#i'm having trouble following the plot. was this song Not written to be a duet. wh

[leapinarmadillo]

i don't really understand who is addressing who in Just Good Friends

[milkywaydrinker]

Day 5. Musical

Not gonna lie to you folks, i had a very ambitious idea for this one but it didn't work out. So take this instead, some friends trying to pay tribute by celebrating Barney's birthday just the way Pugsley would have wanted.

Barney’s birthday was fast approaching. They tried to both pay a tribute to their favorite dog friend and follow his birthday plan. Unfortunately without magically influencing the world to bend to your wishes, performing a musical required a ton of preparation. The backstage stuff was troublesome, that was true, but the songs themselves were the most difficult part. 

"I don't think this rhyme scheme works." Logs sighed. "I've never written a song before, this is really difficult."

"Don't look at me." Norma caught his gaze from behind the laptop screen. "You're already making me write music, and this sample library is not very good." She clicked play and a desynchronized tune reminiscent of a bad marching band echoed around the room.

"Oh, you people really have no clue what you're doing." Courtney appeared next to Logs in a poof.

"Right, and you do?" she asked dismissively.

"Just so you know, my talents are vast and many." The demon lashed their tail with indignation.

"Prove it." Norma crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

"Bet." With that, they were gone again.

"Why do I feel like this can't go well?" Logs shuddered.

"I'm pretty sure this," she gestured around her at the stacks of papers and stage equipment of dubious quality, "is the worst we could have done."

The next few days were uneventful, which was enough to make everyone tense. A week before Barney's birthday party, Courtney materialized with a thick paper folder startling everyone at the table. They looked sleep deprived and half delirious, but the grin on their face was that of triumph. "Payup nerds! I've done it!" 

"No way!" Badyah looked at them with stars in her eyes. 

"Yes way, all of you non-believers," they made a broad sweep with their arm, "doubted me, but I have prevailed."

"Wait, are they already acting it out or?" Norma whispered to Logs.

"No clue."

"Read it and weep! The perfect birthday musical!" With a dramatic flare, they tossed the folder down on the table.

Despite everything, they had to admit, it was better than they had any hopes of preparing by themselves. The plot was weak, with way too many reprises and almost no ensemble numbers, but it was solid. After some minor adjustments, they took to rehearsals. Logs had trouble with his solo, Badyah and Norma struggled to synchronize for their duet and Courtney nagged everyone about everything. In the end, they managed to get it together and only started to dislike each other a normal amount.

Their performance was barely passable, but the birthday boy seemed almost too moved by it.

"I can't believe you guys," Barney said from his spot in the audience, his eyes wet from barely keeping the tears at bay. "You really went through all this trouble for me?"

"It's what Pugsley would have wanted," Norma responded with an unusual firmness to her voice.

"It was perfect. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Courtney was smiling, but as they caught Norma's eyes, something unspoken finally found its place in between them.