And here's the next chapter, yet another step towards the mind blowing wham chapter coming up... sometime from now! XD

Anyway, let's answer some reviews:

1) Nobody245:

* I know that, this Lincoln's lack of improvisation is deliberate.

* She never really had it in the first place, let's be honest. She's always worked outside morality.

* All according to plan. I'm sure you can imagine whose plan.

2) Mysterious Mr M:

* That's Harriet's entire character capsulated in one paragraph. How.

* Two sides of the same, divine coin. But we have to wonder, would it have been better, or worse, had Proto-Lincoln remained?

* There was no other way.

* We'll find out soon enough, but there's a chance you're right.

3) An Observant Guest:

* Carol was too op for Lincoln-I mean, everyone's own good. Yes, that's totally what I meant.

* Yeah, I had a feeling somebody would point that out. And to be honest, I can't really explain Carol's defusion beyond "Lincoln" wanted it to happen.

* Harriet, being the grim reaper, works in a manner that exists outside conventional morality. That said, even if she noticed irony, there's little she can do that won't get on "Lincoln"'s nerves! At least, not in a way that won't convince him to pull a Thanos.

* Sadly, no, but I guess you can imagine the result would be obvious.

And now, to the chapter!

Episode 89: Trials of Crystal and Animal Care! Lincoln's Curtains Begin to Unravel?!

"So, that's what he did?" Chandler asked, narrowing his eyes in disgust. "He went as far as to cripple himself?"

Neo-Carol, sitting on a chair-shaped cloudy structure, nodded while the sounds of the afterlife express were heard.

The pair ran up to it... and when they saw Carol walk out of it, with a turquoise-light blue mixed halo on her head, their hearts sank.

"Carol..." Chandler uttered.

"Hi, Chandler," Carol frowned, and forced a smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Neo-Carol covered her mouth and dropped to her knees, tears forming on the edges of her eyes as Carol tried to comfort her.

"Hey, don't cry. I know it looks bad, but look at the bright side-"

"What bright side?!"

The Carols flinched at Chandler's thunderous statement, Carol hugging her Neo counterpart as he ranted:

"One of the monarchs is dead! Another one became insane! The rest of them were sent to who knows where! And to top it all off, one of the strongest allies they had just kicked the bucket as well!"

"Chandler-"

"We have to face the harsh reality, Carol; there won't be a "bright side" to look at as long as "Lincoln" stays in power!"

"B-But what do we do?" Neo-Carol asked. "We can't fight him since he's practically invincible-"

"We don't need to fight him," Chandler stated. "We just need to dethrone him."

Chandler folded his arms and sighed.

"And I think I know who to call."

Meanwhile, in the middle of a land with crystals sprouting on the ground, Lola walked across the landscape while inspecting her surroundings.

"Of all the places Lincoln could send me, why here?" Lola pondered out loud. "The Corrupted entities in here were taken care of a while ago-"

And then she heard a scream, followed by Leia crashing right next to her.

"Leia?"

"Uh, hi, Mom," the Lovechild said as she got up. "Where are we?"

"Well, long story short, Luna and Carol got the idea that if we spread our influence across the universe, then we could help it prosper and develop faster that way," Lola explained. "We're currently in the planet that was designated as mine: Mohs."

Leia raised an eyebrow. "You can't even lead a single town and you tried to colonize the universe?"

"Most of us weren't really sure about it either, especially after the expedition to Lisapolis, but Luna and Carol insisted," Lola scanned her surroundings. "Anyway, if Lincoln sent us both here, then that must mean-"

"Hello there, Lola Loud."

The mother-daughter duo turned around, Leia clinging to Lola's arm while a pink sphere materialized.

It then morphed into a humanoid form, eventually turning into a girl with tanned skin, a large Pink bow, and rainbow dress with Pink shoes.

"It's been such a long time."

"Mom, who's this girl?"

"Meli Ramos. I once took her under my wing to try turn her into a social butterfly," Lola lowered her eyelids. "And something tells me that makeover's gonna play a part in what's to come."

"I never really got to thank you properly for what you did for me," Meli said as she materialized a mirror out of nowhere and looking at her reflection. "If you hadn't entered my life, I'd still be the same drab, plain, ugly-looking kid I was before."

Leia lowered her eyelids. "Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you want from me, Meli?" Lola asked sternly.

"Oh, nothing much."

Suddenly, Meli appeared in front of Lola.

"Just show you the true form of one of your biggest idols, and see if you're really worthy of being the Matriarch of this Caste."

"GAAAAAH!"

The trio turned around, and while Lola and Leia ran after the source of the scream, Meli walked with her arms folded behind her back.

It didn't take them long to find the source: it was Lindsey Sweetwater, fighting against a large version of the corrupted form of a Lola Caste member.

"Lindsey!" Lola exclaimed. "Leia! Help me immobilize that thing!"

Leia nodded, and promptly put her hands on the ground, summoning a line of crystals that sprouted and struck the beast's back legs, causing it to whimper as it hit the ground.

It tried to swing its claws at Lindsey, but Lola quickly slid and caught her, the duo sliding until they hit a tree.

"Lindsey, are you okay?! What are you doing here?!"

"I don't know! My Dad and I were just trying to run our stand when we suddenly teleported here, and then Dad turned into that monster!"

Lola's eyes widened as she looked back at the beast. "Wait, that creature's Mr. Universe?!"

Leia retracted the crystals and took a deep breath before she and Lola inspected the creature, who had suddenly gone docile.

"If this is really Mr. Universe," Lola pondered out loud before looking at her hand. "And the test involves learning to control corruption..."

Lola paused for a moment to think... then put her hand on his forehead.

"Mom, what are you-?!"

"I know what I'm doing, Leia, trust me."

A Pink aura enveloped the corrupted creature, and slowly surrounded Lola, whose form changed as Mr. Universe was slowly uncorrupted.

Once the decorrupting process finished, Lola had gained the furry ears and tail typical of her Caste Members' corrupted form... and she also got a good look at Mr. Universe's true form.

His true, skeletal form.

"Now, you see? That, right there, is the real Mr. Universe," Meli remarked casually. "The bodybuilder that was voted as Royal Woods' Most Handsome Man for years, is nothing more than a skeleton hiding behind an inflatable, muscular fraud."

Meli walked to Lola's side, pushing Leia away as she did. And once she was next to her, she kept talking:

"It's upsetting, isn't it? Disgusting, isn't it? That a member of your Caste would not only hide behind a prettier form, but uphold the lie for years? He has no business-"

"Are you okay, Mr. Universe?"

Meli flinched, while the skeletal man took a deep, heavy breath, and the other girls surrounded him.

"I've been... better..."

"Did I hurt your real legs?" Leia asked, twiddling her fingers with a sheepish smile. "I'm not really sure how corrupted biology works, so-"

"No, I'm... fine..."

"His health has been deteriorating for years now," Lindsey explained. "He's taken some medicine to numb the pain, but nothing's managed to cure him."

"What's... going on?" Meli asked in disbelief.

"There doesn't seem to be any external damage, besides a broken leg." Lola hummed. "How did he break it?"

"He was practicing his routine when his muscular form suddenly faded," Lindsey answered. "It's a miracle that he didn't break anything else."

"Then let's make sure it doesn't get worse" Lola stated. "Leia, go get some long, flat crystals, like wood planks."

"Got it!"

But before Leia could even take a step, the group found themselves surrounded by a wall of crystals, summoned by a furious Meli.

"What. Are. You. Doing!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lola stood up. "Mr. Universe is hurt, and he needs help."

"He's also a skeletal fraud that hid behind a lie for years! All while being a member of the most beautiful Caste, to boot!" Meli growled. "He doesn't deserve help! He doesn't deserve to be pitied! The only thing he deserves is a swift execution!"

Lindsey gasped in horror, while Leia brandished her crystal claws.

"Why you-"

But Lola stopped her, lowering her hands while glaring at Meli and hissing:

"Get out of her body, right now."

Meli raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know who you are, or what you intend to do in Meli's body, but the Meli I know would never go so far as to claim someone deserves to be killed!" Lola narrowed her eyes. "Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave Meli's body and go away!"

Meli flinched as a pink aura emanated from her, and grew in size, eventually morphing into an ethereal doppelganger of the crystal princess.

"How dare you talk to me like that!? After doing everything in my power to ensure the world was easy on the eyes, you talk to me with such... insolence!?"

"What am I looking at right now?" Lindsey asked.

"Is that..." Leia tilted her head. "Gremory? Proto-Lola?"

"He chose to hide his disgusting real self behind a handsome construct! Those of the Lola Caste who refuse to show their true selves don't even deserve to be part of the Caste, let alone live!"

"Who cares if he looks ugly?" Lola responded. "He doesn't need a makeover; he needs help."

"HE DOESN'T DESERVE ANYTHING! IF YOU WON'T KILL HIM FOR HIS SIN, THEN I'LL DO IT MYSELF!"

At that point, Lola grew exasperated and clung her fingers on the doppelganger's forehead.

"I gave you one chance to leave in peace, and you threw it away. If you'll keep this up, then I'm left with no choice."

Lola began crystalizing the entity, Lindsey taking out and using her yo-yo to grab Meli's body and pull it away before the crystalization reached her.

Once the entity was completely encased, Lola clenched her fist, and threw a punch, shattering it instantly.

"What just happened?" Leia asked.

"If I had to take a guess, a remnant of my prototype self's consciousness possessed Meli and used her body to try break me," Lola said. "And if that's the case, and these trials work the way I think they do, then my sisters have their hands full..."

Lola frowned, but quickly shook it off.

"Regardless, we got stuff to do. Leia, go get the crystals I asked you. Lindsey, get ready to use your yo-yo to stabilize Mr. Universe's leg."

The girls nodded and went to do their things: Leia ran deeper into the world, while Lindsey stood next to her father, who looked at Lola with surprise.

"You defended me... despite looking like this?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still shocked at seeing the real Mr. Universe," Lola sighed. "But I can't let your looks stop me from helping you."

Mr. Universe smiled, and chuckled nervously.

"Looks like you passed with flying colors."

Everybody turned around, and saw Chandler nearby, leaning against a crystal tree with his arms folded.

"That's good, because I'm afraid you're needed elsewhere."

Lana walked along the jungle-like environment that surrounded her, probably her own planet like what Lola said earlier. She moved aside the trees and bushes, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of another living being-

"Why hello there, Lana!"

And unfortunately, the first being she came across was the one she wished she'd never see again.

She turned around, and a brunette with a Yellow dress walked into view, petting a white dog she held on her arms.

"Lacey St. Clair."

"It's nice to see you again too, Lana," Lacey replied before looking sympathically at her dog. "How has Charles been lately? My little Fifi wants to see him again so badly."

"He's doing fine, thanks for asking," Lana narrowed her eyes. "Let me guess: you're here to be the obstacle I need to pass to prove I'm not like my counterpart?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lacey responded with a smug smile. "The only reason I'm here is because there's a situation going on here that has gone out of hand, and somebody had to deal with it."

Lacey shot a sharp glare at Lana.

"Especially since you were too busy to deal with it yourself."

Lana, rather than acknowledge the glare, winced. "A situation? What situation?"

"Lana!"

The girls turned around and saw Charles, in his house pet form, run up to them, looking frantic and worried.

"Charles?" Lana crouched down. "What are you doing here? Do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah, but... well, you gotta see it for yourself."

Charles transformed into his larger, dog-like form and brought Lana to his back. He bolted back where he came from, Lacey strolling behind while smugly giggling.

Once Charles and Lana arrived, the latter got off the former and her eyes widened by what she saw: a collection of animals laying on the ground, whimpering in pain, while Lizy and Claire tried tending to them.

"Lana, thank goodness you're here!" Claire sighed in relief.

"What happened here?" Lana asked as she walked to the duo.

"I just got here, but from what I can gather," Lizy started. "The animals here suddenly began convulsing and crying in pain."

"I came here because Watterson started doing the same," Claire added, revealing the whimpering dog. "And I heard there was someone here who could help him."

Lana checked Watterson for moment, and frowned once she realized what was going on.

"A broken leg. Lizy can take care of that for you."

The Lovechild nodded, but Claire wasn't relieved yet.

"What about everybody else?"

Lana looked at the agonizing animals, then turned to Charles. He had an answer, but it wasn't one she liked:

"Phantom pains."

"Phantom what nows?" Claire asked.

"It's a phenomenon when the body begins to feel pain despite not being injured," Lana explained.

"But that's not all," Charles looked at the creatures with sympathy. "These aren't any ordinary creatures. They're prototypes."

"Prototypes?" Lana walked towards one of the animals. "But they don't look any different than the animals back on Earth."

"Not all prototypes look wildly different from their successors. What matters is that, since they're from the prototype reality, the pain they're feeling is one of which was never specified: it has no medication, no treatment... it's practically something they have to deal all the time."

"It's quite upsetting isn't it?"

Everybody turned around, and to Lana's exasperation, Lacey had arrived, looking as smug as ever.

"I can only imagine how hard this has to be for you, Lana: to see so many animals who are agonizing, despite having nothing wrong with them. It's got to be eating you alive, the fact you can do nothing to-"

*CRACK*

The room went quiet, except for the whimpers, as everyone saw the source of the crack: Lana, glaring daggers at Lacey, while holding the animal's broken, unmoving body.

"W-Wha... w-what did you-"

Lana dropped the animal to the ground, and as it dissipated into nothing, she turned her attention to Charles.

"This might be cruel to ask of you, but could you help put these guys out of their misery?"

Charles nodded in understanding. "I think it would be far more cruel to let them agonize any longer."

And with that, the duo began putting the animals out of their misery: cracking their necks, crushing their hearts, anything so long as their life, and their phantom pain, stopped altogether.

Lacey and Claire stood stunned by what was happening, but while the latter managed to stay calm despite the massacre, the former looked to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

And then her dog began whimpering as well.

Lana finished breaking the agonizing creature in her hand's neck before she turned to face Lacey, who jumped and shrieked in horror.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Lacey exclaimed, dragging herself back as Lana approached her. "Stay away from us!"

The dog whimpered again.

"Pipe down, you dumb dog!"

Lacey reached a rock, and soon after, Lana reached her. The Matriarch crouched down and took a closer look at the dog, which Lacey tried to hide while baring her fangs.

"Your dog's in pain," Lana stated. "I need to see if it's a phantom pain or not-"

"A-A-And what will you do if it is!?" Lacey yelled. "Kill her right in front of my face, like you did those other creatures!?"

Lana narrowed her eyes and reached for the dog, but Lacey grabbed her arm, sprouted claws and dug them deep into it, although Lana wasn't more than annoyed by this.

"You're nothing but a fraud! A hack! You have no right to be the Matriarch of the Lana Caste!"

Lana raised an eyebrow. "I did what was best for those animals, and I'm unfit to rule them?"

"What was best?! What was best!?" Lacey snapped, her eyes glowing Navy Blue. "Why would you do something so horrible as to kill someone in pain!?"

"Why would anybody do something so heartless as to let someone in pain remain in their agonizing state?" Lana rebuked.

It was then that a dark blue spirit, shaped like Lana, emerged from Lacey, keeping her grip on Lana while glaring at her with glowing eyes.

"Your job is to care for the animals! Guide them! Protect them! Killing them is against your very nature!"

"So letting them continue to suffer is part of my nature?"

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"

"That wasn't changing the subject," Lana narrowed her eyes. "But this is."

Lana used her free hand to grab the dog's head, with the spirit acting as if its head was being grabbed as well.

"I see, you synchronized yourself to this dog: whatever happens to it, it'll happen to you too," Lana argued. "You don't want me to spare the dog, you want me to spare you."

"You damn little-"

Suddenly, a rock was thrown through the spirit, making her turn around to see who threw it. Standing nearby was Claire, who had her arm outstretched as if she had thrown something.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" the spirit growled. "Were you trying to take me out?"

Claire smiled. "Distract you, actually."

"Distract me?"

*CRACK*

The spirit and the dog went limp in unison, the former dissipating into light while the latter dropped off Lacey's hands, who woke up soon after.

"What just... happened?"

Lacey noticed her dog's body and inspected it, frowning once she saw they weren't moving.

"My counterpart's remnant synchronized with your dog," Lana explained. "The only way to get rid of her for good was to kill your dog. Sorry, Lacey."

Lacey, however, had a more important revelation at hand:

"This isn't my dog."

Lana blinked twice. "What?"

"Yeah, this dog's a boy: mine's a girl," Lacey put the dead dog back on the ground. "I don't know whose dog this is."

Lana scratched her chin. "So Lacey's dog was swapped before my counterpart's remnant took control of her? Why?"

"I'd like to find the answers with you."

Lana turned around, and saw Chandler standing nearby, with Lola by his side.

"But there's more important matters to take care of right now."

"Seriously? You're asking for my help?"

The Carols grew uneasy, not only because of the mocking tone it was said, but for who was saying it.

It was Lori, flashing a cocky grin as she responded:

"I got better things to do than help you "dethrone" God himself. If you wanna be sentenced to Hell, go for it, but I won't get involved."

"Whoever the Lincoln we're dealing with is, he's causing nothing but problems now!" Carol said, her Neo counterpart nodding in agreement. "He drove you insane!"

"No, the New Lincolnists drove me insane. Just because he gave the order doesn't mean he's responsible for it."

"He got her killed!" Neo-Carol exclaimed.

"After everything you were both put through? I'd call that mercy!"

"Lily's dead!" Carol snapped.

In that instant, Lori's smug grin was replaced by a look of total devastation.

"What?"

"After the attack you gave him, Sincoln sprung out of him and wrecked havoc," Carol explained, grabbing her arm and looking away as she added, "Chandler grabbed him and went to grab one of his backup bodies, but even with everybody helping on the field, things got so bad that Lily had to sacrifice herself to put a stop to him."

Lori looked at her corrupted palm, the one whose veins glowed an ethereal light blue color. She clenched her fist, and sighed wearily.

"Carol, come closer."

With slight hesitation, Carol obliged... and Lori's uncorrupted hands gained green fingers as she grabbed Carol's forehead.

Once she did, an image quickly flew by in the hybrid's head... which depicted someone who looked like Lincoln trapped inside a crystal prison, surrounded by multicolored chains.

And in fact, the image felt like she was actually there...

Once Lori took her hand away, Carol returned to reality to see Lori looking at her seriously before giving a simple order:

"Take us there."