We're back on the couch and Lincoln has brought along Luna, Lucy, and the twins. They will be reading an anonymously-submitted story called... uh-oh... Lincoln Betrays Lucy.
It opens with fanfic Lucy watching Princess Pony (which the story calls "Pony Princess") on TV in her pony pyjamas. Lucy corrects the name and is a bit annoyed at another fanfic referencing Princess Pony. Her siblings are away watching one of Lynn's games and fanfic Lucy lied that she was going to stay with Haiku, but then Lincoln comes back and sees her in a "pony costume". Luna (the real one) points out that pony pyjamas and a pony costume are quite different.
Fanfic Lucy reveals to Lincoln that she watches Princess Pony in her pony pyjamas on her "break". This confuses the real siblings, since Lucy's break seems like her break from the darkness, but Lincoln already knows about that. Fanfic Lucy is worried about being mocked for liking "girls' stuff" (even though she is a girl), but fanfic Lincoln points out that Lana isn't mocked for being a "tomboy". The real Luna points out the double standard that women and girls are allowed to bend gender stereotypes without being mocked more often than men and boys, and then we get an adult joke from her when she says, "I know I do" after Grammy asks if the author hates periods.
Fanfic Lincoln goes to the game but won't stop chuckling. On the couch, Lucy asks if it's really that funny and Lola says that if fanfic Lucy was wearing pyjamas with ponies on them, then no, but if she was wearing a pony costume, then yes, it would be funny and they would indeed tease.
The twins ask fanfic Lincoln what's so funny, and he admits that it's Lucy's clothes. The real Luna points out that if that were to happen, the twins would pester him for info about the clothes. Sure enough, they (and Leni) start to pester him and wonder if it's her vampire costume or her skeleton costume, even though despite Lucy's love for Halloween, it's not actually Halloween.
Fanfic Lola then guesses the secret as she owns pony pyjamas and Lucy is close to her in size (even though fanfic Lola doesn't know that Lucy likes ponies, the real Lola doesn't own pony pyjamas, and the real Lucy doesn't borrow things without asking). Then, fanfic Leni randomly guesses that Lucy watches a "girl show". So Lincoln spills the beans and someone, confusingly, says, "Yay!". Fanfic Lincoln tells them to let it go and the real Lana points out that the rule is the siblings are allowed a week of teasing (or a month in the case of the twins).
The sisters say that they will not let it go as it is "wrong" to have an unpopular opinion. The real siblings disagree and talk about their own unpopular opinions, but cringe when Lana reveals she likes anchovies on pizza. Fanfic Lincoln pleads them not to tell anyone, but they insist on telling Lucy's friends.
The next day, fanfic Lynn reveals that the whole elementary school knows the secret. Haiku ends their friendship (which Lucy points out would be hypocritical since the real Haiku watches a "baby show" called "Frank the Foreman".) Fanfic Lucy, mortified, hides in her locker and Lincoln feels guilty and apologises, but Lucy doesn't believe him.
Fanfic Lincoln tries to earn her forgiveness with chocolates and working for her but she refuses (and apparently hates chocolate). She then tells him to prove he is sorry by humiliating himself in front of the whole town, which the real Lucy takes issue with: she knows Lincoln wouldn't be so mean, and forgiveness isn't something you earn by punishing yourself. Fanfic Lucy then tells her brother how to do that: by wearing her pony pyjamas (even though they wouldn't fit him).
She sets up a red carpet for everyone to watch, and the real Lucy reveals that while she did appreciate what Lincoln did to make up for embarrassing his sisters in the episode "Making the Case", that doesn't mean she'd like to see him suffer. The story then ends with Lincoln being mad at Lucy and her crying.
The real Louds understandably think the story is miserable and feel dirty. The kids then read that it's a parody of "the infamous Hey Arnold! episode", but that does not make it any better.
This chapter provides examples of
- Adaptational Jerkass:
- While the sisters probably would tease Lucy for liking ponies, they wouldn't if they knew her feelings were seriously hurt. Also, they wouldn't blab to the whole school.
- Fanfic Haiku ends her friendship with Lucy and calls her a loser.
- While fanfic Lucy is mainly all right, she was uncharacteristically mean only being mad at Lincoln for starting it, when the girls are equally at fault for spreading the secret, and then later refuses to forgive him.
- All Girls Like Ponies: Princess Pony is described as "girly" in the fanfic and by Lola.
- Alliterative Title: Mentioned when Lucy brings up a kids' show called "Frank the Foreman".
- Bad Mood Retreat: Fanfic Lucy hides in her locker to deal with her embarrassment.
- Brainy Baby: Discussed when fanfic Lincoln says that, for all they know, it could have been Lily in the story who said, "What is it, Lola?".
- Continuity Nod: Lincoln remembers posting embarrassing videos of his sisters, which happened in "Making the Case".
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Fanfic Leni randomly guesses that Lucy watches a "girl show".
- Dissonant Serenity: Luna points out that fanfic Lucy seems mellow for someone who had her secret blabbed to her whole school.
- Does Not Like Spam: Fanfic Lucy apparently hates chocolate, unlike the real Lucy.
- Double Standard: Discussed when Luna mentions that girls can bend gender stereotypes and it's socially acceptable, but not so much boys.
- Downer Ending: The story ends with Lucy feeling guilty for the whole ordeal and crying while Lincoln is mad at her.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Apparently, Lola once wet herself on a school trip and Lana called her "Betsy Wetsy".
- Embarrassing Pyjamas: Fanfic Lucy is ridiculed for her pony pyjamas, and the kids on the couch all agree that a pony onesie is more embarrassing than pony-printed pyjamas.
- Embarrassment Plot: The fanfic is about Lucy being embarrassed over her secret coming out.
- Everyone Has Standards: Lincoln, Luna, Lucy, and Lola are pretty tolerant of unpopular opinions, but cringe when Lana mentions she likes anchovies on pizza.
- Hidden Depths: Apparently, Haiku watches a "baby show".
- Idiot Plot: Discussed In-Universe when fanfic Lola claims that the Princess Pony characters make a lot of dumb decisions.
- I Have No Son!:
- Fanfic Lucy claims that Lincoln is no longer her brother when she's mad at him.
- Implied at the end when fanfic Lucy is described as Lincoln's "former sister".
- Noodle Incident: Apparently, Lucy has "complicated" reasons for liking Princess Pony, but they're not explained.
- Not So Above It All: Haiku is sombre and apparently hates cheerful people, yet she apparently watches a "baby show" called "Frank the Foreman".
- Only One Finds It Fun: Lana is the only one of the reading Louds to like anchovies on pizza.
- Out of Character:
- One of the sisters is excited that fanfic Lucy likes Princess Pony for some reason.
- Fanfic Lucy is meaner than in canon and hates chocolate.
- Plot Hole:
- How did the fanfic versions Lola and Leni guess the truth?
- When fanfic Lola revealed that the pony pyjamas were hers, why did no one (not even Lana!) tease her for it?
- How does fanfic Lola know that the characters in Princess Pony have no personality and make dumb decisions if she doesn't follow it?
- Potty Failure: Lola apparently once wet herself on a school trip and Lana teased her for a month.
- Shout-Out: The fanfiction is a parody of an episode of Hey, Arnold!.
- Stock "Yuck!": Nobody but Lana likes anchovies on pizza, and it's the one thing that they feel is wrong to have an unpopular opinion on.
