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“UGH! This stupid-!” Brianna roared, kicking a paint can. It rolled a few feet away from her, but she took her focus off of it to rage at the air.
“Who the hell do these dumb fuc-” she paused to take a second to recollect herself as Tikki floated into the abandoned art room with Mullo.
“No, keep going!” Mullo squeaked angrily. “How are these horrible people allowed to run a school like this?!”
Tikki shook her head, scouting for any akumas. “People make mistakes, but this? This is too far.”
Brianna started pacing back and forth, chanting quietly, “I am not getting akumatized over this, I am not getting akumatized over this, I am not…”
Mullo rolled her eyes. “Who even CARES anymore?! You’re hurt, you’re tired, you-you’re-you’re ANGRY! You’re being accused of something you haven’t done! You- Mischief, you deserve to feel this way, you… YOU!-”
Tikki floated over to Mullo angrily as Brianna was still pacing, “She can NOT let her feelings get the better of her! I know that Principal Meyer and the others are horribly messing up, but Brianna has a duty to-”
“Oh, sureeee!” Mullo rolled her eyes. “Not letting her feelings get the better of her. That’s ALWAYS what you say, Tikki!”
“Your solution to everything is to cause some chaos! You’re just like Plagg and Roaar, you never take time to think things through and go for the first idea that pops in your head!”
“Like you’re any better! You tell all your holders to keep their feelings inside. And it barely works,” Mullo fumed, pointing her tiny arm at the small goddess of creation.
Brianna stopped pacing to glare at the two. “Guys.”
Tikki shook her tiny head, and retorted, “I don’t say to keep the feelings inside, I tell them to share them to their support system or a therapist, not just act on them now and regret them later!”
“Well, what if they have no support? What if Bri didn’t know anyone’s identity and she was alone? What if you had gotten your way and you’d given her Pol-” Mullo cut herself off and continued while waving her arms around. “What if you had your way all the time?!”
“Oh, would that be the end of the world?! I am the kwami of CREATION! I create LIFE! I create WORLDS! All you do is make tiny copies of yourself. What is that POSSIBLY useful for?”
“Guys.” Brianna tried again, unsuccessfully. She could’ve sworn that she could hear a small fluttering across the room, but she pushed it to the back of her mind and clutched her paintbrush harder.
Mullo froze, then glared angrily at Tikki, “...Is keeping her feelings inside because she’s too valuable the same thing you told Marinette?”
An eerie silence settled over the art room, but that was quickly interrupted by the angry bickering of the two tiny goddesses.
“How DARE YOU!”
“Guys, stop it.”
“MARINETTE WAS PART OF THE MISCHIEF, TOO, SHE WASN’T JUST YOUR BUG!”
Brianna stopped pacing around and shouted at Mullo and Tikki, “YOU TWO NEED TO SHUT UP RIGHT NOW OR I AM GOING TO FRICKING LOSE IT!”
She waved around her arms to put an emphasis on the ‘lose it’.
She didn’t notice the corrupted butterfly get absorbed into her paintbrush.
“Greetings,” the unfamiliar voice echoed in her head, startling Brianna as Mullo and Tikki quickly zipped into her backpack.
Brianna dropped her paintbrush, and muttered, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
King Moth continued. “...I can tell that you’re not doing the best right now, Miss…” he paused. “Brianna.”
As her hands began to shake, Brianna’s vision started to become blurry as King Moth’s power slowly started to overwhelm her. “Not in a million, billion years, King Moth! You manipulated my friends into joining you, but I’m NEVER gonna let you do that to me!” she snapped.
“But wouldn’t it make you feel better if you made everyone feel worse?”
Brianna initially rolled her eyes at the offer, but thought about it for a moment. She looked at the discarded paintbrush on the floor, then whispered, “…Maybe.”
No. Stop it. I’m supposed to save everyone. You are a hero.
“Think about it. You’re being ignored, bashed for some circumstantial evidence,” The butterfly villain pressured her, “And don’t you think that it’s upsetting that some street rat’s scribbles are being called yours?”
Do not give in. You are a hero!
Unconsciously, Brianna took off her necklace and gently tossed it under the table. “I… you wouldn’t know what the d-difference was between vandalism and art even if it slapped you in the f-face.” Tikki flew out of Brianna’s backpack and dragged it away, concerned for the heroine but knowing that keeping the mouse miraculous safe was her priority.
“And yet I know more than your school principal does about your side of the story.”
“I- nnn-” Brianna started to panic as she struggled to form words.
He did have a point.
Brianna’s eye twitched as she reached for her paintbrush.
“Come on…” King Moth whispered. “You know you want to!”
Grasping it in her left hand, she shakily stood up and raised it up in the air.
She giggled derisively and waved the paintbrush around. “They’ll see. They’ll all see! I’m the greatest artist in the history of this middle school!”
From the other side of the telepathic connection, King Moth sounded pleased. “Very well, then. Give them hell, Monochrome.”
A dark, bubbling substance covered Brianna, and her vision went dark.
—————
Scarlet ran through the hallway, looking for somebody, ANYBODY.
“Scarlet!”
Her head whipped around and she searched for the tiny voice. “Tikki?” She whispered
“Something bad happened,” Tikki said, handing over a silver pendant.
“What is…” Scarlet paused, eyes widening as she realized what it was. “Oh. Oh, no.”
Tikki grimaced. “Oh, yes… Brianna’s gone.”
“Scarlet! Are you still out here?”
Scarlet shoved the miraculous in her pocket and called back, “Yeah! Where are you?”
“Over here!” the voice exclaimed.
“That is NOT helpful!”
“Oh my god, Kyle- Scar, we’re behind you,” a second voice sighed. “It’s Lydia. That one girl who used to come over to your house all the time with Nutty.”
Scarlet turned around to see Jase, Lydia, and a younger boy she didn’t know walking towards her. “Ohhh! Yeah, I remember you!” she smiled, “You brought chalk over and then our parents said you couldn’t come over anymore. Reese got really upset.”
Lydia frowned. “Your and Nutty’s parents never did like me, huh…” they sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. “Have you seen the new akuma, yet? We’re checking for survivors and waiting for the heroes to show up.”
…Survivors?
“...What do you mean, survivors?” she asked cautiously. Scarlet hadn’t noticed before, but the halls did seem emptier than usual.
Actually, no.
Jase, Lydia, and the third guy were the only people Scarlet had seen in a while. Normally the halls were crowded with students and teachers between periods, but this emptiness was borderline terrifying.
“Didn’t you see the statues?” the other kid asked, “The akuma’s from the art room. Everyone’s either hiding or…” he made a game over-like noise and crossed his arms. “Gone.”
Jase nodded, frantically tapping on his phone. “Brianna isn’t responding. Blue isn’t responding. I’m worried about her.”
“Okay, I have no idea what he’s saying but we should get the hell out of here before we get statued as well,” the kid shrugged, “Any ideas on how to get away?”
Scarlet shook her head. “Okay- but where the hell is Brianna? And maybe Blue?”
“He’s… not doing too well at the moment,” the kid grimaced. “Dude’s my best friend, but he’s not the greatest at running from akumas.”
“Kyle, shut up, we’re searching for Brianna now!” Lydia groaned. She pulled out her phone and started typing something. “She’s got her phone off silent mode, right?”
“How am I supposed to know?!”
“I don’t know, I’m just trying to help!”
Okay, okay… problem solving time. Scarlet looked down the hallways, making sure no akuma was there. “Maybe we should check the art room? That’s where Brianna hangs out a lot.”
Jase nodded. “Yeah, she would normally be there.”
The four of them hurried to the wing of the school where the art room was, the halls slowly becoming more and more dull, more… monochromatic. When they entered the art room, though, it seemed normal.
“Brianna?!” Scarlet called out, checking to make sure that Mullo’s miraculous was still in her pocket. “Please, this isn’t funny! There’s an akuma-”
“Uhhh… guys?”
The kid (Scarlet guessed his name was Kyle) was pointing at the wall of drawings, specifically a monochromatic sketch of large, excited, cartoon-like eyes that seemed to draw attention to itself, despite the fact it was the least colorful thing in the room.
“...Did-Did those eyes just blink?” he stammered, backing away.
The pair of eyes on the paper winked at them and disappeared.
The four of them stared at the drawing in silence for a moment.
Then, Jase ran away without saying anything.
Lydia groaned. “COWARD!” she called after him. “Can’t believe that guy…”
Kyle slowly started backing out of the room. “...Maybe I should go… find him?”
“Kyle, no.”
Scarlet sighed. “Guys, we really shouldn’t be splitting up in this situation!” It was like none of them had ever been in an akuma attack before, seriously…
And Kyle left, leaving Scarlet and Lydia alone in the art room. Scarlet started looking around, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Lydia kept texting.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
…Ding!
CRUNCH!
Both Lydia and Scarlet’s heads whipped around to find the source of the noise, only to see Brianna’s broken phone snapped in half on the floor, completely white.
“What the…” Lydia muttered, snapping a picture and looking up. Scarlet followed her gaze, noticing the eyes on the ceiling.
“...What’s that?” Scarlet asked, taking a step backwards. The eyes blinked again, and again, and again.
“Betcha weren’t expecting me, now, were you?”
Out of the ceiling dropped a short, white monster with a crazy grin on her face.
The new akuma had some of her white hair up in space buns, and the rest down. She wore a dark gray cropped hoodie and a light gray skirt, ribbons around her ankles, and no shoes, with rainbow flowers embedded in her hair like a crown. Her weapon was a giant paintbrush, almost twice her size.
…Brianna.
Scarlet and Lydia were backed into a corner by the new akuma, with Lydia stepping in front of them both.
“You found meeeeee!” The akuma giggled. “And now! Here’s the fun part: I get ta drain your colors. Let’s see…”
Scarlet backed ran over to the duo and inspected them, lifting Lydia’s arm. “Hmmm… a dark magenta! How majestic! How beautiful! How strong and powerful and oh-so-amazing!”
She pulled Lydia closer and put her hand on their chest. “I must have you!”
“Wh-What-” Lydia sputtered, blushing furiously. The akuma grinned and booped her on the nose, suddenly turning Lydia fully white.
She was frozen, like a statue. Stuck in her flustered position.
The akuma turned pinker, and she gasped. “OooOOOOH! That was as good as I thought…”
Then, she turned to Scarlet. “Hmmm… bright lime green… I don’t have that one yet!” Her voice sounded excited at the prospect of turning her into a statue. The new akuma inched a little closer to Scarlet, a manic grin plastered on her face.
“Hi!~” she purred, twirling her hair around in her free hand. “Would you gimme those colors willingly, or do I have to whack them outta you?”
She swung her large paintbrush around in a circle for effect, and when Scarlet didn’t respond, her grin fell a bit. In a strained voice, she added, “No? I guess you want this to be done the hard way, then! The legendary Monochrome will have to resort to violence!~”
She spun around once, and Scarlet’s eyes darted around the room in a panic. There HAS to be a way out of this…
“Buh-bye, limey…”
WHACK!
The sound of metal hitting brick echoed through the room, and Scarlet fell back against the wall. She was… alive?
A metal pole stood in between her and Monochrome, lodged into the wall as a barrier. About five feet from her face, Scarlet managed to pull the pole out of the wall and hit Monochrome with it. She ran as fast as she could,
“H-Hey! Stoppittttt!” Monochrome whined, scampering after her. Scarlet closed the door, pole still in hand. Monochrome slammed up against the door, just in time for Scarlet to lock it from the outside.
Backing away from the door, her gaze fell on the pole. “How did…” she whispered, confused. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Immediately, Scarlet whacked the person behind her with the pole.
“OWWW-”
Jase- no, Catastrophic, was behind her. “Oh, crap, sorry!” She gave him back his pole and helped him up. “Thought you were Monochrome.”
“...Who?” he whispered, glancing at the closed art room door. Monochrome was still trying to break down the door, more insistingly once Cat had appeared.
“Akuma. Things. I gotta go do the uh-” Scarlet snapped her fingers. “The thing! You know. Gotta put my spots… on…” She paused between the words, so she didn’t transform.
Catastrophic nodded, so Scarlet ran away, ignoring the loud crash of a door being broken off its hinges and the angry protests of her possessed friend.
She turned the corner, and Tikki quickly flew out of her pocket. “Brianna’s the akuma, oh god…” Scarlet groaned.
Tikki flew around frantically. “There’s no time!” She squeaked. “This one looks difficult… be careful, Scarlet.”
Scarlet nodded. “Trust me, when am I not careful?”
Just before the kwami could protest, she grinned and exclaimed, “Tikki, SPOTS ON!”
And in a flash of pink light, Beetlebug appeared.
She took out her yo-you and began to run through the hallways, looking for her partners (and any sign of survivors.)
Beep.
A text from Soro…
|Please tell me that you’re being safe and not alone right now.|
Scarlet sighed, and stopped for a moment to text a reply.
|i’m fine, big bro. mono isnt near me. you watch out for her + cat.|
Clink.
She started twirling her yo-yo around, searching the area for the sound.
”Awww… where’d limey go?” Monochrome giggled, stepping out of the shadows. “Didja manage to hide her with those other colors? Vio and brownie and… eh. No matter. I’ll just find her after I TAKE YOUR MIRACULOUS!”
Monochrome quickly leapt at Scarlet, swinging her brush at the ladybug hero. Scarlet rolled out of the way, trying to rip the brush out of the akuma’s hand.
That’s GOTTA be where the akuma is, Scarlet thought, letting her mind wander for a moment on how she would get it away from Monochrome.
Monochrome took advantage of her distraction, and whacked Scarlet into the water fountain with her paintbrush, breaking it and almost breaking her.
She cried out in pain as she laid, trying to get up as water pooled around her. It stung her muscles and her head throbbed with discomfort, telling her to stay down, let Monochrome win.
“Ehehehe… a nice scarlet red… and a pair of earrings to boot! HEY! MOTHY!” Monochrome shouted, causing the teleconnection to flare back to life on her face. “Take a look, guess who’s got your earrings!~”
Reaching for her yo-yo, Scarlet tried to sit up and defend herself, but she slipped and fell back again.
“Excellent… wish you weren’t so violent with her, though.” a voice came through the connection. “She’s just a kid, Mono.”
“I’m just a kid, too,” Monochrome shot back, clearly unimpressed.
While she was distracted, Scarlet managed to find the strength to grab her yo-yo again, now soaking wet. “G-Get away from me,” she hissed. “LUCKY CHARM!”
Out of the sky fell an open water bottle, adding to the still-flowing water in the hallway.
Scarlet caught it, breathing heavily.
Monochrome blinked, and the connection between her and King Moth closed.
“...This has been fun, butttttt… I think I’m gonna take your magic jewelry now,” Monochrome grinned.
She bent down, and in a last-ditch attempt to escape, Scarlet threw the water on Monochrome.
She screamed painfully as the water began to melt her, backing away from Scarlet.
Scarlet took this opportunity to escape, clutching her side and throwing her yo-yo at a door handle on the other side of the hall.
Monochrome was half-melted and laying on the floor, corruption and water still spreading. “See ya!” Scarlet waved, pulling on her yo-yo and getting launched away.
“NO!” Monochrome tried to follow her, but was blocked by the water.
Ramming against a door, Scarlet fell down again.
“Beetlebug?”
Her eyes darted around, praying Monochrome didn’t have the ability to multiply.
“Are you alright?” An 8th grader knelt down and offered her a hand.
“J-Just… peachy…” she breathed, gratefully accepting. “Don’t worry… I… I always get up. We’ll take care of this in n-no time.”
They looked concerned. “Where are Super Rabbit and Dormouse?”
“They…” Scarlet tried, coming up short.
Blue is a statue.
Brianna is the akuma.
We’re fricking screwed.
She was brought back to reality by her miraculous beeping rapidly for a few seconds.
“Statues?” The 8th grader asked, helping her stand again.
She nodded solemnly, reattaching her yo-yo to her hip.
“They didn’t manage to get away in time to t-transform, and I saw that Monochrome…”
“Say no more,” they cut her off with a wave of their hand. “Soro and Catastrophic are in Ms. Spetome’s room, come with me.”
They began leading Scarlet down the hallway, which was mostly untouched by Monochrome’s corruption.
“That thing’s not really Brianna, is it?” They asked, peeking around the corner to a hallway. It seemed like the coast was clear, so they both ran across.
“Brianna?” Scarlet pretended to be confused. “I don’t…”
They paused for a moment, then they shook their head. “Right, I don’t think you’d know her. She’s an 8th grader here. Star hair clips, star eyepatch, brown hair…” They explained. “You’d know her if you saw her. Real dramatic but super nice. I’m her friend, Felicity, by the way.”
Scarlet nodded warily as they both neared Miss LaRose’s classroom, and her miraculous started to beep again. Hurriedly, the Felicity knocked on the door.
It opened, and Scarlet was dragged inside the room seconds before the door shut again.
She recognised some of the survivors as her classmates, some as Reese’s peers, and a few she didn’t really know but had seen around a few times. Miss Tasha stood at the back with Catastrophic, trying to force a window open. Soro sat in the middle of the room, clearly worrying about everything.
Most of the conversations around Scarlet stopped, and they all stared at her silently.
“This stupid… won’t give me the key, it’s winter, why would we need a window open?” Miss Tasha muttered, “Can’t you cataclysm it?”
Catastrophic shrugged apologetically, gesturing to the wires embedded in the glass.
Miss Tasha groaned, turning around out of frustration.
Her eyes widened. “Beetlebug?”
Soro quickly looked up and ran over to hug her, whispering, “Scar, I thought she got you…”
Scarlet grinned, embracing her sibling back, but it was more of a grimace. “Yep, it’s me…”
She winced, and her earrings flashed again. Three minutes down…
“I need a place to detransform for a moment,” she sheepishly said, glancing around. “Is there a-”
“Supply closet,” Miss Tasha nodded. “Back side of the classroom, near the markers.
Scarlet hurried over there, locking herself in. “Spots off.”
Tikki flew out of her earrings as Scarlet slumped against the door, chest heaving as she clutched her ribs.
Tikki floated around her worriedly. “You shouldn’t be fighting in this condition! I didn’t expect Monochrome to sneak up on you like that, I’m so sorry.”
Scarlet stared at Tikki. “...Why’re you apologizing? It’s not your fault.”
“I just-”
“You gave me a chance to escape with the lucky charm. I should be thanking you,” Scarlet argued, sitting up a little more.
Tikki didn’t have a comeback for that, Scarlet thought, so she reached into her pockets to find a snack for her.
“I don’t have any cookies on me… but how’d you like some tasty-” she pulled out a package of saltines, but they were crushed into dust.”
“...Nevermind,” she groaned.
Knock knock.
“Uhhh… Miss Beetlebug?” a quiet voice asked. “Who’re you talking to?”
“My kwami,” Scarlet sighed, “I need her to transform.”
“I just wanted to let you know th-that M-Monochrome is slowly making her way over here… at least it says so on the cameras.” the voice said. “Is there any way we c-can help you recharge?”
Crap. I don’t have much time…
Scarlet nodded. “This is gonna sound like a weird request, but… does anybody here have any cookies in their lunches?”
“L-Let me check.”
A few minutes later, a small package of Mini Oreos was slid under the door. “My sister Riley had some… here you go.”
Tikki quickly snatched them and shoved three oreos in her mouth.
“Thanks… what’s your name?” Scarlet asked.
“...B-Bailey.” they responded. “Bailey Olson.”
Riley’s twin sister Bailey… how did I not realize it was her before? My own best friend’s sister.
“Thanks, Bailey,” Scarlet grinned, as Tikki finished the snack.
“Ready?”
Tikki nodded.
“Tikki, spots on!”
And in a flash of pink light, Scarlet became Beetlebug again.
She opened the door only to be met with dozens of eyes staring at her.
Scarlet hurried over to Catastrophic and Soro, quickly huddling up with them.
“Bee, what happened?” Soro asked worriedly.
“Mono snuck up on me after we got separated. I’m sorry,” she sighed.
“We have roughly five minutes before Monochrome gets here!” someone by the class computer called out, bringing the attention to themselves.
Catastrophic glanced outside worriedly.
“Should I use my power and destroy the window so everyone can escape?”
Soro shook its head. “What if Monochrome gets out? Then the whole world is screwed… there’s no telling what will happen.”
Cat raised his eyebrow and signed, “But we’re all sitting ducks, anyway. This might be our one chance to escape!”
“But we don’t know if she can-”
“Stop fighting, please.” Scarlet groaned. “We don’t have much time.”
Soro turned to her. “We have five minutes until she finds us, maybe less. If you have any brilliant plans to save us all, Bee, better hurry up and tell us.”
Scarlet paused.
“Beating an akuma on a timer…” she wondered out loud. “I think we’ve got this handled. We might need a…”
Scarlet tossed her yo-yo in the air and called out, “Lucky Charm!”
And out fell a second water bottle, this one sealed and full of hot water.
“...Another water bottle?” she asked, catching the lucky charm.
“We can’t get close enough to Monochrome without her draining our colors… how are we supposed to beat her?!” Soro groaned.
Catastrophic looked to the ground solemnly, and the other people in the room chattered amongst themselves nervously.
Beetlebug’s eyes darted around the room, landing on four things.
…Miss Tasha’s keys… Soro’s flute… the water bottle… anddd…
“I’VE GOT IT!” she cried, clapping her hands together. “You, at the cameras. What’s your name?”
“Milo, and this is Bailey.” Milo waved, clicking around on the computer with one hand and pointing at Bailey with the other. “What do you need?”
“Find us the fastest way to an exit, it doesn’t have to be colorful, just fast,” Scarlet insisted. “Does that computer have control over all systems in the school?”
Miss Tasha shook her head. “It’s just a basic computer, I don’t think-”
“Actually…” someone in glasses stood up. “I may have figured out the administrator’s password and logged in as them to edit my grades once, and technically I didn’t ever log out? So… it does,” they shrugged.
“Wow, that’s not great. Thanks, Blake, now I have to tell Ms. Spetome that her computer’s part of your cheating,” Miss Tasha groaned.
“It wasn’t cheating, Mr. Albin wasn’t grading my assignments-”
“NO TIME!” Soro shouted, running over to Milo. “Please, please, please, tell me we can get out, this is getting too close for comfort.”
Milo squinted at the computer. “I think… YES!”
He clicked the screen, and a path lit up on a map of the school. “There.”
Scarlet grinned. “We’ll make it out yet. Blake, do your hacking thing and explode some water fountains. All the ones that aren’t part of the path.”
“...You do realize that I can’t explode a water fountain with a computer, right?” Blake asked with a flat voice.
“EXPLODE THE WATER FOUNTAINS, BLAKE,” someone in the back yelled.
There was general agreement about that.
Blake rolled their eyes and typed something into the computer.
“I turned the pressure up, so the water will spray everywhere. They’ll go off when Monochrome arrives at the hallway. Is that good?”
Catastrophic nodded, and Scarlet grinned. “Perfect. Miss T- Miss LaRose, I’m gonna need to borrow your keys.”
Miss Tasha handed them over, and said, “Please, call me Tasha.”
“Now… Soro, Cat, follow me.”
They ran out of the classroom and through the hallways, avoiding the white corruption that would turn them to statues. Eventually, they reached the main exit, which was currently locked.
“Keys… open… door.” Scarlet tossed the keys to Catastrophic, quickly turning to Soro. “Illusion. NOW.”
“Okay, geez-” Soro pulled out his flute and put it to its mouth.
“Mirage!”
When Cat opened the door, the snowy mess outside quickly turned into a bright rainbowy forest.
“Nice,” Scarlet marveled, staring at it.
“You’ve outdone yourself.” Cat signed, stepping out. “I can barely feel the cold…”
An angry shriek came from the other end of the hallway.
“You ASSHOLES! TURNING ON THE WATER IS A CHEAP TRICK!” Monochrome fumed, quickly draining the hallway around her colorless as she charged at them.
Scarlet gripped her lucky charm, standing out in the mirage.
“Come and get it, Mono!” she teased. “Shiny colors…”
Monochrome screamed again, swinging her paintbrush wildly. “YOU WILL GIVE ME YOUR COLORS!”
She jumped at them, and Scarlet threw the water at her.
Stunned, Monochrome tried to shield herself with her arms.
…
The water only hit her feet, breaking the mirage.
After a moment, she blinked and moved her arms. “...Huh?”
Soro covered his mouth. Cat grabbed his pole from on his back. Scarlet took a step back, and Monochrome burst out laughing.
She grinned maniacally, pointing at Scarlet with her left hand. “You IDIOTS! You MISSED, I WI-”
Monochrome suddenly froze solid.
The trio of heroes stared at her in shock.
She remained frozen, and so Catastrophic stepped forwards and tapped her on the nose.
Clink clink.
“…She’s … ice.” Cat signed, stepping back.
Soro’s necklace and Scaret’s earrings both beeped. Scarlet shook her head.
“Cat? Do the thing.”
Catastrophic nodded, placing a hand on Monochrome’s paintbrush.
**“…Cataclysm.”**
Monochrome’s oversized paintbrush shattered, and a paper butterfly flew out.
Scarlet grinned, spinning her yo-yo around. “It’s the end for you, evil akuma!”
Catching it in her yo-yo, Scarlet quickly tossed it into the air and shouted-
***“MIRACULOUS BEETLEBUG!”***
The magic ladybugs swarmed the school, returning the colors to everyone inside. Scarlet’s injuries were healed, and with one final swoop they reverted Monochrome back into Brianna.
Cringing at the cold snow, Brianna slowly opened her eyes.
“…Who… what…” she mumbled, sitting up.
Catastrophic immediately picked her up.
“H-Hey!” She squeaked. “Ja- Cat, I’m not hurt or anything! Beetlebug’s cure fixed everything.”
Cat shook his head, and then carried her inside despite Brianna’s efforts to convince him she was fine.
Scarlet’s miraculous started beeping rapidly, and so she quickly followed them inside. A swarm of people immediately crowded around Brianna, which Scarlet took as an opportunity to escape.
Running into the bathroom, Tikki flew out of her miraculous and breathed a sigh of relief.
“See, everything was fine,” Scarlet smiled.
“Thank goodness,” Tikki breathed, floating in Scarlet’s face. “I got so worried! I’m sure that Mullo is worried, too.”
Scarlet nodded, digging Mullo’s pendant out of her pocket and staring at it. Mullo would be so happy to reunite with her chosen…
She put it back in her pocket, and Tikki flew in her pocket as well.
As Scarlet left the bathroom to greet her friends, she was happy to find some people crowding around Brianna worriedly.
She discreetly slipped the necklace into the girl’s backpack, gave her a quick hug from behind, and ran off to her locker so she could finally leave.
Yeah. Everything was fine.