Italy – Ancient Greek Period, early 700's B.C.

Screams of pain and terror echoed through a burning city, though they seemed distant and far off to a beaten pair of heroes. Their silhouette showed them standing, or more so leaning, on a stake that had missed the hungry flames. They were watching the fire burning through the city like it was nothing, hungry for more lives to be consumed. A soft sob hiccupped from one of the pair, despair their only friend now.

"We... lost," the woman said softly. The cloth dress that she wore was once decorated in beautiful black polka dots with a soft red hue underneath, but now they were merely rags with burns and tears throughout. Her skin was ashy and bruised, wounds dancing along her skin with evident burn scars forming. The other half of the pair wore a completely black suit, loosely fitted with what seemed a cat tail trailing behind. His uniform was worse off than his other half's, with his mask burnt at the edges.

"Ladybug," he whispered, as if anything louder would tear him apart. They looked at each other with sadness in their eyes. He shakily dropped to his knees, coughing and trembling.

"Kitty!" Ladybug called, rushing down to his aid. He coughed once more and smiled sadly at his partner. Together, they turned their vision to the ruined city. A statue in the town square that once depicted the heroes was now but crumbles in the earth. Ladybug heard a soft, raspy sigh come from her side, along with a soft thud. She looked down in panic to see her partner on his back, covering one of his more severe wounds.

"Our time is over," he whispered sadly, grabbing one of her hands and kissing it gently. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner," he murmured.

Ladybug sobbed quietly and put his hand on her cheek. "This cannot be it! There's got to be something more, Chat, please," she begged, but she knew there was no point. They had lost their final battle, and their time was over. Ladybug and Chat Noir of Greece were to be history in mere hours. Chat closed his eyes for the last time, a forlorn smile playing at his features.

"In another life," Ladybug whispered, laying down next to her partner and holding his hand. "In another life we will have a happier ending." She squeezed his limp hand before closing her eyes a final time, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek as her and her partner's transformations released simultaneously. Above them hovered two kwamis, one looking like a black cat and the other a ladybug. Their heads hung solemnly as they mourned the loss of their chosens before floating up into the sky and disappearing.

Russia – Late 1400's

A howling breeze ripped through the quiet streets of a city in Russia. Snow was piled high on every corner, being pushed about with the strong winds. The snowstorm made the mid-afternoon sun disappear, giving the eerie feel of nighttime. Two battle worn heroes stumbled from a rooftop and landed ungracefully onto the cold earth. Both females, one was dressed in a black suit with a heavy coat and pants underneath. Ears sat atop her head, with her long blond hair frozen with snow throughout it. Her face was bloodied and her uniform in shags. Next to her, a lady with black hair and bangs tied into a bun crouched in the snow. Their fingers were darkened from frost bite and their bodies beaten to the brink. A bloody trail followed them, with their worst injuries being futility covered by their hands. They eventually made it into a dark alley and sat down against the wall of a building.

The cat looking heroine looked at her partner and smiled softly. "Looks like we saved the day again, my Lady," she laughed bitterly. Her lips were bloodied and raw from the biting cold. Her partner looked at her with sad brown eyes. She seemed to contemplate something before leaning over to take off the cat's mask. She gasped at her partner's sudden action, leaning back slightly.

"You know the mask will not come off due to magic," the cat whispered, desperately trying to read her partner's expression. She sighed, giving into her lady's wishes. "Plagg, shed my fur," she murmured. Immediately a soft light erupted and the transformation was gone with a small kwami left laying on her shoulder.

"Tikki, detransform," her partner whispered. A red light lit the alleyway and the transformation was gone with a ladybug-like Kwami who dove into the crook of her chosen's neck.

"We saved the day one last time, old friend, but I wanted to die seeing your face," Ladybug choked. Grief filled her voice to the brim, almost immobilizing her from speaking. "I love you, my brave cat," she whispered solemnly, leaning in to kiss her partner's cheek. It was icy cold, devoid of any warmth that would've been held previously. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled, wrapping each other in their last embrace. Their kwamis emerged from their clothing and hovered over the pair. They looked at each other somberly, once again seeing their heroes meet a demise unfit for their deeds. Together they floated away from the dark city and from the snow storm that had been so bitterly cold in more ways than one, in search for the next duo of heroes that they were sure would get no better fate.

Golden Age of Piracy – Early 1690's

"Alas! But you will not get away from us that easily!" called a smug voice. Two figures appeared in front of the group of men, one sporting a cat like attire with black mask, ears, and tail to go with it, and the other with a bright red uniform, yoyo in hand and red mask to match.

"You go forth through these seas as if you own it," Ladybug, the hero clad in red, called. His eyes were bright sea green, dazzling with superiority. Beside him was his partner, who held a smirk on her face and long auburn hair. Her hazel eyes had a young fierceness in them, as they were no older than twenty-one.

"You boys have caused a lot of trouble. Stealing and killing," she added with a tsk-tsk, "it really is a shame I have to waste my purr-ecious time with low lives such as yourselves."

They were on a ship, only a few miles off the shore of Great Britain. To their right was another ship just as large, decorated with heavy battle cannons for war. "I'm going to have to ask for your heads, on behalf of the king," Ladybug drawled, spinning his yo-yo to commence their fight. The calm seas and bright sun made it easy pickings for the pair. Just another day on the job for them, apprehending the bad guys and stopping evil under the king's rule.

All was going well until the pirate's captain came from below deck. He was large and burley, and could probably break Chat Noir like a stick. This worried Ladybug as he witnessed Chat jump onto the pirate with finesse and anger. Since they seemed to now be a little overrun, Ladybug decided it was time to use his favorite power.

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug roared, throwing his yo-yo into the sky. What dropped down were matches. "Matches?" he questioned, looking around frantically for an answer. Behind him, Chat was thrown off of the pirate into the ground so roughly that her body cracked the boards beneath her. At least, that's what Ladybug hoped was where the cracking came from. Suddenly, ten more men climbed onto deck with swords and angry expressions in tow. The situation was becoming more hopeless by the minute, until Ladybug had a horrible thought. He spotted the barrels of gunpowder on the other side of the deck, it had been spilled all around it due to the movement of the sea. He wondered…

A shriek pierced his thoughts and mandated he look behind him. There his partner had a deep wound in her shoulder by a sword. He was losing time and this battle all too quickly.

"Chat!" he called, running to her aid. He grabbed her and used his yo-yo to pull them to the far end of the ship to give them mere seconds to relay his battle plan to her. "I'm going to blow up this ship," he whispered harshly, checking behind him to see his opponents climbing to get to them. Chat started to protest, but he shushed her anxiously.

"I am going to set the trail of gun powder on fire and jump overboard. You will need to distract the men for a few moments while I do that, and then jump off of the ship and swim to the battleship to our right." Chat nodded in understanding, but narrowed her eyes at Ladybug's grim expression. She looked like she was going to say something just as the men reached them, and Ladybug jumped away towards the gunpowder. Behind him, he heard his partner's taunting cat-calls, effectively provoking the men.

He reached the gun powder in record time, ready to bring it to flames. He knew it would blow up instantaneously, but he had no other option. This was the only way they could win, even if it ended in their demise in the process. "A demise fit for a hero," he whispered, lighting the flame. He heard Tikki's voice in his head shouting at him not to, but he tuned it out. He had no choice. With one last glance at his partner, her baton and hair swinging in a ferocity that would make any man run for the hills. She was a force to be reckoned with, and they were a duo unsurpassable in strength. He smiled sadly, looking back at the barrels. He took in one large breath, and with a small pause, he tossed it onto the barrel of gunpowder. The explosion was instant; Ladybug's body being thrown into the air like a ragdoll. Ladybug's transformation released when he hit the water, his body sinking into the depths below.

Chat Noir had enough time to scream, but nothing more. She was catapulted off of the ship and hit with flying debris until she hit the water. She coughed, her vision blurry and her arm stinging. She called Ladybug with no avail. She attempted to swim but she found her legs and one arm useless. After futile attempts, she gave up. Her last thoughts were of how she loved ladybug in a way only partners fighting evil could, and how she wasn't ready to leave this earth. Her transformation released as she lost consciousness and sunk underwater, Plagg horrified at the sight. He looked for Tikki desperately, but he couldn't find Ladybug's body. Once all the debris had stopped raining from the sky, he saw a small red blip hanging closely to the water. Rushing over, he found Tikki with her head held low.

"Plagg," she whispered at his arrival, "I thought these two would finally have a happy ending. William was such ceremoniously courageous soul, and Fiona deeply stoic. I really thought they had a chance this time," her words erupted into soft sobs, her heart heavy with the loss of another Ladybug and Chat Noir. Together, the two huddled over the littered sea, a familiar heartbreak washing over them in tides.

Present Day

"Tikki?" a familiar voice questioned, pulling the kwami out of her thoughts. Two bright blue eyes greeted her, a questioning look within them. "Are you okay? You seemed a little…" Marinette trailed off at a loss for words. She looked at her kwami with concern.

"I'm alright, Marinette," Tikki confirmed, hesitating slightly, "it's just that sometimes the past comes rushing back to me, and it can be a little overwhelming."

"What past? Of Ladybug?" Marinette questioned.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir," Tikki answered solemnly, "they often have terrible luck when it comes to happy endings. Sad endings outweigh their happy ones."

Marinette paused, thinking over this information. Her eyebrows furrowed and a smirk played at her lips, "Well this Ladybug will leave the world in pieces before it leaves her in them." Tikki laughed softly at her reply, brightening up a bit.

"I'm sure you will, Marinette. After all, each Ladybug and Chat Noir story is different from it's previous. Maybe you two will rewrite the history books." The two of them laughed lightheartedly and Tikki hugged Marinette's shoulder. She was determined that Marinette would see the ending every Ladybug previous to her deserved.