"Um... sunshine...? Porsha..?"

Porsha shook her head up when Rosita's voice snapped her back to reality, glancing down at her hand to see the mother pig's gently clasping onto her forearm. The twenty-one-year-old then sat up in her seat, looking across the circular table to see the familiar lynx, porcupine and elephant all eyeing her.

"Oh, sorry... musta zoned out for a second, there..." She said, clearing her throat. "Uh... what were we talkin' about, again?"

"You were telling us your story!" Nooshy sounded excited, almost to the point of impatient, while she leaned a little closer and propped her head up with her elbows. "It were getting right good too..."

"Story... oh, ya mean the one about my Mom!" Porsha scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned back in her chair. "Geez, I wasn't ramblin' or nothing, was I...?"

"Rambling? Nah..." Ash chortled, tilting her head while she thought for a moment. "Well, maybe a little, Porsha, but... hey, you've had a lotta time to think about this, so..."

"Yeah, I'm actually kinda curious about that, honey..." Rosita tilted her head back to face the wolf. "When exactly did you start thinking out this whole... well, I don't even know what to call it, uh... this whole what if thing about your Mom?"

"Well, I dunno, it... at least a couple years." Porsha clasped her hands together while she hunched forwards. "It was probably that day when we found her. Down where she's, um... y'know..."

Rosita's smile lowered a little, causing a rather awkward but sad silence to settle among the others when they realised what and where Porsha was referring to.

"I guess it's just kind of, um... oh what's the word... therapeutic, I think?" Porsha cringed a little, though the reassuring nods she got from the others seemed to indicate she had in fact pronounced it correctly. "Yeah, I just... I know my Dad didn't let it happen and all, but... but it's real weird to think about, ain't it? I mean, I coulda grown up here with all you guys!"

"Well... not all of us." Nooshy sounded rather sheepish, though it was still laced with a playful tone as she shrugged. "By the way, was I ever gonna show up in this little timeline you've been cooking up?"

"Wait, are you... oh... oh my gosh! Noosh, you're not from here either, are ya...?" Porsha winced a little when the lynx shook her head. "Aw, buddy, I'm real sorry..."

"Nah, come on, it's only a bit of fun..."

"Besides, Porsha, lots of our friends aren't from Calatonia." Meena said, taking a quick glance down at the bracelet on her forearm - where the words Your Majesty were inscribed in silver on the front - as her face beamed a faint pink. "Like there's Alfonso, and there's Clay, and... a-a-and Ryan, and Mr. Kickenklober, and -"

"Oh yeah, and Darius, too!" Porsha cut in, only for Meena and the others to murmur awkwardly among themselves. "Okay, but I get the point. Y'know, if all that stuff I came up with did happen, we never woulda met any of those guys."

"Plus you gotta remember, Porsha, even Calatonia's a pretty big town..." Ash added, glancing over to Rosita and Meena as they both nodded in agreement. "I mean, we didn't even meet until we auditioned for Moon's singing contest, so..."

"For real?" Porsha raised an eyebrow when the others nodded. "Hmm... well, I know Uncle Buster said somethin' like that on the bus a couple months back, but I didn't think he meant it literally. I woulda been sure y'at least went to high school with Johnny, Ash, you guys are only like a couple months apart."

"Porsha, Johnny didn't even go to high school after his Mom died. Or at least that's what he's said."

"Oh..." Porsha bit her bottom lip, then looked back over to the mother pig sat beside her. "Did I least get your thing kinda right, Rosita? Y'know, the whole meetin' Norman thing?"

"Well, you were pretty close with how the courting played out..." Rosita chuckled warmly, letting a slightly flattered blush beam on her cheeks. "But funnily enough, I actually did meet Norman in high school."

"Wait, what...?" Porsha's eyes widened a little. "I thought... I-I-I thought ya told me you was in the Emergency Ward when ya got with him."

"Well yeah, I was, but I'd known him for years by then!" Rosita laughed, gently patting the young wolf's hand. "But hey, for what it's worth, you really nailed how romantic my Norman can be, sunshine."

"Hmm... yeah..." Porsha sighed. "I guess I've been thinkin' all this time to myself about it, I just... I just kinda let my imagination run wild, y'know...?"

"Yeah, you've always had a habit of doing that, Porsha..."

Suki's voice made Porsha straighten up again when she came into the room. The now all-too-familiar ring on her left hand briefly got Porsha's attention as it gently gripped her shoulder, before the saluki crouched down a little to give her a kiss on her cheek.

"So... what's been going on here?" Suki said as she looked over to the others at the table. "Didn't miss anything big, did I?"

"Oh... w-w-well, Aunt Suki, I uh..." Porsha stammered to find an answer, while the others were just as uncertain. Explaining the rather detailed tangent that she'd gone on for most of the afternoon was bound to be difficult enough, but with the storyline itself, they could only assume it'd be especially awkward telling Suki of all animals. "I... I-I-I guess I was just -"

"We were just talking about Stephanie." Ash cut in, sending a quick wink Porsha's way as the wolf let out a relieved exhale. "Yeah, we um... Porsha was just reminiscing."

"Aw, sweetheart..." Suki tenderly traced her hand across Porsha's cheek before pulling her into a hug. "We have some great memories with her, don't we?"

"Hmm... yeah..." Porsha nodded, lowering her head a little. "I just really wish we coulda made more, is all... and we probably woulda done, if we got to come here with her like she wanted."

"Well, you're both here now, and that's what's important." Rosita nodded, pulling a small smile as they both looked over at her. "Sure, you might not be able to make memories with your Mom anymore, Porsha but... but y'know, you're... you're here, you're happy, so... maybe instead, you're just making memories for her."

"Huh...?" Porsha pursed her lips, and a quick glance at Suki indicated the latter was just as surprised by this. "I never really thought about it like that..."

"Hey, uh, Suki...?" Buster's voice suddenly echoed through the staff lounge, and they all glanced up to the top of the steps where the koala was poking his head out his office. "Caleb and Tim have a couple new ideas for Becky's number, you wanna come take a look?"

"Be right there, honey!" Suki called back, ruffling the top of Porsha's head as she stood back up. "Right, I'll see you guys later on."

"See ya, Aunt Suki!" Porsha gave a quick wave as the saluki headed up the stairs, before she turned back to the table where everyone else was still looking at her. "Okay, so uh... w-w-where'd I leave off again?"

"You were literally on the ending, I'm not even kidding!" Nooshy sounded almost anxious as she leaned forward on the table again. "So... how's it end?"

"Oh... okay..." Porsha took another deep breath, drumming her fingers on the table before she straightened back up in her seat. "Okay, let me think..."

"Oh darling, you look absolutely beautiful!"

"Aw, please don't cry, Aunt Mary." Porsha gently gripped the gorilla's hands, trying to hold back both giggles and tears of her own. "Otherwise, you're gonna make me cry, and all my makeup's gonna be a total mess..."

"You know what I get like, Porsha, I can't help it." Mary sniffled a bit as she straightened her glasses, tenderly cupping the eighteen-year-old's face to get a better look at her. "Sometimes, I still find it hard to believe you're that cute little pup I found on the bench that day."

"Hmm... yeah..." Porsha then glanced towards the opened door to the office, where a small privacy curtain was set up. "She nearly done in there?"

"Oh yeah, any minute now." Mary straightened down her suit and headed towards the steps where Marcus was waiting. "We'll see you both out there!"

"Uh-huh, sure thing!"

"Oh, there y'are, baby..." A familiar voice grabbed Porsha's attention as she stepped into the room, though she froze up her mouth hung agape as the figure it belonged to stepped out. "Well... what do ya think...?"

The white dress was fairly simple in design, but it was nevertheless a thing of beauty. The sunlight cast through the window sent a slight shimmer through the snow-like fabric, allowing the subtle but intricate lace detailing to stick out like a delicate garden of blooming flowers.

Stephanie Frangipane-Moon was already renowned for her radiant beauty, and the sparkling white dress perfectly accentuated her dark teal fur and greenish-gold eyes. But of course, she had to look particularly stunning on such a big day.

"I mean... I know it ain't Louis Vixéun or nothing, but it..."

"Oh no no no, Mom, you... y-y-ya look amazing!" Porsha ran over and held onto her mother's forearms, gently pulling her over to the mirror that had been set up beside the curtain. "See? Just like a movie star!"

"Ah, so no change there, then..." Stephanie scoffed as they both laughed. She nearly shrieked with joy as she pulled Porsha into a hug, mother and daughter both beaming with excitement while they giggled like school girls. "I just can't believe this is really happening!"

"Hey, ya just gotta dream big dreams..." Porsha chuckled. "That's what Buster and Grandma Bernie always say, right?"

"Hmm... yeah, they do."

Porsha remained smiling as Stephanie continued admiring herself in the mirror, though the young wolf couldn't help noticing a more neutral, almost concerned expression form on her mother's face when she stared at her reflection. After a moment or two of hesitation, Porsha quietly shuffled over and stood by her side again, carefully brushing the loose quiff of fur hanging over her face.

"Y'okay, Mom...?"

"What...? Oh, uh... y-yeah, I'm great.."

Stephanie cleared her throat, thinking for a moment as she continued looking at herself. Porsha's smile sank a little when she realised the wolf had turned her gaze over to the mantel piece, where an old Valentine's Day photo of herself and a familiar saluki was propped right on the edge.

"I just..." Stephanie sniffled a bit, wiping her slightly misty eye with her thumb. "I just really wish your Aunt Suki was here to see this..."

"Hmm..." Porsha gently took Stephanie's hand and held it up, planting a kiss on it before she pulled her mother closer again. "She is, Mom. She is."

The familiar "ahem" of a throat being cleared pulled them back to reality, as they looked over to the doorway where a small, well-dressed little koala was waiting.

"Well, um..." Buster straightened his slightly-darker-than-usual suit, anxious with excitement. "We're all set to go."

"Got it!" Porsha straightened up, making sure her makeup hadn't been ruined by her tears while she flattened down her sparkly purple dress, before holding out her arm to her mother. "Y'ready for this...?"

"Hmm..." Stephanie nodded, carefully linking her own arm around her daughter's as they headed towards the door. "I'm ready as I'll ever be, sunshine."

Don't wanna live as an untold story
Rather go out in a blaze of glory

I can't hear you, I don't fear you

The news crew had just finished setting up their equipment as the music on the speakers - the song in question having been chosen specifically by Porsha - began to play full volume, and the entire street packed up with hundreds of excited animals. The ten rows of benches that had been placed in front of the large, ornate red ribbon were all filled to the point of overflowing, and many more were stood up around them to form a massive, bustling crowd. It almost looked to be the entire crowd in attendance, and it was by far the happiest and most excited group of animals anyone could ever have seen.

I'll live now, cause the bad die last
Dodging bullets with your broken past

Well I can't hear you, I don't fear you now!

The third iteration of the formerly-named Prairie Theatre had been an ongoing project since the fire that had occurred those four long years ago. The cast had kept themselves busy in the meantime, of course, by helping to raise some of the funds with performances at both the Fat Cat nightclub, and the Fletcher Foundation's stage on the Calatonia Wharf. But now the re-renovations were complete, and it was finally time to reopen the doors of Calatonia's most iconic venue to the public once again.

Wrapped in your regret
What a waste of blood and sweat

Whoa oh-oh!

"Hey, there they are!" Johnny called out first as the music paused right before the chorus. This prompted a resounding and enthusiastic cheer and applause when the front doors opened and Buster stepped out, followed by his business - and personal - partner and her teenage daughter.

Having been at the centre of the story when the blaze had happened - and even before that point, due to their long, tumultuous history with one James Robert Crystal - it only made sense to have the three of them be the ones to officially begin this new chapter in their beloved theatre's history.

A quick surveyance over the crowd allowed Stephanie to see all the familiar faces that were in attendance. Their main cast - now including Meena - and their families had all taken up the front row, as was Charlie along with his wife and daughter, though most of them were trying their best to hold onto the very excited young piglets that were still scattered around. Bernie was sat just around the middle - right between Nana and Eddie, with Mike squeezed right in next to the latter - and she gave an encouraging wink to both her son and her daughter-in-law as they held up the large, golden ceremonial scissors.

But as she looked over all these smiling faces, Stephanie couldn't help thinking back to that night in Redshore City. When she was sat on a small, creaky bed, looking solemnly at a dazzling skyline through the dirty window of a cramped, dilapidated motel room.

The memories began to replay in her head - plain, black gym bag full of money, the bus ticket to Sealattle, Kendall and Jerry's callous dismissal of her pleas - but she found herself feeling better when she also recalled how she'd suited up in her darkest clothes, snuck out the window undetected and broke into Jimmy's golden fortress to get her little one back.

Perhaps in another version of these events, she would have simply thrown in the towel, disappeared, and let Jimmy erase every trace of her existence. Then she'd let Porsha grow up without a mother in her father's clutches, left a poor, depressed Mary to drown in the canal, and probably continued drinking and starving herself until she finally wasted away, forgotten and alone. For all she knew, none of them would even have been standing in this very spot now if she'd made such a choice back then.

But this was not that version of events, nor would she have allowed it to become so.

Because she was Stephanie Frangipane-Moon, and this was her story. And as much as she and her daughter had suffered along the way to their happily ending, she knew she couldn't possibly have asked for anything better.

"All creatures, great and small..." Buster, Porsha and Stephanie all latched onto the scissors as they held them over the ribbon. "Welcome to the New Moon Theatre!"

I wanna taste love and pain
Wanna feel pride and shame

Don't wanna take my time
Don't wanna waste one line

I wanna live better days
Never look back and say

It could have been me
Oh, it could have been me

It could have been me!

THE END