Second half of the akuma fight :)

The two heroes bounded back to the building that was nearest to Meddling Mother. Ladybug watched as she commanded a group of teenagers to go home as it was "past curfew". Before Cat Noir had caught up with Ladybug, Meddling Mother also commanded a homeless man to shave. The situation was getting worse. As Cat Noir alighted the roof next to her, Ladybug turned to him. Holding multiple cotton balls she handed them over, "You need to block your ears. If you can't hear her commands, you won't fall prey to them."

He hesitated, "But what if we need to talk to each other? How are we supposed to coordinate if we can't speak?

She shrugged at him, "I'm sure we'll figure it out. You're my partner…wasn't it you who said that you could read my mind?" she smiled remembering how often they'd accidentally started speaking in sync.

"Well, yeah but—" before Cat Noir could finish his protests Ladybug had jumped into the fray. He stuffed the cotton balls into his ears and joined the altercation. Praying that this wouldn't become a complete disaster.

Ladybug landed heavy on the street, bile sat at the back of her throat. How in the world was she going to fight her mother?! "Hey Meddling Mom! Maybe you should stick disciplining your own kids?" Was this irony? she wondered absentmindedly.

Meddling Mom slowly turned to face her adversary, a look of shock on her face. "You dare speak to me that way young lady? You need to be taught some manners."

Ladybug could hear that the villain was saying something, but luckily the cotton muffled the noise enough that she couldn't make out what the message was. She tried to look confident. "Sorry, I don't listen very well. Maybe you should try again?"

Meddling Mom narrowed her eyes, this hero was obviously toying with her. "Remove that tone from your voice. You will respect your elders."

The command didn't work. Ladybug simply shook her head airily, "Sorry, can't hear you!"

Rage boiled within the woman as she looked from Ladybug to Cat Noir. It was then she'd noticed the cotton balls. A pair of teens, who looked to be on a date, were walking by the scene. Obviously so caught up in the moment they didn't even realize the danger. Meddling Mom turned to them, "You two! Stop holding hands, it's audacious."

The pair's eyes started to glow green and they immediately stepped away from each other. "Yes Mother…" they said in a zombie-like fashion.

"Now, restrain Ladybug and Cat Noir!" she shouted. The teenagers rushed at the heroes. Cat Noir used his staff to vault over the young man rushing in his direction. Ladybug side-stepped the girl causing the youth to trip from the quick change of direction. As the girl tried to get back up Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around the girl, assuring that she wouldn't be able to lash out again. While her attention was focused on the girl, she was suddenly thrown off balance as the homeless man launched himself at her from behind. Ladybug turned in his grip to see his half shaven face. His eyes glowed green and he seemed in a trance. Downside to the cotton balls she thought, I couldn't hear him when he was sneaking up on me! She struggled in his grip, the man's rancid breath felt hot on her face. The man was fiercely jerked away from her. Cat Noir was suddenly there, using his staff to keep the attackers at a safe distance. He said something to her, but without looking at him, all she could make out through the cotton balls was a mumble. Actions will have to speak louder than words she thought. Turning to him she held him close and clicked the extension button on his staff vaulting the duo up and away from the zombie-like people. I need to end this quickly! Ladybug thought desperately. As she looked around the battlefield she realized that there were suddenly many more people…all heading straight for her and Cat Noir. Most of them were wearing pajamas. Mom must have called them out of their houses! Marinette thought anxiously. She hated to use her miraculous this quickly into a fight, but there didn't seem to be a better way to subdue the oncoming mob.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, her yo-yo extending above her. Out of thin air, a small hand held mirror fell into her hand. "A mirror?" she asked out loud, "What am I supposed to do with this?!" Ferociously she looked around the area for the tell-tale spots that would give her an idea of what to do with the curious object, but to no avail. Her powers didn't seem to be working! She couldn't see anything that would give her an idea on how to use the mirror to get the scarf away from her mother. Closely she looked at the mirror, her reflection stared back at her. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror she saw her mask flash a series of spots. That's it! She thought It's the only thing that will distract her enough!

Cat Noir was attempting to dodge the mass of people slowly walking toward him. Luckily for him, none of these people seemed particularly good at fighting and while they were obeying Meddling Mom's commands, they weren't doing it very well. A rush of spots ran by his field of vision toward an alleyway. Ladybug? Where is she going?! Before he could wonder too long, he had to push another person away from him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of light. Someone was running out of the alleyway, but it wasn't Ladybug—it was Marinette. Cat Noir's heart sank. What is she doing!? She's going to get killed! He charged through the crowd of people and mass of glowing eyes to see Marinette running up to her mother.

Meddling Mother amazingly let her get within a few feet, turning to look at her with a stranger's eyes. Before she could say anything, Marinette blurted out, "I'm sorry! I acted like a brat! You've always wanted what was best for me. You didn't know that the scarf was a secret and I shouldn't have shouted at you." Marinette glanced at Cat Noir in a meaningful way, then jerked her eyes back toward her mother. Meddling Mother didn't seem to be moving, but looked like she was trying to process the words being said. It was then that Cat Noir noticed that Marinette still had cotton in her ears. It's a distraction! He finally realized. Silently he bolted toward the woman's back.

"Catacylsm!" he shouted as his claws wrapped around the scarf encircling the woman's neck. The scarf dissolved into pieces and Sabine fell to her knees; the guise of Meddling Mother gone. A small black butterfly flitted out tatters of the scarf and made its way toward the sky. Marinette rushed to the nearby alleyway as Cat Noir knelt next to the confused woman.

Sabine looked up at Cat Noir, dumbfounded, "What happened?"

He smiled nervously, "You've had kind of a rough night." He looked back toward the alleyway in time to see Ladybug throw the mirror in the air and a call of "Miraculous Ladybug!" could be heard. A rush of red and black surrounded the affected people and the ruined scarf, returning them all to their previous states. All around them the former enslaved victims looked around dazed.

"Cat Noir!" she called, "Take this woman home while I catch the akuma!" Ladybug didn't wait for his response as she swung herself into the night, chasing the ominous black butterfly.

Until next time.