The atmosphere in the ballroom was still heavy with rather feelings of uncertainty and sadness as the Moon Troupe tried their best to mingle with the other animals present. While none of the cast knew or had even met Madame personally, they were fully aware of the influence and impact that this legendary choreographer had on Redshore's dancing industry, so Buster had made sure he and his performers prioritised restraint and sensitivity about the situation.

They had been at the service for just under an hour when Buster, Rosita and Suki convened near the refreshments table, sipping on the small cups of tea as they surveyed the crowd in attendance. Their idle chit-chat was interrupted when they both looked towards the other end of the room, and saw Kaya propping herself up on the wall while she spoke inaudibly into her phone. They noticed a few of the other animals present were eyeing the clouded leopard - most of their expressions indicating disapproval at her behaviour - so Rosita took it upon herself to climb down off her seat and walk over, with Buster not far behind.

"So what are you thinking of getting her, then? Wait, since when do you have a guitar...? Aw, darling, that'd be lovely..." Kaya said, pulling a warm smile. She glanced over at the pig and koala as they approached her, giving them a small nod of acknowledgement as she tried to end her conversation. "Alright, well I'd better get going. Oh yeah, I think she'll love it. Hmm... yeah, alright. Uh-huh. Right, sure. Take care, Rebecca."

"Ah... was that a friend of yours, Kaya...?" Buster asked as the clouded leopard hung up and looked down at him, prompting the other animals looking at them to go back to their own conversations.

"Trainee, actually..." Kaya answered, casually slipping her phone back into her purse. "Been mentoring her at the Foundation the last couple years, but she got assigned her first kid back in April. Still gets a bit stressed with it, but they're adjusting to each other well enough..."

"Aw..." Rosita said, tilting her head as she pulled a small but sincere smile. "Hmm... y'know, I really do have a lot of respect for you folks in the carer business. Must be pretty difficult dealing with that sorta stuff."

"Well, that's certainly high praise coming from a mother of twenty-five!" Kaya laughed, though her tone was sincere as she placed a grateful hand on Rosita's shoulder. "Still... it helps to have a soft spot for children. My husband and I thought about having some ourselves when we first tied the knot, but a job like this, well... sort of fills the hole, really..."

The clouded leopard then removed her glasses to clean them, her now exposed eyes betraying what seemed to be an expression of regret as she leaned back against the table behind her.

"Y'know, even Marilyn, she... she was a lovely little thing the first time I got assigned to her..." She said, thinking back to some fonder - yet also more bittersweet - memories. "Yeah, things were going great before she started acting out, and then she got on Quacker and all the nonsense with the followers and things, it... well, it really put a strain on her whole family. They still love her, obviously, we all do, but... but I suppose she's just not that little sweetheart anymore."

"Aw, come on..." Buster said in an encouraging tone, quickly glancing over to see some of his cast members coming over to them, though he kept his focus mainly on the clouded leopard. "I mean, sure, Marilyn might be bit of a... well, an acquired taste, let's say but... but I can tell she's a good kid, Kaya. Yeah... I think you've really done a good job with her."

"Uh... hey, Moon..." Ash spoke up as she and the others reached them, all having slightly concerned expressions on their faces. "You guys seen Johnny anywhere...?"

"We can't find him..." Meena added, wringing her hands. "And I haven't seen Nooshy in ages either..."

"Oh ja, they went with Klaus to go see Madame..." Gunter cut in, oddly deadpan despite the bombshell he'd just dropped.

"What...?!"

The others had tried their best to keep quiet, though their voices saying this completely in-sync only just managed to reach room volume. But before Gunter could elaborate further, the scattered sounds of vibrations and ringtones began to echo all around the ballroom, and Kaya felt her own phone buzzing as she fished it out and looked at the notification.

"Oh, for God's sake, Marilyn!"

Klaus took several deep breaths, trying to calm his racing thoughts as he followed the penguin towards Madame's bedroom. While it was only a short distance from the ballroom, Klaus could feel the hallway stretching out as the door seemed to get further and further away from him. But eventually, they finally reached it, and he stood up stiff as a board while the penguin knocked.

"Y-yes...?!" A strained but still recognisable voice called out from the other side of the door. Klaus cleared his throat as he waited for the penguin to give an answer back, only for the voice to speak up with a more straightforward demand. "Well, do not waste any more of ze day! Send him in!"

Klaus took a small gulp while the penguin pushed open the door, and beckoned him forward into the dimly lit room. It was very spacious, almost as much as the ballroom he had just come from, and was decorated in a rich, opulent style, with even more portraits and sculptures of Madame's likeness than the rest of the mansion's rooms combined. The walls were a deep shade of burgundy, while the floor was a dark hardwood, and the half-closed curtains on a towering window cast a single sliver of sunlight on the wheelchair at the far end of the room.

And there she was - Madame Amélie Jument herself - reclined back on the wheelchair. Her once strong yet slender frame had been reduced to an emaciated shell, covered all over with tubes that hooked onto the machines beside the bed, while a single white blanket was draped over her. The old mare's hazel eyes were more sunken and tired than he remembered, but her gaze was no less piercing when she finally spotted him. Despite this brief intense stare, what seemed to be a small smile formed on her long face, which prompted Klaus to finally approach the bed and sit beside her.

"Ah... if it isn't little Klaus..." Madame let out a strained but still oddly playful chuckle, seeming to be in much better spirits than Klaus had expected as she sat up. "It's good to see you, dear boy... although... I had expected you to come a little earlier..."

"Hmm... it couldn't be helped, I'm afraid, Madame..." Klaus hesitated for a moment, before reaching forward and holding onto his mentor's slightly limp hoof, clasping it tight in his hand while smiling at her. "I did want to come, though. I felt I owed you that much..."

"Oh, really...?" Madame's smile suddenly dropped and a more vicious - but all too familiar - tone slipped back into her voice. "I thought perhaps you had been involved in a terrible accident and I wouldn't have to waste time speaking to you here today, but never mind..."

And with those words, the fleeting moment of comfort and relief was ripped away, and Klaus felt himself slowly sinking back into his seat as his mentor gave him a long-awaited taste of her old medicine.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you were even man enough to show your face!" She spat venomously. "After that last little performance, you shouldn't -"

"Performance...?"

"Do not interrupt me, fraülein!" Madame barked, making Klaus tense a bit. "You think I don't know about that show at ze Crystal Tower? You wearing that ridiculous outfit, being shown up by some big, dumb ruffian! Pah! A disgrace!"

Klaus recoiled back in his seat as if he'd been physically struck. He had certainly expected some biting comments from his old mentor regarding their lessons from years prior, but to be reminded of his more recent misdeeds - especially those committed against the same animals that had been going out of their way to help him - only worsened the feelings of shame and embarrassment. Despite this, he cleared his throat and sat a little straighter, trying to put on a strong front despite Madame's hateful glare.

"I understand that I have made mistakes in the past, Madame, and I take full responsibility for them..." He said, impressing even himself with how calm and restrained he'd managed to be. "But I have made peace with those animals, and... and I was hoping to do the same with you here today."

"Peace...?!" Madame snorted derisively as she reclined back in her wheelchair. "You will get no peace from me, little Klaus. I've already given you more than enough as it is..."

"Ah... well... I suppose that's on me for getting my hopes up, then..." Klaus leaned back in his own chair, drumming her fingers on the armrest as he let out a rather bitter chuckle. "Hmm... only when we suffer can we be great... that's what we always said, yes...?"

"Of course..." Madame answered, pulling a more proud expression as she seemed to stare off into space for a moment. "It's ze unspoken truth of life... on the stage and off."

"Didn't work our for either of us all that well, did it...?" Klaus snarked, though this remark prompted Madame to turn back to face him, a faint but furious red briefly flashing on her pale cheeks. "I'm just saying, being angry and... and pushing everyone else away. I wouldn't say it's led to the best kind of ending for you, Madame."

"Has it not? Why, because of this...?!" Madame spat, holding up one of the many wires that had been dug into her body, before letting out a callous laugh. "You think I fear death, Klaus...?! Ha! Most would be lucky to die ze kind of death that I vill die!"

"Well, I... I um... I heard a story the other day... from a... from a good friend..." Klaus hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck before he let out a sigh. "His mother suffered great cruelty. Far greater than either of us have had to endure, but... but it never made her cruel. And yes, his mother, she... she didn't get to live her dream, make a name for herself, become famous, but... but... but she was loved. And... and perhaps that's a better kind of legacy to leave."

"Oh, how profound..." Madame pursed her lips in a harsh, condescending manner as she glanced over to her butler. "Tell ze conductor to bring his finest violinist! Little Klaus here needs some music for his sob story!"

Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose, holding out only the last scrap of hope that his words would finally get through to the old horse as he hunched slightly forwards. "I suppose, what I'm trying to say, Madame, is... it's not dying that I fear. It's dying alone, hated, unwanted. You know, I... I can almost picture myself right there, where you are now..."

"A fat chance! Almost as fat as yourself!" Madame scoffed. ""I might have not have made many friends in my life, Klaus, but I made an impact! I vill be remembered! Yes... I, Madame Jument, Master Choreographer... I vill be immortalised in ze minds of Redshore City long after I am gone!"

"Perhaps not for good reason..."

"Oh, really...? And would you rather I be like you...?!" Madame straightened her glasses. "You're little more than a waste of space, just another mediocre student I wasted my time on! You and that... th-that boy's worthless mother! You could die tomorrow, and you'd be forgotten by ze end of ze week!"

"Double K!" Marilyn shouted out as she threw open the doors and came into the room, Johnny and Nooshy trailing a bit behind her. The three briefly showed a look of relief when they spotted the old monkey they were looking for, only to freeze up when they saw who was sat beside him. "Oh wow..."

Klaus couldn't help pulling a small smile as he saw the three younger performers. A faintly flashing red light in Marilyn's pocket briefly caught his attention, though Madame's cruel, unamused chuckle made them all turn to face the old horse.

"Ah, and who are these delightful young veepersnappers...?" She snarked mockingly as she eyed the new arrivals. "Ze Secret Police? Your bodyguards?"

"Yeah, we're something like that, love..." Nooshy crossed her arms, a smug yet defiant grin on her face.

"They, um... they're my students, Madame." Klaus said, briefly glancing to Nooshy. "Well... two of them are, anyway..."

"Is that so? Well, this should be quite ze educational experience for you all, then..." Madame smirked. "You can all sit and take notes while I put your worthless mentor here in his place..."

"Or maybe it's time we put you in yours!" Johnny suddenly said, his voice calm but firm, though Madame seemed more curious than offended as she studied the gorilla. "Do you have any idea all the damage you've caused...?! And I bet it's not just Klaus, either! All the folks you've hurt, the folks they've hurt because of you! And you still sit there on your deathbed, spewing all that -!"

"Ah... I thought I recognised you..." Madame almost snarled as she turned back to Klaus. "This is ze witless oaf who embarrassed you on the stage, isn't it...? I knew you weren't cut out for the big leagues, Klaus, but surely you wouldn't be such a failure to lose to one of his kind!"

"What's that supposed to mean...?!" Johnny said, though Marilyn was just as enflamed by Madame's remark as they and Nooshy glared at the old horse.

"Oh, you know exactly what it means..." Madame grimaced, her tone somehow sounding even more vicious and hateful than before as she focued on Johnny and Marilyn. "Look at you two... a couple of gorillas trying to get into showbusiness... please... what street gang did Klaus drag you out of when he took pity on you...?!"

"Street gang?!" Marilyn clenched her fists, though Nooshy grabbed her hand to hold her back. "My Auntie didn't go out there and make a name for herself, just for some tired old horse like you to -!"

"You and your ilk can make whatever names you like!" Madame spat. "It doesn't change what you are... nothing but a bunch of dirty, smelly brutes!"

"Hey, don't talk to them like that!" Nooshy said. "I don't care how big and special you think you are, love, but you've got no right to -!"

"Ah, and what is this we have here...?" Madame turned her ire on the young lynx next. "Ooh, it's ze perfect little Cinderella story, isn't it...? Ze worthless little street scrounger who cheated her way from rags to riches overnight!"

Nooshy's grey fur flared up boiling red as she clenched her fists. "You don't even know me, you pompous old -!"

"Know you? Pah! A woman of culture like myself knows a peasant when she sees one, child..." Madame sneered, focusing on all three of them now. "Not one of you worthless riff-raff would have ever been accepted into my classes! I would have sent you all back to ze gutter you all crawled out of! Just goes to show how far ze standards have fallen under your -"

"ENOUGH!"

The four were taken completely off-guard by this sudden outburst, and were even more surprised to see that it came from Klaus. The old monkey finally pulled his hand away from Madame's hoof and stood up, his eyes blazing with anger as he stood over his mentor.

"Enough..." He said again, calmer this time, though his rage still bubbled beneath the surface as he pointed in Madame's face. "All this time, I... I thought we were geniuses... I thought I was being a great teacher, who... who pushed his students to his limits and made them into stars. But I didn't... and neither did you..."

Despite her hateful glare, Johnny could see Madame shrinking back a little as Klaus continued. While the old horse was clearly too prideful to admit it, these words were getting to her.

"All those years, you treated me like dirt off your shoe, and I took it! I thought it was the only way to be a great dancer, and I treated my own students no different!" Klaus pulled a more regretful, but still somewhat proud, expression as he looked back to the younger animals present, then turned back to Madame. "But you were wrong. We were wrong. And you may think Johnny here is riff-raff, or... or just some brute, Madame, but... but he's a better dancer and a better man than I ever could be... and he'll be remembered. For the right reasons..."

Despite his smile, Johnny could feel his eyes misting up a bit at these words - especially considering who was saying them - and this prompted Nooshy to give his hand a gentle, comforting squeeze. But after the better part of thirty seconds spent in complete silence, Madame slowly straightened up again in her wheelchair, tapping her two hooves together to prompt her penguin butler to come over.

"Well, if you pathetic fools have gotten all ze pain off your chests, I have a real reception to attend to..." She pulled a smug, victorious smirk as the penguin started wheeling her away, sending a final spiteful glance Klaus' way. "I would hope everyone out there doesn't turn out to be as ungrateful as you did, fraülein."

Klaus and the three younger animals remained silent as Madame and her butler left the room, slamming the big door shut behind them, and this finally cut the tension as the old monkey lowered down onto the seat with his hand to his face.

"Hmm... you did brill, mate..." Nooshy said, patting him on the shoulder. "Couldn't have said it better myself..."

"Yeah... it took a lot of courage saying it too..." Johnny added, prompting Klaus to look up at the gorilla with a small smile.

"I may not have ever met your mother, Johnny, but... but I don't think I ever would have done that without her..." He said, reaching out his hand for Johnny to hold onto. "Thank you... dear boy... thank you so much..."

Johnny nodded, feeling a few small tears rolling down his face as he held onto the monkey's hand. "Yeah... no worries, mate..."

"Well, I dunno about you lot, but I think it's time we headed back out there..." Marilyn reached into her pocket, as Johnny, Klaus and Nooshy all went wide-eyed when they finally saw where the blinking red light was coming from. "I've got a feeling things are about to get pretty exciting in there!"

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, our dearly beloved hostess..." The penguin butler's voice echoed off the walls and ceiling, getting the attention of the unusually bustling crowd. "Friends, family, the good people of Redshore City. Presenting... Madame Amélie Jument!"

Madame sat straight and pulled a proud, dignified expression as she was wheeled into the ballroom. She was expecting to be greeted with solemn nods of acknowledgement, and of course some gushing words of praise from her many fans and proteges, which only made the reception she actually got more jarring.

Despite the significant number of animals that had gathered, the ballroom had gone completely silent as she entered, save for a few quiet murmurings. Some of the animals were looking down at their phones, or speaking to each other about what they were looking at, but most of them were now glaring at Madame with disappointed, disgusted, and especially angry expressions.

"Y'know, my family always says I shouldn't be thinking so much about social media clout..." Marilyn was speaking directly into her phone screen as she entered the ballroom behind Madame, followed by Johnny, Nooshy and Klaus. "But you've gotta admit... being a pending celebrity heiress with 71K followers on Quacker certainly has its perks. Wouldn't you agree, Madame...?"

Madame glared at the young gorilla, snarling through gritted teeth. "What on earth are you talking about, you stupid girl...?!"

"Ooh, so it's stupid girl now, is it...?" Marilyn snarked as she stood right next to the old horse, holding up her phone screen so they were both in the shot together. "What happened to dirty, smelly brute, eh...?"

Nooshy's ears twitched a little as she heard what seemed to be a faint but slightly delayed echo of Marilyn's voice, only to realise that it was actually coming from every single phone screen in the entire room. The lynx held back a laugh as she latched onto Johnny's arm, tugging excitedly on it so that he could look around and realise what was going on too.

"Yeah, so I'm not sure if you lot actually heard Madame all that clearly... audio might have been a bit messed up while it was in my pocket..." Marilyn spoke smugly into her screen, before holding it closer to the old horse's wide-eyed, horrified face. "So why don't you just give a little recap, darling? Y'know, that whole worthless riff-raff being sent back to the gutter thing..."

It was then that Johnny and Nooshy spotted Buster and the rest of their troupe in the far corner, some of them watching the footage on Kaya's phone while Rosita and Ash watched from Porsha's. Buster himself was still looking right at them, flashing a proud smile as he nodded at Johnny, and Johnny nodded back in acknowledgement.

"No, you... y-you can't do this!" Madame spat venomously, though her white coat had somehow turned even paler as her calm visage finally cracked for the whole crowd to see in person. "You cannot humiliate me like this! Do you even know who I am?! I'm Madame Jument!"

"It doesn't matter who you are, Madame..." Johnny spoke up in a confident, defiant tone, prompting Marilyn to hold up her phone so that he was shown on the feed. "Blame us all you want, but... but you brought this on yourself."

A thousand thoughts raced through Madame's head as she glanced around, getting a good look at all the angry faces glaring at her. Perhaps there was a chance to defend herself, to insist that she didn't mean the things she said, or that she was just angry and lashing out. But no. It was too late. The damage had clearly been done, and was being broadcast live for the entire world to see.

"Y'know, when I first came here, I were really hoping to get a picture with Madame here for my feed... obviously, I've got a lot more than that now, but hey... When In Rome, eh...?" Marilyn spoke into her phone screen again as she sat on the armrest of Madame's wheelchair, leaning in a little closer so their faces were right next to each other. "I think Hashtag Cancelled has a nice ring to it, don't you...?"

Madame Jument could only look on in horror as Marilyn pulled a big, exaggerated smile and took the photo. The fact that her reputation was in tatters was already painful enough as it was, but the old horse felt herself sink down in her seat as the young gorilla stood back up and turned her phone screen to capture the entire crowd present.

"Well anyway, don't let me and Klaus have all the fun! Anybody else got something nasty they wanna share about Madame...?!"

While various animals started stepping forward, Buster sent a small signal to Johnny and Nooshy, then cleared his throat to get the rest of his troupe's attention. "Well, uh... I don't know about you guys, but I think it's time we made tracks..."

"Yeah, good idea, Uncle Buster..." Porsha giggled, still watching the feed on her phone while Ash led her by the hand to join the others.

As the rest of the group headed for the exit, and Johnny and Nooshy went around the other side of the crowd to meet them there, Rosita briefly held back to see Kaya still waiting in the corner where they'd all been stood. She had her arms crossed, and a small but genuinely proud and loving smile formed on her face as she watched Marilyn and Klaus speaking to and interviewing Madame's countless other victims.

"Uh... hey, Kaya...?" Rosita said, getting the clouded leopard's attention. "We're heading back to the hotel. Are you coming...?"

"Oh, um... yeah, you lot go ahead." Kaya said. "Hmm... I better make sure Marilyn here doesn't get too carried away."

"Would that really be so bad...?" Rosita chuckled, before giving a small nod as she started walking off. "Alright. We'll see you girls later on, then..."

The voices of Marilyn, Klaus and the others they were speaking to were still faintly audible as the Moon Troupe gathered outside the hallway and closed the door behind them. Though the quietness didn't last very long, as Johnny soon found himself enveloped in a massive hug from all his friends, all of whom heaped their love and praise onto him. Rosita gave him a big affectionate kiss on the cheek, while Porsha latched onto his shoulders from behind, forcing Johnny to carry the young wolf on his back even after the rest of the group hug had separated and they headed for the front door.

"You really made us all proud there, Johnny..." Buster said warmly as he held the gorilla's hand. "And I betcha made your Mom real proud too..."

"Yeah... yeah, I hope so, Mr. Moon..." Johnny said softly, finally putting Porsha back down as they all went out the front door and headed towards the gate. "I dunno about you lot, but I'm bloody exhausted after all that!"