The first step of her plan was to go back into Sparkle Theater, enter the first detective play, and swipe something from the museum. It was a simple plan, and as long as she remained undetected, she would be in and out with no issues. She knew exactly what she needed as well, and it was just a short trip to it.
The Theets apparently made terrible guards, and remembering the layout of the stage worked on her favor. She had to go below stage to find it, but that simply worked even better for her. Nobody went down there, and it made it so simple to grab. She picked up a nearby chair and shattered the glass.
"The Fandangled Masks of Disguise. What a perfect little artifact."
She faced a mirror next to the set and put the mask over her eyes. She pushed them up a bit, then looked at her hands.
"Hm? My Darkle's power must be too strong for this mask's magic to work." She removed it. "So this led to nothing...What do I do now? This plan is an utter failure unless I can enter Peach's castle undetected."
Darkle...Dark Sparkle...Dark Magic...Rex had a book in his office. "The guide of learning to control your dark magic." The sub text "for dummies" was always hilarious to Grape, so she always looked for it inside his office whenever she passed by it on a regular day. Since Darkle was a variant of dark magic itself, perhaps she would be able to see if that book had any way to help her situation. She opened a portal back to the Dark Realm and went to his office.
He was just leaving the room, speaking to a Bunchling Grape hadn't seen before. Whether he was a new recruit or from the Elder Bunch was unclear, but she listened in the conversation.
"I need a new scapegoat," Rex mentioned. "Damian's dead. I can't let her drop her confidence yet. We're so close to the biggest accomplishment for any of the Bunchling gangs! If she can take out that princess, take over her kingdom, then she'll officially be the most important Bunchling in our history."
"But Madame Grape isn't a Bunchling," the other said. "So why are you trying to treat her as such?"
"Because she is the only one left that can carry our legacy. I don't like it either, but she's the only one with a real talent for this sort of thing."
"But why treat her so special if you don't like her?"
"Because, if she believes I do, she'll obey. She's gotten too powerful. If she goes unchecked, we could end as scraps for her 'pets.' And I can't have her figure anything out. She'll certainly end us then. Even if all else fails, I want her to be like me and not that pathetic excuse for a brother." He walked off, his cane clacking against the marble floors.
The other Bunchling followed him, clearly still meaning to talk. Grape didn't care much for the conversation and entered Rex's office.
The office was dark, papers scattered across the ground. She checked his bookshelf, then his desk. The book sat in the trash bin under the desk. She grabbed it, checked the halls, then fled to her room as quickly as she could. He obviously had no need for it anymore, but it still felt like stealing. Of course, she was raised to steal, but one thing the Bunchlings held true to was that they never stole from family. She convinced herself he would want her to have it, locked the bedroom door, and sat on her pillow-ridden bed. A few fell off, but she ignored them.
"Alright, let's take a peek into Rex's strange reading material."
First page:
"This guide is meant to teach how to control your new dark abilities. Whether they developed, were gifted, or you stole them, you'll need practice and patience in order to prevent from destroying yourself."
Woof, what a gloomy introduction.
Sixty-ninth page:
"Potions are a helpful tool for dark magic users. Of course, the talent is limited to wizards and witches."
That seemed interesting.
"Potions have many uses. Some can be used to raise attack, magic, defense, and more. Some can be used for-"
Alright, this is boorish.
Seventy-fifth page:
"Recipe for a disguise potion."
That was more like what she was looking for.
The potion was said to disguise even the most powerful of witches. And it was simple enough to make, with a few ingredients she didn't have on hand. She sighed. The plan was a complete failure now, and there was no "option c."
Instead of thinking about it further, and falling prey to her intrusive thoughts, she ripped the page from the book, tossed it under a few pillows, and went to the kitchen to think of something else.
The Dark Baker was the only one in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the Sour Bunch. Grape didn't want to bother her, but the thought of her plan kept scratching at the front of her mind.
"Saccharine, can I speak with you?"
"What's the matter, Madame Grape? If my food was-"
"It's not about you, thankfully. I was wondering about these ingredients." She pulled out the paper and unfolded it.
Saccharine looked it over. "I've seen these. In Rex's cupboard. He said it was off-limits."
"Hmph. Off-limits to the Sour Bunch, probably. I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow a few ingredients." She opened the cupboard.
"I don't think you should do that."
Grape scoffed. "And who says you have rule over me? Last time I checked, I created you."
"Rex won't like this."
"...I know. But he'll forgive me when I return to him Peach's head."
