Hey everybody!
First off I want to apologise for the hiatus I took. Procrastination, lack of inspiration, finishing university and a crapload of writer's block had rendered me hepless but now I'm pleased to say I'm back and with a brand new fiction to try out.
Now keep in mind it's my first one so I hope I got the characters right. Also I do hope some of you are fans of the Loud House cause I don't want to write stories with no audience to read them. So if you're a fan please give it a read, fav and especially a comment. Your feedback and suggestions would be most welcomed so that I may give you even more stories to enjoy. Until next time, friends.
The Loud House belongs to Chris Savino
Luna's song at the end is 'Loud' by Mustard Snorkel
It was the beginning of spring break and for a certain chaotic family of thirteen it was a time for enjoying a break from the usual levels of madness they'd get at home. As they made their way across the country in the family wagon Lincoln was trying his best to get comfortable in the springy seat as he turned to the audience.
"Seems like any other typical trip right? The open road, the baking sun overhead and of course the four wheeled rust bucket known as Vanzilla sputtering and firing down the highway. But for once, we don't care how uncomfortable the journey is, cause it'll all be worth where we're going." The white haired boy held up a poster. "The Indie Spring Rockapalooza! One of the biggest gatherings of independent rockers in the country. Now I know what you're thinking: 'Lincoln. We know you have ear for music but what is it about this festival that's worth a four hour trip in the springy seat while being half cooked in the sun along with the growing paranoia from Lisa's morbid disaster speculations?"
"Doubt me all you wish, brother. But when this ticking time bomb of a vehicle ends up getting crushed by a sizeable chunk of frozen plane refuse don't come crying to me, as we'll all have surely perished." The little Einstein herself responded as Lincoln continued.
"Well it's not the festival itself exactly, but rather who's playing in it." His eyes turned to a certain pixie cut girl who was sitting beside him tuning the strings on her guitar. "That's right. Luna managed to book herself a spot in the festival and the whole crowd is gonna be listening to her music. Which is precisely why we let her have the sweet spot for the trip. That and we're all going to be there to cheer her on. SMOOCH may be my favourite band, but no one rocks like my cool big sis."
"Aww cheers, bro." Luna ruffled Lincoln's hair lovingly for his compliment. "I gotta admit, I'm nervous though. I've played for crowds before but not on a scale this massive. I wasn't holding my breath I'd even get a spot."
"Hey, you've got this, Luna." Lori reassured. "When Mick Swagger himself acknowledges your talent you know you have something special to offer."
"Yeah! You're gonna strike a chord with this crowd. Hahahaha! Get it? Get it?" Luan joked before the exasperated groans followed by a hearty laugh from her Dad sounded, though Luna chuckled as well, aware of the heart behind the pun.
"Really I can't thank you guys enough for coming along. I know rock and roll isn't for all of ya."
"Are you kidding? My little rock star's about to have her big break. You better believe I'm going to be there to hear it!" Rita said to her daughter.
"You said it, honey!" Lynnard agreed. "And besides, the music won't be the only thing to enjoy while we're there. The poster says there'll be shirt dyeing workshops for anyone who wants to brighten their outfits."
"I know right? I'm gonna, like, make shirts for all of you and Luna!" Leni said gleefully. "Though I had know idea clothes could die." The others rolled their eyes at her latest misconception.
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm going for the crowds." Lana piped up. "All those hundreds of feet stomping around! There's gonna be so much mud when they're done, I don't know if I'll be able to play in it all!" She giggled ecstatically.
"Not to mention the hacky-sacking and frisbee!" Lynn added.
"And the makeup is so sparkly! I'm gonna get rhinestones and glitter on my face!" Lola squealed. Yes everyone had their own perks about the festival to enjoy, but all were going to support Luna first and foremost as Vanzilla rounded the corner to reveal a large open field where a stage was set and a humongous crowd had surrounded it.
"Well here we are, everybody!" Lynnard declared as the family cheered for their arrival.
XXX
A solid fifteen minutes of hunting for a parking space later and the Loud Family had about two hours to spend before the start of the show. Everyone found something to enjoy. Lynn quickly drew herself a crowd when she got involved in a game of hacky sack and Leni managed to draw a crowd of her own too at the shirt dyeing stand to the point where some asked ehr to dye their shirts as well. Eventually the point came where the show finally began and Luna was sitting backstage twiddling her thumbs with nervous excitement.
"Next up: Luna Loud!" the announcer called. Luna took a deep breath as she opened her guitar case and pulled out her prized purple axe or 'Mick II' as she'd named him after her hero.
"Let's make some music, love." she grinned planting a kiss on the instrument before slinging it around her shoulder and strolling out on the stage to meet the gargantuan crowd of cheering viewers and as she searched she spotted her family standing at the front garbed in the tye dyed outfits Leni had made for them, except for Lincoln who was wearing the brown braided jacket and headband she taught him to make (said brother grinned at his big sister as he threw up the goats at her for luck which she happily returned).
"HELLOOOOOOO ROCKAPALOOZA!" she greeted the crowd. "It's great to be here and greater to see so many fellow rockers! So who's ready to roll?!" the onlookers roared ecstatically in reply. "Then let's make some noise!" with that Luna began to play.
"WOOHOO! ROCK ON, LUNA!" Lincoln hollered banging his head in tune with her riffs.
"That guitar must be made of paper, cause you're shredding it, Sis! Hahahahaha!" Luan cheered through her laughter. "Don't 'fret', you're gonna 'pickup' this crowd like no other! And anyone who doesn't like your music is a 'nut'!"
"Ok I think she gets the point, Luan." Lori muttered having reached her limit from her sisters puns which is more than could be said for her Father who was now doubling over with laughter.
"I can't cheer and laugh at the same time, sweetie!" he chortled as Luna carried on with her medley as she bounced and hopped around the stage strumming and plucking nonstop until she finally struck the final chord and punched the air in conclusion earning another wave of adrenaline fueled applause from both the crowd and her family as she panted and took a bow.
"ENCORE!" one fo the onlookers demanded. "You rock unlike any other, Loud! ENCORE!"
"EN-CORE! EN-CORE! EN-CORE! EN-CORE!" the crowd cheered for more as Luna stared at all the people in amazement. Never before had she received such a response. Normally she would get a well deserved cheer from the smaller crowds she played for but this was on a whole new level and the begging for more of her music filled her with such pride that she began to feel tears sting her eyes (or maybe that was just sweat from her brow).
"Oh you want seconds?! Is that what you want?! From little old me?!" she asked with a big grin to which she received the expected response. "Ok, but don't blame me if you get knocked down, cause now I'm turning it up to eleven! No, TWENTY!" she declared and went right back to shredding as the crowd jumped and hooted. With every cheer, every word of praise, every demand for an encore, Luna felt the fire in her soul grow as she strummed her axe harder and harder, turning it up higher and then some. She couldn't get enough of this thrilling overdose of music. As she reached the final chord she raised her prized guitar above her head before yelling at the top of her lungs.
"ROCK AND ROLL!" SMASH! In an overwhelming blast of uncontrolled ecstacy she swung her guitar right down on the stage floor and in doing so, the head shattered into a hundred pieces. The air went deathly silent when this happened as Luna panted heavily, her eyes closed. And then, the crowd erupted into a deathening cheer, though the rest fo the famiy were staring at their sister/daughter in utter shock at what she'd done, and soon after Luna herself opened her eyes and gasped in horror when she saw the remnants of her axe. Her hands shook as they clutched the broken neck that remained of the instrument, her breaths turned shallow and her face pale...until she fainted on the spot.
"WHOA! Looks like she overexerted herself with that encore, people!" the announcer exclaimed, mistaking the cause of the faint for exhaustion as the rest of the family hurried onto the stage to retrieve Luna. "Hey someone get this girl some water!"
"Oh my gosh, Luna, are you alright?!" Leni panicked as she tried to revive her sister with a fan.
"Don't panic. She simply slipped into an unsconcious state due to the sudden shock over the unintentional dismemberment of her highly valued string instrument." Lisa deducted. "She should regain consciousness in a couple of hours but it would be best if we make her as comfortable as possible." as Lynnard, Rita and Lori went about moving Luna to a location softer than the stage floor, the others looked worriedly to the broken remains of Mick II. Lana approached the smashed guitar.
"What do you think, Lana? Any chance you can fix it?" Lincoln asked hopefully only for the six year old to shake her head sadly.
"It's too smashed up. I don't think anyone'll be able to fix it."
"Poor Luna! That was her favourite guitar!" Leni whimpered.
"Not to mention her only one, unless you count her acoustic." Lynn added.
"Don't worry, guys. Luna's gonna be fine. It'll hurt for a while but she'll bounce back." Lincoln reassured his worried sisters.
"I don't know, Lincoln. That was Luna's treasure. It would be like if I broke my bust of Edwin." Lucy compared.
"Or if I broke Mr Coconuts! I don't know how I'd move on from that." Luan shuddered at the thought.
"Look let's just give her time to recover and soon she'll be right back to being our noisy, music-making, cool as ice Big Sister. I mean how long could this upset her?" Lincoln asked.
~~~Three Weeks Later~~~
Saturday morning in the Loud House...and the abode is quiet as a mouse. The reason being that the family had lost their rhythm. Why? Because the destruction of Luna's guitar had utterly extinguished her spark rendering her unable and unwilling to play music at all. And needless to say the absence of the rockstar's atmospheric melodies had made the rest of the family's activities seem less enjoyable than they used to be. No longer did Lincoln feel the satisfaction of one of his plans coming together nor did Lynn enjoy the thrill of her training without the accompanying electric rush of their sister's riffs. Lola now found her tea parties boring and silent now that Luna no longer played a sweet melody on her violin to match them. Even Lisa, who would often at times find her music a disturbance to her studies, longed for the beats of her drums that made a good coverup for when her chemical reactions went awry. Heck Luan couldn't even convince her to make a simple rimshot which had caused even her to groan at her own jokes. Even Lynnard and Rita's efforts to comfrot their little rockstar had proved fruitless so it went without saying that something needed to be done. Lincoln was currently pacing in his room trying to think of a way to help his Big Sister.
"Ok I was wrong. Losing her guitar had a bigger impact on Luna than I anitcipated. It was bad enough when she stopped playing but now that it's started affecting us too, I have to find a way to help her get her spark back for all of our sakes especially hers." puffing out his chest he marched to Luna and Luan's room (the comedian was out entertaining) and let himself in to find Luna on her phone to her friend Chunk.
"How you feelin', love?" Lincoln heard the man's voice through the phone. "A cryin' shame how you lost Mick II, he will be missed."
"It's all my fault." Luna answered miserably. "How could I just smash him like that?! I'm an American idiot!"
"Don't beat yourself up too harsh, Luna. You aren't the first to swing their axe too hard in the music industry. Tell you what, that gig we booked at one of the clubs is coming up in about a month. I bet that'd cheer you up."
"Cancel it, Chunk. I won't be shredding at all without my axe."
"Ah s'alright, mate. You can borrow one of mine. Mick II had a proud run but every guitar has to be hung up someday."
"No. It's not the same. No guitar can make the same sound Mick II did." Luna replied hopelessly.
"But Luna-"
"I'm sorry, Chunk, but the show's cancelled!" Beep! Luna hung up her cell as Lincoln watched from the doorway with a frown. It was tearing the siblings up to see her like this and if they didn't do something soon she might never bring herself to play again. She'd go right back to how she was before Mick Swagger inspired her; a plain blank slate.
"Luna I think Chunk's right." he said. "Lying here dwelling on it won't bring your old guitar back. The only way out of this slump is for you to get a new guitar." Cla-Clak! Lincoln flinched when Luna threw her drumsticks at the wall in frustration as she stomped up to her brother and glared.
"You just don't get it! That guitar was like a piece of my soul, Bro! I treated Mick II with nothing but love and respect from the moment I played my first chord on him, and yet I was too hopped up on poprocks and coke at that stupid, hippy dippy festival to notice when I smashed him to pieces! He was my first instrument, the greatest! My best songs came from his strings and how do I repay him?! By shattering him like a cheap beer bottle! I didn't just break a guitar, I practically broke my dedication to music! You can't replace something like that with just another piece of wood and some wires! Now leave me alone!" Lincoln could tell he wasn't going to get through to her and decided to do as she told leaving his sister alone and sparkless.
XXX
"She really is torn up about it, guys." he told the others when they met in Lori and Leni's room later that evening. "She feels as though she betrayed her passion by breaking her guitar. I've never seen her so upset."
"It's like how she used to be before the Mick Swagger concert; a blank slate with no idea of what she wanted to be." Lori said recalling how passionless her little sister used to be.
"We have to do something!" Luan worried. "If we don't the Loud House is gonna be known as the Quiet House, and that's nothing to laugh about."
"It's too quiet~!" Lola whined.
"I miss her~!" Lana agreed whilst Lily began to cry as Lucy patted their backs.
"We may be loud in our own way, but without Luna's music the house is as silent and souless as death." she compared the situation which made her siblings shiver. As it stood, Lori couldn't take another minute of the gloomy atmosphere as she spoke up.
"Well you know what? Despite what Luna said, buying her a new guitar is the only way to go if we wanna get her spark back. But we're not gonna have Mum and Dad cut their budget for it so we're just gonna have to do this the old fashioned way: make money."
"Are you suggesting another yard sale?" Lynn asked.
"No way! We're not opening that can of worms again!" Lola denied the option.
"Though we did shake it off in the end! Hahaha, get it?" Luan recalled the family dance.
"But no, we're not having a yard sale. Everyone take five and see what ideas you can come up with, then we'll get to work."
"Yeah! And if we raise enough to buy her a new guitar she'll have to play again knowing we worked so hard for her!" Lana grinned.
"That's right! Now let's make some money!" Lori declared hammering her shoe on the desk in conclusion.
"YEAH!"
XXX
And so it was, the next day the siblings put Operation 'Split up to raise money for a new guitar for Luna to hopefully get her spark back and think of a shorter name for this operation' into action (A.N. Don't blame me, Lincoln named it).
"But you're writing the plot!" Lincoln snapped back. Gimme a break it's my first Loud House story. Anyway, we first look to the twins and Lily who upon Lana's suggestion had organised the most elegant, wholesome and timeless scheme for cash...
"Lemonade~! Buy your lemonade here, two bucks a glass, freshly squeezed, stirred not shaken~!" the little grease monkey hollered in the hopes a thirsty customer would hear her.
"Are you sure this'll work, Lana?" Lola asked.
"Trust me. They do it all the time on TV." Lana reassured though her twin didn't seem convinced.
"This isn't a cartoon. Do you even know how to make lemonade?" she asked.
"Oh how hard can it be? You just need lemons, water and sugar. Easy peasy." the handyman grinned confidently.
"Then tell me...why have we not sold a single cup in the past hour?" Lola asked back with narrowed eyes. "Seriously if we don't get a customer I'm gonna be the one drinking this lemonade what with this heat!" but at that moment a jogger came passing by and stopped when they noticed the twin's business.
"You were saying?" Lana grinned before acknowledging the potential customer. "How can we help you, Sir?" she asked.
"I think a glass of lemonade would be nice." he replied handing two dollars to Lana who beamed proudly at their first profit.
"Lily, lemons please." the baby giggled as she took some of the lemon halves and pushed them on the juicer as it poured into the pitcher. Lana then added the sugar and stirred it in before passing the jug to her twin. "Lola, pour the man his lemonade." she said when she'd finished. The pageant queen poured some into a cup and handed it to her twin who passed it their customer who took a swig before he gritted his teeth.
"Yeuch! How much sugar's in this stuff?! Did you put a whole bag in or something?!" he expressed his disgust.
"'How hard can it be?' you said. 'Easy peasy' you said." Lola quoted to the now embarrased Lana. "Let me handle this one." she took the cup back from the man, added more water and lemons to the pitcher and poured him a second cup. His response to tasting that one was spitting out a mouthful of it.
"GAH! Now it's too sour! I want my money back!" the twins looked amongst each other nervously before Lola chopped a lemon and squirted the halves at the man's face. "AAAGH!" he screamed from the citirc acid in his eyes.
"SAVE THE PROFITS!" Lola screamed as she grabbed the two dollars while Lana took Lily and they bolted while the man shook his fist at the escaping twins.
"YOU SCHEMING BRATS!"
XXX
Back at the Loud House, Lori and Lucy had set up a sign which read 'Car Wash- $5 and free wax' and they had several buckets, sponges and a hose at the ready. Unfortunately, much like Lola and Lana's lemonade stand, they weren't having much luck in customers.
"UGH! How can we not be getting any customers?! We're literally offering them a cheap wash and free waxing! I wouldn't pass that up!"
"Well it was raining the other day. I doubt that many cars need washing after that." Lucy commented before she heard footsteps and looked to the left to see Clyde and Ronnie Anne approaching before they noticed the goth.
"Hey, Lucy and L-L-Lo-" Clyde's stuttering was cut short by Ronnie Anne removing his glasses causing Lori's image to blur. He sighed with relief. "Thanks, Ronnie."
"Whatever." she rolled her eyes before asking an equally annoyed Lori. "Is Lincoln home? We were gonna invite him to the arcade."
"No he's out with Luan on clown business at the moment." Lori answered. Clyde squinted at the car wash sign not wanting to risk another nose bleed should he see the elder sister's dazzling beauty.
"It, looks like you're having a car wash? What's that all about?" he asked Lucy.
"We're raising money. Luna's guitar was tragically shattered at the festival and as a result her will to play music is dying."
"Which is why we've split up to raise as much as possible so we can buy her a new one." Lori added.
"Oh man, that's awful. Luna can't lose her passion." Clyde worried. "Though it's real sweet of you all working so hard to get her a new guitar. Well since Lincoln's not around, why don't I lend you guys a hand?"
"I don't know how much help you'd be in this situation, Clyde." Lucy doubted. "The sister who must not be named is present and coupling her with a hose and swimsuit is a near fatal cobination on your part. That, and I have no desire of dragging your unconscious nosebled body back home."
"You want me to do it?" Ronnie Anne quipped. "Helping with tha car wash and dragging Clyde up the road should he pass out I mean."
"Well we could use some extra hands, though at this rate I doubt you'll get to use them." Lori muttered. "We haven't had a single customer yet." Clyde rubbed his chin in thought.
"Maybe because they don't know about it." he said. "What if I head into town and tell folks about your amazing prices and where they can find your house. That way I can help out and not risk fainting from your heavenly image."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Lori smiled. "And while you're doing that, Ronnie Anne can help us out with the wash." the girl responded with a thumbs up.
"Alright! Just leave it to me, ladies! I'll have the whole street so filled with cars it'll be like rush hour!" Clyde proclaimed as he sprinted off to spread the word only to run face first into the chest nut tree in the yard.
"Oh, he'll be needing these back." Ronnie Anne remembered she still had his glasses.
XXX
As for Lynn, so is the case with anything she did, she managed to find a way to turn it into a sport. But hey gotta give her credit, you can never be bored when every task in life can be a game to you.
"Wise words, man." Hey I thought only Lincoln could acknowledge me. "Who's to say it doesn't run in the family?" Touche. Anyway, in Lynn's case of fundraising, her choice was dogwalking but with a few...additions, shall we say. The jock was currently speeding through the park walking not one, not three, but TWELVE DOGS. And what's more, to add to the rush, she was wearign roller blades allowing the army of canines to run at top speed without risk of tripping over.
"YA MULE! GIDDYUP! MUSH-MUSH-MUSH!" she chanted as the pack of canines pulled her around the park as she steered them with a few soft tugs on their leashes so she wouldn't hit pedestrians (though many were forced to jump out of the way.
"This is too easy! I'm raising money for Luna's new axe and I'm having a blast doing it!" she grinned when the dogs suddenly came to a stop. "Hey what's the matter? We were on a roll there." Lynn asked, puzzled before she looked up and her eyes widened at what was strutting by in front of the dogs: a ginger molly cat. She stopped in the middle of the path to groom herself when the cat froze when she heard the dogs and growl and slowly turned to face them. Lynn swallowed the lump of fear in her throat of the disaster begging to happen.
"Ok, don't make any sudden moves, kitty. Just, back away, real, sl-" MRRROOOOOWWW! Lynn's pleas fell on deaf pricked ears as the cat fled in a terrified screech and of course the dogs immediately took after her dragging Lynn in tow. "WHOOOOAHH! STOP! SIT! DON'T EAT THE KITTY!" now that the mutts were beyond her control the high speed dogwalking had escalated into treacherous stampede and the poor cat was at the front of it all. But then all of a sudden her eye was caught by a young, bespectacled, african american boy who was passing through the park. She immediately ran to him and jumped into his arms taking him by surprise.
"Cleopawtra?! What's the matter, girl? You're shaking like a leaf." Clyde stroked his cat when he ehard a familiar voice screaming his name in alarm.
"CLYDE! ON YOUR LEFT!" he looked to his left and yelped at the sight of twelve leashed dogs dragging an equally scared Lynn behind them. "RUN!" Clyde didn't have to be told twice as he sprinted with Cleopawtra in his arms which in turn caused the dogs to chase after him.
"Lynn what's going on?!" he asked over his shoulder as he ran.
"I'm dog walking!"
"To raise money for Luna, right?!"
"Yeah! How'd you know?!"
"Lori and Lucy filled me in! I was just on my way to promote their car wash so they'd get more customers. So could you maybe stop these crazy dogs before they tear me and my cat to shreds?!"
"They're out of control!"
"You're stronger than them! Just dig in your heels!"
"I can't!"
"Why not?!"
"Because I'm on roller blades!"
"THERE'RE NO ROLLER BLADES IN DOG WALKING!"
"THE WAY I PLAY THERE IS!"
XXX
From disaster to another, the day eventually drew to an end and needless to say none of the Louds or Lincoln's friends had gained much success in their fundraising. As of now Lori, Lucy and Ronnie anne were sitting in the living room with defeated looks on their faces. Only two people had shown up for washes giving them a total of $10.
"You don't think Clyde bailed on us do you?" Lori wondered.
"You do know the last thing he'd want is to disappoint you?" Ronnie Anne reminded her of his more than obvious admiration for her.
"As I said it was raining yesterday." Lucy brought up when the door opened to reveal Lola, Lana and Lily.
"Hey how'd the lemonade go?" Lori asked.
"We only made $2." Lana said sadly.
"Pbbt!" Lily blew a raspberry while pointing her thumb down.
"Turns out lemonade isn't as easy to make as tv made it out to be, as I said." Lola frowned at Lana.
"Hey I'm not the one who squirted lemon juice in a guy's eyes and then bailed on the whole business!" Lana snapped back.
"Better that than getting toothache from the liquid sugar you call lemonade!" the twins quicky became a dust cloud of fists and feet whcih only made the other girls sigh in annoyance before the door opened again. Thsi time revealing a rather exhausted Lincoln and Luan.
"Hey girls. I hope your day was better than- Roonie Anne?" Lincoln asked suprised to he is maybe girlfriend. "What are you doing here?"
"Clyde and I were looking for you, Lame-O. Your Sisters told us about what happened to Luna so we decided to help out. Didnt have much success with the car wash though."
"Aww man that's not good news. Plus Lincoln and I have been working round the clock clowning. Just one family was hiring so we didn't make much but boy were their standards high." Luan groaned as she kicked off the floppy shoes she was wearing while Lincoln set down their prop box.
"We even tried street performing afterwards but we only managed to rake in ten bucks." he added as Luan yawned.
"I'm so exhausted I'm about to pull my hare out." she chuckled pulling her pet rabbit Gary out of one of her hats before collapsing onto the couch. The door opened once again this time revealing a rather scuffed up and frazzled Lynn and Clyde who were both caked with mud, leaves, paw prints and claw marks.
"Clyde? What happened to you and Lynn?!" Lincoln asked surprised.
"Yeah, what happened to getting us customers for the car wash?" Ronnie Anne asked with a glare.
"I was. But when I cut through the park I got stampeded by twelve dogs plus Lynn on roller blades." Clyde jerked his thumb to the jock who gave him an awkward apologetic grin.
"And I'm guessing that screwed up your dog walking business." Lori asked her to which she nodded grimly resulting in a collective sigh amogst the group. It seemed their fundraising wasn't getting them off the ground at all as they sat in the living room moping over their failure. Lisa had been spending the day looking up potential replacements for Mick II and after pooling their profits together she sighed.
"We couldn't even make a third of the profits required to afford a worthy replacement chordophone." She calcuated. "At best $27.05 would get Luna a cheap violin. And at worst a plastic ukulele."
"We goofed up big time on this one." Lana moaned. The depressing moment was broken by the arrival of Lynnard and Rita, the latetr holding a drink tray.
"At this rate she'll never get her spark back. Without her music the house'll be bluer than jazz." Luan whimpered
"Don't be so hard on yourselves, you should be proud of your efforts." she said as she handed out a beverage to each of the kids. "I know it wasn't as big a success as you'd hoped, but your Father and I are still proud of your efforts to help Luna. That includes you two as well, Clyde, Ronnie." she smiled gratefully at them.
"Chins up ok, kids?" Lynnard said. "Maybe we'll have enough to buy her a new guitar in a couple of months. We may not be able to cut our budget much but we can still make a contribution too." he reassured before Lincoln asked.
"By the way, has anyone seen Leni?"
"Now that you mention it, no. I haven't seen her since the meeting yesterday." Lynn added.
"Well let's not get our hopes up that her idea did any better than ours." Lori muttered when they heard a strange rustling sound coming from the basement. Curious, the gang opened the door and peered down before they gasped at what they saw. Sitting at a desk and surrounded by stacks of bills was Leni who was currently scribbling on a small sheet of paper. She looked up when she heard the gasp and waved to her sisters and brother.
"Hi guys~! How did your plans go? Did you make any money for Luna's new guitar?" she asked in her usual sweet manner.
"L-L-LENI?! Where?! How?! What the-?!" Lincoln spluttered as the group looked at the piles of money in utter disbelief.
"Where the heck did you get all this dough?!" Lynn gawked.
"There's enough here to buy a whole music shop let alone a guitar!" Clyde stared in bewilderment.
"WE'RE RICH~!" Lola cheered who was rolling in the green.
"Did you win the lottery or something?!" Ronnie Anne asked holding one of the bills in awe.
"Please tell me you didn't rob a bank." Lori hoped.
"Nope. I've been down here all day." Lori cut her sigh of relief short when she heard this.
"Then...how did you make the money?"
"I just did what you said. I made money." Leni said matter of factly before Lisa interjected.
"Just as I suspected." the others looked to see her inspecting one of the bills with a magnifying glass. "She's taken some PMS 359 paper and acurately enscribed it with the complex illustrations akin to that of our everyday currency equivalent to amounts between one hundred and one hundred thousand cents." the others responded with blank stares. "It's fake." she simplified, disgruntled.
"FAKE?!" the others shouted.
"Lynn, the furnace! Turn it on now! Lucy, start shovelling!" Rita instructed whilst wringing her hands in a panic.
"Sigh. Easy come, easy go, as they say." the goth said before she and her Dad began shovelling the money into the furnace much to Leni's shock.
"What're you doing?! You're like burning all the money I made! How are we gonna buy Luna a new guitar now?!"
"Leni, we can't use this money! It's counterfeit!" Lori stated.
"'Counter fit?' Since when are counters fitted for clothes?" Lori slapped her temple.
"No, counterfeit." Lincoln repeated. "It's when you replicate something valuable like money when really it's fake."
"We can't use fake money for Luna's guitar. That would be illegal!" Lynnard explained.
"Awww. You mean I made all of this for nothing~?" Leni whined.
"I guess your plan was paper thin! Hahahaha!" Luan laughed as Lucy threw the last bill into the fire.
"Well, we're back to square one. Just as we thought we'd begun to climb the ladder of progress, harsh reality casts us back down to the cold hard ground of truth." she sighed.
"Though I must confess, those bills were quite well made. It was only after close inspection that my suspicions were confirmed." Lisa mentioned.
"Yeah, when it comes to her mishearings, Leni can pull off pretty impressive feats." Lincoln said.
"You're right. Remember when I asked her to make my bed for a drive to the mall and she literally made me a bed. And pretty great one too, way better than my old one." Lori brought up. But as Lincoln heard Lori's story, an idea came to him.
"Lightbulb!" Ping! he glanced up when the basement light turned on above his head and he frowned at Lana who shrugged next to the switch.
"Kinda dark down here dontcha think?" she grinned as Lincoln continued.
"I know how we can get Luna a new and better guitar!" he explained.
"How? We've tried everything." Lori argued.
"But not, everyone." Lincoln emphasised as he approached Leni. "Leni. You know how to make a bed. Can you make a guitar?"
"I haven't made one before, but I can like try."
"Great! Then we'll leave you too it." Lincoln smiled as he turned around and began to leave. "Come on, guys. Give Leni some privacy." the sisters looked at each other before following Lincoln.
"So you're plan is we let Leni make a guitar for Luna? She can't walk and chew gum at the same time." Lola reminded him though his confident smile didn't falter.
"You're sure this is gonna work, Lincoln?" Lynn asked.
"Trust me guys. This plan is bound to work." Lincoln grinned. "Clyde, Ronnie Anne, thanks for helping out but Leni can take it from here."
"Well we'll hold you to it, or Leni rather." Clyde answered.
"I just hope you know what you're doing, Linc." Ronnie Anne added.
"That goes double for the rest of us." Lori muttered.
XXX
About two days passed since Lincoln entrusted Leni's unaware talent of craftsmanship to the creation of a new gutar for Luna. Occasionally they would see the bubbly blonde going back and forth between her room and the basement with tools and supplies and often the sounds of sawing and chiseling woulb be heard. It wasn't long before she called the family downstairs where they saw a tarp covered table standing before them.
"It's not quite finished yet but I hope you'll like it." she smiled before she whipped off the cover and everyone gasped as they saw a slim, glossy electric guitar lying on the tabletop. It had a rich marron colour indicating the wood was red mahogany and the body had been painted with wavy violet patterns like a combination of ferns and flames.
"Leni...it's..." Lori tried to speak.
"I know. The finish is too rushed. I knew I should've used orange instead of violet." Leni criticised herself before the family pulled her into a group hug.
"No! It's wonderful, Leni!" Lori clarified.
"It's like it's fresh outta the shop! Lana inspected the body with awe.
"I dare say better." Rita disagreed. "Oh Leni you're full of surprises."
"Couldn't have said it better myself, honey." Lynnard grinned as eh ruffled Lincoln's hair. "And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't've encouraged it right, champ?"
"Yeah, you weren't kidding, Lincoln. Leni's mishearings are impressive." Lola commented as they stared at the new guitar while Leni rubbed her chin.
"The body's fine, but it's missing something." everyone looked at the blanc maroon and violet body taking note of the bare featureless surface.
"Hold on." Lucy spoke up. "The reason we're doing this is to show Luna how much we love her music and want her to play again, right?" the others nodded. "Well, what if we made it so that it shows it's from us?" Lincoln processed this for a moment before he said.
"How about we each add a symbol representing us. Like this." he took out a piece of paper and doodled up a sketch of the guitar only this one had a small drawing of a pencil on the face of the body. "See? Since my interest is comics and drawing my symbol's a pencil." Lucy went up to the drawing a sketched a bat onto the guitar. "That's it."
"Yes, this is it." Leni smiled. "Gimme a list of what you want etched on the guitar and I'll work it in." the siblings quickly wrote up a list of symbols and handed it to her. "This'll be, like, the best guitar ever." she grinned. "Just leave it to me."
"We're counting on you, Leni." Lori smiled faithully. "Though at this point I don't think we have any doubts."
XXX
In a few hours each of the family had submitted an image to represent them for Leni to add to the guitar and when it was finished, they all gathered outside Luna's room.
"Welp, this is it." Lincoln said. "It's now or never, Louds, so let's do this." with that they entered the room to find the rockstar about the same as before; slumped and sparkless. She lazily looked up at the crowd but said nothing.
"Luna..." Rita began. "We know that your old guitar was really special to you. It was your first instrument and the one that got you off the ground as a musician."
"We were wrong to think it wouldn't hurt you as much as it did when you lost it." Lynnard followed.
"But seeing you just give up on your talents like this isn't right." Lori said sternly but pleadingly.
"We miss you, Luna. You and your music." said Lana.
"And we're worried about you too." Lola added.
"Boo-boo." Lily whimpered sadly.
"You may have been content with simmering in your own anguish and self criticism and the delusion you'd betrayed your cause." Lisa began adjusting her glasses.
"But we have no intention of letting this family spiral down into the inescapable depths of gloom and doom." Lucy spoke. "That's my job."
"We're not giving up on you, Luna." Lincoln said with as much determination as he could muster.
"Not until you're jamming again. Strawberry or raspberry? Hahahahaha." Luan joked.
"Which is why we have a present for you." Leni concluded as she pulled out the new guitar from behind her back. It was more or less the same as before only now it had twelve symbols etched on it:
A rattle (Lily)
A vial (Lisa)
A tiara (Lola)
A wrench (Lana)
A bat (Lucy)
A pencil (Lincoln)
A football (Lynn)
A clown face (Luan)
A dress (Leni)
A phone (Lori)
A book (Rita)
And a cooking pot (Lynnard)
Luna stared at the instrument in disbelief and then to her family.
"H...How did you..." she whispered.
"We didn't buy it if that's what your thinking." Rita said.
"Though that was our orginal plan." Lincoln added.
"We tried raising money all day to buy you a new one...but it didn't go well." Lori groaned.
"But that was when I realised how good I am at woodwork. So Lincoln asked me to just make you a new one. And here it is." Leni grinned.
"Here in the Loud House, formed and glazed." Luan chuckled.
"I..." the family snapped back to attention when Luna spoke. "I...I don't get it. You know I could never replace Mick II."
"Don't consider it a replacement. Think of it as, a successor." Lynn suggested.
"But why? Why go through all this trouble?" Luna questioned unable to comprehend their gift and actions. "I'd just end up smashing it like I did to him. I don't deserve to play guitar." the family looked at her shocked and hurt by the state she'd been reduced to.
"You've forgotten how much your music means to us, haven't you?" Lincoln stared at her in sad disbelief.
"How it's influenced us over the years." Lori added.
"Yeah! I tried applying music to my comedy act like Odd Bob Djokovic once, remember?" Luan brought up.
~~~Two years ago~~~
Luan was standing outside an Italian restaurant in the middle of town dressed as a one woman band with a small crowd around her.
"Hey everybody! Hope your ready to tap your shoes and laugh your socks off at the same time! I call this one 'Banana Split (Can't Stop the Peeling)', soon to be number one in this weeks top forty!" With that the joker began to play but being a complete beginner all she made was a complete racket sending the crowd packing within second which didn't sit well with the restaurant manager who had an organ grinder in his hands and a monkey on his shoulder.
"Hey what's your problem you crazy kid?! You're driving away my customers! So how about you make like a banana and split?!"
"Hey you're stealing my song title! I can sue you for copyrights you know!" Luan retorted back.
"Hey Georgey, go for the face!" The owner said to his monkey who then leapt from his shoulder and latched onto Luan's face who continued to play her bad music despite the mauling and screaming.
~~~Present~~~
"Who'd've thought a marmoset could be so vicious?" Luan recalled the less than pleasant end to her short lived music career. "But I still put myself out there because your music inspired me to do so." the other siblings nodded in agreement as Lola stepped up next.
"You remember the time I lost at one of my pageants? I felt just like you, Luna. I thought I'd never be able to dazzle the audience again. And then..."
~~~One year ago~~~
Lola was in her room drying her eyes from all the crying after her soul crushing defeat. Yes she'd come in second and even third before but not once had she ever lost completely. And as we all know the first loss is always the hardest to come back from. Though her sadness was soon interrupted when she heard a knock at the door and as she opened it she found Luna standing in the doorway holding a ukulele which she began to play a bouncy melody on. Hardly in the mood for a song Lola slammed the door in her face and put her back against it, sniffling, but this didn't stop Luna as she played louder and began to sing.
"Looking up at a sunny sky, so shiny and blue and there's a butterfly
Well, isn't that a super fantastic sign
It's gonna be a fantastic day!
Such marvelousness it's gonna bring!
Got a pocket full of songs that I'm gonna sing
And I'm ready to take on anything. Hooray!"
Lola tried ignore the cheerful song before she looked down to see her feet tapping to the beat as Luna continued to sing.
"Some super fun surprise around each corner.
Just riding on a rainbow, I'm gonna be okay." Lola stood up and slowly reached for the door and as she opened it Luna burst through as she upped the tempo.
"Hey!
I'm not giving up today!
There's nothing getting in my way!
And if you knock knock me over,
I, will, get back up again!" Lola stared as her big sister danced around her as she sang and played the upbeat song causing a smile to slowly but surely creep onto her face.
"If something goes a little wrong,
Well you can go ahead and bring it on!
'Cause if you knock knock me over, I, will, get back up again!
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, get back up again! Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh! Come on, Sis, you know the words!" Luna encouraged Lola who though she was starting to feel better sang in a sad voice.
"What if it's all a big mistake?
What if it's more than I can take?" She caught Luna's eye as their frowns soon changed to grins and they both sang this time.
"NO!
I can't think that way!
Cause I know, that I'm really really really gonna be-O-K!
HEY!
I'm not giving up today!
There's nothing getting in my way!
And if you knock knock me over,
I, will, get back up again!
If something goes a little wrong,
Well you can go ahead and bring it on!
Cause if you knock knock me over,
I, will, get back up again! YEAH!" The two sisters cheered as Lola tackled Luna with a thankful hug her confidence restored.
~~~Present~~~
"You helped me get my spark back. So I'm not gonna let you lose yours!"
"And do i even need to remind you of how your passion made me and Clyde's first concert the greatest night ever?"
Lincoln held out the guitar once more to Luna as he smiled. "You were right. Mick II was more than just a guitar. There were many like him but he was yours and to lose him in his prime was a harsh blow to your pride. But it wasn't Mick II that gave you your music, Luna. It's where it's always been and still is: right here." he placed his finger on her heart. "Yes Mick II did help bring out many of your best songs, but they didn't die with him, they're right there just waiting to be let out again." Luna sat there as she digested Lincoln's words before she felt a supportive hand on her shoulder and looked to see who it belonged to.
"Your time with Mick II may be over, but your song's not over yet, Luna." Lori smiled as she rubbed her sister's shoulder.
"And maybe, just maybe, his spirit will live on through our guitar to you." Lucy suggested. "Your dedication to music shouldn't lie within your instrument, but your soul."
"It could be the beginning of an even greater song." Lynn grinned.
"Whaddya say, Sis? Choose the guitar, don't be a quitar!" the siblings shook their heads as she laughed. "Get it?" Luna stared at her sisters and brother along with the new guitar in Lincoln's hands. She looked at the handmade instrument her family had worked so hard to make for her. Very slowly, she reached out toward it as her fingers slowly closed around the neck, shivering at how smooth it had been sanded and polished as she ran her hand over the carvings on the face, her fingers bumping across the strings. Her audience waited with bated breath as she had now fully grapsed the guitar and almost instinctively reached for the nearest pick she could find.
Dwoooooooong~! The metallic tone echoed throughout the room as Luna dragged the pick across the strings. Everyone held their breath as Luna slowly began to play a melody on the guitar growing louder and faster until she sprang to her feet as a new fire erupter in her soul and she began to shred causing the family to cheer and hug each other as their plan had succeeded before Luna struck the last chord and panted as she held her new axe and beamed at it.
"So what're you gonna name it?" Lana asked. Luna thought for a moment before she smiled.
"I think I'll name it L." she said noticing everyone's puzzled looks. "Mick Swagger may have inspired me play music, he still does. But my true drive for making music is you guys. You each played a part in this so that's why I'm naming my new guitar after our initial, so you all get to share in the song with me." the other Louds felt their hearts swell and their eyes water before they surrounded Luna with a big family hug. Their Luna was back.
"We missed you." Lincoln sniffled as he hugged his Big Sister.
"I missed you all too, Bro." she said back. "I can't thank you all enough. I was ready to give up but none of you did."
"It's what Families do." Lola and Lana said in unison.
"We gotta, like celebrate!" Leni suggested.
"Yeah we need to break in your new guitar." Lynn agreed. "Wait, lemme rephrase that."
"Well my next gig isn't in a month, but I'm fine playing for you all here." Luna said before Lincoln bopped his fist against his palm.
"I've got a plan!" he said.
"Of course you do, Bro." Luna smirked.
"I can get you a place to play in about a week. You just get familiar with L. I'm just gonna make a call." Lincoln grinned confidently as he took his leave.
"You'll pull it off, Linc, you always do." Lori smiled. "Come on, guys, let's give Luna some time get back in shape." the others nodded before they left the musician alone with her new guitar before she tok out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, Chunk."
"Oh, hey Luna." she noticed his less enthusiastic tone. "You gonna tell me you suspending the band too?" Luna bit her lip, the guilt from before finally hitting her gut.
"Yeah, I'm awful sorry for being suhc a stiff, man. But I've got good news. My Sibs made me a brand new axe. They filled it with so much love and respect that I got my spark back. I hope it's not too late to rebook that gig."
"Oh I never cancelled it. Just cause it seemed you were quitting didn't mean we were gonna. But I'm real chuffed to hear you're feeling better. No hard feelings, mate."
"You're the best, pal." Luna smiled. "Hey, I'm gonna be having a little comeback show for my new guitar and to thank my Family. Care to come along? Lincoln says he's got a place booked but he could sure use your muscle to help with the gear."
"Where n' when?"
~~~One Week Later~~~
About a week later the Loud Family found themselves attending Luna's comeback show which was being held, of all places, at the school gym. And needless to say they were quite suprised to find the place packed with many buzzing guests.
"Lincoln. Where did you ever?" Luna gaped as he brother grinned proudly.
"Hey I can't take all the credit. I had Chunk help me out with the heavy lifting." he nodded to Luna's friend who tipped his hat at him.
"Hey Lincoln!" the boy looked to see Clyde and Ronnie Anne, accompanied by Bobby who Lori ran to greet with a hug and kiss.
"Hey you made it!" Lincoln bumped fists with Clyde while Ronnie Anne whistled at Luna's new guitar.
"Man that is one sharp axe." she complimented the design. "This has gotta be your best plan yet, Lame-O." Lincoln grinned bashfully at her compliment.
"I didn't know you'd be coming too, Bobby" Lori beamed.
"Hey when Nie-Nie told me all about what she was up to you with you guys I had to come." her boyfriend answered. "Plus I'd never pass up a chance to dance with my babe."
"Oh Boo-Boo-Bear~!" Lori blushed as the two kissed to which Clyde snraled and Ronnie Anne feigned vomiting earning a laugh from Lincoln as his Sisters were still taking in the scale of the gathering.
"Dang, Linc! How were you were able to book out the entire school gym, Bro?" Lynn asked with a friendly punch to his shoulder. "And with such a crowd?" Lincoln brushed his nose with a snooty grin.
"Oh I just called in a favour from Principal Huggins." he answered. "He was so grateful for me and Clyde letting him meet Bill Buck from the comic contest he said he owed us one. So, I asked him if we could use the gym for the concert, and he put out a notification of the event for good measure." the boy gestured a thumbs up to the man himself who returned the sign.
"That's my Bro; the man with the plan." Luna chuckled pinching his cheek.
"Now go up there and do your thing, Sister." Lori said giving her an ecouraging push. "And we'll be with you all the way." Luna flashed her rock sign at the group before she headed for the stage as the chatter of the crowd died down when she took the centre, a pair of flash lights looming over her. Inevitably memories of the rockapalooza began to come back to haunt her causing her to begin to tense up. But she snapped out of it when she heard a whistle and looked to see her siblings waving and smiling at her from the front of the crowd. She smiled back at them before she cleared her throat.
"Thank you all for coming, folks. But before we get to rocking, there's something you should all know. Not too long ago I lost one of my most precious treasures. My old guitar, Mick II, and I played many a song together ever since I became a musician. But I got so attached to my axe I ended up believing I could never make music without it, so when I lost my rock my roll went with it." her somber frown turned up into a warm smile as she continued. "But then I was reminded of the real reason I kept playing: the two parents, nine sisters and one brother you see before you; the greatest audience a musician could ask for." everyone looked to the Loud Family who beamed at their Sister/Daughter.
"They're always there for me, never gave up on me, and if it hadn't been for them I don't know if I'd've ever made music again. Which is why this song goes out to them, my rocking family! LET'S GO!" the crowd cheered as the rockstar began to play.
"My Family's bouncing off the walls.
Cuz our week has seemed impossible.
So we need to meet up and start the show.
No, we can't slow down, it's time to go!"
Immediately the crowd broke out into dancing with the intoxicating music.
"Can we start it yet? Can we party yet?
I feel it coming on, the feelings getting strong!"
Lincoln, Clyde and Ronnie Anne were striking their rock poses as they bobbed their heads vigorously.
"And while we all wait for the week to end,
Every song gets louder in my head.
And my heart keeps pounding to the beat.
My feet dance uncontrollably!"
Lori of course was dancing with Bobby as the two were freestyling with the music. Additonally Lynnard and Rita were trying out what they'd learned from their dance classes though it mostly ended with the latter getting spun into some unlucky occupant.
"Can we start it yet? Can we party yet?
I feel it coming on, the feelings getting strong!"
Leni and Luan were both dancing their own way as well. Leni was backup dancing (though her understanding of it was to dance while backing up) and Luan was dancing whilst on her unicycle. At that point Luna slowed down her tempo to a more somber pace to whcih the crowd matched the tone with their dancing.
"Sometimes they say that we're too young and too fast.
They say we don't belong here, we don't belong here.
We live each moment like our last...
AND TURN IT UP LOUD!"
With that last line the crowd exploded into a fit of jumping as Luna turned her tempo right back up again.
"People jumping off the roof say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" the crowd sang.
"All intoxicated youth say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Lincoln, Clyde and Ronnie Anne yelled.
"Voices singing in the street say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Lori and Bobby shouted.
"Several hundred dancing feet say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Leni and Luan chanted as Luna moved onto the next verse.
"I'm tired of being told just what to do.
Cuz these shoes are mine for me to use.
You can't walk or talk me off you're bridge.
The decisions all mine, every bit of it.
Won't you come with me, make a mess of things.
Let everything go, come on let's roll!"
Due to the intense atmosphere and crowded room, Lynn had innevitably started moshing which her friend Polly was more than eager to get in on resulting in the two sporty girls pushing and shovign both each other and everyone else around them.
"The crowd knows why they're here they fear
Normality clogging up their ears.
It's time we crack what we've bottled up.
We'll take this night and we'll top it off.
Raise your hands with me, have a dance with me.
I feel it coming on, the feelings getting strong!"
Meanwhile, up on the rafters sat Lucy, finding the crowds not to her taste, but stil enjoying the music with a smile. Though she wasn't alone as she was accompanied by her friend Haiku and her crush Rocky with whom she was holding hands.
"Sometimes they say we should be seen and not heard.
They say we don't belong here, we don't belong here.
Our actions speak louder than our words...
SO TURN IT UP LOUD!"
"Shake the floor and burn it up say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Lynnard and Rita sang.
"Loud is never loud enough say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Lynn and Polly cheered amongst the unconcious bodies they'd knocked otu due to their moshing.
"No they don't want us around say hey hey hey!"
"Turn it up loud."
Lucy, Haiku and Rocky said in their deadpan tone.
"Try to come and shut us down say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" It was then that Luna took break from singing to give he crowds a well earned guitar solo. They all cheered and danced as Luna looked upon their happy faces with great pride as she felt her eyes water, this time certain it wasn't sweat. This was it. This was what her passion was all about.
"ONE MORE TIME!"
"People jumping off the roof say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Lola and Lana grinned who were sitting on Chunk's shoulders so they wouldn't get trampled.
"All intoxicated youth say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Lisa, who was manning the light station with Lily beside her shouted in one of her rare moments of inane human emotion as she'd put it. The baby, unable to say all the words made a garble of the sentence with Loud at the end.
"No they don't want us around say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!"
Luna sang louder and prouder than ever before.
"Try to come and shut us down say hey hey hey!"
"TURN IT UP LOUD!" Everyone sang one last time as Luna ended the song with a final solo which concluded with her Family, friends and guests cheering at the top of their lungs. While Mick II had been a fine guitar and brought many of Luna's songs to the ears of her fans, the rockstar had no doubt that L would carry on his legacy. And not only that, but knowing that the guitar contained a piece of each of her Family within it had given her and new and improved spark. One that would surely shine for years to come.
The End