Snow globe or Destructor? What if Christmaster made a different choice?
Christmaster Crisis
Chapter 1
Chat Noir stood on top of the gigantic Grobotech Ultimate Destructor. He raised his right hand.
"Cataclysm!"
"No! Not my toy!" yelled Christmaster.
Ladybug stood in front of the young villain's throne. She held out her hand.
"You have a choice. Your toy or the snow globe."
Christmaster gasped and hesitated.
Hawk Moth sent a message by his telepathic link: "No! Don't do that!"
Santa Claus flew his sleigh overhead, drawn by two giant flame-breathing catfish.
"Ho ho ho! Listen to Ladybug, kid. You won't regret it."
Hawk Moth sent the desperate message: "If you give Ladybug the snow globe, she'll undo all the magic and your toy will be gone anyway. Keep the globe and you can force Santa to give you another one."
"You're right!" said Christmaster.
Christmaster leaped away from Ladybug, using the acrobatic combat skills that were gifted to every akumatized villain. Ladybug grabbed for the snow globe, but just missed. Christmaster landed on the top of his toy block throne.
"Blast her, Grobotech Ultimate Destructor!" commanded Christmaster.
The Destructor raised his arms and fired. Ladybug, off balance from the failed grab, was struck in the back.
Chat Noir brought his hand down on the robot, disintegrating it completely. All except for one giant finger, which he willed to fall and knock the snow globe from the hand of the boy standing on the throne.
Christmaster fell to the ground. The globe shattered. The akuma butterfly came out and Christmaster reverted to Chris Lahiffe.
"Ladybug, you have to capture the akuma!" said Chat as he landed beside her.
Ladybug was barely conscious. "Chat Noir... take my yo-yo... and catch the akuma."
Chat took the yo-yo and after several attempts he was able to catch the butterfly inside it.
"Now what, M'lady?" asked Chat. "Do I just open the back to purify it?"
There was no answer. Ladybug had passed out from the pain.
"You need medical help," said Chat Noir. "But I don't know how to get us down from this castle in the sky."
Santa landed his catfish-drawn sleigh in the open space in front of the throne.
"Get in. I'll take you to a hospital," said Santa Claus.
"Thank you, Santa," said Chat. "I hope she doesn't transform back on the way. She used her main power quite a while ago."
"I've been stretching time for her," said Santa.
"You can do that?" asked Chat.
"How do you think I can deliver all those presents in a single night?" asked Santa.
"Awesome! Thank you for all you've done to help us," said Chat.
"No problem. I would do anything for the best kid in the world," said Santa.
They left the enchanted castle of interlocking blocks and began to fly down.
"She's really the best?" asked Chat.
"I was a little surprised, myself," said Santa Claus. "But the name 'Ladybug' was right there at the top of my list."
"The name 'Ladybug'?" asked Chat Noir. "Not a real name, like Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"
Santa looked at him in surprise. "Who told you that name?"
"She's just a friend. The name popped into my head. I'm not implying she's Ladybug, or anything."
"That name isn't on my list at all."
"What? Marinette's that bad? I can't believe it! She seems so nice."
"No, it's not that. I wouldn't tell just anyone, and I must ask you to keep it a secret. Marinette is one of my elves on a secret mission in Paris. She's guarding a small stash of presents for me, to reload my sleigh on Christmas Eve."
"Oh my! Wow! Of course I'll keep it a secret, Santa."
As they landed at the emergency entrance of the hospital, Ladybug stirred.
"Hang on, M'lady," said Chat Noir. "We'll get you into the emergency room."
"It would be better... if I could do a healing charm. Then everything would be fixed, me included," said Ladybug. "But I'm too weak to summon the Lucky Charm stationary to my hand."
"You mean the letter you wrote to me for your early present?" asked Santa Claus. "I have it right here, in my pack."
Santa handed it to Ladybug. She looked sadly at the letter, and at Santa Claus.
"Goodbye, my friends," said Santa.
"Goodbye, Santa Claus," said Ladybug.
"Goodbye? Why?"asked Chat Noir.
"Because Santa was brought here by Christmaster's power, so when everything's repaired…"
"I'll be gone," said Santa. Then he made a sweeping gesture with one arm. "Until next Christmas!"
With weak toss, Ladybug threw the letter into the air.
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
The usual blast of magic ladybugs fixed everything in the city. Santa and the sleigh were gone.
Chat turned to Chris, "So big kid, feeling better?"
"Yeah, but, I don't remember much," said Chris.
"Don't worry, everything's fine," said Ladybug.
Ladybug's earrings began to beep rapidly. With Santa gone, the time extension was up.
"Chat Noir, could you take Chris back home please?"
"Sure thing," said Chat Noir.
"Goodbye, Ladybug!" called Chis as she swung away.
Chat Noir took Chris home to his waiting mother and brother.
It was only after Adrien had gotten home and detransformed that he stopped to think about what had happened.
"Marinette's a Christmas elf? This totally does not make sense!"