What if Volpina was more careful with her illusion of a collapsing building and avoided the pigeon?
Fox Among the Pigeons
Chapter 1: Deceived
"Where did he go?" Ladybug asked herself. She had been chasing Hawk Moth, but he flitted from building to building.
She took a step forward and a square lit up around her foot. She slid her foot around and the square followed. There was a beep. Suddenly missiles were pointing at her from every direction.
"I wouldn't move an inch if I were you," said Volpina, looking down at her from a higher part of the roof.
Ladybug gasped in surprise at the betrayal by a supposed fellow hero.
"Don't worry Ladybug, I don't wanna be your friend. At least now you won't be able to say we don't know each other," said Volpina, laughing.
"Lila?"
"You will call me Volpina!"
"You're not a superhero. You're another one of Hawk Moth's akumatized victims!"
"Everyone thinks I'm a superhero, including Cat Noir. So you won't be able to call me a liar anymore 'cause everyone will think you're the liar."
Hawk Moth spoke in Volpina's mind. "Take Ladybug's Miraculous. Her earrings, now!"
"Before I get rid of you, you are going to give me your Miraculous."
"Never!"
Ladybug's bravery in the face of the missiles called Volpina's bluff, though Ladybug didn't know it. She had to make her threat credible some other way.
"You don't have much of a choice. Either you give me your Miraculous, or the building goes down!" said Volpina, pointing at a building nearby.
"You wouldn't," said Ladybug.
Volpina blew on her flute. She was about to cast an illusion over the building, when she noticed that there were too many pigeons near it that might disrupt the illusion. She cast it on a building across the street instead, creating the illusion it was crumbling and falling.
Ladybug said, "Stop!"
Hanging her head in defeat, Ladybug removed her earrings. Innocent lives were at stake.
Volpina came to her and took the earrings. She looked closely at Marinette.
"I think I've seen you somewhere around school today, from a distance," said Volpina.
Marinette said nothing.
The missiles disappeared. The building across the street looked perfectly undamaged again.
"It's an illusion!" said Marinette. "Just like the meteorite! Just like Hawk Moth! That's your power, Volpina, isn't it? Illusion, lies. Of course!"
"I'm strong enough to push you off the building," said Volpina. "That real enough for you?"
Marinette argued desperately. "Your building stunt has attracted witnesses – see them down there? Committing a murder in front of them won't help your superhero image."
"I can make it look like suicide," said Volpina.
"The great superhero who stopped a meteorite failed to stop a suicide right in front of her? That won't make a good impression on the city... or Adrien."
"Leave her alone for the time being," said Hawk Moth to Volpina. "She's powerless; we can eliminate her later. I want you to bring me her Miraculous right now."
"First, I want to go impress the boy I like and take him on a date," said Volpina aloud.
"No, I can't risk you getting interrupted by Chat Noir and losing the earrings. Bring them to me now."
"If you insist," said Volpina.
She leaped into the air and bounded away.
Marinette fell to her knees. She had lost, but she couldn't dwell on her defeat – there was something she had to do. She had to warn Adrien.
Marinette got out her phone and wracked her brain for the number she had once used to leave a message on his phone, an embarrassing message that she had to steal his phone to erase. It wasn't that long ago... wait, her phone had a log of calls she made. There it was!
She got a voicemail and spoke quickly. "Adrien, this is Marinette. I have to warn you... watch out for Lila. She's been akumatized into a villain called Volpina with the power of illusions. She's coming over to your house soon to try to take you on a date. She's dangerous – please hide or get out of the house before she gets there. She's stolen Ladybug's earrings. If someone comes to you looking like Ladybug, it's not her. If you want to hide at my house that would be fine. You know, the bakery at 12 Rue Gotlib. My parents have done that for my friends before. I can't get there for a while. I'm stuck on a roof downtown. Long story. Please hide and be safe. Bye."