Disclaimer: The show is not mine, the characters are not mine, the seed of the idea for this AU came from reipx on tumblr, I just decided to write it out for whatever silly reason.

Chapter 1: Miraculous Rise

In the oppressive darkness of a secluded room, a man shrouded in shadows looked down at the locket in his hand. Inside was a beautiful woman, her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulder and her green eyes smiled out of the photograph. Caressing his thumb over the memory, he snapped the cover closed and placed the jewelry in his pocket. In place of the locket, he withdrew a thick, silver ring, and held it up in front of himself.

His voice rang out in the silence of the empty room. "Out you come, little kwami."

A green sphere of energy enveloped the ring, shining brighter and brighter until a small, black, catlike creature emerged with a yawn. The shadowy man slipped the ring on his finger and spoke again. "You are Plagg, the kwami of destruction, are you not?"

Plagg stopped moving mid-stretch and raised his eyebrow. "Interesting, a chosen who knows things already. Good, that means you'll have some Camembert ready for me to eat immediately. I'm famished." Without waiting for an answer, he began flying around looking for something to munch on. The cold voice of the man halted his search.

"You will be fed later, don't worry." Pausing for breath, the man turned to face the hovering kwami. "Now, Plagg, I need to know the whereabouts of the Ladybug Miraculous. There is a dark power that I need her to help me defeat."

With a sigh, Plagg looked up and spoke in a dry tone. "I dunno where the Ladybug Miraculous is. If you're fighting a 'dark power' then it's bound to show up soon, if it hasn't already. Now are you gonna get me some food or what?"

"One more question. While I know many things about you, I don't know everything. What is your transformation phrase?"

"Claws out. Real simple. Now I'm not telling you anything else unless we have to fight or you give me food." With that declaration, Plagg crossed his arms and turned his back, beginning to slowly float away.

The man smiled. Not a warm smile, a glacial, dangerous smile. "I have decoded part of that book, Plagg. I will obtain the Ladybug Miraculous and gain absolute power, and you're going to help me. All we need is a dark power to lure out Ladybug, what could be darker than a 'hero' of destruction?"

Plagg's eyes widened. After a second of silence, he whirled on the man and practically hissed. "I will do no such thing. The Miraculous are not to be used for evil purposes. Return my ring immediately, there has been a mistake."

Pointing his finger aggressively at the small kwami, the man began nearly shouting. "Your Miraculous is in my control! I am your master now, and you must obey me."

Snarling, Plagg flew forward and attempted to bite the man's outstretched finger. "Like hell I will!" He bit air as the man withdrew his hand, and immediately charged with fury burning through his body.

"You have no choice. Claws out!"

Plagg yowled in protest, attempting to fly away and resist the pull of the ring. For a second, it seemed as though he would make it, and a traitorous spark of false hope ignited in the kwami's heart. Though as he strained against the progressively stronger force, he knew he wouldn't win. Howling with the titanic effort of trying to escape, he felt himself begin to slip backwards, towards the ring. Tikki… stay hidden. Don't come out. Please.

With a final, defeated cry, Plagg lost the battle and was sucked backwards, spiraling into his Miraculous to empower Chat Noir.

Watching the news broadcast, Adrien could hardly believe his eyes. 'Super villains' aren't a thing, right? According to Nadja Chamack they were, and there was one in Paris right now. His father would have a field day with this, yet another excuse to stop him from going to school. Wonderful.

Adrien grumbled to himself and folded his arms like a petulant child, looking down towards the floor. On their path downwards, he spied with his little eye something that certainly wasn't there before; A little, dark, wooden box with some sort of red design on the top.

"What's this doing here?" Adrien wondered aloud, reaching for it and opening the lid without a second thought. Inside was a pair of earrings, simple red hemispheres with black spots, reminiscent of a ladybug. Before he could take a closer look however, a translucent sphere or red light surrounded them, quickly increasing in size and intensity.

Stifling a yelp, Adrien jerked back and squinted, covering his eyes with one hand. The globe of light hovered in the air for a moment, a low humming sound emanating from it while the box dropped back down to the table. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the ball of light contracted and formed into a small, floating, red… creature. He leaned forward and gasped, his mind running away with the possibilities. End thought? Too cool. Then the creature opened its big, blue eyes.

"No way, you're like the genie in the lamp!" Adrien reached up and extended a finger as if he were going to touch the creature, and it smiled brilliantly at him before speaking in a high, but not unpleasant voice.

"Sort of, but he's much crankier than I am. And he grants wishes while I grant super powers." The critter flew up and perched on Adrien's finger. It felt smooth and warm to the touch, very comforting in an odd sort of way. "Hello, Adrien. My name is Tikki. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Adrien raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, taking in the sight of Tikki "Ohhhkay, sure. Why not. If you don't mind my asking, what are you?"

Tikki smiled again, nodding as she spoke. "I am a kwami. I grant powers to the chosen wielder of my Miraculous, the earrings in the box. Specifically, I grant the powers of good luck and creation. I promise all of this will make sense as you get used to it, okay?"

Adrien nodded dumbly along before fully registering what was happening. With a start, he said the first realistic possibility that popped into his mind. "My dad's pranking me, right?" Then he thought about it for a second and shook his head. "Wait, he couldn't be. He has no sense of humor."

Tikki giggled, a melodic sound that reminded Adrien of musical bells. "I'm not a prank from your father. He doesn't know that I exist, and it needs to stay that way. With the exception of other Miraculous wielders who are on our side, nobody can know that I exist or that you have these powers."

Having decided to accept Tikki's story as fact, Adrien cupped his hands and she floated gently down to rest upon them. "Okay, so lemme get this right. You will transform me into a superhero with the power of creation, right? So how does this work?"

"While wearing the Miraculous, you say 'spots on' and I am absorbed into the jewel. You'll be faster, and stronger, and you'll have a secret super power called 'lucky charm' that will create something useful to your current goal. But you must remember, after using your lucky charm you will have five minutes before you de-transform, and I'll have to recharge." Tikki paused for a second before speaking again. "Oh! And I'll eat most sweet things, but chocolate chip cookies are the best."

Nodding again, a new question presented itself to Adrien's mind. "So, why are you here, exactly? I doubt you just popped in because it seemed like fun."

Tikki pointed to the television, currently displaying footage of the super villain, Chat Noir, causing general mayhem in the streets. "Him. Chat Noir is also a Miraculous wielder, but he stole his power and must be stopped. His Miraculous is the counterpart to mine, the ring on his finger, you need to subdue him and grab it."

Adrien reached down to grab the earrings from the box, looking at them closely before looking at Tikki again with a grimace. "Just one small problem, Tikki. I don't have pierced ears."

Tikki blinked, her face morphing from a smile to an apologetic frown. "We have to stop him… Do you have a pin?"

One impromptu piercing filled with profuse apologies from Tikki later, Adrien stood in his bathroom gingerly slipping the earrings on. He'd catch hell from his father about this, but maybe he'd be able to play it off as wanting to accentuate the outfits with accessories or something. Or his father wouldn't see him long enough to notice… whatever. That was future-Adrien's problem. Current-Adrien's problem was stopping Chat Noir.

"Ooow. Okay, there. Done." Wincing slightly, he looked at Tikki's sorrowful face. "Tikki, spots on!"

Bursting into a smile, Tikki glowed slightly, zooming into the earring on Adrien's left earlobe. He felt a tingling sensation pass over his body, and in the mirror he watched as a form fitting red suit with black polka dots replaced his normal clothes in a dazzling display of red sparkles. A mask of the same make covered his face, and a hard, round object popped into existence at his hip. His hair also changed, adopting a more slick and styled look than his normal hair.

As the fireworks display that was Adrien finished up, he began moving around in the suit, finding it was very comfortable and acted almost as a second skin. "Tikki, this is awesome." Running out into his room, he opened a window and grabbed the round object from his hip. It came loose quite easily, and he discovered it to be a yoyo. Upon attempting to use it as a yoyo however, it lengthened and stopped a few inches from the ground before zipping back to his hand at the slightest pull.

Acting on a hunch, Adrien aimed for the chimney of a nearby building and threw the yoyo as hard as he could. It sped off and wrapped itself around the chimney, seeming to have no real limit to its length. For a second, he gaped at the string. "No way." He pulled, and was yanked from his bedroom and up into the sky with a whoop of exhilaration.

"As incredible as it seems, it has been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a super villain. The masked assailant, calling himself 'Chat Noir' seems normal, however he possesses incredible strength, speed, and agility, and is very dangerous. The police have been struggling to–"

The voice of Nadja Chamack faded into the background as Marinette looked down and started. A small, lacquered box that she didn't recognize sat on her desk. How she hadn't noticed it before she would never know. In her bewilderment, she spoke aloud to her empty room.

"What's this doing here?" She reached down and grabbed the box, looking at the intricate red designs inlaid into the treated wood. There was a hinge on one side, and in trying the lid she found it lifted free quite easily. Inside was a broach, a deep purple stone at the center of four stylized wings, or perhaps flower petals. Before she could take a closer look, the broach was encased in a shimmering globe of purple-pink energy that quickly tripled in size and shot up towards her.

Marinette dropped the box in shock, closing her eyes and turning her face away from the sudden brightness. Her hands instinctively flew up to shield her eyes, and she drew back in her chair, nearly unbalancing and falling to the floor. The light abated, and she cracked one eye open to peek. Both her eyes shot open and she stared unabashedly at the purple creature that was floating in front of her computer monitor. In her periphery, she saw that many of the flat surfaces had been covered with beautiful, white, luminescent butterflies. Her mind took this information and filed it away for future panic, and she focused on the small purple creature. For a second, there was no sound but the occasional fluttering of the butterflies and the quiet continuation of the news. Then its eyes opened.

The following moments were an exercise in freaking out. Marinette accused the… thing of being a bug, then a mouse, and of course the logical conclusion of talking bug-mouse when it opened its mouth and tried to reassure her. The calm, high-pitched delivery of 'do not be alarmed, everything is alright' only prompted the hurling of multiple easily accessible objects, all of which the creature easily dodged.

"Marinette calm down, I am here to help, I am your friend."

Now out of things to throw, Marinette grabbed the empty drinking glass from her desk, causing a bouple nearby butterflies to flee to a different surface, and brought it down over the talking-bug-mouse. With a quick motion, she captured it and trapping it against the floor. The creature wilted, drawing in on itself in an attempt to become even smaller as sadness flitted across its face. After a moment, it composed itself and schooled its features back into patient understanding.

"Alright, I suppose if that makes you feel better…" The creature's voice was slightly muffled, and seemed more subdued than before. Marinette took a few seconds to just look at the creature and let her panic subside somewhat. It looked like a butterfly, or a moth, but with an overlarge head, a mouth, strange purple eyes, humanoid features… okay so it only looked a little like a moth, it mostly looked weird and like something her parents should probably know was in the house. Not to mention all of the butterflies.

Marinette let her curiosity het the better of her instinct to call for her parents for a moment. "What are you? Why is my room full of butterflies? And how do you know my name?"

Speaking in a calm tone, the talking-bug-mouse-butterfly replied. "I am a kwami, a spirit who helps humanity by allowing a chosen to transform into a superhero. My name is Nooroo, and I can explain everything, but I need you to listen." Nooroo placed a paw against the inside surface of the glass and looked hopefully up at Marinette. "I need you to trust me, Marinette."

Yeah her parents really should know about this. She was talking to a magical-talking-bug-mouse-butterfly for crying out loud. Keeping her eyes on the kwami, Marinette called out to her parents as she reached to open the trapdoor that led downstairs. "Mom! Dad!"

Nooroo's eyes went wide and he pressed up against the glass as if trying to move through it. "No, nono, wait!" His distressed protestations became clearer as he phased right through the glass and jetted up to hover in front of Marinette. "You cannot tell them that I exist, it will endanger them! I am your friend, Marinette, you have to trust me if we are to stop Chat Noir!"

"Marinette? Is something the matter, sweetie?"

Nooroo looked fearfully at Marinette as her mother's question floated up, silently imploring her to take a leap of faith.

Marinette bit her lip and hesitated for a second, before calling down a reply. "Nothing, mama, I got it!" She closed the trapdoor, falling back into a sitting position and fixing her eyes on Nooroo. For a few moments, she said nothing and just stared straight ahead while her mind whirled. Nooroo simply floated there, relief permeating from his tiny form as he waited for his chosen to come to terms with the reality of the situation.

When Marinette opened her mouth, no sound came out. Closing it and swallowing, she tried again and managed to get a squeak. By the third try she managed articulated speech. "This has to be some mistake, I'm not a superhero. The only power I could have is super awkwardness…" Nooroo opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Marinette going into full motor-mouth mode. "Oh, I know! Alya would know! That's my friend. At least I think she would. She loves superheroes she'd totally be up for the job. You should go see her."

Holding his arms up in a placating gesture, Nooroo slowly floated towards the rapidly panicking girl. "Marinette, you are my chosen. This kind of thing cannot be done by just anyone, and you have been chosen for this task."

"But why me? I'm not a hero."

"You are good, you are kind, you are a beacon of positivity that drew me to you as a moth to a flame." Smiling slightly at the fitting proverb, Nooroo tentatively reached out to touch Marinette's slightly flushed cheek. When she didn't flinch away, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Marinette, you can do this. I believe in you, and I will do my best to help you in every way I can."

Marinette nodded several times, nervousness replacing her panic from moments ago. She closed her eyes and focused on returning her breathing to normal. In the silence that followed, she was grateful to Nooroo for backing off. As she processed the new (and completely mad under normal circumstances) information, her attention was drawn back to her computer, where they were showing all the footage they had managed to capture of the elusive villain. A flicker of black disappearing into an alley, a far away shot of a small black figure throwing a car at pursuing police forces, a blurry aerial shot of the villain vaulting over rooftops, and finally a close up of him proclaiming himself as 'Chat Noir' and demanding the return of the 'Ladybug Miraculous.'

He was a tall man clad in a black, armored suit. His eyes were entirely green with a dim glow, but a mask of similar make to his suit covered the rest of his face. A strange helmet-like hood that seemed attached to the edges of the mask shrouded the rest of his head, and there were two stylized cat ears on the top that looked for all the world like they moved on their own. When he spoke, he spoke in cold, clipped tones, speaking as little as possible while still getting his point across. He was scary.

A chill ran down Marinette's spine. "Nooroo… Am I supposed to fight him?" She realized her voice was coming out in the form of a whisper. She wasn't sure when they switched to whispering, but it seemed kind of fitting.

Nooroo shook his head. "Not directly, no. The Moth Miraculous, which is the broach in the box that you must wear in order to transform, allows you to sense strong emotional auras, and to give someone their own superpowers to act as your champion. I am not as powerful on my own as the ladybug earrings that will be your partner, or the black cat ring that is your enemy."

As Nooroo spoke, Marinette looked over to the discarded box. Reaching to retrieve it, she took the broach from its perch and turned it over in her hands in wonder.

"The butterflies around you are called tenshi." Nooroo continued as Marinette nodded along. "When you wish to bestow powers upon a champion, you call one to you and imbue it with energy, then send it to the recipient. When it arrives, you will be able to speak to them, and they must choose whether or not to accept the powers you are offering… Is all of this making sense, Marinette?"

Marinette took the broach and pinned it to the front of her shirt. Looking up at the kwami, she nodded and bit her lip with a worried expression on her face. "I guess… it's just going really fast is all."

Nooroo nodded. "I know it's a lot to absorb, but you'll do wonderfully, just trust yourself." Returning Marinette's hesitant smile, he flew to her and pressed his forehead to hers. When Marinette went cross-eyed to look at him, they both burst into giggles. "Now, we have to retrieve the Miraculous of Chat Noir. There is a ring on his finger, tell the champion you choose that they need to work with the wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous to get that ring. If we can get the ring, then Paris will be safe. Just say: 'wings rise.'"

Marinette gulped and took a deep breath. "Wings rise."

As the words left her mouth, Nooroo began to glow. Marinette's eyes widened as the kwami was sucked into the broach on her chest. Every butterfl-tenshi in the room sped towards her and encased her in a cocoon. She froze, feeling a strange sensation whisk over her entire body. As quickly as they had come, the tenshi fled. Instead of returning to their perches however, they began fluttering around the room, seemingly without aim.

The first thing that Marinette felt was an onslaught of emotions. She could feel hundreds of strong spikes, both positive and negative. Clutching her head, she screwed her eyes shut as the emotional baggage of much of Paris was forced into her mind. After a second or two, the barrage faded and became much more manageable, and she could practically feel Nooroo's apology radiating from the broach. She could still feel the stronger spikes of emotion, but they weren't bashing her over the head anymore.

Turning towards the full-length mirror in her room, Marinette gasped and began patting herself down with her free hand and watching as the person in the mirror did the same. Free hand? Looking down, she discovered that her right hand was holding a silver staff that was surprisingly light. Mounted at the top was a deep purple, multi-faceted gem that glittered in the sunlight.

Turning back to the reflection – her reflection – she took in her outfit. Her normal-person clothes had been replaced with a full bodysuit made out of some sort of smooth material. The suit was a colorful array of different pinks and purples, with a stylized butterfly emblazoned on the chest. The suit covered her entire body, with the exception of her face, which sported a pale mask shaped, again, as a butterfly. Topping the ensemble off was a cape, split into four distinct lengths of fabric, which hung from her shoulders.

"We've just been informed that Chat Noir has engaged in combat with several police officers. The fight was short, and all seven officers are being rushed to the hospital with mild to severe wounds. However it seems that none are life threatening."

Nadja Chamack's voice broke through Marinette's reverie, causing her to look at the computer screen once more. On it was footage of a dark shape bounding from the street up the side of a building and disappearing over the rooftops. The camera then panned to several men and women in police uniforms with claw wounds being loaded into ambulances, and a young woman in a plaid shirt rushing off after Chat Noir with her phone held up and a look of slightly scared determination on her face.

Marinette gasped and held a hand up to her mouth. "Alya?" She did say she was going to chase after him when he ran past the school, but I didn't think… Marinette's mind felt as though it had been struck by lightning. "Of course!" she cried, holding out a gloved hand in invitation. A tenshi landed on her outstretched palm, feather light and slightly warm to the touch. She placed her staff on her back, where it attached itself to her suit, and gently covered the butterfly with her other hand. A golden light infused the pale insect, giving it a much brighter and warmer glow emanating from golden veins of color that streaked over its wings.

Smiling and looking at the beautiful creature with no small amount of awe, Marinette ran up to the trapdoor to the roof and opened it, letting the tenshi free to find the chosen champion. As it flapped away, she whispered to herself, almost like a prayer. "Bye bye, pretty butterfly."

A/N: #1YearOfMiraculous! Happy one year, Miraculers. This is my little contribution to the fandom on this momentous occasion, now I'm only going to update it on the anniversaries. See you next year!

Okay so not really, I plan on updating whenever I can. I'm certain this is full of errors, I only started writing it yesterday and i've been trying to do it every second that I don't have mountains of college coursework.

Please do review, I enjoy the feedback greatly :)