A/N Man, it's been a long time since I got into the driver's seat, huh? I've had this prompt on the back of my mind for months now, and it feels so great to be finally getting around to it! I hope you guys enjoy! I thank Sesquipedalian Numeral and LoudAutomata16 for their help!
I hope you enjoy! R&R!
Chapter One: Princess Follies
"Get out!" A shrill voice cut through the otherwise peaceful mid-afternoon air of the Loud House, followed by the sounds of short scuffle and a door being forced open. A moment later, a young girl dressed in a rather large pageant gown literally kicked another, dressed in a set of muddy overalls, out of their shared room. "That's what you get!"
"Ugh!" Lana groaned for a moment, before planting her hands on the floor and forcing herself upright, wasting no time to look up at her sister. "I don't get it, Lola! What's wrong?!"
Lola stared at her twin for a moment, fury filling her eyes. "I've had it with you constantly dirtying my stuff is what!" She motioned towards her dress, a majestic, pink gown with light blue highlights filled with bows, ribbons and ornaments of all kinds, not unlike what a true princess would wear on the day of her coronation.
In fact, the only blemish upon the garment was the rather large brown spot centered on its abdomen. "I don't like mud getting on my stuff and until you learn that, you're not welcome in this room!"
"But it's just a dress!" The older twin tried to argue, pulling herself back onto her feet as she did so. "It's no big deal! Just get some Tide and Clorox and it'll be as good as new!"
For a moment, Lola simply stared at her in disbelief, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Though, once it passed, a joking smile overtook her. "…Just a dress? Haha… you think, that this…" she motioned towards herself. "Magnificent work of art, is just a dress?!"
A harsh air enveloped the twins with that, seemingly berating Lana for her poor choice of words. "What the-"
In an instant, Lola shrieked. "Grahh!" before she bared her sharpened nails and swung.
Lana reacted quickly and pulled away from the attack… only to allow Lola's hand to swipe across her cheek, scratching and causing her to fall back.
After that, the young pageant princess simply looked down upon her twin, anger and disgust filling her gaze, before she spoke with a low voice. "If you think that this is just a dress, then…" her voice gradually grew louder, before she shouted. "…then I don't have a twin anymore!"
And with that, she slammed the door shut, causing a loud *bang* to resonate through the home.
For a moment, Lana simply lied there, her mind racing in confusion. "But… that's just a dress, right? I give her muddy hugs all the time and she's never kicked me out before!" Only for a voice to snap her back to reality.
"Uhh… what was that about?" Lincoln stuck his head through his room's door, before stepping out and offering a hand to his little sister, which she happily grabbed. With that, he pulled her back onto her feet.
"I don't know…" concern filled the younger girl's voice. "I was just… having fun and Lola freaked out!" She crossed her arms and turned to face the door. "I give her gooey hugs all the time!"
For a moment, Lincoln remained silent, trying to understand what had occurred. "Ok… so you gave Lola a muddy hug and then what happened?"
"Usually, Lola laughs it off and changes out of the dirty dress…" the young girl's voice trailed off, before picking back up. "But this time… she just went crazy and kicked me out of our room!"
Lincoln hesitated for a moment, and sighed. "Lana… you know how much Lola hates it when you dirty her clothes, don't you?"
The young girl looked away in thought. "She's never really said much about it though…" before she looked up at her brother. "And why would now be any different?! It doesn't make sense!" Following it up by flaring her arms.
"Lana, sometimes people just put up with something they don't like because they love the person who's doing it, but after a while… it gets to ya, ya know?" He rubbed the back of his head and looked to the side. "And well… people break."
"But… but she…" the young girl tried to argue, only to find herself stammering as the realization dawned on her. "I… broke Lola…"
The boy nodded. "From the sound of it, yes," he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Lana, Lola may not say how much she dislikes you dirtying her stuff, but she doesn't like it, ok?"
"Ok…" Lana replied in a low tone.
"Good. Now promise me you're gonna give her some space, ok? I know it's hard to have to share everything, but you two are sisters and you just gotta get along," he stood up straight and rubbed her head. "Now, how about you go downstairs and get a bandage for that cut of yours? I'll go talk to Lola."
With that, Lana gave a small nod, before awkwardly rubbing her arm. "Thanks Lincoln…" and turning to head down the stairs. "I really messed up, huh? But… it just doesn't make sense!" the young girl found herself slowly stepping down the stairs, her gaze fixated on the serene living room, save for Lily, who sat in front of the TV watching Blarney the Dinosaur.
At the moment, most of the family was out doing whatever they could to enjoy the springtime whether before they would return for the night and share the events of the day, leaving nothing but simple silence in their home. "Maybe… maybe it has something to do with that dress…"
Suddenly, she found herself turning on the stairway and carefully making her way back up, doing her best not to make a sound. She peered into the upstairs hallway and watched as Lincoln knocked on their shared room door.
"Lola, it's me, Lincoln, can I come in?" the boy spoke with a soft, fatherly tone.
"Go away," Lola responded in a whiny tone. "If this is about Lana, I don't wanna hear it!"
He hesitated his next words, before continuing. "Lola, I just wanna make you feel better."
"Nothing can make me feel better…" her voice trailed off.
"Not even head scratches from your big brother?" Lincoln smiled at the door.
A moment of silence passed after that, before a few soft steps resonated through the hall, followed by the room's lock going *click* and the door opening, revealing Lola, now having changed out of the elegant dress and back into her typical attire, one pink pageant gown.
Lincoln wordlessly entered the room with that. "All right… let's talk Lola," he motioned towards her bed, and she complied. After that, Lincoln looked out the door once more and glanced from side to side, careful to make sure that none of the other present sisters were watching, before closing the door and walking over to Lola's side.
"Now's my chance," carefully, Lana made her way to the room door and opened it ever so slightly, allowing her to take in the sight of her sister and brother sitting on the princess bed and thankfully, the home's unusual silence made it quite easy to hear what they were saying as well.
"So… what's wrong Lola?" Lincoln placed his hand on the pageant queen's back.
"Don't you know?" Lola looked away. "Lana probably told you everything already."
"I still wanna hear it from the horse's mouth," he continued to rub, doing his best to put his little sister at ease.
The young girl hesitated for a moment, before taking a breath. "Lana ruined my dress!" suddenly, anger began to fill her voice. "Every time it rains she goes to swim in mud and then hugs me! Do you know how many dresses I've had to triple wash because of her?!"
"I'm sure she doesn't mean to," Lincoln tried to cut in, but Lola refused to let him.
"I always try to hint that I don't like it, but she never gets the message!" her voice continued to fill with frustration. "Heck, she knows I don't like mud! She knows how disgusting it feels to me!"
"There, there," Lincoln whispered. "Just stay calm," he placed a hand on her chin and turned her face to his. "Everything's gonna be all right… so what happened today?"
Lola took another breath, before grabbing a small box out of her pile of dirty clothes. "She dirtied this dress…" she pulled it out, allowing the boy to get a better look at the offending stain.
And Lincoln responded by taking it in his hand. "This doesn't look too bad. I'm sure if-"
"But there just isn't enough time!" Lola cut him off, soft tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I wouldn't be so angry with her if the pageant that this is supposed to be for wasn't tomorrow!" she sat back and placed the dress on her lap.
"What pageant's tomorrow?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "I thought the season ended this week?"
Lola nodded. "Yeah, this week. Tomorrow's the last and biggest competition! The Nation Ms. Prim and Perfect Pageant! Everyone has a special dress to wear to it so I begged Leni to make one for me! It took her a whole month, but it looked amazing!" her tears begin to fall, causing more stains to fall upon the already damaged garment. "And now… I'll stick out like a sore thumb."
"I guess wearing a different gown is out of the question then…" Lincoln thought for a moment, before continuing. "Lola, I know it's hard, but don't worry. There'll be other pageants!"
She didn't respond, an expression of disappointment already having taken her over.
He turned her to face him. "But, right now you've gotta remember, "Lana's your sister, and nothing's more important than that."
Lola simply pulled away. Choosing not to reply.
"I… I messed up… I know she doesn't like getting dirty, but I forced her to anyway… what kind of sister am I?" Lana mentally kicked herself for a moment, before turning away and sliding her back against the nearby wall. "I have to make this right! I… I'd never forgive myself if I let Lola go out like that!" she took a breath, before hopping to her feet and rushing down that stairs. "I have to make it up to her. Luckily, I know how to get mud stains out of clothes!"
The Next Morning…
"Ugh…" Lola blinked awake slowly, taking a moment to stretch and yawn, before looking out her nearby window. "Today's the day huh?" a sense of dread overtook her for a moment. "I sure hope that the others don't overdo their dresses too much, I'd hate to be out staged…" with that thought, she carefully swung her legs over the bed and hopped to her feet. "Lana?"
No response.
Lola's gaze softened into one of disappointment. "I guess she decided to sleep with Lori last night… I don't blame her." a painful pang filled her chest, prompting her to clutch it for a moment. "No… no…" she shook her head, purging the thought from her mind, before taking a deep breath and approaching her door.
*Knock* *Knock*
"What the?" Lola carefully opened up, allowing a small box to come into view. She grabbed the note and read aloud. "Lola… I'm sorry for being a horrible sister and dirtying your dress. I spent all night cleaning it though, and I hope that you can forgive me," she looked down at the box. "-Lana…"
Slowly, she closed the piece of paper and shoved it in her nightgown pocket. "What could this be?" before carefully opening the box, allowing a piece of light-pink fabric to come into view. Lola's heart began to race in excitement as she placed the box on the ground and pulled the contents out, revealing the once-ruined dress restored to its former glory, ironed and cleaned better than when Leni had first given it to her.
Her heart sank. "I was too hard on her…" she took a soft breath and smiled ever so slightly, before grabbing a hanger and carefully sliding the dress into its assigned garment bag. "Can't have you getting wrinkled, can we?"
After that, she found herself stepping out of her own room taking a look in each of her siblings'. Her gaze focused on finding a certain young girl amongst the chaos of their morning. "Where could she be?" She carefully made her way down the stairs, half-expecting her twin to be watching a certain Irish dinosaur, though she only found Lily and Lisa sleeping together on the couch. "Mom and dad must've turned on the news before leaving… I doubt Lisa and Lily would watch this…"
"In other news, be careful if you're going outside today! Early morning showers have left quite a mess in Royal Woods today!" Patchy declared, before flaring his arms, trying to emphasize his point.
"Of course," Lola couldn't help, but chuckle at the thought, before she made her way passed the kitchen and dining table and over to the backyard door. She pulled up one of the nearby stools and hopped on, allowing her to peer through the window and her gaze to fall upon a young girl, simply lying in the grass seemingly taking in the world around her.
For a moment after that, Lola hesitated. "Maybe Lana just needs some time to think…" but shook her head and purged the thought from her mind. After that, she steeled her gaze and pushed the stool away, following that up by opening the door.
Instantly, her nostrils were attacked by the soft scents of spring. She could feel the pollen in the air with the soft smells of blooming golden flowers following close by. As she stepped onto the backyard porch and into the back yard, she could feel the moist blades of grass and the wet dirt beneath her slippers. And as she lied down next to her twin, she could almost taste the sweet honey that would soon be made by the bees buzzing around.
With that, the duo simply sat by in silence, both unsure of just what to say. They could both hear the sounds of birds singing in the trees and their neighbor's children playing their springtime follies.
Though of course, someone has to grab the initiative eventually. And so, Lana broke the silence with a soft. "Lola… I'm sorry…"
To say that Lola wasn't expecting those words would be a lie. And yet, despite having read those words on paper, the pageant queen still found herself asking. "What?"
"I'm sorry for always messing up your stuff!" the young plumber looked away in shame. "I know how much you don't like it when I dirty your stuff… and I know I accidentally do it too much and-"
"Lana… I'm sorry too," Lola cut her twin off.
Lana turned to her twin with confused tears in her eyes. "What do you mean?"
And so, the diva sighed. "I know I can overreact sometimes too…" she turned and looked into her eyes, taking note of the small bandage that rested upon her cheek; the only blemish upon her otherwise identical face. "I'm sorry for hurting you."
Lana smiled, small tears filling her eyes. "Thanks Lola."
"Thanks to you too, Lana." The young pageant queen replied, before the duo turned and looked out into the soft morning. At this point, the world seemed to lie still, just waiting for their little corner of it to pass by. They could feel the soft breeze fall upon them, as if it were a soft melody lulling them to sleep.
That's when an idea popped into Lola's mind. Quickly, she rushed to her feet and rushed into the house.
"Heh, I guess she didn't like laying in the grass that much." Lana quipped, before she propped herself up and turned to face the house.
A moment passed, before Lola returned to the backyard, this time with a strange, red piece of fabric in hand. Without taking a chance to explain herself, she held up one end and wrapped her hand in it. "Lana, I want you to take one end of this and tie it around your hand."
"Uhh… ok?" Lana tilted her head in confusion for a moment, before complying.
Lola sighed as she tied the other end around her hand as well. "I know I said that I didn't have a twin anymore yesterday, but…" she looked away shamefully for a moment, before looking back, into Lana's eyes. "You're the best twin a girl could ever have and I love you no matter what."
Lana smiled at the thought and sighed. "Lola, I know that I may act out and do stuff you don't like, but… I never mean to hurt you. I love you Lola and I just love to show ya!" she looked into her eyes as well. "And I love you too."
"I promise that I'll never stop loving you," Lola declared.
And Lana replied. "And I promise to always love you too," she leaned in closer and clutched the red ribbon. "And I'll always be there for you."
"Same here, because twins never leave each other behind, lets never get old!" Lola then spread her arms out. "Awkward sibling hug?"
Lana simply smiled. "Sincere sibling hug." And with that, the two wrapped their arms around each other, before speaking in unison. "Pat, pat," and looking into each other's eyes.
"Bleh!" Lana wasted no time sticking her tongue out and making a silly face, causing Lola to cover her mouth as she laughed.
"Haha!" she went. "You're the best twin ever!"
"I do my best," the young plumber chuckled. "And you're the best twin ever…"
"I love you too…" Lana whispered. "Heh… now lets get you ready for the pageant…" she finished, before the once simple summer morning began to faded away…
Slowly, the harsh, factory-like fluorescents of the hospital waiting room replaced the once calm sunrise morning, forcing Lana to raise her hand to cover her eyes. Instead of the soft, moist grass she had been lying in, she now found herself hunched up against an old, plastic chair and torn cushion. "It… wasn't real?"
Suddenly, the realization dawned upon her, with the memories of the events leading up to that moment soon rushing to the forefront of her mind. "That… was… just a dream…" her face scrunched up, while tears began to fill her eyes. "L-Lola…"
She curled up into her ball once more, tighter than before. "This is all my fault…"
"It'll be all right, Lana," a soft pair of arms soon made their way around the young girl, pulling her into a warm embrace. "It'll be all right…"
Lana broke her defense for a moment to glance at the source, a young woman with soft blonde hair and wearing a light blue tank top, before retreating, choosing to lean into her hug, trying to pull as much heat as she could from her sister.
A moment of silence passed between the two siblings, both of them trying to accept the allure of slumber, though this proved fruitless.
*Sniffle* "Lori?" Lana broke the harsh silence that had overtaken the duo, doing her best to remain close to her sister.
"Yes Lana?" The young woman spoke with a motherly heat.
"Is Lola gonna be ok?" she asked.
"I don't know…" Lori took a soft breath. "Yeah, I'm sure she will be…"
"I hope so…" Lana's voice trailed off.
And all Lori could do in response was pull her in closer and rub the back of her head.
"19-16-15-11-5-14 16-18-15-13-9-19-5-19 12-1-3-5-4 9-14 18-5-4 18-9-2-2-15-14…" ~1-18-9-1 18-15-19-5 "8-15-16-5-19 1-14-4 4-18-5-1-13-19"
A/N Man, I'll admit, I considered making a fake summary just so that twist at the end would have more of an "oomph" to it, but I was talked out of it. Oh well, I hope you guys enjoyed! Also, have fun with these cryptograms. I started in the Gravity Falls Fandom six years ago and these were a thing I brought in from my time with them.
For this story, I'll probably update every 2-3 weeks due to just how little time I have now due to class and just hard these chapters are to write.
And as always, feel free to send in ideas and join the TLH Discord!