So, I was checking chapter 35 to make sure the next one-shot of "Chains of Reality: Side Stories" didn't end up being non-canon (specially since it reveals a lot of information) and I noticed that I left a part unfinished. I completed it, but then I started to think, maybe I left a whole lot more of those in the earlier chapters.
And I know it's kinda late to point that out, but I'm sorry about it. I'm... Well, the easiest way to say it is that I can get so focused on writing a chapter-which is often-that I end up forgetting to check for details, or I end up feeling so satisfied for it that I completely miss the incomplete parts. What I want to say is that, while the chapters are basically ready, certain parts can use some polish, but the general story should still be easy to read and follow.
Sorry for all that randomness just now XD
Also, we're only focusing one single plot in this chapter. We do look at the perspective from other characters, but they're all centered on the same story.
Anyway, let's move on.
Last time, on Chains of Reality, Lana, Lola, and Lucy ventured deeper into Carol's house in hopes of finding answers to their potentially billion questions, only for the twins-mostly Lana-to realize something that utterly boggled their mind: Carol was actually Lori and Leni's daughter!
Meanwhile, the lincolnists showered Lincoln with praise and gifts and stuff, until they made the mistake to anger him, by trying to hurt the biker girl trio! This caused Lincoln to accidentally activate his divine powers and let out a roar that shook the whole house! Will he be able to control this power?
What will happen next? Find out now, on Chains of Reality!
Chapter 37: An Unexpected Special Test! Wait, What do You Mean the Louds Can't Take It?!"
It was Wednesday, or at least, I think it was Wednesday, and Luna, Luan, Lola, Lana, and Lucy were heading for the school. Lisa had remained behind, because really, Lisa was basically a shut-in at this point, and Lincoln was back with Lily, so they had no reason to worry about them.
"Okay, here we are," Lola remarked with slight dread as the team went closer. "What are we supposed to do, again?"
"Luan and I will try to explain to the teachers why Lincoln can't come to school this week," Luna answered.
"And while we do that, you'll go take your classes as usual," Luan added. "If you have on classes for whatever reason, give us a call."
The younger Louds nodded, with Lana doing so a bit later than Lucy and Lola, and the team went inside to find the hallways... Completely empty. In fact, the school looked completely deserted. And this wouldn't be so unnerving if it was night, but it was clear as day, so the lack of activity was... Unexpected.
"Huh, the school seems emptier than usual," Luan remarked, only to see a tumbleweed pass by soon afterwards. "Actually, scratch that, it looks completely deserted."
"Well, everybody's probably already at their classrooms, getting ready for class," Luna guessed, scratching her chin as she thought about it. "Although, classes are supposed to start in 10 minutes, so why aren't they enjoying however much sweet freedom they have until then?"
"Perhaps they've fallen victims to learned helplessness," Lucy suggested, clasping her hands and looking at the ground with sympathy. "They probably just foudn out that no matter what they do, they'll have to go to school, so they went to their classrooms to wait for the inevitable punishment that is complete boredom."
"Wow, that's the most Lucy-like thing you've said this entire week," Lola blurted in shock.
"I know, right?" Lucy replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I haven't said something so poetic since I went to Haiku's sleepover."
After a couple seconds, Lola asked, "Haiku had a sleepover once?"
"It was more like she sent me pictures of her sleepover with Ronnie Anne and kept me up to date with it," the goth nonchalantly answered. "But I honestly felt like I was there! I honestly wish I could've been there."
"You could always just set up another sleepover with Ronnie, right?" the diva suggested with a shrug.
"Without Haiku, it wouldn't be the same."
"Alright, everybody, we're getting sidetracked," Luna stated. "We'll first go see what's going on, then we reunite back at the entrance, got it?"
Everybody nodded, and promptly separated.
Outside the 3rd Grade Classroom...
Lucy walked straight to her classroom, and was about to go right past it before Rocky, Rusty Spokes' younger brother, stopped her on her tracks. "Lucy, what are you doing here?" he asked with worry.
"Rocky?" Lucy asked, her tone sounding relieved. "I'm just here to see what's going on in our classroom."
"I'm not really sure you should go inside," Rocky remarked, rubbing the back of his head. "According to the principal, the important test we have today isn't one you or your siblings are allowed to take."
"What? Why?"
"I asked him the same thing, but he didn't answer me," the redhead scratched his chin. "He did also say that if you were in the classroom when the teacher arrived, she'd kick you out, so maybe you can spend some time with us before she comes."
"Got it," Lucy nodded and was about to go inside, only to turn to the redhead and ask with a subtle smile, "Are you coming inside too? You and your brother really helped Polly and I calm down, and I wouldn't mind if you did that again."
The redhead briefly winced, almost as if he was offended, but quickly recomposed himself. "Sorry, Lucy, but I was set as standing guard to watch for any signs of Mr. Flip coming here."
"Flip? The guy from that spotty gas station?" the goth got a nod from the redhead in response. "What's he doing here?"
"No clue, but according to the principal, he'll replace our teacher for today."
"Thanks, Rocky."
Lucy opened the door and was immediately grabbed by Silas, who promptly helped her walk to her desk. "I'm sorry I have to invade your personal space, Lucy, specially knowing how you're nervous about that in general," the goth boy apologized. "But now that you're blind, and you don't have a way of knowing where you're going, I can't take any risk."
"Silas?" Lucy blurted, blushing a little before she realized something. "W-Wait, how did you find out I was blind?"
"I told him."
Lucy turned to the source of the voice, who was none other than Maggie. How did she find out about this? Because she managed to sense her aura among her classmates, with her eyes glowing white as she did. Surprisingly enough, though, unlike last time, Maggie now had only one arm: The other arm that was missing a hand was completely gone.
"In fact, I told everybody what happened at my house," Maggie added, swaying her hair to the right.
Lucy promptly hissed, "Including the part where you killed Giggles?!"
Lucy's classmates gasped, but were immediately driven silent by Maggie's stern glare.
"Tell me, Lucy, why do you point out Giggles?" the emo teenager inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Last time I checked, my cheer-up party was the first time you two ever met. And seeing how you only had a couple days before you had to pick a choice, I don't really see any possible way for you to have grown close enough to her that her death would actually matter to you."
"E-Even if we weren't close, that doesn't mean you had a reason to kill her!" Lucy snapped, stomping the ground and surprising her classmates. Maggie, however, was not impressed. "And nothing you do will ever make people forgive you for what you did!"
"Good, 'cause I'm not planning to try that anytime soon," the emo growled as she walked towards Lucy, all while she continued with a cold, blunt tone. "I know your type, you hold a grudge. And while I wouldn't blame you for doing so, in turn, you can't blame me for not trying to atone for my mistakes, knowing that it won't get through a selfish, whiny brat like you."
Lucy grit her teeth, and her anger was soon replaced by fear as Maggie stopped right in front of her, with her shadow looming over the girl.
"I'm not even here for you anyway, I came here to bring a certain someone to her classes, and also to speak with Luan," the emo revealed in the same stern tone as before. "So, are you going to tell me where I can find her, or should I go look for her on my own?"
The classmates and Silas flinched, while Maggie just rolled her eyes in disappointment. And as she left the girl alone, Lucy promptly spoke:
"First, you make Haiku treat me like a trophy, a thing to win, then, you get Giggles killed, and now, you think you can just waltz in here and act like nothing had happened?! Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but-"
However, at this point, Maggie was already on her way out the classroom, which shocked Lucy.
"H-Hey! I'm not done scolding you for-!"
Maggie promptly shut her up:
"Shut up, Goth-O, nobody cares."
The emo left, and Lucy was left completely speechless.
But in vastly more interesting news, Maggie saw a nearby scene that immediately caught her eye: It was Clyde-or better known to her as "Blackjack"-being threatened by a furious bully.
Chandler, to be exact.
"Alright, spit it out, four eyes," the redhead spat as he pulled Clyde by the neck of his shirt. "Who was the one who convinced the teachers to force everybody but the Loud family, to take this day-long exam!?"
"I-I-I don't know, okay?!" Clyde said, clearly in fear. "I was caught off-guard by them making the exam too! Do you really think I would've approved of it if I had prior knowledge of it?!"
"Do I even need to say it?! You're exactly the kind of person that would approve of something like this!" Chandler snapped, forming a fist. "And unless you tell me who approved of this-"
Seeing the boy in danger, Maggie immediately leaped into action, with Chandler and Clyde barely catching sight of her before the emo, giving a furious look at Chandler, stated:
"Edgy punch!"
After saying that, Chandler was hit by Maggie's single punch so hard, he was basically sent flying all the way across the room and out a window, with Clyde gaping at the sight as Maggie dusted him and scanned him.
"Alright, that should take care of him for now," Maggie said, returning the nerd to reality. "Are you okay, Blackjack?"
Clyde, thanks to his past history with Maggie, immediately backed away into a much safer place. Which was apparently his locker.
"You know, doing what the bully was trying to do to you kinda defeats the purpose of me saving you from him," Maggie stated as she opened the locker and crouched down to see Clyde cowering in the corner. "Let me ask again; are you okay, Blackjack?"
"I would be, if you weren't... Well, you," Clyde answered before reluctantly crawling out of his locker. "After all, the whole "copycat Lucy" thing is still fresh in my mind."
"And do you really think I would've forgotten about it by now? I may have a lot of issues to work on, but that doesn't mean I'll just up and forget something so traumatic," Maggie looked at the ground and sighed. "If anything, now that I'm in a slightly better state of mind, I really wish I hadn't done the things I did."
Clyde frowned as Maggie elaborated:
"Forcing Lucy to choose between me and Haiku, trying to take control of the whole situation, killing Giggles... All those things, I regret wholeheartedly now. I could've taken this whole fiasco in so many ways, and I just had to take the worst one possible. Now, I don't think anybody's ever going to forgive me, or even going to let me forget this whole incident."
The emo took a deep breath and lowered her head, seemingly in defeat. And though Clyde did get a bit more sympathetic towards her, even trying to comfort her by rubbing her hair, he still felt really terrified of her.
"Blackjack, can I ask you a question?" the emo suddenly asked, and promptly got a nod from Clyde in response. "Is it wrong to not want to atone or apologize for past mistakes, knowing that people will never forgive you for it, and may remind you about it for days to come?"
"If that was the case... Then, I don't see the point," Clyde somberly answered, looking at the ground as he continued. "Although it depends. If people are willing to give you a chance and try to let bygones be bygones, then there is hope. If they refuse to shut up about your past mistakes and don't show any interest in letting it go, then... I don't know, why do you as me?"
Maggie sighed. "'Cause I want to apologize to you."
Clyde flinched and tilted his head in confusion.
"You were just another victim in that whole stuff, and yet, I acted antagonistic to everybody," the emo sulked. "And even if I didn't hurt you as badly as I did the rest, I still would like to apologize. It's probably pointless, but-"
"I get it."
Now it was Maggie's turn to flinch and tilt her head.
"This was supposed to be something between you, Lucy, and Haiku, right? It was inevitable that when Giggles, Luan, and I popped up, things would get really out of hand," the geek rubbed the back of his head. "I should've spoke about this with Haiku when I got the chance. Anyway, I'm not one to hold grudges, my da-I mean, my parents taught me that doing so isn't healthy, and in this case, most likely not a good idea.
Upon hearing that, Maggie smiled and looked back at the ground, but with relief. That is, until Clyde remembered something:
"Oh no, I'm supposed to be taking the exam too!" so the nerd got up and got ready to run. "Sorry Maggie, but-"
"Wait, before you go, do you have jelly or anything else that looks red in your locker?" the emo suddenly asked.
"I guess... Why the random question, though?"
Maggie smirked with a mischivieous nature. "I wanna give Luan a little surprise."
Meanwhile, at Lincoln's classroom...
Luna knocked the door, hoping that she could manage to get whoever was inside to open it. However, while she could see there were several students inside-and Ronnie Anne, for some reason-nobody seemed to pay attention to her.
"Mrs. Loud?"
Luna winced and turned around to see Mrs. Johnson, holding several papers. She also seemed to be a bit tired.
"Mrs. Johnson, I thought you were inside," Luna remarked, only to quickly shake her head. "Anyway, I need to explain to you why Lincoln can't come to class today-"
"I know you want to justify his absence, but it won't be necessary," the redhead interrupted. "Today, there's a special test that none of your family members can take. Simply put, the test involves stuff you're not supposed to know yet."
"But wait, why can everybody else take it?" the rocker folded her arms. "I mean, it doesn't make sense-"
"The purpose of the test doesn't require you to take it," Mrs. Johnson sternly stated as she walked to the door. "And for your own sake, I suggest you go back home right now. I'm serious, Luna."
The woman went inside, and Luna tried to sneak into the classroom, only to be blocked by what seemed like an invisible wall, which promptly sent her flying off into some lockers before the door closed.
"Oh Luan," Luna sighed in defeat. "I hope you're having better luck than me."
Meanwhile, with Luan...
The comedian and Mrs. DiMartino, who was inside a classroom, engaged in a short stare fight.
"Come on, DiMartino, open up!" Luan growled as she rubbed her seemingly injured nose. "Why did you need to close the door on me?!"
"We're in the middle of a very important exam, and you and your family members are not allowed to take it," Mrs. DiMartino hissed. "Now, you either leave by choice or are forced to leave, because I'm not going to waste my time talking to you."
With that said, Mrs. DiMartino went back to her desk and Luan, feeling rather upset, walked back to meet up with Luna. Or at least, she was doing that, until she suddenly saw the one-armed Maggie, with what seemed like blood all over her face and clothes. And then she whispered:
"Missed me?"
Luan shrieked and jumped back, crashing into some lockers as Maggie started to laugh out loud. And once she managed to calm down a bit, seeing the girl laughing after the scare gave the joker an idea of what just happened.
"Ohoho man, your family may be filled with assholes, but your reactions are always so good!" Maggie said in the middle of her laughter, confirming her suspicions. "I mean it, your face just now? Priceless."
"Wait, that was a joke?!" Luan exclaimed, earning a smug nod from Maggie. "That was terrifying! Why would you do something so horrible just for a laugh?!"
Maggie scoffed. "Says the girl who uses pranking as an excuse to hide her extreme enjoyment of the pain of others, and joking as an excuse to feel no guilt afterwards."
Luan narrowed her eyes and spat, "What makes you think that-"
Maggie's smile was changed for a frown as she sternly pointed out:
"Elementary School, April Fools Day."
Upon hearing that, the comedian fell silent and looked at the ground with regret, all while Maggie sternly glared at her. And then, Luan noticed Maggie's missing arm.
"Oh my goodness, your arm!" Luan exclaimed, taking a step back.
"Oh, that? Believe it or not, taking away the only person giving your and your sisters' counterparts solace caused them to get... A bit angrier," the emo nonchalantly responded, her stern glare intact. "And since she didn't have anybody else to vent her anger against, she decided to take it out on me."
"Are you feeling okay?" the comedian asked with worried as she reached for the teenager.
Maggie, however, just slapped her hand away.
"Tsk, you tricked me once into thinking you cared about my wellbeing, but I'll never let you trick me again," the emo hissed, then looked around. "Anyway, where's Luna? I need to verify whether you told her about Sam or not."
"Well, first, she's over at Lincoln's classroom, trying to explain his absence to his teacher, Mrs. Johnson," Luan sheepishly smiled. "And, uh, I haven't told her about Sam-"
"Of course, how could I ever expect you to do something nice for your sister? I'm sorry that I misjudged you oh so badly," Maggie growled in a melodramatic tone, no doubt grinding Luan's gears. "I bet you're going to wait until she sees Sam's true colors, and try to pass it off as a joke. That definitely sounds like something you'd do."
Though offended at the emo girl's remark, Luan's interest was struck, so she asked, "Is Sam's true nature really that bad?"
"...Luan, take it from someone who's had to live with Sam since she we were kids," Maggie sighed, and frowned, "Sam, in general, is a bit of a jerk, but nothing too insufferable. When Mick Swagger comes into the picture, though... Well, you've already seen what she's become."
Images of the incident at the graveyard flashed in Luan's mind. "I-I see..."
And as the comedian looked at the ground, Maggie walked to the door and knocked, getting DiMartino's attention.
"What do you want, Magdalene?" the woman asked.
"Um, my name's Maggie, thank you very much," the emo vehemently corrected. "Anyway, I saw you closing the door right on Luan's face. I approve of that, but still, why did you do it?"
"Because today there's an important exam that everybody who studies here, but the Louds, has to take for... Something we can't exactly tell anybody right now," DiMartino walked closer, and noticed Maggie's... State. "And speaking of which, what happened to your arm?"
"Oh right, my missing arm, I'm just trying to get into the latest fashion trends, nothing major or anything like that," Maggie rolled her eyes and grinned. "Apparently, missing one arm is a fashion statement this week. In fact, I heard the twins Lola and Lana Loud are trying to get into the trend too!"
Once Maggie was done with her joke, Luan groaned and whispered to herself, "Ugh, so this is what everybody feels like when they hear my jokes? Good lord."
"Well, I can't let you take the exam, then," DiMartino sighed. "So, all I can tell you is to go home. And don't try to force your way in, otherwise you'll be kicked out alongside Luan."
DiMartino went back to her desk once more, and Maggie just shrugged it off and stated, as she walked back to Luan:
"Alright, time for me to learn social competence."
And once she realized the emo was looking at her, Luan could only utter, in complete confusion: "What?"
"Listen, we both know I'm not the best when it comes to dealing with people. And since you seem to have an easy time with that-for whatever reason-then I need you to teach me how to be socially competent so I can tell Luna about Sam," Maggie explained, putting her hand on her hip. "I mean, if I can't trust you to tell her anything, specially after what happened in the graveyard, the only other person I can count on to tell her, is myself."
Luan narrowed her eyes, clearly trying to intimidate the emo. However, not only was Maggie unaffected, but she rather casually brought up a point:
"Listen up, keep in mind that if neither of us tell her anything, the only one who'll pay the prize will be her. If I don't tell her anything, I can continue being a douchebag, and if you don't tell her anything, you can continue being a douchebag who uses comedy as an excuse for her behavior. But if Luan doesn't find out at all, and she starts dating Sam, then it might not take long for her to realize the mistake she's done. She'll be dating somebody who's willing to kill her sister, just because she got in her way. Can you imagine how heartbroken she'll be when the truth comes to light?"
Luan started imagining it, and simply put, she was horrified.
"Huh, so you can imagine it. Even less reason to keep your damn mouth shut," Maggie shook her head. "Now, how about we stop wasting time, and get right on the social practice?"
The joker took a deep breath, and stated:
"I guess you're right, I might as well help you deliver the news to her."
Inside the classroom...
DiMartino was checking some of her papers as her students were taking the exam, though it wasn't long before one of them raised their hands. And once she saw who it was, let's just say, she wasn't pleased.
"Yes, Sam?" DiMartino sternly asked.
Everybody turned to look at the blonde tomboy rocker with a blue highlight, who promptly gave DiMartino a smug look as she asked, "Who were you talking to outside? I figured you would've kicked Luan the instant she tried to speak to you, so it couldn't have been her."
"I was just talking with Maggie. You know, your sister," DiMartino narrowed her eyes. "And for goodness sake, take this exam seriously would you?! It's important to think about your answers!"
"Oh please, I'm the ultimate Swagger! I could answer a ton of nonsense I thought up on the spot, and I'd still end up passing it!" Sam boasted, with everybody rolling their eyes in exasperation. "There's no way that-"
Suddenly, she understood what that meant:
"Wait a minute, why is Maggie, of all people, allow to just skip the exam?!" Sam snapped, slamming her fist on her desk. "How is that fair-!?"
"Shut up, Samantha," Mrs. DiMartino growled. "And get your feet off the dang desk."
The musician immediately obliged, and DiMartino explained:
"Maggie is so far the only crippled student we've seen today, and as instructed by... The principal, the crippled are not allowed to take the exam."
"So all we have to do is cripple ourselves to skip it?!" Sam chirped before summoning her rainbow axe. "Alright, everybody round up, I'll-"
"Let me finish," DiMartino hissed. "The reason we don't let the crippled take the exam, is because they're less efficien at best and a complete liability at worst. And if you try to cripple yourself or anybody else now that the exam has started, you'll not only be forced to complete the test, but you'll face 2 hours of detention!"
Sam's axe vanished from existence as DiMartino finished with a stern tone:
"Now everybody focus on your tests. As that's the only thing we have for today, once you finish it you can go home, but until then, nobody leaves the school. Understood?"
"Y-Yes, Mrs. DiMartino," the classroom answered in unison.
"Geez, what's up DiMartino today?" a random student whispered to Sam. "I've heard she's supposed to be kind and hot, and right now, she's only hot!"
"Whatever the case, It's better if we don't tick her off any further," the musician replied, rolling her eyes. "Although, once I meet that emo jerk again, I'll make sure to let Maggie know not to let this go up her head."
Meanwhile, with the twins...
Lola and Lana looked around as they walked to the last classroom they needed to check: their own. And while Lola looked around as quickly as she could, Lana was a bit more hesitant.
"Lola, I honestly think we should just reunite with our sisters and go home," Lana told her younger twin sister, who continued looking around. "You heard the teachers say, multiple times, that we can't take whatever test they're doing today."
"We can't give up yet, Lana, there has to be one classroom where they're not doing that stupid anti-Loud test!" Lola answered without even looking at her sister. "And you know how mom hates it when we miss school, so-"
"Well, look who we got here."
The twins stopped right on their tracks and Lola frowned as she saw the source of the voice: Lindsey Sweetwater, leaning against the door.
"You know, when I came back from whatever dimension your copycat sent me in, I didn't expect to be immediately thrown into some sort of surprise exam," the redhead hissed as the twins walked to her, maintaining a stern stare fight with Lola. "The fact you had the audacity to come today just made my day... Even worse."
"You know, Lindsey, I was hoping we wouldn't see each other again after you tried to summon a copycat to kill me!" Lola hissed before poking Lindsey's eyes, causing her to close them and whine. "And besides, why wouldn't I come today? We still have school."
"Because today there's an exam, that your family Isn't allowed to take, for whatever stupid reason!" Lindsey spat, stomping the ground. "Didn't they tell you or anything?!"
The twins exchanged looks, and promptly shook their heads.
"Y-You weren't informed?" Lindsey inquired, once again earning a head shake. "No wonder mom and dad wanted me to be homeschooled, this school is complete-"
"So, let me get this straight," Lana blurted, catching the Lola clone's attention. "You're angry because there's an exam today, which we can't take for some reason?"
"I don't care about that!" Lindsey formed a pair of fists. "It's the fact that I'm being driven through the wringer once again, while your family gets to go back home and relax, even though I'm the one who's been tortured in another dimension for who knows how long!"
"Last time I checked, barely a week has passed since our copycats attacked," Lola pointed out.
"I only spent a week in that place?! It felt like months!" Lindsey thought, then shook her head. "Whatever, point is, you're once again getting special treatment, despite not having done anything to deserve!"
"Um, excuse me," the twins showed their arm stumps. "We lost our arms a while ago!"
Lindsey stared at the arms in disbelief, and possibly even shock, though this was soon replaced by anger as she got the wrong idea.
"Alright you three, stop fighting."
The trio turned around and saw Mrs. Shrinivas walking to them, looking a little bit tired as well as drained.
"Lisa's teacher?" the twins asked in unison.
"Lindsey, you and your classroom's teacher will come soon enough, try to stay focused on your standby duty," the woman told the redhead, who nodded and returned to her work. "Lola, Lana, because you're technically crippled, you're not allowed to take the exam. Only people who are fully healthy can take it."
"That makes sense," Lana remarked, then grabbed Lola's arm. "Come on, sis, let's reunite with Luna and Luan."
"Wait, before you go, I need to ask you something," Shrinivas blurted. "Where's Lisa?"
"She said she had something very important to work on today, so she refused to come with us," Lola explained, while Lindsey bitterly rolled her eyes. "In fact, she told us it was so important, she probably would have to miss months before she was free again."
And with that said, the twins left, while Shrinivas watched them leave. And with a worried look, she thought:
"She's working on something so important she has to miss months of school? And alongside her medical condition... Lisa... What are you doing?"
Meanwhile, back with Luan and Maggie...
The comedian and the emo sat on a bench, with Luan holding a couple of small papers while Maggie sat next to her. And by next to her, I meant right at the other edge of the bench.
"Alright, Maggie-" Luan said, only to notice where the emo was. And of course, she went a little bit closer before she continued. "I got some questions to see if you know proper good language. Are you ready?"
Maggie just shrugged with an "I dunno" face and a derpy cat smile. Though the sight did make Luan chuckle, it also made her rather nervous.
"Okay, let's start with something easy: What do you call a girl who treats their love interest in a manner much tougher than most?"
"A douchebag," Maggie answered with a deadpan look.
Luan held her laughter. "Okay, yeah, I kinda walked myself into that one. Now, what do you call a girl that has a big heart, but is not the sharpest tool in the shed?"
"A Leni," Maggie said, once again with a deadpan look.
"Alright, once again, I walked myself into that one. And also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of my sisters again," Luan gave Maggie the "I'm watching you" gesture before continuing. "Okay, this one is so easy there's no way you could mess it up: What do you call a girl that acts like a dog from time to time?"
Maggie rolled her eyes. "A bitch."
"It's official, you're a lost cause in the communication department," Luan exclaimed as she threw her papers in the air. "How and why are you so bad at it is beyond me though."
"Well, I did partially say some of those things to annoy you," the emo confessed, earning a baffled stare from Luan. "And by some, I mean all of them."
The comedian promptly kicked Maggie in the face, but it didn't seem to faze her. "You jerk! I thought you wanted to learn how to speak properly so you could speak with Luna!"
"I was, but I figured that I needed some good laughs after returning from the dimension of your counterparts," the emo gently put Luan's leg down. "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to tell you about any information I may have gotten from my stay there. I'd rather forget about it as soon as possible."
"W-Whatever, I'm not going to waste my time teaching you how to be social if you're not going to take it seriously!" Luan folded her arms and turned away. "So, unless you-"
"Luan," Maggie interrupted, causing the comedian to flinch. "Do you care about your sister? And do you care about Luna, first and foremost?"
The comedian lowered her arms, and answered while rubbing her arm, "We may not get along all the time, but I really do care about my siblings. And since Luna and I share a room, I know her the best, so of course I'm going to care about her."
The emo smiled, and stated with a confident smile:
"You know what? I'm going to give you another chance."
Luan tilted her head. Maggie? Giving her another chance? Now that was something she didn't hear everyday.
"Prove to me that you're willing to tell Luna the truth, even if it hurts her," the emo resumed. "I'll come to your house this weekend, probably through the window or some other way that will make sure nobody hears me, and if you've told her the truth, then congratulations, you're on your way to redeem yourself in my eyes."
And of course, Luan couldn't help but ask, "But what if I don't tell her anything before the weekend?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll go see Luna first," Maggie nonchalantly revealed, sending a chill up Luan's spine. "If she doesn't know what I'm talking about, then I'll know you got cold feet. But I'm giving you plenty of time, so it shouldn't be that hard, right?"
Luan nervously smiled and pulled a thumbs up. "R-Right..."
And so, the emo bid farewell and started to walk away, only to suddenly remember something.
"Luan, I'd like to apologize for two things," Maggie suddenly stated, catching Luan's attention. "The first is the fact that I never got to ask you, "Do you want to make people other than you laugh?"
"She meant to ask me that?" Luan thought, partially flattered, yet partially worried. "But, our senses of humor are complete opposites-"
"Luan, this is the part where you give me an answer."
The comedian returned to reality and turned to see Maggie giving her a stern look. "I'm waiting."
"Oh, she was asking for real?!" Luan took a deep breath. "Y-Yes, I want to make people laugh-"
"That's enough, say no more," Maggie blurted, and looked away. "The second thing I wanted to apologize for was the fact that I had some advice, but I never told you about it. And it's fairly simple: If you really want to make people laugh, then don't laugh and ask them if they got it after you've made the joke."
Luan blinked as she thought about it, and Maggie finished:
"If your joke really was funny, people will laugh. And if it wasn't, they'll either remain silent or boo you. But no matter the outcome, you must let your audience laugh themselves. Otherwise, you'll just end up entertaining nobody. And also... Making fun of other people, isn't funny."
And so, Maggie started to walk away, just as Luan recolected her thoughts and said, with a wide smile:
"Thanks for the advice, Maggie! I'll make sure to act upon it right away!"
The emo faltered and slowly turned to face Luan, but she quickly shook off the statement and continued walking away, all while Luan cheerfully laughed and waved goodbye.
And Maggie smiled, for hearing Luan's laughter again-and without the stupid "get it?" afterwards-was like music to her ears.
-Next Chapter Preview-
"I didn't notice it before, but several of the people here look like the lincolnists we faced before," Ronnie said as Polly and Tabby soon joined in her scanning. "In fact, I can even see some of them! The sweater girl, the baker duo, the three bikers, I don't see Paige though, but I'm not really going to complain about that."
"Are you talking about the same people that were marching a while ago?" Polly raised her eyebrows in amazement. "You mean Lincoln has this many followers?!"
"Even if this isn't the whole group, good lord," Tabby remarked, with slight pity in her tone. "I thought my dad was popular with the ladies, but Lincoln has him beat by several dozen, maybe even a hundred. Then again, dad's popular with actual ladies rather than little girls, so..."
And then, Polly took one quick glance at a particular girl, who made feels of both resentment and anger surge within her. This was a certain buck-toothed brunette, one that Lynn had the bad idea to reveal she replaced her with.
It was Margo.