size."
"Guess whose good example helped convince Chun-Li to go out with M. Sonic." Honey laughed at their expressions; Choko look positively scandalized and Skrillex could only give M. Sonic major props for daring to look Chun-Li in the eye and say without irony that he was a legs kind of guy. "I'm glad for them, he's adorable and she could use some heart-on-sleeve TLC."
"And who are we to deny them such a romance!" Choko held up the code for the chapel, her Action Replay glittering gold as she funneled boundary and location into its existence. "Ooh, do you think we'll get invited to the wedding?"
"If everything goes right and Felix does good by giving her the wedding she deserves, Sonny over here might end up playing for them."
The code box blinked as they made the chapel real, plunking it right by the barracks and altering the weather models so that a permanent sunset would glow through its windows. Skrillex knew about love darn it, he caught Jin taking Xiaoyu to Burger Time just yesterday, and if Calhoun wanted a big fat wedding chapel with all the glitz and glamor, she was getting that wedding chapel. "Start compiling data slots for flowers, ribbons, whatever she wants to deck the place out in. There's some loaded in here already, but something tells me Felix wants ALL the shinies for his lady."
"Ooh, we gotta bring back the minister! But where will he go after this?"
"We can make him an event-only character. Rent him out to other weddings and baptisms and whatever in the arcade rooms, stuff like that." Skrillex began entering slots for his sound system; they were getting all the surround sound the building could take. "Better reinforce the walls; I doubt they'll appreciate me blowing the roof off."
Countdown to the Wedding POV
People raced across the giant chapel like honey bees on a mission, determined to make this wedding count. Calhoun-san and Felix-san were gazing out the large window, taking about guest lists and decorations, and Choko sighed happily. Pollipop-chan would've been grossed out by all the pomp and circumstance, but Choko loved true love, and here it was, dressed in space armor and a felt cap in front of her.
Shaking herself, she spun on her heel and glared at the meal crew her hand-picked for the reception. Peter Pepper-san, Tapper-san, Mary-san, and her own Beard Papa-ojiisan and Pollipop-chan were assembled in the crowd, standing very straight in her presence. "Ok 皆さん (mina san), we have until Sunday to set up this wedding and we need to go over some ground rules. First off, know the allergies of everyone in this arcade. Some will be walk ins so you won't have time to ask before someone dies from eating peanut butter."
They gulped—such an incident would forever destroy their reputation—and their eyes never left Choko as she paced in front of them. "Next, be considerate of the bride's wants. She is finally getting over the base depression in her programming through this wedding, so you cannot screw this up. If she wants jelly bean root beer floats for the main course, she gets her jelly bean root beer floats, and they better be the best jelly bean root beer floats in existence."
"As we know, this is going to be a white wedding, but that doesn't give you the excuse to skimp out on the decorations. I expect the appetizers to be works of art. I expect the dinner and dessert to be legendary. And the wedding cakes better be the crown jewels in the history of wedding cakes, or so help me I will take everyone out back and run them over in my cart! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes!" Their expressions of terror morphed into proud determination and ambition, and Choko prided herself on her team.
"Go and research everything there is to know about pies and soldier fare, and don't come back until your creations are fit for an empire!"
Honey rolled her eyes as the soldiers argued over who got to sit where. As a mediator for fighting of this nature, she hit everyone on the backs of their meaty heads. "Like I said five times already, the pews are angled so that everyone gets to see Ms. Calhoun and her vertically challenged husband finally tie the knot. But Ms. Calhoun specifically asked for her best unit to be in armor in the front row, so unless she cleared you, you get to sit behind them."
Deciding not to get into the inner drama of the Hero's Duty cast, Honey did her round in the rest of the chapel. Men were double checking all the ribbons, the flowers set to come in the morning before the big event so that they didn't wilt. Not that she would let them wilt of course, but she appreciated the thought anyway. Catching a man as he fell from the ceiling, she walked up to a tense conversation between Felix and Ralph. "Problem, boys?"
"Just that Felix is a sentimental idiot about to ruin his wedding."
Harsh. She looked at Felix, who seemed ready to stamp his foot, and decided to spare everyone the embarrassment. "Ok, what exactly is going on here?"
"I want to make him my best man—"
"Bad idea Felix, bad idea"
"—but he's questioning my reasoning. How could I not choose you, you're the reason why Tammy and I got together in the first place!"
String this bit of juicy info for later, Honey allowed Ralph to retort that "what happens when I wreck the place just like back at the anniversary party? I'll probably be the reason why the wedding fails!"
"Don't say that Ralph, everything will be fine—"
"No it won't! I'm a wrecker, I wreck nice things, and I don't want to ruin this for you!"
"And this is where I step in." Smiling at the two huffing and puffing heroes, she continued sweetly, "Ralph, it warms my heart to see your concern over your best pal. But don't worry; the Codebusters have fixed this place up from the first wedding disaster. You and Knuckles and all the heavy hitters can try and bring down this adamant-reinforced marble, but I doubt you'll be able to leave so much as a scratch."
Ralph blushed and fiddled with the cookie medal strung around his shoulders, and she turned to a grateful Felix. "Don't be hard on the big lug, he's caring in his own thick-headed way about your wedding day. Take him out to Tappers and hammer out this best man business; I got the rest of this."
"You sure?" Now the soldiers were shooting at each other.
Honey cracked her knuckles, her Action Replay thrumming under her day clothes. "Trust me hon, they'll be sweet as kittens before the day is over."
Music from Hero's Duty echoed through the chapel, vibrating as Skrillex honed the right amount of treble and bass to fill the vaulted room. "Acoustics are great, now for the soundtrack." Scrolling down his laptop, he asked Calhoun, "So what do you want to walk down the aisle to? I can mix the traditional 'Here Comes the Bride' electric guitar sample we have here with your personal leitmotif, or we can access music from the internet from the computer room."
"Try the first one." Calhoun hovered over his shoulder and Skrillex made a quick mix of the two. The surround sound carried the music through the air and Calhoun melted ever so slightly. "I...I think that's a good one."
"Perfect, it compliments your selected music for the beginning part. Any word from Felix about what he wants for the reception?"
"Nothing specific, just something he can 'bip bop' to." Calhoun raised an eyebrow as Skrillex cough to cover up his laughter. "Have something funny to share, Mozart? That's my husband you're snorting about."
"Nothing's funny ma'am." He scrolled down a bit more, then looked up art the sergeant. "But just a question. Of all men to fall for, why a 16-bit handyman from the 80s?"
She paused, then gave him a genuine smile. "Exactly what you just said. He doesn't see me as some run of the mill battle bimbo to have a wild night with, but as an actual person." She leaned against a marble pillar, gazing off into the sunset. "Sure, he's a cheese ball marinated in fluffy bunnies, and sometimes I get frustrated over the differences in our programming, but he loves me despite my..." She gestured at herself. "I'm not a extroverted friend-maker like he is, but around him I feel like I could be. He didn't make a big spectacle of our relationship, he's respectful of my back story and only pushes when I need to be pushed, and he's just so genuine, so friendly and polite and so damn cheerful like...like—"
"Like your exact opposite that was built just for you?" Skrillex smiled at her shocked expression, resisting the urge to play every single one of the cheesy romance songs collected on his Mac. "I love a good love song, ma'am, and you two play just like one." Standing up, she shook her hand. "Whatever music you want, you got, just as long as you never stop."
Vanellope jumped up and down on her giant sponge cake bed. "I'm gonna be a maid of honor! I don't know what that is, but who cares!" She front flipped in front of her closet, ripping it open and throwing dresses on the bed. "Help me pick out a good dress guys, we need spectacle, sparkles and whatever else you think fits!"
All the assembled female racers dug through the clothes, discarding everything that wasn't twice the size of Vanellope's head. Minty held up a giant chocolate-brown dress, barely visible under the madness. "How about this one?"
"Hmm..." Vanellope ran her fingers over the material. "Too drab for the event, but I like your style. Find me the giant pink dress that I never wear!"
Taffyta swam through the mess on the bed, searching for pink. "The one with the cape and gloves?"
"Exactamundo." Vanellope quickly brushed out her hair, letting Marzipanne and Lemonetta fret over the perfect tiara and matching candy barrettes. "You think it's fancy enough?"
Taffyta and Snowanna dragged out the dress, and everyone could see the faint aura of princess power radiating from its layers. Crumbelina clapped her hands. "Oh, it's perfect!"
"You think it needs jewelery?" Bubblebetty was matching the selected barrettes with the calla lilies from Vanellope's bouquet. "If we're going all out, it needs some bling."
Pollipop dragged open one of Vanellope's closet drawers, finding a wealth of chokers, ribbons and rings. "This sweetheart one matches perfectly."
Sour Apple measured Vanellope's arm span and nodded. "Yep, the outfit made it through the slight model changes. I'll take it to the drizzle cleaners so they can sugar it up."
Vanellope, hair done up in a proper bun, nodded. "Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it." She bit her thumb, frowning at the bouquet. "Does anyone know what a maid of honor does?"
Everyone shifted around, searching their child brains for any specifics on weddings. Jubileena snapped her fingers. "I have a movie about weddings back home, we can watch it to find out!"
"I officially call for a Girls-Only Wedding Sleepover Spectacular!" Everyone cheered and Vanellope waved her arms." Choko, Adorabeezle, break out the candy and s'mores makers! And everyone bring their own fancy dresses; we're gonna get this right the first time, no matter how many tubs of ice cream we go through!"
Mary quickly loaded the pies into the oven, swiping off sweat as Tapper refilled her water jug. Everyone was in overtime as the wedding loomed over their heads; they had five hours until the arcade opened, and after that they needed to load the chapel for the wedding. Gritting her teeth, she counted forty pies waiting to be filled as one of the assistants kicked up the AC.
Helpers from Burger Time ferried ingredients and utensils between the overclocked bakers and cooks and pyrotechnicians. Flame erupted over their heads as Peter Pepper battled the largest grill Mary had seen in her life, and she hoped that her pies would survive the night.
Burt it wasn't all bad. She felt a camaraderie between herself and her fellow food masters, her code firing off as quickly as theirs as they pushed their programming to the max. Sugar Rush donated their giant bakery fields for their needs, Mario got them the finest imported mushrooms, and everyone was so excited for the wedding. Mary loved weddings, loved the romance and the tradition, and the fact that Felix was getting married took the cake.
The bride's wedding cake itself was a giant fifty tier tower with multiple smaller tiers branching off, filling up a large table by itself. Every light-flavor in the book was in that cake, catering to the various allergies and preferences the guests had, and the sheer magnitude of the cake broke three baking records. Mary switched places with Beard Papa; her cake skills were needed for the groom's cake still in production.
Twirling her piping bags and eyeing the growing masterpiece of darker flavors, Mary dove into the chaos with all the strength her limited movements had. Felix was her hero, and he deserved only the best she could give him.
M. Sonic adjusted Tails' tie, Knuckles and Shadow milling around and griping about their formal wear. "For the last time guys, they're not monkey suits. Have some decorum, we're not showing up to a wedding in casual attire."
"Easy for you to say, you're always going to those spokesperson things." Knuckles tugged on his collar and screwed up his own tie. Tails giggled as M. Sonic nearly choked him with the material, the echidna squeaking out, "And you—gack!—always dress to impress when there's a lady involved."
"That's because he's got manners." Amy walked into the room, all dolled up in a rose dress, and snorted at their expressions. "Come on boys, Eggman's waiting outside with the rest." Grabbing on to Tails hand, she called back as they made their way out, "And the kids from Sonic the Fighters are out here too. C. Sonic's about to pass out."
Groaning, M. Sonic dragged Shadow and Knuckles out to see C. Sonic blushing very deeply in his own little tuxedo. Taking a moment to acknowledge his lil bro's cuteness, he chased away the people pinching his cheeks and making the poor kid second guess showing up. "All ready for the big event? Where's Honey?"
C. Sonic replied that Honey was with the Codebusters making sure that nothing went wrong in the early stages. Figuring that he'd get to pick on C. Sonic at the actual wedding, he led the motley group of finely dressed humans and anthropomorphic animals out into GCS. Everyone was on their way even though the wedding wouldn't start for another hour, and both Sonics tapped their foot impatiently as they waited in line.
"What are you guys doing?" Honey came out of the port and wow, she really cleaned up in a silky red number that had C. Sonic self-destructing. "You guys are on the express list since M. Sonic kept Mr. Best Man from going nuts last year; follow me."
Thumping C. Sonic's back, M. Sonic and both Tails laughed at the little blue hedgehog tripped over himself to walk with Honey. "Do crushes really turn you into a loser?"
"Don't ask me, I've got this." And Chun-Li was absolutely stunning in her dark green qipao, waltzing up to him as if she owned the arcade. Grinning at his awestruck lil bros, he wrapped his arm around her powerful waist and headed into the wedding scene. She rubbed the back of his ears and ok, he was a big fat slow-mo loser and Shadow could laugh at him all he wanted, but if Felix could get lucky with his own babe, then so could the fastest thing alive.
Everything was set. All the guests were neatly filed into pews on both sides, Skrillex was building up the music to the final stretch, and not a single cy-bug could be seen out of the giant windows. Everyone was in their best attire—Ralph's bare feet and Felix's admittedly formal occasion cap could be forgiven due to their natures—and the only thing missing was the bride herself.
Suddenly the music swelled into a triumphant remix of Calhoun's leitmotif, and everyone turned to see her gliding down the aisle, the Sugar Rush girls throwing sugared petals into the stilled air. Taking her place at a beaming Felix's side, Tamara Jean Calhoun was a goddess in glittering white, and her smile was as radiant as the jewels in her hair.
They turned towards each other as the music melted into delicate strings and bells, complemented by the laser trackers of the guns the soldiers on the bride's side pulled out and aimed towards the windows. The minister spoke the simple passages as some of the burlier bosses, namely Zangief, wiped away their tears, and both Chun-Lis nestled into the sides of their dates. Q-Bert and his gang kept their curses to themselves, the food crew took a moment to relax before the nerve-wracking reception, the Djs appreciated their friend's work, the ambassadors from the computer room marveled at the HD graphics, and Honey held on to C. Sonic's hand as Amy and Tails pretended not to notice.
Once the minister spoke, "You may now kiss the bride", Felix tossed his hat back and dipped Calhoun low, everyone cheering as an arcade marriage came into being. Ralph wiped away a tear, the Sugar Rush racers sighed dreamily, and the Codebusters gave each other a thumbs up. Best wedding ever.
By the time Mr. Fix-It tipsily carried a giggling Mrs. Fix-It to their awaiting carriage, courtesy of the racing games, everyone was in agreement that the reception was also the best one in history. Ralph and the rest of Bad-Anon sang bawdy songs from the bar, the cake was demolished in minutes as the food crew high-fived each other, all the dates and some new ones had torn up the dance floor, and M. Sonic and Ryu had disappeared for a good half hour, returning with secret grins and a new friendship.
After the newlyweds made off for Extreme Easy Living 2, Honey met up with Choko and Skrillex, grinning ear to ear. "And how are you guys doing?"
"Spectacular." Choko somehow had kept her beautiful pink sugar-silk kimono from being stained by her chocoholic tendencies, wiping her mouth primly with a napkin.
Skrillex, on the other hand, was laid out on the DJ booth, chugging a Red Bull. "I can't believe I played YMCA without irony. And I can't believe that everyone danced with even less irony."
Laughing, Honey ruffled their heads. "I'm heading out; the Sonic casts are gonna party it up on the racing tracks, cars vs. runners. You guys have rides back home?"
"Joel gave David a swirly so Layla's digging him out; once they get him unplugged I'll go home."
"King Candy's taking all the racers back together." Yawning, Choko stood up. "I need to congratulate my team before we go; they've gotten 5 new requests for their skills. お休みなさい (Oyasuminasai)!"
Skrillex dragged himself off the table and loaded up his things with a snap of his fingers, and the three parted. Tomorrow was another big gaming day, and who knew what kind of chaos the Codebusters would get into next, but one thing was clear: if the code business didn't pan out, they were fine with being wedding planners
ojiisan: honorific for grandfathers and seniors you are familiar with
皆さん (mina san): Everyone
お休みなさい (Oyasuminasai): Good night
Why yes, I love weddings. How could you tell?
Extreme Easy Living 2 is the scrapped game from Wreck-It Ralph that was a mix of The Sims and Grand Theft Auto. The storyboard make it look really touristy and beachy, and where else would two newlyweds go on a honeymoon except for a beach getaway?
Next chapter we return to the standard 'bad things happen to the Codebusters' action. But I hope you liked this chapter; I am a HUGE fan of Hero's Cuties, and Calhoun really does deserve an awesome wedding after her last one resulted in Brad getting eaten :D
