Marinette was having a bad day, no scratch that, she's having a bad week. She lost a bet to Chloe of all people and was forced to play servant for the whole week. The week just ended, but everything she'd gone through was still torturing her mind. To top it off Master Fu was treating Tikki for flu rebound today. Marinette as Ladybug had warned Chat Noir to be extra vigilant until she could return to action.
Unfortunately Alya hadn't been there to cheer her up before she got down. Marinette's parents were gone for the weekend having left her alone without any chores to keep her occupied. Marinette quickly gets her homework out of the way thanks to having done Chloe's homework already. She lies back in bed thinking about Adrien.
Alya was irritated at her for interrupting her date with Nino. Marinette tried to apologize and invited her to come over so she could apologize but Alya refused saying that she wanted to work on doing an overhaul on her lady blog as it was becoming a jumbled mess. She expected it may take all weekend. Let down that she wouldn't see her friend she left the bakery and took a walk around town.
She ran into Juleka who was irked to see her and was leaving to catch up with her family so they could do some family bonding. Marinette waved and asked her to say hi to Luka for her. In anger Juleka spun around and reprimanded her for doing Chloe's bidding even after Chloe accidentally got Luka's guitar smashed.
One by one she contacted her friends trying to quell the rising loneliness from her heart. She stops by Andre's ice cream cart feeling lonely and Andre jokes with her trying to cheer her up. She leaves then runs into Miss Bustier who brushes her off as she tries to deal with principle Damocles in his owl getup.
She runs into Marc and Nathaniel who are busy with their comic strip and although they are happy to see Marinette, shove her out the door so she wouldn't see what they have come up with leaving her hurt at being so rudely evicted from their confidences.
Adrien is at the park getting frustrated by his manager's pushy schedule and the fact that Ladybug blew him off and he has to deal without seeing her on top of his dad getting mad at him over something he hadn't had any control over. Marinette walks up right after his manager tells Adrien he wants a shot of him holding a gerbil intending to say hello. Adrien rudely interrupts Marinette and yells at his manager that he is tired of pretending to like mousy little vermin. Marinette misunderstands thinking it was spoken to hurt her causing her to rush off. He misses the agony he caused her still brewing over his own irritation.
Hawkmoth senses her misery and loneliness and rushes to his hideaway. Recognizing her from the zombizou incident he wonders at her strength of will and creates an akuma. Marinette sees the akuma and dodges away from it trying to overcome her depression in the process. Chloe not knowing of Marinette's presence speaks to her father over the phone causing Marinette to falter in her efforts to avoid the akuma.
The akuma moves into the bracelet on her wrist. Hawkmoth is elated that he finally managed to get into contact with her. Marinette begins resisting his influence.
"Go away. I don't wish to hear anything that you have to say."
"Now, my dear, that isn't any way to talk to someone who's here to offer you a gift. Isn't there a saying about gift horses and looking them in the mouth?"
"My parents taught me better. They raised me to always be positive and search for the bright side in people. I have too many friends who care about me to just give in so easily."
Her strength of will was allowing her to resist much longer than even the teacher who had received the previous akuma meant to possess her. The man with the butterfly mask was impressed although he ignored it for now. "Your parents constantly have to clean up after you and put up with your willfulness. Your friends are all angry at you right now. Even the boy you like thinks of you as a pest constantly bothering him. You aren't seriously going to tell me that you honestly believe yourself better than the hordes of others I've previously akumatized are you?" the accusation causes her to falter but not fall.
Chloe only now noticing her standing there growls in irritation. "Were you just eavesdropping on my important phone call? I should have you flogged like the low class you are. You are nothing but a waste of space. You never do anything right."
Hawkmoth grins as Marinette drops to her knees clutching her shoulders barely hanging on.
Chloe completely oblivious to the damage she is causing continues, "You should know. My daddy got me into Adrien's next photo shoot so when you go back to your dreary little hovel and your sad excuse for a father who's always only going to be able to serve us elites you should be happy that we even know your name."
Parisians all over the city pause as the sky darkens temporarily.
Hawkmoth's eyes fill with glee as he senses the rising tides of power pouring from her heart into the surroundings. Master Fu just finished up healing Tikki only to feel the dark aura rising from the middle of Paris. They gasp at the raw tide of negativity that washes over him. Adrien pauses from modeling as he feels goose bumps rising from his arms. Chloe looks on in shock as the darkness covers Marinette's body. Giggling broke the silence as the girl Chloe refused to acknowledge as a rival transformed from her personally tailored attire into a cheetah print onesie. Her hair was no longer in pigtails it was now wild and curly.
Chloe was petrified. She'd just caused Marinette to akumatize. She transformed right in front of her. Of course she'd admittedly been the cause of akumas before but this time it happened right in front of her and she was eye to eye to someone who would likely be causing her harm. Not to mention that it was Marinette Dupaine Cheng who was akumatized. She had always been little Miss Goody Two Shoes. No chance Ladybug or Chat Noir would show up in time to save the day. She wasn't even able to turn around before the figure in front of her managed to grab her. In fact, just breathing would likely break the stillness of their surroundings and galvanize Marinette into attacking her. Then she nearly died. This was simply due to the face that Marinette or whatever she might call herself now moved.
Marinette didn't attack Chloe or even move in her direction. She simply pulled out a mirror and glanced at her new ensemble. "Do, keep going, you were on such a roll. I believe you mentioned something about my sad excuse for a father. Don't let me stop you from dogging the man who raised me."
The expressionless look in her eyes kept Chloe pinned in place. After peaking at Chloe from behind her mirror Marinette sighed and told her, "Really don't worry, I have no intentions of touching you. You're going to get to see every little thing I do from here on out. I wouldn't dream of letting you miss seeing what you cause. From this point on you're going to follow a step behind me and never a beat less."
The implications of that statement startled Chloe into a short lived protest. Before she could speak Marinette's index finger was against Chloe's lips silencing her. Even Hawkmoth was shocked by Marinette's actions. Almost without thought he asked, "What are you going to call yourself now?" Fear slammed into him upon realizing what he had said. He never gave up control even the smallest details, why did he suddenly feel like she was in control when he was the one who gave her the power?
Before he could retake control of the situation she hummed silencing him, "How about Domination. Madam Domination." Both Hawkmoth and Chloe gulped.
It was time for Adrien's Chinese lesson; Master Fu walked in the door. The dread Adrien felt was growing by the second. Master Fu spoke.
"I've gotten your father's permission to take you to a secluded group of trees in the park for your lesson today so we should be on our way." Adrien nodded and followed in silence.
They left the car and moved into the wooded section of the park Adrien could no longer hold it in. "Master Fu, what happened? I've been getting this bad feeling since earlier."
"A young lady has just been akumatized."
"What are we doing over here then? I need to go help Ladybug take care of her."
"Ladybug won't be able to make it this time. I've got her miraculous and qwami but she will be unavailable for the foreseeable future."
"Then how do we save her? Without the ladybug we can't save her."
"We have the Ladybug miraculous. The problem is that even if we can find someone to temporarily step in for her it still will be unlikely to stop this particular girl. She is a strong willed young lady. Until we find out how Hawkmoth akumatized her we mustn't take any rash moves."
"I don't understand Master Fu. What are you talking about? Why do you have the ladybug miraculous?"
"The young lady's willpower should have been able to resist his control. She has been resisting akuma for months now. If she had had a qwami I don't believe he would have gotten her period. Unfortunately, the girl was left unprotected due to my own actions. Ladybug will be unable to back you up this time around; she has her own trial to face."
"So what do we do? How can we rescue her now?"
"First we must learn how exactly Hawkmoth managed to overcome her. When we know that we'll be able to make the appropriate arrangements."
"Alright, for now I'll just go in as Adrien Agreste and scope out the situation."
"Be careful Adrien, there isn't any way to control her if she reacts negatively to your presence."
"Don't worry Master Fu, I totally got this covered."
"Until you find out what and where, exactly, her akuma power is do not, under any circumstances, change into Chat Noir. Unveil her mystery or you will fail and lose your miraculous."
After a final warning, Master Fu left Adrien to his own devices.
Marinette or, as she now called herself, Madame Domination made her way to the city hall. As she ran into people along her path they would fall silent, move out of her way or simply drop to their knees. None could stand in her presence.
Adrien arrived just before she entered the building. He watched as she stalked toward the mayor and removed his badge of office from his unresisting fingers. A camera had been trained upon the mayor when she walked in and was now following her. She turned around to face the camera. "Hello, Paris. Madame Domination is in charge now.