A/N: Alright guys, second to last chapter here, we're almost done!

And yes, quite a lot of flashbacks happen here. I'll separate them with line-breakers. :)

Chapter 17

~4 months later

Ralph

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"

I raise my fists toward the wall of the building, the windows and walls crumbling under the force, no match for my sheer strength. As I climb up the side of the building, occasionally slamming my massive fists at the walls and windows for further damage, I can hear the Nicelanders crying for help, crying for Felix to save them.

And sure enough, there he is, running up to the side of the building, raising up his hammer, ready to save the day.

"I can fix it!"

He hops up and down the windowsills, swinging his hammer at every possible damage he can find, fixing them. While I go and continue my destruction, yelling and pounding the building again, hoping to create more destruction before Felix fixes everything.

As I fly past the Nicelanders, I can hear some of them breathe a sigh of relief at Felix's arrival, glad their hero has come to save the day again; glad that this level, the 20th, will be like any other level.

But what they don't know that Felix and I had secretly planned on including a game changer. A slight twist in the game that would hopefully throw off the Nicelanders, and also, the players. To be honest, we're not so certain if we should even add in this new feature, whether the players would like what we're about to do; or that the character concerning our new feature might not be ready at all to do the job…

I blink that thought away quickly: of course he's ready, why should I doubt him? I'd seen him practice so hard for the past few months, so trying his best despite losing his original powers. Of course he's ready, I just know he is.

I glance up at Felix on the ledge above me, and I wink. He returns my glance, knowing what to do, what to say.

Our little game-changer will be implanted in three…two…one! NOW!

"Hey, you wrecker! Getting tired already? I can fix this building nice and square in no time!" Felix calls from above me.

I know, it is a bit out of this character, but we'll finalize the statements later. We're just improvising at the moment. Anyway, the statements are not really that important: what's happening after the statements is what matters most.

"What? No! Not tired at all." I shoot back at him. I glance causally at the area near the edge of the screen. "Why do you think that?"

"Look! I'm almost finished! Aren't you gonna do something about it?" Felix asks, half-tauntingly.

"Well…let's just say I got an ace up my sleeve, a little game-changer that you might enjoy…" I raise my head and shout "SUMMON THE GLITCH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

For a while after I yelled, the game is still. Nothing moved at all, nothing changed at all; everything is just the same…

No, wait; scratch that.

A slight commotion is brewing up near the edge of the screen, green and bright and flickering. As we watch, the brightness slowly disappears; and a young man, clothed in green and blue, grasping an oversized hammer in his left hand, materializes into view. Upon materializing, he slightly wobbles while he tries to stand upright. His feet, one real, one metallic, plow hard into the ground. He shakes his head, flipping the two floppy strands of hair away from his eyebrow. He then looks up at us high up, his eyes impossibly bright and green, but mostly so that he could return my gaze.

RJ.

He turns to the screen, winks and gives the players a cocky gap-toothed grin, then says smugly "Glitch summoned~"

And with that, he runs and plows his hammer into the first window he sees. As Felix is directed back down to fix the damage, RJ's body briefly flares up into green pixels, and he vanishes, only to reappear on a window ledge a level up. He stumbles a bit as he tries to slow down, using the hammer to stall him from falling, glitching a bit. But immediately he regains his balance and smashes the windows and the walls next to him, increasing the destruction. After he's finished, he glitches away to another part of the building, trying to cause more damage.

Seeing him darting here and there, I can't help but smile. This is RJ's first game after all, wouldn't be fair to put too much pressure on him.

RJ turns and throws a brick at a nearby window, shattering it. As he turns and starts to leave, Felix arrives and fixes the window and hops down again, taking RJ completely by surprise and causing him to fall down. I quickly run and held my out my hand, catching and resting him on the ledge next to me.

No harm in helping your fellow wrecker, right?

RJ takes a few deep breaths, gasping loudly "Whoah! Not as easy as I imagined!" He thinks aloud. "How do ya guys get used to 'tis?!"

"Believe me, brother, it took a loooong time. It'll be harder without your powers, but I believe you'll catch on soon." I say back, while still pounding the walls. I see a stray brick and I toss it at Felix, who tries to dodge it while still managing to fix our destruction.

"Am I doin' well, then?" RJ asks me, a bit nervous, glancing at the building nervously. "I mean, I just fell…"

I give him a small slap on the back "You're doing awesome, RJ. It's your first game, your first time in doing so. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, don't push yourself too much. Although," I look away to an undamaged part of the building "I would suggest you to start destroying that part of the building right there. Make it more fun for Felix, okay?"

"'kay." RJ half-runs, half-glitches to the part I mentioned, hammer in hand.

I smile again. RJ sure is growing up fast. Only a few months had passed and he has changed so much, as RJ continues wrecking the building, I let myself drift away and into my memories, where I watched RJ become a completely different character…

The day right after RJ woke up, right after the arcade's closed, Felix and I paid another visit to him. This time, though, we also brought a pretty heavy book along with our visit. We were preparing to suggest RJ to do something big, something drastic to his identity, something like…

"Ya want me, to change my name?!" RJ asked, slightly angered, hands gripped tightly on the poles of his bed.

Felix and I looked at one another: things were not going the way we planned. "Um…yeah." I stammered, nervous. "We want you to change your name."

"But I like my name!" He protested "I like bein' called RJ!"

"Yeah, but that name stood for 'Ralph Junior', a clone. However, you're not a clone anymore, but a new character. Shouldn't you…er…change your name with it?" I persuaded. "I mean, we can still refer you as 'RJ', but…maybe we could change what those two letters mean?"

My brother sat back and crossed his arms, thinking hard about what we're gonna do. To be honest, I don't mind calling him 'RJ': it's kinda cute and really suits his personality. But I just wanted him to fully try and leave his past behind, and by a name change, that could be the very first step.

Finally, he sighed and grabbed the book from Felix, flipping it furiously. "Okay, I'll change it. Mind ya, I'm only changin' the latter part: I'm keepin' the 'Ralph' for 'R'."

"Okay, no prob, that's fine." Felix and I stood back, giving RJ some space. "If you want, you can just check out the 'J' section of names if you're considering changing only half of your name."

Hearing this, RJ slowly flipped the book to a certain page where the name 'Izzy' is located, held his finger down, and then flipped to another page with a huge letter 'K' on it. He slid his finger carefully out and holds a section of the book with his two fingers, adorably dangling the book from his left hand. "Ya sayin' 'tis all I need?"

Felix looked at me, then back at RJ. "If you'd like."

RJ returned our gaze, then puts his attention on the book. But instead of reading it from the beginning of the J section as I expected, RJ simply stuck his finger from his other hand into the section and randomly chooses a part to start. "Let's me see…" he muttered, opening the book to the part he had selected.

"Did you just randomly selected a page to search for your new name?!" I asked in disbelief.

RJ glared back up at me. "Yes…what? Is that a sin?"

I backed up quickly. "No, no. What I mean is…" Felix elbowed me on the hip, and I caught my tongue, stopping myself from saying what I had in mind.

RJ returned his focus to the book. "Let's see…How about 'Jayden'?"

I twitched my nose, thinking hard. There are some things in life that just cannot be rushed, and this is definitely one of them. Finally, I shook my head. "Nah, doesn't sound well. Pick another one."

"Okay…" RJ ran his finger down the page, and then flipped two pages more, trying to find anything that manages to jump out at him. "How about…'Jeffery', then?" He looked up at me again.

I twitched my nose again, and once again shook my head: 'Ralph Jeffery' sounded horrible. Even before I answered, I could hear the pages of the book flipping again.

"How about 'Jennifer'?" He asked.

"That's a girl's name!" I yelled. "Are you serious?!"

RJ looked a lil' bit dejected, and I couldn't help feeling back about my outburst just now. "Hey, just a question, nothin' more." He muttered, then turned back to the book.

RJ flipped another page, scanning the names carefully. "How about…'Jerome', then?"

Curious, I peered down at the entry where RJ's finger was on. "Jerome," I read aloud "'sacred name' in Greek." I look at RJ, and mentally fitted the aforementioned name after my name.

Ralph, Jerome.

Sure, it looked unusual, it sounded unusual, but I can see it is also unique in a way. I looked back down at him. "What do you think?" I asked him back.

This time, he twitched his nose, concentrating. "I…I like it." He sounded quite dazed while saying this, as if not really believing what he just said. "I like it." He said again.

I tapped him lightly on his shoulder. "So then, is that what you want to call yourself, 'Ralph Jerome'?"

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. I could tell he is really thinking hard about this one. "It's okay," I reassured him "if you can't answer now, you can do so later."

"No," RJ snapped his eyes open. "It's perfect." He gushed. "I love it. I can see it plastered in bold, capital letters on my shirt, and I love it."

"So you really want me to put this on your code box, to define you?" I asked. "This is important, think carefully before you answer."

"No need to think more: Ralph Jerome it is." RJ smiled, closing the book.

The way he smiled made me realize that he had made up his choice, and will not change it anytime soon. He pushed the heavy Book of Names to us, and leans back. "Call me 'Ralph Jerome' from now on."

We returned his smile, and I take the book away with me. As I turned to leave the room, I glanced back at RJ, his face beaming with brightness. I could tell that he was happy with his decision, and I'm glad about it.

A few weeks later, RJ was finally well enough to leave the hospital. After a few final words from Dey on how to keep RJ's code safe from the occasional glitches and changes, we left the hospital, RJ leaning onto me, his oversized clothes sagged, his arms clutching around me tightly. To be honest, I don't blame him: he had just started to get used to his prosthetic, a metallic pole which was attached just under the knee. A metallic code stabilizer had been attached onto his left chest, its center, a hexagonal glass dome, glowing green, indicating RJ's code was now stabilized. I needed to attach RJ to a huge stabilizing machine while he's asleep, as he'll not be able to stabilize his code manually then.

RJ stumbled, his bare foot and prosthetic half-walking, half-dragging on the ground. It's gonna take a while for him to fully get used to walking with a prosthetic, the least I can do is to help him to learn and get used to them.

Vanellope, Felix and Calhoun waited for us at the entrance. When Vanellope caught sight of us, she went and glitches up my shoulder, bumping RJ lightly with her elbow. "Wow, I thought Stinkbrain was kidding when he said you changed a lot, but seriously, I cannot recognize you now!"

RJ chuckled "Yeah, I changed too much, became more handsome, more good-lookin;'. Ya won't mistake me for Stinkbrain now!"

"I HEARD THAT!" I bellow playfully to them.

Felix and Calhoun ran up to us, and we left the hospital together. RJ looked up at the sky, at the same stars that were still shining w-hen he was rushed to the hospital that fateful day.

"Can't believe I actually belong here now…" He said softly. He then looks around, and turns to me "Aww man, I'll never get used to 'tis place, Ralph."

"Oh, but it's about to get better." I replied. RJ looked puzzled, trying to see what I mean. I started to answer the question in his mind, but I stopped myself, thinking that it would be better if I showed him instead.

Instead of walking back to my home, we went to the train station near the edge of the game, where a train was waiting.

"No…" RJ said, his eyes widening. "You didn't…"

"Oh yes, we did." I said, helping the other three characters to sit down before turning back to RJ. "Wanna go see what is out there?"

"But…but…" RJ stammered nervously, tugging his shirt "won't I be trapped again? Unable to leave?"

I shook my head, and I led him to the opening of the exit of our game. I then positioned myself behind him so that he was directly facing the opening. "Come on, put up your hand. Try it." I encouraged.

RJ looked at me bashfully, his face still full of doubt. I can clearly tell that he desperately wants to try and leave our game, to see what the outside world was like, but was still afraid to do so. "Go on." I encouraged him again.

Slowly, RJ raised his left hand and gently puts it against the opening. This time, though, there was no buzzing sound, no opaque wall crashing down on him, preventing him from leaving. RJ reached out more, trying to sense the wall, then lost his balance and fell forward, landing in the tunnel. He slowly tried to pick himself up when he looked back at me and realized where he was.

He was outside his game.

"I'm…" RJ started to speak, but he stopped himself, as tears of joy were rolling down his cheeks quickly. "I'm…I'M FREE! ! ! !" He managed to stand up, and using the wall as a support, he started to try and hobble down the power cord, his face in utter happiness. "I'M FREE! ! ! ! ! ! !" He cried again further down the cord.

The whole action is so comical, but there was no mistaking the joy in RJ. After all, he finally got his wish of going outside his game; what more can a clone-turned-character want?

Felix looked at RJ, then back at me, smiling. I return his gaze. "He's happy, he's really happy. Yeah…I'll go get him. It's a long way from here to the station."

I walked into the tunnel and tapped RJ on the shoulder. Right after he turned I grabbed him and hoisted him over my shoulder, and started walking back to the entrance. RJ was squealing in protest, but he abruptly stopped when I plopped him into the empty seat near the front of the train.

"It's a long way to Game Central Station." I explained, sitting down myself. "With your one leg, you won't be able to get far before the arcade opens. Better use the train."

RJ looked at the tunnel ahead of us, and without turning back replied "Fair enough." Just as the train moved and started out of our game and down the power cord.

Very soon, the train stopped once more, and I helped RJ out of the car. He held tightly onto me as we walked through the gateway that led to the station. BEEP! BEEP! RJ flinched as the red, net-like coding fell upon us. As usual, Surge Protector stepped up to me, asking for our names. RJ peered down at him curiously.

"Name?" Surge asked.

I motioned for Calhoun, since she was about RJ's height, to hold my brother as I bent down and confronted Surge. "Look, glowing light bulb head: we have a clone-turned-character who had just stepped out his game for the very first time in forever, and you have just ruined the night for him. Get your face out of here, and leave us alone for the time being, or else…"

"Or else…what?" Surge asked me back.

I growled, and showed him my fist. "You're gonna get a free, brand-new, code-smeared makeover. I've heard from reviews that it won't be pretty."

I heard RJ and Vanellope stifle a giggle behind my back. Surge Protector looked at my fist, still raised over his head, and shuddered. He took one more look at us, then quickly leaves with a blue flash.

"That's a cool way to exit." RJ commented.

I gave him a glaring look, unable to believe what I've just heard. But I then stopped and looked at him in the eye. "With your glitch, you might be able to do better than that in no time, darting away in a flash. All you need is practice. Doesn't that sound good to you?"

RJ's eyes widened again at my statement. He looked down at his hands, which were flickering slightly at the moment. "Ya…ya think…that I can do what he just did? Really?"

"Really." I said back. RJ beamed, and we continue our way into the station. As the bright lights from the station shone down on us, RJ reached up and shielded his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden change in brightness of the station. When he finally put down his hands, he was utterly speechless, gob smacked by the new world around him. He turned carefully in a circle, stilling holding onto me, trying to take in every little detail.

There was no doubt that he'd never seen anything like this before.

"Wow…" RJ gasped, grasping my shoulder tightly. All around him, characters from all different games were milling about, either going to other games or just hanging out with some friends. Some of the characters from Bad-anon caught sight of us and waved, and I motioned RJ to wave back, which he did, hesitantly and shyly. Some other characters were pointing our way as well, but I didn't care: news of RJ had leaked out all over the arcade, so characters probably already know the guy leaning on my shoulder. Seeing RJ still mesmerized by the station, I made a mental note of not telling him this until he stayed a while longer.

"'Tis…'tis amazin'!" He cried, looking up at me. "Thank you, Ralph, thank you…"

I smiled back down at him. "Don't thank me just yet: the night's not over." RJ only had time to shoot me a surprised glance when I started pushing him towards the entrance to Pac-Man. "We're gonna pick up a few cherries from that game, then hang out for a drink at Tappers, then head over to Sugar Rush for a screening of a totally sweet Grand Prix! You ready for this?"

Hearing this, RJ crushed himself to me, crying again. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him over. "I…I...Ralph," he sputtered "why did ya do 'tis to me?"

I ran a finger through his hair, messing it further into countless spikes. "Oh come on! You should have seen it coming! Don't you think we would show you just a tiny peek of what our world looks like before ushering you back? Don't you wanna go out and see what is outside our game for real?"

My brother was now breathing rapidly, and placed a hand on his stabilizer. "Ya…ya guys planned 'tis all along." I could feel him shaking, both in disbelief and with excitement. I dragged him over across the station, Felix, Calhoun and Vanellope following close behind. RJ was glitching wildly now, giddy, nervous of what is about to happen next.

I shook RJ playfully, "You know, when you got used to that leg of yours, you can go out right after the arcade's closed and explore, even without me! Just a few days or weeks more, then…" I left my sentence hanging, just so RJ could mentally fill in the gaps himself.

RJ smiled back at me as we entered the entrance to Pac-Man, this time without the gate bleeping at my arrival.

Surge really did take my warning for good.

And yes, I could reveal that RJ indeed did exactly what I said: in the next few days, he tried to balance on his prosthetic whenever he can, in order to walk without me. He had also managed to visit places outside his game right after the arcade closed, fulfilling his wish to the fullest. Soon, RJ was able to walk and run even without my help, and I couldn't help smiling at his achievement. Never did I know that RJ would grow and change himself further very, very soon, to the point where I didn't see it coming.

Which, ironically, also leads us to our first argument as brothers…

"I hate 'tis!" RJ cried behind my back one day.

I whipped my head back to see what he was referring to. He was pointing down at his shirt and overalls with a look of absolute disgust.

"I hate 'tis!" RJ repeated.

I stood up and looked at him "Now, now, now, RJ. Don't say stuff like that. There must be a reason why you said this. Why do you hate our outfit?" I asked.

"Can't ya see it?" He asked me back. "The colors look so dull, and the clothes barely fit me! Plus, I look just the same as ya only with different colors! What's the literal point of 'tis getup?!"

"Look! This outfit is to show that you're related to me." I tried to explain. "I mean, when you're called out for gameplay, don't you want gamers to see who you really are?!"

"Well, I don't freakin' care!" RJ stood up to me, his face flustered with rage "'Tis the worst thing I've ever worn, and I feel sick just lettin' characters see me wearin' 'tis ridiculous thing in public! I feel like an idiot!"

"If you hate these clothes so much, then why didn't you tear them off when you still can before?!" I rebutted, my hands clenching into fists.

"I DIDN'T FEEL THAT WAY BACK THEN! ! ! !" RJ yelled back, shoving me.

Instinctively, I pushed him back, and RJ glitched away before I can shove him again. As I looked around, I feel a slap on my shoulder, and I turned to see RJ trying to get away. I reached out and grabbed him before he got the chance to leave.

"You son of a…okay, I won't say it." I said in a low, threatening voice. "But you should know that this is an absolutely stupid decision. You don't know what the hell you're thinking. End of story." I turned, facing my back to RJ.

RJ let out a small growl, then he shouted "Ya know what? I'm gonna get myself outa 'tis hideous outfit if 'tis the last thing I'll do!" I heard him stomping across the floor as he said so.

"Yeah, go on. I don't care." I muttered, not really caring what RJ would plan to do.

The door slammed shut behind me, and RJ stormed out of the house. I simply rolled my eyes and sighed. My brother doesn't know what he was doing. Sooner or later, he'll come back and realize what an idiot he was.

I should had been less confident.

About an hour later, I heard the door open, and I turn to see RJ casually closing the door, whistling.

And I gasped.

For his outfit was completely changed. Gone were his green plaid polo and his dark blue overalls. Instead, he was now wearing a light blue shirt, and a green hooded jacket with a white stripe running horizontally through the middle, unzipped. A pair of jeans hugged his legs; his left foot was no longer uncovered and was encased in a shoe, while his right jean leg was wrapped all the way up to just under the knee, exposing his entire prosthetic. His stabilizer was displayed proudly on his jacket, its center glowing.

For a while, no one said anything, then RJ broke the silence.

"Surprise, ya like it?" RJ asked, grinning.

I tried to answer, but I can't. To be honest, I really like RJ's new look: the jacket really brings out the light in RJ's eyes; the outfit, which was tailored to RJ's body frame, fitted him perfectly; and the entire getup really brings out his bright, bubbly personality. But still…

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, RALPH JEROME?!" I screamed, running over and grasping his shoulders tightly. "Where are your clothes? Where did you get all this from?" RJ winced and glitched out of my grasp, falling to the floor. "Explanation!" I yelled at him "I demand one!"

"There's a clothes shop just down one of the games," RJ explained, fiddling with one of the strands on his jacket while standing back up. "I saw this jacket and these other clothes, and I wanted to get them. I don't have any money with me, but the store owner was kind enough to let me exchange my old outfit for these new clothes…"

"WHAT?!" I yelled, unable to believe what RJ had just said. He had just traded his old shirt and overalls for new clothes?! It was unthinkable! I shoved him aside and started for the door.

"Ralph, where ya goin'?" RJ asked, confused.

"TO GET YOUR CLOTHES BACK, YOU IDIOT! ! ! ! !" I growled back at him. He may not have money, but I certainly do, and I will pay whatever that store owner wants to get those overalls and shirt back!

I was about to tear down the door when RJ's voice stops me from behind. "So what? I don't need those clothes anymore! They don't fit, and they don't reflect who I am! What's the point of keepin' them? Shouldn't I get to choose what I wanna wear? Look, Ralph. Ya said it yerself: I am no longer a clone of ya. So why keep wearin' those clothes when I could show that I'm someone else? To define myself? Ya have to let me go, Ralph, I. AM. NO. LONGER. YA! ! ! ! ! ! !"

I stopped in my tracks. Under my bubbling rage, I still have the mind to realize that RJ was indeed right. Ralph Junior had died in the code-tearing process, yet from it, Ralph Jerome rose up from the ashes. RJ had changed, and will continue to do so. He's no longer a clone of me, no longer a shadow, but a new character with a completely different appearance, personality and interests. I had no right to hold him back, to make him like things that he doesn't, to make him more like myself.

"I…" I started, turning away from the door, only to come straight face-to-face with RJ. Embarrassed, I looked away. "I…" I started again, but I was cut short when RJ puts a hand on my shoulder, his hand looking tiny against my huge arm.

"I should…I should have just let you go, RJ. I'm sorry. I mean, I didn't realize that for you to fully become a new character, I should have let you choose everything, that I should have just given you guidance instead of forcing you to go one way or another…"

My brother smiled back, and patted me on the shoulder. "Yer forgiven." He rocked back and forth a bit on his prosthetic idly, as if not really caring our argument just a few minutes earlier. Not gonna lie: if I was the one being yelled at for changing my appearance, I would have blackened his name for at least 2 weeks. With RJ though…he just lets the issue slide like he doesn't care.

So similar, yet at the same time, so different.

"But yeah, ya've got a point. 'Tis better I have those old clothes. Maybe I'll just go and ask the store owner not to sell them 'til I've got enough to pay him back…"

"Nah, just leave it." I said, patting him back. "I really like your getup, especially the jacket: don't think I've seen anything like it before."

"Really?" RJ asked me, glitching with excitement. "Ya really like it?"

"Nope," I shook his shoulder. "I love it." Then I winked at him.

RJ giggled, and suddenly, threw his arms around me. I was startled for a moment, then I hugged him back. It was at that moment, I realized once I let RJ go slightly, he'll deviate from me more and more and more. And for once, I don't think that is a bad thing. At all…

I smiled, and at that moment, fully let RJ go…

"RALPH, LOOK OUT! ! !"

I snap my eyes open, shocked by the call, and move slightly away to my right, just in time to see RJ somersaulting past me to the ledge below, his jacket billowing around him like a cape. He holds out his hammer and smashes it onto the ledge, breaking his fall. "Ya got everythin' under control?"

"Sorta!" I call back, and turn to the floor above me, smashing the windows.

"I don't know." He mutters, then whistling, he plows his hammer to the wall behind him and just moves it along as he walks, crashing the windows and walls behind him. I can hear a random Nicelander scream something angrily at RJ as he walked by.

Felix dives down to fix RJ's damage when Mary puts a pie against her windowsill. The player notices it, and directs Felix back up to get it, but just before he did…

There is a strong buzzing sound, and a flash of green…and the pie is gone. Felix looks up and down, startled, before finding the pie on a ledge two floors above him.

"YOU SERIOUS, RJ?!" I hear Mary scream from her apartment. "DID YOU JUST TAKE MY PIE AND MOVED IT SOMEWHERE ELSE?!"

"Hey! Ya should be glad that I didn't eat it!" RJ shoots back with glee. Hearing this, I cannot help laughing. Yup, that's typical RJ for you: snarky, yet still very mischievous.

Felix gets to the pie in time, though, and gets a quick speed boost in fixing. He darts by RJ, causing him to be swept off his feet and grip to the ledge for support. The player controls Felix at breakneck speed as he leaps up and down, fixing all the damage. By the time RJ regained his balance, the words 'YOU FIXED IT!' are flashing brightly in the sky above the building, and my brother lets out a rather loud groan.

"WHAT?! YA SERIOUS?! HE'D MANAGED TO FIX EVERYTHIN'?!"

"Yeah, RJ. He's won." I grab his hand and haul him up to the roof, where the Nicelanders are all gathered. Clouds gather above us, then part to reveal a shiny gold medal, which fixed itself onto Felix's neck. He holds one of Mary's pies up high, while another Nicelander pecks a small kiss onto his cheek.

Then they all turn to face us.

"What are they gonna do to us?!" RJ asks me, alarmed.

"Hey, hey! Chillax! Although…" I laugh nervously, as the Nicelanders have reached me and lifted me up. Then they all go to the edge of the roof, and started to hoist me up…

"I'll see you down there!" I call, looking back at him. I only have time to catch RJ's shocked glance before I was thrown off, tumbling down the side of the building and landing face-down on the mud puddle below. Even as I am lying down, I shift slightly away, so as to make space for what will be coming down next…

"Heh, um…Uh…No hard feelin's, right?" I hear RJ stammer from up on the roof. I roll over on my back and see him scooting closer and closer to the edge. "I swear I don't know him, I just thought it would be fun to do what he was doin'. Let's…just forget everythin' and start over, alright?" RJ lets out a nervous giggle as he continues to stumble backward.

There is a brief silence, then I hear Gene shout. "Too bad, glitch. FIRE THE HOSE! ! ! ! !"

There is the sound of water, and then a scream. And with that, RJ is blasted off the side of the building, soaking wet, tumbles down, and lands in the puddle next to me, face first. He lets out a loud groan and spits the mud out, his clothes stuck to his body.

"Aw! Come on!" RJ calls, swinging his fists. "What was that for?!"

"Hey, you said you wanted to get off the building in style, right? So they took a hose and blasted you off the building with…" I take in a deep sniff "pool water, right?"

"Whatever…didn't see that comin'…" RJ tries to wring out his shirt, but I pull him aside, where the player couldn't see us.

"Don't worry 'bout that. They'll get cleaned when we start a new level. What we need to do is to go back to our starting places. Come on!" I wave and lead RJ into the forest, around the back of the building, and back to our brick pile.

"Alright. This level: you're going first, RJ." I nudge him towards the screen. RJ is about to fire back at me when the bell sounded for the next level; and almost like magic, our figures slightly blurred to reverse us back to our 'before-game' state. RJ clutches his now-dry clothes in astonishment, and looks at my mud-free overalls.

"Yeah, it happens. Get used to it, bro." I pat RJ on the shoulder, and nudge him forward again.

RJ stumbles a bit, and then picks up his hammer again. He starts to run to the screen, but I stop him.

"You know, wrecking powers or not, you're a real wrecker already." RJ looks at me, startled. I give him a thumbs-up "Knock 'em dead, bro."

RJ smiles, then runs and wraps myself in for a hug. I squeeze him back for a moment. "I will, I definitely will. Yet I still don't know why ya believe in that…"

"You'll understand later. Now go!" I point back at the building, and gives RJ a wink.

He winks back, and glitches away to start the new level.

A/N: So, is this the end?

Not...quite.

I mean, it's RJ's story, right? I think I should have him take the last chapter for himself.

So till then, I'm out!