Frozen Heart

Prologue: Something Missing

"What am I doing here?" he grumbled to himself, his deep voice accompanied by a long sigh that was drowned out by the party occurring around him. The stately ballroom, designed in the style of a Southern mansion, was currently housing a party for a relatively small number of people, the lights dimmed to fit the mood of the evening. A long table loaded with food and drinks along with carved jack-o-lanterns had been set against one of the white colored walls, while orange and black streamers were strung up in the air along with plastic bats and spiders that hung from the ceiling. The sound of The Monster Mash filled the air and a number of people were dancing near the center of the room.

Sitting by himself in one of the corners was a man who looked completely out of place. He was a mountain of a man, easily standing ten feet tall, though he seemed shorter slouched over in a chair that was clearly too small for him. His brown hair was slicked back and deep brown eyes scanned the room in awkward nervousness, the normally ruddy skin of his face now painted a sickly green with black stitches drawn across his forehead. His massive hands, also painted green, were disproportionately large even for a man of his size and were currently clenched delicately around the crystal glass of punch he was holding, looking as if he was putting all of his effort into not shattering in in his massive palms. He was dressed in a dirty, black jacket over a ripped, orange t-shirt along with equally dirty, black pants and heavy black boots. A pair of fake bolts sticking out of the sides of his neck completed the Frankenstein's Monster costume.

The man sighed again, staring into his punch as if by looking into the red liquid, he could find the answers he sought.

"Ralph?" a voice questioned through the crowd, causing the man to lift his head up. Looking, the man, Ralph, saw a creature in a costume approaching him. The creature walked upright, standing almost eight feet tall, towering over most of the other party goers but nonetheless stood a head shorter than Ralph himself. The creature wore a black suit with a white button-up shirt and a red tie. What wasn't covered by clothing was covered with blue shaggy fur dotted with purple spots. A long tail stuck out from the seat of his pants and dragged on the ground behind him, black ridges running up it to his spine. His fingers and toes ended in black claws and he more a plastic mask depicting a human face with round cheeks and a prominent nose.

"Sully?" Ralph questioned with a smirk, "I didn't know you go dragged into this too."

Chuckling, the creature, Sully, lifted the mask to reveal his furry, smiling face. He had bestial features with a black snout and beady, black eyes, as well as a mouth full of sharp teeth and short horns growing from his forehead.

"Well, originally, I was going to bring Boo trick-or-treating but Mr. and Mrs. Wazowski decided I needed to spend more less time hanging out with kids," Sully, replied with a chuckle as he sat down in a seat next to Ralph.

Ralph chuckled as he took a sip of his punch.

"Same thing with me," Ralph replied, "Felix thinks I've been spending too much time with Vanellope. That I should meet people "my own age." Whatever the bits that means."

"I think you know what that means, Ralph," Sully commented with a chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ralph questioned, quirking an eyebrow at Sully.

"Let me ask you this," Sully stated as he settled into his seat, "What do you do with your time around here? At least, when you're not in that game of yours."

"I don't know, hang around with my friends, I guess," Ralph answered with a shrug.

"And by friends, you mean Vanellope, don't you?" Sully inquired.

"I guess," Ralph confirmed with another shrug, "I mean, everyone else can be pretty busy. Felix went into business with that Gepetto guy not long after we got here and Calhoun opened up that shooting range. Even you have to run the factory. Vanellope's the only one around a lot of the time."

"I understand," Sully said, nodding his head slightly, "But what do you do when Vanellope's not around? When she's in school or doing something else?"

"I...Not much, I guess," Ralph admitted.

"That is what I think Felix was talking about, Ralph," Sully explained, "We've got a lot of time on our hands around here. You need to figure out something to do with it or you're going to get depressed or go stir-crazy. Maybe you don't need a girl, maybe you just need a job or a hobby. Hell, maybe you need all three, I don't know. I just know you need something."

"I….I think I see your point, Sul," Ralph said with a hint of uncertainty, "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"No problem, pal," Sully replied with a smile and a nod.

"So, what exactly are you supposed to be anyway?" Ralph questioned as he looked over Sully's costume.

"Oh, come on, man. Don't you know any American history?" Sully asked in return as he slipped the mask back on and help up peace symbols with both hands, "I am not a crook."

"...Reagan?" Ralph guessed after a moment, causing Sully to groan and wave his hand dismissively at Ralph.

"Why are you dressed up as a president anyway?" Ralph questioned.

"Hey, I have to be a monster all year long, might as well be something more normal on Halloween," Sully explained.

Ralph chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced around the room again. Looking up, he saw a banner hanging over the door that led into the ballroom reading, "Halloween Singles Night!"

"Who's idea was this anyway?" Ralph asked.

"Lottie's, as far as I know," Sully replied, indicating towards a young, blonde woman wearing a witch costume, "This is her house after all."

"But why? I thought she was dating that John Smith guy?" Ralph questioned, indicating towards a young man dressed as a vampire standing with Lottie. He had blue eyes and long blonde hair which he wore in a loose ponytail.

"Well, they're from different movies, when they got here, they were single," Sully explained, "Heck, John's one of the few people around here that had a relationship that ended."

"So, they used to be single?" Ralph questioned.

"Yep, but they eventually found each other," Sully continued, "That's what gave Lottie the idea to throw these parties. She figures no one should be single if they don't want to be."

"I'm sure they had an easier time than a couple shmucks like us," Ralph stated with a chuckle.

"Hey, speak for yourself," Sully replied with a chuckle of his own, "I happened to be very good with the female of the species."

"This is when I remember that you and I are not of the same species," Ralph said as he took another sip from punch.

"Speaking of which, I think I see my next dance partner," Sully said, indicating to a female monster amongst the crowd as he stood up.

"Go get her," Ralph said with a smile and nodded at the girl. Sully nodded and waved his hand as he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ralph alone again.

Ralph sighed, taking another sip of his punch as he scanned the room again. Most of the party goers were happily chatting with each other and some were even dancing. Ralph couldn't have stood out more if he tried, so it wasn't surprising when he caught someone else's attention.

"Ralph," a voice with a southern drawl said to his side, causing Ralph to jump a little, almost spilling his punch on himself. Turning, he saw Lottie standing next to him, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Oh…uh…hey Lottie," Ralph greeted her nervously, "…Nice, uh…nice party."

"Ralph, Ah didn't invite ya here so ya could sit in the corner and sip punch all night," Lottie stated evenly, "The whole point of this party is to give you a chance to meet other singles livin' round here."

"I know, Lottie, I know," Ralph replied, putting up one of his hands in an effort to calm her, "But I'm not looking to make some sort of romantic connection. I'm fine where I am."

"Don't lie to me, Ralph," Lottie stated, her eyes narrowing at the larger man, "Ah saw yer movie. You were pretty much alone fer thirty years."

"Yeah, and I wasn't pining for female companionship the whole time," Ralph countered.

"Fine," Lottie sighed, rolling her eyes at Ralph, "But ya should at least try. What good does it do ya to sit here by yerself all night?"

"Keeps me from embarrassing myself," Ralph replied before taking another sip of his punch.

"You won't embarrass yerself, Ralph," Lottie pressed, "Everyone here is eager to meet new people. Ah know fer a fact some lovely ladies have had their eyes on you."

"Yeah, right," Ralph replied with a dismissive snort.

"Ah'm serious," Lottie said before grabbing one of Ralph's large arms with both of hers and pulling on him, trying to pull Ralph from his seat. As she did, John wandered over, an amused look on his face.

"Having a good time, Ralph?" John asked with a chuckle.

"Tons of fun," Ralph said sarcastically as Lottie tried futility to pull him out of the chair, "I would appreciate it if you could stop your girlfriend from stealing my arm though."

"Sorry about that," John apologized, "But she does have a point. Why would you want to come to this party to just sit around?"

"It wasn't exactly my idea," Ralph argued, ignoring Lottie's continued attempts to pull him to his feet.

"Still, don't you think you should make the most of it?" John pressed, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Ralph, "Would it really be all that bad to go up and talk to one of these ladies?"

Ralph sighed dramatically.

"I guess you have a point," Ralph said as he stood up, the loss of resistance causing Lottie to stumble backwards a few feet before she caught herself. She narrowed her eyes at Ralph as she straightened her costume.

"Warn a girl when ye're goin' to do somethin' like that," Lottie groused as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Sorry," Ralph said with a sheepish shrug, before turning his attention to the gathered partygoers, some of whom turned their attention towards him as he towered over them. He noticed a few of the woman looking at him and whispering amongst themselves, causing his unease to rise.

"Go on," Lottie said, urging Ralph on, "Go talk to someone."

"I've never really been good at this whole breaking the ice thing," Ralph replied, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

"It's easy, Ralph," Lottie insisted, taking the large man's hand and leading him towards the other guests, "Just go up and introduce yerself."

Ralph paused again, clearly unwilling to take the final step. Huffing impatiently, Lottie let go of Ralph's hand and walked behind him before giving him a hard shove in the back. Ralph, who was standing uneasily on his feet already, went stumbling forward, accidentally bumping into a woman, almost sending her sprawling.

"Hey!" the young woman, who had dark hair and wore a green dress, shouted indignantly as she spun around to face Ralph, "Watch it!"

"Sorry!" Ralph replied, a panicked look on his face as he held his hands up defensively, Lottie behind him, covering her mouth, aghast at what had happened, "It was an accident!"

"Yeah, that means a lot coming from you, you walking hazard!" the woman barked rudely, "Why anyone invited the likes of you to this party is beyond me."

"Why daenae ye stick a sock in it, Druzella?" a new voice said angrily. Looking to the side, Ralph saw a younger girl approaching him through the crowd. She looked no older than sixteen, with wild, curly red hair that was pulled back in a tight braid that hung to her shoulders and icy blue eyes, both accentuating her pale features. She wore a brown leather jacket over a dark green t-shirt along with blue jeans and brown hiking boots. A bow and a quiver full of arrows were slung around her shoulders.

"How dare you talk to me like that, you little brat!" the woman, Druzella, snarled as she narrowed her eyes at the other girl.

"Look who's talkin', brat," the redhead replied with a dismissive snort, her voice thick with a Scottish accent, "Why daenae ye shove off afore Ah give ye a real reason tae whine?"

Druzella looked like she was about to say something else to the girl but instead huffed indignantly and stuck her nose into the air before turning on her heel and stomping away. The redhead snorted again, rolling her eyes as she turned around to face Ralph.

"Thanks, Merida," Ralph said with an embarrassed smile, looking around and noticing most of the party guests glancing at him and whispering amongst themselves.

"Daenae worry aboot it," the girl, Merida replied before glancing around at the gawking party goers before turning back to Ralph with a smile as the music turned to a slower song, "Fancy a dance?"

"I think you're a little young for me," Ralph replied with a smirk.

"Shut up afore Ah change ma mind," Merida replied as she marched past Ralph, reaching up and grabbing the wrecker's arm, dragging the larger man along behind her. Stepping out onto the dance floor, Merida turned to face Ralph, holding her hands out to him.

"Well?" Merida questioned, watching Ralph fidget expectantly, "Are we gaein' tae dance or nae?"

"I-I…I don't really know how to dance, Red," Ralph said nervously, perspiration gathering on his forehead.

"It's easy, Ralph, even fer a lumix like ye," Merida stated as she reached out and took the wrecker's hands in hers, placing one on her hip before resting her hand on his forearm, "Try nae tae step on ma feet, alright?"

"I make no promises," Ralph chuckled good-naturedly, Merida's friendly attitude putting him at ease. Smiling back at him, Merida took the first step and the two began to dance in a simple back and forth waltz.

"Hey, ye're nae half bad," Merida commented with surprise as they danced.

"I'm as surprised as you are," Ralph replied with a chuckle, glancing over at Lottie, who was grinning and giving him a thumbs-up.

"Nice costume, by th' way," Merida complimented.

"Thanks, wish I could say the same for you," Ralph snickered.

"Whit's 'at supposed tae mean?" Merida questioned indignantly.

"I'm just saying a strong, rebellious, young woman who uses a bow isn't that much of a stretch, Prin-OW!" Ralph began to say, but was interrupted as Merida stepped hard on his foot.

"Oops, sorry," Merida apologized with faux sympathy, continuing the dance unimpeded.

"I thought I was supposed to be the clumsy one," Ralph groused as he glared down at Merida.

"Accidents happen," Merida replied with a shrug and a smirk.

"So, what brings you here?" Ralph questioned, looking to change the subject as they danced.

"Ma mother," Merida answered with a sigh, "Since Ah'm nae interested in any o' th' men from ma area, she figures Ah should try tae meet saemeane at ane o' these thin's."

"So, your mother doesn't know about What's-His-Name then?" Ralph questioned with a smirk.

"Whit are ye talkin' aboot?" Merida replied in confusion.

"You know, the guy you've been talking to in secret," Ralph explained with a knowing grin, "The one from 'out of town.'"

Merida's eyes widened in shock.

"How dae ye know aboot him?" Merida whispered, her eyes darting around at the rest of the party.

"Simple, you talk to Vanellope and Vanellope talks to me," Ralph replied with a shrug before a thoughtful look crossed his face, "Now, what was his name again? It's was like some bodily noise right? Fart? Belch? Oh, wait, now I remember, it's-OW!"

The words died in Ralph's throat instead letting out a cry of startled pain as Merida dug her heel into his foot again, drawing the attention of some of the other partygoers.

"I need that to walk, you know!" Ralph growled down at her.

"Tough luck," Merida fumed as she glared back at Ralph, "Och, Ah shudnae hae told 'at runt anythin'."

"Relax, Red," Ralph replied, glancing around as a few of the partygoers whispered amongst themselves.

"Daenae tell me tae relax, Wreck-It," Merida snarled, "Dae ye know how much trouble th' two of us could be in if this gets oot?"

"I have an idea," Ralph muttered in reply, "Look, I was just trying to tease you, Merida. Didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine, jist kind o' stressful is all," Merida relented with a sigh, "Please daenae tell Vanellope Ah called her a runt. She's a sweet lass an' Ah shud hae known she wud tell ye. Ah jist….Ah jist daenae want us….daenae want him tae get in any trouble over this."

"I understand, don't worry," Ralph stated with a smirk as they continued to dance, "Let me ask you a question, Red. Does this guy make you happy?"

"...Aye, 'at he does," Merida admitted with a small smile, her cheeks taking on a rosy tint.

"Then I say to hell with the rules," Ralph stated, "Some rules were made to be broken, after all. I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't break a few rules."

"Sugar Rush almost got destroyed because o' whit ye did, Ralph," Merida pointed out with a dubious expression.

"Yeah, but I fixed that," Ralph replied with a shrug, "And along with the way I uncovered a conspiracy, introduced Felix to the love of his life, found myself and met my best friend. So, I think it was a net positive overall."

"Ah suppose ye're right," Merida admitted with a chuckle as the music died down and they stopped dancing, "Thanks fer th' advice, Ralph."

"Thanks for the dance," Ralph replied in turn as he began making his way off of the dance floor, "If you ever need someone to cover for your secret boyfriend, I'm your man."

"Ah'll remember 'at," Merida replied with a chuckle before looking at him in confusion, "Where are ye gaein'?"

"I think I'm going to take off," Ralph replied as he indicated towards the door with his thumb, "I feel like I've partied enough for one night. Have a good night, alright?"

"Ye too," Merida replied, giving Ralph a slightly sad smile as she watched him leave.

After making his way through the mansion, Ralph stepped out into the Halloween night. As he made his way down the stairs that led to the front door, he took a deep breath, taking in the crisp autumn air. Wandering down the driveway and onto the street that led towards Downtown, Ralph stuck his hands into his pocket and allowed his feet to carry him towards home, the streetlights and full moon hanging in the sky lighting his way.

As he reached Downtown, the sounds of children chatting with each other and shouting "trick-or-treat" floated to Ralph's ears, accompanied by laughter and the ringing of doorbells. Making his way through the streets, Ralph saw numerous children in costume wandering about, bags full of candy weighing them down.

Walking around a corner, Ralph found himself walking by a large park that sat near the center of Downtown. Decorations covered the park and a large group of adults were gathered together in costume. Glancing around, Ralph could see many people he recognized, including Felix and Calhoun, the two of them dressed as Super Mario and Samus respectively. Looking closer, Ralph saw that everyone present was with their significant other. The sight caused Ralph to pause in his walk and take a step towards the fence that surrounded the park.

Ralph watched quietly as his friends enjoyed themselves, resting his arms on the iron fence before him. Looking around, Ralph could see couples dancing and laughing with one another or sitting quietly, enjoying each others company. As he watched, Calhoun smiled warmly at Felix as she leaned down and kissed him before taking his hand and holding it tightly. After a moment, Ralph's eyes fell down to his hands as he let out a small sigh.

"Ralph!" a voice exclaimed, snapping the wrecker out of his thoughts, "Ralph, my friend!"

Looking over, Ralph saw a tall, lanky figure stepping through the park gate, waving at him excitedly. The figure was a skeleton who stood as tall as Ralph with spindly arms and legs, dressed in an old-fashion, black tux with a high collar and long tails.

"How wonderful it is to see you!" the skeleton exclaimed as he walked up and wrapped his bony arms around Ralph in a quick embrace.

"Hey, Jack," Ralph greeted with an amused grin, as the skeleton pulled back, "Having a good night, I take it?"

"Splendid, Ralph, simply splendid," the skeleton, Jack, answered as he looked Ralph over, "Love the costume, by the way."

"Thanks," Ralph replied with a chuckle, "What brings you out here?"

"Oh, I had to meet with someone," Jack explained as he began looking around, "It's to discuss-Ah, speak of the devil!"

"Geez, I'm not that bad, Jack," a smooth voice complained from over Ralph's shoulder. Looking behind him, Ralph found two people walking up to him and Jack.

The first was a man who stood roughly the same height as Ralph and Jack. His glowing skin was a ghostly shade of blue and in place of hair, a blue flame burnt on his scalp. He wore a black toga over a grey tunic, the end of which seemed to dissolve into a cloud of black smoke around his feet.

Next to him was a woman who stood a head shorter than him. She had messy auburn hair that tumbled over her shoulders and down to the small of her back, woven with wildflowers of every conceivable color. Her skin glowed as well, though hers was a light, vibrant shade of green, over which she wore a violet colored toga.

"Hades?" Ralph questioned in surprise.

"Hey, Ralph!" Hades exclaimed with a laugh as he pat the wrecker on the shoulder, "Almost didn't recognize you in all that grease paint. Not bad, not bad."

"Thanks," Ralph replied with a chuckle, "What are you doing here?"

"Me and the Gourd Lord here have to work out our joint venture for tomorrow," Hades explained.

"Joint venture?" Ralph asked.

"Dia de Los Muertos," Jack explained, "The Day of the Dead. A perfect holiday for our combined skills."

"They do this every year," the woman added before playfully bumping Hades with her hip, "Introduce me to your friend, honey."

"Oh, right, you two haven't met," Hades said in realization, "Ralph, this is my wife, Persephone."

"Call me Seph, Persephone is such a mouthful," the woman replied with a giggle, holding out a hand which Ralph carefully shook.

"It's nice to meet you," Ralph stated with a grin, "To be honest, I didn't even realize Hades was married."

"Don't worry, getting anything out of him is like pulling teeth," Seph replied with a giggle, "It took me forever to get him to open up."

"Alright, you clucking hens, me and Jack have business to discuss," Hades stated as he rolled his eyes, "Ralph, do me a favor and keep the missus company while we chat?"

"Sure thing," Ralph answered with a snort.

"You're a peach," Hades said, grinning at Ralph with a mouth full of pointed teeth, before he and Jack began walking away, talking as they went.

"So, tell me about yourself, Ralph," Seph said friendly, "I'm usually pretty familiar with all of Hades' friends, so I'm surprised it took so long for me to meet you."

"I….wouldn't really call me and Hades friends," Ralph replied awkwardly, "More….friendly. Though, I've noticed Hades is friendly with most people in that used car salesman sort of way."

"That he is," Seph agreed with a melodic giggle as she walked over to the fence and leaned against it, resting her elbows on the metal bars,"He likes you though, I can tell. But he's not sure what to make of you yet."

"Sounds like most of the bad guys I've met around here," Ralph commented with a snort as walked up next to Seph, resting his hands on the fence as well.

"You're a unique specimen, Ralph," Seph explained, "You're a good guy who's also technically a bad guy. Most of the villains around here don't quite know what to think of you."

"You seem to," Ralph observed.

"I like to think I'm an excellent judge of character," Seph replied with a shrug before leaning in and whispering conspiratorially to him, "Plus, unlike my husband and most of his friends, I actually went and saw your movie.

"You know, no offense, but you don't really strike me as what I'd imagine Hades' type to be," Ralph stated with a smirk.

"We get that a lot," Seph answered with a tired but happy sigh, "I mean even I didn't think we'd work at first. I mean sure, he's tall, dark, and handsome, and he's got that whole bad boy thing going on, and my mother hated him, which was a huge bonus in my books. But despite all that he was still, you know, Hades."

Seph paused as a warm smile spread across her face.

"But as we went along, I figured something out," Seph continued, "Once you got past the smarmyness, past the anger, past the bitter resentment towards his little brother, it turns out Hades is….well not a good guy, but he is the guy I need."

"Do you know what I'm saying, Ralph?" Seph questioned, turning and looking up at Ralph, puzzling over her words in an effort to make herself understood, "Hades, he's not a perfect guy, but I'm not a perfect girl. Together though….it turns out we make each other…."

"Whole?" Ralph provided with a small smile as Seph trailed off.

"That's it!" Seph exclaimed happily, "That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

"You know, you're pretty open for having just met me," Ralph pointed out.

"I'm a bit of an oversharer, it's one of those flaws I was talking about," Seph explained, "At the same time though, you're a really easy guy to talk to, Ralph."

"Thanks," Ralph replied with a chuckle.

"But you get what I'm saying, right?" Seph questioned hopefully.

"Yeah," Ralph answered, the smile slipping away from his face as he looked back at the party, "I get what you're saying."

Following his gaze, Seph observed the party for a moment, chewing her bottom lip as she thought.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods tonight?" Seph questioned with a friendly smile, "Your date in there waiting for you to come back?"

"No, I wandered over here from the single's party my friends convinced me to go to," Ralph explained.

"Oh….right sorry, protagonists without love interests are pretty rare around here," Seph apologized with an awkward smile.

"I'm beginning to notice that," Ralph agreed with a melancholy tone.

"Any luck at the party?" Seph asked hopefully.

"Would I be here if I had had any luck?" Ralph questioned in return, quirking an eyebrow as he looked down at Seph.

"No, I guess not," Seph answered. her shoulders drooping, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Ralph replied with a shrug as he turned back to the party, "I wasn't expecting much anyway."

"Why'd you go then?" Seph questioned.

"I didn't want to admit it but my friends are right," Ralph explained with a sigh, "I'm in a rut. Something's missing but….I don't know what."

"You don't think it might be a special someone?" Seph suggested.

"No, it's not that," Ralph answered, glancing at the party again, "I was alone for thirty years and the thought of having a, I don't know, a girlfriend or whatever never even crossed my mind."

"Is that why you keep shooting forlorn looks at the party over there?" Seph questioned, indicating towards the party with her thumb.

"Okay, fine, maybe it has crossed my mind recently, but it's not like that situation is going to change anytime soon," Ralph admitted with a groan as he stood up straight, "I'm a walking disaster, physically and socially, and that doesn't even take into account that all the girls around here are either taken, or secretly taken, or honestly, kind of jerks, or not the same species as me."

"You know that last one isn't actually a deterrent, right?" Seph pointed out, "I mean, you know who runs the Ink and Paint Club, don't you?"

"I know, I know," Ralph said, shaking his hands at Seph in annoyance, "The point is, I don't need a girlfriend. What I need is a hobby or a job or something to keep me from going crazy when my friends aren't around or the kids are in school and can't play my game."

"Any ideas?" Seph asked.

"Not really," Ralph admitted with a defeated sigh, "I get the feeling the Magic Kingdom is not really in any need for demolition work and wrecking stuff is all I'm really good at."

"I wouldn't say that's the only thing you're good at," Seph stated as she glanced at Hades and Jack talking a short distance away.

"What do you mean?" Ralph asked in confusion.

"Ralph, do you know why Jack came out here to talk Hades?" Seph questioned in turn, sighing as her cheerful expression began to slip away.

"I….I don't know," Ralph admitted.

"Because he's not allowed in the party," Seph explained.

"He's….what?" Ralph asked in shocked confusion.

"It's not like he's banned or anything," Seph elaborated as she turned to look at the party, "But if we went in there, we'd cause a stir. People would whisper and stare and eventually someone would mention that maybe this wasn't the type of party for us. Maybe we'd have fun elsewhere, maybe spending time with people like him."

"Because they're good guys," Ralph surmised, glancing at the party as well, "And he's a bad guy."

"Exactly," Seph answered, turning back to Ralph, "I mean it's not like everyone does it, and those that do aren't even really mean about it, it's just….people like Hades….they make the others uncomfortable. They remember what happened in their movies and even though this is supposed to be a place where we let bygones be bygones, not everyone is good at letting things go."

"It doesn't seem to affect him much," Ralph observed as he looked over at Hades laughing with Jack.

"Hades is good at hiding it, and shrugging it off or burying it down. Most of the villains here learn to handle it," Seph explained, following Ralph's gaze, "But if you keep burying things like that, eventually it gets to be too much to bear. And then they're not handling it anymore. I think you're familiar with that, Ralph."

"Yeah, I guess I am," Ralph replied pensively, "What are you trying to get at?"

"I think maybe they shouldn't be burying it like they are," Seph answered, a smile growing on her face, "Maybe they should have a place where they can vent their frustrations with people like them, where they won't be judge."

"You….You want me to set up Bad Guys Anonymous here," Ralph realized, blinking at Seph in shock.

"Exactly!" Seph exclaimed happily, pointing between the two of them, "See, we are totally in sync right now."

"I….I don't know if that's a good idea," Ralph stated nervously.

"Why not?" Seph questioned, her smile dropping away.

"I'm not….trained for this," Ralph answered, "I could make things worse for them."

"Or you could make it better," Seph countered, she smile growing again.

"I'm...I'm not good at this sort of thing," Ralph argued weakly.

"Nonsense, I just told you how easy you are to open up to," Seph stated, "It's like….an extension of your wreckerness or something. Only instead of breaking down physical barriers, you're like, breaking down emotional ones. You know?"

"Not at all," Ralph answered with a shake of his head.

"Come on, Ralph, you wanted an idea and this is easily the best one you're going to get," Seph pushed taking a few steps towards the wrecker.

"I….I…." Ralph mumbled, thinking back to what Seph had told him, what he had seen of the villains himself, what he remembered of his own ostracization.

"Pleeeeease?" Selph pleaded, sticking out her trembling bottom lip as her eyes grew large and watery.

"Okay, okay," Ralph replied, waving his hands at Seph in an effort to wipe the expression on her face away, "I'll….I'll think about it alright?"

"Yay!" Seph exclaimed happily as she bounced forward and wrapped her arms around one of Ralph's arms and hugged it tightly.

"Whoa there," Ralph heard Hades voice from behind him as the god walked up and lay a hand on the wrecker's shoulder, "You're not making moves on my woman, are you, pal?"

"What!?" Ralph asked in fear and surprise, "No….I…."

"Oh, stop being jealous, Nightlight," Seph admonished as she let go of Ralph and stepped up next to Hades, "Ralph just agreed to help me with something."

"And what something would that be?" Hades questioned, before leaning in towards Seph and muttering, "And I told you not to call me that in public. It ruins my cred."

"It's a surprise," Seph answered as she playfully pinched Hades' cheek, prompting him to pull away, "You'll have to wait and see."

"Yeah….a surprise," Ralph agreed, laughing nervously as he began to walking away, stretching his arms above his head as he went, "Anyway, I should be taking off, getting late, early day tomorrow and all that."

"It was nice to meet you, Ralph," Seph smiled at him, while Hades continued to give him a confused and questioning look, followed by Jack as the skeleton walked up next to him.

"Nice to meet you too," Ralph replied, pointing at Seph and laughing awkwardly before quickly turning around and walking away, "Goodnight!"

The three of them watched as Ralph quickly walked away, following him until he disappeared around a corner.

"Ralph can be rather odd sometimes, can't he?" Jack questioned as he looked towards Hades.

"You aren't kidding, Bonehead," Hades agreed with a shake of his head as he took Seph's arm and began leading her away, not noticing the excited smile that had formed on her face.

A block away, Ralph finally slowed down as he turned onto the street that led to Flynn's Arcade. Taking a deep breath, he let it out as a sigh as he ran one of his large hands through his hair, returning it to its normally messy state.

"Well, Ralph, you wanted something to make life around here more exciting," Ralph muttered to himself as he started walking by the cinema next to Flynn's, "Not really what I had in mind though."

Pausing, Ralph looked up at the night sky, taking a moment to observe the twinkling stars dancing around the full moon hanging above as he collected his thoughts.

"Still, it is something to do, and there's a slim chance I might actually be good at it," Ralph decided with a shrug as he lowered his head, "Besides, it's not like my life can get anymore complicated, right?"

As he turned his attention back towards the road ahead of him, something caught his eye. Glancing over, he saw a poster set up near the entrance to the cinema. Stepping up to it, Ralph was able to squint and make out the picture on the poster through the Halloween gloom.

The poster showed a young, slender woman with her back to the camera. She was dressed in a light blue dress that left her shoulders bare, with a long shawl that hung down past her feet, both articles of clothing sparkling like the stars in the sky above her. Her long, platinum blonde hair was wrapped in a loose braid and decorated with what looked like shining snowflakes. She appeared to be standing on a snowcovered mountaintop, stretching one hand above her head, from which what looked like a stream of magical energy poured from, coalescing into a giant, glowing, light blue snowflake floating above her. Ralph's eyes lingered on the woman for a few moments before he looked up at the title under the "Coming Soon" sign.

"Frozen, huh?" Ralph questioned, before chuckling, "Looks like we'll be getting some new arrivals soon."

Turning away from the poster, Ralph began making his way to the Arcade once more.

"I should take Vanellope to see that," Ralph thought aloud, "I bet she'll get a kick out of it."

A/N: So, here we go, the sequel I promised you guys last week starts here. I will admit, this chapter got away from me a little bit, which reflects how this story will be much longer and grander in scope than the last one. I actually had the idea for this story a good while ago, and I was trying to push through what I wanted to write for Like Dreamers Do just so I could write this one after. As such, I'm very excited to be sharing it with you all, so let me know what you think, as I'm sure a number of you already have an idea of where this story might be headed. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!