After selecting to merge his memory files together, Ralph suddenly found himself standing outside of the door to the penthouse in Fix-It Felix Jr., where some kind of party was taking place.
"Hey Felix. Just wanted to check on ya. I saw a big uh, explosion or something go over the building there," Ralph said sheepishly. What the heck am I talking about? He looked around curiously.
"Oh, those are.. just fireworks.." Felix said cheerfully.
"Fireworks, okay. Phew. Is it somebody's birthday? Or..?" Ralph asked unconvincingly. I remember this exchange.. But why is it happening again? And how did I get back into my game?
"Well, it's more of an anniversary. The 30th anniversary of our game, actually," Felix said cheerfully, "They're about to bring out the cake. Want to come in and have a slice?"
"Huh? Oh, uh sure.." Ralph said as he and Felix went inside. This isn't how it happened though..
"Hey Ralph, you son of a gun," Gene said cheerfully, "Glad you could make it."
"We were waiting for you Ralph," Mary said cheerfully, "Where have you been?"
"Oh, I uh.. I was having a meeting, talking to some friends," Ralph said. What's going on?
"Zombie just here for moral support," Zombie said, "Ooh, cake!"
"Why is here?" Gene asked rudely as the other Nicelanders quickly backed away.
"He's just here for a slice of cake," Felix said with a nervous smile.
"That's where I draw the line," Ralph said in an annoyed tone, "Zombie is one of my best friends, and I will not stand for you being rude to him! This isn't even how it happened." The Nicelanders disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Zombie think Ralph shouldn't be such a downer," Zombie said while shaking his head, "This make things interesting for Ralph."
"Right, I'm sorry I just, you lost me there," Ralph said confusedly.
"Zombie guide Ralph. We go to Hero's Duty next," Zombie said, "Ralph not need see everything. You remember anyway."
Ralph could hear soldiers yelling, "Beacon up!" in the distance as he was suddenly hit over the head with a helmet.
"Markowski! What's the first rule of Hero's Duty?!" Calhoun asked viciously as the world had shifted around him and Zombie into that of Hero's Duty.
"Never interfere with the first person shooter?" Ralph asked hesitantly. He was hit over the head with a helmet again.
"That's right!" Calhoun said.
"So why'd I get hit again?!" Ralph asked in an annoyed tone as he rubbed his head. Well at least I didn't feel that. Actually, my headache is gone too now that I think about it..
"Because you did it anyway," Calhoun said firmly, "Your job is to climb to the top of that building so you can steal a medal, and that's it. So stick to the program soldier!"
"Wait wait wait wait.. Wait," Ralph said with a sigh, "Can someone please explain to me what the heck is going on?" That was too many 'waits'..
"RAAAGH! Zombie tell Ralph, since want to know so bad," Zombie said, "Ralph dreaming while memory restoring. Head hurt otherwise, also slower!"
"So wait, you mean I fell asleep?! I gotta get back!" Ralph insisted. I should be in the code room of Sugar Rush. I'm supposed to be helping Vanellope and.. I wonder if she would mind me calling her Vannie? The world suddenly shifted around him into Sugar Rush. He was climbing a candy tree in the Candy Tree Forest.
"Hello!" Vanellope suddenly said. She was on a branch of the same tree slightly higher up.
"Vanellope!" Ralph said with a smile.
"I think you should be worrying about yourself, Mister.." Vanellope said as she hopped down the branches holding the medal she made for Ralph, "Double stripe!"
Ralph fell from the branch he was holding and grabbed onto another, nearly falling into green taffy. No no no. Not the taffy..
"See ya chum!" Vanellope said cheerfully as she skipped away holding the medal.
"Come back!" Ralph pleaded, "I need to talk to you!" Don't go..
"Double stripe!" Vanellope yelled cheerfully as the branch Ralph was holding onto broke, and he fell into the taffy. She continued skipping away to the racetrack.
"Vanellope!" Ralph yelled as he struggled to get out of the pool of taffy. This is the weirdest dream I've ever had.. Especially since I'm fully aware of what's going on. I can't wake up no matter what I try.. He ran after her as best he could, but the taffy was hardening around him, which made it quite difficult. I hate taffy more than chocolate right now..
"Wreck-it Ralph!" King Candy(1) said from atop his stand as Ralph approached where Vanellope was hiding. His clothes were still tattered and he still wasn't wearing his crown. "I will not allow you to ruin this track a second time!" He pulled a rope and an over-sized cupcake fell out of the sky and landed on Ralph, which he got stuck inside.
Ralph lost his balance fell over. The scenery shifted around them into that of the castle.
"Well here we are again, Ralph," King Candy(1) said in a satisfied tone as he got out of his white and gold, sugar-sprinkled kart which was currently acting as a throne, "Vanellope is at the Junkyard, you know. Perhaps you will find the answers you're looking for there.. Zombie, get him out of that cupcake, will you?" He smirked. "Goodbye, Wreck-It Ralph. It's been a pleasure." He hopped into his kart and drove out of the castle.
"With pleasure!" Zombie said with a grin as he prepared to swing his hatchets at the cupcake.
"What?! No! Get away from me!" Ralph yelled as he rolled around and managed to get on his feet.
"Ralph need take it easy!" Zombie yelled cheerfully as Ralph ran off and broke through the wall, smashing the cupcake upon landing on the ground.
He couged and suddenly found himself in the Junkyard watching the little racers tease Vanellope. It set something off inside Ralph, remembering exactly what happened before. Like hell I'm about to let them do it a second time, dream or not. It's bad enough remembering that it happened a first time. I always felt guilty about that.. "Hey! Leave her alone! RAAAAAAAAGH!" Ralph yelled as he chased the little racers off and broke a few lollypop trees and kicked up some hot chocolate dust in the process. He breathed heavily, despite the fact he was dreaming.
After calming down, Ralph sat down on a jawbreaker and looked over to Vanellope. She was leaning on another jawbreaker nearby, grinning and looking at him intently. Not going to run away again?
"So what did you want to talk about?" Vanellope asked with a mischievous grin.
Ralph sighed deeply. What exactly is it that I want to say? I was so focused on finding her that I didn't even think it through that far. He scratched his head. "You were right, you know.." First thing that comes to mind.. "I did want to spend more time alone with the older you."
"That hurts, Ralph," Vanellope said with a frown, "Am I really not fun enough to hang around with?"
"Of course you are!" Ralph said insistently, "It's different.. There are just.. She's different. When I saw her for the first time, the only thing I could see in her was you, I'll admit it.. I didn't remember anything specific, just that you meant a lot to me. I felt that I would even shift mountains for you.. And then you came along and changed everything around. It confused me.." I still would shift mountains for you..
"Is that so?" Vanellope asked dejectedly.
"When you asked me if you were getting in the way of anything between me and her, I was shocked," Ralph explained, "I may not have been fully conscious of it at the time, but you were exactly right. You were getting in the way, and I hate to say it like that. I loved you like a daughter, I still do.. But seeing her. Seeing you all grown up.. It changed things. I feel guilty. I feel as though I'm betraying you somehow.."
"Aww, Ralph!" Vanellope said disappointedly, "This is exactly the problem here! I'm not her! Don't you have any idea how hurt we would be if we actually heard you say something like that?"
"What?" Ralph asked in disbelief. What does she mean? Actually I did pretty much tell the older her that very thing..
"Zombie here!" Zombie said as he suddenly popped up, "It okay, Vanellope. Zombie explain in way Ralph understand.. Look at these two." Zombie pointed at two tall spearmint flavored starlight mint-headed citizens of Sugar Rush that suddenly popped up. "They not same person. Only look that way on surface." He dropped a hatchet and snapped his fingers. Magic sparkles briefly surrounded one of them and they turned into a peppermint flavored starlight mint-headed citizen. "Now just more obvious. Ralph see girls like same person, but they not. Zombie disappointed in Ralph. Thought Ralph better than that. Zombie going talk to Candy Kane. Hope Ralph understand now."
Zombie walked away for a while then stopped, came back and picked up his hatchet and said, "Zombie almost forget hatchet.. Come on ladies. We leave two alone." Zombie draped his hatchet-wielding arms over the two cheerful mint-headed citizens and walked away some before the three of them turned into smoke and vanished.
"Right.." Ralph said. Zombie may not have explained it eloquently, but he's right. They're not the same person and I shouldn't be treating them as if they are..
"Look, Ralphie.." Vanellope said seriously, "You can't keep thinking like that. But don't worry. I'm a little kid. You two can keep that adult stuff to yourselves, I don't need it. I don't even want it.. That's gross. But we'd better still hang out all the time, or I'll never forgive you." She hugged him and put the medal she had made around his neck and hopped into the kart she and Ralph made together. "Now if you don't mind, I've got a race to win."
"Thanks, kid," Ralph said with a smile as he stood up from the jawbreaker.
Vanellope waved and drove away, disappearing into smoke.
Ralph could hear soft footsteps behind him. He turned around, and saw Vannie with her arms crossed.
"We good?" Vannie asked hopefully.
"We're good," Ralph said warmly. I've never been so sure of anything in my life..
Ralph woke up with his memory fully restored, though his eyes had yet to open. Oh, come on! It was getting to a good part!
Author's Note: There's a reason I didn't add Vannie to Ralph's dream until the very end. It's got nothing to do with her not being on his mind or anything. It's just that what he needs to say to her is best said to the real Vannie.
Ralph and Felix's memory technically isn't fully restored, but it's close. There's still the final moments in Fix-It Felix Jr. before it was reset that are unaccounted for.