What if Prime Queen didn't take the bait when the TV screen was blocked?
Prime Queen Time
"Is the show over?" asked Chat Noir, looking at a black screen.
They were in a stopped subway car. Ladybug had just denied Prime Queen higher ratings by refusing to kiss Chat Noir.
The screen brightened again.
"My dear viewers, you're in for the reveal of a lifetime!" said Prime Queen.
The camera panned back, showing the Pharoah exhibit at the Louvre. There were many video screens set up. Prime Queen was standing near the mummy case at the entry to the exhibit.
Prime Queen gave an evil laugh and opened the sarcophagus, revealing Alya tied up inside.
"Ladybug, help me, please!" cried Alya.
Prime Queen shut the mummy case again. "Oh wait, isn't this the girl that started the famous Ladyblog? The first one who ever filmed Ladybug?"
"No, Alya!" said Ladybug.
"Next trial: your Miraculous, or else your biggest fan will be mummified!" said Prime Queen with another evil laugh.
The advertisement screen nearest to Chat Noir turned from white to static.
"Let's leap in before she runs!" said Ladybug.
Both leaped in, leaving the tied-up Chloé Bourgeois behind, complaining bitterly.
They landed inside a walk-in refrigerator at the Grand Paris Hotel, with bins similar to the freezer where Chat Noir had once been locked by Lady Wifi. This room had a big video screen on one side, perhaps for security. Prime Queen laughed at them from the screen.
Ladybug pulled at the door handle, but it wouldn't budge.
"Cataclysm?" asked Chat Noir.
"There's no point. We're probably far away from the Louvre. By the time we get there it will be too late to save Alya!" said Ladybug.
"So, a kiss then?" asked Chat, puckering up.
"Still not a chance, Chat Noir," said Ladybug.
"The time has come to push those ratings sky-high!" said Prime Queen. "Let's try this again. Remove your Miraculous and reveal your true selves. The whole world is watching you."
A line of light appeared on Prime Queen's face. Hawk Moth was giving her encouragement or instructions. It was hard to tell, because his voice was only audible in the mind of the akuma.
"There's no use looking for a way out. Unless you want to see your biggest fan hit the water."
Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped as Prime Queen pushed the sarcophagus toward a screen showing the Seine river. The screen became a portal and the case started to disappear inside it. A side view of a bridge appeared on the screen, showing that the case was going to drop into the river.
"Hurry up, you two! Don't wanna keep your audience waiting."
"You're right!" said Ladybug. "Lucky Charm!" She got a small spotted object. "A tape roll? What am I supposed to do with this?"
Ladybug looked around at all the bins of refrigerated food, and the TV screen. "Of course."
She opened bins with apples, fish, potatoes and many other things.
"Hurry up, she's about to throw Alya in the water!" said Chat.
"One minute," said Ladybug.
"That's too long!" said Chat.
"Listen to the cat," said Prime Queen.
The case was almost at the tipping point, but Ladybug had finally found what she wanted: a pizza box.
"Voila!" Ladybug took out the pizza, handing it to Chat Noir. She flattened out the box and taped it over the TV monitor.
The screen went black from Prime Queen's side.
"Fine. You win, Prime Queen. We'll remove our Miraculouses. The whole world will see us without our masks. And we're about to kiss. Shame you're missing it! So unlucky."
Prime Queen was supposed to think something was wrong with the reception on her end, and come to them to see what they were doing. It didn't work. The villain cautiously put one finger through the portal and touched the cardboard box blocking her view.
"You've put something over the screen. Unblock it this minute or your friend is going into the water!"
Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir, "I have another idea, but I'll have to sacrifice my secret identity to save yours."
"No!" Chat whispered back.
"It's the only way. Get ready for when she comes through."
Ladybug pulled the pizza box off the screen, "You really win this time. I'll go first."
Tikki had encouraged Ladybug to try some experiments at home with her Miraculous and its linked counterpart, the other earring. Tikki only ever entered the Miraculous on Marinette's left ear. If it was taken off by itself, the other earring would maintain a connection and the transformation would slowly dissolve away. If the earring was put back on before the transformation was completely gone, she would remain Ladybug.
Ladybug took off her left earring and spoke quickly. "Do you recognize me, Prime Queen? I'm your babysitter. You saw Alya with your daughter tonight. She thought I was downstairs, but I was on your show as Ladybug. But now, because you kidnapped Alya, there's nobody watching Manon."
By the time she finished saying this, the transformation was almost completely gone. Marinette put the earring back on and remained Ladybug.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! How dare you abandon my little girl! I'm going to kill you for that."
Prime Queen charged through the screen, ready to fight.
Chat Noir broke the screen behind her with his staff. "Now you're stuck here with us."
Prime Queen hardly paid attention to him. She focused all her fury on Ladybug, punching, kicking, and clawing at her. Ladybug was forced into the defensive, swinging her yo-yo around as a shield.
Chat Noir had an idea. He vaulted to the higher shelves and pulled out heavy food-laden bins, throwing them down onto Prime Queen. The barrage of bins struck the akuma and she went down.
Chat leaped down and broke the ratings-monitoring device on Prime Queens right arm with his staff. The akuma butterfly fluttered out.
After a Cataclysm to get them out of the locked refrigerator, Ladybug caught and purified the butterfly. The tape dispenser went into the air for a "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Nadja Chamack, now free of the akuma, was sitting on the refrigerator floor. "What happened?"
"You're all right," said Ladybug. "I'll give you an interview later this week to make up for what happened tonight."
Ladybug returned home, detransformed, and came up the stairs from the lower floor. Alya was watching over Manon, who was asleep on the chaise lounge.
"I'm so sorry, Alya," said Marinette. "It took..."
"It took a long time to 'talk to your parents'?" said Alya. "I know better. I could hear from inside the sarcophagus. Why didn't you tell me before? I could have helped you."
"Sorry," said Marinette.
"I'm not really that mad. I was the hostage of a super-villain, and you saved me."
"I guess my secret's out," said Marinette wearily.
"What do you think? Your unmasking was broadcast on national television, girl!"
Marinette looked out the window. News crews and TV trucks were flooding the street.
"My life is never going to be the same again," said Marinette.
"You should talk to Adrien. He knows a lot about how to handle being a celebrity," said Alya.
"Now we're both famous... maybe that can be a bond between us!" said Marinette hopefully.
The End