*Ladies and Gentlemen and Nonbinary Pals, may I present to you...the next chapter for Sing! The songs are heavily used in this chapter since it's audition time!!! So, this is published on June 26, 2021. If you like this chapter, don't be afraid to vote and spam the comment section. It would be greatly appreciated. The songs used are called "Bye, Bye, Bye" by Nsync, "I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett, and "Church Bells" by Carrie Underwood. Thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day! Enjoy!*

"Hey, hey

Bye-bye bye, bye-bye

Bye-bye."

Out within the city of Catalonia, Buster, Mizuki, Ms. Crawly, Mike, and Eddie exited out of the theater with baskets of the printed flyers. The music began to play in the background as the creatures looked out into the city.

"Alright, people, this is a big city filled with big dreams. Let's start making them happen," Buster announced to his friends.

His friends smiled and nodded their heads in understanding.

Buster took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

The song continued to play as the animals separate to cover more ground in the huge city.

"I'm doing this tonight

You're probably gonna start a fight

I know this can't be right

Hey baby come on

I loved you endlessly

When you weren't there for me

So now it's time to leave and make it alone."

As the verse was sung, Buster and Mizuki began putting the posters in the known French restaurant known as Les Calamars. However, they were caught by the monkey waiter and were being chased by the waiter away from the restaurant. The monkey ripped the flyer off of the wall and crumbled it off, littering it in the process. However, unbeknownst to him, the female pig waitress was taking out the trash while seeing a crumpled paper. Out of curiosity, she slowly picked up the paper and uncrumpled it to see that it's a flyer...a flyer for a talent show. For a moment, she pondered about this. Why not give it a try?

Meanwhile, Eddie was roaming around the city and putting up the posters on windows and walls as the chorus was singing.

"I know that I can't take no more

It ain't no lie

I want to see you out that door

Baby bye bye bye!

Don't want to be a fool for you

Just another player in your game for two

You may hate me but it ain't no lie

Baby bye bye-bye."

While the words 'bye, bye, bye' were sung, three flyers were pinned up against the walls in three different locations by three different people.

"Bye-bye

Don't really want to make it tough

I just want to tell you that I've had enough

It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie

Baby bye bye bye!"

While there's a pause in the music, Eddie smiled in relief that he's able to put up the posters until he saw his life coach, who happened to be a dachshund, stretching his limbs. The sheep immediately bolted in the opposite direction to hang up the posters to get away from his life coach. However, Gunter noticed Eddie running in the other direction as he sprinted outside to chase after Eddie until he saw the flyer on the window. Reading the flyer, the flamboyant pig gasped happily.

"You just hit me with the truth

Now girl you're more than welcome to

So give me one good reason

Baby come on

I've lived for you and me

And now I really come to see

That life would be much better once you're gone!"

While the second verse was sung, Mike approached the tallest billboard he had ever encounter in his life. With eyes rolled up skywards, Mike noticed a couple of giraffes as he climbed up on one of their long necks and stuck the poster on the tallest billboard.

"Thank you for your contribution!" Mike saluted to the giraffes as he climbed down and moved onto the next place.

Meanwhile, Meena noticed the mouse putting up a flyer up on the tall billboard and took a gaze at it until she realized that it's for a talent show. A talent show? Her mind began to process what talent she thought she could do. All the while, Johnny was just passing by the billboard near his garage and looked up at the flyer that was just posted by the mysterious sheep. He pulled the flyer off of the billboard and his smile went wide on his face.

I guess a talent show is worth a try, Johnny thought as the song continued.

"I know that I can't take no more

It ain't no lie

I want to see you out that door

Baby bye bye bye!"

Meanwhile, Ms. Crawly strolled through the poor side of the city and stuck a poster onto the porcupine's back without even seeing where she's putting them with an oblivious smile on her face. The other porcupine next to the one slowly took the flyer from her boyfriend's back, her crystal eyes brightened up when seeing the flyer. She showed her boyfriend, who grinned brightly at the new hope they were holding.

"Don't want to be a fool for you

Just another player in your game for two

You may hate me but it ain't no lie

Baby bye bye bye

Bye bye

Don't really want to make it tough

I just want to tell you that I've had enough

Might sound crazy but it ain't no lie

Baby bye bye bye!

I'm giving up I know for sure

I don't' want to be the reason for your love no more

Bye bye

I'm checking out, I'm signing off

I don't want to be the loser, and I've had enough!"

As the song continued towards the bridge, Mizuki and Buster were able to call out the flyers in the far side of the town, letting random pedestrians pick it up. Buster took a moment to watch Mizuki organizing and smiling at the people receiving the flyers from her, handing out flyers to random pedestrians. A warm smile came upon his face as he went back to handing out flyers to the other pedestrians.

"Don't want to be a fool for you

Just another player in your game for two

I don't want to be your fool

But it ain't no lie

Baby bye bye bye

Bye bye

Don't really want to make it tough

I just want to tell you that I've had enough

It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie

Bye bye!"

The song ended as the time passed by and it's night. Buster walked into his office, his eyelids heavy from walking and going around the huge city.

Buster crashed right on his desk, closing his eyes immediately and dreaming big dreams...or terrifying nightmares.

Meanwhile, Mizuki entered the office out of exhaustion. She noticed her boss sleeping on the desk with a weary smile on her face. She grabbed a blanket she found near Ms. Crawly's desk and wrapped it around Buster, wishing him good luck in having good dreams. With that, she left the office. Buster, on the other hand, began to moan and shifted uncomfortably as the nightmares plagued his mind.

~.~

"Buster!!"

Buster gasped while his blue eyes were snapped open. He breathed heavily while he realized that he's been sleeping on his desk this whole time but he didn't remember having a blanket around him.

He glanced up to see Eddie staring at him in wide-eyed shock.

"What's going on?"

"You would not believe what's going on outside!" Eddie pointed out of the window to Buster's office. "See for yourself!"

Buster blinked for a second as he shrugged the blanket off and climbed up to the window from his office chair. His eyes broadened comically when looking outside.

Outside of the theater, the animals from smallest to biggest were all lined up. Buster couldn't believe his eyes. He thought it would take a while for the animals to participate in this kind of event.

"This has got to be a dream come true," Buster responded with a bright smile, forgetting the recent nightmare he just had.

"Come on, let's go!" Eddie announced excitedly as he took Buster by the arm and pulled him out of the office.

The line was long, longer than Buster had ever seen in his entire career in theater. His eyes were wide with fascination as he witnessed Mizuki and Ms. Crawly dividing the line into two and had people sign up for auditions and what talent they will show. And Buster couldn't wait to see what these everyday people could bring into the show.

Hours later, the sign-ups and the slots were full. It took all day for people to sign up for the talent show but it's worth it.

Upon seeing endless names listed, Buster had never been more shocked at how many people were willing to sign up and prove their worth in the talent shows. However, he saw that most of the talents will be presented by singing a song in various different genres like modern pop, alternative rock, country, you name it.

Buster's eyes grew wider than anyone in the theater with him. Mike blinked with a heavy sigh.

"That's a lot of people," Mike uttered.

"And only six can make it," Ms. Crawly added in a tone of worry.

Buster took a heavy breath. "Judges and stage crew, it looks like we got work to do."

~.~

The auditions were happening! The moment where everyone had anxiously arrived. The performances were outstanding from a group of cats dancing and singing a modern song from Lady Gaga to a camel doing a full-out opera. The covers were outstanding as they got halfway through the auditioners.

"Alright, who's next?" Buster called while looking to the remaining auditioners which were as follows: two porcupines, a large shy elephant, a muscular young gorilla, two pigs, and Mike.

The porcupines volunteered themselves as they had the sound system all set up.

"Ready?" The male porcupine asked his girlfriend, who nodded her head in response. They took out the guitars and began to rock out, literally blowing Buster, Mizuki, and Eddie back against the chairs they were sitting in. Mike and the rest of the auditioners were covering their ears while Ms. Crawly tried to fix the sound system so that everyone wouldn't go deaf from the porcupines' performances.

The male porcupine began to sing.

"I don't wanna talk to ya!"

The female porcupine followed after her boyfriend with the back-up vocal.

"What did you say?"

The male porcupine took over the microphone, leading the song.

"I don't wanna walk with ya!"

"Out of my way!"

"I'm not gonna fight with ya!"

"Don't wanna play!"

Mizuki noticed the female porcupine trying to get her voice in there but her boyfriend kept singing over her like she's got nothing to say. The antelope blinked a bit as she began to shake her head.

"STOP!!!" She managed to shout. Luckily, Ms. Crawly heard her and cut the sound system.

The porcupines stopped their performances and looked up fearfully at the judges.

"Thank you, Mizuki," Buster whispered to the female antelope.

Mizuki leaned forward a bit to stare at the female porcupine. "What's your name?"

"Lance."

"Not you," Mizuki replied to the male porcupine, Lance.

Ash blinked a bit. "Me?"

"Yes."

"Ash."

Mizuki smiled a bit. "Pretty name. Are you the backup vocalist?"

Ash immediately became embarrassed. "Yeah. Sorry, I get carried away sometimes--"

"Don't apologize...don't you think that...maybe you can do the lead vocal of this song?" Mizuki suggested.

Buster and Eddie glanced at the female antelope in confusion, but Buster trusted that she knew what she's doing.

Ash blinked her crystal blue eyes. "Well, um--"

"Look, she ain't gonna sing my song as a lead vocal. It won't work--"

"Fine, she'll sing a different song," Mizuki interrupted, not letting Lance talk over Ash. "What do you think?"

Ash took a moment to ponder and glanced at her boyfriend, who shook his head. Ash then glanced over to see her elephant friend, Meena, giving her a thumbs up. Then, she glanced back at the judges, who stared up at her in curiosity.

"Yeah...I think I can do it," Ash managed to say.

"Perfect, tell us when you're ready," Buster encouraged as the three judges waited for Ash to began her performance.

Ash took a deep breath and began to strum the chords. The intro was clean, earning eager gazes from the judges to see what the female porcupine was capable of. She began to sing.

https://youtu.be/d9jhDwxt22Y

"I saw him dancin' there by the record machine

I knew he must a been about seventeen

The beat was goin' strong

Playin' my favorite song

And I could tell it wouldn't be long

'Til he was with me, yeah, me

And I could tell it wouldn't be long

'Til he was with me, yeah, me, singin'.

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

Ow!"

Ash began to rock out to the song she was singing, letting the judges dance slightly in their seats with smiles and nods in approval. Gaining more confidence, she began to sing more.

"He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name

"That don't matter", he said, "'cause it's all the same"

I said, "Can I take you home where we can be alone?"

And next we were movin' on

He was with me, yeah, me

Next we were movin' on

He was with me, yeah, me singin'!

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

Ow!"

Ash rocked out more, letting her quills fly in the air. The judges were quick to their feet as they ducked their heads to let her quills fly everywhere in the theater. As she reached to the bridge, she began to sing more proudly.

"Said, "Can I take you home where we can be alone?"

Next we were movin' on

He was with me, yeah, me

And we'll be movin' on

And singin' that same old song

Yeah, with me, singin'

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

I love rock n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me!"

The song ended immediately after Ash realized that her quills were all over the theater, seeing the judges' heads raise up from ducking away from her aim of the quills. Ash went up to the microphone nervously.

"Uh...are you guys doing okay?" Ash managed to ask.

Buster chuckled nervously. "That's quite a song, Ash. Great job!"

The koala wrote down his notes while Mizuki gave her a reassuring smile that she's doing fine. Ash smiled back and exited off of the stage with her boyfriend.

Eddie glanced backstage. "Hey, Mike, aren't you performing or not?!"

Mike drank a plastic cup of water, warming up his throat before playing on his saxophone. But...before he could march up on stage to show his glory...there's a mysterious figure approaching beside him.

It's a white mouse...just like him except female. Her blue eye shadow matched with her blue sparkling dress, her heels clicking on the wooden stage. Mike couldn't but wonder if he's seeing things. Rubbing his eyes, he knew that he ain't high from anything.

"Mike!" Buster called as Mike stared at the woman mouse.

"Are you next?" The female mouse asked in the most soothing voice that he could've sworn sounded like an innocent Southern angel.

Mike blinked and snapped himself back to reality. "Uh...you can cut in front of me if ya---" Forgetting his words, Mike gestured her to go on first. "Ladies first."

The female mouse grinned as she emerged towards center stage.

The judges were surprised that the female mouse.

"He told me that I can take his spot," the female mouse explained to the judges.

Buster smiled a bit while writing down notes. "What's your name?"

"Nancy," Nancy introduced while readying herself for the performance.

"Alright, Nancy, the stage is yours," Buster gestured to the stage she's standing on.

"Thank you, sir." Nancy sighed as the music began to play. She nodded her head to the beat as she lowered the stand to her height so that she could sing into the microphone.

https://youtu.be/uBXvBP6y-I0

"Jenny grew up wild, like a Blackfoot daisy.

Out in the shack with a Bluetick hound.

Broke as heck, but blessed with beauty.

The kind that a rich can't turn down.

She caught an eye of an oilman dancing

One summer night in a dime store dress.

She had the looks, he had the mansion.

And you can figure out the rest."

Nancy began to dance through the first verse, catching the eye of Mike, who's leaning up against the cooler with a dumb smile on his face.

"It was all roses, dripping in diamonds.

Sipping on champagne.

She was all uptown, wearing that white gown.

Taking his last name.

She could hear those church bells ringing, ringing

And up in the loft, that whole choir's singing, singing

Fold your hands and close your eyes

Yeah, it's all gonna be alright

And just listen to the church bells ringing, ringing

Yeah, they're ringing."

Buster, Mizuki, and Eddie enjoyed the music, smiling along as the female mouse continued to sing.

"Jenny was hosting Junior League parties

And having dinner at the country club

Everyone thought they were Ken and Barbie

But Ken was always getting way too drunk

Saturday night, after a few too many

He came home ready to fight

And all his money could never save Jenny

From the devil living in his eyes.

It was all bruises, covered in makeup

Dark sunglasses

And that next morning, sitting in the back pew

Praying with the baptists."

The word 'bruises' caught Buster off-guard while Mizuki lost her smile as soon as she heard it. Eddie didn't seem to mind as he nodded his head to the beat. Nancy didn't stop singing, smiling as if she's telling the greatest story of her life.

"She could hear those church bells ringing, ringing

And up in the loft, that whole choir singing, singing

Fold your hands and close your eyes

Yeah, it's all gonna be alright

You just listen to the church bells ringing, ringing

Yeah, they're ringing!"

As the music continued to play, Nancy began to dance around, letting Mike watch her graceful moves on stage. He seemed mesmerized by her, the way she moves, the way she talks...it's hard to even think when she's around.

Nancy continued on singing the final verse.

"Jenny slipped something in his Tennessee whiskey

No law-man was ever gonna find

And how he died is still a mystery

But he hit a woman for the very last time

She could hear those church bells ringing, ringing

Standing there in a black dress singing, singing

Fold your hands and close your eyes

Yeah, it's all gonna be alright

And just listen to the church bells ringing, ringing

Yeah, they're ringing!!!"

By the end of the song, it left everyone in shock. Mike snapped out of his phase when she sang something about poison. It shot through his spine but he didn't want to go back thinking about it.

Buster nodded a bit. "Okay, interesting choice of song, Nancy. Thank you!"

Nancy smiled and bowed her head. She made her way backstage and saw Mike's face in fascination.

"I believe you're up next," Nancy replied with a little sly smirk playing on her lips.

Mike's heart just skipped a beat without even thinking about it as he went up on stage and began to play on the saxophone.

~.~

"But darling, stay with me."

Johnny sang the last notes of the song he knew from far back with the most beautiful angelic voice he obtained from his mother.

"Wow! Thank you, Johnny!" Buster responded brightly.

Johnny blinked and recognized the koala. He didn't stand on the stage for too long as he went backstage.

Among the remaining few, Johnny took a peek back out into the audience and squinted at the koala until he gasped in recognition. It's that koala he mugged with a squirt gun. Of all people he wanted to see today happened to be the owner of the Moon Theater. While he's observing the flamboyant pig performing an upbeat melody in his gold sparkling clothes, Johnny quickly excused himself politely and traveled up the stairs. The gorilla said he's intending on heading to the bathrooms but...that's not where he initially headed. He walked into the big office and realized that this was the koala's office. Johnny quickly put the silver watch on the desk and wrote out a note with a blue pen.

Once done, he heard the music ending. He quickly headed for the toilets, flushed it down despite not using it, washed his hands quickly from even touching the handle to flush the toilet, and exited out of the bathroom. He strode down the stairs as he watched the next auditioner, the waitress pig doing some pretty amazing dances to a song called "Firework". Her voice was pretty but she didn't add any dances to it...she's stiff. That's what Johnny noticed mostly.

When that's done, the shy elephant's up next.

"Good luck out there," Johnny encouraged her.

The elephant glanced at him and blushed a bit. "Uh...yeah...thanks."

Johnny nodded his head as he watched the elephant emerged on stage nervously.

"Hello," Mizuki greeted the young elephant. "What's your name?"

"M-Meena," the elephant, Meena, replied nervously.

"Alright, Meena, lovely to meet you," Buster welcomed the young elephant. "Wanna start singing?"

Meena took deep breaths. "Okay, I can do it."

Meena gazed at the microphone, her fear larger than life when she stared at it. Cold sweat dripped down her head, her green eyes broadened with horror. She couldn't hear the voices talking in front of her.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and she glanced to see Mizuki looking at her in concern.

"Why don't you get some water--?"

"I can't," the elephant finally blurted out. She didn't wait for any reassurance from the judges before she quickly left the building.

Buster and Eddie watched the scene unfold with shock in their eyes.

"Well, now that we got one running out on us...um...I think that's everybody," Eddie said with a yawn.

"Fitness partner!!" A familiar voice shouted from backstage.

Eddie's eyes went wide when he saw Gunter waving to him from backstage in his gold sparkling clothes.

"How's your Nana?" Gunter asked sympathetically.

Buster tried not to laugh in front of Gunter and Eddie straightened himself up.

"Uh...she turned out fine."

"Oh, that's good," Gunter replied with a sigh of relief. "I'll see you around!"

Eddie and Buster watched Gunter take his leave of the theater after the auditions were done.

Mizuki sat back down between the men with a small smile on her face. "Well, I guess it's time to vote on who's going to make it to the big leagues."

Buster nodded in agreement. "Sure. Let's do it."

~.~

Throughout the whole night, the three judges were in their separate homes, listing the top ten people who they think should be in the performance. Eddie listed ten people best suited for the show while playing video games and eating nachos. Mizuki was with her boyfriend, Babeesh, as she's listing out the performers who would best be suited. Her boyfriend sat there and rolled his eyes at her, focusing on other things around the huge house they live in.

Meanwhile, Buster was on his way home from the theater as he sniffed up the smoke coming from somewhere. He followed the smell until his eyes went wide in pure horror. He gasped at the small shabby apartment he was living in lit up on fire caused by drug users down below him. He shook his head with tears in his eyes as he bolted into his burning apartment, which firefighters and police officers arrive on the scene at the same time he ran into the burning apartment.

Buster searched around his apartment and ran through the fire as fast as he could to his bedroom. He spotted a bucket rolling on the floor and picked it up. The koala quickly hugged it as he searched for any more valuables. He collected old pictures of his father, his mother, and his uncle. He began coughing as the smoke got into his lungs. He felt unconscious as the firefighters barged into his house and were able to carry the small koala with his bucket out of the burning building. The firefighters outside were hosing down the fire as the building collapsed.

Buster breathed heavily, his eyes became droopy from breathing into the smoke so much. He couldn't hear the voices around him to ask if he was okay. But, assuming that they were asking that, Buster nodded his head, hugging the bucket with a few small family photos closed to his chest. 

To Be Continued...