MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: "SCATTERBUG"

by Mythril Moth

CHAPTER 3

"So, Hawk Moth's creating impostors of me again?" Redbug asked, eyes narrowed in rage. "Well, you're just what I needed to blow off some steam..."

"W-wait!" Purplebug said pleadingly, struggling to untangle herself and free her own yo-yo from Redbug's grip. "It isn't like that!"

"Oh, I'll just bet it isn't!" Redbug snarled. With a sharp tug of her yo-yo, she sent Purplebug slamming into the concrete roof, stunning her. Then, with a yell of rage, she spun Purplebug over her head and launched her into the courtyard. The few people who were hanging around the school during lunch break were startled as Purplebug slammed into the blacktop, skidding across it before landing in a heap.

Redbug dropped down in front of her, pure anger on her face as she reached down and hauled her counterpart to her knees. "So where is it?" she demanded. "The earrings?" She reached out to remove Purplebug's Miraculous...

Angry purple sparks snapped at her, clashing with red sparks that danced off her own fingers. She hissed and drew back, eyes narrowed. "What the—"

Purplebug, still dazed from the brutal assault, struggled to tangle Redbug up in her own yo-yo wire while she was distracted. As Redbug thrashed and struggled, she leaned in close. "Listen," she said insistently. "Neither of us is Ladybug. I mean, we both are, but we're not."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Redbug snarled. "I think I know who I am!"

"And are you always this angry?" Purplebug asked softly. "Is this normal for us?"

Redbug frowned. "Why shouldn't I be angry? This whole day's been nothing but one disaster after another! Chat Noir, Chloé, Hawk Moth, you, it's...!"

Purplebug sighed. "Look...remember Dividia's attack? It divided Ladybug into different parts of her personality." She gestured at herself. "I'm part of Ladybug, and so are you. And we're stuck like this, unable to use our powers or help anyone, until we can find all the pieces of us."

Redbug stared at her. "Bullshit," she said.

Purplebug shrugged helplessly. "Everything we've seen the Akumatized do, you think this isn't possible?" She shook her head. "You're Ladybug's anger. You know, the part of us that..."

"Gets angry and flies off the handle," Redbug growled, slumping. "Yeah. Okay. And what are you?"

"Compassion, apparently," Purplebug said. "There's a pink one that's just plain lovesick and obsessed with Adrien, and we don't know how many others there are but we're searching Paris, me, the pink one, and Chat Noir."

Redbug growled. "Chat Noir! If he'd been on top of his game in the first place—"

"Chat Noir didn't do anything wrong," Purplebug said. "He's terribly worried about all of us. He wants...he wants Ladybug back. All of her. And I want that too. Because I can't do anything for the people of Paris like this, and...and because I can't stand seeing Chat Noir so worried."

Redbug snorted. "Fine," she said. She frowned. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Well, Pinkbug went to check the bakery," Purplebug said. "If any of us went home, she'll find them...if she isn't busy staring at pictures of Adrien..." She sighed. "Chat Noir went to Le Grand Paris." She picked up her yo-yo and flipped it open, hitting the call signal.

Static greeted her.

Redbug snorted. "Great, he's not even bothering to stay in range or...or he's changed back and is off screwing around, or—"

"I don't think so," Purplebug said. She frowned as she held her yo-yo up, waving it around. "I'm not getting anything," she said worriedly. "I think the yo-yo's messed up just like our other powers."

Redbug blinked. "So all we've got is our suits and the unbreakable yo-yo without any extra features?"

"Looks that way," Purplebug said. "No Ladybug smartphone, no Lucky Charm, no Miraculous Ladybug, and we can't detransform."

Redbug let out a string of curses that made Purplebug wince. "When I get hold of whoever's responsible for this, I'm gonna—!"

Purplebug facepalmed. "Can you calm down for five seconds? If Chat Noir didn't find any of us at the hotel, he's going to search either Eiffel Tower or Trocadero next. If we can't find him or any other Ladybugs, we'll meet back at Adrien's house, that's our fallback point."

Redbug blinked. "Adrien's house? Why—"

"Oh, did I forget to mention? Adrien is Chat Noir."

Redbug's eyes widened. She squeezed her yo-yo so tight it almost cracked. Her left eye twitched.

"Are. You. Fucking. KIDDING ME?!"

After Orangebug confirmed that she'd already come from Eiffel Tower in the first place and hadn't seen any other Ladybugs, Chat Noir suggested searching Trocadero next. Orangebug agreed, and led Chat Noir straight to her favorite 'inspiration spot'.

There, they found a gold-suited Ladybug with silver spots dancing elegantly and enthusiastically around passersby, invading their personal space to look them up and down and critique their fashion.

"Ah, non non, Monsieur! Those colors, they should never be worn together! Ah, Mademoiselle, that purse matches that skirt perfectly! A braided belt would work better with that ensemble. Ah! My eyes! They burn! Who dressed you, Madame, a vomiting cat?"

"Meeeowch," Chat Noir said as he landed behind her, an amused smirk on his face.

Goldbug turned around. "Ah, hello Chaton!" she said brightly. She leaned in and flicked his bell. "You know, I've always loved this look for you. Not many people can pull off leather catboy fetish wear, but you? You make it work."

Chat Noir spluttered. "F-fetish wear—?!"

Orangebug facepalmed. "Oh, for..."

"AH! What is THIS?" Goldbug cried in alarm, staring at Orangebug. "That shade of orange, it is all wrong! Asian Lady Beetles have a more natural, subdued orange, not...not Orangina orange!"

Orangebug raised an eyebrow. "And silver spots go with gold so well, hmm?"

Goldbug blinked and looked down at herself, pursing her lips. "I...I admit, it's not my first choice..." She frowned. "Wait, why am I wearing this again?"

"Okay, I give," Chat Noir asked, shaking his head. "Which part of you is she?"

"The part of me that's a fashion critic, I guess," Orangebug said, biting her lip. "Mon Dieu..."

Goldbug blinked. "Eh? What's going on?"

The others quickly filled her in. "So now we've got to find the other Ladybugs," Chat Noir said. "We found you here, so maybe it's time to look someplace else..." He frowned and opened his staff, trying to call Pinkbug or Purplebug. His frown deepened when he got a 'cannot connect' error. "Merde," he grumbled. "I think your yo-yos aren't getting signal like usual..."

"Makes sense, if the other Ladybug powers are on the fritz," Orangebug said, checking her own yo-yo. She frowned. "So what do we do?"

"Well, for now, I guess we fall back and wait for the others," Chat Noir said. "I...guess we go to my place." He sighed. "I mean, the cat's already out of the bag, might as well..."

Both Colorbugs blinked at him. "Huh?"

Chat Noir sighed. "At least two of you already know who I am," he said...

Bluebug watched Pinkbug roam all around Adrien's room, touching everything and sitting everywhere Adrien might sit and sighing. She shook her head. "You...you act like we even have a chance with him," she said. "If...if he saw this, he'd think there's something wrong with me." She frowned. "Maybe there is. I mean, if I act like this..." She grabbed her pigtails and pulled on them. "Ugh! I'm such a creepy stalker loser klutz! There's no way I'm good enough for Adrien! There's no way I'm good enough to be Ladybug! I'm...I'm just a pathetic—"

"Oh, come on," Pinkbug said lightly. "Adrien is Chat Noir, Chat Noir can't stop trying to make passes at me!" She giggled. "It's in the bag, trust me! Have some faith in yourself!" She paused, blinking. "Well, I guess you can't, since you're literally the part of me that doesn't have any faith in myself..."

Bluebug sniffled. "It's...it's true!" she wailed. "I'm just a horrible, pathetic nothing! Why did it have to be me, somebody confident and bold like Alya should've gotten the stupid Miraculous!"

"Yeah, I don't think so."

Pinkbug and Bluebug both looked up as two new Ladybugs and Chat Noir came in through the window. The orange-suited Ladybug had spoken up; she walked over to Bluebug and crouched in front of her. "We were chosen for a reason," she said firmly. "We've saved Paris over and over again. We've done amazing things both in and out of the suit. I know sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough, but then I look at all the good I've done and all the people I've helped and I understand that it could never have been anybody else but me. I. Am. Ladybug. If I'd given away the Miraculous that first day, Alya would never have been able to do what I've done."

"Yeah, besides, with that hair? She'd never make the Ladybug look work," Goldbug said, one hand on a cocked hip. "Volpina, maybe, I could see her as. But Ladybug? No."

Pinkbug giggled. "Yeah, she'd look pretty silly." She looked at the two new arrivals, pursing her lips. "Okay, so which parts of me are you guys?"

"Well, the orange one seems to be the...err...Ladybug part of you," Chat Noir said. "I mean, she's laser focused and determined. We, err..."

"UGH!" Goldbug cried in disgust from the depths of Adrien's closet. "What is this? How can you possibly dress so well on magazine covers and signs and so horribly the rest of the time? You're rich but you dress like...!" She emerged from the closet, holding up a white jacket and a faded pair of jeans. "I can't even!"

"HEY! Adrien looks perfect in everything!" Pinkbug cried.

Ignoring her, Goldbug looked around the room, frowning. "Ugh, this room, it's...stale. Is this a bedroom or a toy store? It looks like one of those cheap pizza places Americans take their kids for birthday parties. Is that why it stinks of cheese?" She wrinkled her nose. "This room has no soul. I'd love to take a weekend and rip everything out of here, rearrange it, make it feel more..." She gestured vaguely. "More like a room somebody actually lives in."

Chat Noir winced.

Bluebug stared, eyes wide. "Wow," she said. "That sounds like me about ten seconds before I take something I bought off the rack and shred it."

"I know, right?" Pinkbug said. "And she needs to stop, she's hurting Adrien's feelings!"

"Oh, how can I possibly be hurting his feelings," Goldbug said dismissively. "This room isn't him and he knows it! The only thing here that's remotely Adrien is the wallpaper on his computer. The rest of this, it's..." She shook her head.

Chat Noir sighed as he sat down. "Well she's not wrong," he admitted ruefully.

"Aww, don't be sad!" Pinkbug said, sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pressing up against him. He tensed up, blushing.

Orangebug pursed her lips. "Alright, so we need to plan for—"

"—figures," Ladybug's angry voice said from the window, making Orangebug trail off. "It just fucking figures!"

Chat Noir's eyes widened. The Colorbugs in the room all blinked, turning to the window.

"Wow, I even know that word?" Bluebug wondered. Orangebug facepalmed.

"Now, calm down," another, gentler voice said as Redbug and Purplebug climbed into the room. Purplebug looked around, blinking. "Wow, that's a lot of Ladybugs," she said.

Redbug looked around the room. Her eyes narrowed. "Okay, when I get my hands on that little math witch, I'll divide her all over Paris!"

"Eep!" Bluebug squeaked, drawing in on herself.

"Someone's having a cow," Goldbug remarked.

Orangebug pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, for..." She shook her head. "Okay, Ladybugs? All of us? Gather over here," she said. Giving Redbug a sharp look, she added, "Unless you want to be stuck like this?"

Redbug grumbled, but joined her, taking her yo-yo off her hip. The others gathered together; Pinkbug whimpered as Purplebug peeled her away from Chat Noir, but joined the rest, blowing a kiss to her partner. The six Colorbugs stood shoulder to shoulder, leaving just enough room to throw their yo-yos into the air.

"On three," Orangebug said. "One, two, three...LUCKY CHARM!"

Six different-colored yo-yos shot straight into the air. A weak pulse of rainbow-colored ladybugs spiraled out from the combined yo-yos, but abruptly faded. The yo-yos returned to the waiting palms of their owners.

Chat Noir sagged.

Redbug growled. "Well that was a bust."

Bluebug cringed. "I knew it," she said. "I really can't do anything right..."

"What do we do now?" Purplebug said softly. "How do we...how do we help Paris like this?"

Orangebug frowned. "No, wait," she said. "Something happened. You all saw it, right?"

Chat Noir blinked. "Hey, yeah!" he said. "When Purplebug tried it on her own, nothing happened at all! But just now, it...it looked like it tried to work!"

"Hey, he's right," Goldbug said, staring at her open yo-yo. "Look!"

The other Colorbugs opened their yo-yos. The inside display of each one had changed to a pattern of seven colored dots. Six of the dots were lit up, but the seventh was dimmed out.

Purplebug's brow furrowed. "Red, orange, purple, blue, pink, gold...yellow." She looked around at the others. "There's a yellow Ladybug we haven't found yet."

Orangebug nodded. "We need to find the yellow Ladybug," she said. "Then we can fix all this." She looked around at the Colorbugs. "Spread out. Search for her. Regroup at Eiffel Tower."

"Is spreading out a good idea, though?" Purplebug asked. "I mean, how will we know when to regroup?"

"Let's regroup in...two hours," Orangebug decided. "If none of us have found her by then, we'll keep looking."

Chat Noir frowned at the time. "I'd better get back to school," he said. "If I'm not seen there when lunch ends, it'll be trouble for me."

Pinkbug nodded. "Right, I'll go back to school with Adrien, so—"

"No, you'll search for Yellowbug like the rest of us," Redbug growled.

"If Yellowbug shows up at school, Adrien can send her to the tower to meet up with the rest of us," Orangebug said. She looked at the others seriously. "We need to be careful. We don't know who the Akumatized was before she turned into Dividia, so we don't know when or if she'll be Akumatized again, but we do know that a whole army of Dividias would be a major disaster."

Bluebug whimpered. "I don't know if I can do this..."

"You can," Orangebug said confidently. "Come on, girls. Let's bug out!"

À SUIVRE...

Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained on this page is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged.