Check out both TiaNibs' "Finding Yourself in Love" and LeelaSmall's "Best Friends Forever" when you get the chance. They're both good stories that I felt deserves some great recognition.
Anyway, read and enjoy!
The Newcomer
An Amazing World of Gumball Story
By NeoNimbus
Chapter 33-The Talent: Part 2
Gumball, Darwin and Brian rushed to the Fitzgerald residence as fast as they could, hoping to talk Penny out of participating tomorrow's talent show at Elmore Junior High. The last thing the trio wanted to happen was for the antlered peanut to end up getting humiliated on stage and that was one scenario they wanted to avoid.
'Oh man! I hope that we're not too late!' Brian thought, as he, Gumball and Darwin arrived at the front door of the Fitzgerald, quickly ringing the door bell in the process.
While the trio waited for Penny to show up and tell her the honest truth, both Brian and the Watterson brothers looked at one another.
"Gumball, you have to promise us that you'll let Penny what we really think about her singing skills." Brian informed the blue feline.
"He's right, Gumball. If you care about Penny so much, you'll let her know the truth." says Darwin, agreeing with the purple fox.
"You're right, guys. I need to let Penny know the truth. It's something I should have done a long time ago." Gumball said to his friends.
As the boys continued to chat with each other, the front door to the Fitzgerald's opened, but instead of Penny, one certain, bulky antlered peanut showed up, much to the trio's surprise. But instead of his usual demeanor, he was in a happy mood instead.
"Hello Gumball. Hello Darwin." Mr. Fitzgerald greeted the Watterson brothers, before turning his attention to Brian. "I don't think we ever met before."
"My name is Brian O'Quinn, sir." the purple fox nervously introduced himself.
"Well, it's nice to meet you too." said Mr. Fitzgerald. "What brings you boys over here?"
"Well…" Gumball began. "It's about Penny, Mr. Fitzgerald. You see-"
"Oh yeah, that's right. You must be talking about the talent show." the bulky, antler peanut suddenly spoke. "Well, thanks to you and your friends, my girl has gained the confidence to take the stage."
"That's very good to hear and all, but about that-" was all Darwin could say, before finding himself cut off by Mr. Fitzgerald once more.
"Don't worry about that at all. As long as you guys and Penny continued to practice, I know you'll do your best."
"But Mr. Fitzgerald, you don't understand." Brian attempted to talk to the bulky antlered peanut.
"Calm down there, kid. I get that you and your friends feel pressured about the talent show, but don't get yourselves worked up."
"Dad, who are you talking to right now?" Penny called out from her bedroom.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm just having a quick conversation with your friends." Mr. Fitzgerald replied.
"Oh, alright then."
Once Penny accepted her dad's answer, the bulky antlered peanut turned his attention to the boys once more.
"Anyway, I have to get back inside. Don't worry about Penny; I'll make sure that she won't forget about the talent show tomorrow night."
"Um, that's good to hear, Mr. Fitzgerald." said Gumball.
"Oh, one more thing…" Mr. Fitzgerald began.
"What is it?" asked Brian.
Before either the fox or the Watterson brothers knew what happened, the happy expression on Mr. Fitzgerald's face suddenly became stern and serious.
"If I found out that you three weren't honest with Penny's talent and she ended up getting humiliated on stage, I'll make you three wish you were never born. Understand?"
Gumball, Darwin and Brian stood still, chills sent down their spines, as their faces expressed fear and anxiety, before they nervously nodded their heads in response. Once Mr. Fitzgerald got the answers from the trio, the stern and serious expression disappeared on his face and smiled once more.
"I'm glad we have this conversation. Anyway, don't forget about the talent show tomorrow night."
With that, the bulky antlered peanut gently closed the door, as Gumball, Darwin and Brian remained still on the spot, horrified and speechless from Mr. Fitzgerald's statement. It was clear that the situation had gotten much more complicated and one they hope to resolve as quickly as they could.
The trio decided to stop by at the Watterson residence, as the boys tried to figure out a solution to their dilemma in the kitchen. But no matter how hard they tried, Gumball, Darwin and Brian were unable to come up with an answer to their problem. Tomorrow is the talent show at school and they know that sooner or later, Penny will find out the truth and she won't forgive any of them for being honest with her, especially Gumball.
"So, have any of you guys found a solution yet?" asked Gumball, prompting Darwin and Brian to shake their heads in disagreement.
The blue feline could only sigh in disappointment, dismay that none of them could come up with anything. At this rate, Penny would find out that they had been lying to her from the beginning and there was no way she'll ever forgive them.
As the boys desperately continued to find a good outcome for the talent show, the trio failed to notice the presence of a certain, older blue feline dropping by in the kitchen.
"Hey boys, what seems to be troubling you?" asked Nicole.
The moment Nicole spoke up, the trio were surprised to hear her out of the blue, as they promptly turned their attention to her from behind their backs.
"Hello Mrs. Watterson." Brian greeted the older, blue feline. "Sorry if we're so down today."
"You boys aren't getting stage fright for the talent show, are you?" Nicole questioned them.
"It's not the talent show that we're very concerned, Mrs. Mom. We're more worried about Penny taking stage." says Darwin.
"Why would you say that?" asked the older, blue feline, surprised to hear that from the two-legged fish.
"Well mom…" Gumball began, as he took a deep breath. "It all began just a few days ago…"
Five minutes later…
"…And ever since then, me, Darwin and Brian are trying to find a way to let Penny know the truth of her singing ability without upsetting her."
Once the young, blue feline told his mother nearly everything about their situation, Nicole rubbed her chin, as she stared at the boys with serious intent. From what she had gathered so far, her sons, along with their friend, have been trying to find a delicate way to inform Penny how they really felt about her singing ability and with no luck. After pondering for a while, the older, blue feline turned her attention to the boys once more, ready to talk.
"Gumball dear, I understand that you don't want to get her mad…" Nicole began. "But I think the best possible way is just to tell her the honest truth."
"Are you sure about that, mom?" Gumball asked with uncertainty.
"If you love Penny so much, then you'll do what you feel is the right thing." Nicole adamantly insisted. "Sooner or later, she needs to know the truth."
Gumball attempted to counter his mother's words, but he soon noticed that Nicole was looking at him rather sternly. Likewise, both Darwin and Brian looked at their friend with similar expression, having already been convinced from Nicole's words. After about a few minutes of thinking, Gumball looked at the floor defeated, accepting that his mom was right on this one.
"I'll leave you boys on your own to think about this. But remember Gumball; make sure that Penny hears them from you."
With that, the older, blue feline left the kitchen, leaving Gumball, Darwin and Brian on their own to think about their next course of action.
The next day, Brian called Penny on his cell phone and told her that him, Gumball and Darwin needed to tell her something very important at his place. She was quite surprised to hear this from the purple fox; what was so important to tell her on the day of the talent show and why? Nevertheless, Penny decided to drop by and have a conversation with the boys, as she soon managed to arrive at the O'Quinn residence, at Brian's insistence.
'I wonder why Brian wants me to come here so badly.' Penny thought. 'Furthermore, I wonder what he had to say.'
As much as she wanted to dwell on this, she decided that she'll get her answer from the trio themselves, as Penny made her way into the garage. After all, they were the one who wanted to talk to her to begin with.
"Sorry I took so long, but I'm here now Brian." Penny explained to the purple fox. "That said, can you tell me why you guys called me here to begin with? We need to get ready for the talent show."
Both Brian and the Watterson brothers looked at one another, each expressing a look of discomfort, something that Penny noticed almost immediately, much to her suspicion.
"Guys, is there something you're not telling me?"
"Come on, Gumball…" Brian whispered to the feline's ear. "It's now or never."
"Just do the right thing and get it over with." Darwin insisted.
Despite some hesitation on his part, Gumball took a deep breath and turned his attention to Penny, ready to give her the honest opinion, just as he should have done a few days ago.
"Penny, remember when I gave my opinion on your singing?"
"What about it?" the antlered peanut asked, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I…wasn't being honest about it." the blue feline replied.
"…What are you talking about?"
Penny couldn't believe what she had just heard right now, shocked that Gumball would say something like that. As much as it pained Gumball, he knew that his crush really needs to know the whole truth, no matter how hurtful it was.
"The truth is you're not a very good singer. Darwin, Brian and I have been trying to find a way to tell you without hurting your feelings. In fact, the reason we bought Anais, Bobert and a few other classmate here was so that they can tell you their honest opinion about your singing."
"I see. That makes sense now." says Penny, before she looked at the blue feline, not with anger, but with disappointment on her face.
"Why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning?"
"I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Gumball replied.
"But you did hurt my feelings by not being honest!" Penny retorted. "I told you to tell me the truth the moment we started practicing! I can't believe you would lie to me like that!"
Gumball could only cringed in response, while Darwin and Brian remained silent, opting not to say anything that could make the situation much worse than it already is.
"You're right Penny. I should have told you the truth a long time ago and I'm sorry about it." Gumball sadly apologized. "But the one thing I won't lie about is that the lyrics you wrote were really good and I mean it."
"Are you sure about that, Gumball?" Penny questioned the blue feline, as her anger slowly faded away.
"I'm genuinely honest about it." the blue feline insisted. "It's very well-written and the pacing of each lyric is quite good. Even though you can't sing it well, I still enjoyed hearing them from you and only you."
Penny continued to look at the blue feline, concentrating solely on Gumball's eyes. After what seemed to be like forever, the anger from within completely withered out, as she realized that what Gumball was sincere and it was clear that the blue feline was truthful about it.
"I'm glad you like my lyrics Gumball and I'm grateful for that, but that still doesn't change the fact that we have to show up tonight for the talent show. How am I going to explain to my family that I can't sing?"
"Maybe they don't have to know." Brian suddenly said, prompting Penny, Gumball and Darwin to turn their attention to him.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Darwin, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Yeah Brian, what are you talking about?" Gumball questioned the fox.
"We can still go through with, but we'll try a new format instead so that way Penny doesn't have to sing at all once we're called up." Brian suggested.
Gumball, Darwin and Penny pondered for a moment, trying to understand what their friend had just said right now. Eventually, after just a few minutes of thinking, the trio slowly understood what the fox was trying to say after all, before all three turned their attention to Brian once more.
"What do you have in mind, Brian?" asked Penny.
"Huddled up and I'll explain everything." Brian replied.
With that, all four grouped together, as the purple fox offered his suggestion to the three about his idea, giving them enough time for preparations before the talent show tonight.
Elmore Junior High was normally closed for the weekends, with the exception of the usual club activities. But tonight, the school is holding the talent show competition, as every student had come to show off their skills on stage in front of a live audience. But for Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Penny, they were taking a big risk, especially after they had to change their format at the last minute.
After Brian gave his friends an alternative plan for the talent show tonight, Gumball, Darwin and Penny understood what the purple fox had in mind and without any hesitation, began to practice as hard as they could, hoping that this new idea was worth the risk. Sooner or later, it'll be their turn on stage and they just prayed that the audience will at least enjoy it.
"So, does everyone know what to do?" Brian asked his friends.
"Don't worry about it, Brian. We're all good." Gumball assured the purple fox.
"I just hope that your idea will turn out great in the end." said Darwin.
"I'm not so sure about myself, to be honest. But let the audience be the judge of that." Brian said to the two-legged fish, before focusing his attention on Penny. "Do you still have the paper with you?"
"It's right here with me, Brian." says Penny, as she took a quick peek from the curtain, spotting her family in the audience, before focusing her attention to the fox. "Are you sure this will work out?"
"I understand that you have your doubts…" Brian began. "But we just wanted to regain your trust after what happened."
"Brian's right." Gumball agreed. "We just need to stick together and make it through the talent show."
"Besides, it's not like anyone's going to be brutally criticized for one bad performances." said Darwin.
Just then, the four could hear Miss Simian from the auditorium and judging from her tone of voice, it appeared that she was displeased by the most recent performance.
"You called that a performance?! My great-grandmother could do that with her eyes closed! You and your companions get an F- for the most horrible talents!"
As soon as the old, cantankerous baboon made her comment, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Penny saw Masami, along with Molly and Teri, ran to the backstage in tears, leaving the four quite uncomfortable by this unfortunate sight.
"Forget what I just said earlier." a nervous Darwin spoke.
"Don't worry buddy, will get through this." Gumball attempted to calm his brother down.
"I don't know, Gumball…" Brian began. "Impressing Miss Simian is going to be a real challenge. I mean, she was already harsh on Banana Joe's comedy routine, Tobias' one man band and Clayton's shape-shifting ability."
"But Gumball's got a point, Brian. We'll get through this as long as we stick together." Penny pointed out.
Brian couldn't help but smile in response, realizing that Penny's right: as long as they're together, they could get through with no problem.
Just then, Rocky showed up, carrying a clipboard under his arm, as the orange puppet approached the four, before expressing concern for the group.
"Alright you guys, it's your turn to get on the stage. Break a leg out there."
Once Rocky informed the group, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Penny looked at one another, certain that they were ready to wow the audience with their performance.
The talent show turned out to be anything but spectacular, either because the audience remained unimpressed by some of the student's talents or due to the harsh criticism that Miss Simian continued to dish out on them, enjoying seeing their joy turn to sorrow.
While the elderly baboon was enjoying herself, Principal Brown, on the other hand, could shake his head in disbelief, as tonight's event was not turning out the way he had imagined. With the exception of a few good performances, the rest had ended up being mediocre in general, including the last performance.
'At this rate, I'm just praying for a miracle!' Principal Brown thought.
As the furry slug continued to lament about tonight, Rocky went on stage, preparing to make an announcement to the indifferent audience.
"We like to apologize that the last performance didn't go so well. But without further delay, I want everyone to give a big round of applause to Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Penny."
On cue, the four kids made their way onto the stage as the audience clapped, while Rocky excused himself backstage.
"Miss Simian, what do you think Gumball and his friends will be playing?" Principal Brown whispered to the elderly baboon.
"I don't care about that, Nigel." Miss Simian replied. "All I do know is that those four will be performing badly big time."
While the furry slug and the elderly baboon continued to discuss with one another about the four's upcoming performance, Gumball, Darwin and Brian managed to set their instruments up, while Penny got up on the microphone, ready at any given moment.
'Alright then, it's now or never.' Brian thought, just as his friends got into their respective positions. Once everyone was in place, the boys began to play a jazz-like tune from their instruments, much to the surprise from both the judges and the audiences.
'What are those three up to?' Miss Simian wondered, as she, Principal Brown and the audience pondered what was about to happen next, as Penny began to speak through the microphone.
"I remember when I saw you
you got me in the heart
Just like cupid's dart
I hope you feel this way too.
I just wanted to ask
do you want to go on a date.
I think that'd be great.
I'd be up for the task."
As Penny continued to read the lyrics out like poetry, Principal Brown, as well as Miss Simian and the entire audience, couldn't help but be mesmerized by the antlered peanut's words, as well as the boys' jazz-like tune they were playing just now. It was the last thing that everyone in this auditorium was expecting.
"Just say the word
I'll be there
Faster than a hare
I won't be deterred.
We should be together,
You're as pure as a dove
I'd give nothing but kindness and love
We'd be like birds of a feather."
As soon as the antler peanut finished reciting her poetry, Gumball, Darwin and Brian also managed to finish up their tune as well. For their part, Principal Brown, along with Miss Simian and the entire audience, remained still on their seats, too speechless to say or do anything at all, leaving the four rather uncomfortable by their reactions.
'Did we screw up or something?' Brian thought to himself, uncertain whether their act left a good impression on them.
For a long while, there was a long silence in the auditorium, as time seemed to have stood still. But eventually, after what felt like an eternity, the entire audience, including their respective families, slowly got up and soon gave them a thunderous applause for their great performance. Even Principal Brown and Miss Simian clapped for them as well, even though the cantankerous baboon was reluctant to do so.
As everyone continued to clap for their performance, Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Penny looked at one another and smiled, happy that, in spite of their situation, everything turned out alright in the end.
Two days later…
After a long day of relaxation on Sunday, Gumball, along with Darwin, Brian and Penny, managed to meet up at the cafeteria to discuss their experience from the talent show last weekend. Even though their performance put them in second place, with Hector winning first place, the four could care less about that and was just having a good time enjoying the other's company.
"I thought for sure that new act wasn't going to work out." Brian admitted to his friend.
"We weren't so sure about it ourselves, Brian…" Darwin began. "But at least things did turn out fine for all of us."
"I couldn't agree more." said Gumball, before he focused his attention to his crush. "Penny, I'm really sorry for everything that happened last week."
"It's alright Gumball, apology accepted." Penny assured the blue feline. "We manage to stick together and pulled it through in the end."
Gumball couldn't help but smiled, as his cheeks grew slightly red and rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Thank you so much, Penny."
"Don't mention it, Gumball…" the antlered peanut began. "But promise me that you'll be honest the next time around."
"Don't worry Penny, I'll make sure of that." The blue feline assured his crush.
Just then, Molly showed up out of nowhere, wearing a green dress, as she came by at the table where Gumball, Darwin, Brian and Penny are sitting at.
"Hey Gumball, I need your honest opinion…" the long neck began. "Does this dress make me look fat?"
Gumball froze in his seat, his head sweating like mad, as his friends, along with Molly, could only look at him, wondering how the blue feline will respond.
Next time on The Newcomer
Chapter 34-The Generous: Part 1
In order to get invited to the coolest part in Elmore, Rachel has to convinced a reluctant Brian to teach her how to be generous.
Tidbits
-This one was a bit trickier than I had imagined, but nevertheless, I wanted to get through with this chapter.
-Once again, I wanted to thank wiseguy1107 for the lyrics.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this and I'll be seeing ya next chapter!