Cobblestone took a deep breath. "Are you sure this is going to work?"
Veneer nodded. "Yep! I'll start with you, then on the second verse, I stop and you lead in with your natural voice. No lip-syncing."
"Hear that, Fold? You'd have to stop on the end of the first chorus."
"You got it."
"Didn't you say you were going to bring somebody? What was her name uh...Crimp?"
Veneer nodded again. "Yep. I couldn't find her though. She knows about the plan though, so she might be in the crowd if she shows late. Knowing her, she's not going to be late though." He winked. "This'll go great, trust me. Floyd helped Velvet and I with writing the songs and knowing about timing and stuff, so..."
"Who's Floyd?"
"The Troll we tortured."
"Oh. Oh yeah! That reminds me! I invited Lilac and her friends too! She's the Troll I helped!"
"Well, let's get this show started."
They walked on stage. Somebody screamed Veneer's name.
"Hello!" Cobblestone waved.
Veneer forgot how he practically stopped moving around, resulting in his movements being bouncy; similarly to the way the Rubberhose cartoons moved. At least he knew Velvet was right about that.
"I brought a friend! Say hello to Veneer! Pop star extraordinaire! He was a big inspo of mine, hench the reason why I sang Watch Me Work last time. Heheheh...Veneer, stop being so shy! Say something! The crowd already loves you!"
Veneer waved. "Uh, hey! I'm here because Co-Fizz invited me...And uh, we're going to sing a song together!"
The crowd grew restless and excited.
"Kiss me, Veneer!"
"Uh nope!" Veneer brushed his hair. "Oh wow, these people are really excited huh?"
"It's because I'm a solo act, collaborating with the 'Vigilante Singer.' Yup, you've got a cool title now." Cobblestone winked. "Hey everybody, hey let's go! Hey everybody, come on let's go!"
Cobblestone kept chanting that until the crowd joined in. He leaned over to Veneer.
"The good start of a show is getting the crowd to join you. It makes them like it more."
"Ready to start?"
"Only if you are."
Cobblestone, of course since it was his show, led the first verse, where Veneer noticed how good Fold actually sounded.
"Yeah baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again! So dance, dance like it's the last night of your life life, life!"
Cobblestone peeked over his shoulder and motioned for Fold to stop the singing while Veneer took control of the vocals for a second so nobody would notice the sudden stop in 'Cobblestone's' singing.
Cobblestone took a deep breath and turned on his microphone. Veneer stopped singing and Cobblestone waited for the music to end to begin once more.
"Keep downing drinks like there's no tomorrow, there's just right now, now now, na-na, now..."
The crowd got eerily silent, then started booing his horse singing. His singing faded out and Veneer saw him begin to panic.
"You only like people when they sound good?"
The crowd stopped. "Well, yeah! That's why we're here! Good singing!"
"But you don't care that he has talent! Just because he doesn't sound the way you want him to, you suddenly hate him?! That seems pretty low to me!"
"Venni, what are you doing?"
"Shh! Let me get my point."
"O-okay."
Veneer faced back to the crowd. "My friend always sounded like this, but he was too afraid of what you would do that he'd been lip-syncing this whole time! Do you want to know why he sounds like this?!"
"Get off the stage!" Somebody yelled over the booing.
"He almost died because of me! His voice box is busted! He only sounds sick because of me, okay? You have no right to judge him if all his practicing is only accepted when he's not being himself!"
"You're terrible!" Somebody else agreed.
Cobblestone stomped his foot so hard that it nearly broke through the stage. "You want to say that to my face, buster?! At least I sound better than your grandmother!"
"M-my grandma's dead!"
"Exactly!" Veneer piped in. "She's dead, so she can't sing anyways! Just like her, Fizz can't control his singing voice! He's like this because of me, so if you want to boo anybody off the stage, you should be booing me! He's wonderful at his talent, and if you only care if he sounds angelic, then you don't deserve to see or hear his talent at all!"
"You're both frauds! You've been in cahoots the whole time, haven't you? His Troll talent probably ran out, which is why you're defending hi-"
Cobblestone's lights glew a bright red. "Shut up!"
Veneer covered his face as the lights lining his arms and legs busted and sparks floated down to the stage.
"Shut up shut up shut up! Everybody on Mount Ragous is a freaking jerk! 'Oh nooo! I chipped a nail! Now I'm going to take the anger of my clumsy butt out on fifteen other people!' 'Oh great! My favorite singer barely has a voice box left! Let's create a mutiny and throw tomatoes at him and his childhood friend!'"
Veneer tried not to laugh.
"I hate this place! I always have! Would you like to know who I am? Would you?! Cause I'm going to finally show the world my face, so you better be getting this on camera!" He pointed directly at the camera.
Veneer watched as Cobblestone ripped off his hat and fought the mask off his face. The entire right side of his face was a scar. He proceeded to remove his coat and shirt, then his shoes.
"Don't any of you remember me? Remember the news article? 'Little boy's home destroyed in outrageous fire?' That was me, you jerks! You always made fun of me, and I guess things haven't changed. At least, not everything has." He smiled at Veneer.
"So what are you saying?"
"What am I saying? Uhhh...Forget fame! I hate you all!" He dropped the mic and walked off-stage.
"Yeah! You guys are just mean!" Veneer strutted off stage as well. "Well, that went horribly."
"Yeah, but hey. We got it done. And if they hate me, it's fine. I'm used to it anyways."
Crimp entered the room as well. "I uh, couldn't help but notice you didn't tell me about a friend." She fixed her glasses. "So, what's your name? I'm Crimp. I used to uh, manage Velvet and Veneer."
Cobblestone blinked. "Huh. You look like Fold. I wonder if you're the same species."
Veneer finally paid attention to the scars. He had one that took up most of his chest, most of it hiding under the prosthetic that went down to his collarbone. More peeked from under the end of his pants, just a bit to the left of his stomach area.
"You weren't kidding when you said you were covered in scars..."
"Uh, yeah...But you know what? Who cares? I've had enough with being picked on because of...well, me! No more masks or big baggy clothes! I'm going to wear my SYNTH shirt loud-'n'-proud, just like when I was young!"
"Good for you! About time!"
Fold joined them. "Ah, Cobblestone man. There you are. Ready to pack up and leave?"
Cobblestone grabbed a stuffed clown doll off the desk in the room. Veneer thought the doll was surprisingly cute. "Even though I never really liked it in here, I'm going to miss this place."
"It was the same for me too," Veneer said. "The Ragedome is cozy, but not home, you know. And you're free to stay with Velvet and I whenever you want. You know that, right?"
"Yeah...Say, when's Vel going to get out of jail?"
"She's being released today. Do you want to come with so we can catch you two up?"
"Sure! I haven't seen Vel in a while, so I'll bet she'll appreciate an apology."
Veneer drove them there. Cobblestone enjoyed the breeze, but in a strange silence. Fold and Crimp were talking for a while in the backseat, and they only stopped when Veneer teased them about having a crush for each other.
"Cobbie? Are you okay?"
"What if she still doesn't like me?"
"Then that's her problem! What happened to mister 'words-will-never-hurt-me' that was here a few minutes ago?"
Cobblestone removed his hat to make the bells stop jingling. "But, she your sister. And if she doesn't like me then..."
"I'm sure she'll like the new you. You've grown a lot, Cobbie."
"Yeah, I guess. You're saying that to the guy who still watches cartoons and plays with toys."
"Ha! You finally stood up for yourself. The Cobblestone I used to know was too much of a pushover to do that. I think that the fire, no matter how bad it was, did help you grow."
Cobblestone asked for him to stop at his apartment on the way to pick up Velvet. He went inside for about five minutes. When he came back out, he was wearing his SYNTH crop-top, black suspenders, jeans, and a pair of reflective boots with heels.
"Alright, now I've changed," he joked.
The drive the rest of the way there was pretty quiet at first, so Veneer played some music. There was a break for news after three songs.
"Hey, Larinda, did you hear about that pop star? Fizz?"
"They guy who couldn't get the 'y' at the end of his name because the soda company would've sued him? What about him?"
"Well, you remember that crazy fire a few years back?"
"Wait, you don't mean to say that Fizz is that kid, do you?"
"Turns out he was! And on top of that, it turns out he'd been lip-syncing! His manager was the true Fizz, you could say!"
Cobblestone turned off the radio. "Please...I don't want to be reminded about that."
"I forget how fast news spreads here sometimes," Veneer said. "How about I put a disc in instead?"
"You still have those?"
"No...But I'll get my collection back! How about we listen to your Spotify or something? I'm bored of mine."
"Unless you're fine with songs like Mama's Boy or Star of the Show. Or we can finish listening to this song I was listening to."
"Oh? What is it?"
"The circus theme for a solid three hours. But I don't think that's your thing."
Veneer stared at him. "Velvet's right, you are obsessed."
"You think I'm joking?" He showed him his phone screen. "I listened to like two minutes of this before every show! I'm not even halfway done!"
"Oh, Cobbie no. If you put that on, I swear-"
"I'm putting it on!"
"Cobbie!"
"I'm doing it! My finger's hovering over the button! You better do something!"
"Fine, I'll put on my playlist! Just don't play that song!"
Veneer pulled to a stop and hopped out. Cobblestone followed.
"Coming, Fold?"
"Nah, man. She's your friend. I'm going to stay here with mine. Go have fun, you two."
Cobblestone stopped before they entered. Veneer turned around and saw he looked uncertain.
"What's wrong?"
"Veneer, what if she didn't change her mind about me? What if she does still hate me; just like everybody else?"
"There's only one way to find out. Come on. Even if she is rude, I bet she'll be internally happy to see you again. After all, we both thought you'd...well..."
"Died? Yeah. I honestly thought I was too, at first. You're right. Let's go talk to Vel."
Velvet ran straight to Veneer and nearly tackled him over.
"Ven! I thought you promised to visit every day!"
"Sorry! I was busy!"
"Busy?! You were too busy for your own sister?!" She finally noticed Cobblestone. "Huh? Who are you?"
"Velvet," Veneer whispered to her, "that's Cobblestone."
She blinked twice. "Whaaaaat...? But you look completely different than you did yesterday. Where's your clown clothes? And what's up with your face?"
Cobblestone looked away from her. "The scar's from...that. Everything else though...I knew this was going to happen."
"What's wrong with it? You're rare, so what? At least you have talent." She examined him a little longer. "Actually, now that makes more sense why you loved clowns so much." She shuddered.
"Really? This makes sense to you? Wait, why am I questioning? I just got a half-hearted complement from Velvet; this is a bright day for me!"
"That wasn't even supposed to be a-"
Veneer gently elbowed her. "Don't. Let him have this. He's been going through some stuff."
"So," Velvet said as they walked back to the car, "besides your whole music gig, what've you been up to?"
"Nothing much." He held up the stuffed clown doll. "But Banana Puddin' here-"
Velvet moved away from it.
"-he's been helping me with my anger issues. Isn't that right, Banana Puddin'?" He held up the doll. "He likes you, Velvet!"
"Get that thing away from me."
"You never liked Banana Puddin,' did you? You turned him around during the party when he only wanted to greet you! But, he still likes you, so I think we're good."
"That thing can't actually talk, can it?"
"Banana Puddin'? He's not a thing, he's my comfort friend!"
"Stop talking about that doll like it's alive. Please. You're creeping me out here."
Cobblestone put Banana Puddin' on the dashboard. "Awright! Ready to leave?"
"That's my seat." Velvet pointed towards the back seats. "Out."
Cobblestone sighed and climbed into the back, taking Banana Puddin' with him. "Okie dokie! Let's get a move on!"
"Can we stop by the mall on our way back?"
"Why?" Veneer started the car.
"Cause I need to grab some stuff for my hair! The weeks there ruined all the work I put into it for the Ragedome show!"
Veneer laughed. "I thought you'd mention that again."
"You teens and your fashion!" Cobblestone poked his head between them. "Four years later, and I'm still wearing the same clothes!"
"Ew."
"Gosh, Velvet! Not for the four years solid! I wore other clothes too! I just never outgrew this for some reason." He held out the doll again. "Are you suuuureeeee you don't like Banana Puddin'? Isn't he cute?"
"If you show me that thing one more time, he's getting thrown out the window."
"Banana Puddin,' noooo! I won't let Vel hurt you!" He tried to back into the backseat. "Oop, one second."
He had Veneer stop the car for a minute. He put his feet against the backs of the seats and tried to pull himself out again.
"Oh, I might actually be stuck. This is what I get for putting my arm through, huh?" He smiled up at Veneer. "Hey, Venni! Can you go in the back and help me out here?" He pointed a thumb towards the backseat. "I would ask Fold and Crimp, but they're pretty tiny so..."
Veneer sighed. "Sometimes you can be pretty dumb, Cobbie. Why'd you think that was a good idea anyways? The gaps between these seats are pretty small-Aah!"
Velvet hopped out the car. "What's wrong?!"
"Y-your neck, it...!"
"Ooooh, that. I guess I forgot to mention that, heh. My neck can stretch like my arms 'n' legs. Can you forget it for a minute and help me out? Good thing my neck's metal, otherwise I'd be being choked right now, heh." He tried to force himself out again. "I mean, what was I going to do; ride backseat without a seatbelt on? That's reckless!"
"And so is this," Velvet said.
"I learned my lesson. Somebody just help me already. My hand's going numb."
"Can't you get yourself out?"
"That would either end in my head snapping off, or your chairs thrown into the street. And I'm pretty confident you don't want either of those outcomes. Help me out, I'm getting tired of asking."
Velvet sighed. "Fine, we'll help you, idiot."
"That's insulting."
"Just shut up already. Do you want help or not?"
Cobblestone huffed and rested his head in his hand. "Just make it quick, please."
Veneer unbuckled him, and his neck and arm snapped back to their usual length, which made his body slam into the front seats.
"Careful! My body's not all metal, you know!"
"Shut up, Cobblestone!"
"S-sorry..."
"Okay, I think I've got an idea." Veneer tried to pry the chairs apart. They clapped back, sending sparks from Cobblestone's neck.
"Ouch! I said be careful! Just because it's a prosthetic, doesn't mean I don't have nerves still!"
"Sorry, Cobbie! But I've got a better idea now." He faced Velvet. "Do we have anything to hold them open?"
She shrugged.
Fold help up his guitar. "Here. You can use this. It's fine if it breaks, I can just make a new one."
"You made that?" Crimp asked. "It's such amazing quality!"
"Thanks. Hold on, Cobbie."
"Do you want to know why my neck's like this?"
They both gave him an annoyed look as they worked on the chairs.
"I kind of told her to do it to all my new limbs...I didn't know my neck was messed up! So I guess I really am a toon now!"
The seats didn't move thanks to Fold's guitar.
Veneer backed away from it a bit. "Alright, can you get out? I'm trying not to ruin this car."
Cobblestone strained to pull his arm out, but once he was able to use both arms to pull out, he was able to free himself.
"Oww..." He rubbed his neck and wriggled his fingers. "Sorry guys. I guess the only thing I'm good at is messing things up. I ruined my own career, my own life, all of it. And then I blamed it all on Venni and-"
"Are you kidding me?!" Velvet stamped a foot. "You used to let people use you! But I saw the thing on the news, Cobblestone! You're not a mess-up, even if people always told you that." She hesitated. "What did that place do to me?"
Cobblestone smiled. "You changed, I guess. That's what jail does to you." His smile faded.
"You did something jail-worthy, didn't you?"
He nodded sadly.
"What'd you do?"
"I tried to set your house on fire...as an act of revenge."
Her eye twitched. "You what?!"
