Truth Revealed

                                    

                                          


                          
It was a mess, Viperon thought as he scanned the city, trying to find the worst cluster of villains around. 
                          
	He headed down near the Eiffel Tower when he heard a familiar voice scream out for Ladybug. It was none other than Chloe Bourgeois. She looked frantic as if she had been crying. Viperion was just about to jump down there and help get her to safety when Time Tagger zipped out on her rollerblades and hit her in the back. 
                          
	"No!" Viperion called out. His panic only lasted for a minute. He could fix this. "Second chance!" He only had a few seconds to react before it was too late. He jumped down onto the street and landed right in front of Chloe. 
                          
	She stared at him in awe, clearly shocked to see him there. "Come with me," he said, offering a hand. 
                          
	Chloe didn't seem too sure, but she took his hand anyway. "I need to get to-" she screamed about midway through as Viperion jumped through the air onto a building. 
                          
	"Sorry, I had to get away before-"
                          
	Just then, Time Tagger came zipping through on her roller skates, right where Chloe had been. 
                          
	"I see." Chloe cleared her voice and shook herself. "I, I have to get to Ladybug! I have to tell her something! It's really important it's-"
                          
	"It's okay, I'll get you there, hang on tight." Viperion knew that look. Chloe wasn't being overdramatic this time. She really did have something important to tell Ladybug. And given the current situation, there wasn't time for her to explain. 
                          
	Viperion couldn't explain it, but something about Chloe felt different. He hoped that it was for the better. 
                          
	Chloe couldn't help but let out a scream or two as they jumped rooftop from rooftop across Paris. She clung tightly to Viperon, not caring if he minded. It was his fault for making it so scary. But then again, Chloe was the one who had insisted it was urgent, and it was. 
                          
	"It's bad, isn't it?" Viperion asked about midway there. 
                          
	"Yeah," Chloe said grimly, thinking about all the wrong things she had done...everything she could've done to prevent this. "I have to tell Ladybug. Before it's too late." 
                          
	Viperion pretended not to notice, but twice he felt Chloe crying as she clutched a little tighter to him. Clearly, something had happened to make her this upset. 
                          
	When they finally reached Ladybug, she was fighting beside Cat Noir, north of the Eiffel Tower. Viperion gently placed Chloe down a few yards away. 
                          
	"I'll get their attention. Stay here," he said before dashing off. 
                          
	Chloe's heart started to race. What if she was too late? What if Felix and Lila stole the Miraculous before she could tell Ladybug? Then it really would be all her fault. 
                          
	"Why am I so stupid sometimes!" she said aloud. 
                          
	"Chloe!" she heard a familiar voice call out. 
                          
	"Ladybug!" She hadn't sounded that eager to say her name in a long time. It almost felt...reassuring. 
                          
	"What's-"
                          
	"It's all a distraction! Lila, Felix, they, they, know who Shadowmoth is! They...recruited me, and, and they're gonna try and steal the moth and peacock miraculous!" It came out all jumbled and frantic, but both Ladybug and Cat Noir immediately understood. 
                          
 "Felix?" Cat Noir spat out in disbelief. "And Lila? They know who Shadowmoth is?" Cat Noir gawked. He glanced at Ladybug, who was just as stunned. 
                          
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I...I messed up. I should never have joined them. And now Paris is going to be destroyed all because of me!" Chloe spat out. She was near tears when Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder.