A/N: The story may be over, but I have one last piece of material to add on. This is the flashback from Chapter 3, as originally written.

The flashback was actually much longer than what you were presented in the story. Too long in fact, hence why it was cut. This was originally meant to be a rather painful memory for not just Luna, but Luan as well. However, I ultimately decided that Luan's perspective of the events was unnecessary and too distracting from the main story, so I deleted most of her roles and neatly reworked them here as a little bonus 'story' for you. It's literally an extended version of the flashback and a continuation of the events that happen after Really Loud Music seen through both Luna and Luan's eyes. Happy reading!

Guest reviewer (who guessed that the Louds will be involved in some kind of dance party in the next story): let's just say you will be in for a treat.

BONUS FIC – Lulu is Dead

a.k.a. Flashback Extended Scene

Eight months ago (one month before Luna's departure):

The trip home was loud and rowdy as per usual with any ride in Vanzilla that involved the entire Loud family. But all attention was directed to Luna, who no less than two hours ago had been the show stealer and highlight of America's Next Hitmaker, no matter what the producers had to say about the matter; the audience screamed otherwise. With the show over, interviews done, and equipment packed up, she had left the performance hall with a standing ovation for Luna Loud, rather than a chic in pink called Lulu. Luna went home a happy girl; she may not have won the contest, but she did win something a lot greater than that.

There was little chance for her to catch her breath during the voyage home; her parents and siblings bombarded her with questions and compliments, with numerous shouts of 'Congrats!' or 'What were you thinking?!' all the way to Burpin' Burger to celebrate and eventually on the way home. And she was happy to respond to them all as they left the bright lights of the town for the sleepy suburbs that they called home. The day had drained a lot of her energy and there was nothing more that she wanted to do than to shower, exchange her sweaty threads for her pajamas, and fall right to sleep. It was almost midnight when she finally bid everyone 'good night', and retired to the quiet of her bedroom, where she performed her last act of the night: packing her precious guitar safely away in its case.

Or so she thought that would be her last act of the night.

She was just about to climb up the ladder to her bunk for a well-earned rest when Luan, also in her pajamas, put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She was smiling.

"You totally rocked the stage tonight. I'm proud of you, sis!"

Luna swelled with pride, something that she had been doing a lot of tonight. "Thanks, dude! I honestly didn't think I could pull that off. I'm just glad Chunk was able to bring all his amps and things in time, and back me up."

The comedienne leaned her arm nonchalantly against the side of Luna's bunk. "Even though you found a way out of your sticky situation, I'm glad you found it in yourself to jam! Get it?"She let out her traditional laugh while Luna groaned, though slightly flattered since Luan was simply complimenting her.

Assuming that the conversation was over, she resumed climbing the ladder when Luan spoke again. "Just promise me one thing, Luna." The rockstar sensed a difference in tone. She turned her full attention to her and noticed a strange sadness lingering in Luan's unusually quiet voice and that her smile had vanished. Luan sighed. "Don't ever change yourself again. You really gave me a shock back there."

Luna stared at Luan for a moment, then climbed back down the ladder to sit upon the lower bunk, with her little sister quickly following suit. She felt that an apology was needed. "I'm sorry about that, Luan. I just…I was in a real bind. You're right, I wasn't thinking straight. Too caught up in trying to please the whole world, I know. But I'll never make that mistake again. I'll always be me from now on, you can count on that."

Luan looked down at her bunny slippers and then leaned in to give Luna a tight hug, happy to have her sister back. Luna returned it, feeling the comfort of her little sister in her arms wash over her.

In her rush to impress the world, she had lost sight of not just her performance, but herself. She had changed her song, donned a new makeover, and had come close to completely changing her name. The hour before showtime had been one of the toughest moments of decision-making in Luna's life as she weighed on her options: to have the whole world love the singer and song that appeared on stage, or to take a chance to sing as herself and the song that had been written from her heart. Tonight's events had been a close shave for her already-shortly cut hair, but she had pulled through with the right move.

But only just.

Now she understood why Luan had been so scared; why everyone in her family had been so put off by her new look.

She then recalled Mick's words to her when she had been lying on her bed contemplating her position, and realized that he had been wrong; she hadn't been Luna Loud at all in that get-up. So focused she had been to be that 'one in a million' that she had almost sold her soul to the world for fame and fortune. The thought of how close she had come to changing her entire being and removing her true talent from the picture suddenly began to chew her up from the inside with a powerful venom of pure guilt.

"Lunes? P-Please don't cry. It's okay now."

Luan's small, frightened voice brought Luna back to attention as she pulled away from the rocker slightly with worry in her eyes. Only then was Luna aware that she was indeed crying. She didn't even try to hold back the tears that cascaded down her cheeks; tears laced with guilt and shame over her mess-ups. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, smudging her makeup. Luna spent a moment of gathering her thoughts before trying to speak again. Her voice felt so strained and cracked when she finally did.

"I'm so…so sorry, Luan. I really am. I messed up big time, dude. I was so…lost in trying to catch as much fame as I could…that I forgot why I wanted to enter a song in the first place. I…I feel so ashamed of myself."

"Lunes, you made the right decision in the end and fixed your mistake. That's all that matters now. That's why I'm proud of you."

Such simple, overused statements, but they were true. Luan spoke them through her mouth, but they came from her heart. Seeing Luna so broken was making her feel hurt inside. Her sister's raspy and rough voice, the voice she had grown to be so familiar with, had reached its breaking point where it was reduced to a high-pitched squeak, only heard when Luna was deeply saddened. It would make Luan cringe terribly whenever she heard it. She was used to her roommate being the cool one in the family, ready to lend a shoulder and words of comfort to someone who was feeling blue, especially her. But now the tables had turned and it was Luan who needed to remain calm to comfort her big sister…but it was proving to be a tough challenge, for she too was starting to feel tears in her eyes, but for a different reason. In a world where she had very few friends, she had always felt a close connection to Luna, and to see her completely change into an unrecognizable popstar had been equivalent to saying goodbye to a best friend. Luan hadn't admitted it to anyone, but Luna's dramatic transformation had scared her to quite a degree.

But right now, she had to be strong. For Luna. She pulled her sister in for another hug; she felt her roommate quivering against her shoulder and it soon began to feel damp, but her sobs were almost silent. Luan closed her eyes, allowing a few tears of her own to escape.

It was clear that they both needed emotional support tonight.

Luan rubbed Luna's back soothingly and whispered softly into her ear, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. It's okay to cry. Ssshhhhh. I'm right here. I forgive you." With her voice so sweet and motions ever so slow, Luna began to relax, but her grip on Luan's shirt strengthened. So Luan eased her on to her bed, lying down so that they were more comfortable. Luna wept silently and all Luan did was hug her, continuing to whisper reassuring words that were nothing short of sweet, in hopes that they would do the trick to calm her down. How she had nothing to apologize for, to let it all out, and that she was right here for her. She spoke so faintly that no one would hear her except the girl in her arms, even with the house's paper-thin walls. At last, Luna wore herself out and her shaking ceased. She shifted herself slightly so that she could face her sister.

"I…I'm sorry you have to see me like this..." she sniffled, overcome with guilt and embarrassment. It was not a pleasant feeling at all.

"Hey, it's alright sis," Luan hummed as she stroked Luna's arm. She rolled over and quickly whisked out a couple of tissues from her bedside cabinet drawer. She rolled right on back to face her sister and hand them to her, watching Luna blow her nose and slowly clean herself up. "I think we both needed a good cry. But it's over now. You may have made a wrong turn earlier, but instead of continuing down the wrong road, you backtracked and went the right way in the end."

Her statement actually caught Luna a little off-guard. She never really thought that Luan could think that deeply. But in such a moment like this, she was glad that she could.

"Thanks, sis," she murmured, wiping the last tear away, her mouth curving a little. Luan grinned.

"Is that a smile I see?" she whispered playfully.

Luna tried to hold it back with little success. "No…?"

Luan giggled at her. "Oh, it definitely is." She bopped Luna on the tip of her nose, giggling again, and this time Luna joined her. She couldn't help it. Though Luan's puns and jokes were more often than not uncalled for and at the most inappropriate of times, her little sister undoubtedly had the power to make anyone laugh.

They shared a little laughter, which seemed to be in order for both of them. After settling down, Luna gazed at her little sister and smiled. Luan may be annoying, obnoxious, and sometimes questionable in the way she sometimes treated her and the rest of the family, crossing the line just one too many times, but Luna could see past what the world saw on the outside. Deep down, the Luan she knew was one of the kindest, sweetest girls she had ever met. A wholesome soul with a heart of gold. She loved her little sister to death and despite her imperfections (and sometimes dangerous actions) she always found herself feeling happiest with her. What had she done to deserve such a caring sister and friend?

She pushed a stray strand of hair away from Luan's face and pressed the gentlest of kisses upon her forehead out of thanksgiving and gratitude. She watched Luan blush faintly, and then smile. She loved Luan's smile. The younger girl rested her head comfortably upon Luna's chest and sighed deeply, wanting nothing more than to make sure her roommate was 100% okay. No words were spoken between them for the rest of the night; they instead cuddled together, concentrating on each other's breathing and enjoying each other's company. Luna's performance and now her crying had left the rocker feeling exhausted beyond the limit, but she also felt better now. Much better. Her once cloudy, confused mind was now clean and clear save for two items: one was to formally apologize to the rest of her family in the morning for her stupid actions and the other was that she had the most rockin' roommate ever. Among the many things she had learned tonight, the one lesson standing out to her right now was of a reminder of the comfort that she could always find within her little sister. There was only one Lulu in her life, but tonight, although brief, there had been two. Luna pushed the image of the pink-haired girl in the glittery show threads out of her mind as she began to nod off.

Never again, she thought triumphantly. That Lulu is dead.

And at long last, Luna knew she was right back where she belonged.

This was where Luna's memories of the night ended…but Luan's extended a little further.

She lay awake for quite some time, just thinking. 'Lulu' had made these last few days unsettling for her, but thankfully it was over now, and her big sister Luna was back. The sounds of light snoring soon told her that Luna had dozed off. For one reason or another, as she gazed at her sister's sleeping form, her mind took her back to some of the many pranks she had pulled on her sister in the past and the nasty things she often told her through their various arguments, feeling a strong surge of guilt in the process. She only ever wanted to add a little fun to their lives, but looking back, humiliating Luna in front of her band mates and that large crowd last April didn't seem so funny. Heat-shocking her in the shower hadn't been very nice either and it had been a while before Luna could trust Luan enough to be in the bathroom at the same time. And despite all the verbal counter-attacks she had spat at Luna's face just to get even, she never really meant any of them. Now, as she lay her head upon her sister, whom she had almost lost to that song contest, she felt regret for all the times she had wronged her. Now that she knew how easily she could lose Luna, she didn't want to do anything that could potentially drive her away anymore.

The younger girl looked at her sister and smiled broadly, stroking the side of her body. "Sleep tight," she purred. Gingerly detangled her arms and legs from Luna's, she climbed out of her bed to turn off the light and prepare to sleep in the top bunk. While Luan generally wasn't a fan of heights, for Luna's sake she would do it. Just as she was about to climb the first rung of the ladder, she noticed that Luna was stirring in her sleep, moving her hand across the covers, as if searching for something…or someone. Luan's eyes widened.

Me. She's looking for me.

She needs me.

Not wanting Luna to be disturbed anymore tonight, Luan acted quickly, pushed by a sudden rush of sister-pride that stemmed from the fact that a sibling needed her for once. Very few times had she ever been given this chance, with others like Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lincoln being worthier competitors. She crawled back into her bunk, taking Luan's hands into her own. This had an immediate effect on the purple-clad girl, calming her instantly. It was now evident that Luna needed her little sister tonight.

And honestly, Luan wanted Luna too.

So she decided to stay with her for the night. Pulling her pillow towards them, she shifted half of it under Luna's head while she took over the other. They may have been lying on top of the blanket, but it was summer and their combined body heat would be enough to keep them both warm. In the dim moonlight cast upon them, Luan watched her sleeping sister carefully, but for a few painful seconds, thought she saw 'Lulu' lying next to her. No…no…go away! she thought briskly, shutting her eyes tight. When she opened them, she was relieved to see Luna again. Desperately wanting to squeeze any fleeting glimpses of that pink-haired stardom out of her memory for good, she concentrated on the true Luna Loud. Her eyes followed along the outline of Luna's head, from her chin to her dark brown hair, cut short in a pixie-style. She gazed at Luna's long eyelashes and counted the freckles dotting her cheeks. Her eyeshadow may have been badly smudged, but there was still a hint of purple visible in the faint moonlight shining upon them. She breathed in Luna's sweet scent; even though the whole family used the same soap and shampoo, everybody had their own unique scent. Luna smelled like Luna.

Boarding with the family's musician for so long had allowed Luan to become quite accustomed to Luna's appearance, and her presence alone was comforting and assuring.

But even throughout their troubled times together, the heated arguments that arose between them over whose side of the closet was cutting into hers or who kept the other awake with their noisy habits, or even physical battles for the TV remote, there was one undeniable constant that never disappeared: Luan thoroughly enjoyed Luna's company.

And truth be told, she had gotten quite used to purple.

Luan thought back to tonight's events and felt a second little burst of pride, this time for her success in comforting Luna. That wasn't a task that she was well-versed in doing, and her usual methods of cheering anyone up involved jokes or a performance with Mr. Coconuts. None of her siblings typically came running to her when they were seeking comfort. But somehow, just having a shoulder to cry upon had been good enough for Luna. I could get used to this, she thought. She looked at her peaceful sister cuddled closely to her and smiled. I could get used to this too.

Hugging her big sister warmly, she laid her head against Luna's chest again, letting the steady sounds of a rhythmic heart beat charm her to peaceful slumber.

There were no more disturbances that night.

A/N: For those of you following along with my timeline, this 'story' happens chronologically BEFORE 'Mission Accomplished'. This is intended to be the very start of Luan's revelation of Luna's importance to her life, but dropped in such a subtle way that she isn't fully aware of this until it is solidified a month later when Luna leaves for her retreat, setting the stage for 'MA'.

*GASP* the connections! Ah, whatever.

Man, writing is fun. You should try it.