What if Hawk Moth gave Reflekta better instructions before she attacked Chat Noir?

Reflekta is Reflective

Chapter 1: Picture This

Rose came to Marinette. "Oh, Juleka was locked in the bathroom – she really does have the class photo jinx!"

"Of course I should've known," said Marinette. "Chloé was behind this! We're gonna have to break this curse, Rose!"

"We can ask the photographer," said Rose.

"There's no point – he wouldn't want to! Unless... the photo disappeared, and the Principal would have no choice but ask the photographer to shoot another one, with Juleka!"

"You're a genius, Marinette! But why would the photo just disappear?"

"You find Juleka; I'll take care of the rest!" said Marinette.

Chloé was hiding around the corner with Sabrina.

"She's not ruining my perfect photo with Adrien! Think of something, fast!" Chloé said to Sabrina.

Marinette watched from the library floor as Principal Damocles and Vincent (the photographer) came out of the office.

"So, all the material stays in the Principal's office during lunch break," said Marinette to Tikki.

"I refuse to be a part of this!" said Tikki.

"There's no time! We have to break Juleka's class photo jinx before the photographer leaves the school," said Marinette.

Marinette slipped down the stairs and went to the door of the office. The coast seemed clear.

"Okay," said Marinette, preparing to enter.

"There must be another way, Marinette!" said Tikki, flying up to face level.

Marinette ignored the warning and went in.

(Chloé, recording her with her cell phone from the other side of the building, was looking at the zoomed-in camera view and didn't see the kwami. Sabrina, who was also watching, missed seeing the small creature from a distance.)

Marinette picked up the camera and looked at the preview screen. She almost found the image she wanted to delete, but then she heard footsteps approaching. She put down the camera and hid behind the desk.

Chloé and Sabrina came into the Principal's office.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea!" Tikki whispered to Marinette.

Sabrina said softly to Chloé, "I think she's hiding behind the desk."

Chloé whispered back, "I know. Just stand here quietly for a minute and let her sweat."

Into the school courtyard came Juleka Couffaine, now akumatized into Reflekta.

Her hair resembled a pinkish-red latex hood, with two huge ponytails sticking up on either side of her head. She wore a ruffled collar and matching ruffled skirt with eye-shaped designs. Her face was white, with hot pink circles around her eyes, and rounded green dots on the tips of her long eyelashes. On top of her right hand was an eye-shaped decoration with a white center.

Reflekta landed in front of Damocles and Vincent, each carrying a cup of coffee for their break.

"Hello!" said Reflekta.

"What? Who-who are you?" asked Damocles.

"Nobody's ever noticed me! But those days are over! But from now on, everybody will notice me because everybody will look like me! Time to get a new look!"

She pointed the device on her right hand at the two men, and turned them into duplicates of herself. (The coffees disappeared when they transformed.)

"Soon there will be Reflektas everywhere!"

Reflekta blasted away in every direction, making everyone into Reflekta copies.

"No need to panic! Who doesn't love an extreme makeover?"

Students tried to flee, but she threw lockers in front of the exit from the school courtyard.

"Nobody leaves here!"

Reflekta jumped up to a high point on the building.

"Hahahaha! Soon everyone in Paris will look like me, including Chloé Bourgeois!"

"Beautiful," said Hawk Moth telepathically. "It won't be long before Ladybug and Cat Noir show their face! And then... wait! Reflekta, you must not transform them before you get their Miraculouses – the ring from Chat Noir and the earrings from Ladybug. I warn you – change either of them before you get the magic jewelry and I will remove your power."

"I understand," said Reflekta. "I have to get close to them. Time to get tricky."

Reflekta moved to a corner, out of sight. She came back out looking droopy and sad. She slipped into the locker room and blended in with the other victims.

Adrien came into the locker room and saw all the Reflektas. He went in a corner where nobody could see him. "Plagg, claw out!"

Chat Noir went out into the courtyard. It was empty.

Reflecta came up to him.

"Chat Noir, I'm afraid," said Reflekta in a fake anxious voice. "Please get us out of here. I want to go home."

"Have no fear, I will set you free," said Chat.

Others come out also.

Nino said, "Yo! Check it! Cat Noir is gonna save us!"

"Help us Cat Noir! I don't know how longer I can stand being in this body!" said Ivan.

"No worries, fans!" said Chat proudly. "No purr-oblem."

"Oh, thank you, Chat Noir," said Reflekta. In pretended gratitude she shook his right hand. She slipped the ring off his finger and the instant it left his hand she blasted him with the transformation beam.

"Much better! I hate cats!" said Reflekta.

"It's the real Reflekta! Run!" Nino shouted. He ran, but he got hit in the back and turned into another copy.

Hawk Moth sent, "Wonderful work, Reflekta. Now do the same to Ladybug!"

"I want to keep looking for Chloé."

"Go ahead, but watch for Ladybug. She could arrive at any moment."

Chloé was tired of waiting. "I know you're in here Marinette. Come out, now!"

"Hide, Tikki," whispered Marinette, letting the kwami back into her purse.

Marinette stood up, looking sullen.

"Aha! Caught red-handed Marinette Dupain-Cheng! The principal would love my video of you snooping around in his office!" said Chloé.

Chloé showed Marinette the clip of her going into the office. Marinette was trying to think of a way to get leverage to get it erased, when...

Reflekta, having dealt with Chat Noir very swiftly, was now close enough to the door to hear Chloé's raised voice. She smashed her way into the room.

"There you are at last! Chloé Bourgeois!"

"Who are you?" asked Chloé.

"Take a good look at me because I am your future face!" said Reflekta.

"Eeew, gross!" said Chloé.

Marinette had figured out by this time the identity of the akuma. It had to be the last person with a grudge against Chloé – Juleka.

No time to transform. "Juleka, stop this now!" said Marinette.

"I'm not the Juleka nobody notices anymore! Now, I'm the unmistakable Reflekta!"

Marinette was about to pick up the camera to throw at the akuma, but Reflekta was too fast: she zapped Chloé and changed her to a copy.

"What in the?" said Chloé. "Do you realize how much my outfit cost?"

"You should be thanking me! You look a thousand times better looking like this!"

Marinette had a sudden realization. Chloé had her cell phone in her hand an instant ago, and now it was gone. So were the sunglasses she always wore on top of her head. If Marinette was hit next...

Marinette dropped behind the desk and pulled off her earrings. (They attached magically, without piercings, so this was easy to do). She flung them down, pulled off her purse, and put the purse on top of the earrings.

Reflekta had taken a moment for a few more words with Chloé, and also zapped Sabrina. Then she came around the desk.

"One more face to make over," said Reflekta. She zapped Marinette, then walked out laughing.

Marinette picked up her purse, popped in the earrings, and pushed out of the office past the still-shocked Chloé and Sabrina.

It wasn't easy to run in the high platform shoes and the stiff, frilly skirt. She went into the nearest deserted classroom and put the earrings back on. Fortunately, her new plastic hair didn't cover her ears.

"Tikki, can you transform me while I'm like this?" Marinette asked.

"I should be able to. The magic of the form is too strong for me to fix, but I can still give you your powers."

"Tikki, spots on!"

The transformation felt weird. The urge to dance and twirl was thwarted by the bulky costume.

Ladybug looked down at herself. The frilly red dress was still there, but now covered with black spots. Her yo-yo was at her hip. She felt her mask over what she knew were pink-ringed eyes with green-tipped eyelashes.

Lovely... However, she was Ladybug. She could do this.

She ran out to find and stop Reflekta.