Luna Nova Corridor
Barbara wondered why she just ditched her friend, Hannah, to follow the Red Coven girls who were following a student she swore she has never seen before.
Is it because the Red Coven girls are acting suspiciously? Is it because the girl being followed by the Red Coven is acting suspiciously? Is it just an excuse for her to dodge Hannah's question regarding her reaction to the mentioning of Annabel Creme?
Or was it because the glasses-wearing girl from the Red Coven, who she, Hannah, and Chloe had spent the entirety of the previous semester bullying (to the point that their mere presence triggers her PTSD), had turned out to be Annabel Creme, the progenitor of Nightfall, the franchise that she secretly loved but wouldn't dare admit to even her closest friend, all along? And that she wanted to apologize to the girl for being so abusive to her all these times?
Nevertheless, the dark-haired bully tailed behind the Red Coven girls as they followed the unknown student. Barbara followed them all the way to the Central Courtyard where the statue of Woodward the Knowledgeable, one of the Olde Nines, stood.
It appears that Annabel Creme is talking to the unknown student about something. Barbara hid herself behind one of the pillars so she can listen on without being seen.
...
Luna Nova Central Courtyard
Lotte had to admit: Akko can be downright scary when sufficiently angered, as shown with the thousand-yard glare she is giving Mary-Ann Lait.
"You are going to explain to my friend right here exactly why you overwrote her life with yours." Akko emphasized each syllable as she glared at Mary-Ann.
Although if the brunette is trying to be intimidating, she failed because she still has her noticeable Japanese accent when saying that sentence...
And Mary-Ann took note of that, making her thoughts on it known with her unamused expression. "If you wanted to threaten me, you will have to do better than that..." The former author fired back. "Nice staff, by the way..." She then said sarcastically as she took note of the Shiny Rod.
Akko immediately dropped her thousand-yard glare. "Kuso..." She cursed under her breath.
The Shiny Rod remained silent despite being used as a subject of sarcasm.
Mary-Ann then turned her attention toward Lotte. "And you..."
As if she had her name called out in class, Lotte fumbled for a bit before pulling out Annabel Creme's fountain pen. "I think you should have this back..." She said as she held the pen out to Mary-Ann.
The former author pushed Lotte's outstretched hand away. "I gave you that pen, so you're Annabel Creme now. Go write some more Nightfall." She informed the Finn. "I want nothing to do with this franchise anymore..."
Lotte blinked. "Why are you trying to get away from Nightfall?" She asked.
"The same thing that all creators have to worry about as part of their career..." Mary-Ann replied as she pulled out her smartphone. She tapped the screen several times before turning the device around to show Lotte and Akko what was on it. "An unpleasable fanbase."
Lotte and Akko looked at what is shown on the screen of Mary-Ann's smartphone. It showed the official Nightfall Twitter account being bombarded with critical comments on past Nightfall media.
"Killer cyborgs from the future? WTF is this? Terminator?"
"This one is too similar to Guardians of the Galaxy!"
"Did Edgar just make a MOTHERf***ing transphobic joke?!"
"Even Twilight is so much better than this piece of shit!"
The later comments just gets more and more vulgar than the previous ones. The Red Coven girls decided not to continue reading after the 19th comment, where the poster actually threatened to do some... very unpleasant things with "Annabel's" mother.
"Those are pretty harsh..." Lotte notes.
"But what do all this have to do with what you did? with Annab- my friend?" Akko, not understanding the intent of the message, wondered.
Lotte was about to add to Akko's question, but paused as it clicked in on her. "Wait. You gave me that fountain pen, which in turn passed on the Curse of Annabel Creme to me, just to get away from the rude people in the Nightfall fandom?" She pointed out with a tone suggesting that she couldn't believe it.
"They aren't just rude!" Mary-Ann withdrew her smartphone and suddenly raised her voice. "The haters took their criticisms so seriously they are literally verbally attacking those who don't agree with them!" She claimed. "It's just like all the hate the Star Wars sequel trilogy got!"
"Although some of them do have a point..." Lotte pointed out. "For instance, that part where Belle, who has always been established as a muggle, managing to catch a nuclear missile with her bare hands is..."
Mary-Ann frowned. "See! That's what I'm talking about!" She exasperated. "I was so sick and tired of this stupid, unpleasable, braindead fandom that I arranged the Trivia Quiz with the event manager of last Sunday's Nightcon!" The former author's exasperation quickly turned into a villain-like rant. "So I can give Annabel Creme's Fountain Pen and with it, the Curse of Annabel Creme to whoever proved themselves the biggest fan of this retarded franchise!" She stopped briefly to take a breath, before continuing, "So I don't have to be Annabel Creme anymore, and get back to the life that I stupidly threw away for it!"
Akko and Lotte both reeled back in reaction to Mary-Ann's rant. Lotte even more so, due to the former author making such a vulgar insult at her own creation and its fanbase.
Mary-Ann's rage soon turned into sadness, as she looked down on. "Only to find out that I could never get back to said life..." She said gloomily as she turned around and started flipping through the screen of her smartphone again.
Akko and Lotte, out of curiosity, looked over Mary-Ann's shoulder at her smartphone. She was flipping through a series of photos that depicted three Luna Nova students, seemingly of the Blue Coven from before Hannah and Barbara got sorted into it. However, one of the students depicted in these photos caught the Red Coven girls by surprise, as there is no mistaking it...
That student is seen in each and every one of these photos with a distinctive-looking pair of headphones.
"Wait..." Akko expressed her surprise first. "That was you?!"
"You're a student of Luna Nova?!" Lotte exclaimed in surprise.
"Was a student of Luna Nova." Mary-Ann corrected. "And this... is the same uniform I wore back when I was still studying..." She added, directing attention to her uniform by tugging on it. "The uniform that I kept for nostalgia's sake when I dropped out..."
"You dropped out?" Akko parroted. She recalled Lotte mentioning that one of her Coven mates from the previous semester had dropped out.
"In order to become the 12th Annabel Creme, yes." Mary-Ann answered.
"And now you regret it?" Lotte asked.
Mary-Ann lowered her smartphone. "Yes." She answered Lotte. "To be exact, I was a big fan of Nightfall, just like you..." She started to explain. "I followed every piece of Nightfall media, and was able to recite even the most minute details, much like how you did during the Trivia Quiz."
"Just like me?" Lotte wondered.
"Yes. So much so that one day when I managed to recite the entire plot of the first Nightfall movie to my Coven mates while we're at a coffee shop, a strange lady took notice of it." Mary-Ann continued with her explanation. "That lady turned out to be Annabel Creme, or rather, the previous one, and she wanted to retire from writing. She offered me the very same fountain pen that was used by all previous Annabels to write Nightfall..."
Taking note of that, Lotte produced Annabel Creme's Fountain Pen from her pocket, and held it out to Mary-Ann. "You mean this one?" She then asked the former author.
Mary-Ann took a glance at the pen. "Yes." She confirmed dully. "Anyway, the previous Annabel Creme wanted to retire, so she went looking for someone who could prove themselves to be a big fan of the franchise. That person was me." She then pointed at herself. "As you can probably guess, I accepted the offer, only because I was all too eager at the time to learn that I have the chance to take over as the new creator of my favorite franchise..."
"Let me guess: the Curse of Annabel Creme-" Akko interrupted.
"And that's how I discovered the price of becoming Annabel Creme: via the Curse..." Mary-Ann interrupted Akko's interruption. "As soon as I accepted the previous Annabel's offer and touched the fountain pen, the Curse of Annabel Creme took effect, rewriting everyone's memories, including my Coven mates', to make it as though I have always been Annabel Creme, save for my own memory and that of the previous Annabel's..." She paused briefly to take a breath. "By that point, the thought of becoming the new Annabel Creme was so great to me that I slowly became egoistical, and eventually dropped out of Luna Nova so I could become a full-time writer for Nightfall. I basked in the glory deserving of a celebrity for the next few years..."
"Until you discovered how toxic the Nightfall fandom can be..." Lotte said.
"And the rest, you and your friend here probably know already..." Mary-Ann finished her story. "I got so sick and tired of all those baseless criticisms that I orchestrated the Trivia Quiz in order to get rid of the fountain pen and the Curse of Annabel Creme, and you were the poor girl that became its next victim..."
Akko, after hearing Mary-Ann's story, blinked several times in disbelief. "That was it? You were just trying to run away from a job that you didn't want anymore?" The Japanese girl expressed. "And you got away from it by forcing it upon my friend?! When you got it under the same circumstances in the first place?!" She called out on the former author. "That's so... hypocritical!"
"Yes, I am a hypocrite, now that you said it to me..." Mary-Ann responded apologetically.
The former author then approached the statue in the middle of the courtyard, and sat herself down by its base.
"For what I did to you, and being hypocritical about the circumstances that led to it..." Mary-Ann then told Lotte. "I really am sorry for it. But I just... I just can't take the Curse back from you and go back to being harassed by the Intern-"
"Which is your favorite instalment of Nightfall?" Lotte interrupted with a question.
"Huh?" Mary-Ann didn't get the intent of the question, or even the intent of the Finnish girl interrupting her. "What does that have to-"
"Just answer me: Which instalment of Nightfall is your favorite?" Lotte interrupted again by repeating her question. She then sat herself down next to the former author.
Mary-Ann hesitated for a bit, as she is still unsure of Lotte's intent. "Uh, novel Volume 363 where-"
"-Edgar lends Arthur his family's shoehorn?" Lotte, becoming a bit excited, immediately cut off Mary-Ann and finished her sentence.
"I, uh, wrote that one because I've been keeping a draft of it even before I became the 12th Annabel Creme, for a fanfiction of mine. I was waiting for the chance to publish it..." Mary-Ann admitted.
"Edgar hands over the shoehorn with his left hand, right?" Lotte continued. "His clan believes that the left hand is a symbol of life. And he handed him the shoehorn he received from his father with his left hand! That means-"
Hearing that, Mary-Ann's mood brightened up. "Wait. You're right! I actually missed that point when I wrote it!" She said. "But what does this has to do with-"
"You passing on the Curse of Annabel Creme to me?" Lotte, knowing what the former author is about to say, quickly interrupted her again. "Nothing! But the point is: don't take your critics' harsh words too seriously. To quote the performer and actress, Chariot Du Nord: 'A believing heart is your magic!'"
"Did you just quote Shiny Chariot?" Akko pointed out.
"I get your point." Mary-Ann said to Lotte, ignoring Akko. The former author's mood suddenly went down again. "But what about the critics?"
"Well, the critics can be quite a pickle..." Lotte admitted.
"Just ignore the critics!"
Akko, Lotte, and Mary-Ann all jumped upon hearing a fourth voice shouting from somewhere...
...
"Those braindead critics didn't like the latest Nightfall stories. So what?!"
Barbara, still hiding behind the pillar, shouted at Annabel Creme (actually Lotte who is still under the effects of the Curse of Annabel Creme) and the unknown student (actually Mary-Ann, the previous Annabel Creme).
"They can hate the latest instalments as much as they want, but don't let those wankers discourage you from making new content!" Barbara continued shouting in anonymity. She remained hidden behind the pillar because she didn't want anyone to know that she secretly likes Nightfall.
To be honest, Barbara has no idea exactly what Annabel Creme was talking about just now, and why she talked to the unknown student about it. All she knows is that it involved the Nightfall fandom making baseless criticisms (she saw those criticisms on Twitter too), and it made her want to give Annabel Creme words of encouragement.
"Even if Belle's sacrificing herself to kill the intergalactic warlord in novel Volume 359 is immediately undone at the beginning of novel Volume 360 with no logical explanation is the most stupid retcon ever made in Nightfall's history, that still didn't stop Volume 360 from being the 5th bestselling novel in 2016, in spite of the backlash at the retcon!" Barbara went on with her so-called words of encouragement. "Even if you believed that the critics are right, you shouldn't take the criticisms so personally, and just focus on making the next story better! Don't run away from your own mistake, as that will just give those trolls what they wanted!"
Of course, Barbara paused a bit and gulped when she heard Akko wondering out loud that the voice sounded familiar, with Annabel Creme agreeing. Leave it to the biggest dunce in Luna Nova's history to figure out my deepest, darkest secret... Barbara thought to herself.
"What were you doing here, Barbs?"
Barbara yelped in surprise when Hannah suddenly appeared right behind her. "Han, I-I-I can explain..." The dark-haired bully nervously told her auburn-haired friend while instinctively taking several steps away from her.
In the process of trying to avoid exposing her being a Nightfall fan to Hannah, Barbara wound up accidentally exposing that fact to Akko and Annabel instead, when she stepped away from the pillar and into their field of vision...
...
"Barbara?" Akko said when she discovered that it was Barbara who shouted the words of encouragement from moments ago.
Lotte felt herself skipping several heartbeats. Seeing Barbara along with Hannah being present triggered her PTSD, causing her to freeze up in fear.
However, Barbara herself seemed to be frozen in shock upon being seen.
"P-p-please forget I was ever here!" Barbara cried out before promptly running away from the scene like a rabbit being chased by a wolf.
"Barbs, where are you going?!" Hannah, completely bewildered by her friend's behavior, gave chase and disappeared from the scene as well.
The brief commotion left Akko, Lotte, and Mary-Ann standing at the Central Courtyard, just as bewildered at it as Hannah was at Barbara.
"That was really weird..." Akko pointed out. "As weird as a certain scene from a Shiny Chariot licensed manga that I once read back in Japan..."
Lotte quickly recovered once Hannah and Barbara have both left the scene. "Thank goodness they weren't here to-"
"Hey, uh, about the whole Curse of Annabel Creme thing..." Mary-Ann turned her attention back to Lotte. "That girl from just now was right with her words of encouragement. While my career as the 12th Annabel Creme was a mistake, I shouldn't run away from it. Instead, I should learn from it and improve my skills as a writer..." She then pointed at the fountain pen of Annabel Creme, which Lotte is still holding. "I'm sorry about the whole Curse thing. If you don't want to be the 13th Annabel Creme, you can give that pen back to me..."
Lotte looked at the pen in her hand, then back at Mary-Ann. "Are you sure the Curse of Annabel Creme will let you take the pen back?" She wondered.
"Only one way to find out, as they say..." Mary-Ann responded.
Lotte looked at the pen again.
"Annabel, are you sure you really want to keep that?" Akko asked Lotte. "Maybe you should give it back to her, if you want your real name back..." She the suggested.
Whether Lotte acknowledged Akko's suggestion or not is unknown. But the Finnish girl has made up her mind, as she held the fountain pen out toward Mary-Ann.
"You should have this back, Mary-Ann Lait." Lotte said. "Not because I don't want to be the 13th Annabel Creme, but because I believed in the potential you've always had as the 12th..."
Mary-Ann looked at the pen in Lotte's hand, then at Lotte herself, then back at the pen. "You really believed in me?"
"I had my doubts a few times, but my belief in you outweighs them..."
Mary-Ann looked up at Lotte for a bit before her lips formed a smile. "Thank you..." She then raised her hand forward and took the pen.
At that moment, Akko experienced a sudden headache identical to the one she experienced when Lotte first accepted the pen from Mary-Ann at the end of the Trivia Quiz last Saturday. "なぜ今?" The Japanese girl complained, unaware that it's the same kind of headache from before.
"That's it?" Lotte wondered as she lowered her hand after Mary-Ann took the fountain pen of Annabel Creme from her.
"To be honest, I wasn't sure it would actually work..." Mary-Ann said. "But anyway, it was a pleasure knowing you, my Number One Fan." She added. "Maybe we'll meet again in the near future..."
With that, Mary-Ann then disappeared from the Central Courtyard in the exact same way she disappeared after the Trivia Quiz last Saturday.
And so, Akko and Lotte (and the Shiny Rod) found themselves alone at the Central Courtyard.
"Well, I guess she's motivated and happy again." Lotte commented.
"That's good to hear." Akko remarked upon it. "Hopefully the whole Curse thing won't happen ever again, Lotte-"
The Japanese girl paused in surprise as she instantly noticed something. Lotte's surprise that is suddenly plastered on her face indicates that the Finnish girl noticed it too.
"Wait a second... Lotte, I can say your name again! Your real name!" Akko grabbed Lotte's hands and excitedly pointed out.
"Really?!" Lotte seemingly still has doubts. She pulled out her wand, and used it to write her full name in green magical energy in the air.
Lotte is joyed to find that the magically-written "Liselotte Jansson" did not rewrite itself into "Annabel Creme" as the Curse of Annabel Creme should. Which can only mean...
"You don't have the Curse anymore! Yay!" Akko joyfully danced around at the thought of that.
Lotte froze up for a bit as her brain computed the information. "Yes, I'm happy that I can say, write and hear my real name again." She said. "But now she probably won't be able to see or hear her real name ever again..." She thought out loud, referring to Mary-Ann taking back the Curse of Annabel Creme with her.
"You know what? After that conversation just now..." The Shiny Rod suddenly spoke up after staying silent thorough the entire situation with Mary-Ann. "I can now declare that Nightfall is a story that runs on insanity, and its creator and followers are just as insa-"
Lotte suddenly snatched the Shiny Rod from Akko's sash with a quick motion. "Shut up! You Nightfall hater!" The Finnish girl then angrily slammed the sentient staff on the base of the statue. The slamming is not hard enough to damage the marble statue base, but it is apparently still much harder than Akko's "disciplinary measures" for the Shiny Rod.
"Ow!" The Shiny Rod exclaimed in pain. "I was just speaking my mind and the tru-"
"Perkele!" Lotte reacted vulgarly as she slammed the Shiny Rod against the statue base again, prompting another pained exclamation from the sentient staff.
Akko, despite her limited intellect, totally understands why Lotte lashed out so violently against the Shiny Rod's criticism of Nightfall. "Really, I thought you'd know better than to insult Lotte's favorite franchise and its creator right after the conversation they just had..." She pointed out. "If you were to make a similar criticism of Shiny Chariot, I'd have reacted the same way Lotte did..."
"Alright, I admit I didn't think that through! But could you at least tell Jansson to stop abusing me like this?! Ow!" The Shiny Rod cried out as Lotte slammed it repeatedly all over the place. "Unlike the Descendant of Beatrix, she isn't unworthy enough to warrant getting shocked! OW!"
And so, the Curse of Annabel Creme subplot gets wrapped up.
But we still have a few subplots going on, which I will wrap up one at a time.
Hopefully Mary-Ann Lait/ Annabel Creme the 12th can find a bright future in being a creator of Nightfall again. And also, yep, Barbara is still a closeted Nightfall fan in this continuity.
"Just remember: a believing heart is your magic..."
Afterwords end here.