Ever has that feeling when you finally get to breathe after being dragged and chewed around for days on end?

That glorious feeling of pride and relief that tells you that even if you didn't know what the hell you were doing, you succeeded

No? Well, doesn't matter. That's pretty much how Zoe woke up feeling

She managed to put together a play from scratch in less than three days, not only that but she managed to do so with not an ounce of help from the school. Heck, she even got to kiss her crush

Zoe you sly dog

Today, they would do one last rehearsal and at night, they would all see the fruit of their labor

Nothing could possibly g--

"Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. BZZZZT GODDAMNIT"

A sleepy tentacle reacher over to the nightstand and wrapped around the buzzing phone

A myriad of yawns could be heard at the same time before Zoe finally picked up

Zoe: Hello? Oh, what's up, Miri?

The girl rubbed her main eyes as she sat up, a tired smile still on her face

Zoe: YOU WHAT?!

Aaaand it lasted about ten seconds

---------------

Miranda: I'm terribly sorry, Zoe. Us Vanderbilts are known for keeping our promises, but it appears we are being overthrown right now

The mermaid, who was talking from the phone at the table, got ahold of a silver tray and smacked a dolphin across the face with it

Miranda: I don't know what is wrong. We've done nothing but treat them like disposable lesser beings!

Hmm. It truly was a mystery

Miranda: I know for sure my serfs would've loved to bring the backgrounds to school without any means of transportation, but I simply cannot find them!

Just then, an explosion took place nearby. A fake tree was blasted through the princess's room

Zoe: What was that?!

Miranda: I will make it up to you, I promise!

Miranda then slammed the phone down to end the call and from one of her drawers, she took out an entire sword

Miranda: But first, I must deal with this!

The girl let out a war cry as she charged toward the incoming wave of enemies
---------------

Back in her room, Zoe stared at her phone in disbelief

The uprising wasn't what surprised her I mean, come on

But before she could even consider thinking about it further, her phone began buzzing again

This number she didn't know

Zoe: H...Hello?

???: Good morning, this is Zoe's number, yes?

Zoe: Uh, yeah?

From the other side of the call was a feline woman sitting on a carefully crafted chair, drinking wine out of a human skull as her fireplace roared in the background

???: Splendid! My name is Sypha McCatperson, I'm the Monster Arts Supervisor for the state

Zoe: O-Oh, I uhh... pleased to meet you!

McCatperson: Principal Giant Spider assured me you were working on an outstanding play that was, and I quote "worthy of giving the school more funds"

Then, she took a sip of the wine, as in, all of it in one go

McCatperson: Is this true, girl?

Of course he said that

Zoe: W-Well, I--

McCatperson: Keep in mind that such a bold claim comes with nothing but high expectations and those who fail to meet them face...

Just then, the skull crashed completely under the slight application of force from her mighty hand

McCatperson: ...consequences

A "gulp" could be heard from the other side as her gaze turned sinister when suddenly, her door opened to reveal a floating set of clothes holding a bag of groceries

???: Hey, I'm home!

Her monstrous glare turned into a joyful smile at the sight (heh, sight) of her beloved husband. She covered the phone as she spoke

McCatperson: Welcome back, sweetie!

The invisible man walked up to her and gave her a peck on the cheek before he headed to the kitchen

Shortly after, the arts supervisor cleared her throat and as she did, her murderous expression returned

McCatperson: Consider this your only warning. I expect nothing but perfection from you tonight, Zoe. Good luck

...

The call ended without Zoe being able to finish a single sentence. Not that it mattered

She began to shake as the entire world seemed to have stopped at that very moment, suffocating any sound into eternal silence

In about thirteen minutes Zoe's entire emotional spectrum, her day, and possibly her fate changed drastically with just two phone calls

To call this bad would be an understatement, but Zoe didn't flinch! No sir! She has a will of steel and--

"AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

----------

You: You weren't kidding, Z, that is pretty bad

Brian, Vicky, and you were summoned to Zoe's house for an emergency meeting, no, not that kind

Brian chilled on the couch while Vicky and you had some coffee in the kitchen with Zoe having an existential crisis of cosmic magnitude on the table. Polly was there too, she was too invested in this plot to let it go now

Zoe: I-I-I don't know what to do! Without those backgrounds, we'll look like complete amateurs! McCatperson is going to skin us alive!

Polly: OH NO! NOT OUR SKINS!!

Everyone stared at her. She raised a confused brow at this until it finally clicked

Polly: Oh, right. Sorry

Zoe: And Miranda played an important role too, FUCK

She proceeded to gracefully slam her head on the table. You rubbed her shoulder with a saddened gaze

I can't just cancel it either, but this was a big setback, like holy crap! And you didn't even have a day to solve it!

It was disheartening to see Zoe's creative flame be snuffed out like that, which only forced your mind to go into hyper mode to see what could you do to fix this

Anything would do, anything

But then, the script for the play on the table was grabbed, and after reading a few lines, a clearing throat echoed through the room

Polly: Hm. I think I could pull this off

Everyone in the room stopped their train of thought to look at her, even Zoe lifted her head

Zoe: You sure about that?

Polly: Yeah! I'm already pretty good at acting, remember?

Vicky: Oh yeah!

Brian: Why didn't you say so earlier?

Polly: I was busy getting all those "balloons" Zoe wanted

The eldritch being turned pink at the reminder, but she quickly shook that off for the sake of the conversation

Polly: It's just lying, and I'm pretty good at that!

Brian: Are you even gonna remember the lines?

Then, she turned to the zombie sunk into the couch

Polly: Hey, have some faith in fan-favorite Polly!

Just five seconds later, he shrugged

Brian: Aight

You: If Polly says she can do it, she can

She turned to you and high-fived you as she cheered

Zoe: I appreciate it, Polly, but...

Vicky: But?

Zoe: But we're still lacking the backgrounds. Where are we gonna get some in this amount of time? There's not even enough of us to do that

Just as you rubbed your chin, you caught a glimpse of the slight flow of magic that made your veins glow every now and then

And with a wicked smile, you got up

You: What if we did?

They turned to you and you raised your hands, the glow growing stronger as you did

You: I can always summon a few helping hands, you know

Vicky: But isn't summoning an entire army like, really taxing on your health?

Yes it is, Vicky. Thank you for bringing it to everyone's attention

You: It can be tiring, yes

Then, you looked over to Zoe and offered a smile

You: But it's worth it

Her face turned pink at the comment once again, but even when she attempted to cover it up, a smile of her own was very much present

You: As a necromancer, the dead are at my service, and by extension, yours as well!

Quickly, you turned to your pals with nervous laughter

You: No offense

Brian: None taken

Polly: It's all good, boo

Vicky: Undead friends!

Vicky formed fists más threw them in the air with a cheer. You did the same shortly after

You: Hell yeah!

However, you soon found a tentacle wrapping around your arm. When you looked back, you found Zoe giving you a worried look

Zoe: Are you sure about it, Y/N?

Smiling, you patted her tentacle

You: Of course. It'll be alright

. . .

It wasn't alright

You took Actual Monster Energy ™ in hopes that it raising a small army of the dead wouldn't be so demanding on you

Boy were you underestimating the task it was

Not only did you raise about fifteen full-bodied servants, but you had pretty much given each of them a different task

So having to keep track of them all at once was...yeah

You were starting to see why most necromancers only gave one command to their armies

Vicky and Brian were there too, so at least they provided some much-needed direction to these servants. Work was coming along, well, slowly, but it was better than nothing

While this happened, Zoe was instructing Polly on how to approach her role, since the actors wouldn't take long to arrive for the last rehearsal

Before you knew it, you pretty much collapsed onto a chair before releasing a deep sigh

Brian: ...are you sure you're okay, dude?

You looked up to find both Vicky and Brian looking down at you

You: Why?

Instead of answering you, Vicky showed you your reflection on her phone. You looked pale, with sweating slowly making itself present the longer this went on

You: ...Oh

Vicky: We could ask Polly to possess you if you want

In a short burst of life, you immediately raised your hands as you shook your head

You: No no no no. Last time we tried that I ended up but-ass naked in Acapulco with like, six dudes

Brian: And there was a bear on the tub

You: Oh yeah, cuddles

You cleared your throat before you continued

You: Listen, I'm fine. I just need t--

???: Hey dudes, is this where the actors practice for the big game?

Everyone turned to the new voice only to find...well...

Brian: Scott? What are you doing?

You: What...what are you wearing, dude?

The werewolf looked at himself and then at you with a toothy grin

Scott: I'm a tree, of course! I heard Zoe needed a tree for one of her backgrounds, so I spend all night working on this!

He stroked a pose as the rest of you stared at him. You covered your mouth, Brian smiled and Vicky rubbed her arms together before she approached him, then she grabbed him by the shoulders, or, well, tried to

Vicky: I would give you a big ole hug but I don't wanna ruin your costume

So instead, she gave him a peck on the cheek. The werewolf's tail began to wag at the sign of affection

Scott: Don't worry! There will be time for hugs later

Then, he turned to you

Scott: So, where are the others?

You pointed at a door across the room

Brian: They're practicing in that room

You: Go get 'em Scott

Scott: Yeah! Thanks, bro!

He lifted his hand and you three high-fived the adorable man before he hurried along and disappeared from view shortly after. Silence took over as soon as he left

Brian: So...that was a thing

You: Yeah...but hey, at least he's got the spirit

They nodded in agreement when suddenly, the ground below you started to glow purple

Vicky: What the hell?

Brian: What did you do, Y/N?

Runes began to write themselves on the circle as you found yourself unable to move, and even then you were too tired to try anything

You: This... isn't me!

Vicky: What do we do?

She quickly turned to the zombie, who just shrugged. You couldn't help but scream as you were quickly taken away by this symbol, feeling your muscles, bones, and entire limbs snatched by force

All that was left was a scorching outline of the circle, while the others looked in absolute bewilderment

Brian: Uhh...

The door opened shortly after to reveal Zoe herself walking into the room

Zoe: Hey guys, have you seen...

However, she stopped the moment she noticed their expressions, as well as the absence of one Y/N

Zoe: What...what happened?

Brian and Vicky turned to each other hoping the other would have some sort, but in reality, how could they explain what just happened? It was easier to explain how did Damien and Scott give birth to a sentient computer being

Fortunately, they didn't need to

Zoe: Wait a minute...

She approached the circle and one of her mouths tasted the ash that was left behind. Immediately, she narrowed her eyes in anger

Zoe: Oh those annoying assholes!

- - - - -

Before you could even protest, everything turned dark ..for about ten seconds, then you woke up at a seemingly random house until--

???: YES! IT WORKED!

You looked up to find a bunch of people cheering as a result

Well damn, you're not even Bloody Mary Y/N in this one and you still can't escape being summoned

It didn't take you long to identify their purple and gold robes. These were the same cultists, again

The groan you let out alerted them of your consciousness

???: Oh, the prophet is awake!

You: Yes I am, and your timing is still fucking horrible! What is it now?

???: Well, w--

You: Hold on, just... hold on. Before you...

You took a deep breath

You: Before you even answer, how... the hell did you even summon me?

???: Oh. It shows how to do it on the wiki

One of the cultists approached you with a phone in hand. Look and behold, there was a Y/N summoning ritual. Huh

You: Alright...so what do... you want now?

The leader, you assumed, gently pushed his colleague behind as he approached you, clasping his hands as he did

???: We poured our hearts and minds into the glorious quest you have us, and just as you instructed

You: Okay?

???: And we summoned you so you could judge our ideas accordingly

You: I think I also told you... not to bother me until... tomorrow

The cultists all looked down in shame, some were even whistling or generally avoiding eye contact with you. But one of them cleared her throat to get your attention

???: Yes you did, noble prophet, but alas, our excitement and devotion proved too strong, and we finished immediately!

Were...were these guys for real?

They went this far just to show you a song, of course they're for real

You: ...How many songs did you make, by chance

???: About 560

HOLY SHIT

They began to approach you when suddenly, the door was slammed open!

Zoe: YOU!!

Everyone tensed at the unmistakable voice of their master, and she was PISSED

Zoe: What the hell do you think you're doing?!

The cultists broke into formation immediately, making lines to the left and right of the girl. That left you across the room, perfectly exposed to her

???: OUR MASTER IS HERE!!

How did she find you, you may ask?

The cult leaves a very particular stench, one that Zoe had grown too familiar with over the years. That of bigotry and prejudice

Granted, it wasn't nearly as strong now thanks to your influence, but it was just enough for this former deity to track it down

Everyone immediately threw their first in the air

???: ALL HAIL ZOE!! ALL H--

Zoe: CUT THAT OUT

They flinched at the aggressive display on her part. Some even step back and granted, if you weren't so exhausted you'd probably be scared too..and a little turned on, let's be honest

Zoe: Just what do you think you're doing with my cr--with my friend?!

The cultist closest to her cleared his throat and took a daring step forward

???: We summoned him to aid us in our quest t--Ughk!

The cultist didn't even get to finish the sentence before Zoe slapped the shit out of him with a tentacle

Her eyes were obscured by a growing mass of tentacles, as well as the large red eye that replaced her normal ones

Zoe: I just want to be a normal school girl, but you jUST HAD TO INTERFER̴E̸ ̸

You: Uhh...Zoe...?

You watched helplessly as Zoe began to change in form, screeching horribly as her mass changed to that of a truly indescribable being, with rows of tentacles, teeth, and eyes

Z̶o̶e̶ ɀ'Ɠօɾժ: I̴ ̸S̸H̵A̶L̵L̴ ̴D̴E̵A̴L̵ ̷W̷I̶T̸H̴ ̴Y̴O̸U̸ ̸A̴T̶ ̸O̵N̷C̴E̸ ̷A̶N̵D̷ ̶F̴O̶R̷E̴V̷E̶R̵

She grew large enough to break through the roof of the building, but much to your surprise, there was no sky. Instead, it was the stars themselves, but something was wrong. You couldn't recognize a single constellation here, it was as if the sky had reverted somehow

A strong gust of wind picked up as the ancient creature screeched and flailed its massive tentacles around

The cult could not believe what they were seeing. This wasn't even their old master's behavior

This was something else, something filled with rage they just kept feeding and feeding

ɀ'Ɠօɾժ: I̴T̴ ̸W̶A̸S̵ ̸A̸ ̷M̵I̶S̵T̷A̶K̵E̷ ̸T̷O̵ ̷L̶E̵T̷ ̶Y̶O̷U̷ ̶L̶I̸V̸E̴ ̵T̷H̶I̸S̸ ̴L̷O̷N̸G̴

You couldn't just let her destroy everything. Sure, they were annoying as hell, but not enough to completely obliterate!

So you managed to get ahold of one of the cultists as she ran by

You: Hey, you got some Actual Monster Energy?™

She stopped in her tracks to look at you

???: AHHHHHH!!!!....Oh, yeah, I always carry one with me

From her robes, she took out a can of it and handed it to you before resuming her frantic run

There was no time to lose. You opened the can and allowed the liquid to energize you one last time to stop this

One of the tentacles managed to catch the one you could consider a Grandmaster before they had this internal crisis

???: My Lord, we can explain this! I swear! He has been assisting us!

ɀ'Ɠօɾժ: D̶O̶ ̶N̷O̵T̴ ̶L̶I̵E̴ ̴T̶O̶ ̸M̷E̶

The wind grew stronger, quickly becoming a tornado that sucked everything in sight and hurled it around in reckless abandon, and the stars themselves seemed to be exploding at this outburst. Even your very soul held on to its flesh vessel as best it could

She was about to squash him when a distinct voice filled her ears, wherever those would be

You: He's not lying, Zoe

All her eyes turned on you only to find you leaning against the stairs for support

ɀ'Ɠօɾժ: W̵.̶.̵.̵W̶H̸A̸T̸ ̵D̶O̶ ̵Y̶O̸U̵ ̶M̵E̷A̷N̶?̸

The concrete under you broke down and served as a platform that elevated you to her height. She dropped the other cultist in here as well

???: We've...

He looked at you as if asking for permission, to which you nodded

???: We saw how you referred to Y/N with fondness, almost as an equal and we have been consulting him ever since

Then, he looked at you. You sighed before you spoke

You: I've been trying to get them to accept you as you are now. As this lovable schoolgirl that adores writing fanfiction no matter how lewd it is

Acting out of instinct, you placed a hand in the mass in front of you. It pulsed at your touch

You: If anything, these last days have made it clearer just how many qualities you have

???: Qualities we aim to support, and Y/N the wise had guided our attempts to do so, for he is a prophet of the new being that is...Zoe

The myriad of eyes glanced over the cultist, but quickly returned to you, slightly widened by this information

You: We all want to support you, to watch you succeed, Zoe. You're such a vibrant, creative, and sweet

The world itself seemed to have come to a literal stop by her. You could tell because of the cultist now floating in midair motionless

You: You deserve to be happy in any form, Z. No matter what you choose to be, you'll always have us to watch your back

A smaller tentacle slid by and reached out to you. With a tender smile, you held it as if it were her hand because, well, it was

You: You'll always have me to watch your back

A tear fell down the eye closest to you, and the tentacle retreated shortly after

ɀ̶'̶Ɠ̶օ̶ɾ̶ժ̶ Zoe: I...

She let out a powerful shriek that made the earth itself tremble. As this happened, the colossal mass of flesh began to shrink. The chunk of concrete that served as a platform for you returned to the floor as you bore witness to this transformation

This indescribable being slowly changed back into a shape you were more familiar with, that of a certain schoolgirl

By the time she reached the ground, she was fully transformed back to her usual self but seemed too tired to stand up

You: Zoe!

Acting out of instinct, you rushed to her and managed to keep her from falling. Look at you!

You: You alright, Z?

The girl slowly opened her eyes only to find you looking down at her. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of it

Zoe: I...I am now, thanks

She wrapped her tentacle around your hand as she looked into your eyes

The world seemed to have returned to normal, the sky was visible once again, and even the tornado had disappeared into a gentle breeze

Everything was good in the world again, or at least as good as it could be before

Zoe let out a sigh of relief, a rarity these days, and yet, she couldn't help but feel at ease in your arms

Similarly, a warm feeling in your chest took over just by seeing how peaceful she looked, how happy

Without thinking about it, you leaned down, closing your eyes just as she got up ever so slightly, shortening the distance between your lips when--

Zoe: Wait, hold on

You: w-wha...?

Wait, what the fuck?

Zoe placed a hand on your shoulder just as you opened your eyes. You tilted your head in understandable confusion only to find the girl looking at something else

Following her gaze, you quickly found the cultists surrounding you once again. Every single one of them watching in awe

Ooooooh, right, them

You immediately got up and let go of Zoe once she was on her feet. You cleared your throat while your eyes remained glued to the ground

Yeah, that definitely hid the embarrassment

Zoe: Okay. You all claim you want to support me even now, as Zoe, right?

???: ALL HAIL ZOE

Zoe: I'll take that as a yes

Then, she placed her hands on her waist and narrowed her eyes at them

Zoe: Then I have a mission for you

One of them raised their hand

???: For which one of us?

Zoe: ALL of you

A series of whispers and mumbles followed that statement. You turned to Zoe and raised a brow, but she just winked at you

Zoe: Now, follow me. Everyone!

They all nodded and started to move when one of them waved her arms in the air and walked up to you

???: Wait wait wait! We still don't have a grandmaster!

Zoe: What?

You: Right, this is the whole reason why you summoned me

Zoe: Wait, you can be summoned?

Yes, yes you can

You: Don't worry about it

You rubbed your chin for a moment before addressing the crowd

You: Listen, we're kind of in a predicament right now, so is everyone okay if I'm the cult leader until we resolve this?

Everyone looked at each other, then at you, and nodded in unison

HA! Roll credits

???: I can see it

???: Sure

???: Go for it

???: NINETEEN

With a smile, you crossed your arms. That was easy, temporary, but easy

You: Awesome, after that, he, she, or they who can do a headstand the longest shall be the leader

Somewhere in the crowd, a random cultist cheered. They knew their headstand training would pay off someday

Without further due, Zoe led the army of cultists (and you) back to school, walking past some very confused students and even the security staff. She was ready to say they were actors, but they didn't even bother. They just stepped aside

Regardless, she started barking orders and the cultists immediately got to finish whatever was needed, and more importantly, allowing your undead servants to finally get some rest

They were pretty much dry skin and bone and they somehow looked pretty damn exhausted

At least you could feel your energy returning, yay!

With these many devoted hands, the sets were done in record time, and some of the cultists offered to serve as background characters for the scenes to look more alive

As it turns out, having a cult was pretty useful, and all it took was a little cataclysmic event to make them understand

...

By the time the moon hung in the sky, guests had started to arrive at Spooky High, and not just your run-of-the-mill guests, but these monsters seemed to be quite influential as well. Of course, Principal Giant Spider was there to receive them as they did

PGS: Welcome, welcome everybody! I'm sure you'll enjoy what we have in store for you tonight, maybe even consider funding out believed Spooky High!

The cultists set a precious carpet and even led them to the auditorium, serving as the staff for tonight, but that wasn't all

Hidden in the darkness, one of the cultists watched the scene from far with a pair of binoculars, undetected, unseen, un--okay, you get it

It didn't take long before she spotted a certain feline in the crowd, and I'm saying crowd loosely because they all immediately stepped aside to let her and her invisible husband through

The cultist gasped at the sight of this and raised a walkie-talkie because of course the cult had some

Back in the auditorium, you were helping Polly get her costume on when the walkie-talkie in your belt caught your attention

???: McCatperson is in the building, I repeat, McCatperson is in the building

You tensed at the confirmation and picked up

You: Roger that, Eagle 4

Immediately, you walked out of the room and found Zoe giving some instructions to the other actors. She caught a glimpse of you and as you gave her a serious nod, she understood perfectly

Zoe: Uhh, everyone, a moment, please?

Her voice echoed clearly through the room, and it immediately got everyone to stop what they were doing to answer her call

Zoe: There won't be a chance to say this later, so I just wanted to thank everyone for, well, being here for me

She looked at the crowd before her and smiled when she laid her eyes on you

Zoe: All of you made this possible with your effort, your determination, I just...

Polly then placed a hand on her shoulder

Polly: I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say you deserve to see this through

This got a bunch of noises from the crowd, all in agreement

Polly: And you had enough trust in us, so I guess we'll see how well it paid off!

Zoe: Y-Yeah! Now go get ready, everyone! Let's show them what we can do

Everyone cheered before they left to do their own thing

It was time

...

"Uhh..."

The eldritch playwright stood on the stage. The curtains were closed behind her, and the auditorium was full to the brim with both guests and students. You peeked from the wall on the edge of the stage just in case

Among the audience, you spotted Hope and her coven, she gave you a thumbs up which you couldn't help but smile at

Zoe: Thanks for coming everybody. This is the first play I've ever done, but I f-feel honored to present it to you tonight

There was no response from the audience, making Zoe clear her throat and flash a couple of nervous smiles

Zoe: Anyway, here we go!

She stepped aside just as the curtains started to move, earning a few cheers from the students this time

Zoe rushed over to your side and hid behind a clipboard as the actors took the stage

And from here I must warn you, there are SPOILERS for (Literal) Partners in Crime AKA Vera's story

Be warned if you haven't read that one!

Okay, here we go!

The young schoolgirl watched anxiously as the play took place. Damian and Vera took the lead roles with style and cruel charm that already came to them naturally, but that didn't mean you were out of the woods just yet

Fortunately, you were just capable enough to handle whatever issues happened behind the scenes

- - -

Liam: I've changed my mind, I refuse to play this role. It's not disruptive enough

The purple vampire stood before you dressed as a waitress, not a waiter, a waitress

However, you had been through a main plot already, so you had no time for nonsense

You: Too bad!

So you raised your glowing hands, your eyes adopting the same effect and suddenly, Liam felt his body becoming incredibly tense, but the next move that he did came as an even bigger surprise

Mainly, because it wasn't even his

And just like that, he was forced to come out to play his part, which he ended up nailing anyway

Yeah, you could pretty much control the undead students, you just didn't want to. It was just so rude

But this time it was a necessary evil. YUP

- - -

Zoe was studying her audience with anxious speed, trying to guess just how much they liked (or hated) her work, but she found herself relaxing when you placed a hand on her shoulder

You: Hey, you did your part

Then, you glanced over to the actors

You: Now let them do theirs

Suddenly, the crowd began to laugh, and given the fact that she spent a whole week thinking of that specific joke made it oh so rewarding for her

Zoe: Yeah...yeah you're right. Their part

But laughter wasn't all that you could hear from the audience, not by a long shot

- - -

Vera: NO!!

Her outburst echoed through the silent auditorium, startling even the bravest in the audience

Not even the actors themselves seemed affected by it

Damien: W-What...?

The young man looked at his partner with a previously unseen softness, vulnerability even

They talked in a parking lot, blood still fresh on his clothes after the moment of bloodshed they shared. It was supposed to be a night for celebration, and yet, here they were

Vera took a deep breath before she turned to the shocked demon

Vera: This relationship is merely professional, you hear me?! Unless it's business related, don't you DARE ask me something like that!

Her snakes even hissed at her declaration, and even then, the remorse could already be seen in her eyes as she stormed out of the scene

When you looked at the audience, you found gasps, pained reactions, and even Principal Giant Spider holding multiple tissues

...

At some point, Zoe stopped caring about the audience, and instead, her gaze(s) remained fixed on the monsters bringing her work to life

It was just how she imagined it, well, a lot less sexual, but it was still pretty damn good for her

- - -

Amira: Wait, what is happening?

Polly: Is the water supposed to flow like that?

Oz: No, it isn't!

Scott: I'm a tree!

The group found themselves before a waterfall that Damien had been punching nonstop in an attempt to get his BOLDNESS+ back and hopefully heal his broken heart

From the waterfall, however, emerged a powerful blue demon, impersonating a minor deity. She growled before she laid her eyes on them

DAHLIA: YOU DARE STRIKE THE GODDESS OF THE WATERFALL??

She flexed her incredible muscles to prove her point, but the adventurers didn't even flinch!

Damien: Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?

Amira gasped at this suddenly bold comment and quickly jumped to his side

Amira: Yeah, you inferior deity!

The goddess felt her eye twitch at the insult. You weren't sure if she took it to heart

Polly: Yeah you Poseidon wannabe!

DAHLIA: YOU ARROGANT CREATURES WILL PERISH

Damien: Perish this, you liquid fuck!

He let out a warcry and together with his friends, he charged at the goddess. The people in the audience were even cheering for the gang to succeed

- - -

Zoe became so invested in her own plot she didn't even notice she was grabbing your hand. Not that you minded

Before she knew it, however, Vera and Damien stood proudly, holding each other while a myriad of dead clown mobsters lied scattered at their feet

Just as they leaned in to kiss, the curtains closed for one last time

The thunderous applause that came from the audience, and the cheers made the eldritch cutie jump back in realization

Polly: We did it, boo!

Damien: We fucking pulled it off!

Scott: I'm still a tree!

Zoe: W-What?

Before she could even finish, Polly dragged her along with the cast as they all appeared on stage once again, holding hands

Still unsure of how to proceed, the playwright turned to her friends, only to find them smiling proudly and nodding

Finally, they raised their arms, and together, they all took a bow as the audience went wild with cheers and claps

...

While Principal Giant Spider went on and on about why Spooky High should continue to be funded, the playwright remained backstage to celebrate with the cast

Little did she know, someone had decided to pay her a little visit

???: Zoe?

Zoe: Yeah?

She answered before she even bothered to look, but when she did, she practically jumped back at the sight of the one and only Monster Arts Supervisor but covered her main mouth to avoid screaming

Zoe: O-Oh, Ms. McCatperson! I-I--

The feline, however, stopped her with one gesture of her hand. The floating set of fancy clothes that was her beloved husband followed shortly after

McCatperson: Hello, Zoe. I wanted to
congratulate you on a successful play

You were talking with some of the gang when you noticed what was happening

You: Hold on, let me do something real quick

And so, you approached the girl as soon as you spotted the imposing monster. I mean, just look at how nervous Zoe was, and she used to be an all-consuming madness entity

McCatperson: I must confess...

She took off her glasses in dramatic fashion before she looked at her

McCatperson: I don't think I've ever seen a student pull off a play as well as you did all by yourself

The younger girl tilted her head at this

Zoe: By myself?

The supervisor placed her hands on her hips

McCatperson: Come on, do you expect me to believe that Principal Giant Spider had any role in this?

Zoe and you shared a look, and both proceeded to nod shortly after

You: Yeah that's fair

Zoe: Mm-hmm

Then, McCatperson was handed a clipboard by her husband

McCatperson: Still, here's my review of your play. Normally I make the playwrights wait agonizingly for it in the papers, but my husband here convinced me otherwise

You couldn't see it, but the man was giving you a thumbs-up. What a guy

McCatperson: Ahem. "While novice in nature, the play focuses on telling a story and does it remarkably well. Having a partner with whom you bond over murder is certainly a bold, but relatable situation"

Zoe practiced deep breaths as the review went on. Every word burning into her memory

McCatperson:...and the students played into their roles with remarkable enthusiasm one rarely sees in modern plays. Overall, this play is unapologetically itself, and carries a lot of charm demonstrated by the audience's level of engagement"

Slowly, she lowered the clipboard and turned to her husband

McCatperson: Anything to add, dear?

???: It was good. I liked the tree

With a nod, she shifted back to Zoe

McCatperson: As for whether or not it passes my quality test...

What followed next was something you never thought you'd see the woman do, she smiled at her

McCatperson: ...it does, congratulations, young lady

Every eye in Zoe's body threatened to fall by how wide they had become by the sheer excitement of this news, but the supervisor then held out a hand for her

McCatperson: I hope to hear more from you in the future. Enjoy your night

With that, the legendary Sypha McCatperson and her husband left the scene. What they left behind, could only be described as--

Zoe: AHGHHHHHHHH!!!

The young girl let out a powerful squeal at the news, although this one didn't render people mad like usual

She even did a cute little jump out of happiness

You: YOU MADE IT!!

The young girl turned to the sound of your voice and with the same grin, she wrapped her tentacle arm around your waist and made you lean back as she dipped you into a passionate kiss that even resembled that of the V-J Day picture

Don't know what I'm talking about? I gotcha covered!

Yes, you even had one of your legs up ever so slightly as you melted into the kiss, and got a hold of Zoe's shoulder to close the distance further

Both of you closed your eyes and indulged yourselves in a more than-earned reward. Nothing else in the world could possibly matter right now

But just as this happened, a wave of cheers and whistles came from your classmates, for they had seen their OTP finally become canon

Once the kiss was over, Scott lifted Zoe and made her sit on his shoulders while Dahlia made you sit on hers. They paraded you as the two minds behind this glorious victory

Rounds of applause, cheering from your friends and even a bit of confetti coated the scene in nothing but joy

The girl and you looked at each other and couldn't help but smile, reaching for the other's hand and lifting them before joining the celebration

Zoe had been many things during her existence. A deity of madness and chaos, devourer of sanity for millennia, an endless void of evil

She had never faced a real challenge until she decides to live her life as a schoolgirl, a transition that she was getting used to

So when she was tasked with something like this, it was easy to get overwhelmed, but what she had in this life that she didn't have before, was people that cared about her

People that served as their anchor and pillar of strength, people she felt so lucky to have

People such as you

And she would never, EVER, give it up

The end

...Nah, there's still the epilogue