Meanwhile, on a screen somewhere, the latest episode of Mount Rageous' hit show: The Bop on Top, was on.
The show talked about the latest trending musicians on the block.
In today's episode, an announcer's voice was heard saying, "Today, on a very special episode of The Bop on Top, we're talking about overnight superstars Velvet and Veneer"!
A clip showing Velvet and Veneer fabulously posing before their music video began to play for the viewers to watch.
The video showed both twins doing very extravagant things such as making angels in a pile of diamonds.
www~Watch Me Work by Andrew Rannells and Brianna Mazzola~
Velvet: Mm, never gets old, no matter how much I'm told I'm amazin'!
Veneer: You're amazin'!
Another clip showed the pair sunbathing under a spotlight while laying on silver poolside chairs on a gorgeous boat, both of the twins wearing swimsuits, wearing sunglasses over their eyes, and bopping their heads to the beat of the song.
Velvet was holding a little tanning foldout while Veneer was resting his hands behind his head.
Velvet: Hard to get tired when I'm always on fire; I'm blazin'!
Veneer: Ooh, you're blazin'!
A new clip showed the twins, who now sported very fancy outfits.
Velvet was wearing a gold dress with a hem cut by her knees and a diamond-encrusted boa around her neck, while Veneer was wearing a gold suit with a diamond-encrusted bow tie around his neck.
The twins were walking down a long blue runway with glitter raining down on them.
Both: All my greatest, it doesn't come for free (Velvet: Yeah!)! All my talent, it doesn't grow on trees!
Take a breather (Velvet: Ooh!), then take it all away!
Velvet: If the top is where you wanna stay!
A new clip showed the twins in a shiny red convertible, with Veneer driving it while Velvet was looking at the camera, before transcending to another shot where the pair was riding on the back of a tiger that walked them through a field of old statues wearing hip sunglasses and headphones.
Both: You gotta work hard (Velvet: Uh-huh!) to make it look it easy!
A new clip then showed the tiger, whose head was now in a gold picture frame, and it opened its mouth, spitting out Velvet and Veneer, who were now rocking purple gear, with matching purple hair, and strutted down the cat's tongue like it was a catwalk.
Both: You gotta live fast to keep makin' that money
Velvet: Ooh!)!
Both: If you want to be as famous as me, you gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work!
A quick video showed of the twins' song "Watch Me Work" that easily sailed to the top of the charts, making it the most popular song in Mount Rageous.
Velvet: Watch me work!
A new clip showed the pair dancing together, moonwalking on the top of a diamond.
Both: Ooh, ooh! Ooh, ooh, ooh! Ooh, ooh!
Velvet: Go ahead and watch me work!
A new clip showed the two, decked in their fancy outfits again, walking downa red carpet, with people outside the barricade cheering for them, all while the twins' focus was on the camera as they sang.
Velvet: Haters wanna be me or be with me! Yeah, they're f-f-freakin'!
Veneer: Yeah, they're freakin'!
One fan in the video cheered so loud that they fell over onto the ground.
Both: Out!
Another clip soon started to play as it showed Velvet and Veneer now dancing on a glowing floor, back in their regular appearance, at what appeared to be a nightclub, and their clothes were glowing so bright that it made them shine like stars.
Velvet: I just keep on workin', lurkin', smirkin', when they think that I'm peakin'!
Veneer: Never peakin'!
A new clip showed a sparkly background that resembled a disco ball, and black silhouettes of the pair dancing together while their voices were heard singing.
Both: All my greatest, it doesn't come for free (Velvet: Ooh-ooh!)! All my talent, it doesn't grow on trees!
Take a breather (Velvet: Yeah!), then take it all away!
Then, their silhouettes got light shined onto them, with Venner and Velvet both posing; while Veneer was on one knee, doing a kneeling pose, Velvet was standing, posing as if she had a microphone in her hand and was singing into it.
Velvet: If the top is where you wanna stay!
A new clip then showed the pair sitting on golden thrones, being carried by a group of servants that all looked like red versions of Veneer, but without the pompadour hairdo, while the twins sang.
Both: You gotta work hard to make it look it easy! You gotta live fast to keep makin' that money Velvet: Ooh!)! If you want to be as famous as me, you gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work!
Then, they both leaped down from their thrones, crossed their arms, and posed again.
Velvet: Watch me work!
Another clip began to play, where Velvet and Veneer both rode down a silver twisty slide hefore divino into a nool of aold coins and diamonds
Velvet: Watch me work!
The up-close shot of Velvet then faded into real-life, where the real Velvet and Veneer, who had sat down in the chairs where they were being interviewed by a fellow teenager who wore neon baggy clothing, rainbow dreadlock-like hair that went straight down his face and almost covered his eyes, and a lamp-shade shaped hat on his head.
The proud girl commented as she settled in, "So, what do you want to know? I'm practically an open book."
"Wide open; we're gaping novels," Veneer added excitedly.
The person who interviewed them first asked, "Ok, well, who are some of your biggest influences"?
Veneer answered first, saying in response, "Honestly, Vel's always been my biggest inspiration," while Velvet soaked in the glory and praise.
She then answered, "My biggest inspiration? Hmmm, l'd have to go with...also me."
Veneer didn't seem to ben even bothered by the answer at all; of course...that was what people saw on the surface.
But underneath, part of him did feel a little offended that his sister didn't think he was as much if an influence on her as she as on him, and when he says she has influenced him to be who he is now, she has REALLY influenced him, which was good...for the
most part.
The interviewer then declared to the viewers at home, "Well, one thing's for sure, after two months on the scene, the superstar duo will receive the prestigious Lifer Award"!
An image of the trophy showed on the TV, showing a beautiful rainbow-painted colorful shaped-patterned crown with red crystals on its inside that surrounded a gold trophy.
The interviewer stuck his head out, adding in, "That's celebrating a lifetime of achievements."
A new clip showed Velvet and Veneer greeting fans, with the interviewer saying, "Be sure to catch their performance this weekend at the Rage Dome," before a picture of the Rage Dome showed; it was a gigantic, octahedral, purple jewel-like building.
The shot then returned back to the interview, with the person interviewing Velvet and Veneer asking the duo, "Last question; how do you guys stay the biggest superstars Mount Rageous has ever known? What's your secret"?
That question made Veneer appear a little nervous as he hesitantly stammered while desperately trying to stay calm, "Secret? Ha, ha, we don't have a secret! Who says we have a secret"?!
Velvet, luckily, got him to easily calm down and respond on his behalf while Veneer tried to ease a little and relax, though his face told otherwise, "What my calm, casual-sounding brother means is that it's simple really; it just takes lots of hard work and loads of natural talent."
In the recording studio, by themselves, Velvet and Veneer tried to sing runs into the mic and sounded very off-key, not at once sounding anything close to melodic.
That was why. They were actually AWFUL singers! They had no singing talent, and as you could hear, their voices were so bad that a cat's screech would be more pleasant to hear!
Velvet was visibly frustrated, letting out an annoyed sigh before she told Veneer, "If we're going to make it through the Rage Dome show, we're gonna need more Troll"!
"Do we really need more Troll to sing better," Veneer asked with a hesitant shrug.
Velvet rolled her eyes before answering, "Yes; we can't just go out there sounding like this now, can we"?
As the pair exited the recording booth, Velvet eyed someone who was working to sound booth, yelling towards the person, "Crimp, what are you doing"?!
Crimp, who to some resembled a mop head, was a fuzzy little orange hairball-like creature with round eyes and purple arms, who wore white sunglasses over her eyes, a purple scrunchy on her head to hold some of her hair in a bun, and purple lipstick.
As she moved a slide switch down, with branch, who was in the diamond bottle, next to her watching all of this go on, she nervously looked up at Velvet and Veneer, stammering, "Uh, I'm standing"?
Veneer, regaining his composure and trying to match Velvet's bossy attitude, instructed sternly, "Well, be a good little assistant and go stand in the corner," before pointing to the empty spot in the studio.
"Oh, yes," Crimp nervously replied as she leaped down and walked towards the spot to stand. However, Veneer didn't specify exactly which corner to stand in, and tried to find the one that best looked like a corner to stand in.
This was a...peculiar sight to see, but all it really did was that it annoyed Velvet, who groaned and shouted, "Ok, I cannot with her"!
"It's really too much," Veneer added.
But that quickly went away when Velvet eyed the bottle and smiled, saying, "Well, time for a spritz"!
branch turns his back on them, it made velvet gasped.
"Are you-are you ignoring us" she asked.
"You two ruined everything, you ruined my friend's wedding, you tried to hurt my brothers then you kidnapped me"
"Oh please we're putting your talent to good use" velvet says.
"Forget it! I'm not gonna do it" branch crosses his arms.
"Did you just tell us no"
"Yes, I barely have anymore talent left to give! ! mean, maybe like a desperate Christmas album or a one-off national anthem performance.....but that is it"
While Venner looked primarily conflicted, Velvet, annoyed again, retorted with harsh sarcasm, "Oh really, you don't wanna? Ok, that's fine; we'll just kiss our careers goodbye and focus on charity"
"Ha, good one."
Meanwhile, Velvet had picked up the bottle and began to use the little squeeze-end to "Spray" herself, the perfume bottle giving off a purple mist that went into her throat.
Inside the bottle, branch's body glowed as he felt his essence and musical ability drain away from him, and it was, without question, PAINFUL! Like, his body felt ready to scrunch up, and he could barely breathe! all he could do was let out a cry in agony.
As the smoke settled into Velvet's throat, her eyes glimmered, and with musical energy radiating around her, she sang out a beautiful riff that sounded angelic and melodic as amazing as any professional singer would sound.
Feeling like she had her singing mojo again, Velvet grinned, declaring, Ah, that's more like it. We're so close to having everything we always knew we believed we deserved to have"
However, Veneer, while he agreed with what Velvet was saying, his gaze caught notice of branch in the bottle, and he felt his concern come back, especially when he saw how tired the little guy looked.
It was no picnic for branch either; after getting his essence sucked out again, he felt exhausted, and there was still pain that resided in his body that made it almost hurt to breathe, and he was growing physically paler by the minute.
Velvet saw the look Veneer had and asked him, "Veneer, what's with your vibe and your face? Why do you have resting moody-vibe face"?
He quickly shot his hands up in defense, saying, "No, I know that we deserve to be famous because we want to, but honestly, that dude looks rough."
"He's fine," Velvet argued, obviously defiant from seeing how much in agony branch was truly was.
"And he's getting pale," Veneer added as he tapped the bottle and saw how paler branch was getting, "And not like a stunning Victorian way."
Suddenly, branch caught a glimpse of his feet and legs and saw that the color faded and they looked so...transparent...as if the life in his lower limbs were getting sucked away slowly.
He let out a startled shout and told Velvet and Veneer, "Floyd was right, can't you see what you're doing? You're LITERALLY sucking the life out of me"
"Ugh, that's what I tell Crimp everyday," Velvet bluntly retorted, her insult making Crimp turn away and cry.
"You guys a bullies" branch scolds them.
"Think you we try" says velvet.
Veneer was now feeling anxious about the entire scheme again; if he and his sister were draining the life out of him, he might not last long enough for the Rage Dome show! and if they didn't have enough Troll power, their voices would cave, and everyone would see them as the frauds they were!
His conscious was tugging at him, but the fear of getting caught was overpowering it. He panicked, asking Velvet, "What are we gonna do?! We obviously can't rely on this Troll to get through this dress rehearsal, let alone the Rage Dome show"
Velvet calmed her brother down again telling him while she tossed the bottle up and caught it, "It's all going to chance as soon as we have BroZone"!
The band's name got branch's attention, making him ask out loud, "BroZone"? It was one thing for Velvet and Veneer to want to take his talent, but what did BroZone have to do with this? What did they want with his brothers?
"Just what makes you think they would come" branch asked.
"Isn't it obvious, they'll be coming to your rescue" velvet says, "I love me"
"No! You leave my brothers alone"! We had a deal remember, just take my talent as much as you want but you keep my brothers out of this"
"Sorry but, THE DEALS OFF" velvet says.
"NO!"
Velvet ignored his declaration, commenting, "Ugh, I'm exhausted by all this drama," and placed the perfume bottle down. She got up, asking Veneer as he got up and followed Velvet, "Hey, you want to go buy a yacht"
Purchasing a yacht was one of Veneer's dreams, and it eagerly got him on board, making him reply, "Oh, good idea! Let's buy matching yachts"
After Velvet and Veneer left the studio, branch was left alone to think about everything.
Now, not only was he in a lot of trouble, but so were his brothers, he put his family endanger and they don't even know about it. Worst of all, seeing how transparent his legs became, he was starting to worry that he wouldn't have any time left...to go save them.
But...how could he? He was stuck in here...there was no escape, and worst of all...he didn't even know if his brothers qere still alive or...ok.
His heart ached with sadness as he thought back about his brothers, especially Floyd.
Crimp, who remained in the corner, saw how sad he looked, and she thought of an idea of something she could do to help him feel better.
She pulled out a small ukelele and began to strum it, playing a small tune.
Floyd's ears twitched as he heard the music, and following what his heart told him, then remembered what Floyd used to do then he was sad "just sing"
he gently began to sing a song: When we were young we were the ones
The kings and queens oh yeah, we ruled the world
We smoked cigarettes, man, no regrets
Wish I could relive every single word
We've taken different paths
And travelled different roads
I know we'll always end up on the same one when we're old
And when you're in the trenches
And you're under fire I will cover you
If I was dying on my knees
You would be the one to rescue me
And if you were drowned at sea
I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe
I've got you brother-er-er-er
(He can feel four of his brothers singing with him as imagined of them were shown they surrounded the diamond as they were with him singing, he each looked at them hoping to see them again, they placed their hands on the diamond"
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
I've got you brother-er-er-er
As the music came into an end, and branch's thoughts went away, making him return to reality, as his brothers vanished and he turned his head and told Crimp kindly, "Your ukelele skills are improving."
"Thank you," Crimp replied, appreciating the compliment.
Branch looked up at the ceiling, saying in almost a faint whisper, "guys, if you're out there...be careful.....and I love you guys." Then he lays down to sleep.
"You have a beautiful voice" crimp tells him.
"Thank you"