DISCLAIMER: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug
Ladybug, Cat Noir, Nightwolf and all their allies were teamed up to take on Hawkmoth's newest akuma, during the fight, Ladybug was knocked into the side of a building, before being blinded by a bright flash of light.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
Marinette woke up in the morning, turning off her alarm clock before rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stretching with a yawn, ready to start the day.
"Oh, just a dream, good morning Tikki" said Marinette
Marinette got no response.
"Tikki?" asked Marinette
Marinette checked the bed she made for Tikki, but it was nowhere to be found. Marinette was highly confused, but went downstairs for breakfast.
"Good morning, Marinette" said Tom
"Morning dad" said Marinette
Marinette sat at the table and ate her breakfast.
"Oh, Adrien called, he said he'll be picking you up and taking you to school later" said Tom
"W...what? A-A-Adrien?" asked Marinette
"Hahaha, I tell you this, Marinette, the way you still react around Adrien is still the cutest thing ever, even after all these months" said Tom
Marinette was really confused what was going on. An itch on her ear snapped her from her thoughts, but when she went to scratch it, she realized something that nearly made her face go white as a ghost...
Her earrings were missing.
"AGH! WHERE ARE THEY?!" asked Marinette
"Where are what?" asked Tom
"My earrings" said Marinette
"Earrings? Marinette, you know you're not allowed to get your ears pierced" said Tom, with an upset look on his face
"No, no, dad, they're clip on earrings, trust me, I don't even WANT to get my ears pierced" said Marinette
Tom raised an eyebrow and looked closely at Marinette's ears.
"Ok, no holes in your ears, well, what do your earrings look like?" asked Tom
"They're small red circles, think something like...a ladybug without it's black spots" said Marinette
"Okay, I'll look for them while you're at school" said Tom
Marinette got a bit worried, if her dad found her earrings before she could, he could find out she's Ladybug, but if she says no to him offering to find them, that would look suspicious.
"Uh, okay, dad, thanks" said Marinette
The father and daughter heard a knock at the door.
"Marinette, you there? It's almost time for school" said Adrien
Marinette rushed upstairs to get changed as Tom answered the door.
"Sorry Adrien, Marinette's just getting ready, she'll be down soon" said Tom
"Okay, Tom, I don't mind waiting for my princess" said Adrien
==Later==
Marinette and Adrien sat in the back seat of the limo heading to school. Marinette said nothing at risk of stammering and looking like an idiot to Adrien.
"Marinette..." said Adrien
"Uh, y-yeah?" asked Marinette
"You okay? You haven't said a word since we left your place"
"I...uh...I-I'm f-fine, j-just a b-b-bit worried" said Marinette
Adrien sat closer to Marinette.
"Worried about what?" asked Adrien
"I-it's n-n-nothing" said Mariette
"Marinette, c'mon..." said Adrien
Adrien put his arm around Marinette's shoulders.
"You know you can tell me anything" said Adrien
Marinette looked into Adrien's blue eyes.
"Anything?" asked Marinette
"Of course" said Adrien
"Well, it's just that..."
Marinette was cut off when the limo suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?" asked Marinette
Adrien looked out the window and smiled.
"It's them" said Adrien
"Who?" asked Marinette
Marinette looked out the window and couldn't believe her eyes...
Ladybug, Cat Noir and Nightwolf were fighting an akuma. But how was that possible? Marinette was Ladybug, how could another Ladybug be in the city? Is this why she couldn't find her earrings? Did someone find out her identity and steal her earrings last night while she was asleep?
==Later==
Marinette and Adrien arrived at school together and entered class, Marinette saw that Nino sitting in her seat next to Alya.
"Uh, Alya, why is Nino in my seat?" asked Marinette
Alya look back at Marinette in confusion.
"What are you talking about? You've been sitting next to Adrien for months, ever since you two started dating" said Alya
"Since WHAT?!" thought Marinette
"Uh, my bad, I guess I...forgot" said Marinette
Marinette sat down next to Adrien, but she couldn't believe what was going on, she woke up without her earrings, Tikki was gone, someone else is doing her job as Ladybug and now she's dating Adrien? None of this made sense. Marinette tried to focus on her school work for the rest of the day, but she couldn't help but feel weirded out by everything.
==Later that day==
The day went by like normal. Marinette felt like something was going on, maybe everyone had been replaced by copies from an akuma, but everyone acted like their normal selves, but something had to be up.
At the end of the school day, Marinette decided she needed to talk to Master Fu, maybe he knew what was going on. She saw Adrien's limo pull up out front.
"Hey Marinette, care for a lift home?" asked Adrien
"Uh, no, that's alright, I have something I need to do first" said Marinette
"Oh, ok, we still on for dinner tonight?" asked Adrien
"Um...y-yeah, of c-course" said Marinette
"Great, I'll see you later, princess" said Adrien
Adrien took Marinette's hand and gave it a kiss before getting into the limo before it drove off. Marinette stood in awe for a moment, before snapping back to reality and running to Fu's Massage Parlor. When she reached the Massage Parlor, she looked inside, but she saw nothing, it was empty, abandoned, falling apart.
"What is going on? Nothing is right here" said Marinette
At that point, Marinette heard the screaming of civilians as an akuma chased them, Marinette looked to see what was happening and saw an akuma, with the appearance of an anthropomorphic mantis slashing through buildings. The akuma spotted Marinette and went to attack. Marinette closed her eyes and when she opened them again, Cat Noir was blocking the akuma's strike. A yo-yo string wrapped around the akuma's claw and it was quickly thrown down the street.
"Are you okay?" asked Ladybug
"Huh, oh, uh, I'm alright, thanks" said Marinette
Marinette couldn't believe how bizarre this felt, now she was talking to her own superhero alter ego.
"You should really get out of here, it's not safe" said Ladybug
"Uh, yeah, right" said Marinette
"Hey, LB, we're having some trouble with this one, could use our leader's help" said Nightwolf
"On it..." said Ladybug
Ladybug turned to Marinette.
"You need to get to safety, wouldn't want another incident like last time" said Ladybug
Ladybug turned back to the akuma and got back to the fight.
"Wait, last time?" asked Ladybug
Marinette didn't think much more of it as she rushed home.
"Marinette, you're late, did you get caught up in the akuma attack?" asked Sabine
"Uh, yeah" said Marinette
"Well, Adrien just called, he'll be here in an hour, so you need to get ready, he's taking you somewhere fancy" said Sabine
"Somewhere fancy?" asked Marinette
"Well, he does love to spoil his princess" said Sabine
"Uh, yeah" said Marinette
Marinette went to her room, where her dad was just leaving.
"Hi dad" said Marinette
"Hey Mariette, sorry, I haven't been able to find your earrings" said Tom
"It's alright, I remembered I lent them to a friend" said Marinette
"Ok, well, you should get ready for your date" said Tom, as he left the room
Marinette started to pick out her outfit, when she started hearing voices.
"Milady, c'mon, we need your help, please be alright"
"Cat Noir?"
"Please, we can't do this without you"
"Rena Rouge?"
"He's too strong, I don't know how long we can hold out"
"Kim?"
Marinette went downstairs to the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face, when she looked in the mirror, she was wearing her Ladybug suit. She jumped back and looked to see her wearing her normal clothes.
==Later==
Marinette had worn one of her favourite designed dresses for her date. Adrien had taken her to one of the fanciest restaurants in Paris. None of this made sense, not only did she have no memory of ever going out with Adrien, but Adrien, despite how rich he was, never showed off his wealth like this.
"Marinette, are you alright?" asked Adrien
"Huh?" asked Marinette
"You've seemed distracted all evening, is something on your mind?" asked Adrien
"I-it's j-just..." said Marinette
Adrien failed to hold back his chuckling.
"W-what's s-s-so funny?" asked Marinette
"Sorry, it's just, I can't help but find your little stammer so adorable" said Adrien
Marinette blushed at Adrien's words.
"Sorry, what were you saying?" asked Adrien
"W-well, today's b-been, a b-bit odd. I feel like...l-like something's off" said Marinette
"Well, that might happen when you wake from a coma" said Adrien
"C-coma?" asked Marinette
"Oh, you don't remember?" asked Adrien
Marinette shook her head.
"Well, a couple weeks ago, you were akumatized into 'Princess Justice', despite being deakumatized, the fight with the heroes took a toll on you, you were knocked into a coma for a week, everyone was so worried about you, while you were out, you kept mumbling stuff about being Ladybug and fighting monsters with Cat Noir and Nightwolf, and even recruiting other heroes too, you were also mumbling stuff about kwamis, some guy called Master Fu and other stuff, you woke up last week and acted like you still thought you were Ladybug, then, a couple days ago, you snapped back to yourself" said Adrien
Is that what was happening? This whole time, her memories of being Ladybug and protecting Paris had all been a dream she had whilst in a coma? That would probably explain why everything seemed weird.
"I...I guess that makes sense, but it felt like I was Ladybug for months, not a week" said Marinette
"The doctors said that sometimes, when in a coma, dreams feel like they can pass faster than reality" said Adrien
==2 Days Later==
The next couple of days, Marinette had been adjusting to her life without being Ladybug, it felt weird being a normal girl with a normal life again, but she felt like she could get used to it, after all, she no longer had to worry about her superhero duties interfering with her normal life, she could easily help her friends with their problems, she had more time to do her designs and Adrien was her boyfriend, life felt almost perfect, granted, she would have loved to see Tikki again, but if everything she remembered about being a hero was all just a coma dream, there was a chance Tikki never existed to begin with. Marinette finally decided to accept it, life was perfect for her now.
"Hey, Marinette" said Sabine, coming through the hatch to Marinette's roof with 2 glasses.
"Hey mom" said Marinette
Sabine handed Marinette a glass of lemonade and Marinette took a sip.
"So, no plans for today?" asked Sabine
"Nah, Adrien's got a photoshoot and Alya's taking care of her sisters, so I'm just gonna relax with a book today" said Marinette
"Alright, well, let me know if you need anything" said Sabine, before heading back down
Marinette set her glass of lemonade down on a table before sitting down. She opened the book and went wide-eyed when she couldn't read it.
fI ouy dnot wonk ahwst gigno no, aetiMnert ahs bene aecdeftf by
aHkmohstw aetlst Akaum, aceDerhcmart.
ehS asw ckdekno otu by aceDerhcmart dginru a fghit adn is cerlnrtuy
in a edep elpes adn adegimnr abotu ehr efil fi ehs anstw abdgLuy.
Marinette slammed the book closed in fright and threw it to the ground.
"Okay, that was weird" said Marinette
Mariette picked up the book again, but found the same problem, it was unreadable. Marinette went into her room to pick out another book, but kept finding herself unable to read a single page of any of them, everything was just nonsense, with letters rearranged, different sizes, rotated, backwards. Marinette started to panic.
"NOTHING MAKES SENSE!"
Marinette clutched her head and dropped to her knees. Her parents entered her room to check on her, only for Marinette to charge past them and run out of the room. She stopped when she saw a news report.
"...and once again, the day is saved, thanks to Ladybug and the heroes of Paris"
"Ladybug..." said Marinette
Marinette picked up a vase and threw it at the TV.
"Marinette, calm down, what's wrong?" asked Tom
"She's behind this, I know it, and I'll find out how" said Marinette
Marinette charged out of the building.
Late at night, a search party was out for Marinette, who hid at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She had a duffel bag with her that she had filled with fireworks that she had gotten from Zach. She tied one to the railing and lit the fuse, before it shot into the sky and ignited. Police searching for her shined a spotlight at her. Marinette knew something weird was going on, but to the rest of the city, she just looked like a girl who had completely lost her mind. Marinette set off more fireworks as her family and friends arrived.
"Where is she?" asked Marinette
Marinette's question was answered as Ladybug swung on her yo-yo towards the Eiffel Tower and landed next to Marinette. Marinette lunged at Ladybug, but Ladybug dodged it.
"You need to calm down Marinette, your family and friends are worried" said Ladybug
"Don't try to lie to me, I know what's going on, this is all a dream, and you're the one responsible" said Marinette
"A dream? What makes you say that?" asked Ladybug
"I didn't know at first, but it made sense when I tried reading a book, the print made no sense, because it's impossible to read in a dream, because reading and dreams come from two separate sides of the brain, I learned that from Miss Bustier" said Marinette
"Even if you're right, and this is a dream, why would I be the one responsible?" asked Ladybug
"I don't know that yet, but I knew you'd be here, the Eiffel Tower is part of my nightly patrol, while Cat Noir and Nightwolf patrol elsewhere" said Marinette
A bright spotlight nearly blinded Marinette.
"Miss Dupain-Cheng, please, come down, we don't want to hurt you, we just want to talk" said Roger, over a megaphone
Ladybug tried to take a cheap shot and attack Marinette, but Marinette blocked it.
"I knew you couldn't be real, I'd never resort to a cheap shot like that" said Marinette
Marinette and Ladybug began to fight, but both were too evenly matched. Eventually, Ladybug pinned Marinette against the railing, when another spotlight blinded Ladybug, giving Marinette the chance to grab the earrings. Ladybug detransformed into a man wearing all black clothing and a black helmet with a red visor and his mouth exposed.
"Who are you?" asked Marinette
"My name is Dreamcatcher, I'm the akuma that brought you here, you're right, this IS a dream, a very special dream" said the man
"So you know everything about me? And now so does Hawkmoth?" asked Marinette
"No, I know, but I am only part of your dream, the real me knows nothing about what goes on in your dreams, I was able to bring you into your perfect dreamland" said Dreamcatcher
Dreamcatcher flashed a light from the palm of his hand in Marinette's face.
==Flashback==
Ladybug, Cat Noir, Nightwolf, Rena Rouge, Carapace & Queen Bee were struggling to fight Dreamcatcher in the real world. When the team was badly losing, Dreamcatcher knocked Ladybug into the side of a building, before flashing his light in her face, putting her to sleep.
==End of Flashback==
"Take me back" said Marinette
"I can't, there is no way back" said Dreamcatcher
Marinette heard the police rushing to her. She looked at the railing and got an idea.
"Maybe there is" said Marinette
"Uh uh, this isn't a normal dream, what if you're wrong?" asked Dreamcatcher
"Then tell Hawkmoth, I'll see him in his nightmares" said Marinette
Marinette ran and jumped over the railings, shocking everyone below. Marinette closed her eyes as she got closer to the ground, the ground she never hit.
==Reality==
Ladybug's eyes snapped open.
"She's awake" said Cat Noir
Ladybug sat up and saw Cat Noir, Rena Rouge and someone else standing over the rooftop with her.
"Cat Noir, Rena...and who are you?" asked Ladybug
"Name's King Monkey" said the guy
"Master Fu brought him in after you got knocked out, apparently his power messed up Dreamcatcher's powers, so rather than knocking us out, it gave us some...unique effects" said Cat Noir
Ladybug looked over the edge of the rooftop to see the other heroes fighting Dreamcatcher, Nightwolf had grown to twice his size, Carapace had super speed and Queen Bee had multiplied into clones.
"Well, I think we should take care of this akuma once and for all" said Ladybug
The heroes jumped from the rooftop and rejoined the fight.
==Later==
"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"
An explosion of pink energy dispersed into a swarm of ladybugs that flew around the city, repairing all the damage caused by Dreamcatcher, and reverting him back to normal.
"Pound it" said the team as they shared a fist bump.
After the fight, Ladybug retrieved the miraculous from the other heroes.
"Hey, Mari...Ladybug..." said Alya, after giving back the Fox Miraculous
"Yeah?"
"When you were asleep, what did you see?"
"...the stuff that dreams are made of" said Ladybug
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed.
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