"Madame Grape seems a bit off lately, hasn't she?"
Toadette assumed that was one of Grape's minions speaking. She'd no clue what Grape was planning, but perhaps listening in to her minions' conversation might give her some sort of clue.
"Has she? Madame Grape is simply showing her spectacular prowess just as she did when she became leader." This guard seemed to think highly of Grape.
"But remember...Rex brought her into a private conversation. She seemed a bit shaken after. I wonder what happened."
"Rex?" Toadette muttered. He sounded important.
The other guard started again. "Fair. But Rex is a stern one. Madame Grape's power has only increased since that day. Perhaps...No, it cannot be. Bunchlings cannot use magic. I'd be a fool to say Rex could. Although, he was surprisingly talented."
"Will Madame Grape be able to win? The Pink Devil seems pretty good."
A set of footsteps hurried over. "Conner, Maurice, where is Madame Grape? This is urgent news she must hear!"
"What is it?" Conner asked. He had a higher voice, which was the same voice that worried over Grape's capability.
"The Pink Devil made it into the ninja play! She's restored it into its former glory."
"That is urgent," Maurice said softly. His voice was a bit raspy, and he sounded older than the rest because of it. His voice had put Grape on a high pedestal. "I'll inform Madame Grape of this right away. Eugene, take my post for a moment; I know where Madame Grape is."
"Okay," Eugene said hesitantly.
A few moments of shuffling feet followed, and then the room outside fell into silence. Toadette waited for them to speak again, but they wouldn't. So, she took matters into her own hands. She kicked the door a few times. The Sour Bunch outside started talking between them, then one grabbed the doorknob.
"Stop that!" Eugene ordered. "By the name of the Sour Bunch! Stop that right now or face punishment."
Toadette kicked the door again.
"I-I'm coming in there!" Conner stuttered. "Don't make me hurt you!"
He opened the door and she kicked him in the face. He backed away, Eugene stepping in for him. Toadette now realized why there were two guards; in case one got injured in some way, they had backup. Eugene tried to shoot her with rubber bullets. She ducked under them, rolled, and bit the Bunchling's leg. He kicked her in the head, the damage reduced to nothing thanks to her mushroom cap. She grabbed the gun with her mouth and pointed it at him the best she was able to.
"Conner, you have a spear, use it!"
"B-but I'm not supposed to use it unless it's against the Pink Devil! I don't want to break my spear before then; Madame Grape will be disappointed in me for sure."
Eugene took the spear from him, battling him for it a bit before Conner released it. Eugene pointed it to her. "Stand down or risk punishment."
"Eugene, that's only a prop weapon, just like your gun and Madame Grape's scepter."
He lowered the spear a bit, looking to Conner with a confused expression. "I thought her scepter was real..."
Toadette took that free chance to rush to the spear and slice her ropes. She used gravity to help tear through them with one stroke. Eugene gripped the spear tighter when she touched it.
"H-hey! That's not fair!"
Toadette stood back up, put the gun into her hand, pointed it at his face and said, "Thanks!"
Eugene scoffed. "Your polite attitude changes noth-"
She fired a single rubber bullet to his face, knocking him out instantly. She pointed it to Conner.
Conner backed away, grabbing his spear from the ground. "This isn't my duty! I won't get in your way, just please don't hurt me!"
"Thanks, Conner!" She hurried off.
She came to a corner, which she hid behind. She could hear Grape talking ahead. She peeked, seeing who she assumed was Maurice, and another Bunchling talking with her. The other Bunchling looked like he might have been the oldest, a bo staff in hand.
"I see," Grape said. "Her name is Peach? How lovely." She didn't seem too happy saying that. "Well, we'll simply have to test her limits then. She'll give up eventually. Let her finish the first floor first. If she gets past my sweet Disco, I order you to fight back stronger. We need to stop her from saving this theater. Thankfully, my stage is coming along perfectly. Al is quite the builder, isn't he? Perhaps I should have utilized your talents sooner. Oh, and Trevor? Do you truly think you can actually battle our little pest? I do know you have a...oh...how to not put this rudely?"
Trevor chuckled. "It's alright, Madame Grape. I can assure you, although I'm blind, I can still fight as well as I could when I was your age. Rex can tell you that any fight against me, he lost."
Grape chuckled, her deep laugh quite enchanting. "I suppose I would be in the wrong to underestimate any of you. After all, Rex told me you were the best-of-the-best!" She clapped excitedly. "Oh, and I wasn't supposed to show you this until it was ready, but I'm just far too excited! If this actually works, not only will I be qualified as an actual witch, but Rex will also acknowledge my use here as the leader of the Sour Bunch!" She removed her hat, revealing a long sheet of parchment was hidden inside. She unfurled it, showing it to the two Bunchlings in front of her. "What do you think? I want it to display my elegance perfectly from every angle! And spotlights are all the rage nowadays! At least, I believe so? Rex told me spotlights would work. And they would give Spot something to do if he grows bored."
She acted so much different when she wasn't being professional. Toadette thought this behavior was odd, but also kind of charming. Grape got so excited over things she cared for, and was happy she was able to express that to her Sour Bunch.
The two examined the paper. "Yes, I think it's wonderful, Madame Grape!" Maurice was into the idea fully, of course.
"Hm..." Trevor rubbed his chin. "Madame Grape, have we not just discussed this? All I know is that it sounds like a sheet of paper."
"Oh-oh! Right. Apologies." Grape rolled the paper back up and dropped it into her hat. She placed it back on her head and straightened it. "Well, Peach has the Cowgirl play next. Eugene, you and Rodeo can devise a plan of attack. And make sure to take what you can. Rex told me that just because I'm occupied making my play, it's no excuse to ignore the Sour Bunch's duty as thieves."
Thieves? But why, out of anything, take a theater? Grape was obviously planning something, but what? Toadette decided she hung around long enough and continued down the hall. She came to a door, forest green with pale green accents. It didn't match with the purple colors of the rest of the area, so she decided to enter the door, assuming that it had to lead somewhere.
She opened the door, snuck inside, and slowly shut it to limit the noise. She sighed, relieved Grape didn't catch her again. Something moved behind her. She could hear the echoing tick of clocks all around her. She turned, watching a large shadow glide across the floors. She stepped further into the room, searching for a source of light. The ticking seemed to grow louder as she felt her heart racing. She stopped in the middle of the room. The shadow was all around her now.
Two spotlights turned on above her, shining directly onto her.
She turned around, looking directly into a large snake's spiral, green eyes. It hissed, its eyes opening fully. The ticking stopped, and she was tossed out the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Grape made a sound from around the corner, then came floating over as quickly as she could.
"Oh, Fang! What's gotten you into a frenzy now?" She opened the door. "Fang, you need to conserve your energy, alright? I don't want you exhausting yourself before your spotlight comes."
"That's you pet?" Toadette asked.
"Yes. And what are you doing out of that room? Oh? And you seem to have broken your bonds as well. Perhaps you can be of use to me." She went straight back into being serious. "Come with me, Toadette. I need to ask you a few questions about Peach."
"I won't tell you anything!"
"You will, with time. I'll make sure you do. I can get even the Sparklas to talk with a bit of torture! But, I won't go that way just yet. I want to see if you can speak without being pushed too far. After all, torture can lead to the victim saying anything just to be freed. So, I want the truth, and only the truth from you. Understand?"
Toadette sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
"Good. Although, I have different idea for a room this time. I want you to feel comfortable while we talk."
"Great..."