The Birth of a Melody-Part 3 A Solid Foundation

A/N: It's been almost two years, but I'm back, baby. Read for some author's notes at the end.

Third Person P.O.V.

Florence Emma Agreste was skipping school. Again.

No one was at home at the moment. Mom was handling business elsewhere, and despite her protests, Hugo decided to go to today's photoshoot.

Up, down, up, down.

Lying down on the bed, she silently threw the black cat plushie upwards, and caught it. The action repeated on an endless cycle. Up, down, up, down.

She was alone, in this empty room.

It reflected the hollowness she felt within.

Emptiness.

Knock, knock.

Someone was at the door.

Up, down, up, down.

Knock knock.

The knocking became louder.

Emma ignored it.

Up, down, up, down. "Oh, Owen managed to do three twirls," she observed.

She heard the door creak open, and footsteps.

Up, down, up, down-

A hand reached out and grabbed it.

She made no move to retaliate.

Instead, she slunk under the covers, trying to shut out the world.

"Emma," the voice said. She felt the bed shift, a weight pressing onto the mattress.

Hugo sighed, and Emma felt guilty.

Ever since her father's funeral, she had retreated to her room, staying in there for..how many days was it now? She lost track of time.

Hugo had not shed tears, but neither did Emma. Instead, they held onto their mother, who was inconsolable.

She was a woman who had lost her other half. One that she had cherished and loved since her high school days. To see that person gone forever...neither of them could imagine the pain she felt.

Their mother had started seeing a therapist, which Hugo accompanied her during their visits. Everyday, they would try to bring her along with them, but Emma would usually pretend she was asleep. Marinette would leave plates of food at the door. Emma didn't eat much.

She knew they were only trying to help.

And yet...

"Emma," her brother tried again.

She peeked out of the covers, and looked at his face.

Hugo smiled sadly, holding onto Owen. Dark circles were under his once youthful eyes, as if the weight of the world was put on his shoulders.

"Dad gave you this when you were three," he spoke softly. "I remember when he brought him and the others home. I think I named my cat Olive." He sighed again. "I gave it away during the garage sale a few years ago. Now I'm wondering if I should have kept it." Hugo gently nudged her with the cat. "Seems like you're the only one who still has it."

"No, " Emma said quietly. "Louis still has Oscar."

Hugo stared at her in surprise.

"Really? I thought he threw it out."

She shook her head. "No. He still sleeps with him, too."

Hugo chuckled. "I shouldn't be surprised. He was always a big softie, though with that tough exterior, he always gave people the wrong impression." He looked at Emma, smiling weakly. " He was not shy to show it around you,though. Especially you. He would always try to duck away from my hugs."

Emma felt the blood rush in her veins.

"Don't do that."

"Huh?"

"Don't say 'he was a softie' or 'he was not shy'. He still is."

The brunette's eyes grew sad.

"Emma…"

She felt her heartbeat, from a broken heart she once thought was no longer full. It would never be again.

But it could mend.

"No. I won't give up on him. I am going to find him."

"Emma…"

"There's hope Hugo. They never found his body."

Energy surged through her body, and determination took over her senses. The canary miraculous influenced her.

She bolted from the covers, staring desperately at her brother.

"We have to hope Hugo, we have to. Louis is still alive. We have to-" her voice broke. She clutched her brother's hand.

"Please, don't give up on him. Trust me."

Hugo struggled to find the right words to say. "Emma...Ladybug and Chat Noir have searched everywhere for him. It's still too dangerous to go through the remaining rubble, and Ladybug's yoyo isn't letting her phase through it."

She scowled.

"That doesn't mean anything. Ladybug and Chat Noir are the embodiment of hope of Paris. I'm sure they're trying to find Louis."

Hugo furiously shook his head. "No Emma, no they're not. Believe me Emma, they would want Louis to be found alive; trust me on this. But it's been a month, Emma. A month." His hands curled to fists, restraining himself.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could he give up? How could he?

"So what?" she argued. "He might not even be at the hospital. He could have run off elsewhere."

"No Emma. He went inside." He sounded hollow, but Emma hated how sure he sounded. Had everyone lost hope in Louis' survival?

It sickened her.

"Why? Why the hell did you give up?" She continued, not noticing the venom that creeped into her words. "How are you so sure that Louis is...no. I refuse. How do you know he went in? And why would he? He's knows more than that-"

"BECAUSE I WAS THERE!"

Hugo stood, his hands shaking. His eyes were red and angry, filled with immense pain. He looked straight at Emma, and his gaze became gentle.

"Because," he repeated, hoarsely. "I was there."

She froze, her anger leaving her.

"What?"

"I saw him go in. Em, please forgive me. I tried everything to stop him. But he went in. The situation became worse, and I had to save the remaining civilians who were stuck. They...came first. I swore to myself, after they were safe, that I would go straight to fining him. But the akuma still needed to be purified. We lost more time... I didn't think...I can't..."

He collapsed onto his sister's arms, and cried into her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Em.. I messed up again. I lost our brother. I lost him. I lost Louis. It's my fault he's gone."

She didn't understand at first. Confusion hit.

"Emma…" He looked at her, and it became clear.

"You're Chat Noir?"

Hugo quietly nodded.

"I'm sorry Emma, I'm sorry. I-"

He stopped when Emma wrapped her arms around him, sobbing loudly.

For the rest of the afternoon, the two siblings grieved, this time, together.

A week later, Melodie made her first appearance.

As the akuma were becoming more stronger, the powers of the miraculous were becoming weaker.

Before the attack occurred, Chicca and Emma were in the Agreste Mansion.

In secrecy, the kwami trained her, teaching her the various songs that offered different powers. Emma decided to keep her a secret for now, feeling both Marinette and Hugo would be against her being a superhero.

Because the original weapon for the Canary Miraculous was lost, which had been a viola, Chicca decided to enchant her rose gold flute.

The girl skeptically watched the creature mutter the first half of the spell.

"Are you sure this is fine?" Emma asked. "It's kind of old."

The kwami shook her head.

"No, it has to be this flute."

"We could always use the guitar."

Chicca frowned.

"Emma...don't you know who's flute this used to belong to?"

"No, not really. Mom only said it used to belong to a very good friend."

"So you don't know?"

"Yeah, I don't."

"..."

"Is there something I should know?"

The kwami opened her beak, when the floor shook.

Books fell off of the shelves, and Emma scrambled to the window.

Outside, the trees seemed to be growing taller, or were the buildings shrinking?

"What's going on?" she yelled.

"It's an akuma attack," shouted Chicca. "Hold on."

The kwami rushed the last half of the enchantment, and the flute poofed away.

"Emma, it's time. You have to transform right now."

She nodded.

She was ready for this.

"Alright. Chicca, take flight!"

Melodie's POV

The window was wide enough.

"Whatever, don't look down," I muttered to myself.

Chicca taught me how to fly. This included aerial dives, ascension, descension, and hovering.

If I could, I would have only stuck to hovering.

I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

I leapt out through the window.

And I was falling. My heart beated out of my chest.

"Remember practice. Think happy thoughts. What do I hope for?"

Finding Louis.

I shot like a bullet in the sky.

Observing my surroundings, I noticed that I was right. Houses, apartments, buildings, and monuments alike were sinking. Some only had their roofs peeking from the cement. The trees now weren't looking so good either. Inch by inch of bark disappeared into the ground.

Descending closer to the ground, some of the civilians were also on their knees. Others laid flat on the sidewalk.

One woman, who was neck deep in the soil, screamed as the person next to her fully submerged.

I had to play the first song, and fast.

Ascending higher, I rose until most of the city was in my vision.

Raising the flute near my lips, I closed my eyes, and started the melody.

It was an airy tune of comfort and hope. The flute glowed, and glowing orbs of light rained down on the people. When they come into contact, the pained expressions on their faces immediately faded.

In the distance, a sludge monster, grey drops drooling from its mouth, was devouring everything in its path. The akuma had to be stopped.

But first, I had to find the superhero duo.

Continuing to play the notes, I dashed across the city of lights.

I found them on the roof of a skyscraper, one of the few that still stood standing in Paris. Ladybug carried a child in her arms, and set her down gently. She wailed, and ran to two older men, who wept with her.

The heroine went to her partner.

"How many more people are left down there?" Ladybug asked.

Chat Noir shook his head. "A few more people, but by now...I don't think we can pull them out," he said grimly.

Ladybug was about to say something, when she paused.

"Chat, do you hear that?"

Both of them looked up, and I caught their looks of surprise. The orbs continued to rain from the sky. Some touched the people on the roof. The family I saw earlier sighed and hugged each other, as worry left them.

I lifted the flute away from my mouth, finishing the tune.

"Greetings, I am Melodie." I smiled.

The pair seemed flabbergasted by my appearance.

"What are you?" Chat Noir asked me. "You definitely don't seem to an akuma."

"Nope, I'm a hero of the miraculous, just like you guys."

Ladybug peered at me. "Which are you? I don't exactly remember a yellow kwami with feathers, unless you're wearing peacock and bee...which is not possible."

"Uh...it's complicated." I laughed awkwardly.

Ladybug frowned. "How do we know to trust you? You could be another akuma."

The building next to us shook, sending vibrations across the city ground, catching our attention.

Chat Noir sprung into action, leaping towards the apartment. "No time to talk, Ladybug. We have to save the rest of the citizens." Ladybug and I nodded, and we followed suit. He looked at me. "I guess this battle will determine whether if we trust you or not."

We entered through a broken window, landing on the seventh floor. "The building has ten floor, with the first four floors already sunk into the concrete," reported Ladybug. "Chat Noir, check the fifth and sixth floors. Melodie, check the seventh and eighth. I'll check the top two floors. We meet in ten minutes."

"Got it."

"Okay."

We split up, and I made my way to the fifth floor. I scouted the area, checking for any stray citizens. I found one office worker cowering under a desk.

"Are you going to hurt me?" he whimpered.

I shook my head. "No sir, I'm here to help you. You can trust me."

I carried him on my back with surprising strength. It was one of the perks of all miraculouses. I quickly took him to the safe spot next door, and returned, checking the floor for a second time.

I flew to the sixth floor, where I was greeted by a pile of rubble. To make matters more disturbing, I heard a maniacal laugh.

Of course I would end up with the floor where the akuma was.

I tapped my bracelet. Hopefully, the communicator would work after being unused for millenia. I breathed a sigh of relief when both heroes picked up.

"Melodie?" asked Ladybug.

"Yeah, I found the akuma. They're on the sixth floor. I am sort of stuck, there's some rubble."

"We'll be right there," Chat Noir asserted.

The two arrived at the scene.

Chat Noir frowned at the blockage. "Ladybug, do you think you can phase us through? If not, I'll just use Cataclysm."

The spotted heroine shook her head. "No, we may need it. Let's try it." She swung her yoyo rapidly, and each of us grabbed one of her shoulders. Fortunately, luck was on our side, and we were able to shift through the wreckage.

The air was thick and foggy. The three of us coughed, trying to wave away the dust.

The area seemed empty, save for the akuma sauntering in the middle of the hallway. She was a woman whose skin appeared to be made out of marble, with a long dress made of rippling cement, leaving drops of goo as she walked across the tiled floors. She flashed a wicked smile at us.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir," she spoke. "I am the Liquidator, and I have been expecting you." She blinked at me. "Ooh, we have a third guest, how interesting."

"So you know we're here to stop you," said Ladybug.

We all got into a fighting stance.

The Liquidator outstretched her hands. The pillars supporting the floor above us turned into goop. "Indeed," she replied. "And I'm here to take your miraculouses."

We fought, three against one. Normally, this would be an unfair fight, but when it comes to a destructive villain with people's lives at stake, you need all the manpower necessary to stop them. It was proved to be difficult, as Ladybug's yoyo only went through her, and no one wanted to turn her into ashes with Chat's Cataclysm. After all, she was only a victim of Hawk Moth. We deduced that the demonic butterfly was in the key that The Liquidator wore around her neck. Rubble continued to rain around us. We needed a plan, so we regrouped.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug cried, tossing her yoyo in the air. A giant wireless hair-dryer landed in her hands.

"What do we do with the, uh, Blaster x5000?" Chat Noir scrutinized the item in her hands. "Although my Lady, you do blow me away."

"Tho-uh Tom Cat, I don't think now is the time for pick up lines," I stammered. I nearly called him by his real name.

Ladybug scanned across the room, forming a plan. Her eyes landed on me.

"Melodie, is there is there something you're able to do to immobilize her?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, but it'll only last for a few minutes, and I can only perform the spell once."

"Okay. Chat Noir, distract The Liquidator. Melodie, cast your spell. And I'll take it for that."

"Roger that." We left to do our roles.

Chat Noir approached The Liquidator. "Hey Liquidator," he called out. "Are you sure that's the right name for you? From what I know, liquidation is when you sell your stocks to cover your debts."

That got her attention. She chased after him, and the leather clad hero ran off.

There was something I needed to do.

I played a different song. This song was more fast-paced and energetic. Normally, I wouldn't be exerting Chicca like this. However, both my kwami and I knew two spells would be required for the akumas here. I would definitely lose the transformation after the final spell was broken

A gold electric sword shot out of my flute, and I held it like a lightsaber. I leapt on a nearby beam next to Ladybug, waiting for Chat Noir to lead the villain here. I caught sight of them, and breathed. I couldn't mess up.

"Three...two...one."

I jumped, flute held over my head, and I raised it down, stabbing The Liquidator through the chest, shocking her. Her cement dress stopped rippling.

Ladybug sprung into action next to me, immediately blasting the hot air from the hair-dryer. It hardened the cement, trapping the villain in her own goop.

Ladybug ripped the key from her neck, and I sliced it in two with my sword. A lone butterfly fluttered out, revealing an unconscious woman in her mid 30's. She immediately captured it. "Gotcha. No more evil doing for you, little akuma." My electric sword fizzled out, and the area was unsafe.

The beam that we perched on earlier came loose.

Ladybug was right underneath it.

"Ladybug!" Chat cried. He was carrying the woman on his back, and wouldn't be able to reach her in time.

Time seemed to become slow motion, as I shoved Ladybug out of the way, just in time for her to escape.

But it wasn't enough for me.

I felt myself lose my transformation and hear Ladybug scream my real name, right as the beam crushed me.

A/N: Originally, I didn't want to post this chapter now, since I didn't want to continue the flashback for a total of four chapters. But arguably, this chapter has been in an incomplete draft mode since April, and the last time I updated was, well, January 2017.

I would like to apologize for the long wait. Things got busy, as in high school, I got involved in more extracurriculars than I could handle, and my last year was just so focused on getting into university. Now, I'm in university, and that's a new stress pile of work to dive into, lol.

I started writing Melody of Time as a 15 year old, and now, I'm nearly 19 years old. My writing style has altered since then, for better and for worse. I've been having difficulty getting back to the story, as the cannon kept on changing. This story was written before Season One was completed, and as more episodes aired, I tried to take some theories and cannon material from back then and weave them into the story. The more breaks I took, the more difficult it became. I also got caught in more ideas, which gave birth to more fics, which was unwise, in my part. Now I have a pile of unfinished stories. Add that with school work, responsibilities, and teenage angst, and you got yourself a stressed out writer.

I didn't think Melody of Time would receive so many viewers, even new readers commenting, though I suppose you may be confused since this story has become so much different from the cannon. With the love you gave it, I couldn't help but get my own surge of energy to update, and I may have cried. I am grateful for each and everyone of you, the ones who have been there since the beginning and stuck by (sorry for making you wait so long), and the new ones(hi there!). Special shoutout goes out to my friends Tree and Hipster Potato for their support and for encouraging me to update. They're the real MVPs.

I'll do my best to update more frequently, and finish Emma's story. I'll probably add a recap next chapter, in case anyone is lost. As always, enjoy this cliffhanger.

Thank you.

Love,

~V