He slid up to the Kung Fu Master, who sat patiently, waiting for Peach to show her face. He glanced the Figure Skater's way as he approached.
"What is it, friend?"
He held up the mask. "Madame Grape...She killed Damian."
"Her right-hand raisin? That's impossible! Let me see that mask."
He handed it to him for inspection. The Kung Fu Master examined it well, then sighed with a monochrome feeling.
"I see. So you are right. I have seen this before. She has gone down the path of no return. If she does not change soon, I fear she will become our worst nightmare."
He accepted the mask back. "Do you have any clue how to help her? I don't want to see Madame Grape turn into a heartless creature! She has so much love and respect for her Sour Bunch and the Elder Bunch, if only she were to return to the way she was before..."
"I believe the power has gone to her head. Power can alter anyone, including the nicest souls. Unless she learns from her anger that she must cause peace, then she will lose everything she has cared for, and then there will be no more of the Madame Grape we came to love."
"But, I don't want that to happen!"
"Neither do I, but if we fight her, we too will face punishment just as Damian has."
He looked down at the mask.
"I'm sorry, friend, but that's how it has come to be. We must play Madame Grape's game, or else us too, will be reduced to ashes. And I do not want that for you, dear friend."
"I don't either, but why has she gone so dark? It's more than just power, I can tell! Unless...unless it's the Sparkle that's making her this way? I can see that, the gathering of both good and evil, the control over fate itself..."
"It's enough to drive one mad."
"But, the control of fate is only a legend! What if it's false? What will happen then?"
"All legends come from a bit of truth. Even if it has no control over fate itself, it controls the emotions of the viewers and, ultimately, the fate of their lives individually. So, I suppose it controls fate in one way or another. After all, theater is capable of saving lives."
He looked back down at the mask. "If I could control fate, I would have changed this outcome."
The Kung Fu Master stayed silent for a minute. "I would have made it so Light Fang would let me scratch his scales, but now I feel a little idiotic since yours was so emotional."
"Maybe we shouldn't be worrying about this. I mean, Madame Grape will be herself, I suppose. But how exactly will bringing a tragic end to the world make the Sour Bunch rich beyond their dreams?"
"Hold onto that thought, I need to stop Princess Peach." He jumped down to a smaller edge.
She stopped him with ease, but was taken a little off-guard by his new chi attacks. But she still blocked those and took him out. He shook off the attack and jumped back to the smaller ledge.
"Hm, impressive. However, you still have along ways to go before being able to defeat either me or Madame Grape." He leapt back up to the Figure Skater. "So? What were you telling me?"
"It doesn't make any sense. If she brings tragedy, wouldn't the Sour Bunch suffer tragedy too? Since they live in this world?"
He pondered for a moment. "Hm...Yes, I think you make a good point there. Unless Madame Grape actually believes that will work, then she has no right to lie to her subjects."
"Unless she's doing that to make them listen to her."
"But she cares for her Sour Bunch, no?"
He held up Damian's mask again. "Well, apparently not, if she killed Damian like this."
He frowned. "Yes...something has changed about her. But I have no clue what. She's becoming heartless. We cannot loose Madame Grape to the downward spiral of wickedness."
"But what do we do? If we fight her then..." He looked down at the mask.
"We will have to wait and see, friend. All good comes to those who wait."
Peach finished that floor a bit faster than the others. The Figure Skater didn't seem quite as peppy as before, although keeping his flamboyant personality. The Baron made a statement that pink wasn't the proper color for a Baroness, right before being utterly destroyed. The final string finally vanished, and the seal shattered.
Except there was no door.
"Huh? No floor boss?" Stella asked. "Did Grape not care about this floor, or did she finally run out of ideas?"
"Let's take it as a good thing she didn't protect this one as tightly," Peach said. "But we still have to save the rest of the Sparklas!"
"Right! Now that the lift is working, we can just pop down into the basement now!"
"Alright, we're coming to save you, Sparklas. Just hang on for a little bit more!"