Emerging from a puddle of liquid chocolate, Ralph managed to catch sight of a bunch of racers. It took him a moment to remember what King Candy told him back at the castle. "The pot goes to the winning racer!" Getting up off the cocoa ground, Ralph took after them. "Hey, guys! Can I talk to you for a second?" He followed them to some sort of junkyard were low and behold, Sinensis was working on her motorcycle. She did not look happy at their arrival. Ralph got down low as he watched the racers emerge from their cars and surround her; the mood was tense, even from where he was observing. "It's that little crumble snatcher," he frowned, eyeing her intently. He was not the only one glaring at the long-haired woman.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sinensis?" Taffyta smirked sourly, folding her arms. "I thought you died." "U-uh, no. I'm still here and kicking," Sinensis answered in a smaller voice; she clearly wasn't the confrontational type. "And you've been busy, I see. Make that heh, little bike yourself?" "Um, yes. It took me a while but…" "Oh, Sinensis; it's so…. you. You've always stood out from the crowd; I mean you're beautiful." "Yeah, too bad she's weird," another added. The earned a collective laugh. Ralph wasn't sure how he felt about that. Sure, she was a thief but what about her made her so different? Other than the fact that everyone called her a "glitch" and she wanted to ride a motorcycle.

Sinensis blushed and rubbed her arm in a shy fashion, not saying anything. "I mean like, where did you even get the coin to pay? It's not like you've ever raced before," Taffyta asked in a condescending tone. "A-ah, well I… I borrowed it from someone." "You didn't borrow it, you stole it!" Ralph growled to himself. "From who? That big monster who was chasing you on the track?" "He's not a monster, Taffyta; he's a person." This definitely caught Ralph's attention, widening his eyes. No one had ever said anything like that about him before, and while it was technically not a compliment- more of a recognition of a basic truth- it felt good to hear it. Real good. The others however, didn't look all that impressed.

"Awe, you are so sweet, Sinensis. But you have to back out of the race, yeah." Sinensis blinked in surprise for some reason. "I….. I don't understand. I-I paid my fee and I'm on the roster. W-why shouldn't I race?" "Well you see, Sinensis; CandleHead is right. You're different, and not in a good way," she tossed her lollipop at the frazzled girl. "King Candy says glitches can't race." "That's not fair. It's not my fault that I glitch, sometimes." "I know, but hey, the rules are there for a reason, honey; to protect us," Taffyta made her way past Sinensis over towards her bike. "I mean look at this; a motorcycle? Seriously? Are you trying to be cool or something?" "N-no! I just like bikes more; I don't know why." "Well just look at this thing," Taffyta gave it a kick, causing the others to snicker. "It wouldn't last five minutes in a race." "Yes, it would! I've worked very hard on it." "Oh really? But what if you g-glitch?" The mean woman reached over to grab hold of the handlebar. With one swift motion, it came off in her hand causing Sinensis- and Ralph- to erupt in a shocked gasp. "See? What did I tell ya? You're an accident just waiting to happen," She waved it in front of the teary black-haired woman. "No…. no….." Tears began to stream down her flushed cheeks.

"Hey, I think Taffyta's right," Francis came to the other side, grabbing hold of one of the side mirrors. "You wouldn't wanna mess up that pretty face if you g-glitched during the race, would you?" He knocked the mirror clean off. Ralph watched in utter disbelief as everyone, minus Sinensis, took that as their que to destroy her bike. "No, stop! My bike!" A frantic Sinensis ran over to take hold of one of their arms, only to be cruelly flung to the ground. Still crying, she pushed her upper half up to see her beloved motorcycle torn to pieces. "My bike! My bike…."

When the damage was done, and the other racers had had their fill of sinister violence, they all turned back to face a dumb-struck Sinensis. She was just staring at the shattered remains of her most precious treasure, her most valuable possession. Taffyta made sure to kick the handlebar daramtically out of the way as she came over to Sinensis. "There, you see, sweetheart? You will never be a racer because you're a glitch. Nothing but a glitch, and that's all you'll ever be."

That was the last straw; Ralph had had enough. They were torturing this poor girl for no reason, at least from where he stood. "Hey! Leave her alone!" Everyone turned to face him in horror as he suddenly charged down at them. With a scream, they all took off, leaving a down-hearted Sinensis there alone with him. "Scram, you rotten little cavities! Before I throw you into the mud!" Ralph didn't stop until they were all gone. With one last kick at the dirt, he took a few deep breaths and slowly turned back to her. She was still gazing over the sad remains of her bike, crying silently to herself.

The mood was…. awkward, to say the least. Ralph wanted to yell at her, but he also felt an immense pity for her. He decided to take things slowly, at least at first as he approached her from behind. "You ok?" The awkward man ventured to ask. Sinensis didn't even look at him while she answered. "Did…. did they hurt you? At King Candy's castle?" "What is with you?!" This didn't sit well with Ralph for some reason. "Why do you keep worrying about me? "Oh, please don't hit him; please stop hurting him"," he said in a mocking feminine tone. He was expecting some sort of sassy or angry retort, but Sinensis still didn't glance up his way. "I am so sorry you had to be dragged you into this," she uttered with a new batch of tears swelling in her eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen….."

Ralph watched Sinensis cry for a moment, experiencing an array of intense emotions. His anger melted into softness for her as he heard her crying. He couldn't deny the positive feelings sprouting inside him, which he knew was insane considering she's the one who stole from him. And yet… as he looked at her, he could feel a sort of kinship, empathy….. For the first time in… since Ralph could remember, he felt sincerity, a desire to make things right…. just to make her stop crying. He didn't know where these feelings came from, but they were there, and they were strong. In that instant, Ralph realized that Sinensis was his ally and his friend; she was on his side. He didn't even need to ask her; something inside him already know. His eyes lowered gently onto the back of her. He didn't have to think about it.

"Ah, alright; stop crying," Ralph rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not mad that you stole my medal." "I didn't steal it. I borrowed it…. but I guess its stolen now that I can't compete in the race," her fingers reached down to tenderly caress the handlebar. "I know this is putting the burden on you but….. is there a way you can earn another one, in your game?" "I can't; I didn't win it in my game. I won it in Hero's Duty." "Oh," her eyes softened. "I'm sorry…." "Look; would you stop saying you're sorry? I believe you; you're sorry. Now we've gotta figure out a way to get my medal back somehow," his finger rubbed under his chin thoughtfully.

Rubbing her eyes, Sinensis stood up and brushed the cocoa powder off her clothes. "What's your name?" "Huh?" Ralph blinked at her confused. "Your name; what's your name?" "Huh? Oh, it's Ralph." "Ralph," she repeated quietly to herself, lowering her eyes a tad. "Ralph…. Listen, Ralph; I can help you if I can get another bike. I can race and win your medal back." "You want me to help you?" Ralph didn't know why he sounded so surprised; in retrospect, this seemed like a good idea. Sinensis responded with a smile, a real smile, and slow nod of the head. "I'm sorry that you have to help me, but I need it. I can't do this alone; it took me years to build that bike, my bike…" The two stared at each other for a minute; not a hostile or angry stare but just a curious gaze. Eventually Ralph gave a little smirk, pointing his fat finger at her. "You better win." "I will; for you, I will."