The final school bell rang, its shrill tone echoing through the halls. Natalie, weary and bruised from the morning's chaos, couldn't wait to escape. Just as she was about to slip out of the classroom, the distinct static and chatter emanating from a radio on a guard's hip broke through the silence.

  "Natalie Smith?" a security guard asked, his voice cutting through the radio's noise. He stood directly in front of her. Natalie groaned, the after-school program flashing back into her memory.

  "Yeah, that's me..." she muttered, her shoulders slumping.

  Natalie was escorted from her seat and down the hallway, her eyes widening in disbelief. Groups of students, each led by guards in full riot gear, were being herded down the corridor.

  "Damn, this school is more fucked up than I thought!" Natalie exclaimed, her voice laced with disbelief.

  "Yeah, that's what happens when you kids are out of line. You know, when I was-" the guard began.

  "I wasn't talking to you," Natalie interrupted, her voice flat.

  As the guards marched, each gripping a troubled youth by the arm, Natalie realized with growing dread that they were headed straight for the detention room.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Natalie exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief. "All that fucking talk about saving kids, and they're just gonna dump us in detention?!"

  But as she got closer, her eyes widened in surprise. A ridiculously cheerful banner, radiating an almost offensively bright, cutesy aesthetic, stretched across the top of the detention room door.

  "The… At Risk… Youth Group?!" Natalie read aloud, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "What kind of fucked up shit is that? Oh God, I hope it's not a Christian thing… That's not allowed at school, right? Please don't tell me we're going to be sharing our fucking thoughts and feelings!"

  As the guards and their charges waited by the side of the detention room door, Natalie spotted Courtney, standing a few kids down the line. A wave of fury washed over her, the morning fight still fresh in her mind, just like her wounds.

  The sound of the door unlocking from the inside echoed through the hallway, followed by the slow, creaking groan of the heavy door swinging open. Ms. Anker, clad in full riot gear, stood in the doorway.

  "Alright, you know what to do," she whispered to the lead guard, before retreating back into the room.

  "EVERYBODY LISTEN UP!" the lead guard bellowed, his voice booming through the hallway.

  "I WANT PHONES, TABLETS, HEADPHONES, METALS, AND ANYTHING SHARP IN THIS BOX! IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY, YOU WILL BE TAKEN DOWN TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND SPEND THE NIGHT IN JAIL. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

  Natalie rolled her eyes, a low growl rumbling in her throat. "Fuck this school."

  The students groaned and grumbled, the sounds of keys and metal objects echoing down the empty halls as they reluctantly surrendered their belongings. Slowly, the line shuffled forward, and Natalie, acutely aware of Courtney's presence behind her, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. She had nothing to give, and she didn't want to make a scene.

  She tried to slip past the guard and into the room, but a booming voice stopped her.

  "HEY! PHONE, KEYS, METALS!"

  Natalie glared at the guard, her eyes flashing with defiance. "I don't have to do that shit."

  "THEN YOU'RE GOING DOWNTOWN, MISSY! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!" the guard bellowed, his face flushed with anger.

  Natalie's face paled, not from fear of jail, but from the sudden attention. All eyes were on her.

  "I don't have anything! I swear!" she stammered, her voice tight.

  "I'm gonna have to ask you to remove your hoodie!"

  "What?! Ew, fuck you! You wanna check me out?"

  "REMOVE THE HOODIE!" the guard yelled, his voice rising.Suddenly, Harmony stepped forward, her voice a soft squeak.

  "Ummm, excuse me… sir?"

  "I prefer if you don't talk to my students like that," she said, her voice gaining strength.

  "You see, this is supposed to be a safe place, and if she doesn't have anything, then she doesn't have anything. And can you please not ask the girls to remove their clothing, or I'll have to report you to your superiors for lewd misconduct. You are sexually harassing my student, and abusing your authority."

  The guard stared at Harmony, completely dumbfounded. He muttered to Natalie, "Move along, let's go!"

  Natalie, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, felt tears welling up in her eyes. "It's okay, sweetie. Just down this way," Harmony said, her voice gentle."Fuck you, Barbie!" Natalie hissed, shoving past Harmony and into the room.

  When Natalie finally looked up, she couldn't believe her eyes. The room was a nauseating explosion of cutesy decorations. More banners, more cringe ass slogans. Butterflies and rainbows, with wussy ass phrases like "Everyday is a fun day" and "We're all friends in here." It was sickening, like a unicorn had violently vomited rainbows and glitter all over the place.

  The walls were plastered with construction paper cutouts: hearts, rainbows, smiley faces, all radiating an almost unbearable level of forced cheer. Whose fucking sick idea was this anyway?!Natalie thought, her stomach churning.

  "HEY, LET GO OF ME, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Courtney's voice shrieked from the hallway.

  "PHONES, METALS, NOW!" the guard's voice boomed in response.

  Natalie ignored the commotion, making her way to the furthest seat in the back of the room and sinking into it.

  Outside, the guard was roughly pulling Courtney's wrist when Harmony, with a determined expression, pulled out her phone and pressed a speed dial contact.

  "Sir, you have been warned!" Harmony said, holding the phone to her ear. "Excuse me, Mayor Bishop? Hi, this is Harmony Celestia, and your officer…"

  The guard snatched the phone away, his face contorted in disbelief. "There's no fucking way you have access to the mayor's phone number!" he shouted.

  From the phone's speaker, a booming voice echoed, "Who's talking like that?! HEY, THIS IS MAYOR BISHOP! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO HARMONY LIKE THAT!"

  The guard's face turned pale. "Sir?"

  "As of effective immediately, you are FIRED! Report back to my office and give Harmony her phone back. Do I make myself clear?!"

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  "Y-yes, sir… right away, sir…" The guard, his shoulders slumped, handed the phone back to Harmony and slowly walked away from Courtney and the others. The front doors of the school slammed shut behind him.

  "I'm ever so sorry to bother you like that, sir," Harmony said into the phone.

  "Nonsense, thank you for reaching me. You have my full trust that this number is for emergencies only, and you did the right thing. Goodbye now," the call ended.

  Harmony sighed and turned to Courtney. "Please come inside, and I'm so sorry that happened."

  "Whatever, freak!" Courtney brushed past Harmony, tears glistening in her eyes, clearly shaken.

  Once the commotion settled, and everyone had reluctantly taken a seat, the heavy detention room door slammed shut. At the front of the room stood Harmony, Joan, and Ms. Anker, still clad in her full riot gear.

  "Everyone, welcome to the At-Risk Youth Group! Here, your voices and concerns will be heard!" Ms. Anker announced, her voice strained.

  "Can I go?" a boy asked.

  "But first! We must address a few rules!" Ms. Anker continued, her eyes darting nervously around the room.

  "This sucks…" a girl muttered under her breath.

  "First of all, there are your… um… uh… Life Instructors! Yes, Life Instructors! Harmony! And uh… Joey?"

  "Joan!" Joan corrected, her smile remaining bright and eager.

  "Whatever. These two will guide you into a better tomorrow, where your lives can be improved for… uh… I don't know, just listen to them, alright?"

  Harmony and Joan stood there, grinning broadly, their cheerful expressions a stark contrast to Ms. Anker's tense demeanor and the intimidating riot gear.

  "Now for the second rule!" Ms. Anker announced, her voice echoing slightly in the suddenly quiet room.

  "These two will be my eyes and ears, and to demonstrate that, I will walk out of this room, and nobody is going to leave until the time is over. Harmony? You're in charge!"

  Ms. Anker announced, her voice strained. She fought to keep a sneer off her face. Time for the pink parasite to meet reality, she thought, and with that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, the heavy door slamming shut behind her, leaving Harmony and Joan alone with the bewildered and restless group of troubled youth.

  "Alright, everyone!" Harmony announced, her voice filled with cheerful enthusiasm. "Who's ready to have their lives turned around?!" She struck a dramatic pose, one knee bent, hands raised in a flourish, as a chorus of coughs and stifled groans echoed through the room.

  "Today, we're going to go over…" Harmony turned to the chalkboard, grabbed a piece of chalk, and began writing, enunciating each syllable slowly and deliberately. "…Gooooood… Mannnn… er… ssss…"

  "And now I'm going to ask for two volunteers!" Harmony announced, her voice brimming with bubbly joy. "Do I see any volunteers?"

  Silence filled the room. Not a single hand was raised, nor did anyone make a sudden movement.

  "I know!" Harmony exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "There are two girls in particular that have touched my heart with the harsh realities of life, so may I have the girl in the black hoodie and the girl with the ever-so-cute designer bracelets come on up!"

  "Pass," Natalie deadpanned.

  "Yeah, ew, no thanks. I got issues. I'm not looking for attention!" Courtney added, her voice laced with disdain.

  "Come on, girls! Let's get… HAPPY!" Harmony chirped, her voice filled with joy.

  "Go. Fuck. Yourself!" Natalie retorted, mimicking Harmony's exaggerated pronunciation.

  The class erupted in laughter, a wave of amusement washing over the room.

  "Uh-oh! I see two cranky kids who don't want to participate! Joan, do you know what that means?" Harmony asked in a singsong, childlike manner.

  Joan stepped forward, cracking her knuckles menacingly.

  "NOOOO!" Harmony's voice echoed through the room, filled with genuine horror. "It means that if they don't come up now, I'm gonna put a frowny sticker next to their names, and if the principal sees that, he's gonna get really upset," Harmony said, her voice turning childishly sad.

  "Oh, fuck! Okay, I'll do it!" Courtney exclaimed, clearly terrified of the principal's wrath.

  "Goddamn it… Fine…" Natalie grumbled, rising from her seat.

  "Okay, may I have your names?!" Harmony asked, her voice brimming with cheerful enthusiasm.

  "Yeah, I'm 'Ogyny,'" Natalie drawled, adding, "'Ms. Ogyny,'" as the class erupted in laughter, the sound echoing through the room.

  "And I'm Courtney... Oh wait a minute... FUCK!" Courtney blurted out, ruining any puns she may have thought of.

  "Well, I'm Harmony, and this is Joan. We're so thrilled to have you for this exercise!" Harmony announced, her voice brimming with passion.

  "Exercise? Yeah, fuck no, I'm not gonna get sweaty," Courtney retorted, rolling her eyes.

  "You wouldn't have to. I've seen you walk in P.E. You wouldn't run unless it's for a sale on fancy ass clothes at the mall, you lazy cow," Natalie sneered.

  "Bitch, you wanna talk about cows? I'll squeeze the milk out of those fucking saggy bags you call tits and make you go 'Moo!'" Courtney hissed, her face contorted with rage.

  The class erupted in laughter, clearly relishing the two fucked up girls making obscene jokes.

  "Whoa, ladies, ladies! This isn't the way to success!" Harmony pleaded with concern. "Let's just all calm down and try again."

  "Try again, huh? Like how that bitch keeps getting rejected by food stamps?" Courtney grinned, her eyes gleaming with malicious delight.

  Natalie lunged at Courtney, tackling her to the ground in a flurry of hair-pulling and punches. "FUCK YOU, RICH BITCH!" she shrieked, her voice filled with raw fury.

  Harmony watched in horror, her eyes wide with disbelief, as she frantically tried to pull Natalie off Courtney. "PLEASE STOP!" she shouted, her voice strained.

  Suddenly, a stray hand flew from the chaotic tangle, smacking Harmony hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the room, and a collective gasp rippled through the stunned students. The world seemed to slow to a crawl as Joan watched her sweet Harmony lose her balance and crumple to the classroom floor.

  A torrent of righteous fury surged through Joan. She rushed forward, her movements a blur, and physically yanked both Natalie and Courtney off the ground, holding one in each hand. The two girls stared at her in stunned silence.

  "By the glory of all that is right, you two are vile and despicable!" Joan's voice boomed, resonating through the room. "You two hath better say something nice about each other, or I swear in the name of Lady Celestia, I WILL SMITE THEE!"

  The class was dead quiet, the air thick with tension. Natalie and Courtney were both silent, their faces a mixture of shock and confusion.

  "Wh-what?" Courtney stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

  "GOOD MANNERS!" Joan bellowed, her voice echoing through the classroom.

  She gently set both girls down, then cracked her knuckles, the sound slow, deliberate, and audible, sending shivers down the spines of every student in the room.

  "You have... nice Doc Montys..." Courtney mumbled, her eyes darting nervously.

  "You have... a nice punchable face..." Natalie replied, her voice laced with sarcasm.

  "Good..." Joan said, her voice low and menacing, as she turned to check on Harmony.

  As Joan approached Harmony, she was visibly shaken, her eyes wide with shock. Harmony's eyes were closed, and a small red mark was already forming on her cheek.

  "Milady..." Joan whispered, her voice trembling, "Please don't heed into the light! Stay here with me!" Tears streamed down her face, landing on Harmony's cheek. "Without you, I'm a sailor lost in a sea of troubles. I wouldn't be the woman I am today if it weren't for your guidance! My sweet Lady Celestia... I... I... L..."

  "Joan! I'm fine," Harmony interrupted, opening her eyes and rubbing her cheek. "It was just a slap, sheesh. Help me up?"

  "Lady Celestia!" Joan's eyes lit up with relief, and she gently helped Harmony to her feet, her hands still trembling slightly.

  Harmony rubbed her stinging cheek, her expression shifting from concern to stern authority as she turned to face the two troubled girls.

  "You two definitely have issues, and we're going to work on them together, okay? We'll get through this with friendship, kindness, and understanding!" she declared, flashing a determined smile.

  "I take it back," Natalie drawled, her eyes narrowing. "She has a nice punchable face."

  Suddenly, the necklace on Joan's chest began to glow with an ethereal light, and the one on Harmony's pulsed in response.

  "Weevils!" Harmony gasped, her eyes widening.

  "I'll go, watch over the class, milady!" Joan declared, her voice filled with determination.

  With a swift turn, Joan dashed out the door, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

  "Alright, class, please excuse Joan," Harmony announced, forcing a cheerful smile. "She's just going to bring back some supplies for our next exercise!"

  "Yeah, this'll be good," Courtney muttered, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

  Meanwhile, Joan raced through the school hallways, her boots pounding against the tile. She bolted up the stairway, slammed through the roof's door, and looked over the balcony surveying the woods surrounding the school.

  "Oh Starlight, Star bright! Won't you come down and play tonight!" grinned an evil warrior, his beetle-shaped armor glinting menacingly in the moonlight, standing beneath the trees.

  "I think not!" Joan retorted, her voice ringing with defiance. With a powerful leap, she launched herself off the school roof, spinning through the air and touched the blue crystal in the center of her bracelet.

  "By the powers vested in me, I shall become a CUTIE PRINCESS!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the night.

  A brilliant white light enveloped her, transforming her form. Her shoes morphed into steel boots, her shoulders were adorned with metallic guards, her body encased in shimmering chainmail, her hair crowned with an open knight's helm, her ponytail flowing freely behind her, and her arms and hands encased in metallic gauntlets.

  She landed with a violent thud, the impact sending tremors through the earthly ground, and slowly rose to her full height. "Lunar Knight faces thee, fiend!" she declared, drawing her Lunar sword and raising her shield as the wind blows through the grass and leaves.

  "Muahahahaha! Where's Starlight Princess?" the Beetle hissed, its voice a grating rasp.

  "You face the Lunar Knight! Leave my lady's name out of thy foul tongue!" Joan retorted, her voice ringing with righteous anger as she slowly circled her opponent.

  "Well, I'm the Beetle Paladin! My target is the Starlight Princess, but you'll just have to do!" he grinned, a malevolent glint in his yellow eyes, as the horn on his forehead grew longer and two razor-sharp blades extended from its tip.

  "En garde!" the Beetle roared, charging towards Joan with blinding speed drawing his swords from his head. Their swords clashed, sparks flying in a shower of brilliant light. Joan delivered a mighty kick, sending the Beetle flying onto its back. With a swift leap, Joan raised her sword high, ready to deliver the killing blow. The Beetle rolled out of the way at the last moment, forcing Joan to raise her shield to brace for the impact of its counterattack.

  Inside the classroom, the teens were startled by the sounds of booming explosions and crashing metal.

  "See, there it is again! What the fuck was that?" Courtney asked, her worried voice filled with paranoia.

  "Calm down, it was, uh, just an earthquake!" Harmony stammered, attempting to defuse the situation.

  "So, like... should you escort us out? You know, like a real teacher?" Natalie asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

  Harmony glanced at the clock on the wall, her eyes widening in disbelief. "8 PM?! Oh my gosh, we should’ve been finished at 6! Uh, everyone, class is dismissed! You can get your belongings here!" She unlocked the closet, pulled out a large plastic container that held everyone's belongings, and placed them on the table.

  "I have to go! Tomorrow, we will definitely go over more exercises!" Harmony exclaimed, rushing out the door and slamming it shut behind her.

  "Did that cotton candy bitch just seriously leave us?" Natalie asked, her voice incredulous.

  "Ugh, whatever, Courtney muttered. "Move, whore. I just wanna get my shit and get out," she retorted, shoving past Natalie.

  Outside, Joan's sword flashed, each slash a near miss against the sinister Beetle's agile defense. The Beetle, its eyes burning with murderous intent, held its swords like a pair of deadly scissors, attempting to slice Joan in half.

  Screeeech! Sparks flew as Joan's shimmering chainmail deflected the razor-sharp blades, grinding them down to dull edges.

  "WHAT?!" the Beetle shrieked, its voice a high-pitched whine of disbelief.

  Joan smiled, a flicker of triumph in her eyes, and let out a victorious little laugh. "Your pathetic blades are no match for my armor, beast!"

  With a powerful swing of her shield, Joan bashed the Beetle's blades out of its hands, shattering them like brittle glass.

  "Beg for mercy, fiend! For only God himself shall grant you passage into the gates of his heavenly kingdom!" Joan declared, her voice ringing with righteous conviction.

  "No... NOOOOOO! I'm not finished yet! KHEPRI METAMORPHOSIS!" the Beetle roared, its voice a hideous growl that sent shivers down Joan's spine. A grotesque transformation began, the sounds of cracking bones and oozing fluids filling the air. Its glistening chitinous body writhed and contorted in the moonlight, growing extra appendages, its form stretching and elongating until it towered over Joan, a disgusting, vicious, razor-toothed beetle.

  "By my lady's hand..." Joan whispered, her voice filled with shock.

  つづく

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