"Hey, uh... Meena? Y'in here...?"

Porsha peeked her head into the dressing room, where Meena was sat at the makeup mirror reading through the lyrics on her sheet. The elephant had ditched her usual hoodie for a red long-sleeved dress, no doubt trying to look her best for the special guest, but she quickly turned around and greeted Porsha with her usual friendly smile.

The wolf quickly scurried over, pulling out a transparent gym flask with Meena's name on the side and putting it on the desk. "I um... I filled it up for ya. Got it from out the tap, like ya said."

"Great!" Meena picked it up to take a drink, only just stopping when she noticed the small red flakes that were were drifting around in the bottom, dyeing the water with a slightly pink hue. "What's all this stuff in here?"

"Oh yeah, they're little uh... little fruity things. Yeah, fruity stuff." Porsha nodded with a forced grin. "Just thought it could give it a little extra flavour or something, y'know..."

"Aw, that's really sweet. Thank you, Porsha." Meena's grateful smile only made the wolf shrink back even more, before they both looked to the doorway to see Ms. Crawly waiting there.

"They're ready to see you now, Meena..." The old lizard nodded shakily, before she turned around and started heading back towards the stage.

"Coming, Ms. Crawly!" Meena quickly shot up, creasing down her dress before patting Porsha on the shoulder. "Wish me luck... ooh!"

Meena was taken slightly off-guard when Porsha suddenly pulled her into a hug, but she gently patted the wolf on the back as she slowly pried herself from the embrace and took off again. Porsha remained there for a few more seconds, watching as Meena left the room, and looked down to the floor as the door finally closed.

"It's for the best." She whispered quietly to herself, sniffling as her eyes began to mist up a bit. "Yeah... yeah, it's for the best."

"Ah, Michael, there you are!" Florence sat back down as the little mouse entered the room and clambered back up onto the seat beside her. "Was just telling Mr. Moon how impressed I was with Audrey's progress. I will say, you kept by your word to make her a star, darling."

"Oh yeah. Nothin' but the best for you, Ms. F..." Mike pulled a charming smile, but it sank into a more bitter grimace as soon as they looked back to the stage. "Alright, Moon, who we got up next?!"

"Alright, next we have, uh... Meena..." Buster gave a quick glance as Caleb's checklist as the caracal held it in front of him, then pulled up his megaphone and called into it. "Meena, let's get you out here!"

Ms. Crawly led Meena out into the spotlight, letting the elephant pick her up and carefully lower her down off the stage to retake her seat beside Buster. Meena cleared her throat as she latched onto the microphone, adjusting it's height so it could reach her mouth, before giving a little wave to Rosita and Porsha as they sat in the back corner of the stage.

"Right Meena, you're going to be doing the big finish!" Caleb called up to her as he made his way over to the front and stood beside Tim's currently-unattended mixing desk, the caracal's eyes widening slightly when he looked at the vast array of buttons and switches. "Now, once I figure out which one of these does the... ah-ha, there it is! Whenever you're ready, love!"

"Okay! I'm ready, Mr. Clark!" Meena nodded with a big grin, quickly popping open her water and taking a few deep swigs from it. Rosita felt Porsha's hand grasping tightly onto her own, looking up and seeing an anxious look forming on the young wolf's face as the music started up.

Meena closed her eyes and leaned further into the microphone, waiting for the cue in the music for her to finally start singing. Her eyes widened as she heard her own voice, which was suddenly much hoarser than usual, but it seemed to fit the somewhat melancholy mood of the first verse, so the others watching didn't seem to notice.

Found you
When your heart was broke

I filled your cup
Until it overflowed

Took it so far
To keep you close

I was afraid to leave you on your own

"Y'know, I really love this song..." Porsha whispered quietly to Rosita, the mother pig giving a knowing chuckle as she tightened her grip on the wolf's hand. Though Porsha felt slightly comforted by this, she couldn't help feeling her heart sing a little as the chorus came closer and closer.

And then I got you off your knees
Put you right back on your feet

Just so you can take advantage of me

Meena's attempts at projecting only made her voice strain even more, to the point where her high notes sounded similar to that of a wailing cat. The elephant tried her best to fight through the pain and keep on singing, tears slowly forming in her eyes as her voice became more and more scratchy and tinny on the microphone.

Tell me how's it fee-EEL?!
Sittin' up there

Feeling so high
But too far away to hold me

You know I'm the one who
Put you up THERE...!

name in the sky
Does it ever get lone-LEE?!

Thinking you could live
Without me

Thinking you could live
Without me

YOU KNOW I'M THE -!

Everyone tensed with their hands over their ears as Meena suddenly coughed right into the microphone, sending a painful, echoing SCREECH! of feedback from all angles of the auditorium. The elephant covered her mouth with both her huge hands while she continued spluttering and nearly choking, stumbling backwards until she tripped onto her backside with a resounding THUD!

"Oh my gosh! Meena!" Rosita suddenly ran onstage with Porsha following, while Caleb cut off the song and helped Buster up as well. "Oh honey, are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah, I... I'm fine, I think..." Meena's voice was almost like a pained whisper, and she hurriedly cleared her throat to sound a little more normal. She quickly scrambled to her feet again, her eyes widening when she realised that Florence was still observing from her seat, though she tensed even more when a familiar scathing voice finally spoke up again.

"You gotta be kiddin' me! Seriously?!" Mike clambered his way up onto the stage and pointed up at Meena. "You were supposed to be the safe bet, Jumbo, and now ya can't even hit a high note! What the heck happened, huh...?!"

"Look, I didn't mean to mess it up, I... I was just..." Meena started to hyperventilate as she felt the others closing in, their attempt at a protective circle feeling more like an suffocating entrapment as her eyes misted up and her lip quivered. "I... I'm... I'm so sorry, you guys!"

"Meena, wait!" Porsha called as the elephant climbed down off the stage and bolted out of the auditorium, quickly giving chase while Rosita followed them. Florence rose from her seat and watched them leaving, leaving her cane propped up while she walked over to the edge of the row.

"Well that's just perfect! Nice job, Moon!" Mike snapped, huffing and puffing under his breath as he stormed off towards the rehearsal room again. Buster drooped his ears and let out a soft sigh, making his way to the edge of the stage as Caleb helped him down onto the floor.

"Oh dear... that really was a disaster, wasn't it...?" Caleb tried to lighten the mood with his remark, though he regained his usual tone when he realised this levity wasn't helping. "But she was wonderful in your last show, Mr. Moon, I... I really don't understand how this could happen. Has she been under the weather or something?"

"I, um... I don't think so, Caleb." Buster cleared his throat, making his way towards Florence, the gorilla still facing the door where Meena had gone. "I really am sorry about that, Ms. Fletcher. You need to understand, Meena, she... she's a phenomenal singer, she really is, but she's always struggled with solo numbers, and -"

"No no, it... it's fine..." Florence let out a small sigh, a sincere hint of sympathy tone in her tone. "There's nothing to apologise for. Either for you or that poor girl."

"Well, I really appreciate that..." Buster bit on his bottom lip. "I guess the record deal's off the table now, huh?"

"Please, Mr. Moon, that's a conversation for another time." Florence returned to her seat, now slightly dragging her foot along the floor before she sat down. "Whatever the problem is with Meena, it... I'd say it's put a bit of a spanner in the works for the show's finale, wouldn't you...?"

"Actually, as luck would have it, I did think this might happen, so I do have a backup plan." Buster clambered up onto his own seat beside her. "See, Ms. Fletcher, I was thinking maybe we could rework Meena's number into a duet. Porsha's sang that song plenty of times, and the pair of them have great harmony, if you'd just -"

"Hold on... Porsha?" Florence pursed her lips. "Surely, you can't expect her to do two numbers back-to-back."

"Well actually, Florence, there's been a slight change of plan there too..." Caleb flicked through the pages on his checklist. "We found out a few days ago that Porsha couldn't swim, so I'm afraid she can't do Stephanie's stunt. Rosita and Gunter are doing that number instead."

"Oh, really...? Well that's a shame... I was really looking forward to that too." Florence clicked her tongue in disappointment. "But I suppose things like this are just unavoidable sometimes. And you really think a duet will be a good alternative for them, Mr. Moon?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely!" Buster straightened up a little. "I know that wasn't the best first impression, Ms. Fletcher, but Meena really is talented. She just needs a little, um... family support, is all."

"Hmm... very well..." Florence cleared her throat and stood back up, almost forgetting her cane as she quickly grabbed it. "As long as you know what you're doing here, Mr. Moon, I'm willing to trust you."

After a fairly pleasant walk down to the Wharf, Ash sat between Audrey and Tim on a bench in front of the stage sets while Johnny went to order some food for them all. The porcupine was still drinking a coffee she'd gotten during the trek, and she leaned into Audrey's phone while the gorilla flicked through some old pictures.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second!" Ash cut in when she noticed what Audrey was holding in one photograph. "You play guitar too?! How come that's never come up...?!"

"Well no, I... I don't play guitar, I just have one." Audrey smiled shyly, before flicking through a few more pictures of herself with the instrument. "Becky just wanted to get rid of it. Said it belonged to an old boyfriend."

"Old boyfriend... wait, you mean..." Ash winced a little when she got a better look at the guitar, immediately recognising who it used to belong to. "Yeah, I guess Becky's never mentioned how we met, huh?"

Audrey and Tim both sat upright, staring wide-eyed at Ash for a good few seconds. Nooshy smirked smugly as she shuffled in beside Tim on the bench, having already heard this story more than once, but she was clearly still excited to see the reactions of those that weren't familiar with it.

"Well, let's just say I met her through my ex-boyfriend..." Ash chuckled nervously, though it was clear from both their expressions that neither Audrey or Tim had processed the implications yet. "And she's actually the reason that he's my ex."

Tim thought about this for another moment or two, then gasped with both hands over his mouth. "Becky's a homewrecker?!"

"Well no, I wouldn't say that, I just -"

"But... but Becky's always taken care of me and Tim." Audrey's tone struck a mix between confused and betrayed. "I thought she was nice..."

"Oh no, she is!" Ash objected, gently putting her own hand over Audrey's. "Yeah, Becky's great. She's awesome. Me and Lance were going through a thing, and he told her I was his roommate, so she thought it was totally okay. Honestly, it wasn't her fault at all."

"Yeah, that makes sense..." Tim seemed more confident now, looking over to Nooshy with a shrug. "I knew Becky wouldn't do that on purpose."

Ash nodded. "Besides, that relationship was pretty crappy anyway, and I'm way happier now without Lance bringing me down. So if anything, Becky did me a solid there."

"Oh, okay... yeah, good..." Audrey nodded, before pursing her lips as another thought occurred to her. "So, um... is that how you ended up with Johnny?"

"WHAT...?!" Ash froze up on the spot, her hand suddenly tightening on her coffee cup until it burst and went everywhere.

"Gah! Mate, what are you doing?!" Nooshy shot up to escape the spillage, subconsciously latching tight onto Tim's arm as the serval's eyes widened slightly. "Bloody hell, Ash, I could have got third degrees with that!"

"Huh?" Ash took a moment to snap back to reality, quickly shaking her head and sitting back up straight. "Sorry, I... I was just... me and Johnny, it... no, we're not."

"Really? Oh..." Audrey stared off into space for a moment or two. "Must have been reading that wrong, then."

"Reading what?!" Ash's exclamation took the others off-guard, particularly Tim, but after a moment she regained her usual tone. "Sorry, but... come on, Audrey, did you seriously think me and Johnny were a thing?!"

"Well I dunno, I just guessed... the way you act around each other, the way you chat and things... you're a bit like Tim's Mum and Dad... y'know, when they're not being all lovey-dovey." Audrey's comment prompted a glare from the embarrassed serval, but she shrugged with a laugh. "What? They are!"

"Well we are definitely not." Ash pinched the bridge of her nose, before playfully nudging Audrey's arm. "So yeah, he's uh... he's available, if that's what you're wondering."

"Avail... what, you mean... like, me and Johnny? Pah! No way!" Audrey giggled. "No, that doesn't make any sense. Seriously, he's like thirty, isn't he?!"

"He's twenty-five, actually. Six months older than me!" Nooshy cut in. "Still, never been a fan of those weird age-gap relationships."

"To be honest, I'm not even really into boys. Or girls..." Audrey's eyes widened a bit. "Actually, I... I don't think I'm into anyone, really..."

"Hmm... I feel like I've heard that before..." Ash chuckled. "But anyway, even if I did like Johnny... and I'm not saying that I do... I've had my try at romance, and it didn't work out, so..."

"But just because it wasn't Becky's fault doesn't mean it's your fault, either." Tim said, pulling a soft, innocent smile. "What it's worth, Ash, I think you seem really nice. And you're pretty, too."

"Aw..." Ash clicked her tongue. "Thanks, kid."

"Hang on a minute, I thought I was the pretty one!" Nooshy objected in a playful manner, though it made Tim tense up as he went a deep scarlet. "Say that to all the girls, do you?"

"What? N-no, no, I... I just... well you're pretty too, you're even... um... I um.. oh hey, are those Tesla coils?!"

Tim suddenly bolted off at full speed towards the electricals tent, making the girls laugh as he stumbled over his own feet and clumsily made his way inside.

"Not much of a chatterbox, is he?" Ash looked up at Audrey. "I can see why you guys hang out all the time. Kind of a kindred spirits thing, huh?"

"Well yeah, but... we're just used to each other, I suppose. Makes it easier for Becky to watch us when we're in the same place." Audrey shrugged, before looking over to Nooshy. "He really does like you, though. Wouldn't stop talking about you after we watched that show over in Redshore."

"Yeah, I can tell..." Nooshy smirked as she looked over to the tent a hundred yards away, where the serval was clearly trying his hardest not to turn back. "He's cute, I'll give him that..."

"Oh hey, where'd Tim go...?" Johnny suddenly cut in as he came over, carrying several bags of freshly cooked sandwiches he'd just bought, and he looked to Nooshy with a brow raised. "Didn't scare him off again, did you?"

Nooshy stifled a hoarse chuckle, before putting on a faux-sophisticated tone. "If you must know, Jonathan, Ash and Audrey here were just gossiping, and Tim had more pressing matters to attend to."

"Right..." Johnny smirked, before looking over to Audrey as he passed her one of the bags. "Anything worth chatting about?"

"Oh, well... um..." Audrey bit hard on her bottom lip, regressing back to her usual stammering self. "Well, I suppose... I um... Ash was just, uh... she..."

"I'm giving Audrey some guitar lessons!" Ash quickly interrupted as she grabbed Audrey's hand, sending a reassuring wink the gorilla's way. "She's gonna bring hers to the theatre tomorrow. Right, sweetie?"

"Oh yeah! Yeah, that'll be lots of fun." Audrey pulled a bit toothy grin, before opening the bag and digging into her snack. "By the way... why didn't you wait for your other friends to come with us? Porsha, and um... oh, what's her name again, uh... oh yeah, Meena!"

"Eh... they said they weren't bothered." Johnny shrugged. "They'll be alright, though. We heard your Mum's giving Meena a record deal after this, so I bet she's right looking forward to that!"

"Alright, I think I heard her come in here..." Rosita led Porsha through the staff lounge and down the hallway to the dressing room. They could hear a faint sniffling, which only grew louder as they reached the slightly ajar door.

"Uh... Meena...?" Porsha hesitated for another moment or two, then peeked her head in to see the sobbing elephant sat in the corner. "You okay in there, buddy...?"

"Huh..? Oh, uh... y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Porsha, I just..." Meena took a few deep breaths as she wiped her face, slightly smearing her eye shadow as it dribbled down her face. "I'm okay..."

"Look, honey, it's not as bad as you think." Rosita said. "We still want you in the show, Meena, Buster just -"

"Rosita, I just -!" Meena cut herself off, having not meant to snap, and her ears folder over her face as she curled up further into the corner. "Please, I just... I just wanna be alone right now, okay...?"

"Yeah... yeah, okay..." Rosita let out a small sigh as she stepped away from the door, letting Porsha quietly push it shut. "It's never a good feeling losing your big part, is it?"

"I guess not..." Porsha bit down hard on her bottom lip, glancing back to the door. "But... but she'll be okay though, right?"

Rosita hesitated, but pulled a reassuring smile as she patted Porsha's hand. "Yeah... yeah, she'll be fine, sunshine. Besides, not everyone's lucky enough to have a friend like you backing them up, Porsha."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Porsha forced a laugh as she pulled a big toothy grin, though it slowly sank after Rosita left the room.

Porsha collapsed back onto one of the seats and hunched forwards, focusing on the door to the dressing room as Meena's crying was still audible. The wolf reached into her pocket and pulled out Zoey's empty tube of Silly Beans, crumpling it in her fist as she lowered her head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Meena." She whimpered quietly under her breath, knowing the elephant was too far away to hear her. "I'm so, so sorry..."