Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or LoliRock.
Françoise Dupont was bursting with excitement for two reasons.
1. The famous band LoliRock was coming to Paris.
2. Lila is 'related' to one of the band members.
"Talia is my cousin!" Lila repeatedly exclaimed to anyone in earshot.
This lie was her best yet.
Even Marinette can't argue with her because the resemblance between Lila and Talia were too great.
On the other hand, Lila can pretend to be Talia and get free stuff. She even got a gorgeous red dress from a high end store under the Talia guise.
It was the perfect plan.
Until a pair of funky-dressed, burgundy-haired twins kidnapped her right off the streets and held her captive in a glass case in the middle of a forest.
"Hey Praxina, is this Talia or her cousin?" The guy of the twins asked, peering through the glass.
Lila's eyes widened. She was in this weird mess because of her perfect lie!
"That's her cousin, Mephisto." His twin sister answered snidely. Her evil smirk rivalled Lila's, enhanced by the black lipstick. "Once Talia hears we have her precious cousin, she and the other princesses will come rushing in and we'll finish them once and for all!"
Princesses?
"You got this all wrong! I'm not Talia's cousin!"
The twins gawked at her.
"What?"
"But you look like her!"
"You announced it to the whole city!"
"I made the whole thing up, you weirdos!"
Praxina growled but then she waved her hand, scoffing. "Whatever. The princesses will come anyway. We simply have a hostage on our hands."
"I don't care what delusional scheme you cooked up, I demand you let me go!"
"Be quiet!" Praxina snapped rudely.
"How dare you tell me to be quiet!?" Lila screamed just as rudely back. "I am the daughter of a diplomat!"
"And I should care because…?"
"I AM TEN TIMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU AND YOUR STUPID BROTHER AND TALIA AND LOLIROCK! I WILL MAKE YOUR LIVES MISERABLE! I DID IT ALREADY WITH MARINETTE! I WILL DO IT TO YOU!"
Mephisto covered his ears as Lila raged on. "Does this girl ever shut up?!"
Praxina yanked on her hair, looking just as pained as her brother. "She's worse than the princesses combined!"
"The sooner the princesses show up, the better! I can't take this anymore!"
"Ditto!"
"What's a diplomat really?"
"Some fancy human name for a doormat, I think."
"Ha! She's actually proud to be the daughter of a dirty old rug!"
Lila seethed. Her threats were useless against the strange siblings.
"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, A DIPLOMAT IS-"
"Silencio Masca!"
Praxina flicked her wrist and a purple crystal-like casing covered Lila's big mouth, finally shutting her up.
"Ah, much better." Mephisto sighed.
Lila screamed into her restraint.
Just then, something came down from the sky. A purple Pegasus swoop in, carrying three girls in glamorous, colourful hairstyles and outfits.
The girls jumped off the Pegasus's back and stood in defensive stances across the twins.
"Let the girl go." The girl clad in more pink than Marinette demanded sternly.
Praxina chuckled darkly. "Make us, powder puffs."
A fight broke out. Both sides were sprouting crystal-like powers out of their hands where they summoned a circle of their own style, shouting out spells with names that reminded Lila of Harry Potter.
Needlessly to say, she just watched in shocked silence.
Eventually, Praxina had enough so she broke Lila out of her glass cage and held her against herself with a hand dangerously glowing black against her throat.
"Surrender, princess, or your precious cousin is gonna pay." She threatened to a girl in cool blue colours.
I AM NOT HER COUSIN! Lila tried to scream but because of her gag, it only came out as mumbles.
"Cousin or not, I won't let you hurt her." The blue girl retorted firmly.
Pretty soon, the twins were blasting off in defeat by the combined power of the three princesses.
The latter approached Lila. The girl in pink smiled kindly at her as she wordlessly held her hand out and Lila's gag magically disappeared.
Lila stared wide-eyed at her, at the other magically girls, at the Pegasus which transformed into an adorable, small, purple creature, cross between a teddy bear and a cat.
"Wow, Talia, that girl looks exactly like you!" The other magical girl, in bright yellow and warm orange exclaimed.
"That's must the girl who has been pretending to be you!" The girl in pink realised. "She's even wearing your dress!"
The girl in blue pursed her lips and cast her sharp, fierce eyes directly at Lila, scaring her not breaking a sweat while Lila shook and quivered.
And ran away, screaming.
"No! Wait!"
The girls in pink, yellow and orange made chase after Lila but quickly realised that Talia stayed oddly quiet and still.
"She's been lying about you, Tal! We need to stop her! She's gonna tell everyone about us!" The girl in yellow/orange cried frantically.
"No." Talia said bluntly.
Her friends gave her blank faces.
"What did you say, Tal?"
"I said no, Iris. No one will listen her when that she's hysteric. Magical princesses? Evil twins? Amaru? Who will believe her?"
"She'll expose us!"
"She will, Auriana. But I don't think anyone will believe her."
Iris and Auriana looked at each other worriedly and glanced to Talia.
"I don't understand." Iris said.
Talia explained her reasoning to her best friends. "I'm upset about this as much as you do. That girl has not just lied about being related to me, she stole my identity. She stole my dress for the concert! But I believe in the consequences we make and the discipline we need in return. And boy, that girl deserved to be disciplined."
"Are you sure you're not just doing this for the nice baker girl?" Auriana asked.
When they were investigating the case of Talia's stolen dress, LoliRock came across Marinette of all people, who honestly confessed that Talia looks just like her 'cousin'. The princesses learnt the whole story from her and it led them to Lila Rossi and the twins.
"Marinette told us the truth. We only need to pass it on."
"EVIL TWINS! MAGICAL PRINCESSES! FLYING HORSES!"
Lila ran with a speed she never thought she had. She just kept running, running away from what she saw, running to her followers who would believe her.
They had to.
"EVIL TWINS! MAGICAL PRINCESSES! FLYING HORSES!"
Her screaming was muted during the outside concert awaiting LoliRock.
"Lila!"
Alya was there and hear her. She ran over to her.
"Hey girl, what's wrong?"
"I'm been kidnapped!"
"You've been kidnapped?! Oh my God! Are you ok? How did you get away!"
"The princesses freed me!"
"...princesses?"
"THREE MAGICAL PRINCESSES WITH A PURPLE FLYING HORSE RESCUED ME FROM A PAIR OF EVIL TWINS!"
"...you didn't just hit your head and imagined it?"
"ITS THE TRUTH!"
"Talia!"
A hand gently grabbed Lila's shoulder from behind, making her shrieked and jumped around to a handsome boy who quickly held his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry, I thought you were someone else." He apologised. With his side were two other handsome boys.
If she wasn't so freaked out, Lila would've flirted with all three of them.
"Yeah, you look a lot like his girlfriend."
"A lot like his girlfriend."
"She really looks like Talia, Kyle."
Kyle squinted his eyes and then shook his head. "This is not her. You can clearly see the differences."
Up close, Talia was much prettier. Her lips were fuller, her sharp eyes were wider with a flicker of intelligence and kindness, her straight hair was richer and shinier. She was genuinely beautiful.
Lila, on the other hand, possessed a wicked smirk with slightly crooked teeth and too-thinned lips, her straight hair falling lifeless in an ugly hairstyle, her tanned skin dull, and narrowed eyes too small for her face. Kyle knew she was a vicious girl, even when she was speechless.
In other words, she was hi-de-ous.
"But still, Kyle! Talia has a doppelgänger!"
"Kyle, Nathaniel, Matt!"
A middle aged red headed woman ran up to the three boys.
"Have you boys seen the girls? They're late." The woman asked worriedly. She then saw Lila and smiled. "Oh, Talia! Where have you been? How you discovered the identity thief yet?"
"Uh…"
"Oh good! You finally got your dress. Now get onstage!"
The woman grabbed Lila's wrist and pulled her with her away.
"Aunt Ellen, that's not Talia!" Nathaniel cried after the woman.
Yeah, Lila is her cousin!" Alya shouted.
The boys turned to her, confused.
"Excuse me? What did you say?" Kyle asked.
"Talia has a cousin?" Nathaniel questioned.
"I highly doubt that." Matt commented.
"Why you!" Alya jumped on the boys like a rapid dog.
"Calm down, lady! It's just an opinion!"
Meanwhile, at the backstage, Aunt Ellen was pushing Lila towards the stage, happily oblivious to Lila's fear and confusion.
"I can't find Iris or Auriana so you have to do your solo until they arrive."
"No, no, I can't!"
"Talia, you rehearsed your solo for weeks. I know you can do it. Now get out there and show everyone with your song!"
With a big smile and shut eyes, Aunt Ellen shoved Lila onto the stage.
In front of hundreds of people.
Lila stood frozen as the crowd cried demands.
"SING! SING! SING! SING!"
The petrified girl, for the first time ever, kept her mouth shut. Not making the crowd happy at all. They jeered and booed and cried for LoliRock.
"Why is Lila on stage instead of her cousin?" Kim asked.
"Because some lady confused her for Talia." Alya answered.
"That 'lady' is my girlfriend's adoptive mother." Nathaniel said defensively.
"Easy, Nathaniel." Matt said, trying to calm his friend.
"Yeah?" Nathaniel, Alya's red headed befriend asked.
"She's Talia's cousin! Why is everyone thinking Lila is Talia?" Alya said.
"Because Lila looks like Talia. I mean, look at ten family resemblance!" Nino stated.
"I would know if my girlfriend's cousin is coming. Talia would've told me." Kyle said.
The crowd was getting more restless. Their voices so loud yet Lila fell deaf to it all.
Then a harmonious voice sang out of nowhere, calming the chaos.
Don't you see?
Do your ears deceive?
I would never sing off key
That's not the real me...
Lila didn't have the time to lip sync when a spotlight turned on, shining on a girl in a sparkling blue dress.
It was Talia.
The jeers swept away by cheers.
Talia turned her head to Lila's direction, a slight smirk playing on her stoic face.
"You're wearing my dress." She simply said.
"THAT'S HER! SHE'S THE PRINCESS!" Lila screamed, pointing at Talia.
"I beg your pardon?"
"What is she talking about?"
"Lila, what are talking about?"
"SHE'S ONE OF THE PRINCESSES WHO RESCUED ME FROM THE EVIL TWINS, PRAXINA AND MEPHISTO!"
Laughter erupted from the crowd.
Talia even chuckled before she cleared her throat and spoke out.
"Just to declare before I begin tonight, I have to set the record straight. I have no relation to the girl on stage with me. This girl is Lila Rossi. She has been lying about being my cousin and at the same time has been impersonating me. With these lies, she got free gifts and my dress. She committed identity fraud. We just simply look alike. And she used that fact to her disgusting advantage." She turned her head to Lila. "Did you honestly believe you can pull this off without facing the repercussions?"
Lila turned red and shouted to the crowd. "You sold me out, Mairnette!"
(On a rooftop, ladybug blinked.)
"We asked Marinette on the rumours of someone impersonating me and she told us of you claiming to be my cousin." Talia answered firmly. "She also told us you are a bully and a liar."
"That's not true!"
"The proof is standing right in front of me. We asked everyone else and they all said the same thing. Only that Marinette was bullying you. Seeing you lied about me, you obviously lied about her."
"That's not true!"
"It is. And because of your little scheme, I have been getting calls about unusual charges I haven't paid for in stores I never been to all day. And earlier, I went to Madame Belle's Boutique to pick up my costume. Only to be told I already collected it three hours before I arrived in Paris. I have to order another dress. I'm sending the bills to you. And I personally contacted your mother at the embassy about your misdeeds. She's waiting for you to deliver your punishment."
"Also, they said you have a lying disorder." Auriana called out from the sidelines. "How can they still believe you after that? I mean, who forgets that?"
"Thank you, Auriana. Now get off the stage. I have a show to do."
Lila huffed and turned to leave, only to stop.
"One more thing."
She turned back, glaring at Talia's mischievous smirk.
"If you were going to impersonate me, wear blue. I hate orange."
Lila puffed her cheeks and stormed off. As soon as she stepped off stage, she was met with angry faces.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, young lady!" Aunt Ellen scolded.
"She's more horrible than Missy!" Iris huffed.
Lila's didn't the glares she was receiving. She only cared about the strange, fuzzy purple creature in Auriana's arms.
"See! That's the flying horse! He changed into a-a whatever he is!"
"He's, uh, a rare Siberian puppy!" Auriana quickly lied to save Amaru, the very pet she was hugging to death. "Someone dyed him purple before we took him in. Oh, by the way, the police are here to arrest you for identity fraud."
"WHAT!?"
Sure enough, the police showed up to slam some shiny handcuffs on Lila's wrists.
"Lila Rossi, you're under arrest for identity fraud."
"But she's a princess!"
"Yeah, a princess of pop! My daughter loves her music!"
"NO! SHE'S A MAGICAL PRINCESS ALONG WITH THOSE TWO AND THEY FOUGHT EVIL TWINS ON A FLYING PURPLE HORSE!"
"Technically, a flying horse is called a pegasus."
"See! You believe me!"
"No, I'm correcting you. Now get in the car."
The concert was a success, despite the little 'setback' at the beginning. After the show, LoliRock signed autographs before they left for their hotel. Talia was just finishing off writing her signature for a fan when Alya approached her.
"How could you do that to your own cousin?" The glasses-wearing girl demanded.
Talia blinked and then scowled. "Did you not hear what I said two hours ago? I do not have a cousin. Especially a cousin who impersonates me!"
"You don't have any proof she isn't your cousin!"
"Neither do you."
"Do you know how weird it is not to have a social life online?"
"Magical princesses from another world does not have a personal life broadcasted on the internet." Talia said it so blankly it came off as sarcasm.
Alya frowned and leaned back, taking another look at Talia. "Forget cousins, you two could be twins."
"I certainly do not have a twin sister. Just as you are certainly a terrible reporter."
"WHAT!? HOW DARE YOU?!"
"I dare to. If you have done your job and investigate, you would know that I keep my personal life personal. You know nothing about me, even on a blog level."
"I am a top-notch reporter!"
"Oh really? Then am I from?"
"Duh! You're from Italy! Just like Lila."
"No, I am not. I never stated where am I from. You only said I am Italian because you arrogantly believed someone who is Italian claimed to be a relative of mine."
"She's Ladybug's best friend!"
"So really? Did miss Ladybug confirm this claim?"
Alya went silent right away.
"I rest my case. Not once did you contact me or her to ask if the rumour is true. You just went along with it. You publish false information. I'm not like most musicians. Yes, I'm busy but I also have time to address news about me. I am not discussing more to a reporter who posts false news. Goodbye."
With that, Talia turned and walked away, only to be stopped by someone she knew and trusted. A blond boy wearing a hat and a rolling camera in his hand.
"So just to be clear, you don't have a cousin?"
"No, Doug. Both my parents were only children and I have an older sister."
"Talia, this is groundbreaking! You never discuss your family!"
"I do when you ask the right questions."
"I have one more question. Where are you from?"
"Xeris."
"Ha! That's a joke, right?"
"Whatever you believe."
Then Talia finally walked away, hand in hand with her boyfriend Kyle and away with her friends into the night.
"T-t-t-this can't be true! She has to be lying!" Alya stuttered.
"Talia or the crazy chick?" Doug asked.
"Talia! She has to be lying! She has to be!"
"You're only saying that because you believed Lila and posted her on your blog. I've read your blog. Impressive reports but no sources."
"So?"
"If you don't have sources, your work is unreliable. That's the first rule of running a blog: always make sure your work is true and reliable."
"My blog is reliable!"
"Don't get mad at me because you're embarrassed by the truth. Even I don't know Talia's family and I'm their number one fan! I always make sure I have research to back up everything I posted."
"But Talia could've lied and Lila is her cousin!"
"If Talia said she doesn't have a cousin, she doesn't have a cousin. Unlike you, I respect her privacy. I care more about their music than their personal lives. I'm a serious journalist, not a tabloid reporter. Identity theft on LoliRock is a huge story! Gotta go! Bye!"
Doug jogged off, leaving Alya standing on her own, thinking over what happened and what was said.
Lila's mother picked her up at the police station and locked her in her bedroom. All of her electronics were taken away. No phone, no laptop, no TV.
She couldn't do anything but seethed, boiling over in anger.
"Well, that was a good show."
"Best. Concert. Ever."
She shrieked, falling off her bed. In her upside-down vision, she saw the smirking twins she was ranting about all day. She scrambled up to her feet and pointed at the twins.
"YOU! You did this to me! You ruined me!"
"Um, you did that yourself." Mesphito countered back, still smirking.
"Yeah, you're the one who lied in the first place." Praxina pointed out smugly. "Not our fault you didn't do your homework."
"At least we did our research before we launch an attack."
Growling in rage, Lila launched to attack them but Praxina held out her glowing hand, stopping Lila in her tracks.
"Stay back or you're toast."
"You know, if you weren't so dreadful, we would've ask you to join us."
Praxina scoffed. "Join us? Forget it. This girl wouldn't be any help to us. She couldn't even help herself to toast!"
"How dare you! Insulting me in my own home! In my bedroom! I'm telling everyone about you two!"
"Who's gonna believe you, Talia?"
The twins then disappeared in a black mist, Praxina's evil laughter echoing in the room, further angering Lila.