The applause from the audience was never-ending. Citizens of the kingdom and visitors alike praise I Want to Be Your Canary, especially both the cast and crew that has brought about such an excellent performance. Nobles of Alexandria or visiting from places like Treno for example were particularly giddy about the show's ending. The rude passer-by from earlier states his review of the play "...That...was...THRILLING! I was on the edge of my seat when that scene occurred!" says the passer-by, talking about the acting sequence of Cornelia's death and then Marcus' suicide following right after. "Y-Yeah! I didn't expect that like, at all! I know it's part of what happens in the story...but MAN! these actors really know how out to bring out a tragedy towards us viewers! especially the lead actress!" says the "friend" of the passer-by, sharing a similar opinion about how I Want to Be Your Canary was brought out all the way towards it's very ending on "sheer talents" alone.

"You know? I REALLY want that actress beauty's autograph! let's go see here when the show finishes!" says the rude passer-by, his friend agreeing with a nod. "Tch, stupid adults. Give people space why don't ya!?" says Puck, thinking about how the actors must feel, all fatigued...amongst other things. He is still concerned, wondering...what are Vivi's thoughts upon the end of the performance's final act. "...Hey Vi, I-" before Puck could say a word though...what appears akin to a smile on the young Black Mage's expression shows itself. Vivi replies to Puck about the former's feelings regarding the play. "...It...was sad. Really...really sad. I wanted...to get up there and help Cornelia. But...I only know Black Magic, not White. Even if I could do something...I doubt...I would have been able to make a difference. I...kinda…realise that now. In the end, even though I knew it was still fiction...it still spoke out to me. But...someone had to keep a straight poker face, as my grandpa would used to say." says Vivi, mentioning a grandfather for the 1st time to Puck.

"H-Huh? your...grandad?" says Puck, confused by Vivi's statement. "...Puck. I'm...I'm so sorry! even though I'm your servant...I ended up causing you trouble about the show. I nearly got us into trouble...and then...I would have ruined the performance for everybody. Thank you Puck...you had a straight poker face, just like grandpa told me." says Vivi. What he is saying in simple terms is that Puck was sensible enough despite his young age to recognise what was real and what was not, unlike Vivi. Because of such maturity, especially considering again Puck's age, though close to around Vivi's still had levelheadedness that was much like an adult's. Maybe even more so...Vivi was able to recognise this trait right away. He had thanked Puck for it before next saying "...Your...a true friend Puck. Thanks...for keeping me from ruining everything." says Vivi to Puck, the former now considering Puck...his very 1st real friend in life. "!? H-Hey, Vivi..." Puck was struggling to think up a reply, taken aback by Vivi's kind hearted words.

Steiner on the stage thought "...What...what...what. What...a FARCE! HOW CAN THEY ALL CHEER FOR A RAGTAG BAND OF FAKE ACTORS THAT ARE ACTUALLY EVIL BRIGANDS!?" Steiner loudly exclaimed, only inside his head though. "Why, the only GOOD if not GREAT acting was from the princess! her skill as an actress is unparalleled! if only I knew beforehand! if only the queen could know!" Steiner was completely and utterly biased, exaggerating solely Garnet's acting. Mostly because of the Tantalus troupe revealed to him in truth being thieves instead of professional actors. Now that the show had ended...Steiner could at last retaliate. He had already thought up a means to surround and then finally capture the crew of Tantalus. "This...is a certain enough emergency. And it requires...a sure-fire means to end it. With this magic device that was given to me by Doctor Tot before he left Alexandria and went to study in Treno…I will now end...this Ultimate Illusion once and for all!" says Steiner, revealed to be carrying something in hand.

It was a small, handheld device of some kind. Resembling a push button...Steiner presses the said button and from it...an explosion of fireworks appears right upwards! greatly startling everyone! "W-W-WHA!? THOSE AREN'T THE ENDING SHOW FIREWORKS!" shouts out Baku. Zidane also realised the bright light signified that something wrong was happening "H-HUH!?" thinks Zidane in his mind. "!?" Brahne sees the bright flash and nearly tumbled over her seat because of it. Beatrix was quick to guess correctly what the flash of light was. "!? Those blue coloured lights...! those are!? the warning crest…of...the Knights of Pluto!?" the blue fireworks take on the emblem of Alexandria. Meant only to be used...to summon forth ALL the Knights of Pluto throughout the kingdom to the exact spot where the fireworks were lit!
City Under Siege by SonOfDephts-da:embed id="j5yq_iWfuOE" height="315" width="560" profile="youtube"

All knights of the aforementioned group were doing multiple things until seeing the fireworks from their stationed positions across Alexandria Castle. The ones that were already nearby in the vicinity rush forth towards where the Prima Vista is. Knowing...that Steiner had summoned them! the two knights that were defeated by both Zidane and Blank earlier were the first to arrive. "Oh crap-oh crap-oh crap-oh CRAP!" says the 1st knight, followed by the 2nd knight saying "Running-running-running-RUNNING!" says the 2nd knight. Appearing to have what looks like toilet paper wrapped around his right leg whilst there were cookie crumbs that could be seen on the 1st knight's torso plate. "I just KNEW that this was going to happen! leave it to us to goof off after the captain strictly told us to go find the princess. Thanks a lot, Wedge!" says the 1st knight, calling the 2nd knight "Wedge". The 2nd knight or now Wedge in turn identifies the 1st knight. "Oh shut up already, Biggs! we've got to get a move on! otherwise...g-gulp! the captain's going to have THAT as our punishment again!" says Wedge, calling the 1st knight by the name of "Biggs".

Both Biggs and Wedge trade insults between one and the other back and forth, making way past the staircase where they were defeated earlier, towards the airship stage. Back at the front row of audience chairs were seen Vivi and Puck, shocked and startled by what was going on around them. "W-What the!? that's...the symbol of Alexandria!?" says Puck, somehow knowing...the purpose of the Sigil but not being able to fathom just what in the heck is going on surrounding it. "P-Puck?" says a very nervous Vivi, scared by what was happening. He saw Puck's face and immediately knew that something was going on. "H-Hold on. Alexandria's emblem? … is THIS part of the end too?" says the rude passer-by, seeing the emblem made of fireworks right above the stage. "I-I don't know. Are they doing this...to give praise to Alexandria and the birthday celebration of it's princess?" says the friend, formulating a guess.

"EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE! PARDON THE LANGUAGE BUT PLEASE CLEAR OFF! THERE'S A CRISIS BREWING! DO NOT WORRY! THE KNIGHTS OF PLUTO WILL HANDLE EVERYTHING!" shouts out Biggs, he and Wedge rushing out the castle doors to the staging locale simultaneously. "!? W-W-W-WHAT!?" shouts out the rude passer-by upon hearing this warning. "A-A-A-A CRISIS!? … MOVE! LET ME PASS YOU DOLT! I'M OUT OF HERE!" the "friend" finally revealed his true colours and rushed the rude passer-by in an upheaval, wanting to be the first to escape. Though, the passer-by was no better either, also showing how much friendship had meant to him by trying to trip up the "friend" that was already leaving ahead. As for the rest of the audience...they too, squirm about in mass panic. The warning that Biggs spoke upon arriving was enough to send the whole public masses into a frenzy, regardless of not knowing if it was the truth or not. Paranoia...sheer paranoia was the best way to sum up this beginning catastrophe of immense proportions.

"...Beatrix...what in thy HELL is going on here!? what's HAPPENING!?" shouts out queen Brahne with an unrivalled wrath, Beatrix struggling to make a reply that would please the former. "I-I-I, I do not know, your majesty! it's Steiner's Knights of Pluto! something must be happening with them!" says Beatrix, revealing the ones responsible for the inciting of absolute mayhem. "STEINER!? THE KNIGHTS OF PLUTO!? FIND HIM BEATRIX! FIND HIM NOW!" shouts Brahne, wanting Steiner to be brought forth to her and severely explain himself for this outrage, "against the queen" mainly. "Tch! DAMN YOU Steiner! what are you scheming!? is THIS how you intend to honour queen Brahne and Alexandria!? what are you THINKING!?" thought Beatrix to herself, trying to think up what she can do to quell the unrelenting madness...that was only beginning.

"Gah! it was YOU! wasn't it!?" says Zidane, rushing to Garnet's side and helping her up. "Steiner! how COULD you!?" says Garnet, taking Zidane's hand whilst standing up. "Please forgive me, milady. But...I can no longer condone these youthful acts of rebellion upon your part, again forgive me to say. I cannot allow myself to let you associate with these evildoers any further! they are criminals! criminals that have committed the highest acts of treason against this kingdom. By kidnapping you...all heck will break loose and not even I, nor Beatrix especially could be able to contain such a both great and terrible chaos! therefore. Tis my duty...though you may hate me for it. Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII! by my authority as captain of the Knights of Pluto...I am hereby tasked to bring you back to your mother, the queen! once more...I am sorry princess. I swear...that this shall be my final task as captain...and also. This shall be the final mission of the Knights of Pluto...should we be disbanded, then so be it. If it means bringing you back to queen Brahne…then. Asides the shame we have already made everyone suffer from our follies to prevent this crisis unfolding it has already thusly. We WILL escort you back to the castle! our pride...is on the line. We may face execution...but that will NOT stop us! this is our duty...as knights in servitude to the kingdom of Alexandria-" before Steiner could monologue any further...

"Oh brother. Cry me a friggin' break already." says Zidane, shrugging his neck and arms about. "!? W-W-W-W-WHAAAAAAA!?" shouts aloud Steiner, having been interrupted by Zidane the way he was. "Just say you're gonna "rescue" the princess and that you're going to behead us already, will ya? it's embarrassing just having to listen to the whole monologue alone...I mean, get a grip dude. Show's over already...you're not the prince character in real life so stop preaching like a stuck-up royal tends to do." says Zidane...being cheeky, as he smiles like a daredevil yet again. "Z-Zidane!" Garnet had mixed feelings on how to take Zidane's words, being a royal herself. "Nah he's right, us brigands...don't like hearing nobles or royals preach." Marcus stands up on his own whilst leaning his prop sword upon his left shoulder. Garnet was astonished by how clearly different the fictional Marcus and the real Marcus were. It was though the one and only Marcus himself was like a mirror...but with one side of it completely cracked, whereas the other side in a way remained utterly uncrackable. But which one was which-the cracked and the uncrackable...Garnet had trouble figuring out.

Marcus then surprisingly tosses aside his prop sword...only to receive his real blade from up above, being passed onto him by Zenero and Benero 1 floor up, where the orchestra of I Want to Be Your Canary was stationed. "Kick his arse, bro!" says Zenero. "Yeah! what my twin brother said, bro!" says Benero. The two brothers watched down the floor just below them...at what was about to transpire. "Heh, you hear those Canaries? looks like...I'm still "wanted" after all." says Marcus, unsheathing his blade in the manner that a proper swashbuckler would...all the while making a pun. "Ugh, geez louise Marc. You just HAD to make that pun?" says Zidane, drawing his daggers behind him. "What can I say? I AM the leading man, after all." says Marcus...making an in-joke reference.

"Whatever, you're still full of crap bro." says Zidane, standing side by side with Marcus. "The same goes for you, Zidane." says Marcus. Both he and Zidane stand side by side, smiling like the daredevils that they are. Intending to fight alongside each other...in order to push Steiner off from the airship. "Sigh...villains will ALWAYS be villains, eh? very well. Do no say...that I did not warn you here, now. You criminals...SHALL PAY...WITH YOUR VERY LIVES FOR THE CRIMES YOU HAVE MADE AGAINST MY FAIR HOME! FOR THE KINGDOM OF ALEXANDRIA...I WILL smite you both." says Steiner, deciding to stop shouting by the end of his speaking. He now realised for all the shouting that he tried, none of it would avail him...shouting alone was not enough...to convince princess Garnet to stand down. Garnet herself shocks Zidane and Marcus alike by standing in the centre between them. She draws a rod from underneath her White Mage cloak, as her choice of weapon. Zidane says to her "!? P-Princess! what are you-" says Zidane, trying to get Garnet to stand down from this inevitable battle.

Something to Protect by Squall42-da:embed id="5ORdImR0kak" height="315" width="560" profile="youtube"

"Do NOT tell me to step down...tis my own body, no?" says Garnet, saying the same thing that she did to Zidane earlier before she did her rope display. "And..."Marcus", correct? how odd to share the name of the play's hero. If YOU are the leading man...then I am the leading lady. As such...I cannot afford to step down from fight. I will no longer...stay on the side-lines!" says Garnet, holding her magical rod in both hands with tightening grips. "...Keh, whatever kid. Just don't fall us up here." says Marcus, warning Garnet about how the former wants this fight to go...both on and in the path of favourable victory. "How rude! I am no longer a child. I am a proper woman now...having turned 16 and all, heh." says Garnet...very shockingly and uncharacteristically making a joke!

"!? … Ha-Ha! well said princess! guess I shouldn't worry. Now...let's take this rust-bucket and send him packing, you guys!" says Zidane, caught off-guard by the joke that Garnet made...but. Now assures himself from it...to have faith in the princess. Zidane, Garnet and Marcus lastly line themselves up in a proper battle formation. Readying themselves...for a final duel with the captain of the Knights of Pluto. Whom is shown with a severe solemn expression upon his face...at having to fight Garnet, the very princess of their kingdom of Alexandria. If this was what must be done to bring her back to her mother-queen Brahne…Steiner was more then already to face the consequences. Once more resolving himself...as a true knight would when facing hardships of dire magnitudes.

TO BE CONTINUED.