Chapter 2! This one's a big part of the arc (and I decided to split this up into a three-parter bc the reactions I have planned for certain characters warrant their own chapter apart from this lol), and after learning of the new information from season four of the show proper, I'm putting a slight spin on this one specific character. You'll see.
Reviews!
Soundwave: Fun theory, but it's not what happens. Maybe later down the line, but I'm not sure yet.
Guest: I like fighter planes, and there is a decent chunk of references in that segment.
bigvic150: I'm glad you're enthusiastic! As for Dragonus... he's a teenager. A teenager who's been around the block, but still a teenager. He's much more of a Marinette-level smart than Doom or Ock or any genius villains. Smart and cunning, yes. But his ego also gets the better of him, and he doesn't think Gabriel has the balls to pull that kind of stuff. Gabriel is not going to get brutally murdered, bc what I have requires him to feel pain, and we all know dead people can't feel pain. Also, it would just be a bad idea for Dragonus. Gabriel is a pawn in the plan, yes, but he's not expendable. Neither is Nathalie. You'll just have to see. Can't wait to hear what you think of this one.
Chapter Two
Dark Rise, Part Two
"You have to accept that some people just aren't able to change!" Chloe said, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's becoming too late, Amber. I don't know if I can change anymore." Amber looked at her cousin imploringly. "You just need to try," she replied. "If you give just a little more effort-"
"Then the universe will shove me back to my terrible self!" Chloe snapped. "It's like there's something that won't let me improve!" Amber sighed. "Then we'll do it together. You and me," she replied, then pulled out the necklace she had kept since Chloe last visited. "Cousins for life?"
Chloe stood silently for a moment before turning on her heel. "Excuse me, Amber. I need a minute." Amber's face fell as she watched Chloe walk off and turn the corner, not looking back.
That scene replayed in Amber's head as she clutched her golden pendant. It was a sort of friendship necklace, and Chloe had the other half. The little ball on hers fit perfectly into the center of Amber's necklace, making the complete circle. They had always fitted the two pieces together after resolving an argument. But now…
"She said the universe shoved her back in, but I know what it really is," Amber muttered to herself. "Aunt Audrey left her, so she filled that void with darkness. And even though she's back, that darkness still refuses to go away. If only I could make it go away, or help her find it…"
Amber didn't notice the akuma and amok fly into the locker room and infuse themselves into the necklace until it was too late. The fused butterfly and peacock outline formed over her face, and Hawk Moth almost whispered in her ear. "Darkseeker, I am Hawk Moth. You want to help your cousin confront her inner darkness? Remove it from her being? I can grant you the power to do so."
"Darkseeker, I am Mayura. In your endeavors, you will be assisted by Nyx, who will immobilize your targets to remove their darkness," Mayura added. "In return, you will help me find the Dark Box, where Dragonus keeps all the Dark Miraculous," Hawk Moth said.
"If it helps Chloe, I'll do it," Amber decided as the purple smoke formed over her. When it receded, she was wearing a skintight suit colored in various shades of black, the only spots of color being her blinding white hands, a green spot right above her heart, and a purple spot on her forehead, just above her eyes. Her hair and skin had turned pure black as well, her eyes and mouth glowing white. Darkseeker slipped the now pure black necklace around her neck, the pendant covering the green portion on her chest.
A similarly black sentimonster appeared, looking like a giant owl with a raven's beak. A large white spot adorned its torso. Its midnight-colored talons gleamed. Darkseeker smirked a little. "Find Chloe, Nyx. Bring her to me, and if you do catch anyone else, don't hesitate to bring them, too," the villainess said sinisterly. Nyx let out an unearthly shriek and burst through the locker room doors.
Marinette yanked her hand out of Lila's grip. The two were outside an empty classroom on the furthest side from the cafeteria. Lila opened the door and motioned for Marinette to follow her. The darker-haired girl did so reluctantly.
"What do you want this time?" Marinette asked sharply. Lila fidgeted with her bracelet a little. "It's… well, it's a bit strange," she replied. Marinette blinked in surprise. She'd never seen Lila act like she didn't know what to say. Marinette watched as Lila stopped fidgeting with her bracelet.
"So I heard from Alya that you made some dolls," she began. Marinette raised an eyebrow, filing that information away. "Uh-huh," she replied. Lila stood silently for a moment before pulling a small square of paper out of her pocket and placed it in Marinette's hands. "It's kind of embarrassing, really," she admitted.
Marinette unfolded the square, and her eyes bugged out. "You want me to make what?!" she asked incredulously. Lila shrugged. "If it's too difficult, I could try doing it myself. I happen to have a knack at sewing," she replied. Marinette was almost tempted to say Lila was lying, but she had the slightest sense that she had been wrong once, though the details were… fuzzy.
"Suppose I did make this," Marinette began, putting the request in her purse. "Would I give it to you here, or would I mail it to you so no one asks any questions?" she asked, tapping her foot. Lila crossed her arms. "Mail is fine," she replied. "Frankly, I wouldn't want to be caught dead in public with it, but as a little plushie to snu- I mean, help keep my cousins entertained when they visit, sure."
Marinette was now sure of two things. One, Lila's ability to lie broke down when she was nervous, and two, Lila had a… well, Marinette-level crush on-
Her thoughts were interrupted by an unearthly shriek, the sound making both girls jump. Marinette locked eyes with Lila. "If I make this for you, will you get off my back?" she asked, almost daring to hope. Lila nodded, crossing her heart. Marinette barely believed it, but she accepted, looking for a reason to get out of there. The two raced out of the classroom, and caught sight of a black owl with a white spot on its torso, a couple students caught in its talons.
Marinette immediately ran off to another empty classroom. "Looks like Hawk Moth decided to strike again," she told Tikki. The cherry red kwami nodded. "Be careful, Marinette. I think there might be a bigger plan going on," Tikki warned. Marinette nodded. "I will. Tikki, Spots On!" A moment later, Ladybug leapt out the classroom window and over the roof of the school, twirling her yoyo.
She quickly lashed out, striking the owl on its wing. The owl shrieked again, the sound making Ladybug freeze for a split second in fear. She quickly shook it off, then dodged the huge thing's beak as it jabbed at her. "C'mon, kitty," she muttered as she dodged another jab.
"I thought I sensed a betrayal going on," Dennos told Lila after she had hidden herself back in the classroom. Lila smirked. "Well, that means another plaything for today, doesn't it?" she asked her Dark kwami rhetorically. "Dennos, Deadlights On!" A flash of poisonous green light later, Maladea burst out of the classroom. She quickly drew her daggers from her hips and changed the blades to their whip form, then lashed at the owl's wings.
The owl shrieked in pain, and Maladea waited for the inevitable retaliation. It didn't come, as the owl jabbed at something on the roof. Although she was curious about the owl's distraction, she shook that thought from her head and placed a hand to her helmet's comm. "Code indigo, boys," she purred. "I haven't found the akumatized yet, but the sentimonster's here and ready to be… toyed with. Come when you can."
"Roger," came Dragonus's voice over the comms. "I'm on my way back right now." Maladea didn't respond to her boyfriend as she watched the sentimonster blow its distraction away with its wings and fly down to the lockers. Maladea smirked. "I might have found the akumatized. Converge on my position." Maladea leapt over the railing and spread her own wings, silently trailing the sentimonster.
Adrien had hidden himself when the owl found Chloe right as he and Sabrina did. Sabrina, being as loyal as she was, tried to stop it, but the owl simply grabbed her in its talons and flew off. Not even transformed yet, he followed the owl - he had to assume at this point that it was a sentimonster - down to the locker room after it fought Ladybug, where it unceremoniously dropped Chloe and Sabrina at the feet of a black-clad villainess. He nearly groaned; of course it had been Amber. That argument must have been serious.
Adrien watched as the akumatized Amber tutted at Chloe. "You said you couldn't change? I'll be the judge of that. Nyx, immobilize them," the villainess ordered
A beam of light shone from the sentimonster's white spot, freezing Chloe and Sabrina in their kneeling position. "Amber, please, I'm sorry!" Chloe whimpered. The villainess snarled. "I am Darkseeker, and I don't think you are just yet. So I'm going to have to tear it away from you."
Darkseeker placed her white hands on Chloe's forehead and over her heart. Her eyes glowed, and a second later, Chloe's eyes and mouth turned pure black as the darkness rose. Darkseeker's hands glowed more, then she pulled her hands back, pulling Chloe's darkness from the blonde. The inky black substance manifested into a human form, which began to turn colorful: the body grew a mainly black bodysuit with some yellow portions, the hair turned black with yellow streaks, twin ribbons pointed up from twin ponytails. A simple black domino mask obscured a golden face with pink eyes. A black top formed at the waist. It looked vaguely like Chloe as Queen Wasp, but even more evil, if that was possible.
"Say hello to your darkest self: Queen Toxic," Darkseeker said. "And as for you, little Sabrina… so loyal, yet so misguided." Darkseeker repeated her power on Sabrina, the darkness taking the form of a semi-transparent Miraculer. Darkseeker smirked cruelly. "I'll let my friends show you your errors. Nyx, find more students. Preferably those akumatized," she ordered, then licked her lips. "Their inner evil tastes so much more succulent."
Adrien quickly hid before Darkseeker or Nyx noticed him as they left the locker room. He slipped into the boys' room, and after some grumbling from Plagg, transformed. Cat Noir burst out of the bathroom and twirled his staff before Queen Toxic and Miraculer could do anything to Chloe and Sabrina.
"How about you leave them alone?" Cat Noir asked rhetorically. Queen Toxic laughed. "Like we would do that," she said, her voice like Chloe's, but so much more childlike. "We're just having a conversation with ourselves." Miraculer cackled. "Yeah, kitty. How about we attack you, instead!"
Before Miraculer could attack, Queen Toxic pulled her back and punched - to Cat Noir's stunned surprise - Miraculer in the face. "Never do anything without my command, peasant!" the bee villainess screeched. Miraculer cowered, rubbed her now-bruised eye. "Of- of course, my queen," she replied meekly. Queen Toxic clearly wasn't satisfied, but smiled evilly. "Now, you may attack him." Miraculer let out a screech and launched herself at Cat Noir. He leapt to the side to avoid her attack, which demolished a locker.
Before Miraculer could attack again, twin green dagger blades crossed just in front of her throat, and Cat Noir saw Maladea restrain the darkness entity. "So much loyalty, but none of it returned," the chimerical villainess purred. "I think it would be more fun to watch you two bicker, wouldn't it? Backstab!" Her power hit Miraculer, then Queen Toxic, forcing the two to fight each other. In the ensuing chaos, Chloe and Sabrina managed to escape.
"Watch your tail, Cat," Maladea warned. "Did you see the sentimonster's owner?" Cat Noir tried to prevent himself from nodding, but he still did, annoyingly. "She left. Maybe in the courtyard," he replied. Cat Noir could sense Maladea's smirk through her mask as she turned and left.
Cat Noir quickly followed her, but soon found himself set upon by what had to be the inner darkness of Ivan and Mylene, as a new fusion of Stoneheart and Horrificator attacked him. "Oh, come on!" he complained as he dodged a punch and tried hitting back. The entity simply enlarged after the hit and spat goo from its mouth, sticking Cat Noir's foot to the ground. Right as the monster was about to crush him, a red and black yoyo caught its hand and pulled back, knocking the beast over.
"Good to see you, m'lady," Cat Noir said when Ladybug leapt down to him. Ladybug giggled a little. "Got a little gum on your shoe, huh?" she asked playfully as she helped him out of it. Cat Noir smirked. "Maybe. The new villain's called Darkseeker, and she's created all these monsters. And I think it's Amber." Ladybug sighed. "Well, at least now we know who it is," she replied.
A howl cut through the air. Ladybug and Cat Noir whirled around to see Alphaux leading his pack and the other Darks into battle against some of the other darkness entities. "Well, looks like they decided to join the party," Cat Noir commented. Ladybug nodded. "Let's try and find Darkseeker before they do. You know how they've been acting lately." The two heroes charged into the fray.
Unknown to the heroes or the Darks, Darkseeker had slipped out of the school building after tearing out the darkness of most of the people there. She'd left Nyx to help fight the heroes, but as soon as she completed her mission, Darkseeker would return to the fight.
The purple mask formed over Darkseeker's face. "Use your dark sight to find the Dark Miraculous Box," Hawk Moth advised. "Then return to the battlefield and take Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous." Darkseeker rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Fine. I think Chloe's gotten the message by now."
Darkseeker closed her eyes, then opened them again, now being solid purple. She looked around with her new sight, now only being able to see the darkness of beings. A large cluster of darkness popped out at her from a distance. Darkseeker switched back to her regular vision. She leapt onto the rooftops, then raced to the area she detected the darkness. A warehouse.
A blue shape landed next to her. Mayura smirked at Darkseeker. "Good work. Where do you think it is?" she asked. Darkseeker pointed. "Somewhere near the other end. It's probably protected by some kind of vault," she replied. Mayura closed her fan. "I can deal with that. Head back to the school and get those Miraculouses," she ordered. Darkseeker nodded and leapt off.
Mayura opened her fan. "I'm going in," she said into her fan. "Be careful," Hawk Moth advised. "Who knows what security measures Dragonus may have implemented." Mayura nodded and closed her fan again. Steeling herself, she leapt onto the roof of the warehouse, then, with a little struggle, opened the skylight she landed by. A moment later, Mayura leapt into the warehouse.
"Doesn't look like much," she mused to herself as she quickly made her way through the warehouse. She finally came to a large door with a handprint scanner next to it. Mayura frowned, then smashed the scanner with her fist. The door swung open, much to her surprise. "Either that was pure luck, or that was the backup code to get into the vault," she said aloud. "Considering who this safe belongs to, I'm going with the second option."
After getting through the second door, which had been opened after she had punched the first door's scanner, Mayura spotted the Dark Box on a simple pedestal. No lasers, no guards, nothing. She quickly crossed the room to the pedestal, laid the Dark Box flat, and opened the twin doors. Fifteen jewels glittered in the light, and Mayura could sense the sheer power of the Dark Miraculouses.
She was about to grab the Dark Box when an alarm sounded. "Unidentified life signal detected. Extermination mode activated," a pleasant-sounding female voice said as twin flamethrowers extended from the walls. Mayura, realizing how much trouble she was in, plucked two Dark Miraculous from the box. A purple pocket watch chain with a pendant on the end and a red-and-gray chain belt with a stinger-shaped buckle.
Mayura leapt out of the way of the flamethrowers and ran out of the vault. Two drones equipped with chainsaw blades dove down at her, but she quickly dodged and leapt up to the roof. She quickly slammed the skylight shut before any more security measures could get her.
Mayura felt a cramp in her side, but the pain was overwhelmed by shock. "Flamethrowers… drones with saws… It must have been Skinker who outfitted the security," she decided. In her opinion, the Salamander villain was crazier and more destructive than Dragonus. Quickly shaking the feelings aside, she leapt across the rooftops, returning to the mansion, with the two Dark Miraculous tucked in a pocket of her dress.
"This is just getting too crazy!" Cat Noir commented as he struck back against a darkness being that looked like Princess Fragrance. Ladybug lashed her yoyo at a Reflekta dark being. "You said it, kitty. We need to find Darkseeker and release her akuma," she replied. As soon as she said that, the owl sentimonster dive bombed the two, forcing them to scatter. Ladybug grunted as she dodged Nyx's claws and beak. "Could you maybe scare this bird off?" she asked Cat Noir.
"I've heard of owls attacking cats before, and I don't exactly plan on becoming the next entry to that!" Cat Noir yelled back. "Besides, I've got a few rabid villains on my heels!" he added, vaulting over copies of Evillustrator and Reverser and smacking them with his staff. Ladybug was about to work out a plan to get rid of the owl when a large golden dragon came leaping down and pinned the sentimonster under its claws.
"Find the akumatized!" Dragonus yelled. Ladybug wasn't sure if he was referring to her or the other Darks, but considering how they started fighting harder in an attempt to get out of the fray, he was probably talking to the other Darks.
"They're still victims, Dragonus!" Ladybug yelled at the beast. Dragonus turned his beast mode head towards Ladybug, a dark and toothy grin on his face. "I know. We just like showing them who's boss," he replied, then yelped when Nyx jabbed its beak right into his dragon-mode arm. Dragonus dissolved his dragon form into its nanobots and deposited them into his pocket world, then growled at the sentimonster.
"I believe you were looking for me?" a voice asked. The heroes and Darks whirled around to see Darkseeker standing at the entrance to the school. She snapped her fingers. "Nyx, here," she ordered. "Dark Souls, engage the Dark Miraculous wielders. Queen Toxic, Blitz Vixen, Chelonious, with me." At her command, her sentimonster and three of her entities circled around her.
Ladybug hadn't noticed the other two. She'd seen Queen Toxic fighting with the other entities, but not them. Blitz Vixen was likely pulled from Alya's darkness, judging from the Rena Rouge suit, but with three tails and the black and white parts inverted. Chelonious was a much more muted green than Carapace was, with primary color accents on his suit. Ladybug groaned; if Chelonious had indeed been based on Nino, it took too much of Bubbler for her liking.
Chelonious threw his shield at the pair, making them dodge the attack and Ladybug strike with her own yoyo. Blitz Vixen smacked the attack away with her black-and-orange flute, then Queen Toxic lashed out with her top. The weapon would have snagged Ladybug if not for Cat Noir hitting it back at Queen Toxic with his staff. Chelonious's shield had boomeranged back to him. Darkseeker scowled. "Let's move! We're too cramped here!" she ordered. Her three minions nodded, and then the group turned and ran out of the building.
"Let's go, Cat Noir!" she yelled to her partner. Cat Noir nodded, and the two followed Darkseeker and her entourage out of the school and onto the street. Ladybug threw her yoyo at Blitz Vixen and Chelonious, snagging them and binding them together, then pulled them towards her. The pair of Dark Souls were momentarily stunned, long enough for Ladybug to try destroying their jewels as a means of dispelling them. Luckily, it worked, with Blitz Vixen and Chelonious melting into a puddle of darkness.
"Destroy Queen Toxic's hair comb! That should get rid of her!" Ladybug yelled as Queen Toxic lashed out at Cat Noir. "Got it! Cataclysm!" he replied, then touched his destruction-laced hand to her comb. The comb crumbled, and Queen Toxic melted with it. Ladybug and Cat Noir turned towards Darkseeker, who smirked at them. "Impressive," she commented, crossing her arms. "I should've guessed that you fought those three before. So, what should I do?"
"You could give up your akuma," Cat Noir offered. Ladybug took a step forward. "You're so much better than this, Amber," she began. "If there's something wrong with Chloe, let me help work it out." Darkseeker scowled. "First off, that's not my name anymore. Secondly, I think I did exactly what I needed to. Now, I have a mission to complete," she replied, then chuckled. "If fighting you with your sidekicks won't defeat you, maybe we should fight fire with fire…"
A beam of light froze the two heroes in place as Nyx flapped its wings over them. Darkseeker cracked her knuckles and strutted towards them without a care in the world. Darkseeker smirked as she manhandled Ladybug so she was down on her knees. "It doesn't matter how pure you profess yourself to be, Ladybug," Darkseeker purred as she put her hands over Ladybug's heart and forehead. "There's always some darkness waiting to burst out."
Ladybug could feel a cold sensation traveling through her body as Darkseeker tore out her inner darkness, which solidified into a human form. While still red with black spots, there was a lot more black on the evil copy. Solid black boots, forearms, and a black waist with red spots. A red and black yoyo was wrapped around her waist. The mask was still red with black spots, but the spot edges were jagged and the bottom had two L-shaped curves on her cheeks. Her dark hair was done in a half bun, half loose style, and her blue eyes sparkled with a malevolence like nothing Ladybug had ever seen.
A second figure strode over to the evil Ladybug, this one clad in a silvery-white suit with a white belt tail. Glowing magenta lines ran down the edges of the suit like a frame of neon lights. A white baton was attached to the belt. White cat ears stuck out of a fencer's mask, which had a magenta design to look like a predatory cat's face. Ladybug reasoned that the white entity had to be Cat Noir's copy, then shuddered when she realized that this looked too similar to the nightmare she had fought a while ago.
Darkseeker's smirk widened. "Interesting, isn't it? Kitty's a bit more accurate to what I had thought, but yours… oh, well, who cares what she looks like?" she asked rhetorically. "Nyx, let them go. Let Madame Luck and Catastrophe have their fun with their prey. As for you two," she gestured to the clones she made. "Defeat them and take their Miraculouses. Then we can destroy Dragonus and his team."
"Why can't these stupid grunts just let us through so we can destroy Darkseeker and her pet!?" Skinker yelled as he jabbed another opponent away with his trident. Iapallidus stood back-to-back with his twin, switching between blasting away opponents with sonic attacks and hacking at them with his axe. "Well, if you yell it at them, they're not gonna let us get through!" he shouted back.
"Boys, will you two just quiet down!?" Maladea snapped at the two as she slashed at the enemies around her, knives glinting in the light. "It's bad enough listening to Wolfy McWolfface's pack howl. I don't need to hear you two bicker!"
Alphaux ignored Maladea's comment as he sent his clones to attack some of the Dark Souls Crocdown had trapped. "These things just keep coming!" he yelled as more opponents began their attack on him. He quickly slashed through a few with his arm-mounted claws, then sent a few clones after them. Crocdown sniggered at Alphaux's side. "I know! I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" he replied, blocking a few attacks with his crocodile-jaw shields and retaliating with some devastating punches.
Dragonus couldn't help but feel something was off. Why had Darkseeker disappeared, only revealing herself halfway through the fight? Why these powers, specifically? What was Hawk Moth up to? He was shaken out of his train of thought by an attack from the Stoneheart-Horrificator hybrid, quickly dodging before the beast's fist crushed him. Dragonus snarled at the monster and slashed at it, his blade only sparking off its hide.
"This was… not the plan," Dragonus said to himself in surprise, then dodged another attack. He had a feeling other conventional powers and weapons weren't going to do much against it. But I do have something a little… unconventional, he thought to himself. A dark smirk crossed his face as he mentally checked off the boxes.
Superpower that touches the heart, mind or soul of another being? Check.
Understanding that darkness is a part of every being? Check.
Adult abilities? Check.
If this didn't work, Dragonus hoped the one who wrote that would get a good chuckle out of his misfortune before Dragonus hunted him down in the afterlife. He sidestepped another attack from the fusion creature, then held out his hand. He closed his eyes, then concentrated, extending his will. A slight cold danced at his fingertips, the feeling almost freezing at his claws.
Dragonus dared to open his eyes, and his concentration nearly broke. The Stoneheart-Horrificator hybrid was frozen in place… no, not frozen. It wasn't moving, but it was growling and snarling as it tried to break free of Dragonus's hold. Dragonus quickly glanced at his fingertips, which had a black aura around them, gold sparks shooting through.
Almost tempting fate, he extended his will even further, to the whole courtyard. All around the battle, the entities Darkseeker had created froze in place, trying in vain to move around as they fought Dragonus's dominating will, but with little luck. Moving his fingers as if manipulating puppets, he forced them all to the ground, making them kneel. Looking around the courtyard, he saw all the opponents down and at his mercy.
There was none for them, as Dragonus snapped his fingers, dispelling the darkness. With no other opponents left, the power turned off and a sudden recoil hit Dragonus like a punch to the gut. "So… that's what that feels like," he muttered under his breath as he straightened up. The other five Darks walked casually towards him, all slightly panting from the fight.
"That was horrifying," Alphaux said flatly, with no indication he was horrified. Crocdown laughed. "That's my man!" he exclaimed as he slugged Dragonus in the arm. "Always winning!" Maladea pushed herself up on the toes of her boots and pecked Dragonus's helmet, the molded lips on her faceplate clinking on his. "You were awesome," she said. "A little scary, but awesome."
"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Skinker asked. Iapallidus roughly elbowed him. "You're just salty that he did it after you got punched in the gut," he said. Skinker scowled. "Shadow people hit hard, you know!" he shot back. The twins were about to get into another argument when Dragonus stepped in. "How about we go after the heroes and Darkseeker now? I want to add her power to my collection," he said. The other Darks glanced at each other, then nodded. Dragonus couldn't help but smirk at the thought of using his newly-unlocked power again. This will make things much easier, he thought.
Ladybug lashed out with her yoyo again, deflecting another attack from Madame Luck. The evil copy fought viciously, trying to get close to Ladybug. "I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart," Madame Luck purred as she tried to wrap her yoyo around Ladybug's legs. Ladybug grunted as she deflected the attack and leapt towards Madame Luck. The villainess laughed and copied her opponent's movements, but caught Ladybug's punch at the last second.
"You should know this by now, honey," Madame Luck said. "I'm you. If Hawk Moth had released Princess Justice, I would have been the next logical step. I know your mind, your every move. You can't defeat me." Ladybug tried going for another punch with her other hand, but Madame Luck caught that with her free hand and, as quick as lightning, switched her grip so she held both of Ladybug's hands in one of her's.
Madame Luck grinned as she reached for the earrings, so focused on the victory at hand that she didn't expect Ladybug to kick out and trip her. Madame Luck fell to the ground with a shriek, her grip on Ladybug's arms breaking. Ladybug smirked as she drew her yoyo. "Maybe I can," Ladybug replied as she spun it up. Madame Luck laughed. "So, you do know how to fight dirty," she said, drawing her own yoyo. "Alright then, bug. Let's dance."
Ladybug was prepared for Madame Luck's next attack when the villainess froze, then started backing away slowly. "No, no, no, no," Madame Luck muttered in fear. Ladybug turned to see what Madame Luck was so scared of, then pinched the bridge of her nose. Dragonus and the other Darks had defeated Darkseeker's army, Ladybug deduced, and they were likely after Darkseeker now. Ladybug watched as Dragonus caught a glimpse of Madame Luck, and she could swear that he had stopped in surprise for a second. As if he recognized the villainess…
A thought crossed Ladybug's mind as she quickly walked to Madame Luck. "You're scared of him," Ladybug said simply. Madame Luck sneered. "So are you. You fear what he could do," she replied. Ladybug shook her head. "Not anymore, really. But you are. You know what he does to akumatized victims and their creations. If you don't want to be afraid of him anymore, you just need to let go of that evil."
Madame Luck sneered at Ladybug again, but she glanced at Dragonus a second time and froze again. Ladybug looked right into her evil copy's eyes. "He won't hurt you if you just rest," she promised. Ladybug slowly reached for Madame Luck's earrings, and Madame Luck didn't stop her. Once Ladybug had taken the earrings off of the villainess, Madame Luck faded into shadow.
Ladybug turned to face Darkseeker, who had been watching the fight with disinterest, but Dragonus had already gotten to her. Before Ladybug could stop him, she heard him call on his Siphon and watched him absorb Darkseeker's powers. A slight rage burned in her. Dragonus needed to be stopped. Now. She spun up her yoyo and leapt at him, but he finished absorbing from Darkseeker and sidestepped her attack.
"Y'know, I thought I saw an old playmate when you fought your dark copy," he commented, dodging another yoyo strike. "But then I looked a little closer and realized it wasn't her. Pity, I would have liked to see her again. Unlike you, she was at least fun to toy with. She got upset just like that," he added as he snapped his fingers. The other four male Darks, who had stood by while Dragonus took Darkseeker's power, just groaned.
"Can you quit with the universe-jumping stories?" Skinker asked. "Some of us haven't gotten to meet our 'ascended counterparts' or whatever you called them." Maladea, on the other hand, hummed in amusement. "I wish I could play with that one. She sounds fun to torment."
Ladybug ignored the Darks' comments as she turned to help her partner. And gasped. The white cat villain had pinned a bruised Cat Noir beneath him, his bleached left-hand claws inches from Cat's face. "It's a pity, you know," she heard Catastrophe say as he checked the claws on his free hand. "We could've been friends… or most likely you'd end up like I had been. Trapped within me. But you know what they say. There can only be one."
Frantic, Ladybug called for her Lucky Charm. A pair of Ladybug and Cat Noir action figures, hands locked to each other, fell into her hands. "What am I supposed to do with this?!" she nearly screamed. Catastrophe tutted, standing and placing his boot on Cat Noir's prone form. "Oh, give it a rest, bug," he said. "It'll be just like it was meant to be. Creation and Destruction, fighting for all eternity. The thought of my lesser self being with a creator is sickening. I'm going to grant him release from that."
"You'll never win!" she shouted back. Catastrophe laughed. "That's the funny thing. I already have. He's got maybe a couple minutes left. I, on the other hand, don't have those limitations. But soon, he won't have them, either. I'll take his ring, then your earrings, little bug. I think Hawk Moth will enjoy his new toys. Cataclysm," he hissed, bubbling white destructive energy gathering in his palm.
Time slowed. Ladybug reached out her hand, a scream of "NO!" exploding from her throat, Catastrophe was leaning down to destroy Cat Noir with a single touch, Skinker was trying to eat popcorn without realizing his faceplate was still on.
Ladybug shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the tortured scream and the realization she had failed. She felt so cold, like she'd been locked in a freezer. The grief was threatening to spill over, threatening to freeze her, the chill coldest at her fingertips. When no scream came, she dared to open her eyes. What she saw was just as horrifying.
Catastrophe had stopped, his Cataclysm inches from Cat Noir's head. It was almost like he was frozen, but he was grunting in effort as he tried to move. Ladybug's focus moved from the bleached cat to her hand. A black aura was around her fingertips, pink sparks shooting through it like fireworks. She jerked her hand back, and Catastrophe followed her motions, like he was being puppeteered. Quickly, she forced him to the ground, then made him take off his ring and crush it under his boot. Catastrophe screamed as he faded into shadows.
The chilling cold left Ladybug, and with it came questions, but a feeling of dread the size of the Eiffel Tower washed over her. A terrified yelp came from behind her, and Ladybug whirled around to see Dragonus practically tripping his own feet and tail to get away. His scales had lost their shine, making him look ghostly as he fled. The other Darks, realizing the severity of the situation, followed Dragonus as he ran away.
Darkseeker stepped back a little when Ladybug, still looking a little dazed, helped Cat Noir to his feet. The villainess growled a little, but didn't attack. She wasn't sure if Ladybug's new ability was temporary, and after watching her dispel Catastrophe like that, she wasn't sure what would happen if she tried attacking. Her moment of indecision, combined with Cat Noir only looking worse than he was in reality, gave the cat hero a moment to leap out and grab the only thing Darkseeker had on her person. The necklace.
Nyx shrieked and dove, but Cat Noir crushed the necklace under his boot, releasing the akuma and amok. Nyx evaporated in blue smoke as the akuma and amok flew away, almost actively trying to run from the heroes.
"M'lady! The akuma!" Cat Noir yelled to his partner, shaking Ladybug out of her stupor. The capture of both infected entities was wordless, the silence only breaking when Ladybug said the two magic words that fixed everything, including Cat Noir's bruises. The purple ether melted away from Darkseeker, returning her to a dazed Amber. Cat Noir turned to pound it with Ladybug, but he noticed she was running from the battlefield, and he thought he heard her crying.
Cat Noir felt his heart sink and he almost ran off to follow her, but he noticed Amber looking around, somewhat crestfallen. Acting on instinct, he went over to Amber and knelt down beside her. "Hey," he said casually. Amber smiled nervously. "Hey," she replied, then went back to looking for… was it the necklace? Cat Noir still felt it under his boot. He gingerly picked it up and handed it to her. "It's a nice necklace," he commented.
Amber's smile turned sad. "Yeah… it's sort of like a friendship necklace, but Chloe and I got it to help connect when she was heading back here," she replied. "She put in a little extra cash to get our names engraved on each part of it." Amber showed Cat the circular necklace with the hole in the middle, and Cat Noir couldn't help but notice one detail. A name carved below the indentation.
"Zoe?" he asked. Amber shrugged. "My first name. I started going by my middle name when Chloe came to England, so people didn't start cracking jokes about 'rhyming cousins' and the like. It stuck after a while." Cat Noir nodded, understanding her reasoning. "I have a cousin myself, and sometimes we get into arguments, but we usually make up after a while. Go talk to her, try to make up. She's probably worried about you."
Amber nodded and stood. "Thanks, Cat Noir. By the way, you should probably find Ladybug and comfort her. My memory of… what happened is fuzzy, but I think she's afraid of what she can do now," she said. Cat Noir nodded, then heard his ring beeping. "Gotta go! Uh… Cat out!" he yelped, then ran.
"Darkseeker proved the perfect decoy," Hawk Moth began his monologue. "And now, I have two Dark Miraculous in my possession. Beware, Ladybug and Cat Noir. You have no idea what's coming next," he said as the ornate window closed. Mayura cleared her throat. "And what of Ladybug's new ability?" she asked. Hawk Moth smirked. "Knowing her, the realization of having such a power will likely cause some distress. But that is not of our concern. Nooroo, Dark Wings Fall."
"Duusu, Fall my Feathers," Mayura commanded. The two supervillains transformed back to their regular selves, then turned to the table that held the two fruits of their labor. Dark Miraculouses, one a chain with a locket, the other a chain belt with a stinger-shaped clasp. "Are you ready, Nathalie?" Gabriel asked. Nathalie nodded. "We've gone this far. There's no holding back now."
Gabriel picked up the chain, and a dark purple light shone from the chain. A Tyrannosaurus rex kwami materialized, dark purple with a few hints of green running down its spine, and short silvery teeth poking out of its mouth. The kwami yawned. "Well, Dark Guardian, it has been a while since we last-" he faltered when he saw Gabriel smirking at him. The kwami, who was most definitely male, sighed. "Oh. It's you."
"You work for me now," Gabriel declared. The kwami hmphed, unimpressed, then checked his nonexistent nails. "Perhaps. I suppose I know what you'll ask next. To save us both that headache, I am Rexx, kwami of Manipulation. My power allows you to influence another's actions with your words, yes. A formidable ability," he said, then muttered under his breath, "Though you look too stupid to have the barest grasp of manipulation."
Nathalie slipped the belt around her waist, then a gray and red ball of light condensed into a mainly grayish-blue scorpion kwami with red legs and a red stinger. "I'm Scrrug!" the kwami said cheerfully. "And I grant the power of Loyalty. You seem like a loyal person… unlike the company you keep," he added, throwing a poisonous glare at Duusu and Nooroo.
Gabriel shook his head, but inside he was smirking. With these new powers, no one will be able to stop me. No one. Ladybug's, Cat Noir's and all the rest of the Miraculous and Dark Miraculous will be mine. "It's time to begin the next phase of our plans," Gabriel said sinisterly. Rexx raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "I can't wait to watch your sanity fall apart," he muttered to himself. "That should be fun."
Told y'all things were picking up speed. For anyone who can find it (you know who you are ;)), there are a couple of Easter eggs and references. Gabriel's plan is entering its beginner stages, Ladybug's got a new ability that she's scared of, and Dragonus is in for a rude awakening. Leave thoughts, feelings, questions, comments, and as always, stay safe, healthy, and for the love of all things good in the world, do NOT attempt a 360 no-scope with ANYTHING! You're more likely to hit anything else than the target! (PSA from a junior archery instructor)