It's finally here! I've been working on this story for months and am very excited to be able to post it. It's a bit different from my usual works since it's basically an AU story. Still, I hope you enjoy! :)

Also, I created a new tumblr blog dedicated to all things Miraculous and fantasy themed. If that interests you, just check out Miraculous Fairytales on tumblr! And check out the Miraculous discord chat I've started where you can talk about the show (including spoilers if you want) and share fancreations! Link also found on my personal tumblr: mitchkat1

"Adrien, I'm not sure this is such a good idea," the tiny, flying black cat said in a worried tone. He sat on the edge of the bed, holding a piece of cheese gingerly in his paws. Normally, he would have devoured the entire block in one swift bite, but he was too nervous now to eat. For once, something had become more important than food. His small whiskers twitched as he pouted and set the cheese aside. His cautionary words garnered no response.

"Adrien, I'm serious," the creature repeated to his companion. He looked up to see his friend and partner, Adrien Agreste, otherwise known as the Prince of Paris, fiddling with the silver ring on his finger. The prince was dressed elegantly as any prince would be. His pants were a tan matched with a loose-fitting white tunic. His hair was golden like the sun and his eyes green like emeralds. He was perfection in every sense of the word though he rarely felt like that himself.

He stared down at his ring. It felt uncomfortably tight right now even though he knew it was exactly the right size. Adrien leaned back in his chair and took in a deep breath. He needed to calm himself down and think rationally. He and Plagg, his kwami, were having a discussion of a grave sort. It was rare for either of them to have sincere conversation without busting out into puns or other bad jokes, but this occasion was different. There was more at stake than just their sense of humor.

"I'm serious too, Plagg. I know it isn't the best option, but it's the only one we have. You said so yourself. Something bad is going to happen. There's someone out there right now who plans on putting this city in danger... my city in danger. I'm the prince and I need to take responsibility. If we do this, there's a chance I might be able to stop it. But the me right now isn't enough. The power we have right now isn't enough to stop what's coming. You can tell me that's not true until you're blue in the face, but I know you're lying."

"I shouldn't have said anything in the first place then." Plagg dropped his head in regret. He had made a mistake and unnecessarily sent Adrien into emotional turmoil. It was a secret that Plagg wished he had kept to himself. At the time, he thought it would be a good idea to make Adrien aware of the true reason why Chat Noir needed to make a reappearance. It was only meant to offer Adrien some incentive. How was he supposed to know the boy would take things too far?

"But you did," Adrien sighed, letting his face fall into his palms. "And I can't sit by and wait for disaster to happen. I will stop it. I have to."

The determination and resolve in his voice shocked Plagg. The boy in front of him was not the same boy he met a few months ago. When the two had first met, Adrien was quiet and reserved. He felt powerless and trapped inside the rotting prison he called his home. Plagg had never seen such a hopeless boy. The only times Adrien ever smiled was when he was allowed to leave the palace for trips around the marketplace or introductions with the common people. He was controlled by his father like a pawn on a chessboard. The idea of freedom was foreign to him. Right now was the first time Adrien have ever made a decision of his own accord.

A chilling breeze spilled through the room causing Plagg to shiver. The sun was beginning to set which would have normally been a beautiful sight if not for the dreary, grey clouds blocking it. Plagg's ears perked up at the quiet rumble of thunder in the background. A rough storm was coming. It seemed like nature was saying this was a big mistake. A storm could only be an evil omen, a sign of bad things to come.

"And how do you propose going through with this ridiculous plan of yours?" Plagg sighed in a slightly spiteful tone. "I certainly don't know that kind of high-level magic, but it's not like I planned on helping you anyways. I'm upset we're even still having this conversation."

Adrien rose from his chair and shuffled over to a large bookcase against the wall of his bedroom. He ran his finger across the spines, searching for a specific book. His eyes examined each title carefully. His finger stopped on an old book with withered binding. The title was faded, but Adrien knew what it said. He muttered a hushed "this is it" as he pulled the book from of the shelf.

"As soon as I met you, Plagg, I headed to the royal library to do more research on this miraculous thing," Adrien explained as he dropped the book on top of a table in front of Plagg. "I had so many questions and you certainly weren't helpful in answering any of them. The library didn't have much about miraculouses, but I did find this book. It's an ancient spellbook."

"And why is that book in your bedroom and not in the royal library?"

Adrien blushed in embarrassment. "I stole it, okay," he confessed sheepishly. "But this is really important. It has a spell for enhancing magical power. If we use it, we'll definitely have enough power to stop that great evil that's coming."

"Or we could wait for Ladybug to appear."

Ladybug.

That was a name Plagg had mentioned a few times. He never talked about her extensively as if he was unsure about her existence himself. All Adrien knew was that she was supposed to be his counterpart. They were supposed to be a team and fight evil together. She was all things good luck and he was all things bad. They were two halves of a whole. Too bad she didn't seem to exist.

"It's been three months since I first met you," Adrien pointed out sadly. "And she hasn't appeared yet. I can't wait around for a girl that might never come. We can handle this on our own! We don't have a choice! How much longer can we afford to wait?"

Adrien wanted to meet this "Ladybug" just as much as Plagg. He wondered what kind of girl would be chosen to wield such great magical power. There had been no sign of her, though. He had spent countless nights running across the rooftops of Paris looking for some kind of signal, but there had been nothing. Not even a girl wearing a red and black spotted dress. Adrien was starting to doubt that Ladybug was real and wondered if she was just a lie Plagg invented to stop Adrien from going through with his plan.

"Look at this!" Adrien exclaimed. He found the page he was looking for and began to read the text on it. "See Plagg! It's a simple spell. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but why not try? We have nothing to lose! All we have to do is copy this circle onto the ground and then recite the spell."

"Rune magic?" Plagg questioned cautiously. "I haven't seen this for thousands of years. Magicians switched over to magical objects about a century ago since they were more stable and reliable. Runes can get tricky. If everything isn't completely right, we could end up with a serious disaster on our hands. This is more dangerous than you think. Even with your miraculous, you're still a beginner in magic."

"Don't be such a worrywart." Adrien walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. Inside was a piece of chalk that he had snatched from the palace artist. It was the only thing Adrien needed for the spell besides the book.

Adrien began to shove all the furniture out of the way. He pushed his bed against the bookshelf and moved all the chairs to the side. Plagg watched anxiously, still not having much confidence in Adrien's plan. The teenage boy kneeled on to the ground and began to draw the picture from the book, taking care to make sure that every line was completely perfect.

Drawing the rune took only ten minutes. Once he was done, Adrien stood up and admired his work. It was a large circle with strange swirls and symbols emerging from the sides. He didn't know what any of it meant, but everything seemed to match the image in the book. Now it was time for the spell. Adrien grabbed the book and stepped into the center of the circle. Plagg flew over and sat on his shoulder.

"Are you still sure you want to go through with this?" the kwami asked after taking another look at the spell. It was more complicated than Adrien thought and Plagg didn't know how well ancient magic would mix with his miraculous magic. There were too many variables for Plagg to feel comfortable. A lot could easily go wrong. Magic was simply unpredictable. Plagg prayed Adrien might change his mind.

"I'm sure," Adrien said firmly. "I have to be. Everyone's counting on me even if they don't know it." Adrien bit his lip and relaxed his shoulders. "Stay calm. Breathe. Everything will be fine. After this is over, Plagg and I will be able to go out and kick some bad guy butt no problem. It's worth it. I can't let others get hurt because I didn't do my part."

Adrien began to recite the spell, making sure to enunciate each syllable. The spell was in a language he didn't recognize, but he was able to sound out the words. The rune began to glow a faint green which was hopefully a signal that the spell was working. Adrien continued to chant as Plagg began to cower, tightly gripping onto Adrien's shirt. Something about this magic frightened him.

Everything in the room began to rattle as if it was controlled by an unnatural force. The room turned dark except for the now vibrant glow of the rune. All other light seemed to have been sucked into a void. A mysterious wind picked up and blew past Adrien, ruining his hair. Small specks of green light began to float up from the floor and popped in the air like bubbles.

"Please work," Adrien thought in desperation as he completed the final words of the spell.

All of a sudden, the wind began to pick up even more. It was like a cyclone ripping through the bedroom. The sounds of clattering furniture could be heard from the rooms below. Quiet, indistinguishable whispers began to chant words in a foreign tongue. The whole world around Adrien began to blur like he was moving a hundred miles an hour while still standing in place. Then the green glow from the rune began to travel up Adrien's legs, consuming him like a starving predator.

"Plagg!" Adrien screamed, dropping the book on the ground. "Plagg! What's happening?" The green glow had traveled up to his waist and while Adrien shook with all his might, it wouldn't come off. Plagg tried to fly away in panic but found himself trapped by an invisible barrier. He was captive within the confines of the rune like Adrien.

The chants became even louder causing an intense pounding in Adrien's ears. The light from the rune was becoming so bright that Adrien could hardly keep his eyes open. The wind ripped at his clothing and sent shivers down his spine. His mind was going numb, his consciousness beginning to flicker in and out.

The magic was up to Adrien's neck now and was reaching out to grab Plagg with invisible hands. The two exchanged frightened glances. Neither knew what was happening. Adrien let out a sudden painful scream and gripped his hand. His ring felt like it was burning through his skin. The sound of his cries was enough to alert anyone in the palace.

"Plagg!"

"Adrien!"

There was an explosion of green light, causing the entire castle to shake. Then everything went silent. All the furniture fell to the ground and the green glow faded away as quickly as it had arrived. There was a crack of lightning from outside the window and the sound of heavy rainfall. The lightning cast the dark shadow of a lone figure lying unconscious on the floor.

The figure began to stir and groaned loudly, grasping his head. "What's going on?" he whispered to himself. His voice was hoarse and his throat hurt. He pushed himself up onto one leg and almost fell over. His body was unsteady. He grabbed onto a chair that had fallen over to keep himself balanced. Pulling the chair along with him, he drug himself over to a cracked mirror hanging on the wall. He looked at the mirror and saw a strange creature staring back.

He looked like a human boy in some ways. He had hair and feet like a normal person, but there were parts of him definitely not human. Atop his head was a pair of soft cat ears that twitched as he moved. His hands were pointed like sharp claws. A long tail sprouted from his backside, moving with a mind of its own. His green eyes were slit like a cat's. Despite the room being dark, he could see everything clearly.

His senses were in an overload. He could smell the dampness from outside in conjunction with the aromatic scent of cheese in the room. He could hear the muffled cries of people from floors below, but they sounded like they were right next to him. His head was beginning to pound and the pain made it difficult to focus.

"Is this me?" he thought as he touched a paw to the mirror. The cracked pieces distorted the view, but it was clear he didn't recognize what he was looking at. "But who... who am I? I don't remember." The boy looked down at himself and around the room, but he remembered nothing. "Where am I? What's going on?"

He leaned down beside the drawing on the ground and the open spellbook. His claws traced the outline of the rune in the book. "Magic?" he wondered, setting the book back. "Was someone doing magic here? Is that why this room is a mess? Why was I unconscious on the ground here? There has to be someone here that can explain things."

There was a sudden pounding on the door. "Prince! Prince Adrien! Open up! Please!" voices shouted from the other side. "What's happening? Are you okay? Open the door!"

The boy inched his way towards the corner in fear. "Who are these people? Who's Prince Adrien? Can someone explain what's going on? Please!"

The door burst open and a dozen knights covered in steel armor emerged, their swords in hand. Behind them was a regal looking man with a stern face. He pushed his glasses up his nose and put his hands behind his back. His eyes set on the boy and narrowed. They were distinctly evil. "Who are you?" he snarled, his voice filled with venom. "Where is my son?"

The boy began to shake and said nothing. He didn't know what to say. He had the same questions as the man.

"Arrest him now!" the man shouted, pointing at the frightened boy. The guards lunged at him, prepared to use violence if necessary. The boy let out a panicked yelp and realized he needed to escape, but the door was blocked and the only other exit was a small window. Only a tiny animal could get through.

Instinct began to take over as the boy felt a warm rush come over him accompanied by a dull, green glow. His body began to shrink and he felt fur began to grow all over. Short whiskers emerged from his face as he jumped up on little paws onto the windowsill.

"A cat!" one of the guards shouted. "He turned into a cat! He must be a magician!" All the guards stopped in their tracks. Neither one of them wanted to take on a magician. It was too dangerous. They were unpredictable and could be volatile. It was impossible to fight powerful magic with only a sword. They all looked back at their boss, who was still standing behind them, for guidance.

"Imbeciles!" the intimidating man shouted, pushing through the guards. "Capture him now before he gets away!"

The boy, now cat, looked out the window. It was a long drop to the bottom and the only thing between him and the ground was a tree, but it was a few meters out of reach. He'd have to jump far if he wanted to make it. He turned back to the guards who had begun to head towards him again. Their swords were out and ready to spill blood. His green, slitted eyes met the icy blue ones of the regal man. The man had a vicious expression. He planned on showing no mercy.

The cat took another look at the tree and realized he had no choice. He pushed himself out of the window with a leap of faith and reached his paws out to the nearest branch, praying that he would latch onto something. His claws sunk into wood and leaves hit against his face. "I made it," he thought gratefully as he slid down the rest of the branch.

"He's getting away! Stop him and someone find my son!"

The cat could hear more screaming from the castle as he began to climb down from the tree. He quickly maneuvered through the branches as if it was something he had known how to do all his life. His paws landed on the soft and familiar grass. Once he was down, he took off in a panic. He didn't know where to go, but he knew he had to get away from here.

His paws had become caked in mud, a result of the heavy rain. His limbs were heavy and each step was a challenge. He entered a large forest that surrounded the outskirts of the castle and took refuge underneath a fallen tree. He curled up in a ball, trying to find warmth. So many questions were racing through his mind. "Who am I? Why were those men after me? What's happening? Where am I? Where am I supposed to go?"

The cat could remember absolutely nothing about his identity. He couldn't remember anything at all except for one word that had for some reason stuck in his head.

Ladybug.