*Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter of my version of Sing!!! This is published on September 17, 2021. If you guys like this chapter, don't be afraid to vote and comment! That would be greatly appreciated! Have a blessed day!!! Enjoy!*

Buster, Mizuki, Ms. Crawly, Mike, and Nancy waited in the beautiful green grass park in the heart of Catalonia.

"So, why are we here?" Mike asked with his head tilted.

"I'll tell you as soon as everyone is gathered here," Buster answered.

Mike waited patiently as he saw Eddie and Gunter walking together into the park due to Mizuki requesting Eddie to tell Gunter about the meeting at the park from the text since Gunter doesn't have his phone with him.

"Yo, Yo, Yo, Mr. Moon! Good morning!" Gunter beamed excitedly, earning a smile from Buster.

"Good morning, Gunter," Buster replied.

"What's going on, Buster?" Eddie questioned softly.

"I'll tell you as soon as everyone gets here," Buster responded while waiting for the others to come by.

Rosita arrived with a waitress outfit on, appearing like she had to take a shift in the next few hours. Meena followed close behind her with her headphones on her huge ears. A few minutes later, Ash arrived at the park with red puffy eyes as if she'd been crying all night last night while Johnny came up next to her on his skateboard.

"Top of the morning, guys," Johnny greeted his theater friends.

"Good morning," Everyone else greeted back politely.

"Oh, Gunter, here, I got this for you!" Johnny handed Gunter's phone instantly, earning a smile from the flamboyant pig.

"Oh my gosh, Johnny! Thank you so much!!" Gunter yelped in excitement.

Johnny realized that Buster was giving him a withering glare, acknowledging that the koala knew that the gorilla went into someplace he wasn't supposed to. However, Buster couldn't get on his case yet.

"I'll deal with you later." Buster counted everyone as he sighed deeply. "Okay, guys, can I have your attention?"

The theater group shushed each other as they leaned forward, eager to what Buster had to say.

"Okay, I--I have something to say," Buster uttered sadly.

Everyone had their eyes widened except for Mizuki and Ms. Crawly.

"Oh no, the show's canceled," Mike assumed with a gasp.

"No."

"You're gay?"

"Mike, stop assuming," Buster demanded softly.

Mike was earned a withering glare from both Johnny and Ash for him to shut up and let Buster talk.

Buster took a deep breath. "The show...that was supposed to be done in a few months...is being...moved to...next week."

Everyone had their eyes widened more in shock.

"Wait, what?" Mike gasped. "Is this because of the bank Karen that came into your theater last night?"

Johnny shushed Mike.

Buster sighed heavily. "Yes, the bank last night told me that I had to pay my loans by the end of this month...which is next week. And...I don't---I've already settled enough accounts that I can't keep up...I'm going to go bankrupt...but if I put on this show by the end of this month...it'll at least help pay off the loans I've been owning the bank."

The theater group gasped in shock.

"How much do you owe them?" Nancy asked in concern.

Buster was flustered as he never ever revealed what he owe the bank. Not because he doesn't trust people but because he didn't want to add another burden on someone else.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that we need to pick a song and stick with that song! We need to practice and rehearse as hard as we can for the final performance! I got wardrobe suggestions and everything," Buster determined, getting rid of his insecurities. "Meena, you're in the show."

Meena had her eyes bulged out in complete shock. "What?!"

"You don't need to re-audition since you are a gifted singer," Buster replied with encouragement in his tone. "What do you say?"

Meena hid in her ears in embarrassment. Then, she peeked out with some form of determination. "O-Okay, I'll do it!"

"Great!" Buster cheered for the fact that he got another performer.

"But...I...I need to talk to you privately," Meena requested sweetly.

"Oh yeah, yeah, of course, Meena," Buster answered happily. "Is everyone okay with doing pairs?"

The theater group appeared to be stressed out about the show due next week as they glanced at each other.

Johnny was hoping that the warehouse robbery won't take place at the same time as the performance or even the practices. He preferred it to be after his performances and rehearsals.

Ash had just got done dealing with her cheating ex-boyfriend, Lance, and now she's going to practice harder than ever to perform this performance. She figured it would be a great distraction from her problems with Lance.

Gunter, Meena, Mike, and Nancy had nothing better to do since they had nothing going on with their personal lives that would interfere with their performances other than Mike and Nancy had to worry about the cats hunting them down. Gunter had to do some fitness stuff but he's sure that he could postpone it for about two weeks. Meena had her family back at home but they knew that she's in the theater and she would be safe there as long as they could track her and make sure she's safe.

Rosita seemed stressed out, out of everyone standing in the park. She has twenty-five kids to take care of at home, a part-time waitress job, and a date with who she tried to keep a good relationship with but she's been so busy. Always busy. And now having the show on top of her...there's so much stress and anxiety for one woman to take.

However, everyone nodded their heads, some hesitant and some more determined than ever to work hard.

"Great!" Buster replied happily. "Let's go!"

Everyone nodded their heads more firmly as Rosita and Meena were lacking behind them. However, Meena was walking with Buster.

"So, Meena, what do you want to talk to me about?" Buster ignited the question to the young teenage elephant.

Meena was hiding in her ears, scared out of her mind of what she's going to say. "Do you mind if...I go solo?"

"Okay...that's the plan. Do you mind being last--?"

"Yes!"

Buster chuckled a bit. "You know, I know you've had stage fright...why exactly are you afraid of the stage? Is it a bad experience?"

Meena frowned. "I--I have a loud...powerful voice."

"I could tell, that's why I included you in the talent show--"

"Powerful enough to bring down a building," Meena uttered shyly.

Buster glanced up at her in wide-eyed shock. Then he chortled in thinking she's just cracking a joke. "Haha, you're joking, right?"

Meena had her pupils shrink in an instant flashback.

Flashback:

Meena was part of the church choir as a child after her father passed away due to a heart attack. In her grandparent's church, she sang the most beautiful voice that anyone from the old to the young could ever hear. However, her voice would shake the building without her realizing it, due to her singing in front of two microphones. She never knew why she was told by pastors and other choir members to keep her voice down but she was obedient since they were the higher authority at the time.

In the high school choir, Meena was singing the solo of the song they were supposed to be performing in a different school. However, during that time, Meena was never told to keep it out and give it her all. So, she gave it all quite literally in front of a microphone.

"Don't you worry 'bout a thing!!!

Don't you worry 'bout a thing!!!"

Her voice carried through the building soothing the ears of audiences watching the choir. However, the building rumbled and shook like an earthquake had just occurred but much worse. It deafened some audiences while parts of the building began to collapse in her singing voice. Through the echoes of her beautiful angelic voice, the building just collapsed without much of a warning, falling on top of audiences and her choir team.

Meena stopped singing and opened her eyes only to realize that the building was fallen around her. The young elephant didn't understand what happened as one of the choir students was crawling out of the rubble, bleeding from the impact.

Meena was later taken to the principal's office when they got back to her high school. Meena's mother walked in, concern over her daughter considering that her daughter wasn't one for getting into trouble.

"What is my baby girl in for today?" Meena's mother asked the principal.

The principal, the aardvark, was organizing the files. "Your daughter caused some major collateral damage."

"With what?"

The aardvark sighed heavily. "Believe it or not...it's by her singing voice that caused the damage."

Meena's mother sat back with a disbelief stare at the principal. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. I really wish I was," the aardvark answered.

Meena covered her ears in shame but her mother pressed on, now getting a bit angry that her daughter was called into the office for something that could easily be controlled by the teachers themselves.

"Was the microphone placed right in front of her face?" her mother interrogated.

"What?"

"Was the microphone placed right in front of her face?" her mother repeated a bit more irritably in her tone.

"Well, yes--"

"There. That's your problem. Just remove the microphone away from her face next time and the building won't take collateral damage from her singing voice." Her mother put the solution to the problem so simply.

The aardvark principle sighed heavily. "We want to hear the other choir students too--"

"Since she's the soloist, you can remove the microphone away from her," her mother repeated almost angrily.

The principal rolled her eyes. "Look, Meena is only getting a one-day suspension and she's banned from choir--"

"One-day suspension?! Banned from choir--?!"

"Yes, that's it. She's not going to be expelled--"

Meena's mother had enough of the principal's explanation with anger in her words. "Now, you listen here! My daughter is not a troublemaker! You and I both know that! She's a good girl with a beautiful heart and soul. And you're banning her from something she loves like she's some sort of a bad student because you and your staff didn't bother to remove that microphone out of her face! Instead of taking some sort of responsibility or at least turning down the microphone amp since you know that she's the loudest one out of everyone in the choir, you shifted the blame on my child! She's been getting straight A's, exceeds in the advance placement courses, and she has the most angelic voice anyone would be so blessed to hear! And now you're suspending her for a day and banning her from something she loves all because of something that could easily be preventable?!"

"My daughter was injured in that collision--"

"That's somehow my daughter's fault?!" Meena's mother growled at the aardvark principal for even talking.

"Look, she caused terror among her classmates! She's banned from the choir and that's final!--"

Meena was taken aback by those venomous words from the principal while hiding in her ears.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to shut you up right there! If my daughter brought so much terror into your school, then it's better if she doesn't come here at all and be surrounded by the likes of you!" Meena's mother, Dorothy, finally said with an upset tone. Dorothy got up abruptly while Meena followed her mother out of the principal's office.

Meena and Dorothy got to their large car to get back home as Meena began to let out some tears. Dorothy used her trunk to comfort her child.

"I didn't mean to bring terror," Meena squeaked out a reply.

"Shh, baby, don't take anything the principal said. What she said is stupid and you are not the cause of terror," Dorothy reassured her daughter, coming off a tad bit firm after dealing with the obstinate principal. "You are a gift from God. And I'd be willing to bet that they will miss out on that beautiful voice of yours."

Meena sat back and looked out against the window with her eyes puffy from holding back the tears. Dorothy sighed and began to drive away.

From that day forward, Meena never tried singing again on stage.

Present:

"I wish I was joking, Mr. Moon," Meena uttered after a pause and a trip back down memory lane.

Buster frowned at the sudden change in Meena's voice. "Oh...does it get power if you happen to have a microphone in front of you?"

"I-I guess so."

"Oh...well, we can just get rid of the microphone for when you come on or turn the amp down," Buster said reassuringly, not making it as big of a deal as before.

Meena had her eyes widened in shock at Buster's response. She thought he was going to reconsider her or possibly not have her at the talent show. Buster must've been either desperate or too optimistic to even keep her in the show.

However, Meena felt a little better that she was still included despite having some obstacles. Maybe she grew more confident from it since Buster now knew about her singing voice situation.

Meena nodded her head in understanding. "That sounds good to me, Mr. Moon." She headed off to catch up with the group with a stride.

Buster smiled at the young elephant pursuing her big dreams but he did notice Rosita still lacking behind since Meena went ahead of her.

The koala arched a brow to instantly recognized her before even meeting her at the auditions.

"Rosita!"

Rosita turned to see Buster catching up to her. "Hey, Mr. Moon. I-I wanted to let you know that I have work in a few hours. Then I have to pick the kids up from school and then I had this date to go to tonight. I might have to cancel--"

"I can watch over the kids," Buster offered. "I don't have anything to do tonight anyway."

"Oh no, I can't ask that of you, Mr. Moon," Rosita declined the offer, guilty to even venting to her boss about her situation.

Buster shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you guys are helping me by coming here every day and practicing for the show that was pushed to next week. I feel like I owe you guys somehow."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure."

Rosita smiled brightly while hugging Buster. "Thank you!"

Buster felt stiff a bit when he was hugged by someone else. He just patted her back as she broke away from the koala. She skipped off excitedly as Buster shivered a bit. He shrugged off the shiver and went to catch up with his theater gang.

~.~

Johnny played the piano with a few off-keys in the lobby of the theater with Ash strumming the guitar.

The gorilla groaned a bit to himself. "Okay, we need to choose a song since we hadn't decided on it yet--"

His sentence was interrupted when he noticed Ash leaning her head up against the wall with a few stray tears streaming down her cheeks. Johnny's gaze softened as he stopped playing the piano and turned to Ash.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Johnny asked softly.

Ash looked up at Johnny with red puffy eyes. She wiped her tears away. "What's there to talk about? You saw it...I'm sorry you saw it."

Johnny shrugged it off. "It's okay. It's not like you knew your boyfriend was sleeping with this other woman the same day you brought us over...right?"

He attempted at giving her a reassuring grin but knew instantly that it didn't succeed.

Ash was silent for a moment while her quills scratched the walls just slightly from her head leaning up against it. "I should've known better. I should've known that Lance was no good from the first moment I met him. You know, my parents wanted me to be this perfect little girl with a degree in a law firm. 'One day, Ash, you'll be just like us'. I'm not them...I could never ever be them. And I thought being with Lance would prove that. And then, I was kicked out of the house because Lance wasn't their ideal guy I should be with. I thought we had it all together. I cut off everyone from my family just so that I could be with him, giving everything into this relationship just to have it blow up in my face five years later. All that time put in a relationship just because I love him. What am I? Just some worthless stupid girl who wanted to be different than the rest of her family and so desperate for love that she goes with a guy who just...doesn't even care about her."

Johnny frowned to relate some things Ash had said as he tried to figure out how he could make Ash feel better by saying he knew how she feels. "You know, my dad had me date this one girl when I was fifteen. She and I dated for a good while until I caught her cheating on me with somebody else...the point is, Ash, I could relate to some things that you're talking about. Dad wanted me to be something that I wasn't...that I didn't want to be, you know? Heck, he doesn't know I come here often. And it's better if he doesn't know. But, by the things I've seen of you, you are way better off without the prickly cactus."

Ash turned to Johnny with an arched brow.

"Oh, that's what Mike calls him. For once, I agree with him for that nickname," Johnny said.

Ash cornered a small smile a bit. "You know if you'd told me that when I was in a relationship with Lance, I would be mad at you and Mike for calling him that."

"But now?"

Ash chuckled a bit, which earned a soft smile from Johnny that he got to cheer her up. "Well, since he cheated on me, you both were right about him."

Johnny huffed up a small laugh. "Yeah."

Ash looked up at Johnny with a serious gaze. "Well, we got to rehearse a song for the upcoming performance. What do you suggest?"

Johnny had an idea in his brain. "Since you and I like the same singer, I think we oughta do this song."

Johnny played a couple of familiar notes, causing Ash to brighten up.

"Oh my gosh, I love that song."

Johnny grinned. "Me too! Let's do this one."

"Yes!!!"

Johnny began practicing the song they were going to do together with his piano while Ash strummed the chords of her guitar to play together.

~.~

Hours passed by as Rosita left early for work, leaving Gunter behind. The pigs had already chosen a song that they wanted to dance to and sing together. However, Rosita still had some trouble with the steps. Eddie wasn't needed at the moment since he's a stagehand. Mizuki and Ms. Crawly helped Buster with the backstage stuff. No one could see the new stage since it was covered by a huge duvet. Buster and Mizuki hung the posters up right in front of the glowing squids at the restaurant known as Les Calamars and ran away from the angry waiter that saw them.

Mike and Nancy didn't know their song yet since Mike didn't want to lend his singing voice for some special reason and Nancy hadn't found the right song that was 'appropriate' to sing on stage.

In the late afternoon, Herman came by the theater and dropped some red roses off to Ms. Crawly, who blushed and smiled at her new date. Buster was seeing this with a confused look on his face.

Dang it, even Ms. Crawly's got more of a romantic life than me.

Buster noticed Johnny playing the keys with Ash strumming the chords. They were a bit off-key since the song they were trying to perform was harder than they expected. The koala almost got on Johnny's case today for going into that warehouse but he waited for Johnny to be alone to talk to him.

Mizuki and Ms. Crawly left work early as Buster was just closing the theater at early dusk. He saw Ash leaving Johnny alone and made a perfect time to talk to him.

Buster walked out of his office and towards Johnny. "Hey, Johnny."

Johnny perked his head and glanced at Buster. "Oh, hello, Mr. Moon."

"Where did you get Gunter's phone?" Buster asked, knowing full well what the answer was but wanting to see if Johnny was going to weasel his way out of it.

Meanwhile, Johnny had his eyes widened as if he knew he was in trouble. The gorilla knew he couldn't fool Buster even though he wanted to.

Johnny sighed heavily. "Uh...remember that warehouse you told me to not go to--?"

"And you went there," Buster guessed in a deadpan tone.

"Well, yeah, but it's only in and out--"

"Johnny--"

"I saw Babeesh there and he says that he'll--"

"Look, Johnny, you shouldn't have gone there. You would've gotten hurt--"

"I'm okay. But Babeesh--"

"Johnny. You. Would've. Gotten. Hurt!" Buster instilled the words into Johnny's brain. "I know you said you can handle yourself but that warehouse is dangerous. Promise me that you won't go back there again."

Buster pleaded to Johnny, who didn't understand what Buster knew about that warehouse. Maybe it brought back bad memories or it was what Buster said it was.

Either way, Johnny was silent for a moment and nodded his head in agreement hesitantly.

"Just because you're part of a gang...it doesn't mean that you're invincible. Believe me, I know," Buster expressed sadly.

Johnny was confused by the last statement. But he shook off his confusion. "Mr. Moon--"

"I gotta go...I think I have Rosita's address. Just don't go to that place again, okay?" Buster went off before Johnny could tell him about Babeesh and his plan.

Johnny became anxious as he turned off the lights and exited out of the theater to go back to the garage with his gorilla gang.

~.~

Buster arrived at Rosita's place as she was getting dressed up. He entered the kitchen, noticing how clean it was compared to most places.

Rosita came downstairs in a blue blouse and white dress pants. "Hey, Mr. Moon, thanks again."

"Oh, it's no problem."

"The kids are asleep, so it should be an easy night for you," Rosita replied happily.

"Oh...okay, is there anything you want me to do--?"

"Just make sure to help them if they need something. Goodbye, Mr. Moon," Rosita responded as she exited out of her house.

Buster smiled a bit. "Easy night, huh."

What to do?

Buster sat on the comfy couch as he turned on the television. The channel is on a cartoon show that kids would normally watch. The koala switched channels to see that the next channel was filled with blood, guts, and gore. Buster immediately switched back to the cartoon channel, almost puking from the explicit gore. The koala laid down on the couch and just stared at the boring cartoon endlessly. He turned the television off eventually, getting sleepy. He rubbed his tired eyes and rested his head on a fluffy pillow that smelled clean. He hummed a bit and fell asleep.

About twenty minutes later, Buster began to toss and turn, tears streaming down his face.

"No-No--" Buster moaned while curling himself up on the couch. "Dad...Dad...please. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Buster rolled over on the couch and fell off, causing Buster to snap awake by the time he hit the wooden floor.

The koala breathed heavily as he scampered back against the couch, only to realize that he was in Rosita's empty house. He leaned his head back against the couch with a few tears on his face.

You're just a scared little boy.

Buster groaned to himself while covering his head.

"Where's Mommy?"

Buster glanced up to see a little piglet girl coming down the stairs with sleepy eyes. The koala smiled gently. "Uh, your mother is going to come back home soon. I'm here to watch over you."

"Mr. Moon?"

"That's me."

The piglet girl smiled in excitement. "Mommy talks so much about you!"

"Has she?" Buster questioned with a smile in amusement, wiping the tears away that the child didn't notice.

"Yeah, I want to be a showman just like you one day!" The little piglet expressed excitedly. "Gail Winchester, the greatest showman ever!"

Buster immediately lost his smile while thinking about his life.

Like me? No...No...please...anyone but me.

"Are you okay, Mr. Moon?"

Buster snapped back to reality to see the small child looking up at him innocently, seeing the tears streaming down his face.

Buster tried to wipe the tears away. "I'm fine."

The piglet girl, Gail, tilted her head and walked over to Buster. Buster was confused when Gail hugged him with her head against his chest.

"It's okay to cry, Mr. Moon. Mommy says it's okay to cry," Gail uttered, despite not understanding why Buster was even crying.

Buster bit his lips as he just patted the child's back. His arms loosened around her as his heart grew a soft spot for the young piglet, Gail. He hugged Gail back but not as tightly...just enough compassion. This child didn't even know him and she showed one of the greatest acts of kindness to a complete stranger. He wished he could be like that. If anything, he wished he was like Gail in this way back when he was younger. He wished he was naive, cheerful, and energetic. He wished he was a child again but...sadly, he'll never get rid of the trauma he had before his father died before his mother died...even before that one horrific night at the nightclub.

Buster broke away from Gail, who snuggled up next to him.

"What's the matter?" He asked, feeling a bit better after hugging the young piglet.

"I have a nightmare. Is it okay if I stay with you till Mommy gets back?" Gail asked while waiting for the door.

Buster had his eyes widened more in shock. "Uh...sure...what's your nightmare about?"

"I had a bad dream that I was in a classroom...and my teeth were falling out," Gail replied in terror.

"That sounds scary," Buster responded, even though it's not even close to being scary as his nightmares about his deceased father.

"I know I'm supposed to be an adult and not have nightmares but...it comes sometimes."

"Who says you're not supposed to have nightmares?"

"My teacher, Mrs. Regal. She said that nightmares are for scared little children."

Buster was a bit taken aback by the words. But he let it slide for the child's sake. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. I guess I am just a scared little girl."

Buster frowned. "You know...I get nightmares too."

"Really?" Gail perked up with her eyes broadened in shock.

"Yeah, Mrs. Regal is wrong if she thought that nightmares are for children. In fact, adults get nightmares. I bet Mrs. Regal got nightmares and she didn't even realize it."

"She's a mean teacher."

"Well, I guess she couldn't tell a difference between nightmares and dreams then."

Gail tilted her head. "What were your nightmares?"

"Huh?"

"Your nightmares...what were they? Are they scary?"

Buster frowned. "Yes...very scary."

Gail leaned in eagerly, wanting to hear his nightmare.

Buster knew he couldn't tell the child what his dreams were about. So...he came up with a white lie. "I--I had a dream that...I was chased...by dinosaurs."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, a big huge T-Rex just came after me through the city and I was running as fast as I can," Buster fibbed, being dramatic and entertaining the young child to laughter.

Buster giggled at the child's pure laugh of joy in hearing his little 'nightmare'.

Gail yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Goodnight, Mr. Moon."

She laid against his side, earning a soft smile at Buster. The koala grinned fondly at the child, letting her sleep there for a second. He stroked her head, his heart instantly melting at the fact that the child was already comfortable around him.

"Can we stay with you too till Mom gets back?"

Buster glanced up to see...twenty-four more tired children rubbing their eyes and staring at him sleepily. The koala had his eyes bulged out in pure shock. Rosita didn't tell him how many children he was babysitting.

Uh oh.

~.~

Rosita came home with Norman escorting her.

"Thanks for the dinner," Rosita thanked Norman while opening the door.

Norman nodded his head. "It's no problem--" His sentence was interrupted when he saw Rosita's children laying on the floor in front of the television. "Uh...are all of those piglets your children?"

Rosita gasped as she turned to see her twenty-five children resting against the couch without even watching the television. She clenched her teeth and turned to Norman.

"Yeah," Rosita answered.

Norman blinked and then smiled a bit at her. "Oh, okay. Same time tomorrow?"

"Wait what? You're not--"

"I have a cousin who has forty-five children...and she asks me to babysit them all the time. Trust me, watching over twenty-five children is as easy as gooseberry pie."

Rosita had her eyes widened in shock more. Her heart was touched by Norman's words. "I didn't realize that."

"Well, now you know. If you need help watching over them, don't be afraid to give me a call," Norman said while kissing Rosita on the cheek.

Rosita smiled at Norman, her cheeks flushed. "Wow, uh...sure."

"Great, goodnight, Rosita." Norman walked off as Rosita closed the door. She felt her heart flutter in her chest that her date wasn't as freaked out as her previous ones were. She smiled fondly as she went over to the living room to find Buster sleeping with all the piglets snuggling up against him.

Rosita smiled even wider to see her boss like this as she turned off the light in the kitchen and went upstairs to change into her pajamas. She went back downstairs and climbed up on the couch, stroking one of her piglets, who was awake and looked up at his mother.

"Mama?"

"Shh, let's go to sleep," Rosita soothed as she fell asleep on the couch with the rest of the piglets and Buster. 

To Be Continued...