wintercrazed | Two heads are better than one

Two heads are better than one

[It's not uncommon that, after hours, Vanellope will suddenly show up via Fix-It Felix Jr's train from Game Central Station, bolting immediately to find Ralph. Half the time, she drags him off before he can even get a chance to ask her what's going on. This time is no different, and she seems really excited to show him something.

They barely have time to exit the train before she's lead him to Sugar Rush, calling over her shoulder and gesturing the whole way.]

C'mon slow poke, y'act like ya got a trail of molassass slowin' you down! Hurry up!!!

[Whatever it is, it must be something that just can't wait, because she's already darted into the port that leads to Sugar Rush.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ralph chuckles as Vanellope is nearly bouncing off the walls, she must really have something special to show off to him. Usually, Sugar Rush wasn't his sort of game, but she always managed to keep things interesting.

When he replies, his tone is good-natured and teasing.]

I'm coming, I'm coming. Unlike you, you candy-powered jackrabbit, most of my power's in my arms, not my legs. I'm built for smashing things, not winning races.

Well we're just gonna hafta work on that then, aren't we?

[Comes her retort before she completely disappears into the port, waiting at the top of the bridge on the other side for Ralph to catch up with her. She looks barely winded, but only because she's got enough energy for ten racers, and then some.]

[Ralph laughs heartily at this.]

If anybody could teach me to race, it'd be you! You've won more than anybody I know!

Of course, that's all by kart, but I'm sure running's not too different.

[He continues plodding along at a comfortable, slow pace. He could easily go faster, but it's fun teasing Vanellope just a little.]

Edited 2013-03-20 04:29 (UTC)

Well I dunno if I could beat someone in a foot race, but I dare someone to bet they can beat me on the racetrack!

[She exclaims, waiting until Ralph finally appears at the top of the bridge while rocking on her heels a bit, waiting to continue until he's completely caught up.]

Look overalls, I know this place isn't yer cup of tea, but you really gotta see somethin' I found! It's not your average ice cream mountian or candy cane forest, I'll tell ya that much!

[Ralph laughs.]

Right now, I'd say you weren't doing bad in the speed department, you're darting around like your skirt's on fire. Whatever it is that you wanna show me, it must be pretty special, huh?

I don't know, I mean, those ice cream mountains and candy cane forests sure are exciting... [He's got a big grin on his face as he says this, he's clearly joking with her.]

You'll see, just c'mon! At the rate we're goin' we won't even be halfway there before the arcade opens again!

[She scoffs and playfully rolls her eyes, darting down the bridge before heading in the general direction of the Nougat Mines. She's showed them to Ralph before, so he might be able to recognize where they're headed.]

Not as excitin' as what I found, trust me!

Well, if we drove there, we could be there faster, you know.

[Ralph's surprised that Vanellope didn't bring her kart on this little adventure, it was hard to keep her away from it most of the time. Though, maybe it was easier to get back here by the off-roads where the karts couldn't really go.

He does remember the Nougat Mines, though he didn't think they were as interesting as she's making them out to be. Not to mention the biting cold because of all the snow and ice cream made it somewhat unpleasant to be there for long periods of time.]

You've got my curiosity going, kid, how much further is it?

Well yeah, but it's better on foot, trust me!

[Ralph's right in his assumption that she chose not to drive her kart to the mines and go on foot instead. Mostly it's because of the terrain, but on top of that she figures going on foot would be far more fun in the first place.]

It's not much further, keep yer pants on!

[The closer they get the colder it gets, but it's not nearly as bad as it would be if it were snowing on the mountain top. The mines sit several hundred yards away, the wind blowing through the entrance making an ominous echo.]

[Ralph chuckles and keeps on following Vanellope, even though Sugar Rush wasn't exactly his favorite place, it was nice being able to spend time with his best friend.

He's wondering what exactly she found in those mines, all he knew was that they were cold and that the racetrack went through it. How deep had she explored the place by herself.]

Hey, does anybody know we're out here?

[If there was a cave-in or something, it'd be good to have backup out there if they got in trouble.]

[Vanellope comes to a stop when they're nearly at the entrance, panting now from the exertion of the treck. She waves a hand dismissively though, shaking her head a little.]

What? Nooo, course not! But c'mon Ralph, I explore this entire game by myself all the time. Have for fifteen years, and I'm still in one piece aren't I?

[The girl finally pauses to take a breath, leaning over on her tiptoes so she can better see into the cavernous opening of the mine. Smiling, she looks back up at Ralph, gesturing at him to wait where he is.]

Ok, ok, wait here! Don't move, I'm gonna go see if it's still there. I'll tell ya when you can come in!

[And before he can really respond she takes off again, darting into the cave's entrance.]

[Ralph frowns slightly.]

Well, yeah, you live here.

[If something did happen, Vanellope would be able to regenerate, but Ralph wouldn't. He'd just have to be careful and keep an eye on things.

He raises an eyebrow, whatever it was that she found could move around? Was it some kind of ice cream creature or something?

Ralph was going to say something about sticking around until the President told him to move, but she had already dashed off.

He sighs slightly and crosses his arms, waiting for Vanellope to give him the okay to come on in.]

[Well, as adventurous as Vanellope is, she doesn't really take the time to think about possible dangers that could be hiding in Sugar Rush. Nevertheless, she doesn't seem too worried anyway. Normally Sugar Rush wouldn't be dangerous in the first place.

There's a long pause in which there is nothing but silence, save for the incessant sound of the wind howling through the mine.

There might be cause for concern when the time he's been waiting stretches on to five minutes...ten....then fifteen, with absolutely no response from Vanellope whatsoever.

That is, of course, until a bloodcurdling scream erupts from deep within the mines.]

RAAAALPH!!!!

[At first, Ralph's not too worried about the wait, maybe whatever it was wandered off, so Vanellope had troubles finding it. Though, it's strange that he doesn't hear a single word from her.

As soon as he hears her scream out for him, he bolts into the mine without hesitation. He doesn't know quite where he's going, but he hopes he can reach Vanellope in time.]

I'm coming, kid! Hold on!

[Even as Ralph barrels into the entrance, the racer cries out again, and it's not long before he can probably see her running from the depths of the mine towards him. She looks scared right out of her wits, and she's breathless as she scrambles over to him.]

R-ralph! It's...it's a...!!

[She can't quite get out what she's trying to say before she skids around him, hiding herself behind one of his legs. In the darkness there's an ominous flash of green, and echoing clicking as something approaches.]

C-Cy-bug!!

[Once he sees Vanellope dashing towards him, Ralph slows down and stops so that they can talk.

She's clearly not acting, something's really got her spooked.

When Vanellope tells him that it's a Cy-Bug on the loose, he gives her a nod, then looks ahead, balling his hands up into fists.]

Stay behind me, kid. I'm not gonna let it get you.

[Here's hoping that eating ice cream had made its shell as soft as most of the others he had fought in Sugar Rush, they had shattered upon impact with his fists.]

[The clicking gets louder and louder, until a massive Cy-bug appears from the shadows, its jaws working after taking a bite out of something on the way. It's body is golden and looks to be fused with the Nougat stalactites scattered all throughout the mines.

Apparently it spotted Vanellope before and made a grab for her, who had just barely been able to get out of the way.

And it doesn't look like it want's to let it's little moving treat go, either.]

[Ralph watches as the Cy-Bug approaches, it's much bigger than he thought it'd be, that's for sure. Apparently it had just been growing and growing here in the safety of the mines.

He glances back at his friend.]

Vanellope, I want you to run and hide just a little bit away, this is gonna take longer than I thought.

[The child hesitates, but seeing how massive the bug is it doesn't take her long to decide to heed his warning, darting behind the nearest boulder to keep herself hidden and out of sight.

Meanwhile, the Cy-bug advances, it's claws digging deep ruts into the ground as it approaches Ralph. It can't see Vanellope anymore, but it's obviously still looking for her, its jaws opening and closing with a low hiss.]

[Vanellope's new hiding place gives Ralph an idea, so he hustles over to a boulder on the other side of the cavern and hefts it up.

He watches as the Cy-Bug searches around, then he chucks the large frosty rock at the robot.]

Hey! Why don't you pick on somebody closer to your size, huh?!

[The rock collides with the Cy-bug's side, causing it to wheel around and let out a loud hiss, directing its attention to Ralph for a moment, before charging.

No matter, destroy the threat before tracking down the prey.]

[Well, that was something of the response Ralph had thought he wanted, but it was worse than he had imagined it to go. At least it wasn't looking for Vanellope now.

Ralph looks around frantically for another boulder, but the closest one is the one Vanellope's behind, so it's not an option.

He's going to get close to a wall as quickly as possible and hold his ground.

Once the Cy-Bug gets close, he's going to throw himself off to the side, hoping that the giant beast will smack into the wall of the mine instead of him.]

[Completely distracted for the moment, the Cy-Bug circles around, orienting itself in front of Ralph again. It obviously looks angry at its hunt being disrupted, and every now and then it lets out a low, ominous hiss. If it had been eating something like, say, ice cream for a few months Ralph would have been able to destroy it with one punch.

But Nougat is a bit more durable.

It does exactly as he predicts though and charges, its legs scrabbling a little against the dirt to gain purchase before launching itself right at Ralph, jaws wide.]

[Ralph can tell that it looks sturdier than the other bugs he had faced, and all of those had been on the smaller side, at least compared to this bug. He'd have to be more clever in getting rid of this one.

At the last moment, he dives off to the right, hitting the ground with a large thud. It seems like he was almost too late, one of its teeth grazed his foot, causing it to bleed some. He's a tough dude and has been through worse, but it still hurts.

He'll deal with that later, though, as he scrambles up to his feet and hustles to a short distance away, trying to figure out the best way to take out this monster.

If it hit its head enough times, would that kill it? Or would he have to take more desperate action and try to bring down the mine on top of it?]

[Vanellope covers her mouth to keep from crying out when she sees Ralph get nicked, but she doesn't have much time to think about anything else. The mine rumbles loudly when the Cy-Bug suddenly collides with the wall, letting out an ear-splitting screech.

It falls back onto its side, its legs kicking in the air a bit. It's shell is cracked down both sides and the middle, even as it struggled to its feet.

Looks like a good, square punch now might do the trick.]

[Once Ralph stands up, he notices the nasty crack that goes all the way through the bug. Seems like he got pretty lucky here, that is if he can pull this off.

He rushes at the bug, hauling back for a good solid punch aimed right at the crack.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject