It was a dark, cold day, with dull grey clouds hanging right over the Calatonia Cemetery. But at the very least, it wasn't raining while the massive crowd - very nearly the entire town's population - came out to pay their respects to their most iconic starlet.

Nana had purchased this specific plot of the graveyard - right in the centre, beneath the largest and most beautiful of its oak trees - on the tenth anniversary of her wedding. Her beloved Niles' grave had stood there alone for the twenty-two years since his own untimely passing, but despite the pain of loss, the Noodleman family felt some minor comfort that she and her husband would finally be side-by-side again, forever and always.

I can't light
No more of your darkness

All my pictures
Seem to fade to black and white

Johnny was the only member of the New Moon Troupe to serve as a pallbearer, taking the back end while the other five animals - Eddie, his father and some of Nana's other older friends - stood at the front to carry the coffin to its resting place. While the Noodlemen men were not physically weak by any means, it was easy to tell that Eddie in particular was struggling to go on, his lips and arms shaking while he helped guide his grandmother to her resting place.

I've grown tired
And time stands still before me

Frozen here
On the ladder of my life

Audrey stood with Nancy, Becky and the troupe members a short distance away from the main attendants of the service, wanting to give room to Nana's more immediate family and loved ones. Nooshy managed to spot Tim sat with his parents on the third row, wearing a suit from his father that was clearly a size too big for him, while Florence and Caleb sat at the front beside Eddie and his parents.

Too late
To save myself from falling

I took a chance
And changed your way of life

During the eulogies, Ash turned around to notice that Porsha wasn't standing with them anymore. After a quick but quiet moment of panic, she let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the young wolf about a hundred yards away, kneeling down silently in front of another, less ornate headstone. Ash instantly recognised from both the pathway and the smaller oak tree standing over it who that particular grave belonged to, having visited it countless times with Porsha over the last couple years, so the porcupine decided to remain focused on the current funeral while her roommate sat with her mother for a while.

But you misread
My meaning when I met you

Closed the door
And left me blinded by the light

Though neither said anything, Suki and Ms. Crawly were also occasionally glancing around both the crowd and the wider cemetery for any sign of Buster. It was somewhat harder for the lizard to do this in a conspicuous manner, with her good eye rapidly darting around and the other one now covered with a big black eyepatch, but she eventually spotted a shadowy figure sat in the branches of another trees a few feet behind them, making out the large ears and sullen expression of a familiar koala.

Don't let the sun go down on me

Although I search myself
It's always someone else I see

Buster could feel himself getting misty-eyed as they lowered the coffin into the ground, leaning further away from the branch he was sat on - almost to the point where he was just about falling off - just until he could see it go all the way in.

I'd just allow a fragment of your life
To wander free

Rather than cause a scene by having his recently-disillusioned cast see him, Buster quietly climbed down from the tree and headed outward towards the front gate. The koala hesitated for another moment or two as he reached the exit, giving a final sad glance at his mentor's resting place before he finally walked off down the street.

But losing everything
Is like the sun going down on me

Although most of the lights were off, the front doors to the New Moon Theatre were unlocked, so Audrey decided to let herself in and headed towards the staff lounge.

"Mr. Moon...?! Are you home?!" She called out to no reply, before glancing up at the stairs and noticing the lamp that was switched on in Buster's office. "Mr. Moon...?"

After making her way upstairs and searching around the empty room, only finding the black suit jacket that Buster had worn for the service, the young gorilla finally glanced around the table and spotted a slightly ajar bottom drawer. She hesitated for another moment or two before pulling it fully open, letting out a relaxed sigh when she saw the sad, unkempt-looking koala that was huddled in a fetal position inside it.

"Oh, so you really do sleep in your desk, then...?"

"Well, I used to..." Buster groaned as he looked up at her, sitting a little straighter. "What are you doing here, kid?"

"Dunno, really. Just thought I'd check up on you..." Audrey shrugged. "I think I'm the only one who has, by the look of things."

"Hmm... yeah..." Buster clambered out of the desk and sauntered over to the wall, where Nana's Epiphany poster was still hung in the centre of the display. "Ugh... look, I... I'm really sorry I screwed all you guys over."

"Well, I don't think it's really me you need to say sorry to... things were going quite good on my side before all that went down."

"Hmm... yeah, I guess not." Buster nodded slowly. "You really did do well, Audrey."

"Thanks..." Audrey pulled a small smile, hesitating for a moment while Buster looked away. "So, um... when are we starting rehearsals again?"

Buster looked back over to her, raising an eyebrow. "Rehearsals?"

"I mean, yeah, I know we're all going to need a bit of time off for Nana, but I were wondering how much time off you were gonna be giving us."

"Time off...? Aw, geez..." Buster exhaled harshly, before pulling an insincere smile. "How about forever? Is that good enough for you, kid...?"

"Forever?" Audrey nearly laughed, though she wasn't sure whether he'd meant it as a joke. "Well, you can't just cancel the whole thing, can you?"

"What, did you miss the part where everyone turned on me and we brought down the whole stage?!"

Buster picked up one of the newspapers that was scattered over his messy floor, throwing it onto the desk for Audrey to get a look at the headline:

CHAOS AT THE WHARF! FLETCHER FESTIVAL IN JEOPARDY!

Audrey winced a little when she saw this, but she still remained somewhat optimistic, to Buster's chagrin. "Well yeah, but... but it's not that bad, we could probably fix the stage!"

"Kid..."

"And if not, we could just find somewhere else to put it on! Like, um... well..."

"Audrey, please just -"

"Maybe here, even! Yeah, you said it yourself, Mr. Moon, it'd be just like how my Mum used to perform back in -"

"Audrey, what's the point?!" Buster finally snapped, his now much angrier tone making the young gorilla tense a little. "Seriously! The Wharf is caput, everybody hates me, and now Nana's gone! Alright, it's over!"

Audrey wasn't sure what to say at first, but she remained calm enough. "I know you're upset, Mr. Moon, but... but you have to remember you're not the only one who lost Nana..."

Buster remained silent, but he sniffled a bit as the young gorilla continued.

"Eddie, my Mum, everyone else, we... we're all hurting now, but we can pull through it if we just -"

"No no, you... ugh... you don't understand, kid, there is no we anymore! There probably never should have been a we in the first place!" Buster cut in, putting a hand to his face. "Everything those guys said about me at the Wharf was true. Every word of it, Audrey!"

"Well yeah, I've heard all about the ups and downs you've had, Mr. Moon, I were just -"

"Lot more downs, that's for sure!" Buster slumped down on the floor. "Ever since I met those guys, all I've ever done is cheat, and... and lie, and cover things up, and... and heck, this is like the third time in a row I've nearly gotten them all killed!"

This last remark took most of the air out of the room, and both remained completely silent for the better part of a minute before the koala spoke up again.

"The truth is, I..." Buster looked up to the shelf, where the cast's photos were still posed besides his father's old bucket. "Those guys are the stars. They're the reason our shows sell out all the time, and... and they're the only reason I ever got anywhere in the world. Because without them, I'm just... hmm... I'm just a deluded, washed-up charlatan... who never had a hit in his career..."

"Oh... so that's just it, then?" Audrey sounded more blunt now, no longer trying to mask her dissatisfaction. "You... y-you're just throwing in the towel? Sitting around here in the dark feeling sorry for yourself? The way I heard Nana talk to my Mum talk about you, she always made it like you were this... this brilliant showman who always bounced back up and put on the show no matter what! She made you sound like a bloody hero, but instead you're... well... you're just this, Mr. Moon!"

"Yeah... and that's why they say never meet your heroes..." Buster snarked, lowering his head as he turned away again. "Look, if you wanna make it anywhere in life, kid, I'm the last guy on the planet you oughta hitch your wagon to..."

"You really think I care about making it in life...?! I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for my Mum!" Audrey snapped, getting misty-eyed despite her more aggressive tone. "If she hadn't had her accident she'd have been at the top of the world by now, but instead she's just had to settle for me! And if I don't do something worthwhile, then she's just wasted all that time she could have spent putting herself back where she belongs! I don't want to let her down, Mr. Moon, and you shouldn't want to let Nana down either!"

Buster scoffed, feeling a rare burst of mean-spirited energy suddenly rise to the surface. "Well then, kid, I guess you and me are both disappointments, aren't we...?!"

Audrey clenched her fists and bit her bottom lip, whimpering quietly as she ran out the door and slammed it shut behind her. She had already headed out the staff lounge and bolted out the Theatre by the time Buster had realised what he said - not that pursuing and apologising would have changed anything for either of them - so the koala simply lounged back and returned to his private, self-pity party for one.

"Oh hello, love! You're from Mr. Moon's troupe, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah... it's Jane, innit...?" Nooshy sighed with relief when the older serval in the doorway nodded. "Great. Well, um... I was really hoping to have a word with your son. Is he in...?"

"Oh yeah, he is... you come on in, dear, I'll get him for you..." Jane stepped away from the door, letting Nooshy enter the living room of their small but quaint little home. "Tim, darling! That pretty lynx you like is here!"

"Ugh! Don't say stuff like that when she can hear you, Mum!" Tim whined back as he ran into the room, freezing with wide eyes when he saw the visitor for himself. "Nooshy...?! What are... wait... h-how did you know where I, um...?"

"Caleb gave me your address." Nooshy shrugged. "I was wanting to talk to you after the funeral, but you took off, so um... are you free for a chat?"

After excusing themselves from his affectionate but still overbearing mother - who had far more questions than either of the younger cats were comfortable with answering - Tim led Nooshy up the stairs to his bedroom and quietly let her in.

"I don't usually get anyone coming in here, so I'll um... I'll just clear this up a bit."

Nooshy was pleasantly surprised by the artwork and posters that were hung all over Tim's walls - including one of the Out Of This World cast plastered right over the back of his door - and the various sketch pads, comic books and action figures that were sprawled across his floor and bed. Though she felt her heart sink a little when she glanced over to his pillow and spotted his broken keyboard, along with what little else remained of the gadgets from his mixing desk.

"Sorry about the mess. Mum goes mad every time she comes in here..." Tim took the gizmos off his bed with one hand and used the other to clear all the empty candy wrappers off his desk, placing the various tech items on there before gesturing back to the bed. "You can sit there if you want..."

"Hmm... very accommodating." Nooshy propped the pillow up before she made herself at home, crossing her legs and gently patting the space beside her.

Tim hesitated for another moment or two, biting his bottom lip while he clenched both his fists, before quickly shuffling over and sitting down, though still keeping a few inches away from her.

"Look, mate, I... I'm really sorry for what happened the other day..." Nooshy sighed. "If I'd known what Mike were gonna do, I never would have put you on the spot like that..."

"No no, you... you didn't do anything wrong..." Tim tried to sound lighthearted. "Mike's never liked my stuff... or me, for that matter. He's probably wanted a reason to do that for ages. I just gave him one."

"No, you didn't..." Nooshy said firmly, latching her hand onto Tim's as the serval tensed a little. "The way he were treating you, how he were talking to you, it wasn't right. At all."

"Well yeah, but -"

"No buts!" Nooshy cut in again, making him blush a bit. "You might think I were just pulling your leg, mate, but you really are amazing. And... and if you couldn't stand up to him yourself, then someone else should have been there to stand up for you!"

"But isn't that what you were doing...?" Despite his innocent tone, Tim's words made Nooshy freeze up on the spot for a good few seconds, prompting the serval to wince in slight embarrassment. "Sorry, I... I weren't trying to be weird about it, I just -"

"No no, it... you're right." Nooshy let out a regretful groan, staring off into space for a moment or two. "I mean yeah, I... I really hated seeing it when he picked on you all the time, Tim, but... but I could have done more than I did... I should have done more."

Tim gently pried his hand out of Nooshy's grip and shuffled a few more inches away from her, both sitting upright on the bed as a long, awkward pause settled on their conversation.

"But y'know, I... I really do wanna be a performer..." Tim finally broke the silence, hunching slightly as he took on a more quiet, shy tone. "It's probably too late now, since the stage is a tip and the show's finished, and... and well, me being me, I probably would make a total prat of myself in front of the whole town, but... but I would like to try... even if it's just once..."

"Hmm..." Nooshy gently patted her hand on the serval's knee. "I know we've basically cancelled him and all, but... but I hear Mr. Moon once said something like that to Meena a few years back, when she were in your shoes..."

"Really...?" Tim raised an eyebrow and his ears pricked up a bit. "What did he say...?"

"Well, one thing you've gotta know about that Moon bloke is that he's got a lot of catchphrases that sound like he's just ripped 'em off those funny motivational posters!"

"Yeah, well... when you've grown up around someone like Caleb Clark, you hear your share of cheesy stuff like that!"

Nooshy stifled a laugh at this remark, before she on a more sincere tone. "But when that happened with Meena, he basically said something like, um... like not letting the things that scare you stop you from doing the things you love... and you love DJ-ing, don't you, mate...?"

"Oh yeah, more than anything!" Tim bit his bottom lip, quickly counting on his fingers as he tried to clarify his point. "Well, not everything... I love my Mum, and my Dad, and Audrey, and Caleb, and Ms. Fletcher, and Becky, and y-"

"Yeah, I get it, mate..." Nooshy chuckled. "Point is, if you love to do it, then don't like Mike or anyone else hold you back from it. Not even yourself!"

"Hmm... I suppose I'll just have to keep that in mind if I ever get the chance again..."

"Yeah, well..." Nooshy playfully nudged his shoulder, before ruffling the top of his head. "On the off chance we get this show up and running, I'll know where to find you."

"I really appreciate that, Nooshy..." Tim pulled a small smile. "I really, really do..."