boxofmystery | Double Trouble

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Double Trouble

[Ralph's life had changed quite a bit ever since the events of last month had taken place. Things had been in a whirlwind and Ralph was still getting used to his new life.

The biggest deal was having friends now. While he was close to Felix, he was even closer to Vanellope, and they often had adventures all over the arcade.

She was still settling into things as well and learning the ropes of her new position. There were things that needed to be taken care of, so she always had to stay after closing and make sure things went smoothly.

Ralph didn't mind waiting for her, they often met up at Tapper, the old bar game that was the most popular spot to hang out in. He's spent a lot of time in this game, he knew it and most of the regulars well.

Tonight, he's sitting at one of the corner seats, they gave him the most space, and he's sipping a root beer. He's facing the doorway, keeping an eye out for his best friend heading on through the doors.]

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[Ralph should have expected a reaction like that. He snorts slightly.]

Okay, look, even if you don't believe me, you can ask nearly anybody, and they'd back me up. Vanellope in Sugar Rush saw him first-hand, Me and Felix from Fix-It Felix Jr. saw him on a video screen, Felix's lady, uh...what's her name...Calhoun? Yeah, Calhoun from Hero's Duty might have seen him on the video as well. And, there might have been a few stragglers from Sugar Rush who stuck around that got an eyeful of him.

I know me and Felix told some people, Calhoun told all of her soldiers, and me and Vanellope explained everything to the Sugar Rush kids. They might even still have video of Turbo!

I'm not crazy, and if you knew what was good for you, you'd listen to what I'm saying.

[Again, they fall silent. Of course they wouldn't be going and asking anyone else about any of this. They'd stayed hidden this far. Ralph had been the only true slip up, with just a few close calls scattered throughout the years. Nevertheless, his accusations were pretty heavy. The idea that Turbo somehow made it out of RoadBlasters and into another game was almost too hard to believe.

They watched him die, right before their eyes. ...Right?]

...Look, I ain't believin' this. Not fer a second. Not unless ya got some proof on ya that'll make me believe what you say. Why would you care 'bout what's good fer us anyway?

[Tic has fallen totally silent, too upset to say anything else.]

[Ralph shakes his head.]

Why would I carry proof of what Turbo did with me? What, I'm gonna carry around a photo of him like some kind of fangirl? Look, even if I did have something to prove it, I wouldn't haul it around with me, I'm trying to forget that it even happened.

[Regardless of whether or not the Twins actually believed a word Ralph was saying, he did sound sincere. The anger in his own voice was proof enough that whatever he saw, he believed it happened. So, for now, Tas doesn't say anything else, just glaring at Ralph again.

This time the pause stretches on long enough that Ralph might begin to think that the twins just aren't going to say anything else. It still was a lot to be expected to believe. Turbo getting RoadBlasters and Turbo Time unplugged all in one go was bad enough to begin with. But to be told that he not only survived, but somehow managed to infiltrate another game and...take it over? Nearly killing more people in the process?

Tas slowly looks over in Tic's direction without moving his head, in time to see his brother shudder and bury his face into his hands. Tas's expression falls noticeably at that, and quickly he looks back up at Ralph without a hint of anger for a brief moment before it all comes rushing back again.]

Put us down.

[His tone is still obviously angry, but it sounds more defeated than it does demanding.]

[This time, Turbo's actions were witnessed by several people spanning different games, so even if they don't believe Ralph now, there's enough people out there that knew what happened, and they'd only back up what he had told them, and maybe even give more details about the situation.

Even though the Twins have clammed up, Ralph continues to wait for them to speak. The silence is awkward, but he's waiting for their response.

When Tic puts his face in his hands, Ralph feels a twinge of guilt, in some way, he was sort of bullying these two, even though that hadn't exactly been his intention, once he found out who they really were.

However, he's still got a hair-trigger temper, so when Tas demands for him to set them down, he briefly glares at them, about to snap and say something nasty.

But, Tic's look of despair sticks with him and he almost immediately softens up.

He figures that they're going to dart off as soon as they touch ground, so Ralph says a couple of things before letting them good.]

Fine. Just...just be careful, okay? Everybody knows what happened this time, so you're not gonna have many friends.

[With that, he gently places them down, then opens his hands, setting them free. Ralph lifts his arms back up and even takes a step or two backwards and away from them, showing that they can do whatever they want, he's not going to stop them.]

[Both Tas and Tic sway a little when Ralph finally puts them down before righting themselves. Before Tas can do anything, Tic immediately darts to his side, staring at him with a brief look of despair before grabbing onto the edge of his jumpsuit's sleeve. He keeps his head angled toward the ground after that, trembling slightly.

Tas opens his mouth to say something, but finds the words die on his tongue, forcing his mouth shut again. What really can he say? ..He's still not sure if he should believe a word Ralph is saying- he figured maybe he'd just make this up to spite the two for what Turbo did in the past- but.....still, it's hard not to believe him. Out of anybody in the entire arcade, he and Tic knew Turbo the best. They knew just how egotistical and self-centered he could be, to the point where he abandoned his own game for the sake of being in the spotlight again.

Abandoned not only his game, but his own brothers as well.

It's a hard reality to accept. Sure, over the years they had come to terms with the fact that, yes, their brother was dead. He wasn't coming back. Neither was Turbo Time. They would be homeless for the rest of their lives, until they met their own final game overs.
To be honest, they really only could go off of Ralph's word. Tas wasn't about to let himself or Tic be seen by anyone else, especially not now. They'd seen Sugar Rush and Hero's Duty from afar, passed their entrances in fact, but going to either game to get another person's word wasn't possible.

The fact that Ralph told them all of this is surprising too, given that it really is the truth. Wouldn't anyone else simply not care? ...perhaps this horrific truth was a punishment enough.

Finally, Tas looks away from Tic and back to Ralph, swallowing hard before speaking again.]

..Turbo. ...S'he.......

.....gone?

[Ralph knows a fraction of what the Twins have been going through, are going through. He knows all too well what it's like to be hated for something you have no control over. He also knows how hard Q*bert and his friends have it, they're so unusual, there's no games they can really blend in with to get a job. Ralph wished he could do something for them, but what? Maybe Felix would have an idea.

At the question, Ralph kneels down. Instead of bringing them up to eye level like he had done only a little while ago, he goes down to theirs. He gives them a slow nod, and a sigh.]

As far as I know, yes. But, he survived dying once before, uh, twice before, so I don't really wanna say for certain that he's gone for good.

But, it's a pretty decent bet that he's run out of lives and it's Game Over for him.

[Tas grits his teeth, finally reaching down to take hold of Tic's arm when he starts shaking a bit more at Ralph's words. What he says next though is something completely different, and probably unexpected.]

....he wasn't always bad, yaknow.

[Tas glances away with a hard frown, rubbing the side of his face with a free hand.]

I mean Turbo wasn't a good guy by any means. He was downright nasty half the time, and didn't care 'bout nobody but me, myself, an' I. Winnin' was his life. Bein' the center of attention was his life. 'Course he'd be willin' to die for that.

[The racer shrugs weakly, letting out a heavy sigh.]

...but he was still our brother, yaknow? ...back then he wouldn't'a killed anyone. He prolly didn't even mean t'get RoadBlasters unplugged, but I dunno. ..maybe he did.

[The incident could have been what caused him to snap. Tas really can't say for sure. Heck, he and Tic knew nothing about all of this, so they obviously have done a better job at keeping themselves hidden than they previously thought.]

[Ralph's only a little surprised at what Tas is saying, after all, even he felt some loyalty to all of the Nicelanders, even though they had treated him terribly for all those years. Except in this case, Turbo was their brother, so they had even more of a connection than just being in the same game.

He nods, sighing once more. He didn't like Turbo, especially after everything was said and done, but, he had a soft spot for the Twins. Ralph's not sure what to say, so he just comes up with the most positive thing he can say. Which, it isn't much, and he knows it.]

If it's any consolation, it looked like that for a long time, nearly everybody in Sugar Rush liked him.

[Tas suddenly lets out a sharp, sarcastic bark of a laugh. It's not at all humorous.]

Pssht. Course. ....Least he still got what he wanted, even then.

[Tas can't help but wonder if Turbo ever thought about his brothers all that time he was still alive. Did he ever wonder if the Twins survived? ....Did he ever care?]

[Ralph closes his eyes and sighs.]

He's rather good at taking what he wants, isn't he?

[Ralph not really sure how to respond to that, that's the best he can come up with.

As for his brothers, there was no mention of them from Turbo, but, he was preoccupied with other matters at the time.]

Mmm.

[The conversation again trails off into silence as Tas looks back over to Tic, who hasn't said a word since Ralph put them both down. Tas is still having a hard time believing what Ralph's saying, but Tic seems to be a whole different story. His grip is like a vice on his brother's arm, but he still remains silent.]

So what're ya gonna....tell everyone in th'entire dang arcade me n' Tic are here now? T'warn 'em?

[Ralph shakes his head.]

The way I see it, you guys have been minding your own business all this time. There's been no reports of games going Out of Order because someone's messed with them, there's been no weird glitches, heck, the fact that you two are standing here as yourselves is proof that you're not your brother.

If you wanted to cause trouble, you already would have.

Dang straight.

[Tas scoffs, tugging on his arm a bit until Tic finally lets go, lifting a hand to wipe his face. He still remains silent, however.]

Better make sure it stays that way, Wreck-It.

[Ralph gives them a solemn nod.]

I'll do what I can.

[He pauses for just a moment.]

After all, I know what it's like to be hated for things that were out of my control.

[Tas pauses, watching Ralph silently for a moment. He kept mentioning how he was hated...and that intrigued him whether he liked it or not. Something tells him it's best if he leaves it alone, but as long as they've been drug back here he might as well ask.]

What's yer deal anyway? ...You don't seem like the same guy from way back when.

[Ralph shrugs.]

30 years will do a lot of things to you. One day, I got sick and tired of not being appreciated, so I took a page from your brother's book and went off to snag me a medal. I got the blasted thing, but one thing lead to another, and well, that's how your brother ended up a giant, murderous bug monster.

[It suddenly occurs to him that it was completely his fault that Turbo had gotten his final Game Over, if that bug hadn't attached to his face and went to Sugar Rush with him, then their brother would still be alive.]

[Both of the Twins wince at that. The information is still pretty fresh, and every extra time it gets brought up just rubs more salt in the wounds. Still, they shouldn't care as much as they do, really.

..Yet he was their brother. They have to.]

Yeah yeah, whatever. Bet'cha yer glad ya got yer happy endin' at least, huh? You 'ad no room to be actin' like nobody appreciated ya in th'first place anyway. Aren't ya th'REASON th'game's called Fix-It Felix, Jr.?

[Ralph doesn't like their sudden change in tone, but he can't really blame them. In response, he shakes his head.]

No, the game is named for Felix. The Nicelanders would give him cakes and pies, but they never even treated me like an equal.

On the day of the game's 30th anniversary, they didn't even invite me to the party. So, I got sick and tired of their attitudes towards me and I decided to change things.

I didn't mean to even ever show up in Sugar Rush, but once I got there, one thing lead to another, and your brother was revealed to have attempted to murder a little girl.

[Suddenly Tas feels himself jostled slightly when Tic shifts unexpectedly, his fingers digging into his brother's arm almost painfully to keep himself steady.
Did....did he almost fall? Tas can't really tell, but he is trembling again.

Tas's expression changes in an instant, his eyes burning as he snaps.]

A'ight. We get it. Whatever ya freakin' did it's over with now anyways. Like I said, ya got yer happy endin', so whoopdi-freakin'-do for you.

[Ralph frowns.]

Hey! Why are you turning around all of this to be about me? Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your brother, but if it didn't, the whole arcade woulda been shut down, taking you with it.

S'not like it woulda' even mattered. All we do nowadays anyways is hide. That's no life, not fer someone who's 'sposed to be workin' from nine t'five.

[Even as he says this, Tas knows that he and his brother still have one thing: the will to survive. It weakens by the day, but it still persists, no matter what he tries to say to object.]

[Ralph sighs at this, he's seen the despair on the others all too well. Even though Q*bert and his friends hadn't been unplugged nearly as long as TurboTime's been, he could see the toll it took on them. And, they had people helping them out, giving them food and support.

The Twins didn't have that, they had to find whatever scraps they could take and never let anyone know that they were there. They were on their own, utterly alone except for each other.]

I know...and, I'm sorry.

Me and Felix are tryin' to come up with a way to help the homeless characters, but so far, we haven't had any good ideas.

No, ya don't get it. Even IF ya somehow find somewhere t'put everyone, where's that gonna leave me n' Tic here? 'Specially if what you're tellin' us is true-

[He jerks his head away sharply, scuffing his shoe against the floor with a loud huff.]

S'no way we're ever showin' our faces in this place again.

[Ralph's been going back and forth on this, but he's finally come to a decision. After all, he owes the Twins, it's his fault their brother is dead.]

You're not exactly getting what I'm saying. We're thinking about putting everybody in our game. Including you. If you want.

We just haven't figured out the details yet. It's hard to find a solution everybody likes.

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