Ralph coughs, as he wakes up. Sitting up, he notices the large crater in front of him.
"Hey! Kid are you okay?" He yells, into the crater.
Looking down, he notices Josh isn't in there. Dread fills him instantly. He jumps into the crater, and starts moving rubble out of the way.
"Ralph! Josh? Where are you guys?" Vanellope yells.
Ralph pops his head out of the crater. He notices he's still in the tunnel, just outside of Sugar Rush. He goes back to moving rubble.
"Ralph?"
Ralph looks up, at Vanellope, who is now, standing at the edge of the crater.
"Where's Josh?" She asks.
Ralph shakes his head, and goes back to moving the rubble. Vanellope glitches down, and clutches to Ralph's overalls.
"Ralph. Where is Josh?" She asks again.
He wraps his arms around her, and squeezes.
"I'm sorry." He says quietly.
Vanellope bites her lip, and hugs him back.
"Is he...?" She stammers.
Ralph rubs the back of her head, not giving her an answer.
Tears begin rolling down her cheeks. She buries her head in his chest.
-Game central station-
In Game central, characters from all the games gather around the tunnel to Sugar Rush. They whisper amongst each other, wondering what the loud explosion was.
Felix hops to the front of the crowd, with Calhoun not too far behind. After a couple of minutes, Ralph walks slowly out of the tunnel, with Vanellope in his arms.
Everyone begins clapping, and cheering. Everyone except Felix, and Calhoun.
Felix walks over to his friends.
"Oh my land. Are you okay Ralph?" He asks, looking over Ralph's scorched body.
Ralph gives him a small nod.
"What the hell happened? And where's private?" Calhoun asks, walking over as well.
Vanellope begins sobbing. Ralph soothes her again. Calhoun crosses her arms, and frowns.
"What happened?" Calhoun asks again.
"I... I couldn't help him." Ralph tells her.
Calhoun turns around, and kicks a garbage can, sending it flying.
"God damn it!" She yells, before storming away.
Calhoun's yelling silences everyone.
The cheering stops, along with the clapping. The entire station goes silent.
The Sugar Rush racers run out of the tunnel. Candlehead supporting Rancis, as he limps out.
643 pushes some some characters out of the way, and makes it the front.
"You're kidding right? He's Josh. He wouldn't let some 8 bit freak finish him." 643 says, walking up to the others.
Ralph shakes his head, again.
"It didn't go down like that kid." Ralph tells him.
"How did it go down? Don't tell me that Dave asshole killed him." 643 says sitting on the ground.
"No. He didn't." Ralph says.
643 pulls his legs up, and puts his head down.
"What happened? Whats with the giant crater?" Taffyta asks.
No one answers, and just remains silent
"Where's Josh?" Candlehead asks.
"Gone." Vanellope says quietley.
-Sugar Rush-
Anyone that fit in the castle, came inside. 643, and Felix opened windows, for those who couldn't fit inside. No one could sit down. Standing room only. All the characters stood in silence, good or bad, shoulder to shoulder. To some surprise even, Chell, and some of the guys from Team fortress, showed up.
"Should we start now?" Ralph asks Vanellope.
She nods, so Ralph walks up to the front of the throne room. He loosens the tie around his neck, before coughing, getting everyone's attention.
"Uhh. Hello. I'm Ralph. I would like to thank you all for coming today. I know Josh would love to know, how many people showed up."
Ralph looks around the room.
"Anyways. Welcome..." Ralph trails off.
"we know why were all here. For Josh. Because he helped you, in some way, or you crossed paths with him. For what ever the reason, we know it's for Josh. So.. were going to start. Ralph says, before he walks away from the front."
Stephen sits in silence, while Vanellope pets him.
The first to walk to the front is 643.
"Hey. My name is 643. I knew Josh for ten years. He was a great... well he was a guy." 643 says jokingly.
Some laughter is heard, before he continues.
"At first, I was iffy on being friends with the guy, and being friends with his friends." 643 says, gesturing to Ralph, and the others.
"But, I'm glad, I did." 643 says, before he walks off the stage.
The next to walk up is Felix.
"Uh. Howdy there. I'm Fix-it Felix jr, and I'm from Fix-it Felix jr. I only knew Josh, for a few months, but that was more than enough time to become friends with him." Felix begins choking up, and he has to be carried off by Calhoun.
Vanellope is asked to say a few words, but she declines.
"I can't" She says, still petting Stephen.
Ralph knees down next to her, then picks her up.
"Why not?" He asks.
She shakes her head, then jumps out of his hands.
Vanellope runs to her room, enters, and goes over to the dresser. She opens it and pulls out Josh's goggles. Placing them on her head, she smiles weakly. It doesn't take long for Ralph to make it to her room. He enters and sees Vanellope sitting on her bed, goggles on her head, legs crossed.
"Are those Josh's goggles?" He asks.
Vanlellope nods, and fiddles with them.
Theres a knock on the door, Vanellope and Ralph look at the door.
643 peeks his head inside the door.
Ralph stands up, and claps his hands together
"Okay. I'll see you back in the throne room" He says, before leaving.
"Everyone's wating for you squirt." 643 says, to Vanellope
She pulls the goggles down around her neck, jumps off the bed, and follows 643 down the hall.
"So you were there? with him for ten years?" She asks him.
643 nods.
"Yep. I mean he didn't know, but I was there. Watching."
"That's kinda creepy. Watching, I mean." Vanellope says.
643 chuckles.
"Well. If you put it that way, then yes it was creepy." He says.
643 stops, just outside the door, to the throne room.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asks her, as he kneels down.
She looks at the door, then back at him, before nodding.
"As I'll ever be" She says, with a weak smile.
643 chuckles again, as he ruffles her hair. He stands up, and opens the door for Vanellope.
They enter the throne room. Everyone looks towards the door, they watch as 643, and Vanellope enter.
Vanellope walks to the front of the room.
"Hello. I... I'm Vanellope Von Schw...Butterscotch. I am Vanellope Von Butterscotch." Vanellope says loudly.
Everyone looks at her.
"I would like to thank everyone for coming. It means a lot to me. Knowing how many friends Josh had, good, and bad. arcade, and online."
Stephen flies over to Vanellope, and lands next to her. She places a hand on his head.
"Any who. Thank you for coming. Enjoy yourselfs." She says, before walking towards Ralph.
The characters start whispering again.
Vanellope jumps up, into Ralph's hands.
"I miss him, but I'm happy he was here." She says.
"I think theres a word for that." Ralph tells her.
"What is it?"
"Saudade" He says quietley.
"What does it mean?"
"You'll have to look it up, on the internet."
"I've had enough of the internet for a lifetime." Vanellope says.
-Tappers-
Tappers was packed, with Characters from all over the arcade.
Vanellope, Ralph, Felix, 643, and Calhoun sit around a table, near the center of the bar
Vanellope reaches for a mug, 643 pulls it away from her.
"No you don't. I already trusted one kid with that. Big mistake." 643 says, before chugging the mug.
Vanellope crosses her arms, and begins pouting.
"You guys didn't treat Josh like a kid." She says, still pouting.
"Because Josh did't pout, whenever he didn't get what he wanted." Ralph says.
So Ralph and the others drank through the night, knowing they had the whole next day, to get over any sort of hangover they got, while Vanellope watched, sneaking drinks here and there.
And so it was, Josh Butterscotch ventured forth from the internet. Intent on discovering the fate of his friends. The internet proved a cruel, inhospitable place. But Josh refused to surrender to the vices that had claimed so many others. The values passed on from friends, to Josh, selflessness, compassion, honor. But it was not until the end of this long road, that Josh learned the true meaning of that greatest a virtues. Sacrifice. Blowing himself up, to stop Dave, and save the arcade.
-FIN-