"I just can't believe it." Felix said as the group of seven made their way back towards the castle. "After everything that's happened, it's all over."

"Well, actually, there are a few things that I still don't understand." Felicity said.

"Like what?" Teddy asked.

"Well, Deyanira said that when the clock struck twelve, the virus would take full effect, and you would…you know…"

"Die?" Teddy offered.

"Yeah." Felicity replied. "How come you didn't? I mean, it's almost as if the virus didn't take effect at all!"

"Well, that's because Felix and I destroyed the virus two days ago."

"Wait… what?" Vanellope asked.

"If you got rid of the virus, then why did you still look like Turbo?" Calhoun questioned.

"And sound like him, too?" Ralph added.

"Simple code modifications. Just your routine character design alteration and voice editing; child's play."

"So, all of the struggling, the transformation, trying to take over the arcade… That was all just an act?" Felicity asked.

"You bet it was. Felix and I overheard Deyanira telling you two about her plan, and realized that she had no idea that we had already used his hammer to get rid of the virus. We decided then and there that I would work from the inside to bring her down. All too literally, I'm afraid."

"Well, that just about explains everything, don't you think?" Vanellope asked. "So now it's all over."

"Not quite." Teddy replied. "There is one thing that I have to say."

"And what is that, Teddy?" Felicity asked.

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes. You see, Felicity, back when Jack edited my code, and I turned into Turbo the first time, I started to say something. I was cut off, and never actually got the opportunity to tell you the last word until now."

"Well, what exactly did you say?"

"I said 'I love.'" He said, a huge smile forming on both their faces. "And now, I get to end it with 'you.'"

"I love you, too." Felicity replied, her eyes glimmering with tears of joy.

"Well, don't just stand there, doofus! Kiss her already!" Vanellope shouted playfully at Teddy, who followed her orders with a chuckle. The sky lit up, and a powerful wind blew through the air, making the moment absolutely magical. Now, it was over. Deyanira was gone, Turbo was nothing but an unpleasant memory, Jack and Teddy were close again, but that wasn't nearly as important to the racer as the person in his arms who he had once thought that he would never see again.

"Ralph, are you crying?" Felix asked the wrecker.

"What? No! I just… have something in my eye, that's all."

"Sure you do, Stinkbrain." Vanellope laughed. "Sure you do."

As he and Felicity slowly pulled apart, Teddy smiled at her, and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. And he knew right then and there that he was wrong. It certainly wasn't the end. Reaching into his back pocket, his fingers wrapped around a small, velvet-covered box. He glanced up once again at the love of his life with a knowing smile on his face, and behind them, his best friend's eyes lit up with anticipation of what was about to happen. And in this moment, he knew with absolute certainty that it was, without a doubt, only the beginning.

Author's Note: It's hard to believe that after all this time, this story is actually done. But that doesn't mean the end of these characters. In the near future, I am planning on writing a third story, along with a series of one-shots depicting the lives of my OCs after the dust settled, and the trio finally found their places in the arcade. Plus, I am hoping to someday rewrite this and "Before the Game" in order to include things that I wasn't able to before, cut out unnecessary details, and just make it an overall better written story. Looking back to "Before the Game," it's funny to think about where this ended up going, because it is a totally different direction than I had originally intended.

When I first started writing a prequel to "Wreck-It Ralph," all I knew was that Turbo was going to actually be a sweet, awkward, nerdy guy who would eventually fall in love with Felix's twin sister, whose name kept going back and forth in my head between Felicity and Felicia. I also knew that Turbo, who had yet to be renamed Teddy, would have a rival that embodied exactly what he would become by the time of the movie. Once I had figured out the basics of the newly-named Teddy and Jack, I figured that a love triangle with Felix's still unnamed twin sister would be the perfect reason for Jack to go into his rival's code and turn him into the racer that we all love to hate. Once I posted the first chapter, that was about all that I knew, even involving Felicity's name, which I realized a bit too late had switched to Felicia halfway through the chapter, which I quickly fixed (no pun intended) and hoped that no one had noticed the mistake.

The decision to redeem Jack in the sequel came with both the idea to make him and Teddy brothers, and the fact that in the middle of writing, I met, and became friends with someone named Jack. Now, obviously, that made it feel a bit strange to be writing about an evil, self-obsessed, barely sane person with the same name. I know that it sounds cheap to change someone's entire characterization simply because you befriended someone who shares the same name (especially if that name is something as common as Jack) but I also decided to bring in someone far more sinister, and didn't want another antagonist taking attention away from her.

And that brings me to the next major thing: "Carmella," a.k.a. Deyanira. I would be lying if I said that I knew the true identity of the sugar-coated chef from the very beginning. In fact, it was one of the last things that I figured out. She went through a variety of stages. At first (however ironically it is now) she was actually going to be Felicity. However, that felt incredibly cliché, and quite frankly, left almost no conflict whatsoever. For about a week, she was going to be a character from Teddy and Jack's home game who was in love with Teddy, and therefore, jealous of Felicity, and went a bit overboard in her obsession, but eventually redeemed herself. But, even then, it didn't seem quite right. Then, after thinking over it for days, maybe even weeks, I eventually realized what should have been the obvious first move: make her evil. Not just jealous, or vengeful. Purely, crossed-the-line-twice, irredeemable, murderous, unadulterated EVIL. And to turn it up a notch, have her bring Turbo back to help her. And thus, Deyanira was born...er…created…

Alright, now that I have put nearly everyone else who has attempted to read this overly-long author's note to sleep, I would like to thank the few who stuck with me throughout both of these stories, and possibly the ones that will follow. I sincerely appreciate all of the reviews and support that I have been getting for these two stories, and hope that you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Now, if you have skipped ahead to the last paragraph of this exceptionally long author's note, or if you read the whole thing, I have one last request. As you probably remember, I said way up in the beginning of this that I am considering writing a lot more involving the characters I have established. I would like to know if any of you like the things that I mentioned, have ideas of your own, etc. All comments are welcome. Once again, thank you very much, and I hope to write more soon! Bye!