Monday: Royal Woods Mall
Appliance Center: 4:20 P.M.
"That'll be $129.99, miss," the cashier at the counter said.
Luna Loud fished in her backpack and pulled out her wallet. Upon opening it, she pulled out a bundle of 10 dollar bills, to which she proceeded to pull out thirteen of the twenty from the stack; the total being $130.00. The cashier took the money from her hand and pressed a few buttons on the register, printed the receipt, and handed Luna a penny as her change.
"Do you want this in a box?" he asked the rocker.
"No thanks, dude," she politely responded as she took the boombox that she had purchased with her savings. She hoped that this could be enough that this it could be useful to Lincoln in helping with his routine. Recalling what Lola, Lana, and Lucy had said, Lincoln had seen the video, however unbeknownst to her, Lincoln had forgiven his sisters for the filming, yet none of them had notified her about it yet; she had already exited the Loud House before the confrontation and walked to the mall. Her feet were killing her from the walk, but it was well worth it for her little bro.
"All right, then," the cashier said. "Thank you and have a nice day!"
"You too!" Luna said she exited the center and entered the interior of the mall.
The Royal Woods Mall was a place full of commerce and commotion. Dozens upon dozens of shops were going about their daily busywork, kids were screaming and running all over the place, people were on their phones and mobile devices browsing social media, while others were carrying bags of supplies, employees were handling customers with questions, and guards were assisting with security purposes through the mall.
However, what had caught Luna's attention were a bunch of posters and banners advertising the "Royal Woods Bust-a-Move Contest" spread out all across the walls and the various stores in the mall. Being reminded of how much this contest meant to her only brother made her all the more determined to give him this gift to ensure his success. She balled her right hand into a fist, placed it over her heart, and bowed her head.
"This is for you, bro," she said to herself.
As the young rocker made her way to the exit, she was suddenly stopped by a little boy and girl, the former wearing a black beanie over his short, pale blond hair, a royal blue collared shirt, cargo pants, and indigo converse sneakers, whereas the little girl had a red baseball cap over her head of light brunette hair tied in a frilly ponytail, a black T-shirt underneath a silver basketball jersey, a pair of blue jeans, and silver hi-top sneakers. From their appearance, as far as Luna could tell, the boy likes to dress for success, while the other seems to have a tomboyish nature very similar to Lynn.
"Hey, you're that girl from the video on ViewTube, aren't you?" the boy asked.
Luna raised an eyebrow in confusion before responding. "Uh...what video?" she asked.
"This one," the little girl responded as she showed Luna her phone and pressed the play button. Luna slowly set the boombox down before she rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not imagining things, but, sure enough, she was not.
The video playing in front of her was the one where she, as well as the other Loud sisters (minus Lily and Leni) formed a human barricade to stop the wagon Chandler had sent down the hill to make the tire tower that they were defending crush Lincoln in exchange for views and fame.
Luna's eyebrows quickly furrowed in slight anger about the event that had unfolded just yesterday, but she reverted back to her normal face as to not scare off the children. She squinted her eyes to see the looks of each of her sisters, especially hers; their faces in complete focus before soon scrunching in the form of their eyebrows forming a tight V-shape and their teeth clenching in-sync as they received and absorbed the impact of the wagon's momentum, causing them to slide backwards and bump into the tire tower behind them, resulting the stack about to tumble down.
That was when the video got cut before Lynn could run inside to save Lincoln and Leni.
"Yeah..." Luna finally said when the video was over and the little girl her retracted her arm that was holding the smartphone playing the video. "That was me with my sisters at the junkyard yesterday."
"Well, that was a really awesome defense maneuver you all pulled!" the boy exclaimed, pumping his right fist in the air triumphantly.
"Yeah!" the girl added happily. "But why were all of you protecting that one tire tower, though?"
"It was because that dude that was recording that video thought it would be funny to send that tire tower crashing down on top of our brother while he was practicing his dance routine," Luna explained. "My sisters and I managed to catch wind of his plan and, well, the rest is in the video."
"Oh..." the two children replied before a mature voice called out.
"Ryan? Ashley?"
"Over here, mom!" they said in unison as a mature older woman appeared before Luna. The woman had shoulder-length brunette hair that was darker than her daughter's, a blue jean jacket over a striped T-shirt that was alternating colors between orange and white, blue jeans, and brown boots with an elevated heel on each posterior portion. She had a pair of sunglasses worn on top of her head and had a large shopping bag filled with groceries.
"What did I tell the two of you before about wandering away from my line of sight?" she sternly asked the kids after she placed her free hand on her hip in an irritable manner.
"But mom...!" Ashley began in a pleading manner. "We just met a viral sensation!"
"Yeah!" Ryan added. "She stopped a prank that could've killed her own brother! She and all of her sisters are heroes!"
The woman then glanced at Luna, the latter letting out a meek grin as the former had a genuine smile form on her face, placed down her bag of groceries, and extended her arm to shake Luna's hand. All the rocker could do was shake the mother's hand in return as she was still confused regarding this awkward meeting, especially regarding the part where Ryan and Ashley called her and her sisters "heroes".
"You've really set an example for my children. They couldn't stop talking about how you all banded together to stop that wagon. You all must be proud of yourselves, right?" the lady said, happily.
Luna rubbed her right hand against the back of her neck in a modest manner and blushed. "Well...yeah, I guess we were," she replied.
"Ryan? Ashley?" the mother called out.
The two kids were watching the video of Lincoln dancing to a series of songs before turning their attention back to their mother. "Yeah?" they said.
"We gotta get going," the lady said to them before her turning her attention back to the 15 year-old. "Well, I hope you and all of your siblings keep up the great work," the mother said as she placed her left hand on Luna's right shoulder and picked up her shopping bag. "Take care!"
"See you around!" Ryan and Ashley exclaimed happily before catching up with their mother.
Luna waved goodbye as she picked up her shopping bag containing the boombox before she was halted once again.
"Hello, Luna!" two mature voices called out.
"Hm? Oh, hey Mr. and Mr. McBride!" the rocker cheerfully greeted Clyde's dads as she set down the boombox again, the latter of which were donning blue headbands, wristbands, legwarmers, and tap-dancing shoes. "How are you two doing?"
"We're doing fine, thanks for asking," Harold responded. "But, the reason why we came to greet you was to express our gratitude for what you and all of your sisters did back at the junkyard. Right, Howard?"
"That's right, Hare-Bear," Howard added. "Those tire towers were a staple of the junkyard, even though it contained old and worn-out tires. You do realize what those two boys did back there was illegal, right?"
"It is?" Luna asked.
"Yep, it's considered as destruction of public property," Howard explained. "Those two boys are in for some serious trouble..." he finished with a sigh and shook his head in disappointment.
As both Luna and Harold nodded in agreement, the latter decided it was best to change the topic. "Well anyway, we have to get back to getting our groceries for dinner tonight. After a day of tap-dancing, I've really built up an appetite..."
"Tap-dancing?" Luna asked curiously before managing to connect the dots. "You two are also entering the big dancing contest on Saturday, too?"
"Yep!" Howard cheerfully replied. "Hare-Bear and I have been practicing this past weekend getting our routine right, but as far as I could tell, we're in for some serious competition on Saturday. But, another reason why we wanted to talk to you was to tell you that we both think that your brother's dance moves are simply phenomenal!"
"You saw the video as well, I'm guessing?" the rocker prompted.
"Of course we have! Both Howard and I had no idea that Lincoln was such a talented dancer!" Harold added before he held onto his husband's hand. "We just want you to tell him that we both wish him the best of luck on Saturday and that we're going to be cheering him on alongside our dear Clyde during the competition."
"You can count on me!" Luna responded as she picked up the boombox. "I gotta get going, though. Best of luck to you guys, too!" she said as she waved goodbye to the two dads, the latter two returning the gesture as they proceeded to the supermarket while the former made her way to the exit and taking the opportunity to reflect on what had just occurred during those few minutes.
First, two kids and their mother call her and the other Loud sisters "heroes", followed by Clyde's dads mentioning that the actions of those two boys was considered a crime was a lot for the 15 year-old to process. As far as she was considered, she had a lot of stuff to report back to the others.
But, she had one priority: giving Lincoln the boombox to replace his broken one.
"Man," Luna said to herself as she was walking back home. "I just hope that lil' bro wouldn't be too upset like how I ruined his first concert for him at first..."
The aspiring musician recalled the events as clear as day: from humiliating Lincoln while waiting in line to causing her, Lincoln, and Clyde to be put into mall jail by the Mall Cop Captain. It was at that moment where Luna told the white-haired boy and his best friend the story of how her first Mick Swagger concert changed her life and made her realize her true calling in life.
It was also for that reason why she ended up inadvertently ruining her sisters' first concerts from Lori's "Boyz Will Be Boyz" concert, to Lana and Lola's "Blarney the Dinosaur" concert, to even Lisa's first opera. But, it was only at that time where she was told straight up by Lincoln himself that she just kept messing up her sisters' concerts and that he wouldn't allow her to ruin his. While Luna was at first distraught hearing those words, everything worked out in the end with Lincoln and Clyde enjoying their SMOOCH concert, and Lincoln and Luna's relationship as brother and sister having grown stronger as a result.
And before Luna knew it, she was already at the front yard of the Loud House and reality hit her like a ton of bricks knowing what task lied ahead of her.
Monday: Loud House
Loud House Entrance: 4:46 P.M.
Her legs and feet were sore from all the walking, but that was the least of her worries.
Her heart started pounding like crazy and her palms grew sweaty. The sheer anticipation of her brother's reaction was enough to make her breathing grow heavy and more droplets of sweat to form on her forehead as she reached for the door handle.
Her hand was visibly shaking with fear as she licked the sweat that was beginning to slide down her left cheek. But, knowing that the longer she kept this up, the worse her condition would be.
Swallowing, Luna pressed the door handle and-
"NO! I say we challenge him to a game of 'Uncle'!" Lynn's voice rang out, startling Luna.
"Are you crazy?!" Lola responded in an irritable tone. "We should invite that boy to a tea party and make him use the CHIPPED CUP!" After Lola finished that statement, dramatic and sinister fanfare played out of nowhere.
As Lana and Hops gasped in fear, Lori interjected.
"As much as how sinister those ideas are, I don't think they're good ways of giving that boy payback for messing with Lincoln." Lynn and Lola held their heads down in disappointment.
"Lori's right," Luan added. "We need to give that redhead the most savage, most humiliating, and most unforgettable experience he'll ever have for screwing with the Loud siblings! And I know just how...!"
"Luan, we're not doing a repeat of your prank-rigged motel," Lori stated as she pinched her nose.
"Oh, come on, Lori! This time I'll make sure that boy is the one who gets the five-star experience! HAHAHAHA! Get it?"
The other Louds groaned in response as Leni chimed in with her own idea.
"You guys! Why don't I make the worst and most uncomfortable outfit possible and make him wear it?" The other sisters looked at her with confusion. "What? I was just trying to help..." she sighed.
As the sisters continued brainstorming, the sound of the door opening caught their attention and in emerged a sweat-drenched Luna Loud with a shopping bag from the Royal Woods Mall.
"Whoa, Luna..." Lynn began. "You okay?"
"Ye-yeah, I'm fine..." Luna stuttered as she regained her composure. "Where's Lincoln?"
As if on cue, the white-haired boy himself descended the staircase with a bunch of poster paper and markers and stopped halfway down the steps. "Hey, Luna! There you are!" Lincoln's cheerful voice managed to completely catch Luna off-guard as she was completely unaware that the former had completely forgiven them all since she had already left for the city.
The rocker herself was stuck. She couldn't move; all she could do was raise an eyebrow in confusion before Lori explained it to her.
"Luna, it's okay," the eldest sister said as she put her right hand on Luna's left shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes. "Lincoln has literally forgiven us all for being responsible for posting that video online."
"O-oh..." Luna said as she watched Lincoln distribute the markers to his other sisters and set the poster paper on the floor before remembering what she had bought for him.
As the other Louds got to work on the paper, she called Lincoln's attention. "Uh, Lincoln?" Can I speak to you for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure!" Lincoln replied as he walked over to Luna. "What's up?"
"Lincoln..." Luna began as she reached out onto Lincoln's shoulders. "Are you sure you're not mad at us?"
"Of course I am, Luna!" the 11 year-old said in a happy tone before switching to a serious one. "I know what you guys did was a total accident, and it's okay."
"Well...here," Luna said as she reached into the shopping bag and pulled out the new boombox.
Lincoln's eyes went wide in surprise. "L-Luna... you bought that... for me?"
Luna set the boombox down on the floor and turned her attention back to him. "Of course I did, bro! I saw what happened to your boombox yesterday, the one I gave you, so I wanted to surprise you with this one so that you can have something to use when you practice your routine and-"
Luna stopped mid-sentence as she felt Lincoln hugging her. "Thank you, Luna! This... this really means a lot to me..." the boy said as he embraced her and said:
"I love you."
The rocker suddenly felt as if a boulder was lifted off of her back when she heard those words from Lincoln's mouth. All that tension and stress she had been feeling up until that point was enough to not only hug Lincoln back, but to also cause tears to fall from her eyes, not out of sadness, but out of happiness instead.
"I l-love you too, lil' b-bro..." Luna sniffled as she began to cry quietly, with a happy smile forming across her face.
A/N: Phew, that was quite the chapter, wasn't it? Looks like Lincoln and his other sisters have started brainstorming on ways to give Chandler his just desserts and all of the Loud sisters have been forgiven. Plus, with this new revelation coming from Clyde's dads about what Chandler and his friend did was against the rules, it seems as though Luna has information that can lay the foundation to their revenge. But, what's going to happen next? What plan do the Loud siblings have in store to get back at the redhead? Will Lincoln come out on top on Saturday? Stay tuned!
To be honest, I wasn't going to end off of this chapter with a cliffhanger this time, and that ending with Lincoln and Luna hugging was completely thought up off on-the-spot. An idea I had was that Luna would end up running into two junkyard officials that would recognize her from Chandler's video and interrogate her, but I decided against it and put in Clyde's dads instead as they had and are going to have prominent roles later on. Let me know what you guys think!
I apologize that it's been a long time since I've last updated since I've been busy with college lately, so I hope this chapter as well as future chapters don't disappoint...!
Regarding the Shout-Out last chapter, the correct answer was "Back Out There".
Congratulations to the following users who got it right! Their names are as follows:
Just4FunFiction
wollyworld
DreadedCandiru2
TheFreezerStreets
TheFreezerstreet
270482
As well as two guests! Nice job, everyone!
Shout-Out Opportunity: This opportunity is an easy one for anyone that's a die-hard fan of the Loud House. However, I need THREE things this time around:
1. What was the name of the episode where Luna wanted to make Lincoln and Clyde' first concert unforgettable?
2. What was the name of the episode where Lola threatened whoever that was bullying Lincoln would be invited to her tea party and be forced to use the chipped cup?
3. What was the name of the episode wherein Luan traps her own family in a prank-rigged motel?
Just type in the names of the episodes IN ORDER, and you'll get a shout-out in the next chapter!
Check out my DeviantArt page, under the username: relentlesssketcher
Anyway, until the next chapter, relentlesssketcherdude, out!
