Author note: I don't write angst drama, I'm very bad at writing angst drama. I am required to write angst drama in this chapter. It's not good angst drama. But I'd say it's atleast on par with actual miraculous writing. So humor me.
Hawkmoth stood in his sanctum a wicked smirk across his face. He gently took a single butterfly in his hands.
"It's finally time, the stage is set for my ultimate master piece." The villain mused.
Dinobeemon skittered across the ceiling the colossal insectoid coming to rest next to its master.
"I have been working on this for a very long time but with Nathalie's condition I feared I would never get the chance." He frowned slightly. He was too soft. But he could not afford to lose Nathalie and not achieve victory. Plans on plans on plans had been crafted. He already knew his next two akumas after this and each one would be toward his ultimate goal should this not succeed.
"But now with you I can set in motion the greatest akuma I have ever crafted." He allowed the blackened insect to sit on his finger.
"Who is my target master?" The Digimon all but begged to be let loose.
Hawkmoth bared his wicked teeth and held up the diabolical creature.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Marinette was losing her mind. First she ran out of fabric, then she forgot to email Nadia about having to cancel baby sitting Manon, then Lalamon ate her breakfast (though she forgot to eat it herself so in fairness it was better than letting it go bad) but the very top of this mountain of mind fuckery was staring at her from outside her window.
Marinette edged toward her window where on the other side she could see across the street the familiar shape of her worst enemy standing and watching her.
Volpina grinned an insidious grin as if challenging Marinette to come out and play. The guardian of the miraculous climbed up to her balcony but when she looked across her mind boggled as she found Volpina nowhere to be seen. No illusions mocking her, no screams or cries of civilians signaling another attack, she was just.
Gone.
"I need a nap." Marinette rubbed her eyes trying to get rid of the bleariness.
"What's wrong Marinette?" Tikki asked floating up to the trap door with Lalamon.
"Nothing just... overworking myself as usual." Marinette sighed. "I'm even starting to see things." She climbed back down and pokes Lalamon in the tummy. "The weirdest thing I should see in the morning is you."
Lalamon giggled like a pillsbury dough boy and Marinette went back to her projects. This was just a reaction to all the Digimon stuff piled on top of her normal guardian duties.
Or was it?
The alarm for school knocked Marinette back to reality. She rushed out the door only coming back to her room twice to get her purse and her homework. Lalamon floated down with her.
In the kitchen of their home Sabine and Gabumon did dishes from breakfast. The two were a well oiled machine. How her mother could get along so well with something that crawled in through the window is just another reason Marinette knew to both respect and fear her mother.
Down in the bakery things went just as smoothly. As long as Tom Dupain could keep Agumon from eating have the things they made. Having the extra pair of hands, or rather claws, in this case, made everything run at double pace. The bakery was practically over stocked by opening time as Marinette ran out the door.
She waved to Alya at the front gate of the school as her best friend followed Nino inside. Adrien's car pulled up at about the same time. Nathalie giving Adrien a list of all the things he'd be doing today after school which he only half listened to as he and Salamon hopped out of the vehicle.
Marinette stoped to stare for a moment to long and when Adrien turned to look at her she quickly had to find somewhere else to look.
As it so happened this was a bad idea.
Marinette locked onto an orange shape on the roof across from the school. Volpina once again smirking down at her like she knew something she shouldn't.
Marinette stepped back sweat beading in her head. This couldn't be happening could it? Why had nobody else seen her? What was happening?
"Marinette?" Of all things in the universe only one could have probably pulled Marinette from her stupor and luckily that one thing was Adrien's voice. "Are you ok?" He asked concerned.
The young guardian looked between Adrien and the roof where now stood nothing to indicate the space had ever been occupied.
"Uh yeah I think I'm just working myself too hard." Marinette tried to laugh it off.
"You really should try to relax more Marinette." Adrien smiled warmly. God his smile was perfect. Could anything in the universe be so beautiful as that smile? Oh crap he's still talking. Quick say something stupid!
"Uh I have to go check something bye!" Marinette ran off with Lalamon fluttering after her.
"Well that was weirder than normal." Salamon yawned.
"You think so?" Adrien asked the pint sized partner.
"Yeah we should probably prepare for the worst." Salamon struggled to hop the large steps to the school doors. "Curse this adorable form and it's short legs!"
"I hate to agree with cheesemon here." Plagg added. "But something doesn't smell right, you better catch up to Marinette."
Adrien nodded. If both his partners were feeling off then something big was coming.
Marinette burst into the classroom. Normally an entrance like that would have drawn everyone's attention but from Marinette it was practically normal. She scanned the room locking onto her target.
Lila.
Mmn Bustielle had not arrived yet but most of the class was here. If she was right this was the best time to confirm. She had to get everyone out before trouble could brew.
"Everyone get back!" Marinette shouted. "Lila has been akumatized!" She pointed an accusatory finger at the girl at the back of the class.
Lila smirked for only a brief second before she put on a face of shock. "Me? But I'm right here! Nothing off about me." She smiled a fake smile.
"But Marinette Lila hasn't done anything, she's been here for a while now." Alya noted
"Yeah she was the first one here." Added Rose.
"Don't be fooled!" Marinette growled. "I saw Volpina just a few minutes ago across the street she must be an illusion!" Marinette marched toward the girl. She had her now she must have been messing with her all morning! All she had to do was prove it!
"Marinette wait!" Lalamon tried to stop her.
"No! I know what I saw! The akuma is real so you must be fake!" Marinette's hand lashed out faster than anyone could react.
SLAP!!!
No...
Marinette froze. Time slowed to a crawl as Marinette realize her gambit had failed. This wasn't possible. She knew what she saw. But as the red mark appeared on Lila's cheek. She knew it was over. She'd failed. She'd walked right into the most obviously laid trap in this history of traps. All her anger and frustration fell away to terror and shock. This couldn't be happening.
But as Lila's smirk grew to malicious size then just as quickly turned to the fakest look of pain in the world Marinette knew she'd been had!
"Waaaaah! Marinette hit me! Why would you do that?!?" Lila blubbered. The class practically exploded. Everyone and their Digimon suddenly surrounded them. Shouting at Marinette demanding and answer as to why she'd just hit Lila in provoked. Marinette couldn't speak. Her mind seized. She couldn't breathe.
"No but she couldn't be-
"What is wrong with you?"
"How could you do that?!?"
"Maybe you're the one who's akumatized!"
"You're crazy!"
The words bombarded Marinette as she faltered back toward the door.
"Marinette?" She fell back and landed in adrien's arms. "What's going on?"
No please not him. Please don't let him see me at my lowest.
"Marinette just hit Lila!" Alix called from across the room where the crowd was surrounding Lila as if protecting her from Marinette.
"No it's not like that she isn't real she can't be I saw Volpina! I did!" Marinette pleaded.
"Marinette there are no akuma alerts." Alya said sadly nearby.
"And Lila has been here the whole time how could she have been akumatized?" Nino added awkwardly.
This had to be fake. There was no way. Could they really have planned this.
"What is going on in here?" Mmn Bustielle walked into the commotion.
Tears were forming in Marinette's eyes. She had to get away. To get proof. She bolted.
Marinette pushed passed her teacher and ran out the door. She ran and ran as fast as she could. She had to find Volpina! Had to find the akuma but... what if there was no akuma? What if she was just so wracked with stress from everything that had happened since becoming guardian that her brain finally just melted down. What if she was the liar.
"What in the world is going on?" Mmn Bustielle asked as the room looked in shock after Marinette fled.
"Marinette came in and claimed I was an akuma and struck me!" Lila cried.
"That doesn't make any sense at all why would Marinette just make something like that up?" Adrien shot back an icy glare under his normal charming look.
"But there aren't any alerts active and Lila hasn't done anything to get akumatized no one has." Alya didn't like going against her friend but there was no evidence what could she do?
"Ridiculous utterly ridiculous." Came the ever conniving call of Chloe Bourgeois.
"This is ridiculous, what was Marinette thinking?" Kim added.
"Not her." Chloe interjected. The heiress of Paris took one look at the crowd in the back and flipped her hair haughtily. "I'm talking about all of you."
"Wait Chloe is siding with Marinette?"
"Has hell frozen over?"
"Do you losers really think that Dupain-Cheng, miss goody goody everyday ladybug herself would just attack Lila out of nowhere?" Chloe marched up the steps toward the back row. "Please she couldn't hurt a fly if it was stealing bread."
The class all coiled inwardly.
"And you!" Chloe pointed an accusing finger at Lila. "Idk what you did but if Marinette says she saw Volpina I don't trust a word out of your mouth." Chloe stopped to examine her nails. "Not that anyone should anyway."
"Chloe that's enough." Mmn. Bustielle stated.
"No it isn't!" Chloe shot back surprising the teacher as much as the class. The blonde looked at Adrien her childhood friend. "Go after Marinette, I can handle this." It was an order but one Adrien was more than willing to follow. With a nod he rushed out the room with Salamon following.
"As for you!" Chloe turned an icy glare at Lila. "I'm putting an end to your lying spree once and for all." Chloe whipped out her phone and dialed.
"Who are you calling?" Lila questioned.
"You'll see." Chloe smiled. "What was that favored lie of yours? Oh right that you rescued Jagged Stone's cat! Let's test that shall we." Chloe put the phone on speaker.
"Jean-Davis!"
"Yes Miss Bourgeois?" Came her butler's voice.
"Connect me to Jagged Stone's room in the hotel."
"Yes Miss Bourgeois."
"Last chance." Chloe glares at Lila but the latter held her ground even as a weariness crept into her face.
"Fine we can play chicken." Chloe grinned.
"Hello?" Jagged Stone appeared on the phone. "Who is this?"
"Hey Jagged it's me Chloe you remember right?" Chloe said chipperly.
"Of course the crazy girl who lives in this hotel." Jagged laughed.
"Sorry to take up your time Jagged but I had a very important question for you." Chloe batted her eyes koily.
"Anything for a fan, Whatcha need?" The rock star asked.
"Have you ever met someone named Lila Rossi?" The heiress asked.
There was a pause. The class all stared with bated breath.
"Layla Bossi? Never heard of her." The rocker answered.
"Thanks Jagged, have a lovely day." Chloe hung up the phone and the class all took a big step away from Lila as Chloe approached.
"I've been polite in allowing your antics so far. Lord knows Marinette and I have had our share of back and forths. But you see the thing is we know the rules." Chloe towered over the other girl. "But you! You don't follow, the rules, you just do what you want and think that it's ok cause you can just lie your way out of it." The girl's eyes we cold as ice. "But not anymore, you've made an enemy of me and that is something only one person has done and survived." Chloe snarled. "And unlike you, she actually had real friends to help her." Chloe slammed her hands on the desk and stared down at Lila as the latter cowered back.
"Let me put this in a way you'll understand. If I ever EVER hear about you lying about Marinette again, I will spend every cent of my name unraveling every lie you have ever told ON MY INSTAGRAM!!!" The entire class was looking almost as terrified as Lila as Chloe finally relented with a simple. "You can go now." And Lila sped out of the room as Chloe walked over to the window.
"Sabrina! Come!" She commanded.
"Y-Yes Chloe!" Sabrina peeped running over to help Chloe climb out the window.
"Uh Chloe where are you going?" Mmn Bustielle asked finding her voice.
"Either Marinette or Lila are about to be akumatized and given my track record with the two I'm not waiting around to be akuma bait, I recommend the rest of you do the same." She noted climbing up a gutter rail.
The class all looked between eachother then immediately ran over to the window to follow.
All but Alya who was stood stunned in horror at her realization of how easily she'd be played. Pitted against her best friend and all she could say was "there's no evidence?" What was she a fraud?!? The Fox heroine felt her very soul bubble over with regret and rushed out the room followed by Nino to look for her friend. She prayed she wasn't too late.
"Mwahahahaha! It's too easy!" Hawkmoth laughed. "Oh akumatizing these children is like taking candy from a baby. I didn't even have to move a muscle." The villain cackled. "Astounding work Dinobeemon, with no friends to help her my ultimate akuma is ready to be unleashed." Hawkmoth gently clasped one of his butterflies filling it with power and releasing it. "Go my akuma and evilize this broken heart!"
Marinette trudged along the side walk. She had lost. She had nothing left anymore.
"Marinette." Lalamon pouted. "Please talk to us."
Marinette couldn't though. Her tongue had been taken by sorrow. Anything that came out now would be a whimper or sob. She'd been played like a cheap kazoo. Of course it couldn't be Volpina she didn't have a grudge against Marinette only Lila did. She couldn't know the truth. It was a sham. A trick. A hallucination at best.
"Marinette please you have to snap out of it, we can fix this." Tikki pleaded.
"No we can't Tikki!" Marinette screamed. This was it. This was where she broke. On the sidewalk across from school.
"There's nothing I can do I've lost! I'm just going to disappear! I'll disappear with no friends left!" Marinette's hot tears streaked down her face and coated the pavement.
"Marinette please you can't give up now." Lalamon tried to float around to face her tamer but the latter simply cowered lower.
"I can't I can't beat her she's too good I'll never get out from under this I struck her in cold blood with no proof they'll never forgive me." Marinette felt herself growing colder. Her world view greying. She wanted to just disappear.
Tikki saw it first, the black butterfly floating down toward her friend.
"Marinette you have to calm down please you're in danger!"
"I'll disappear I'll just disappear." Marinette's words lost their fight. Lost their passion. Lost their will.
"Marinette please hurry to your senses there's an akuma!" Lalamon frantically tried to pull her tamer away. But the latter wouldn't budge as all color seemed to drain from her.
Across the street Adrien was searching the locker rooms. He opened marinette's locker and even called into the bathroom looking but received no response. Finally he looked out the window and saw his quarry on the other side of the street.
"There she is!" Adrien sighed with relief then he saw the black butterfly floating down toward her.
"No!" He pounded on the window. "Marinette! Marineeeeette!"
"I'll just." Marinette's entire shape lost color. Her hands became fuzzy like tv static and her eyes lost their shine. "Disappear." The butterfly floated closer.
"Marinette!" Tikki cried.
It inched toward her aimed right for her ear rings.
"Marinette!" Lalamon shook her.
"I'll just disappear." Marinette whispered.
"Marinette!" Adrien screamed pounding on the window till it cracked.
"Yeeeesssss!" Hawkmoth cackled as the akuma reached its target... and vanished.
Adrien watched in stunned horror as in an instant Marinette and her digital partner simply... ceased. Vanished into thin air. Leaving only the black butterfly floating in empty space confused.
"What?"
"What?"
"Impossible." Hawkmoth searched and searched but the negative emotions were gone! Just gone! As if they never existed. What was going on? There weren't even positive emotions to replace them! It was as if Marinette Dupain-Cheng had simply vanished off the face of the earth. She had disappeared.
"M...Marinette?" Adrien's voice hitched. He had seen it but he didn't believe it. One second Marinette was in harms way about to be akumatized by Hawkmoth then the next she was just... gone!
Turmoil, heart break, fury and despair mixed into a roiling pressure in Adrien's chest as he spoke the words.
"Plagg claws out!"
Chat Noir practically exploded through the school's wall and was upon the akuma faster than lightening. "Cataclysm!" He roared swiping the butterfly from mid air and turning it to dust.
Hawkmoth recoiled in shock. What just happened?
Chat looked around frantically. Where had she gone? There had to be something? Was this an akuma? No it couldn't be he just destroyed the akuma there couldn't be two at once! There must be something!
"Marinette!"
"Marinette..." Lalamon whimpered. "Where are we?"
The world around them was cold and grey, the buildings and structures old and rickety like a ghost town. In the distance a black
Frigid coastline gently undulated with waves from a non existent wind and tide. This pale imitation of reality was not Paris. It wasn't France. It wasn't anywhere. Tikki had traveled most of the world but this place. This wasn't a place it was. Nowhere.
"This place it's... it's not right." Tikki floated up looking at the area but was only gifted with more visions of cold emptiness. "Where are we? How did we get here?" Digimon and Kwami looked around confused and concerned but Marinette added nothing to the conversation. The cold and grey girl simply walked forward down the street.
"Marinette? Where are you going?" Tikki called after her chosen.
"Shouldn't you be hiding?" Lalamon asked.
"From who? There's no one here!" Tikki replied flying after Marinette.
Lalamon looked at a simple sign stuck to the rustic fence next to the path. It read simply "Innsmouth" but in digicode the language of Digimon.
"I don't like this place."
"What happened?!?" Hawkmoth snarled. He searched all of Paris with his power but Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her bottomless despair had vanished like they'd been plucked away by god. "Dinobeemon did you see what happened?"
"No master." The fake Volpina transformed atop the roof of the street a block over. "I saw the butterfly but was distracted by that Lila girl, she came running out of the school in quite the hurry.
"Lila?" Hawkmoth scanned Paris and locked onto the feelings of panic and frustration.
"Hmph not what I was hoping for." Hawkmoth detected the presence of something powerful and dark near Lila Rossi. "But this should do for now." He grinned sending a new butterfly out into the world. The dark entity found its target huddled in an alley.
"Lila Rossi." Hawkmoth mused. "Our alliance was meant to bare fruit today but unexpected complications have forced my hand, or rather, yours."
"I'm done Hawkmoth I've lost my edge." Lila whimpered.
"Then we'll give you a sharper edge, one that can carve lies into reality itself." Hawkmoth grinned his evil grin as Lila slowly morphed into Volpina. "And to make sure you're at your peak." As Volpina clutched the new digivice in her hands, her shadow extended and began to rise up a humanoid yet very inhuman form emerging from within.
"I gift to you your new Digimon partner."
Volpina stood and looked up at the creature that coalesced from the shadows.
"And who are you?"
"You may call me... Doumon."
Alya came upon the scene first followed by Nino. Running up to Chat Noir as he frantically looked around like he was being attacked by the Vanisher again.
"Chat Noir!" Alya called. "What's going on?"
"Marinette!" The cat hero whipped around again. "She was here!" He panted. "There was an akuma... I-it was heading right for her and I tried to get to her but then she just disappeared!"
"What do you mean she disappeared?" Nino asked.
"She just vanished dude! I don't know what happened I panicked so much I cataclysmed the akuma!" Chat was sweating which shouldn't be possible in his super hero form. This wasn't normal. This wasn't a trick of Hawkmoth, something more sinister was afoot and he had no idea what.
"You need to recharge." Alya stated. "Go feed your kwami we'll look for Marinette!"
Chat looked like he was gonna argue but then an explosion cropped up in the distance.
"Damn it... I'll be back." Chat leapt away.
"What do you think that was?" Nino looked off to the sounds of chaos.
"Bad news." Alya gulped.
"What do we do Chloe?" Sabrina asked on the roof as Chloe looked off toward the explosion.
"I need to get my miraculous... Sabrina stay here, Honeybeemon! Let's get some back up."
"Yes my queen!" The Digimon latched onto its tamer and flew off like a fluttery jet pack.
The heiress of Paris plopped down on Marinette's balcony and opened the trap door.
"No time for subtly where is the stupid box?" Chloe rummaged through the various drawers and boxes of Marinette's room looking for the miracle box. How hard could it be to find it was the size of a damn soccer ball! Wait shouldn't she say foot ball? Oh kwami the scent of baked good was going to make her woozy at this rate.
Yes definitely the scent of baked goods and not the delicate aroma of Marinette's room and its various beauty products that Chloe definitely didn't think were cute or smelled good. We're getting off topic.
"Pollen? Where are you? Hello?"
"My queen?"
A bubbly voice came from inside a large doll house. A tiny yellow face poked out of the object and smiled. "My queen!" Pollen flew out followed by a swarm of other kwamis.
"Hey look it's the grumpy girl again." Stommp snorted.
"Here to try to use us all again?" Roarr asked with a mischievous giggle.
"Heavens no, Miracle Queen was a mistake but I'm better now, no I only need three of you." Chloe pulled the top off the doll house and picked out the Miracle Box. "Really inside a doll house? Can that girl get any sappier?"
"We love it." Fluff floated by.
"When the guardian isn't here we can relax inside like our own little house!" Mullo squeaked cutely as the kwami flew over to sit on a tiny couch.
Chloe tried her best not to find that absolutely adorable and focused on grabbing miraculous.
"Bee, Fox, turtle aaaand hmm." Chloe tapped her chin then grabbed the dog miraculous.
"Ooo do I finally get a holder?" Barkk asked.
"Yes you do, just... don't tell Marinette until later ok."
"Uh my queen." Honeybeemon called from the roof. "You might wanna hurry. I just saw a car fly through the air and I don't think they're suppose to do that."
"No they aren't. Pollen! Buzz on!"
"Babe far be it from me to question your methods." Nino started. "But what the hell are we doing?" The question was directed at their current situation slinking through alley ways trying to get closer to the origin of the explosions.
"We need intel for when Ladybug gets here and the Ladyblog has been hurting for new stories lately." Alya peaked around a corner checking streets and roofs for akumas. "No sign of them yet."
"Good, can we go then?" Nino asked watching their backs to make sure they weren't ambushed.
"Renamon go scout ahead."
"Yes my tamer." Renamon vanished as Alya turned to Nino.
"Babe if you can knuckle under and follow me for this at our next date night I'll do that thing you like with the head of lettuce." Alya smirked mischievously.
"Dude not in front of the turtle!" Nino blustered covering Kamemon's ears.
"I don't know what I've walked in on." Queen Bee announced dropping down to them. "But it needs to never be given context."
"Aw my second favorite bee hero." Alya mused. "Was that cute sister of yours busy?"
"Hahaha very funny, Lahiffe contain your woman." Chloe glowered.
"Oh dude not even you have enough money for me to attempt that." Nino chuckled.
"Ridiculous." Chloe rolled her eyes and pulled out the two Miraculous.
"Here a gift from Ladybug, she was indisposed." Chloe looked away with a huff.
"She gave them to you?" Alya asked taking her necklace.
"Got a problem?" Queen Bee remarked.
"No, I'm proud of you." Alya smirked. "Now then let's make ladybug proud."
"Trixx let's pounce!"
"Wayzz shell on!"
The two heroes landed in the street. It wasn't hard to find the source of the chaos as Volpina stepped up on the roof across from them.
"Looking awfully shook there Lila, Chloe get you that bad?" Rena smirked.
"Hand over the akuma dude or this will get uglier than that knock off outfit of yours." Carapace added.
Volpina sneered down at them.
"Give it up faker." Rena snarled back.
"Faker? You're the only fake heroes around here." Volpina shot back leaping down to the street. "I'm going to mop the floor with you has-been heroes and show the whole city who they should really put on a pedestal." Volpina raised her flute.
"Your dreams are as hollow as your personality." Rena raised her flute like a bow staff as Renamon stepped out of the shadows.
"Careful she might have a Digimon with her." Carapace raised his shell shield.
"Yeah what was making those explosions? It couldn't have been her." Rena Rouge gingerly stepped right circling the villain as she allowed the heroes to take point around her as if she wasn't afraid of being out numbered.
Volpina raised her flute and blew a quick turn before either hero could move to stop her. Immediately a swarm of missiles appeared in the air.
"Nice try just another trick!" Rena Rouge charged.
"Oh is it?" Lila grinned evilly as a small paper spell tag shot out of her shadow and into one of the missiles as it flew toward Rena.
BOOOOOM!!!
The fox hero was launched backward, Renamon leapt in to catch her tamer resulting in both being thrown backward into the nearest building. Rena Rouge was spared serious injury but Renamon had taken a hefty blow to soften her tamer's.
"What? How?" Carapace was so distraught from his girlfriend getting blasted he didn't see the second spell tag enter another missile and fly toward him!
"Pointer Arrow!"
BOOOM!
Carapace was also blown back but only lightly as Kamemon blasted the missile before it could reach his partner.
"Thanks little dude." Carapace gulped.
"She can make them real." Rena gulped extricating herself from the wall with Renamon.
"How?"
"I sense something." Renamon coughed clutching her arm. "There is something else here... a Digimon."
Rena scanned the area but saw nothing, if only her digivice could track like Kagami's could but oddly some of the hero's digivices were different.
"If she can make any weapon she wants real we're in big trouble."
"We'll see about that!"
The heroes and villain all looked to the shout of triumph as Queen Bee landed on the scene with an extra guest.
"Presenting Paris' newest heroine!" Chloe called.
The girl who stepped up next could only be Sabrina. Clad in an orange based suit with a fluffy hat and dog ears.
"Never fear Paris!" She called. "Lap Dog is here!"
Gaomon stepped up next to her and put up its fists.
"Chloe what the hell?!?" Rena gawked.
"There's a dog miraculous?" Carapace quirked a brow.
"Volpina! Another miraculous has entered your turf, take it for me and you will be rewarded." Hawkmoth mused in her ear.
"It doesn't matter how many of you there are." Volpina grinned raising her flute. "You're playing my tune now!"
"Marinette please come back!" Tikki pleaded as the two floating creatures followed after their dear friend.
"She's not listening, maybe we should just knock some sense into her." Lalamon thought aloud.
"She's already in enough pain she thinks her friend's abandoned her." Tikki huffed as they wandered through the dull grey and black streets.
"They weren't very supportive were they?" Lalamon mumbled.
"It's that darn Lila's fault grrr in all my years on this earth I've never met someone so ... so... grrrrr!" For the first time since arriving in the human world Lalamon saw genuine anger appear on Tikki's face. The air around her seemed to turn a dull red and even sparks began to appear.
"Tikki! Calm down!" The Digimon shouted.
Tikki snapped out of her fury looking almost horrified at what she was thinking.
"What's happening to us?" Tikki shivered.
"It's this place, it's like pure concentrated evil." Lalamon cringed as well at the environment they had been whisked away to. This place was a void. A more of stagnation. Even the vines growing off some of the buildings didn't look alive just like more ruin.
But this fact didn't seem to stall Marinette as she trudged forward mindlessly. She finally turned a corner after what seemed like ages and revealed the destination to the shock and horror of kwami and Digimon alike.
Before them stood an endless expanse. Black and undulating. To call it an ocean would seem like it didn't do it justice. This was an abyss that had dragged its self from the bottom of the world all the way to the surface. It gnawed at the beach like a hungry rat on cheese. The beach extended for miles, far off beyond where they could see, the only structure emerging from the black sand a single huge light house, but the light that emanated from it did not illuminate anything, instead it seemed to make everything darker as it passed. A black spire that pierced the sky.
"How can a world like this exist?" Lalamon wanted to run. To flee. To be as far from that ocean as possible. But Marinette apparently had other ideas. She stepped onto the beach and walked straight toward the water.
"Marinette wait! I don't think you should touch that!" Tikki practically screamed it in Marinette's ear but still the heroine didn't waver from her path.
Lalamon was about to add to the shouting when she saw movement. The first since they'd arrived. Lalamon looked to see shadowed creatures crawling along the beach.
"Are those Digimon?" Tikki asked.
"I don't think so." Lalamon gulped backing away.
One of the creatures crawled forward and Marinette finally paused her march to look at it.
"Are you the one who called to us?" Hissed the creature. It sounded like it was dying. It sounded like it had been dying for a while.
"I... called you?" Marinette asked.
"Why is she answering it and not us?" Tikki asked her ally only to then realize Lalamon was not next to her. The kwami looked back and saw that Lalamon had fallen to the ground her propeller no longer turning.
"Lalamon!" The kwami flew over to the Digimon.
"I feel so weak." The no longer floating fairy whimpered trying to get any lift from its slow turning petals.
"What's happening?" Tikki zipped over to hold Lalamon under her arm.
"Marinette... Digimon get power from human emotions but she's only feeling despair and apathy... it's making me weaker I can barely... barley..." in a dull flash that almost seemed to darken the area more Lalamon shrank to barley bigger than Tikki herself.
The tiny spike plant whimpered.
"Lalamon!" Tikki flew down to her.
"Im too weak to even be Lalamon I'm down to Budmon now." The seed pod coughed.
"Marinette we have to get out of here!!!" Tikki shrieked trying to shake her holder awake but a harpoon shot passed her.
"Waaaah!" Tikki turned to the creatures slinking toward them.
"You cannot leave!" Hissed the thing as it dredged itself forward like a slinking corpse or a melting pile. "The barer of the light escaped us before but we will not let the miracle of creation escape as well!" Cried another trying to shuffle forward on limbs that just didn't seem to fit.
"Marinette wake up!" Tikki shrieked. Never in her existence had she known a fear like this. This place was not where she was born this was not her world or any other one such as her had ever known.
As if to capitalize on this horrid realization the creatures themselves let out a shriek as a massive shape came crashing down.
Marinette and her partners were blown back as a limb the size of a bus obliterated the creatures.
Tikki looked up in horror as the black sun in the sky was blotted out by a massive grey leathery shape.
"What... are you?" The kwami of creation looked up at the monolith of hideous power. And it looked back at an insect beneath its patience.
"I am death... I am Dagomon."
"You... you're not a Digimon are you?" Tikki gulped.
The being stared a moment then with a quirk of whimsy in its disgusting brow it answered. "Maybe once... but never again." The bulk of the beast reached from the black ocean and a tentacle like arm wrapped around Marinette pulling her toward the Black Sea.
"No please!" Budmon tried to attack throwing itself at the tendril only to bounce off like a trampoline.
"The power of creation will be mine at last." The Dagon whispered. A whisper of patience. One of endless time and waiting. As though it had thought of this moment for its whole life.
Tikki growled and flew passed him.
"Hey! You big octopus!" The kwami shouted. "She isn't the power of creation, I am!"
The Dagon looked at the tiny think as of it would not believe her... but then a fliting thing whispered in his ear and he dropped the human.
"You are the kwami." It said.
"You know what I am?" Tikki gulped.
"Yes." Said another voice. "We know exactly what you are." From behind the bulbous head of Dagomon appeared a small thing. A tiny insignificant speck. But it floated forward and filled Tikki with more dread than she thought possible. A grey little kwami, with pale yellow eyes and tentacle's for a mouth. "Hello Tikki." Its voice sounded just like Plagg.
"Marinette!" Chat Noir called. "Marinette where are you?!?" He shouted. The horizon lit up with explosions but Chat Noir didn't care. One of the nicest people he had ever met. The one who every day helped him try to face his father and be his own person. He was not going to let her just vanish into thin air. He reached out waving his hand through the spot she'd been in.
"Anything?" Blackgatomon asked watching the distant fight.
"No there's nothing here! I don't get it!" Chat pulled at his hair. "Maybe... maybe it has to do with how she was feeling maybe the negative emotions did something." He thought aloud. "Maybe if I get angry enough or sad enough... but then I'd just risk getting akumatized too." The cat hero growled and put his fist through a window.
"Maybe we can do it together." The Digimon offered.
"You think about all the bad stuff and I'll double that." Blackgatomon put its paw out. "Together we can find it."
"You really think it'll work?" Chat Noir looked at his partner.
"Heh I've watched you this whole time... since long before we met, I know you can do anything you put your mind to." The Digimon smirked. Adrien felt himself swell with pride to have a partner who believed in him like this.
"We make one paw-some team you and me."
"Oh please we're a cat-tastrophe." Blackgatomon chuckled.
"Ok how do we do this?"
"What makes you more sad than anything?"
Chat thought for a moment and realize there wasn't anything that made Chat Noir that sad... but Adrien on the other hand.
"Blackgatomon do Digimon have moms?" He asked quietly.
"... some do, some are born alone." The Digimon answered.
"Did you ever have a family?" Adrien sniffed.
"... I had you, that was all I ever knew... I would move from place to place until I could find you again... watching from your phone or your computer or something else... I never knew anything else." The cat mewed. "Only that you were important to me."
"I had a mom once... and she... disappeared." Adrien's voice broke through the cat like shell of Chat Noir. "I don't know where... or how... or why." His voice hitched. "And then father became cold and distant... then again... maybe it was just my imagination that he was ever warm to begin with."
"Heh aren't we a pair." Blackgatomon choked out. "The boy who had everything but what he needed and the Digimon who had nothing but what he believed in."
"... when you go back... if you go back to the Digital world when this is all over." Adrien said. "You can take whatever you want from my room to remember me, I'll even get you a backpack to hold it all."
Blackgatomon nudged up against him trying to hide the fact he was crying. "I'd like that..."
Chat wiped his eyes and when he did he reached out to steady himself on the wall and felt ... something.
Eyes suddenly wide he turned to look. Half way down his arm it suddenly because staticky and faded as if covered by TV static. "It's here..." Chat Noir's expression slowly scrunched up from despair to anger.
"I'm coming Marinette."
Booooom!
Rena Rouge skipped backward dodging missiles and lasers.
"This is insane we can't even get close!"
"Hold the line we have to wait for Ladybug!" Queen Bee growled spinning her top into a shield only to be blasted off her feet.
Honeybeemon dove in but was blind sided by a flying car and knocked away. Gwappamon dove in to catch the vehicle and spare the bee more damage only for a laser to blow the car apart and send both Digimon reeling.
Kyubimon zipped across the square firing Fox flames to explode missiles but more and more came flying over the embankments as Volpina continued her concert of carnage.
"Which object is akumatized?" Carapace shouted.
"It's gotta be that damn necklace again." Rena Rouge coughed from the smoking wreckage around them. Volpina was gonna burn down all of Paris at this rate.
Sabrina and Gaomon leapt and dodged trying to find an opening.
"Lap Dog get up here!" Queen Bee called.
"But I don't have anything to act as a shield like you! All I have is this ball!"
"So throw it!"
Sabrina stepped forward leaning all her weight into a dynamite pitch.
The spiraling shot curved passed the missiles and weapons as if pulled by a magnet right to Volpina.
The fox villain snarled and swung her flute like a baseball bat slamming the enemy projectile right back to its thrower!
Sabrina tried to brace but the hall hit with so much force it knocked her clean off her feet!
"Lap Dog!" Queen Bee cried.
"My tamer are you ok?" Gaomon called.
Sabrina lay still clutching her ball.
"Ha! Your new little friend is even more pathetic than the rest of you." Volpina laughed.
Lap Dog slowly came to smirk from her spot on the ground as Volpina raised her flute to play again.
"Fetch."
The ball shot across the block faster than Volpina could play a note and suddenly it and the flute disappeared.
"What?!?" Volpina yelped in horror deprived of her weapon.
"Hehe." Lap Dog sat up now holding her ball and the flute. "Look what I found, a lovely stick if I do say so myself."
"Whoa! That was an epic fake out!" Carapace blinked impressed.
"Guess we should have expected devious skills from Chloe's lackey." Rena Rouge smirked.
"That's the way! Can I pick 'em or what?" Queen Bee grinned turning to Volpina. "Now then let's see you make an illusion now."
Volpina snarled. "Illusions aren't my thing anymore." She snapped. "Now things get real! DOUMON!!!"
Volpina's shadow stretched and grew until it resembled a massive beast then a shape emerged. Deep purple fur, a dower expression in sage like robes, and piercing eyes that stared at the world as if all life were beneath it.
"No it can't be." Kyubimon backed away as if looking at a ghost.
The mask like face of the humanoid fox was expressionless as it stood tall over Lila.
"Doumon time to wipe them out."
"You don't scare us!" Lap Dog barked.
"Let's take her down!" Queen Bee added as they charged. A brilliant light erupted from Sabrina's side as a digivice emerged and began to chime.
Digivolution!
"Gaomon digivolve to!
Dorurumon!"
Short blue hound grew and shifted to match its tamer's new paint job becoming a large orange coated wolf hound sprouting drills from various points. The hound and its herald charged the fox like humanoid.
"Useless." Was Doumon's only response as it reached one paw into its sleeve and pulled forth a massive brush.
"Is that a paint brush?" Carapace peaked from cover.
"No it's for calligraphy I've seen Kagami use them." Rena Rouge answered.
"It's about to be broken!" Queen bee lashes the instrument with her top string.
Dorururmon lunged clamping its jaws on the weapon.
"Doruru Tornado!" The hound roared as its drill tail began to spin.
"I told you it's useless!" Doumon swapped its grip on the brush and spun it and Dorurumon along with it! The rotation canceling out Dorururmon's drill was only the icing on the cake as Doumon then delivered a staggering uppercut stopping the brush and Dorurumon cold.
"Dorurumon!" Lap Dog rushed to aid her partner.
"Sabrina wait!" Chloe chased after.
"Talisman of Darkness." Doumon drew a symbol in the air itself and a pulse of pure negative energy blasted Dorurumon backward! The Digimon collided with its tamer, queen bee and Honeybeemon in turn before slamming all of them into the side of a building in a single ferocious blast.
"He decimated them." Carapace paled.
"How is he so strong?" Rena fell back in shock.
"We have to get out of here we can't beat them!" Kyubimon begged its tamer trying to nudge her onto its back.
"No!" Rena pushed Kyubimon away. "I can't not this time! This is my fault I failed Marinette and now she's god knows where and this liar is an akuma. It's my fault I wasn't good enough.
"Rena you know that's not true." Carapace started.
"But it is! How can I call her my best friend when I couldn't even defend her to this this... filthy liar!" Rena Rouge's grip tightened on her digivice.
"Rena we can't beat her." Kyubimon begged.
"Yes we can." Rena took her digimon's head in her hands. "Please, my best friend, the first friend I made when I came to Paris is in trouble because of me, please help me make this right."
Meeting eyes with her tamer Kyubimon could feel the love and righteous fury behind her words. She needed to be strong for her.
"I will follow you to the ends of the earth my tamer." Kyubimon nodded.
"That's how far we're gonna go if it'll get Marinette back!" Rena Rouge smiled.
"That girl is something else." Carapace smirked. "We screwed up too Gwappamon. How can I say Marinette was my first crush when I won't even have her back after all this time."
"Friends are there for eachother no matter what, and I don't think this girl was ever a friend." Gwappamon snarled at Doumon and Volpina.
"If Alya is going all out so are we! Wayzz, Gwappamon let's drop the hottest mix of the whole season!" Carapace raises his digivice. Both heroes and Digimon charged and two lights began to shine!
Digivolution!
"Kyubimon digivolve to!"
"Gwappamon digivolve to!
Fox fire and terrapin waves spun into a mixing mashing maelstrom as two new and powerful Digimon emerged!
"Taomon!" Trilled the graceful and fierce shining mirror of the evil fox.
"Shawujinmon" called the carefree Kappa spinning its new massive weapon.
"Oh it's about to get digital up in here!" Carapace cheered as he and his Digimon charged forward.
"Let's beat the lies out of both of them!" Rena Rouge shouted.
Volpina retrieved her flute from the ground and stood together with Doumon.
"Let's break them all." She smirked.
"You... what are you?" Tikki backed away from the tiny form as it floated toward her.
"Can't you tell? I'm the kwami of destruction... for this world anyway." The tiny lovecraftian pixie chuckled as if it were obvious. "I understand my twin in your world is called Plagg, so to save time you can call me that too." The false Plagg mused.
"You... you're evil... you're wrong." Tikki gulped. "Where is your Tikki?"
"My Tikki?" The kwami of death laughed a dry spiteful laugh. "I never had one, or can't you tell by my decorating?"
If Tikki could be more shocked she didn't know how. Could a world like that really exist with no creation just destruction? "How is that possible? How can there be a world with no creation?" She whispered.
"This world is made of the pieces broken off and discard from other worlds... filled with left over scraps of darkness, spite, loss, hopelessness and despair." The anti Plagg stated. "We have waited oh so long for the powers of light and creation to reach our world. This desolate place with nothing but darkness and hate!" The kwami of evil rasped each word with disgust like he was owed these things for his millennia alone.
"But now you're here and we can finally make a real world. One not made of darkness and strife but so much moooore."
Tikki backed away more. This being wasn't like her Plagg. He was twisted from loneliness into some disgusting reflection of destruction.
"I can't... I can't stay here this place is evil and so are you." Tikki recoiled flying back to Marinette but the false Plagg cut her off.
"You're not going anywhere." He snarled. "And all I have to do to keep you here." Turns to the human. "Is keep her here... forever."
"You can't! Look at her! This place is killing her!" Tikki pleaded.
"I don't care!" The evil kwami roared. "You will stay and we will be together forever! I will never be alone ever again!"
Tikki looked at Marinette and Budmon, they were losing their will to live. Budmon flickered threatening to devolve further. Marinette was listless in Dagomon's grasp like she was barely breathing.
All this compounded with the events of the day and the past and this world all weighed on Tikki until she couldn't take it. The red kwami raises her head with narrowed eyes.
"Alright, you want my power so bad." She began to spark and shine. "Then let me show you the power of creation!" She flew up and shouted. "Budmon protect Marinette! Lucky Chaaaarrrrrmmmmm!!!"
Tikki erupted with light emanating a spectral image like a fairy goddess as a beam of light shot into the sky and a massive shape appeared. Marinette looked toward the light her lips forming the word "Tikki".
The already dark sky was suddenly blotted out by a truly massive object falling from the heavens.
The evil Plagg, Dagomon, the scubamon shadows and Budmon all looked up at the titanic object but only one could find the words to describe it as Budmon gulped and said. "That's a big macaroon."
The cataclysmic confection breached the atmosphere beginning to catch fire as it plummeted toward the surface.
"Stop it you fool!" Nega Plagg roared. Dagomon dropped Marinette and raised its arms to try to stop the charm. Tikki dashed to Marinette trying to keep her from falling in the water luckily the gravitational pull of the giant macaroon shunted the waves as massive cracks and huge upheavals of sand and rock ripped the innsmouth in twain. Marinette fell in the sand and Tikki and Budmon struggled to move her.
Outside Chat Noir backed away as the fuzzing warbling spot he'd been touching suddenly rent outward as massive cracks began to form in mid air
"What's happening?" He yelped but pushed back forward and tried to pry the cracks open. "Urgh it's still not enough."
"Blackgatomoan digivolve to! Meicrackmon!"
Huge red claws dug into the cracks but still it refused to open further.
"It's no use we aren't strong enough!" The Digimon grunted.
Adrien refused to give up. Marinette was in trouble. Whatever was happening he had to save her.
"I won't give up! Marinette is the nicest girl I've ever met and I won't let anyone or anything take her away!" He pulled back his hand and black energy began to form. "Cataclysm!"
Chat Noir forced his hand into the cracks in the air and felt contact. The force whatever it was tried its hardest to reject him. The walls between worlds would not break so easily
"It's trying to force me out." He growled. "But I won't, I won't ever stop, I don't care if I have to rip reality apart I won't let you take Marinette!!!" Black cracks ripped up the walls between worlds and all at once exploded inward.
"Tikki, Budmon?" Marinette coughed.
"Marinette can you hear me?" Tikki pleaded.
"What's happening?" Marinette shook away her trance and looked up at the world ending sight around her. Flaming chunks of macaroon struck the city like meteors. Scubamon or whatever they were scattered and shrieked fleeing the area. Dagomon was the only one who stood his ground raising his huge arms to try to catch the macaroon like atlas holding the sky.
"There's no time to explain we have to get out of here!" Tikki cried.
Before more explaination could be heard the air nearby cracked and shattered like glass and a huge gust of wind picked up like an airplane door opening mid flight.
"Marinette!"
"Chat Noir?!?" Tikki hid in her pocket as Marinette looked at the blinding light of the shattered reality and Chat Noir reaching through.
"Take my hand!" He cried over the screaming wind. This world was trying to push him out.
"Chat Noir!" Marinette scooped up Budmon and ran to him leaping up to the hole in reality trying to reach him.
"Hurry! I can't hold it for long!" Chat groaned trying to hold open the gap with one hand while reaching through but it began to close regardless. Even Meicrackmon's claws couldn't hold the hole open.
"Chat!" Marinette reached out and grabbed ahold of him tears streaming down her face.
"I've got you just hold on!" Chat tried to pull but it was like this world didn't want to let her go.
"No!" Came a roar. "I won't let you escape!" Darker Plagg raced toward them.
"I can't fight like this." Chat Noir grit his teeth.
"I can't transform." Marinette thoughts screamed.
Budmon looked back at the tiny shape and leapt forward. "I won't let you touch my precious friend!"
"Budmon! Warp digivolve to!"
What form the being took Marinette and Chat couldn't tell. The light of evolution was so bright it was blinding to them both. Even Tikki couldn't see the form that emerged as Lalamon, Sunflomon and Lillymon were all surpassed and a new shape formed.
Still blanketed in light this form pulled back her hand and unleashed a yo-yo like weapon made of solid light that struck the fake Plagg and rocketed him backward. The evil kwami was smashed into the back of Dagomon the freak of digital nature howled as the attack made his legs buckle and the giant megaton macaroon came crashing down on the two of them. The shockwave was enough to push Marinette through allowing Chat to pull her back into reality. The glowing Digimon the last one to exit as the hole in reality came crashing closed and disappeared as if it had never been there to begin with.
Between coughing and sputtering Chat pulled Marinette close.
"I'm so glad you're ok, you're not hurt are you?" He asked trying to look her over.
"I'm fine." She coughed. "It's nice knowing someone cares so much that they'd come to rescue me from... whatever that was." She looked back at the empty air still shuddering from the experience.
"You've got more friends than that." Chat stood up. "Atleast three of them are over there." Chat pointed to a distant explosion of the other battle taking place
"Looks like you're needed." Marinette smiled.
"Are you sure you're ok?" He looked back at Marinette and to his shock receive a quick kiss on the cheek. "Go be a hero." She smiled.
"Well how can I say no to that purincess." He laughed and took off down the street.
"All that for a peck on the cheek." Lalamon pouted floating over. "I feel robbed."
Marinette wrapped her Digimon in a hug and pulled out Tikki to give the same. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you both got dragged into that with me."
"Don't be silly we would have gone through hell and back for you that's what partners are for." The kwami and Digimon held Marinette as tight as their little arms would allow.
Big and salty tears were streaming down Marinette's face but she had to steel herself. Another explosion erupted in the distance. Her friends needed her.
She had friends. More than she knew. She just had to hold onto them tight and hope they did the same.
"Alright you two." She smiled. "Let's go save the world."
"Whirlpool formation!" Shawujinmon spun his massive staff firing off cannon sized bursts of water from the comically large revolver on one end. Carapace hurled his shield into the spiraling attack allowing Shawujinmon to catch it in the hook of his staff's other head and sending it spiraling with his attack into the squall of missiles raining from the akuma and Digimon combo.
Doumon, made solid the constructs of Volpina's twisted mind. Shawujinmon's attack detonated the onslaught as Taomon leapt up above them.
"Thousand Spell!" Taomon rained her own talismans on the illusions removing their solid mass allowing her allies to more easily disperse the fakes.
Landing and racing to meet their opponent the two ultimates clashed their weapons against Doumon's bush.
"Even evolved we can't push him back." Taomon grunted.
"We don't need to we just need to hold him till the heroes can get the necklace." Shuwajinmon growled.
Doumon pushed the two back drawing a new symbol in the air.
"Talisman of Darkness!"
Taomon immediately drew her own sigil.
"Talisman of Light!"
The magic calligraphy pulsed against each other canceling out while still having enough force to push away nearby cars.
"Annoying gnat!" Doumon hissed.
A shriek of flute music blanketed Doumon in a deep fog as Volpina danced across the roof tops avoiding the heroes.
"We gotta pin her down some how!" Carapace grunted.
"She's mine!" Alya charged after the akuma clashing their flutes like swords.
"I can't believe I ever believed a word out of your mouth!" Rena Rouge hammered on Volpina's guard. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Marinette!"
"Temper temper." Volpina spun Rena Rouge off her. "You couldn't beat me with four heroes what makes you think you two flunkies can beat me alone?"
"Cause they aren't alone!"
"What?" Volpina whipped around as Chat Noir's staff struck her right in the stomach launching her into the fog revealing Doumon as Meicrackmon charged down the street.
"You're mine Fox face!" The goliath grimalkin collided with the other ultimate pushing back Digimon and master.
"Grrr you insolent fools!" Volpina climbed her digital partner leaping to the rooftops again only to find herself cornered.
"Forgetting someone?" Queen Bee smirked holding her top like a garrote wire.
Volpina stepped back finding herself on the edge.
"Do not relent Volpina, show them your power!" Hawkmoth commanded.
Volpina growled and flipped backward landing at the fork in the road.
"No one can defeat me! I am the ultimate akuma!" Volpina blew a screaming flute solo summoning an army of Volpinas and Doumons. The real digital fiend sank into the shadows rising next to its master.
"Thousand curse!" The Digimon chanted unleashing a rain of spell tags that entered the illusions and as one they solidified into an army.
"Oh great just what we need." Chloe groaned.
"So what just more faces to punch." Carapace punched his palm to emphasize his readiness to throw down.
"Agreed, bring it on." Shawujinmon raises his weapon.
"I'll take you all on." Chat split his staff into two as Meicrackmon bared its claws.
Rena Rouge prepared to join the fight when suddenly she was yanked backward into an alleyway.
"Hey what the-unph!" Her protest was silenced by Ladybug's hand.
"Hey there, I see Queen Bee took matters into her own hands." Ladybug smiled.
"Ladybug!" Rena Rouge hugged the hero as the others began attacking. "Where have you been? Did you save Marinette?"
"No, Chat Noir saved her." Ladybug smiled wistfully. "And now I need your help to save everyone else."
Rena wanted to grin and agree but...
"I can't." She answered downcast. "It's my fault, I shouldn't even have this Miraculous, if I'd only trusted my friend from the beginning none of this would have happened."
"You don't know that."
"I do!" Alya reached to take the necklace off but stopped. "I didn't believe Marinette when she said she saw Volpina, I didn't defend my best friend! I'm pathetic I don't deserve to be a hero I don't deserve to be Marinette's friend!" Rena Rouge wasn't speaking anymore only Alya, only the friend who failed to be what she claimed to be. She couldn't live up to the smallest staple of that title.
"Of course you deserve to be my friend."
Alya paused. Had she heard that right? Slowly the fox hero looked up as a flash of red light dispelled the hero before her and left only a girl with two black buns, a soft smile and azure eyes.
"I don't... understand."
"Come on Alya, did you really think it could be anyone else?" Marinette chuckled quietly.
Alya couldn't help the tears bubbling over but she stuffed it down with only a hitch in her breath.
"Of course not, only my clumsy crazy bestie would ever trust a nut like me with a miraculous." Alya sniffled. "But I-
"Ssshhh." Marinette hugged Alya to her. "I know you did your best. I didn't exactly make it easy."
"I should have believed you." Alya grunted.
"You did, you knew I wouldn't do that for nothing and when you saw the truth you accepted your mistakes, now I need your help."
"Anything, name it." Alya nodded.
"I need to get that Akuma."
"Hawkmooooooth!!!"
All out war had erupted. The army of Doumon and Volpina had been pushing the heroes back with ease until the fighting was suddenly interrupted by the call.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng stepped into the middle of the street looking as mad and angry and absolutely livid as she could muster.
"Marinette?" Chat looked glanced confused.
"What's she doing?" Queen Bee blinked.
"Dude get out of there!" Carapace called.
"Please retreat!" Lap Dog added.
"Hawkmoth!" Marinette shouted again. "I know you can hear me!"
"What's going on?" Hawkmoth's visor appeared on the Volpinas faces.
"I'm the one you wanted right? You wanted to akumatized me! Well here I am! Give it to me!" Marinette demanded.
"Is she crazy?" Queen Bee tried to move but was blocked by a wall of Doumon.
"She's not really gonna akumatized herself right?" Carapace gulped.
"Marinette no!" Chat called. He had just rescued her why was she now trying to get akumatized?!?
Hawkmoth smirked devilishly in his hidden sanctum. "A conundrum indeed." He chuckled. "Volpina has always done too marks but Marinette was my intended target. And she's even offering herself to me, how can I say no?"
"No Hawkmoth!" Volpina growled. "I'm not done! Doumon and I can end this!"
"Silence Volpina, I indulged you because you were my only option but my real prize has finally arrived." Hawkmoth raised his hand and snapped only once.
"Nooooooo!" Volpina screamed as her akuma form dissipated. Lila clawed helplessly as even her digivice disappeared. Along with her form her illusions vanished too until only Doumon was left open and exposed. The fell fox attempted to retreat into to turn around and find Taomon and Shawujinmon standing guard.
"Nice try."
"Time to drop this beat!"
THWAK!!!
Doumon hit the dirt next to Lila and shrank down to a Renamon of inverted colors.
Hawkmoth couldn't care less though as his akuma floated over and entered Marinette's purse.
"Princess Justice." The villain mused. "I am -
"A loser? Yes I know."
"Wha? Hey!" Hawkmoth snarled but then he felt it. Something was wrong. Marinette was... too strong. Where was the negativity? Where was the sorrow? How had his akuma found her unless... Hawkmoth realized the trap a moment too late as the illusion fell away. He saw not through the eyes of Marinette but Ladybug instead!
"Hello Hawkmoth." Ladybug smirked. "We've never talked like this."
"What have you done?"
"I just wanted to make sure you got this message personally." Ladybug's smug aura could be felt all the way through Hawkmoth's connection. "You will never akumatize Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You will never akumatize any of my heroes ever again. And I hope you enjoy akumatizing flunkies like Lila cause that's all you have and they will never measure up!"
Hawkmoth stepped back on instinct. How could she intimidate him from across the whole city? No he had his akuma in her! She made the mistake not him!
Hawkmoth exerted his control through his akuma. Ladybug felt her rage rise but then she looked at her friends and heroes all watching with bated breath.
"And one more thing Hawkmoth... you will never... ever... akumatize ME!!!" Ladybug releases all her positive emotions shattering the visor across her eyes.
"No!" Hawkmoth was blown off his feet. Nathalie and Dinobeemon rushed to his side.
The akuma flew out of Ladybug's lucky charm a red mimicry of Marinette's purse, and turned white and fluttered away.
"Bye bye little butterfly." The heroine waved as the other heroes leapt to her side shouting with surprise and shock.
"How did you do that?!?"
"You played him like a fiddle girl!"
"That was amazing!"
"I had help." Ladybug smirked as Rena Rouge stepped out and threw her arms around her.
"Ladybug that was the craziest plan you've ever had." Rena laughed.
"I trusted my team." Ladybug smiled. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
The destructions was undone as the heroes watched.
"Oh I need to go check in the real Marinette I'm sure she's still shaken up." Chat yelped and leapt away.
"Everyone Miraculous please." Ladybug took back the charms pausing a moment at Lapdog.
"And you are?"
"L-Lap Dog!" Sabrina yipped.
"Are you sure that's the name you want?" Ladybug quirked a brow.
"Yes!" Sabrina nodded. "People think of lap dogs as suck ups but at the end of the day the dog in the lap gets more love than any other!" Sabrina huffed.
Ladybug smiled. "Alright, I'll call on you again if I need you." She glanced at the large wolf hound Digimon. "And your partner."
Ladybug collected the miraculous and leapt away.
After finding Marinette Chat Noir escorted her back to class himself before quickly sneaking away to turn back into Adrien. As soon as she stepped through the door she was swarmed by the other students who screamed their apologies as much as they could. Marinette felt the sincerity and smiled. Things could turn around after all.
As night rolled in Marinette sat on her bed with Alya.
"So it's been you this whole time." Alya said softly.
"Yup... I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner... but."
"No... I understand... you couldn't risk it."
"Thank you for being my friend Alya."
"Thank you for trusting me." They embraced again until Alya's curiosity got the better of her.
"So you've always been Ladybug?"
"Yup."
"The whole time?"
"Uh huh."
"Never had a stunt double?"
"Alya..."
"So you were definitely Ladybug that time I had you proof read the fanfic I wrote about me and Ladybug..."
"... your writing was very detailed."
"Girl!"
The two burst into laughter.
"So does anyone else know?" Alya asked.
"Yes someone does!" Chloe stated clinging out the floor door.
"Her?!?" Alya gawked. "You told her before me?!?"
"She needed the push." Marinette chuckled. "You were already a hero. And that's why I asked both of you here tonight."
Tikki floated out.
"If ever I do get akumatized or worse both me and Chat... I leave our miraculous to you two... you will be my last line of defense." Marinette said solemnly.
Alya and Chloe locked eyes and nodded. An oath had been sworn. The heroes bonds grow stronger.
"How dare that Ladybug humiliate me like that!" Gabriel threw a chair across the room. "I will crush her if it's the last thing I do!"
"Yes you will Gabriel." Nathalie smiled approaching with the spell book. "Look here."
She turned to a page with an image of a portal.
"Is this?"
"Yes Gabriel, a portal to another world." She flipped a page. "A world of monsters." The next image showed a massive golden knight rising from the portal encircled by demons and monsters. "And I know just the akuma to make it."
Gabriel smiled evilly. "If Ladybug wants to keep playing with these Digimon then I'll bring all the Digimon she can handle!"
"Boy that was pretty impressive when you went all super hero to save that Marinette girl." BlackGatomon mused eating a plate of cheese.
"Not you too." Adrien grumbled.
"I've been telling Adrien to go after Marinette instead of Ladybug for half a year now." Plagg chuckled. "He's in denial he likes her."
"I am not!" Adrien stuck out his tongue at the two days and sat at his computer. He flipped through picture of his class till he landed on one of Marinette. She was pretty amazing. But was she really Ladybug amazing? Adrien couldn't be sure but he felt something stir in his chest.
Maybe Plagg wasn't that crazy... maybe...
Second author note: so some of you may have noticed I set up a slightly different akuma at the end of the last chapter, that is because I forgot I needed to do this chapter before that one. I am a dingus. I'm trying very hard to keep these chapters coming thank you for your patience and readership. Also by the way I changed Sabrina's hero name cause idk why but every dog miraculous hero has the worst name ever and I thought this fit her better.