This story takes place exactly one week after The Guardian and the Keeper. If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do. I hope you enjoy this sequel to Peridot Turtle!
It was a beautiful Monday morning and the girl who use to sleep through her alarm all the time, had been already up and moving for the past half hour, before her alarm went off. Marinette was moving a bit faster than she had since her bonding with Wayzz.
There was so much to do before school started. According to her large calendar of events, she had to get the laundry started, dust the living room, and finish cleaning the cupboards and counter tops in the family's kitchen. Her parents were already downstairs getting the bakery ready for the day.
As Marinette started dusting the living room, she tried to remember what else she had going on today. "Okay after school, I promised Alya I would help her with her blog for half hour before I have to go to the, The Turtle Relaxing Lagoon Massage/Spa, to meet with my employees. The meeting should only last an hour so I'll be back in time to help with reorganizing the stock room with mama."
"I hope you remembered we still have a short history lesson today and that you wanted to work on your new design before doing all your homework before bed," Wayzz yawned as he phased through the floor to the living room. He rubbed his eyes trying wake up. He was having a little trouble waking up these days due to the seasons changing.
"I told you to stop doing that in the morning! What if my parents saw? We agreed that we weren't ready to share our secret with them," Marinette hissed tiredly. She didn't know why, but Wayzz had developed a habit of phasing from her room into the living room early in the morning without a reason.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs she snatched the little turtle kwami out of the air and placed him on the counter. She had just started cleaning the cupboard doors when her mom entered the room. "Good morning Mama."
"Good morning Marinette. I thought I heard you moving around up here. Any reason you're up so early?" she asked curiously. She spotted Wayzz on the counter top wondering what the strange creature was doing downstairs.
While Tom and her knew of their daughter's secret activities, they hadn't let on, knowing she would tell them, when it was the right time for her. So they did their best to pretend to be ignorant and still find a few ways to help their daughter out.
"It's another busy day and I just needed an early start."
"Is there any reason you brought Wayzz downstairs this morning? Usually you feed him right in his terrarium," Sabine commented lightly.
"Thought he might enjoy some exercise while I was cleaning. Don't worry; I made sure he had his daily treatment before bringing him down. I've almost finished with everything up here."
"Why don't you sit down and I'll make you both some breakfast. You're going to need one if you have a busy day."
The young Great Guardian nodded sitting down and enjoying a few moments of peace. She scratched Wayzz's head in the right spot, listening to her kwami sigh in contentment. Sabine placed a big bowl of baby carrots next to the turtle and some fresh fruit and a nice bowl of cereal for Marinette.
"Your father and I know how hard it is to run a business while enjoying the other parts of your life, but you have to remember you're still just a kid Marinette. You should make time to have fun so don't forget that."
"I know that Mama. It's just I have this feeling really deep inside me. It's almost as if my soul is yearning to learn and grow into someone better than I am now if that makes any sense."
Sabine nodded and kissed her daughter on the forehead. Everyone in the world had a moment when they wanted to discover the depths of themselves in a journey of self-discovery. She only hoped that her daughter would be careful. A voice inside her said her daughter might not like what she found.
At school that day she was greeted by Adrien, with a huge smile on his face. "Hey Marinette. How are you doing today?" He offered her a nutrition bar to keep her going through her busy afternoon.
She laughed as she noticed little specks of cheese on the wrapper. Plagg must have been eating all over the desk again. She looked down at Adrien's bag where the cheeky little god was smirking. "Late night feasting?"
"The best time to be eating a cheesy treat!"
Wayzz poked his head out of Marinette's purse. "Plagg, when will you learn proper etiquette?"
"Probably the same day you actually do something fun for yourself. I don't know about you, but I'm going to enjoy my nap." Plagg let out a dramatic yawn and sunk back into the depths of Adrien's bag.
Huffing in slight annoyance, Wayzz settled down in Marinette's purse ready to enjoy another fascinating day of school. The two wielders just shook their heads and held hands as they walked into the classroom ready for another day of hopefully non-interrupted learning.
School had become very enjoyable since Chloe's passing. Sure a few rich kids took her place as the alphas of the school and some of them were mean, but not as terrifyingly mean and deadly as Chloe had been. They had ripped out the old seat where the she-demon had sat and put in a new one in its place. Still, no one had dared touch the desk let alone sit in it.
The class was in a deep discussion of what would be on the literary quiz later in the week. Ms. Bustier was constantly repeating what certain grammar terms and literary techniques they needed to remember, when an alarm sounded. Everyone knew what that alarm meant. Akuma in the area!
As they filed out of the classroom and headed to the basement, Marinette focused her mind and touched the spiritual energy around her. She was getting a sense of what the Akuma's threat level was. The more she could sense, the better prepared Adrien and Mireille would be.
"I'm sensing young energy, possibly a tween or a teenager. Not too high of a threat yet, but you'll need to stop him pretty quick before he gets a chance to unleash his whole power," she whispered into Adrien's ear.
The boy nodded and slowly stepped away from the class. Across the yard Mireille was doing the same thing as her friend Aurora covered for her. As the last of them slipped into the basement, Chat Noir and Ladybeetle, could be seen taking off from the school roof to deal with the Akuma.
In the basement Alya was moaning. "I can't believe I'm here instead of out of their getting footage for my blog. How am I supposed to be up to date with the latest Akuma if I'm stuck in the basement?"
Nino muttered something under his breath. "Girl, I love you, but don't you think getting seriously reprimand by your parents during a demonic crises in public was enough? After that got settled, a month without your phone or internet Should have produced some common sense in you."
Alya rolled her eyes, but stopped moaning. Instead, she fiddled with her phone seeing if she could connect to some security cameras to get an idea what was going on. Alya's phone managed to connect with one as she blew up the picture and audio as they watched the fight unfold.
The Akuma was dressed as if the boy had fallen into a gross bathroom and now was on a rampage. Sink handles turned as smelly water blasted out of the drains on his hands. At least it appeared to be smelly by the unpleasant expressions on the duo's faces. Ladybeetle jumped and twisted her body under two cars to avoid the water.
"Dude, you need to stop dripping everywhere," Chat Noir told the boy. The boy who was calling himself Toilet Trouble, spun around sending toilet seats through the air. Lifting himself into the air Chat Noir saw the seats take out several lampposts and trees.
Ladybeetle came at the Toilet Trouble spinning her yo-yo as a protective shield. The boy shouted angrily as he tried to pierce her shield with a magic plunger. Ladybeetle managed to flip the weapon out of his hands. She reached for something attached to the guy's foot but was sent flying backwards by blast of smelly water.
The video and audio cut out for a few minutes, but when it came back on Toilet Trouble was wrapped in a shower curtain as Chat Noir used Cataclysm on a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of the kid's shoe. Ladybeetle did her thing and everything returned to normal.
Everyone was happy about this, though Alya was slightly miffed again that Peridot Turtle hadn't shown up. How could the heroine, who saved the city and mentor of Ladybeetle and Chat Noir, continue to be absent from threats? "It just doesn't make sense to me why she would hide."
"Maybe she has limits to how much she can help or has a more important job to do," Marinette suggested; hoping to get Alya to drop the subject. Nino said it wasn't anything to be really concerned about right now. Peridot Turtle would make another appearance when she was needed.
Adrien was already back in the classroom, but because of the attack his lunch plans with Marinette would be cancelled. If an Akuma attacked any time before lunch, his father insisted that he come back home for lunch no matter what.
Their relationship was still on the edge since Mr. Agreste admitted he knew his son's secret. Adrien really wanted to reconnect with his father so he did what he was asked. Hopefully one day they could be a bit closer.
It was just as well, Marinette needed to use her lunch hour to get a head start on her homework. A call from her employees' right before the end of the period informed her that they wanted to meet with her earlier. Marinette tried to tell them that since she was the owner the meeting should start when she arranged it. Not having time to argue, with class starting soon, she hastily agreed to the new time.
With her meeting moved, Alya walked with Marinette to her business so they could spend a little time together. The bluenette tried to remain positive, reminding herself that she called this meeting to brainstorm ideas for improving the business and getting new customers. She just needed to be a bit firmer with what her employees were in charge of and what was her responsibilities.
The meeting ran a bit longer than expect because Marinette was still trying to gain the respect that was owed to her by a few of her employees. Two employees she had hired to make sure they had enough stock and supplies kept talking over her. They were in their mid-twenties so they didn't thing they needed to listen to a kid tell them what to do. Even if the kid was their boss and controlled their paychecks.
Back at home she was too late to help much in the bakery stock room and was told to do her remaining homework. After dinner she planned to work on her new design finalizing the sketch, but Wayzz history lesson made her extremely tired. She went to bed early; once again wishing she knew how to balance this life a bit easier.
Watching Marinette sleep, Wayzz had an expression of deep concern on his little face. Ever since that dream meeting with the woman who called herself Peace Keeper, Marinette had been more hopeful and optimistic. The last week alone had been the happiest she had been since Chaotic's attack. Now she was back to worrying and slightly sad all the time.
"With all these pressures and responsibility, who knows how long you can last hatchling. You've come a long way since we first met. I know you still have doubts and worries. At the same time you're thriving and happier than ever. I do hope nothing pushes you to search the Miraculous Book for an answer without trying to solve your problem by yourself first," Wayzz murmured to himself.
Snuggling under his little blanket Wayzz was soon fast asleep. Across the city Plagg, Tikki, and Nooroo wondered about the future of their wielders. Ever since the attack and the resumed activity, the three little gods had a gut feeling something was on the horizon, something that could change the universe all over again.
The next day, Peridot Turtle was carefully making her way towards a residence by swimming in the sewers below. She continuously wished the sewer system was much cleaner, but thankfully the suit protected her from the water and she didn't stink afterwards.
As she reached her destination, she pulled herself out of the water before climbing a ladder to the street level. Thankfully, no cars or security cameras had been set up here. Using her meteor hammer she managed to pull herself up to the roof of the residence. Taking a deep breath she settled on the roof and looked into the backyard.
A little six year old girl was lying around soaking up the sun and just enjoying spending time with her adoptive ,who was braiding her black hair with ribbons. Unlike her mother, the girl's skin was peachier colored than her lighter tone of her mother. Her facial structure was along the lines of Eastern Asian folk, but her eyes were more round and brown with flecks of blue in them.
This girl was Celeste-Xun, the child born of the last bits of Chloe's inner child and the spirit of Xinyi, Master Fu's daughter who had died before her time. The reincarnated girl had been given a second chance to live her life and one day fulfill a destiny that she hadn't been able to do in her first life. Since Peridot Turtle had been a big part of her rebirth, she took on the responsibility of checking up on the girl to make sure she was adjusting fine.
The little girl spun around watching in delight as her braid trailed after her. Celeste-Xun tumbled to the ground and saw Peridot Turtle on the roof. The little girl gave her a slight nod before getting up and telling her mother that she was going inside to clean up.
Celeste-Xun went straight to her room and opened the window so Peridot Turtle could slip in. "Hi Peridot Turtle! Did you bring me a treat this time?"
The little girl had spoken both French and Chinese. Being born with the knowledge of how to speak two different languages it was common for Celeste-Xun to start with one language and end in another.
"Hello to you as well CX. So how are doing these days? Are the Caquets treating you well? Is Mireille still being a good big sister? Have you made any friends?"
Celeste-Xun giggled amused by the fact that Peridot Turtle could easily obtain the facts she wanted by talking to her sister. On the other hand, she loved that Peridot Turtle made these personal visits to see her. It was great to have a secret friend, well sort of.
"I'm doing wonderfully PT!" She hugged the Great Guardian's leg tightly. "I love school, it's so much fun to learn all these different subjects. I think my favorite class is reading. I love learning new words!"
Patting the little girl on the head Peridot Turtle asked her to continue. Celeste-Xun happily obliged going on about how awesome her new parents were and that spending time with her sister was the best. She had made a few good friends who didn't mind her slip ups and thought she was very cute and adorable.
"My favorite part of the day is when we have meals together. Mom always has something interesting to say and Dad, he's so funny. Mireille always has funny stories to share. She always tells me the best ones before I go to sleep."
Peridot Turtle had a feeling she knew which stories those were. Closing her eyes Peridot Turtle centered herself as she read the reincarnated girl's spiritual energy. There were tiny bits of Chloe and Xinyi in her. They didn't seem to be causing any trouble. The majority of the spiritual energy was the child's own unique signature. Her soul was strong for someone so young.
Opening her eyes, Peridot Turtle leaned down so Celeste-Xun could give her a proper hug. "I'm so glad that you're doing well. You have a very strong and happy soul. Just remember to continue enjoying life okay?"
"I promise. If anything feels wrong I'll tell Mireille I promise." Hugging each other one more time, Peridot Turtle left through the bathroom window. Celeste-Xun closed the window. Smiling the girl went to clean herself up and go see what her mother was up to.
Returning home from her check up on the little girl, Marinette sat at her desk trying to focus on her new design. She was having lunch later this week with Adrien and his father. She had promised to show some of her newest designs to the fashion icon, hoping for a good critique to help her with her future as a designer with her own studio and store.
She sketched and started to erase her design again. She tried to create a different neckline, but erased it again. Instead she tried to figure out the length of the sleeves only to erase them as well. Tearing out the page she threw it away and started again.
Wayzz was out on the balcony sunning himself when he heard a frustrated yell and something striking a wall below. Curious, he floated down and saw Marinette slumped over her desk, her sketchbook had been tossed to the other side of the room. The floor was littered with crumbled up paper. He was surprised to hear Marinette crying.
Landing on the desk he brushed back a strand of hair and asked, "What's wrong Marinette? Why are you so upset? Did your sketch not come out the way you wanted?"
Marinette's continued to cry as she blubbered out, "I can't design anything! Every time I try, I just mmm mmm I hate it. My lunch with Adrien and his father is on Saturday and I whaaaaaaaaa whaaaaaaaaaaa."
Frightened by how much Marinette was crying, Wayzz backed off until he was safely on her vanity watching the girl have a meltdown. The kwami rubbed his little hands together, not knowing what to do. Over time he had gotten better at not being so serious all the time, but he still wasn't that comfortable with an outpouring of emotions.
What do I do? Tikki and Nooroo are really good at this kind of thing. Even Plagg would have a better idea of how to approach a teenager having a meltdown of sorts than me. He looked to the hidden Miraculous Chest wondering if he should get the girls to help when he heard someone coming up the stairs. He zipped into his terrarium and pretended to be sleeping.
Sabine had heard her daughter crying and decided to investigate. Entering Marinette's room she saw the torn out sheets of failed designs, the tossed notebook and her daughter. Walking over she gave her a daughter a much needed hug.
She patted her daughter on the back whispering words of comfort. Marinette clung to her. Her crying grew softer and softer until it was just mild whimpering. Sabine switched to stroking her Marinette's beautiful hair for a few minutes. At last the teenager stopped crying. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah… I am. Sniffle I guess I just…needed a good…cry." Marinette grabbed a tissue and cleaned up her face. "I feel embarrassed."
"You shouldn't be embarrassed about crying. It's good for you sometimes. Marinette do you think you can tell me what was upsetting you so much?" Sabine asked as she sat down on the chaise.
The teenager explained how she was struggling with her new designs. Nothing was coming out right and she wasn't satisfied by what she had done. Her sketches were messy and uninspiring. She mentioned the upcoming lunch and how important it was for her to have something decent to show Mr. Agreste, but nothing was coming to mind.
"I don't know why I can't design. I've never had a block this bad before. If I could make one great design, I'd be satisfied. This is the worst time to be having a block."
Sabine tapped her cheek with her finger thinking for a second. "Perhaps you're letting the pressures of life get to you like I said yesterday. You are a hard worker and have the determination to succeed in what you're doing. Getting Mr. Fu's old business running again was a very hard task, but you succeeded.
From experience I can tell you that the first few months, even the year of running a business can be stressful. The pressure to succeed, to make the business last while keeping happy employees can be tough. Especially if you have other equally important things to deal with.
My point is Marinette you need to find a way to manage your stress so it doesn't interfere with something that helps you relax. Why don't you come downstairs and help me with baking some sweets for the bakery? That's always relaxes you when you're having a stressful day."
Mother and daughter got up and went downstairs together leaving Wayzz all by himself. He wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead glad that Sabine had managed to get Marinette to stop crying. "Maybe I should see if she has a parenting book on teenagers. It might help in the future."
That night, Marinette once again visited her soul room hoping to find the other parts of her soul. She really needed their guidance right now. Maybe one of her other selves had dealt with something similar to this. She hoped they would be there for her.
Entering her soul room Marinette's footsteps echoed as she surveyed the room. Everything was still the same as last time. The lights, the floor, the mural on the ceiling. The peace she felt here calmed her down. She walked over and sat down on the bench.
The stain glass windows were very dim except for the one that represented her. She could still see the pictures of her different sides, but they didn't look active. Even the banners depicting the different versions of Adrien looked very dull and muted. It seemed that no one was here.
"Hello? Can anyone here me? I need help please!" Marinette was begging. Getting up she pressed her hand against each window hoping to call forth someone. No one showed up.
Stroking the banners Marinette tried again with boys. Her uniqueness as a One had made Adrien a Two. Perhaps she could talk to his other parts of his soul as well? "Hello Adriens. I'm a version of your soulmate. Could you please come here and help me?
Once again she was meant with silence. Why wasn't this working! She sank to her knees. "I guess no one has time for me. I guess I'm on my own. Maybe it's time for me to try something else."
She left through the door with a heavy heart hoping things would look better in the real world. As she left she missed a tiny flicker of indigo light hiding in the shadows.
It was Wednesday afternoon and once again another photo shoot was taking place. Adrien was worried for his girlfriend. In the immediate aftermath of Chaotic's attack, she had been very depressed. However, when her new business opened she was happy and cheerful again. But lately she had been very moody and anxious.
The slightest thing going wrong made her very upset. When she had to break a promise because of something happening at work or that her parents needed extra help with the bakery, Marinette looked ready to cry.
Her homework was sloppy docking points off her work. Her secret duties in mentoring him and Mireille with their abilities seem to tire her out. Worse, he felt like he had added pressure to her when he said that his father was meeting them for lunch later in the week to look over her new designs.
He had invited Marinette to come watch his photoshoot after school as a date, but she had declined. Her eyes were saying yes that she really did want to come, but her mouth firmly said no. Something was really troubling her. While he waited for the shoot to finish setting up, he talked with Plagg. "Hey, has Wayzz told you anything about Marinette that I don't know about lately?"
Plagg let out a snort, "Wayzz and I haven't talked all week. He's being his secretive self again. Personally, I think he's hiding out. There's a reason Wayzz always had grown ups as his wielders. He doesn't deal well with emotional kids and teens very well."
Adrien raised an eyebrow at that comment. Personally he thought Wayzz was the most mature kwami he had met so far. It didn't make sense that the little turtle like kwami couldn't help out Marinette in her time of need.
Plagg stuck his tongue out at his chosen noticing the expression of disbelief. "You think I'm lying? Well I'm not. Let me tell you, I've had my share of teenage boys and being around them has clued me into a few things about them, especially how to read their hidden feelings."
Adrien remembered the day Plagg had explained why Adrien inner cat had become so restless. Being caged up would have eventually messed with his head. The little cat kwami had been a great help by letting him run wild. "So what do you think is going on with Marinette?"
"Pft, who knows? If I was betting kwami, which I am, I think the pressures of her new life are getting to her. Sure, she had a lot of responsibility before, but now she's actually running a business, which she's never done before so it's a stressor."
Hearing someone coming, Plagg hid again as Adrien was whisked away for hair and makeup. The stylists kept telling him to keep his expression neutral so they could actually do their job. Adrien was really trying, but his concern for his girlfriend was obvious.
Meanwhile Wayzz was on Marinette's computer looking up sites with information on how to deal with moody teenagers. There were a lot of chat postings, several pages on teenage psychology and how to be a good parent. There was even a site to evaluate if your teenager's behavior needed outside help to deal with it.
According to the parenting website, teenagers often became moody because their brains were still developing. Their hormones started changing and affecting parts of their brain making them difficult to deal with.
"Both boys and girls can display overly dramatic actions towards a problem that is very small, but their beliefs about its importance magnify it until it becomes consuming. When this happens teenagers often lash out their frustrations at the people they love the most.
It is important as a parent not to be caught up in your child's drama. Have the sit down and talk to them. Be firm and show you will not put up with their bad attitude. Share your experiences and give them advice. The best think a parent can do for their child during this time is to keep loving them no matter what. Continue to be part of their lives no matter how busy they are. Be firm and kind, but don't be a pushover. When it comes to punishment show how serious you can be."
The kwami closed that website and looked at the chat room postings. There were several conversations between parents on how to deal with moody teenagers. Some recommend discipline actions while others suggest finding a way to get them to open up. Bribery was a useful tool and telling them it was okay to express their emotions as long as it wasn't violent.
"A lot of conflicting advice. Maybe I should try some of these techniques out. Marinette is a unique individual though with extra responsibilities. Perhaps the psychology information can help me understand teenage behavior better."
So Wayzz kept reading and taking notes. Teenagers were a fascinating group and if any of this could help him become a better kwami for Marinette then he was all for it. As long as he didn't get caught off again, by an outburst of emotion, he could still guide her to be the best Great Guardian ever.
Marinette had no idea her boyfriend was worrying about her. Nor did she know that Wayzz was trying to familiarize himself with understanding the female teenager mind. She was spending the afternoon with her best friend as they sat around her room talking.
"I can't believe it, this newest upgrade on my phone means I can get better audio without getting super close to the battle. This phone also gives me options of how I want the footage to look later. I can't wait to use this the next time there is a battle!"
Marinette looked from a magazine she'd been reading and gave Alya a look. "I thought your parents were still keeping track of your movements so they can prevent you from running to danger."
Alya frowned and huffed. It was bad enough she had to miss the last Akuma attack by being stuck in a basement. If anyone caught on that she had managed to hack into a security camera she'd be in huge trouble. Not just with her parents, but the law.
"Yeah, they got the parenting app that allows them to track my phone. They know I can't just put it down. That's why I got the upgrades. I'm also going to start researching the best places to film without being caught in battle zone."
Marinette raised her eyebrows at this. Alya really didn't quit when she was pursuing a story. At least she was now taking some precautions. "I still don't understand why you're still obsessed over being the first to get the story."
Alya rolled her eyes and explained once again why it was important. "I want to get into a good journalism school one day and with newspapers going digital I need to be an expert with technology as well. Showing initiative and strong instincts will put me on the top of the list."
Marinette gave her another look that read, "What the real reason?"
"Fine you dragged it out of me. I want to make up for my actions and get a real interview with Peridot Turtle, to show her I'm professional and respectful. That's why I want her to show up so badly."
"Maybe she'll appear soon and you'll get that interview." Marinette smiled at her friend, but in her mind it was just one more thing she had to do. How many more things would be added to her responsibilities?
Walking home all she could think about is how much pressure she was under. She knew she could ask for help and she had. Her parents were the ones managing the insurance and helping her with the taxes on the building. They had even helped her with getting her business license.
Adrien was also being very helpful and kind. Whenever they got a few minutes alone he be there to support her and help with her homework, especially physics.
Mireille kept her updated on Celeste-Xun. She was the one who scheduled the times the trio got together for mentoring. Wayzz had eased up a tiny bit on lessons.
Still she was under a lot of pressure. Even with help with somethings, a majority of it was her responsibility alone. She was the one who had to run her own business. It was her homework she had to complete. She had to make her own observations on Celeste-Xun and teach Ladybeetle and Chat Noir about their abilities. She was the one who had to learn to be the best Great Guardian.
I can't handle this all by myself. If I could just talk to my other selves. Hear their stories and learn from their experiences, I know I could learn how to not buckle under the pressure. I've been trying so hard to emulate them, but it's not enough, she thought to herself. It was time to take a risk.
Upon reaching her bedroom, Marinette carefully moved the vanity and opened the secret compartment in the wall and took out the Miraculous Book. She could feel the magic stirring as she placed the book on her desk and opened up to the table of contents.
Wayzz came over and landed on her shoulder. "What are you doing? The Miraculous Book isn't something you just pull out anytime you want something. It's an ancient text that holds vital information."
Marinette nodded, she knew that and was being very careful. She had found what she was looking for and flipped to the chapter she wanted. "Miraculous Book, please help me find a spell about soul sharing."
Wayzz's eyes bugged out upon hearing Marinette's request. Messing with your soul was dangerous. The Miraculous Book flipped a few pages before stopping on page. It magically highlighted two spells about soul sharing.
The first one was about sharing parts of your soul with another person to help keep them alive if something happened to temporary separate someone from their soul. That wasn't what she wanted to do.
The second spell was about bringing together the different essences of a soul into one form to share experiences and learn new ways to grow. That was the perfect spell for her.
"Marinette, don't even think about using this spell! It's too dangerous and you could injure your soul. You're already a One! You don't need to use this spell."
The teen just ignored him as she read the spell over and over again. She was making notes of what she needed and how to perform it. She didn't want anything going wrong. Once she had everything down and copied the spell exactly she put the Miraculous Book back where it belonged.
Wayzz hovered nervously trying to get Marinette to think about this. He told her repeatedly that being under pressure was not a good reason to mess with magic. He told her that she needed to wait and her problems would solve themselves. "Young lady, I'm forbidding you to use that spell!"
That was the last straw. "Wayzz, you are my kwami and guide, but you are not my parents. You do not get to control everything I do or make decisions for me. I am going to do this spell and I will take responsibility for anything that happens as a result of this."
Wayzz was taken aback by her tone of voice. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Master Fu spirit had told him before that Marinette was always meant to be a Ladybug and that he had to let her make her own choices.
Marinette decided to cast the spell after dinner so she would be full of energy. After telling her parents she would be working on a project they assured her they wouldn't disturb her. Hopefully that would prevent any mishaps caused by distractions.
In her room, Marinette had sewn the sacred geometry symbol, the Flower of Life, which represent the creation of the soul, on a large piece of fabric. She laid it down on the floor.
Next she placed different color spools of thread all around the rim of the symbol. The book said lit candles would be the best to use, but it did say alternate objects could be used as long as they were the right colors and represent a big part of who the caster was. Not wanting to take a chance with causing a fire, she went with the alternative.
The next item on the list was something that would center her. It would keep her connected to the real world as she looked inside herself. A photo of her and Adrien on their first official date was what she chose.
Finally, she prepared herself, even using a felt marker to outline where her seven pointed star appeared on her abdomen sometimes. The symbol of her being a One. At last she was ready to cast the spell.
"I copied the spell exactly as it was written. I made sure to even look up pronunciation so I wouldn't mess up with the wording. I've taken every precaution to make sure this spell won't go wrong," Marinette told Wayzz as he sat on her vanity. "But just in case it does for some unknown reason, you should be able to phase the Miraculous Book out of its hiding place because it's connect to you."
Wayzz nodded. He would have tried to talk her out of this, but she wasn't going to change her mind. Marinette certainly inherited the turtle like stubbornness from him.
"Alright, I'm ready. Here it goes." Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and focused all her energy as she started to cast the spell. "From the symbol of the soul and the colors of essences, I call forth my whole soul. Let my many souls become one. Merge together through our shared bond with the mark of representation. Share with me what you know. Show me who you are. Let us become one individual, until all is said and done. Then release thy souls and return to normal."
The thread that had been used to make the Flower of Life, changed from a soft gray to pure white. As the white spread the spools started to glimmer. The glimmering colors traveled along with rim of the symbol before merging as a rainbow of light that poured into the seven pointed star.
As the rainbow poured into Marinette traveling towards her soul room, the frame holding the picture of her and Adrien vibrated a little. According to the notes Marinette had wrote this meant that the picture was doing its job of keeping her rooted to reality, without losing herself in her soul room.
Marinette found herself in her soul room sitting on the bench. Across from her she saw the stain glass that represented her as Peridot Turtle was pulsing with green light.
The other stain glass pictures started to pulse with their chosen color. Out of the windows stepped out the other Miraculous versions of her. There was Ladybug, Huli Jing and Abeille Jaune. Soon she was joined by Belle Bleue, Mariposa, and Chat Noire. While each of them looked a little confused none of them tried to get back into their windows.
As Marinette stood up she held out her hands gesturing for them to take them. The other girls nodded as they came closer and took each other's hands forming a circle. The rainbow poured into the room wrapping around each of them pulling them together. Soon they would be one person.
From out of the darkness a voice whispered, "I don't think so!" A burst of indigo colored light penetrated the rainbow, destroying it in the process. Before the seven souls could figure out what was happening the indigo light exploded like a bomb.
All seven girls were thrown back by the concussive force. The struck their windows as they shattered on the ground the pieces mixing together. The girls themselves had rips all over their costume. Their bodies had changed, they looked like fragmented mirror pieces barely holding together.
In the real world, Wayzz was watching with horror as the rainbow light vanished. The seven pointed star broke apart as each point traveled to a different spot on Marinette's body. The spools fell over and the thread returned to normal, the only thing that didn't change was the photo.
The bluenette's eyes sprang open with confusion and fear. "What am I/we doing in my/your room? Where's Tikki/Plagg? No, I mean Trixx/Pollen. That's not what I meant to say. I want Dussu/Nooroo! Wayzz help!"
The little kwami was already phasing out the Miraculous Book as he laid it out on the vanity. He was very concerned about what was going on with Marinette, who was still arguing with herself. Her body was starting to act as if it had several different minds at once.
The Miraculous Book must have sensed what was going on and opened to the exact page Wayzz needed and highlighted several paragraphs. As the Kwami of Wisdom and Spirituality read, a feeling of dread came over him. This was a very serious situation.
"Marinette…"
"Yes?" seven different inflections conveyed over one word.
"My Marinette, um Peridot Turtle, I need you to focus."
The teenager looked at the photo. With unsteady hands she held the picture close to her chest and the trembling stopped. "I'm here Wayzz, but so are all my other selves. Something went wrong with the spell. We should be one person, not fragments."
"I know. Please tell me what happened in your soul room." PT Marinette explained what happened as the others would jump in and take turns. When they spoke of the indigo light Wayzz's antenna shot straight up.
"Marinette, you soul has been splintered and I bet all my baby carrots that's what caused the splintering!" Again seven voices started speaking at once asking all sorts of questions until he whistled to get their attention.
"Splintering is a phenomenon when each part of the soul has been broken apart by an outside source or hidden secret inside you. Right now, you all exist as fragments, none of you are whole. Normally in this case you either would be in a coma or have died. Instead, your anchoring photo kept all of you together forming a hodgepodge soul to stabilize you."
Several expressions were expressed in a rapid succession on Marinette's face. "Are we going to die? What hidden part? How's this going to affect our lives? What about our families? Will others be splintered as well? What do we do if there's an akuma? Can we be fixed?"
Wayzz told them to calm down and not speak all at once. He answered each of their questions. Dying was a possibility, but not a likely one. He didn't know what was hidden inside their soul. This would make their lives families would be safe and he wasn't sure that splintering could spread. If there was an akuma the best thing was not to get involved until the situation was fixed and yes it could be fixed.
"According to the Book, you can fix this situation. First, each of you needs to pull at least half of yourself together. Focus on the things that matter only to you or the differences in your life. Picture your stain glass windows halfway restored. I know its hard with you only being fragments, but you have to try."
The seven souls turned inward finding themselves back in the soul room. Each one carefully got up and delicately found pieces of their clothing and placed them back on their costumes. The clothes started to fix themselves.
Once they had fixed their clothes, they could move around a bit better. Each one finding pieces of themselves mixed with the others. Making sure not to cut themselves the each gathered a small pile of broken glass on their window sill.
Touching their names, they imagined their stain glass pictures repairing themselves. The pieces of glass and framing came together until they were halfway repaired. Instincts, knowledge, and some of their memories came flooding back to the different souls. Their mission accomplished they returned to the waking world.
"It's done, now what?"
"The next step is fixing each of you one by one. According to the book half of the caster's soul must travel with one half of another soul to their life. Then those two must work together until that particular soul is whole again. Meanwhile the other half of the caster's soul must remain dominate with other halves of the souls and letting them over advice and experiences."
Seeing how this clearly went over their heads Wayzz simplified it by having them picture PT Marinette driving a car with the others in the back seat doing some back seat driving. She would make several stops helping a passenger out. Each time she got back in the car she would have one less passenger until all of them were at the right stop. Only then would their souls be free to return to their normal lives.
"This will be difficult and your minds will struggle, but you need to work together. The longer this takes the harder it will be to put you all back together. I suggest to avoid confusion you call each other by your superhero names."
PT Marinette nodded as the others all agreed inside her head. They then all asked who should be first. "I suggest either going by the rainbow colors or who you think you can help the most in the shortest amount of time."
"Then I'll help Huli Jing/me first. She/I have a good life and it won't take a lot to fix her/me." PT and HJ said together as one.
Wayzz nodded and hoped this would work. With Marinette splintered like this and all the pressure she was under, they needed to fix her soul as quickly as possible before something bad happened.