Something happened in Paris and everyone was talking about it. In one of the battles with the akuma, Madame Butterfly had used her special power, which was very similar to the power that Shadowmodmoth used. This understandably led to many debates about whether Madame Butterfly was good or bad. Some supported Madame Butterfly saying that she is one of the heroes of Paris and has always helped people, but others said that you are the same as Shadowmodmoth and just wait for her to betray everyone. Of course the person responsible for all this was Alya, who posted pictures and a video on her blog about what Madam Butterfly's special power was, which led to many questions.
This of course made all the miracle worker owners worry about public opinion, but Scarlett worried the most. She knew she shouldn't use her special power because people would immediately find out and that would happen. People have had questions about Madame Butterfly and her special power which is the same as knew she had to explain to everyone before it got any worse. The citizens of Paris needed an explanation and she had to give it to them. After some time to think she finally decided that she'll tell about Madame Butterfly's ability at some point soon.
In Scarlett's room, she was playing a very sad and tense tune on her violin and was thinking about what to do and how to explain to the citizens of Paris why one of their heroes, the protector of the city, has the same powers as the city's greatest villain. She knew how people were going to react, and she didn't want anyone to get hurt, or worse.
"What should I even say?" She thought to herself.
Her kwami, Ruda. She watched her owner and she didn't need to be an emotion expert to know that Scarlett was sad and she knew perfectly well why. She had seen on the news how everyone was talking about Madam Butterfly using her special power for the first time. Of course this upset Scarlett a lot and she didn't know what to do. That's why Ruda thought she had to do something, and quickly, because the longer he put things off, the worse it would get. Scarlett needed to tell the truth and people needed to hear it from her own mouth and not someone else making up additional things that are not true. Ruda flew around the girl and saw tears on her face and a pained look on her eyes.
Scarlett knew that Ruda noticed her pain, so she decided to try and smile at him. But instead of a happy smile, like she usually gave, she showed sadness and guilt. She felt guilty for putting such a burden on Ruda because she felt like it was too much for her to bear. She could see right through her though and it saddened her because she wanted her friend back. She wanted the bright side of her personality back.
She landed on her shoulder and hugged her tightly. She gently caressed her hair and whispered, "Hey, don't cry. Everything will be okay." She tried to smile, but she still couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes. She leaned into her and hugged her back. She felt like she could feel everything and she wished that there was more she could do for her, but she couldn't help, but blame herself.
They stayed like that for a while until Scarlett started talking again, although she sounded like she was struggling to talk. Ruda listened to her, and as usual, was understanding. It was probably hard trying to speak without crying.
"Scarlett, put down the violin and let's talk." Ruda said in a completely calm tone.
"Okay Ruda." Scarlett said and put the violin down then sat on the sofa.
Ruda flew to her side and looked her straight in the eyes. "Now tell me what's bothering you." Ruda said.
She sensed that this was not a simple problem that he could solve on his own. Her kwami had a big heart and when she sees someone she cares about very much hurt and struggling, she wants to help them no matter the cost.
"I'm worried about telling people about my special power." Scarlett finally spoke. Ruda understood that it was difficult to tell the world what your special power was, especially when your special power was very similar to the enemy's, and especially when the media was the first to know about your power. And if they only know about that, it means they might think you're evil or dangerous and cause you trouble.
"Why? Are you afraid of being judged and ridiculed? I don't think that's true. They already know about you and you're doing amazing things on this amazing team and I can't imagine anyone being mean to you." Ruda replied.
"Yes Ruda. I do think about people thinking I'm evil, but my biggest fear is what the ladybug and the black cat will think of me when they find out about my special power." Scarlett said. Her voice was shaky and quiet but Ruda could feel that this wasn't easy for her to say. She also felt sorry for her.
"Do you think that Ladybug and Black cat won't accept you as you are? I think they love you as much as you love them, so why wouldn't they accept you?" Ruda asked. Her voice full of hope and love. She was sure Ladybug and Black cat loved her because she had saved them countless times and she had never disappointed them. And if they didn't accept her she wouldn't be the amazing hero she is today, she hoped.
"I don't know. I haven't talked to them since I showed them what my special power is, but I know they must think I'm a terrible partner. Maybe they hate me now and don't want me anymore." Scarlett said feeling really nervous and anxious. It was clear they didn't hate her, but she still feared they might be angry with her. She didn't want them to hate her and no longer trust her.
"Don't think like that! They love you so much and would never hate you. You've done all these great things and helped them a lot since you've been in Paris. So just be yourself and you'll see that they won't be mad at you !" Ruda exclaimed in a loud and encouraging voice, then smiled brightly.
She sighed. "Maybe you're right. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't want to lie about it, but I don't want people to know either."
"Well, you seem to be afraid of two things. What people and your partners will say and think about you, which is somewhat understandable. So why don't you ask them to meet somewhere secret to talk about it?" Ruda suggested.
This is actually a great idea. She knows her beloved owl will help her too. Despite what she had done to him. Still, he has forgiven her despite the fact that she doesn't deserve it. "Thank you Ruda."
"No problem, Scarlett!" Ruda chirped excitedly. "Now let's go to your room and go to bed, because you're at school tomorrow."
"Okay Ruda. I'm going to bed." Scarlett said.
Marinette was very worried and was frantically pacing around her room. It was already 11 p.m., but she didn't feel like going to bed at all. Marinette's parents were asleep by this time, but she wasn't comfortable sleeping yet. At first when the new heroes arrived, she was worried about the white owl because his powers were similar to hers, but now she was worried about Madame Butterfly. Marinette had known Madam Butterfly relatively recently, but in the short time she had with her. She found out that Madame Butterfly is a loyal partner and is always ready to help people who are in danger. She was indeed a valuable friends, but when she found out what Madam Butterfly's special power was about, she was shocked.
Madame Butterfly's power wasn't something she could've ever expected. She had the same power to give people superpowers as Shadowmoth does in an attempt to take their miracle workers.
"Oh Tikki, what should I do." Marinette said
looking at her kwami who was sitting on her desk watching her.
Tikki looked a little confused at first, but after a minute she understood what Marinette meant. Tikki knew what was going on with Marinette and what happened earlier today with Madame Butterfly and she knew that Marinette needs advice and support from someone she trusts. She flew over and hugged Marinette.
"Marinette, you have every reason to be worried, but you can't jump to conclusions especially when it comes to one of your partners. I advise you to talk to Madam Butterfly and find out why she has such powers." Tikki said.
"You're right. We can't jump to conclusions, right? I know I'm worrying for nothing though. I'm just overreacting as always." Marinette replied softly.
"You shouldn't worry about everything at once. Sometimes it's good to let yourself relax and think things through. If you keep stressing yourself out, you won't learn anything." Tikki replied.
"Okay. Thank you Tikki, for helping me and making me calm down when I'm overreacting to something, I really appreciate it." Marinette said.
"Marinette, why don't you try to talk to her. You have a patrol tomorrow and that would be the best time to talk to her. I'm sure the black cat wants to say something to Madam Butterfly too. Even if Madam Butterfly isn't there, you can talk to the white owl and ask for an explanation of what happened to Madame Butterfly." Tikki said with hope in her voice. This is definitely the right thing to do.
"Thanks Tikki. This is a very good idea! I know for sure that even if Madame Butterfly doesn't want to talk about her powers, I can always ask the white owl to explain why she didn't use her powers while in Paris. But now I'll go sleep now,because I'm in for a really tough conversation tomorrow when I transform into a superhero." Marinette replied smiling happily.
"Then let's go to bed so that we have strength for tomorrow." Tikki said and flew over to her little bed that Marinette had made for her.
Marinette walked over to her bed and crawled under the blankets and laid down comfortably on her bed.
"Yes Tikki, I'm really going to need as much strength as possible for tomorrow. Because I'm 100% sure that Alya will brag to everyone about what she accomplished and how she was able to capture Madam Butterfly and her special power. Indeed Alya is my best friend and she's the only one who knows about my secret identity and after she found out she started to support me a lot and help me in whatever way she can to protect Paris. Of course when I show up at school and when the students aren't around her to ask her for more information about Madame Butterfly. She will try to convince me that it would be fine to ask Madame Butterfly and White Owl for the Internet. I will of course say that it is unattainable because I can't make them force them to accept that. Sometimes I wonder if revealing my secret identity to her was a justified act." Marinette said and started yawning.
"Marinette, I think you did the right thing by revealing your secret identity to Alya. I know how hard it is to be a superhero and you must have felt terrible not having someone to share these problems with. I know that Alya is a good friend and she won't to betray you, so I think you did the right thing by telling her you were the ladybug." Tikki said.
After a few minutes, Marinette's head rested on her pillow and she fell asleep. Tikki turned off the light and went back to her bed.
Zack, like Marinette, was worried about Madame Butterfly. He knew full well that she had to explain her powers to the citizens of Paris before more rumors spread about her. Because now the televisions are all I'm talking about. Everyone was making theories about her special power and why she hadn't used it before, but Zack knew the real reason why Madam Butterfly hadn't used her special power. He didn't know what to do. Zack felt somewhat responsible for Madam Butterfly. She needed a friend to share her problems one of his battles with an akuma, something happened and he was sent back in time. Then he realized that although his relationship with Madam Butterfly was not bad, but he was not acting like a good partner at all. He took her for granted, and whenever she told him she was in love with him, he simply told her it was impossible for us to be more than partners. He had to tell her that even though they can't be together outside of their superhero identities they can always be friends and try to help each other in whatever way they can. Although he didn't say anything too cruel and make fun of her, he realized that by constantly rejecting her, she must have hurt her and it made him feel very bad because he always tried to act like a gentleman when he was transformed, but he seemed to have hurt someone close to him without even realizing it. Therefore, he must give her courage and be able to go through this difficult time for her and know that there is someone by her side who will always be by her side and protect her.
"I do not know what to do." Said Zack who was in his room and was standing on a chair next to the desk where his computer was.
His mind was racing with all sorts of ideas to resolve this situation. There must be some way to solve this problem! His mind always came up with many strange ideas that even he couldn't understand, but now everything seems too complicated for him to solve.
"Zach are you okay, it's almost 11:00pm, aren't you going to bed." Halub, Zack's kwami, asked.
"I'm fine Halub. I just don't know what to do. I'm worried about Madam Butterfly. She has so many problems to deal with now and I can't help her. Sometimes I feel like a bad partner." Zack said with a sad expression.
"Zack, you're a good partner, but sometimes you have to understand that you can't just be a partner and ignore your partner's feelings. You are a good person, but sometimes you think too much about logic instead of feelings. It's true that we shouldn't make decisions based on our emotions, but sometimes we have to include them, because if we don't have emotions, what's left of us," Halub said.
"Maybe you're right, Halub. I still don't know how best to proceed in this situation. Not only do I have to explain the power Madame Butterfly has to people, but also to our new partners, Ladybug and black cat. I still don't know how they'll react when they find out that I'm pointing out the extra things worth telling them. Because at the time of the battle with Akuma, ladybug and black cat were relatively understanding about her power, but now the situation with madam butterfly won't be the same, but I don't know how they will react when I tell them why she didn't want to use her power until now. That worries me a lot." Zack said as he rubbed his temples.
"Zach, I understand that you're worried about your partner and what they're going to say about her, but worrying alone won't fix things. You've always said that in situations like this you need to stay calm and think things through." Said Labag, Zack's other kwami.
"Yes, I know, Labag. And I really believe you are right. I know that worrying and thinking about the negative outcome of things, the problem will not solve anything and I know the impact it will have if I continue to worry and think this way. I know I need to take action, not wait for a decision. I just don't know what to do and I feel bad that I can't find a solution." Zach said.
"Listen to me Zach. I know you will be able to find a solution to this problem. After all, you're an amateur psychologist and you have knowledge about people and therefore how they think and act, but the only thing stopping you from getting to the answer to the problem is yourself and your constant worry," Halub explained.
"Thank you again Labag for helping me get to an answer to the problem. You really are a wise kwami, I really do admire you," Zack said while he got closer and hugged his kwami.
"What are you talking about Zach." Halub asked slightly confused and he definitely wasn't jealous that Zack hugged Labag. On the contrary, Halub became somewhat of an older brother to Labag, and the two became very close. Besides, Halub knew that his owner would never choose one kwami over another.
"That's really a very good solution to the problem Zack and I'm glad you're not sad anymore. But shouldn't we go to bed now so you can get ready to talk to Madam Butterfly, Ladybug and Black cat tomorrow." Labag said as he yawned.
Zack had managed to find the book he needed and wanted to look at it, but he heard what Labag had said and he was right.
"Yes Labag, you're right. I'm at school tomorrow, then I have to look at the book, then prepare for the patrol and finally talk to my partners. So I should be well rested and I see it's already midnight so let me we're going to bed." Zach said smiling.
As soon as he said that, he felt sleepiness taking over him and he laid down in his bed and closed his eyes. He was feeling much better now, after having talked with Labag and Halub and calming himself down from thinking and worrying about all those important things that might come up tomorrow. Tomorrow could end up being a very long day, so maybe he needed a little bit of rest before tomorrow.
When morning came, everyone woke up and prepared for the day ahead. Our heroes started preparing for their normal life where they go to school. They ate their breakfast and got dressed.
At school everything was as usual and nothing out of the ordinary happened. Of course if you don't get influenced by how everyone only talks about Madam Butterfly's special power. As expected Alya was the center of attention and everyone wanted to talk to her. Of course our heroes had different feelings about the situation in which they were placed. Marinette was worried and didn't know what to do. She wanted to talk to Alya to discuss the Madam Butterfly situation, but Alya was too busy talking to her classmates that she hardly had time. Scarlett didn't know what to do. She knew that everyone would only be talking about Madame Butterfly that day and she had mentally prepared herself to withstand all the tension that would be around her. However, things were not so good for her. She kept having this horrible feeling that someone was going to find out that she was Madame Butterfly, and it made her tear up. Scarlett had to keep telling herself that no one knew she was Madame Butterfly and no one else knew, so there was no need to worry. It helped a little, but she still felt this tension and this weight that hung on her shoulders.
Unlike girl heroes, boys had somewhat different feelings from what girls felt. Adrien was also worried about Madame Butterfly, but unlike the others, he didn't know what to do to help her. He's always been the funny guy when he's in his hero self, but when it comes to serious matters. He failed very often and did not know what to say or how to act. Therefore, he sincerely hoped that the other heroes of the team would be able to come up with something to help Madame Butterfly, and he would support them in everything and help them as much as he could. Adrien wanted to do something more for Madame Butterfly, but he just didn't know how to act in such a situation. In such cases he really felt useless because no matter how good his intentions were and how much he wanted to help. He just didn't know what to do about it and it made him feel very bad. Zack, unlike the others, didn't worry as much. It's not that he doesn't care about Madam Butterfly, on the contrary he would very much like to help Madam Butterfly and he does. He, unlike the others, didn't see much point in worrying about something you had no control over at the moment. This only made you tense and he would feel bad, and he knew very well that in such situations you will not come up with anything good and nothing good will happen when you think in such a way. Yesterday he had taken pictures on his phone of those pages of his book that he needed to help Madam Butterfly feel more comfortable and to more easily admit the uncomfortable things she had to say. Even though he thought that it was a big burden, it was something he knew that his partner needed and it made him happy that he was able to do this and give comfort to his partner. However, he had this special ability to not care too much about things. It wasn't that he completely didn't care about the things around him, but he could differentiate between what he cared about and what he didn't care about. Because he knew that if you care about everything it's bad and if you don't care about anything it's still bad.
After school hours ended our heroes headed to their homes to get ready for their patrol and for all of them this trip would probably be the hardest of the other patrols. Heroes gathered at the Eiffel Tower when they looked at each other they realized that there was a huge tension between them and they all knew it was because of Madame Butterfly.
"I think we owe you an explanation, and we're ready to give it to you." Said the White Owl.
"Yes indeed. Tell me why Madame Butterfly has the same power as Shadowmoth." Ladybug said as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Ok I'll explain." Madam Butterfly said although her voice was very low and uncertain.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" The White Owl asked, worried about Madame Butterfly's condition.
Madame Butterfly took a deep breath and exhaled. "Please let me speak, first." She replied. Everyone nodded silently and waited. When they noticed that Madam Butterfly seemed to be calmer than she usually is, they continued waiting patiently without making any sound. "I promise I'll tell you guys the whole truth but I'm still feeling a little sick to remember everything that happened." Madam Butterfly started as she looked at the ground, looking very scared, and she felt as if she could lose the courage to continue.
"We believe you, Madame Butterfly. Please just tell us whatever you feel like." Black cat said with a concerned tone, and Madam Butterfly slowly raised her head and looked at the members of the miraculous.
"Alright, the reason I haven't used my powers until now is because...with my powers I tried to reveal the identity of my beloved owl." Said Madam Butterfly and tears began to roll down her face.
Ladybug and the black cat were stunned by what they heard. They had prepared for everyone, but they didn't expect anything like this. The black cat also wanted to know the identity of his lady, but he never went so far as to forcefully try to reveal the identity of his partner. They wondered if they could trust her after she tried to reveal the identity of the White Owl.
"Is this the truth? Ladybug asked with a shocked look.
"Yes Ladybug. It's true." White Owl said and prepared to explain to Ladybug and Cat Noir about Madam Butterfly's powers and why she refused to use them. He decided to speak on her behalf because he could see she wouldn't make it because she was too emotional about the subject. "Madam Butterfly has repeatedly asked me to reveal our secret identities. Say that this way we will become stronger and trust each other, but I kept refusing, explaining to her that none of us should know about our secret identities because that would scare our relatives and friends. However, she didn't give up. Once when I was very happy she tried again to convince me to reveal our identities, but I refused her again. But this time she used her special power to force me to reveal my secret identity, but I managed to hold on and didn't reveal anything."
"Okay, that's a very interesting story, but it doesn't explain anything about Madame Butterfly's power and what she has in common with Shadowmoth." Said the Black Cat as he scratched his head.
"Madame Butterfly has nothing to do with Shadowmoth. The two are completely different. Madam Butterfly's miracle worker is not a butterfly but a moth. The other difference is that Madam Butterfly can only give someone power when the person is happy. Madam Butterfly can sense the positive energy that man emits." The White Owl explained.
"And you forgave her after she tried to reveal your identity." Ladybug asked.
"At first I felt like I was betrayed, but I decided to forgive her. Then I realized that I wasn't acting like the best partner and I was taking her for granted without thinking about her feelings. I hope you don't hate her for that she hid such a thing. She had reasons for keeping it secret." Said the White Owl as he looked straight at Ladybug and the Black cat.
"We don't hate her. We just wanted to know the truth. I also understand how hard it is to be a hero and sometimes you don't do very well." Ladybug said, remembering how she transformed just to call Lila a liar.
"I don't hate her either. I think her powers are awesome and will help us a lot when we fight the akuma." Said the Black Cat.
"Okay, we cleared things up, but what are we going to do with public opinion." Ladybug asked, hoping one of her partners had an idea.
"I know what to do. I noticed that there is one person who will be able to do an interview with Madam Butterfly and convince people that she is not bad. This is Alya, who I saw interviewed Ladybug and I know that she will gladly agree to interview Madam Butterfly. So Ladybug will you be able to convince her to do it." Said the White Owl.
Ladybug gave a nod to the White Owl. "Of course, I can definitely do that."
"Thank you." Said Madam Butterfly and smiled softly at Ladybug.
The rest of the patrol went smoothly and soon enough the city lights were getting lower and the heroes were about to go home. Tomorrow Marinette spoke with Alya who was more than happy to interview Madam Butterfly. He even pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The interview went very well and people received it very positively.