Chapter 1: Not the hero you were expecting

Master Fu walked through the streets of Paris, very aware of the small box containing a valuable object in his pocket, and keeping an eye out for his target. Fu had noticed that Hawkmoth's Akumas were getting stronger, he was obviously beginning to tap into power Nooroo had previously been able to keep from him, and Ladybug and Chat Noir were beginning to struggle. So, Fu had decided to choose another Miraculous wielder to help in the fight against Hawkmoth.

The girl Fu was currently on his way to test was admittedly a bit of a gamble, she was kind, extremely helpful, and a very hard worker, all good qualities for the Miraculous he was giving. The problem was that the girl also had social and confidence issues and was basically a lackey to a rather rude and selfish girl who threw her status around like it was going out of style. The girl could possibly dismiss the Miraculous because of her subservient nature, but the Miraculous could also give her the confidence needed to become her own person and a strong hero.

Fu found his chosen girl near College Francoise Dupont along with her 'friend', he then began to formulate a how to test her. Once he was near enough to her he took out a watch and dropped it on the ground, he then made a show of trying to pick it up but being able to while holding his back.

"Oh, my back." He groaned for emphasis.

Sabrina was waiting beside Chloe, the blond on the phone to someone, when she noticed an old man struggling to pick up a watch he had dropped, and holding his back in pain. Sabrina looked back at Chloe and saw that she was still absorbed in her conversation. Sure that Chloe wouldn't be needing her, Sabrina went over to the old man to help.

"Here you go." Sabrina said, handing the man his watch.

"Thank you, dear." The old man said, taking it. "You are kind."

"Sabrina!" Chloe called, having noticed her lackey's disappearance.

"Coming, Chloe!" Sabrina called back.

As Sabrina turned around and headed back to Chloe, she didn't notice the old man slip something into her bag.

The first half of the college day progressed as normal, with Sabrina taking notes for Chloe like usual. But when the bell rang Sabrina put her bag on her desk, and as she leant over to pick up Chloe's bag as well, her own fell over and some of the things inside fell out onto the desk.

Chloe ignored her 'friend's' clumsiness, but then her eyes caught something that had fallen out of Sabrina's bag.

"Where'd you get this?" Chloe asked Sabrina, picking up a small, hexagonal, ornate box.

Sabrina looked at the object Chloe was holding in confusion.

"I've never seen that before." She said. "It wasn't in my bag before."

"Then how'd it end up in your bag?" Chloe questioned her.

"Someone must have put it there."

"Who would give you this. It looks a bit too fancy to be something someone would give you."

Sabrina did her best to ignore Chloe's unintentional jab at her.

"Maybe someone thought my bag was you bag, since I carry yours around a lot." Sabrina suggested. "Not that I'm complaining." She added, worried Chloe would get angry.

Chloe hummed thoughtfully. "Likely." She said. "Yes, this was intended for me. But I wonder who it's from."

Sabrina couldn't think of anyone, the only person who might of done something like this was Kim, and he had quickly gotten over his feelings for Chloe after being Akumatised because of her.

"I bet it's from Adrien." Chloe said with an excited gasp. "Who else could afford something in a box like this?"

Chloe was about to open the box when a reminder of Sabrina's phone went off.

"Chloe, you've got your hair appointment." Sabrina reminded Chloe.

Chloe gasped, she shoved the box into her bag and hurried out the door to her hair appointment.

When Chloe returned home that evening, after college had finished for the day, she suddenly remembered the small box inside her bag.

"I wonder what's inside." Chloe wondered as she opened the box.

When Chloe opened the box, she got a brief glimpse of a bee-shaped hair comb sitting inside before being blinded by a yellow orb of light.

Chloe dropped the box and took a few steps back away from the light.

The light then faded away to reveal a small, humanoid, bee-like creature. It blinked a few times, waking up, and then looked at Chloe with a smile.

"Hello." It said with a high-pitched voice.

Chloe then began screaming.

"A bee! A big bee!" She screamed.

Chloe fell to her butt and crawled backwards away from the bee-creature.

"Please stop screaming, I'm not going to hurt you." It said.

Chloe wasn't listening and began throwing any object in reach at the creature, which was mostly make-up. But she eventually ran out of ammo and was too afraid to try and run past the creature, leaving her cornered.

"Are you finally going to listen?" The creature asked.

The creature decided to take her silence as a yes.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Philla." The creature said. "I am a Kwami. And I am going to help you, Sabrina, become-"

"I'm not Sabrina." Chloe interrupted Philla.

Being mistaken for someone else had snapped Chloe out of her fear.

"You're not?" Philla asked, confused.

"Of course not, I'm Chloe."

"But I'm sure I was told the girl I was getting was called Sabrina."

"You mean, that box really was for Sabrina?"

"You took it from her?" Philla accused.

"We thought it was for me and given to her by mistake." Chloe excused herself.

Philla sighed. "Well, I was meant to be for Sabrina. So, if I go back inside the Miraculous, can you give it to her instead."

"Fine, I'd much rather believe this whole thing was a dream anyway." Chloe agreed.

Chloe then registered what Philla had said.

"Did you say, Miraculous?" She asked, picking up the box with the comb in it, the comb now completely silver. "Like Ladybug and Chat Noir's?"

"Yes."

"And the Miraculous give powers like theirs, correct?" Chloe began to get more exited.

"Yes." Philla said causiously, regretting letting the word 'Miraculous' slip.

"Actually, I think I'll hang on to this." Chloe said, taking the comb out of the box.

"No, it is meant for Sabrina." Philla said.

"But with this I could become a hero like Ladybug and fight alongside her." Chloe said.

"It's still not meant to be yours."

Chloe began to get angry, the Miraculous should be hers, she had it right now and she knew she would be a better hero than Sabrina. So, why shouldn't it be hers?

"Okay." Chloe said. "I'll bring Sabrina over, and she'll tell you that I should have the Miraculous."

"Fine by me." Philla said, folding her tiny arms with a huff.

Chloe called Sabrina, telling her to come over. Not even ten minutes later Sabrina was there.

Sabrina then spotted Philla.

She didn't have a freak out like Chloe, but she did go wide-eyed and place herself in front of Chloe as if to protect her.

"Chloe, there's a big bug in your room." Sabrina said quietly.

"I know." Chloe said. "But she doesn't seem to do anything."

"I guess that's good." Sabrina relaxed, if Chloe said it was safe she believed it was safe.

"Now, I want you to tell Philla that I should have this." Chloe said, holding up the comb.

"Uh, Philla, Chloe should have that comb." Sabrina said, not understanding anything.

"See?" Chloe said to Philla.

"She can't exactly give consent if she doesn't know the full situation." Philla said with an unimpressed look.

"What don't I understand?" Sabrina asked.

"The comb Chloe is holding is a Miraculous, which I am able to use to grant the wearer special powers to turn into a hero. Like your heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir. I was given to you because you show potential to be a hero, but I ended up with Chloe instead." Philla said the last part unhappily.

"But you know I'd be a much better with the Miraculous don't you, Sabrina?" Chloe asked confidently.

"The Miraculous was given to you, Sabrina." Philla told her, urgingly.

"I, uh." Sabrina said unsurely.

Becoming an actual hero sounded appealing to Sabrina, but Chloe was her friend and really wanted the Miraculous, and if she didn't agree it could hurt their friendship.

"Maybe you could give Chloe a chance." Sabrina said to Philla.

Philla sighed in defeat, Master Fu had warned her about Sabrina's loyalty to Chloe.

"Yes!" Chloe said happily. "You're the greatest friend ever."

In a rare display of actual compassion, Chloe hugged Sabrina in her joy.

"Don't worry, I'll get you something else to put in your hair instead." Chloe told Sabrina. "Your hair's too short for the comb anyway."

"Thank you, Chloe." Sabrina said happily.

"I told you Sabrina would agree." Chloe said to Philla.

"Fine, just put the comb in, Kwamis can only dwell outside of their Miraculouses without them being worn by someone for so long." Philla said.

Chloe went over to her mirror and removed the tie keeping her hair in its usual ponytail, she then redid her hair but with the comb keeping her ponytail in place instead.

"So," Chloe said excitedly. "How can I get this to make me a hero?"

"Just say, Sting Sharp." Philla told her. "But before that-"

"Sting Sharp!" Chloe repeated, cutting off the Kwami.

With a suffering sigh, Philla was sucked into the comb and it regained its original colours, Chloe was then bathed in yellow light that sort of looked and felt like petals. When the light was gone, Chloe stood there in her new form.

Chloe wore a yellow suit with black stripes around the torso, a big one going over her chest, her arms were black to mid-arm with yellow fingers, her legs were black to just over the knee with some more black stripes covering the rest of her legs, with the heels and toes of her feet in yellow, and she wore a yellow and black mask that pointed over her nose and was yellow around the eyes and at the top. Around her waist she wore a hip purse with a black string strap and a circular yellow and black purse.

Chloe gasped as she looked over herself and ran to her mirror to admire herself in it, turning to look at herself at all angles.

"You look stunning." Sabrina told her.

"I do, don't I?" Chloe said happily.

Chloe then frowned when she looked at her back.

"No wings?" She commented.

"Well, Ladybug doesn't have wings." Sabrina pointed out.

"I suppose." Chloe said. "But Ladybug gets around with her yoyo, so what's my weapon?"

Chloe grabbed her hip purse and managed to open it, inside she found a yellow and black, cone-shaped object with string wrapped around it.

"What's this?" Chloe asked, looking the object over.

"Um." Sabrina took out her phone and began searching, she quickly found a result. "It's a trompo, a string-pulled spinning top." She told Chloe.

"A spinning top?" Chloe questioned it being a weapon. "Well, I guess Ladybug has a yoyo for her weapon. How do I use it?"

Sabrina opened up a video showing how to use a trompo as well as various tricks to do with it, showing it to Chloe.

"Okay, let's see." Chloe said.

Chloe held the string like shown in the video and then threw the trompo at the floor. For a few seconds it seemed like it was going to fall over, but it gained balance and began spinning across the floor.

"Yes." Chloe said at being able to do it. "But it doesn't look very damaging."

The trompo then spun towards the small bench at the foot of Chloe's bed, but instead of falling over or being knocked away, it was instead the bench that got knocked away.

"I guess it does do something after all." Chloe said. "Still not much."

"Maybe it's the intend behind the throw." Sabrina theorised.

"Yes, I knew that." Chloe lied. "That's why I didn't throw it hard, I didn't want it to trash my room. But pick it up before it does any more damage, Sabrina."

Sabrina went to pick it up, but it wouldn't stop spinning, causing her to yank her hand away.

"I can't." She said.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Do I have to do everything?"

Chloe went over to the trompo and crouched down to look at it, wondering how she would be able to pick up her weapon. Remembering a trick she saw on the video, even though it was meant for experienced spinners, she put the end of the rope at the bottom of the spinner. Her eyes widened as the trompo seemed to wrap the rope around itself and smack into her palm, having finally stopped spinning.

"Well, that certainly saves time." Chloe said, grateful she wouldn't have to waste time wrapping up her trompo every time she wanted to use it.

Chloe released the trompo again and repeated the move with the same results.

"Okay, how do I turn back?" Chloe questioned.

Chloe eventually managed to de-transform through force of will.

"Finally." Chloe said. "I was ready to yank the comb out."

"Well, if you had given me time to explain everything." Philla said. "Next time, just say 'Sting Sheathed' to de-transform, it's easier."

"Okay. But what else can I do?" Chloe asked. "Ladybug and Chat Noir get special powers. What about me?"

"Bees symbolise many things, and one of those is community, bees work together as one for the good of the hive. When you spin your trompo on your hand and call out 'Queen's Call', a swarm of bees will emerge that you can control and communicate with, they are not real bee though and they will disappear when your Miraculous runs out." Philla said.

"My power is to summon bees?" Chloe questioned, she had been hoping for a better power.

"Yes, they will follow your commands and if you want you can see and hear what they do. It's good for when you're trying to find someone."

"I suppose it's something." Chloe said. "You said it's Queen's Call, right?"

"Yes."

"Ooh, that gives me an idea for the perfect name for my hero form. Queen Bee."

"That sounds perfect Chloe." Sabrina said.

"Of course it is. I suit being a Queen. It won't be long before Paris will be praising me like Ladybug."

"I don't think she quite get what it means to be a hero." Philla said quietly to Sabrina. "Are you sure you don't want the comb?"

"I'm sure Chloe will do a better job than me." Sabrina replied. "Just give her a chance."

Philla sighed in defeat.

"Evening, M'lady." Chat greeted Ladybug on top of a building. "It's rare to see your lovely face when there isn't an Akuma attack."

"I know. But you're out from same reason I am, aren't you? Your Kwami felt something?" Ladybug said.

"Yep, but he's so lazy he didn't bother to tell me what." Chat said.

Ladybug sighed. "Tikki told me that another Miraculous has been activated." She said. "So, we should be expecting another hero to show up soon."

Ladybug knew that Chat Noir's Kwami hadn't told him about the Guardian yet, so she didn't tell him that Master Fu had hinted towards his intentions of giving out another Miraculous to her.

"That's great." Chat said. "I wonder what they'll be like."

"Hopeful better at jokes than you." Ladybug teased.

"No one is better at Jokes than me, I am the pun master." Chat said.

"And your puns are terrible."

Ladybug then turned around to leave but Chat grabbed her arm.

"Can you please stay for a while, we don't have to worry about changing back." Chat begged.

Ladybug sighed but smiled, Chat was almost as bad as Manon when it came to his kitten eyes.

"Fine." She said. "Race you to Notre Dame."

Ladybug then took off running.

Chat looked surprised before grinning and running after her.

"No fair, you got a head start!" He called.

The Akuma attack came early the next morning, thankfully not a college day, Hawkmoth had apparently found out about another Miraculous being activated as well and wasn't happy about it.

Today's Akuma was a young girl around twelve who was told she couldn't have a party for her birthday this year because she was 'too old' for them, so she had become a party themed villain that reminded Marinette of Pinkie Pie from the My Little Pony show that Manon liked to watch.

"She's certainly a party pooper." Chat punned as exploding cake was thrown their way.

Ladybug groaned in response.

"Just let me have my fun!" The Akuma, Birthday Girl, cried.

"There's a difference between fun, and hurting others!" Ladybug shouted at the Akuma.

"It's fun to me!"

Birthday Girl then summoned balloons with strings that wrapped around people, then lifted them into the sky.

Ladybug and Chat Noir then charged in for a frontal assault, but Birthday Girl summoned a huge party popper and aimed it at them. Just as she pulled the string something knocked her to the side, causing her to slam into a wall and miss her targets.

"Don't worry, guys, I'm here now." A voice said.

Ladybug and Chat Noir turned and saw Queen Bee standing there with her hands on her hips.

"I take it you're the new Miraculous holder." Ladybug said.

"Speaking." She replied. "You can call me Queen Bee."

Birthday Girl had recovered and was angry.

"You're ruining my party!" She growled.

Queen Bee's trompo span back over to her and she dangled her string to the floor, the trompo then wrapped itself back up in the string until it reached her hand.

"A pretty lame party." Queen Bee commented. "You don't even have any gifts."

Birthday girl threw her exploding cupcakes at Queen Bee, who struggled to dodge in time.

"Hey, you almost hit me!" Queen Bee yelled.

"Something tells me this girl wasn't prepared to actually fight Akumas." Ladybug said.

"Give her a break, she is a new-bee after all." Chat said.

Ladybug groaned as she realised a whole new reservoir of puns had just been opened up to Chat Noir, she would need to warn the new hero about them when she got the chance.

Ladybug leapt in front of Queen Bee, using her yoyo to block an attack from Birthday Girl that would have hit her.

"You need to be careful." Ladybug told Queen Bee. "Akumas are dangerous."

"Oh, uh, sorry. I'm new to this." Queen Bee said.

"I know. Aim for the party hat on her head, we think that's where her Akuma is." Ladybug said.

"Okay, I've got this."

Queen Bee threw her trompo at Birthday Girl but missed.

"Whoops." She said.

Ladybug sighed but didn't hold it against Queen Bee, her first outing hadn't been very good either.

Then the spinner bounced against a wall and headed back towards Queen Bee, knocking over Birthday Girl in the process.

"I meant to do that." Queen Bee insisted, picking up her trompo again.

"Sure, we bee-lieve you." Chat Noir said.

"I should warn you, Chat Noir is going to use you to pun every chance he gets." Ladybug told Queen Bee.

"Ladybug, that really stings." Chat said, holding his hand over his heart.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and went back to attacking Birthday girl.

Over the course of the fight Queen Bee seemed to quickly improve like Ladybug and Chat Noir had in their first outing, she was more accurate with her weapon and was able to dodge without stumbling.

After yet another bee pun from Chat Noir, Ladybug didn't say anything when Queen Bee's trompo 'accidently' almost hit him.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out.

A red and black-spotted box with a ribbon landed in her hands.

"A present." Ladybug observed. "Hey, Birthday Girl, I have something for you!"

Birthday Girl looked and her face lit up when she saw what Ladybug held.

"A present!" She cried happily, running over.

Ladybug handed the present to Birthday Girl, and while the Akuma was distracted she grabbed the party hat off of her head.

"Huh, it's empty." Birthday Girl said after opening the box.

Ladybug tore the party hat and the Akuma fluttered out.

"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma." Ladybug said, opening up her yoyo and swinging it around. "Time to de-evilise!"

Ladybug caught the Akuma in her yoyo and it closed, she caught her yoyo and opened it again, releasing a white butterfly.

"Bye, bye, little butterfly." Ladybug said. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She then called out as she threw the present into the air.

The present exploded into ladybugs which swept around the city, reversing all damages and returning the people who had been taken by the balloons to the ground.

"We make such a good team." Queen Bee said to Ladybug, briefly hugging her.

"Uh, thanks." Ladybug said, uncomfortable at the close contact.

"We're going to be the best of friends, I can just tell." Queen Bee said.

Ladybug's earrings then beeped, saving her from anymore of Queen Bee invading her personal space.

"Got to go." She said. "Bug out."

"Aw." Queen Bee pouted.

"What, no love for me?" Chat asked jokingly.

He hadn't used his cataclysm so he didn't need to run off anywhere.

"Dream on, alley cat." Queen Bee said with disinterest. "If Ladybug's gone, I'm not interested."

Queen Bee then ran off.

Unlike Ladybug, Queen Bee couldn't use her toy-like weapon to grapple onto buildings to get around, but she had found that she could make herself lighter, not enough to float but it enabled her to leap long distances.

With a shrug, Chat also headed home.

Master Fu watched the news with a pensive look on his face.

"But Ladybug and Chat Noir were not alone in fighting Hawkmoth's latest victim, today. There seems to be a new hero on the block who goes by the name, Queen Bee." The reporter said.

The news showed a video clip of Queen Bee fighting alongside Ladybug.

"So far, opinion on this new hero is split. Some are ready to welcome this new protector of Paris while others are worried that she may be another Akuma in disguise."

Looking at Queen Bee, Fu could tell that she was not the girl he had chosen as the Bee Miraculous holder, and he had a good guess as to who was really behind the mask.

"I warned you this would happen, master." Wayzz said.

"I know." Fu said. "But what is done is done. Thankfully, she seems to be using her powers for good, which means there is good in her, maybe Philla can even change the girl for the better."

"And if she decides to use her powers for self-gain like what happened before?"

"Then I will tell Ladybug and Chat Noir who is underneath the mask so that they can retrieve it. But I hope that doesn't have to happen."