That Old Gang of Mine
Summary: Sierra feels lonely when Randy gets sick with the flu, Cindy having to spend another week in Mellowbrook and Howard being grounded. Based on the cartoon "That Old Gang of Mine".
Sierra had never felt emotionally sad before. There are times when she could easily be sad by getting bullied and other stuff, but this puts her sad emotions into their worst. She was lonely, and lonely made her vulnerable at its worst.
It all started one day when she happily returns home from visiting her grandmother in Louisiana. She was hoping to reunite with her friends whom she had missed for one day. But fate had decided to use this day to strike all of her closest friends one by one, leaving Sierra alone with no one to talk to or hang out. At first she thought that her friends didn't want to hang out with her anymore, but turns out that such cruel fate had decided to keep her friends from seeing her - her friends wanted to see her, but fate told them otherwise. She was left crying all by herself at the park, sitting on a tree branch. Her cries were left unnoticed, even if they were noticed, the people around her wouldn't bother to comfort her yet alone find her cries to be childish and tell her to act her own age.
Sierra continues to cry for another few minutes, unnoticed and undisturbed. Until he came.
A person, no, a rat came crawling from the park sewers one day. Not just a rat though, he was the sorcerer's loyal rat Minion. Turns out Minion decided to spend one day away from the sorcerer who was taking a nap in his underground prison. Minion wanted to get some fresh air that he needed to do after spending months living in the sewers with the sorcerer who didn't have a bath since forever. He was careful to not get spotted by the humans who considered him ugly and a varmint to society. While crawling and avoiding contact with the humans at the park, Minion heard a female crying not very far from where he is. If he could follow the source of the cry and find out who is crying, he would tell the sorcerer about it who'll have fun with chaos on what seems to be a very peaceful day.
Little did he know that the day he finds the source of the cry would be the day Sierra's misery would be put aside for good. By the time Minion finds the source of the cry, he was standing beside a tree where he saw Sierra crying above him on the tree branch. Normally he'd tell the sorcerer about it, but seeing Sierra sad at her worst made Minion feel terrible about himself. He had made up his mind to comfort the crying Antfee since no one else bothered to comfort her when they had the chance. Those ignorant jerks, ignoring a depressed teenager and thinking that her cries are childish. Minion had known that everyone, even the grown-ups cry and still they deny it and considered it a simple childish thing that a person who is considered childish would do.
"What's the matter?" Minion asked Sierra.
Sierra stops crying, shocked but is still sadden. "You can talk?"
"It's a long story. Friend of the sorcerer actually. Why the miserable face, doll?"
Sierra takes a deep breath and decides to tell Minion why, despite talking to a rat, a sorcerer's rat. "Just this morning I came home from visiting my grandmother who lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. And thinking that it'd be great to see my friends again back home after being gone for just one day. But cruel fate had struck on my friends, one by one, all ranging from bad to worse."
Minion seems more curious about Sierra's sad tale. "What cruel fate did each of your friends get?"
Sierra continued sadly. "Randy came down with a terrible flu last night and he had to stay home until he gets better. Howard got grounded just for being jealous of his sister getting a lot more respect than he ever got. And Cindy's fate became the worse of all three cruel fates. She had to spend another week in Mellowbrook just because her mother insisted the entire family to go to a so-called beauty pageant to watch her supposed gem cousin Brianna compete in a 7-day marathon pageant. Oh the pain of spending seven days of your life watching dozens of spoiled-rotten brats competing against each other, and Brianna's the worse of all the contestants I've have ever seen. Phooey, ungrateful brat."
Sierra: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine.
Sierra resumes crying again like she always does all day. Minion feels bad about Sierra but he also feels guilt-ridden. He can't leave Sierra crying all day, but he can't betray the sorcerer either. He would have to make such a difficult choice – help the sorcerer or help Sierra?
Finally, Minion had made up his mind. He's going to help Sierra. Besides, the sorcerer's having a nice long nap today and he doesn't want anyone, especially Bucky's cries, to disturb his slumber.
"Say, what if I told you that I would help you make the misery go away?" Minion asked Sierra who immediately stops crying again.
Sierra wipes her tears away. "How are you going to do that without the ninja's help?"
Minion jumps out from the branch and landed on the ground. He looks up to Sierra. "Wait here. I'll bring back something that'll cheer you up in no time."
Minion then leaves Sierra as he tries to run his way out of the park and into his destination – Norrisville High.
Minion: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine
()()()()()
After what seems to be minutes, Minion is inside the janitor's closet of Norrisville High, standing on top of a bucket with slimes in it. He looks around his surroundings as crickets made noises from the outside. Then, the blue rat made his appearance after crawling out from a mouse hole. He approaches Minion. "Minion."
"General Blueblood." Minion replied. "Where are the rest of them?"
"They should be here in three… two … one."
Right on cue, dozens of rats came out from their hiding places, all ranging from the air vents to crawling under the doors.
"Right on time I presumed."
With all rats assembled in the closet, Minion clears his throat. "Now, you all know why we're here?"
"No." the pink rat replied. "Why?"
"There's a young lady I just met who's in a miserable state because cruel fate had decided to struck on all of her friends one by one." Minion explained. "I've promised her that I would cheer her up when all the other humans didn't bother to comfort her. Now I need you guys to give me some suggestions on how to cheer the lady up."
"We could scare other humans away from her whenever they tried to scowl at her for being childish." A brown rat suggested.
"No, we don't want to stoop so low to their level." A red rat cried. "How about we take over the city again like we did last time."
"Ah, the memories of almost trying to take over the city." Minion sighed as he recalled the memories of him almost trying to take over the city. "But I don't think it'll work either. Give me something that's classy, entertaining, and comforting!"
"May I suggest a choir of rats singing a song to the young lady?" General Blueblood suggested. "I heard nowadays that songs cheer people up whenever they're miserable."
"Hmm, classy, entertaining, comforting, I love it!" Minion cried happily. "Now we need a song!"
"Twinkle, twinkle little star?" a white rat suggested.
"Nah, too cliché." A grey rat cried. "How about those Lady Gaga songs we heard from the school nowadays. I think those kind of songs would cheer the lady up."
"Too popular and too new." Minion cried. "We need something comforting. Something no one has ever used for decades or something. Something with jazz, something with comforting lyrics or something. It could be anything, but no Lady Gaga!"
An idea hits Minion. Minion throws his arms up in the air. "I got it! Play the piano, Blueblood!"
"I am a general, not a musician, but as you wish O great one." General Blueblood grabs a piano from nowhere and begins playing it.
Minion: Join in and sing
Rats: Join in and sing
Minion: C'mon and sing
Rats: C'mon and sing
Minion: Just like old times
Rats: Just like old times
Minion: Get in the swing
Rats: Get in the swing
Minion: Follow my lead
Rats: Follow your lead
Minion: My perfect plan
Rats: Your perfect plan
Minion and Rats: Let our voices ring out and sing about
That old gang of mine.
General Blueblood: That old gang of mine
"Follow my lead, comrades." Minion instructed the rats as General Blueblood resumes playing the piano.
Minion: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine
I can't forget that old quartette
That sang "Sweet Adeline"
Goodbye forever, old fellows and gals
Goodbye forever, old sweethearts and pals
Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine
I've got a longing way down in my heart
For that old gang that has drifted apart
They were the best pals that I ever had
I never thought that I'd want them so bad
Minion and Rats: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine
I can't forget that old quartette
That sang "Sweet Adeline"
Goodbye forever, old fellows and gals
Goodbye forever, old sweethearts and pals
General Blueblood: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
Minion and Rats: That old gang of mine
The janitor walks inside the closet and saw the rats finishing up their song. Instead of screaming, the janitor gave them applause. "That was awesome little dudes. You should strike up a band or something."
()()()()()
Back at the park …
"Stop this childish nonsense and grow up!" a woman yelled at Sierra who is still sitting on a tree branch.
"You come down here and act like a proper lady!" another woman yelled at Sierra. "A proper lady never cries like a baby!"
"Didn't your mother raise you right, young lady?" another woman scowled. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself for acting so childish!"
"It's no wonder you don't have any friends." Another woman taunted Sierra. "You're too childish and immature to have one!"
Sierra had recently refused to come down from the tree because of a group of angry women calling her childish and immature. "Leave me alone! I did nothing wrong to you!"
"Grow up!" the angry women yelled at Sierra. "Stop acting like a five-year old!"
Just as things were about to get ugly for Sierra, Minion returns. Behind him were hundreds of rats, all not afraid of the humans. When the angry women took a look at the rats, they screamed in horror.
"Eeek! A rat!"
"Disgusting creature!"
"Call the exterminator, Sally!"
"Help!"
"You ladies need to act your own age." Minion taunted the women. They were even more scared of Minion's ability to talk.
"Eeek! It talks!"
"Somebody help!"
"They're taking over the city!"
"Call the exterminator!"
"Don't call the exterminator, Cassie! Call the ninja!"
"Let me tell ya something ladies." Minion spoke to the women again. "Did you know that the ninja went down with flu today? He probably won't be able to help you ladies until the flu goes down. So tough luck."
The women screamed again as they run away into the horizon, never to be seen again. Minion looks up to Sierra. "It's alright, doll! Those women won't bully you anymore!"
"Thank god. Thought I was a goner if it weren't for you and your friends." Sierra said to Minion as she jumps off from the tree branch and lands in front of Minion. "So what was it that you're going use to cheer me up?"
"Can you sing?" Minion asked Sierra.
Sierra feels uncertain and confused. "Yeah, why?"
Minion turns to General Blueblood. "Blueblood, would you please?"
General Blueblood grabs a piano from nowhere and begins playing it again. Sierra isn't sure what she's doing right now.
"Just say what's on your mind, doll." Minion cried. "No need to feel nervous or anything."
"Okay." Sierra takes a deep breath. "Here goes."
Sierra: I've got a longing way down in my heart
For that old gang that has drifted apart
They were the best pals that I ever had
I never thought that I'd want them so bad
Minion and Rats: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine
Sierra: I can't forget that old quartette
That sang "Sweet Adeline"
Pink Rats and Red Rats: Sweet Adeline
Minion and Rats: Goodbye forever, old fellows and gals
Goodbye forever, old sweethearts and pals
Sierra: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
Minion and Rats: That old gang of mine
After the song ends, Sierra, Minion and the rats walk away to the sunset over the horizon.
"Y'know I don't feel miserable anymore." Sierra said to Minion. "Thanks for cheering me up."
"Hey, it's what I do best, doll." Minion replied.
"Do you think that the sorcerer would be mad at you for helping his enemies?"
"Nah, he's kinda an okay guy when he's not trying to spread chaos in town. Do you think the ninja will get better soon? Norrisville needs a hero y'know."
"Depending on how serious the flu is, I think he'll manage somehow."
"Amen."
Minion and Sierra: Gee, but I'd give the world to see
That old gang of mine.
()()()()()
Extra Scene:
At the Weinerman residence, Howard makes his escape from being grounded by climbing out through a window, despite his weight. After being stuck a few times, Howard made it through the basement window and is now outside.
"So long, suckers!" Howard cried as he walks away from home. "I'm off to have some fun!"