What if the Pharaoh got back his amulet before going for the fake earrings?
The Pharaoh's Princess
Marinette was in bed with her history book. Tikki hovered above her.
"Tell me more about your adventure today," said Tikki. "How did you defeat the Pharaoh in the end? I can't see everything you do when I'm inside the Miraculous."
"Alya was being taken up on a beam from the top of the Louvre Pyramid. Chat Noir and I almost got the akumatized object away from the Pharaoh, but he was too quick for us. I did a Lucky Charm and got a Ladybug Halloween costume that included toy earrings."
"I remember powering the Lucky Charm."
"I had an idea. I told him that the offering of Alya wasn't good enough to bring back Nefertiti. I offered myself instead. It would be revenge for defeating him 5000 years ago."
"And then what happened.?"
"Pharaoh agreed that I would be a more precious offering. He took my hand and flew me up to where the beam was lifting Alya up to be sacrificed. He pushed her off of it."
"Was Alya hurt?"
"Luckily, no. Alya slid down the side of the Louvre pyramid and landed safely on the ground. She was complaining that she would be excellent sacrificing material, though."
Tikki giggled at this.
"Pharaoh put me on the magical lifting beam instead. Then Hawk Moth sent him a message; I think it was to get the Miraculous."
"You didn't give them up, though."
"I pretended to take them off. I held out an empty closed right hand, with the toy ones still in my left hand. I pretended to drop them into his hand."
"What did he do?"
"He had his hand open to get the earrings, and he was confused for an instant. I grabbed the amulet. By this time it wasn't around his neck, but looped over his arm. I had broken the necklace before."
"What did he do when you did that?"
"I yelled, 'You want my Miraculous? Go get it!' and threw the toy earrings. I hoped he would fly off for them and leave me to break the amulet, but it didn't work. He grabbed the amulet back first before flying off."
"Oh no! What did you do?"
"The beam carried me up into the black portal. It was dark for a second and then the portal went away. It seemed the spell couldn't really do what he thought it would. The beam brought me down until I was standing on the top of the pyramid."
"What did the Pharaoh do?"
"By this time he had figured out that the earrings on the ground were a fake. He flew back up to me, ready to fight. I called out to him and pretended his spell had worked, that I was now Princess Nefertiti come back to life in Ladybug's body. He fell for it. When he got close enough, I grabbed the amulet and broke it."
"That was clever."
"I caught and purified the akuma, and that was that."
"That wasn't all. You got the history book back, and persuaded Alya that you've been around for 5000 years based on the pictures on the scroll."
"It was actually another Ladybug back then. But you've been around that long, haven't you, Tikki?"
"I'm far older than that. I'm the kwami who's watched over every single Ladybug since the very beginning!"
"You must have known much less klutzy Ladybugs than me, right?"
"Every Ladybug is different."
"That's what I thought."
"Marinette, you are different. But different as in surprising, unpredictable and endearing. And very talented. You learn fast."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Marinette gave Tikki a kiss on the forehead.
"You better get to sleep. Remember, you have that history test tomorrow!"
"Oh yeah! Good thing it's on Ancient Egypt."
After Tikki went to sleep, Marinette got up again. She went down the ladder to look at herself in the mirror.
"That stupid impostor!" she said to herself. "The title of Pharaoh was never used by Aknaten. He wouldn't invoke all sorts of gods, either. He worshiped only the Sun god, and he didn't call him Ra, but Aten."
"Thanks to the Pharaoh's meddling, I have been taken from a heavenly place to live again in this strange land. At least I have all her memories to help me fit in. I hope she will be happy there, the wife of Aten forever."
She sighed. "I must keep reminding myself that my name is now Marinette. I am no longer Nefertiti."
The End