Ladybug had a desperate need to hug Vesperia, to cling just for a moment to an ally, but in this company she steeled herself. One Ally, one unknown and two enemies wasn't a great improvement. Best not to mince words.

Ladybug put a hand on Vesperia's arm, halting her and looked at Adrikat,"What are they doing here?"

"Yes Adrikits, what ARE we doing here?"

A ruby beam interrupted the scene, flashing overhead and turning the upper half of the monument into a fine powder. The group ducked as one. Adrikat tried to take in the Chloés as well as Ladybug as he answered,"I'm here because she needs help. You're here because I'm too cute for you to let me be turned to ash." The unblemished Chloé gave him a skeptical look,"AND, Vesperia is here, do you want your sister to show you up?" the other blew out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Fine." they grumbled in sync.

Adrikat smiled at the pair then grinned to Ladybug, what she wouldnt' give to see that grin on another face right now,"alright, so, you have your team, how are we doing this?"

Another beam gouged a furrow across the left side of the monument, carving through the stone and turf, powdering one of the statues. Chat was boxing them casually in. Ladybug tried to come up with a plan, without a charm to focus on there were so many variables.

"You can get Vesperia in close with your cloaking, yes?"

Adrikat glanced at the yellow and black hero,"How quiet can you be?"

Vesperia blinked, stealth wasn't a common issue for them,"Pretty quiet I guess?"

That smirk,"Okay, because That guy out there-" Another blast finished the bracketing, carving out the right side of the monument. After unflinching Adrikat continued,"-Probably has better hearing than any of us."

Ladybug considered,"Then I'll distract him while you make your move."

"Who else can purify the Akuma and fix everything if something happens to you?"

"I can't even do that right now!" Ladybug's frustration was growing again.

Adrikat's voice dropped softly in counterpoint to her own rising,"Then recharge M'Lady. Take the time you need and let us handle this." Adrien's voice, Adrien's words, and as much as she hated it, true words. Still she had one more objection.

"I can't just sit still while you go out there, you still need him distracted."

"Ooo Oo I can be distracting!" Chloé piped up.

"I can?" her counterpart replied.

"Obviously! I mean look at me."

"True, true. We could-" The bruised Chloé put her hands together and fanned her fingers.

The other's eye lit up,"Dusuu!" she coaxed. She nudged the little blue Kwamii, complete with his own flight goggles, from his hiding spot beneath her hair,"We're going to-" she mimicked the gesture.

Dusuu squeeked! And covered his mouth,"but that's too dangerous!"

Another blast powdered the monument scant feet above their heads, cutting their cover to one good shot from nothingness.

Chloé rolled her eye,"THAT's dangerous. You've been fat and lazy, c'mon!"

Adrikat's expression turned worried quickly. But both Chloés shooed him and put their heads together.

Ladybug looked back to Vesperia,"You can do this, just keep safe first. I'll be out as soon as I can."

The pair turned to go but Ladybug put out a hand and stopped Adrikat,"Keep her safe." she repeated.

"I will." he paused,"Here." He pulled a length of line from a compartment on his suit's wrist. A metal clip at the end folded out into a hook,"It's no yo-yo, but in case of the worst it's something." He handed it off and his helmet closed up around him. He joined Vesperia at the sheared off edge of the monument, whispering to her.

Ladybug looked back to the other pair. The Chloés were standing forehead to forehead, each with a hand cradling the back of the other's neck. They were whispering too, but almost immediately broke apart. One whispered again and a golden glow transformed her, from their travel clothes to a glorious golden can-can outfit with blue and purple peacock 'eyes' adorning her ruffled skirts. The Grav harness remained though, she floated for the briefest of seconds before two became three. In one motion the fan closed, the golden glow flashed again and the peacock was passed from her to the new Chloé.

Three spiraled up with another transformation and became four. The peacock passed; four split apart and became five. A flash of red and five became four. Ash drifted to the ground and the swarm soared out into the skies in a flurry of aerial acrobatics.

Adrikat and Vesperia were off around the other side, vanishing from sight as they moved and Ladybug was left alone,"Tikki spots off."

This was way beyond anything Vesperia had been a part of before. On the heels of fighting her sister, to see her again; Chloé hadn't even looked her way. Now to fight alongside... not Adrien, against Cat Noir. It was insane.

Adrikat put a hand on her shoulder as they moved into position. His whisper carried to her despite his helm,"don't run straight, watch his hands. I've got a three second window from touching to keep you cloaked so don't worry. Let me worry about you and you stick him."

How was he so calm? Vesperia summoned venom and clenched her fist,"Will my sister be okay?"

Adrikat looked back just in time to see the Chloés create their triplet,"No…" he murmured in disbelief. They took off. The first one was felled,"No!" This time horror in his voice.

Adrikat shoved her hard,"Run! Now!"

A tingling enveloped Vesperia as she stumbled across the furrow into a run. Half a dozen steps and she felt another swat, though she couldn't see Adrikat anymore. She jumped the edge of the furrow up onto the field and into chaos.

Her first look at what Cat Noir had become was him catching one of the Choe's by the wrist and slamming her to the ground even as she powdered in his grip. Others darted about firing darts ineffectively from wrist launchers.

Another swat and the hissed word,"Faster!"

Vesperia broke into a dead sprint, forget dodging she had to end this now. With a sweep of his hand and a flash of red three more of the Bees fell. Was one her real sister? Was she already gone?

She was closing the distance, another tap, seconds now. The crimson cat leapt into the air pouncing a bee. Two more tried to yank their fellow free but only powder came away. Vesperia pivoted and ran to where he landed. Another swat. She had this. Vesperia drew back her fist.

Between them a bee buzzed the akuma, coming in low. With too-fast reflexes he snatched her out of the air. One more gone, one more roll of the dice for her family. Perhaps worse, the ash blew through the air; Vesperia could see herself in blackened outline; she wasn't the only one.

Those sickly yellow eyes locked on her. Vesperia thrust with venom but the akuma twisted out of the way. His back-kick counter took her clean in the chest. It wasn't so much pain as pure shock that wracked her body. She was airborne, propelled backwards. The monument passed below her at the height of her arc and only when she landed did the pain finally catch up with her.

It wasn't right to say Marinette's heart sank when she saw Vesperia fly by overhead, that had happened long ago. Instead a dull ache where her heart should have been throbbed,"Tikki…" she whined.

"I'm sorry Marinette." The polkadot Kwamii sat dejected and sooty, munching slowly but purposefully on a macaroon,"I'm trying."

Marinette bit her lip, looked once over her shoulder then decided,"Do your best, we need you." Then she ducked around the monument.

Adrikat was visible, darting around his larger akumatized self, trying to keep distance with his visual fakes, but it was a losing game. Chat Sanglant was fully enraged and marinette realized just how lightly he had been playing with her. One of the Chloés flew overhead, towards Vesperia. The others, there were only three left and none sporting the peacock miraculous outfit, circled looking for an opportunity.

Marinette gripped the grapple in her hands, running downfield, but she was Marinette, not Ladybug. Events were playing out too fast before her eyes. Adrikat darted in, landing a blow that arced and sparked energy across Chat's whole body, but all he got for his efforts was a backhand that floored him. He wasn't getting up fast enough. Chat loomed.

"CAT NOIR!" Marinette screamed at the top of her lungs.

It bought seconds. Her voice reached him for a moment. The sight of her made him pause long enough for Adrikat to scramble away,"Ma-ri-nette." Chat reached out, and again the butterfly flared. Chat howled and shook, growing even bigger,"LIES!" his eyes opened a searing red now. She was still running, running square into the jaws of death, but she couldn't do nothing.

Chat crouched for a leap, Adrikat pounced from behind, clinging to his back and another wash of energy arced over the pair. Adrikat's suit sparked and smoked from the discharge and for the first time the deadly akuma staggered. Marinette spun up and threw the grapple, aiming for Chat's bell. Too high, she caught him clean in the nose, snapping his head back.

But then she was in front of him, her feet had carried her too close. Marinette pulled the line back. If only for her yo-yo. Adrikat dropped from Chat's back, still smoking himself, clawing his own helmet off when it wouldn't open. Chat shook off the effects of their efforts and grinned hungrily down at the pair of them. Marinette whispered desperately,"Tikki.. Spots on.." nothing. "Tikki…" she spun the grapple again, a pitiful offense.

Chat lashed out, catching a Bee coming from the right. Then again, one coming from the left. Both turned to ash, but the third came right past Marinette's ear and hit him full in the chest with both fists out. The force of the impact drove Chat back several meters, tearing up the field beneath his feet. The two caught Bees were ash in seconds and Chat gripped the last one. Marinette swore she could hear Chloé voice over the distance and noise,"This is for picking her."

Even as the final bee turned to ash a fireball blossomed from her clenched fists, knocking Chat back and off his feet, throwing Marinette to the ground and bringing a shocking stillness, save for the ringing in her ears.

Adrikat was helping her up, still shaky and hunched over himself. His face was a mask of tears and soot,"Still with me M'Lady?"

She was unsteady, but upright. One hand still held the cord for the grapple, instinctively she coiled it, looking first to Adrikat, then down the field,"What?"

"Never fall in love with a mad bomber." Adrikat's voice wavered.

Chat Sanglat rose slowly from where he'd fallen. His suit was stained by dirt and fire, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Oh come on…" Adrikat flexed his hands weakly,"Got anything left M'Lady?"

Marinette whispered,"Tikki?" but felt nothing yet. Louder,"Glorious last stand?" she managed a hopeless laugh,"Rena will fix this. She'll go back. Cat won't fall in love. It won't be the first time Hawkmoth's taken love from me."

Adrikat glanced sidelong at her. His reply was a string of foul words she'd never even imagined Adrien knew ending with a vehement," -that!'

Chat was walking towards them, standing tall. His red eyes fixed on the remaining pair. Marinette laughed softly one more time,"I knew if I'd go down, it would be beside you. I just never knew I'd be fighting you too."

Adrikat managed a pure Noir grin,"He's no me. He's the real thing, and you two are going to make it." He flexed his suit's depowered claws and tensed for a charge.

A dart struck the ground between them; yellow and black, from behind. Neither looked back, but both hoped they were right. Adrikat asked,"Distraction?"

Marinette agreed,"Distraction."

The pair charged the goliath before them.

Vesperia was on her feet, staggering back toward the fight when her sister swooped down, bruises and all, and plucked her from the ground again,"Whoever heard of a wasp without wings."

Vesperia tried not to squirm, this wasn't comfortable the first time, and she wasn't nursing… she wasn't sure, could you get broken ribs while transformed? Her whole chest hurt, breathing hurt, thinking hurt. "Chloé, is it you?" she asked while they were regaining height.

"It's always me, but I'm never the one." Chloé twisted to look down at her,"Stop asking stupid questions and be a hero."

Vesperia squinted back down at the field. There were only three of her sister's sentiselfs left. Adrikat was fighting in Vesperia's place and… Marinette? What was she doing here? Vesperia tensed.

"Quit squirming!" Chloé hissed,"I'm listening."

Things went from bad to worse below. Adrikat and Marinette seemed to get in hits, but nothing was slowing the akuma. He loomed over the fallen pair, Vesperia's heart jumped into her mouth. A faint tinny voice reached her from above,"Sorry hon, we're down to one."

The three bees plunged at the Akuma, knocking him back and ending in a fiery explosion. Chloé let out a strangled,"No!" and stopped dead in the air. Vesperia felt Chloé's grip loosening and scrambled one handed to hold on. Her other hand still pulsed with the venom sting.

"Chloé.. .Chloé.. We need to get down there." Vesperia was slipping further. The Akuma was rising, still unharmed. "Chloé… please." Vesperia's grip slipped until she was holding just Chloé's hand,"SISTER!"

Chloé shook herself, yanked Vesperia up and hooked an arm around her waist, then fired a wrist dart down at the scene below,"Sting him, Wasp."

Vesperia's stomach lurched as they dived. There was no finesse to the approach, no balking. The Akuma saw them. The two down below were closing the distance but he raised his hand toward the fliers. Choé wasn't evading. Vesperia kicked with her legs and twisted, yanking them off course just as a ruby beam slashed through the space they had occupied. Chloé's grip on her tightened and they picked speed back up again.

Below Adrikat jumped on the Akuma's right arm twisting into a hold, prying it out to the side. Marinette threw a line at the Akuma's left, wrapping it and turning, pulling over her shoulder, trying the same with all her weight. The distance was close. Vesperia drew back Venom; seconds.

The akuma tugged with his left arm. Yanking Marinette from her feet, into range of his grip. Adrikat dove from his own perch to knock her clear. The Akuma's right hand come forward; Vesperia thrust, closing her eyes and begging to a higher power she'd never spoken to before.

The impact was sudden, her face collided with something first, then the venom hit home. As with other venom strikes the impact kept her aloft, her suit sustaining the pose until she let go of the power. Vesperia opened her eyes and blinked in the shadowy closeness at Chloé's upside down face.

Her sister smiled at her,"Still the better bee," blue eye fading to grey and skin following before dissolving to ash. Her last sister was gone, revealing the Akuma's clawed hand scant inches from Vesperia's own face.

Vesperia dropped.

Marinette stood shakily gazing up at the frozen Chat. Vesperia had fallen beside her and sat still. None of this seemed real. Part of her hoped it wasn't. Maybe Rena was already on the move.

A feral snarl sent another jolt up her spine she tensed, but no, Chat wasn't moving. A black flash jumped from beside her. Adrikat snatched the bell from Chat's neck and crushed it, freeing the bloated sickly butterfly, but he didn't stop there. He hung on and kicked, knocking Chat over with his bodyweight and kneeling above the fallen giant he began pummeling. Half-words spat from his lips with each rage driven blow.

"Tikki, now or never, Spots on!" Marinette felt the rush of transformation, and Ladybug lashed out with her yo-yo, snagging the butterfly before it could get away. A snap and she freed the purified and now healthy butterfly. Chat shrank back to normal, leaving Adrikat kneeling over emptiness, panting and collapsing to the ground.

Ladybug turned, no pausing, as if seconds might make the difference. She threw her yo-yo in the air,"Lucky Charm!" Down it came, a picture. She gave it only a brief look, it might still work. "Miraculous Ladybugs!" she threw the picture into the air and it burst into the familiar cloud of ladybugs.

The cloud swarmed and hesitated, it shifted, then spiraled up into the sky touching nothing. Flying up to vanish into a single point. Ladybug reached out after them.

"No. Come back." A plea.

What? What could she do? Her hand began to fall. Time seemed to slow. The picture. An impossible picture. Chloé and Alya, no- Lady Wifi, back to back. Purple butterflies adorned both their faces. Two people, one friend, one.. problem. Was there a connection? Alya had broken free from her Akumatization. Had Chloé? Two people. One friend, one ally? Both stubborn beyond belief. Both bullheaded willful- Ladybug raised her hand, curling her fingers.

"No. Come back." A command.

The Ladybugs blossomed from the sky again, swireling and swarming. Ladybug felt them, she raised both hands, as if gripping the swarm. Fix This. It was like commanding a river. The swarm dipped and swirled. It demanded. Grass? What kind? What color was this stone? Was this spot smooth or hilly? The bugs pricked at her will, pulling her this way and that. This wasn't instinctive, this wasn't free creation. This was repairing by pure force of will.

It was too much. She couldn't keep it all going. A tree ended up blue and yellow. Furrows were left unattended. The monument was still in pieces. She pulled them all back, leaving most of the damage untouched. She had other priorities. The Ladybugs swarmed into one ball, then two. Two fetal forms floating in a mass of red. The Ladybugs needed more, Ladybug wanted them to work, they demanded answers. She didn't have them. The bugs dug at her mind, looking for them.

Ladybug fell to one knee. How do you explain a person? How do you make-?

She shifted a part of the swarm, a simple thing, blue glass and silver. There. The bugs lifted motes of dust and repaired the broach in an instant. It fell to the grass,"Get it." Ladybug gasped, she didn't care to who.

It was Vesperia who moved, grabbing the broach and pinning it to Ladybug's chest. Ladybug gritted the words through clenched teeth,"Dusuu, unify!"

Ladybug was in no position to appreciate the skirt of peacock feathers, nor the matching coif. What she could appreciate, what she had hoped for, was that with the peacock's power the ladybugs could find the answers they sought. New parts of her mind were opened, and the same guiding force that turned her will to the Ladybugs also turned her will to rebuilding the minds inside the swarm.

It wasn't easy, but it was possible. She had no idea if it was right, but it was all she could do. Ladybug let go of the swarm with a gasp, and it spiraled into the sky once more. Two Chloés dropped to the ground, uncurling and blinking in confusion.

She didn't have time for them. There was one more thing she had to do, and there wasn't much of her left to do it. They were all alive. This was going to end; never again. She pushed herself up and hobbled over to where Cat Noir still sat, eyes wide.

"M'Lady I-" Adrikat dashed past them, Ladybug ignored it. She fell across Cat Noir's legs and covered his mouth with her hand. His hand came up to touch her face, hesitating.

"Tikki." Ladybug called with all the strength she had left,"Spots off!"

If his eyes were wide before, those green orbs threatened to outstrip his mask. Marinette managed a weak smile then collapsed against his chest,"I'm sorry." she whispered, laying still.

His touch was so light, as if she were an illusion even now. He stroked her back,"M-marinette? You?"

She nodded against him,"I'm sorry." she repeated.

His strong hands drew her up, he cupped her chin and turned her face to his. He wore a pure Noir smile,"I'm not." They fell more than leaned into a kiss. There were laughs mixed with sobs, giggles, and sighs.

Marinette drew back, recharged but still burning from head to toe from exertion. She brushed a hand back through her hair, suddenly self conscious and turned to look at the others. Adrikat had a positively cheshire grin on his face. He had one arm around each of the Chloés in a pair of headlocks, hands over their mouths. They seemed to be caught between shock, revulsion, and frustration in shifting but equal parts. Vesperia was just smiling the tired smile of someone happy this was all over.

Marinette pushed herself up. Cat Noir stood beside her. She looked at Adrikat,"I think, a truce?"

He nodded, and flashed a grin at Cat Noir,"Good job, my friend. Though, less drama next time?" Then he turned with the Chloés in tow, releasing them a few steps away. One turned to call over her shoulder,"Bye Mom!" then they both took hold of Adrikat and flew off.

Marinette turned to Vesperia next. Vesperia just shook her head before Marinette even spoke,"I'm going home. I need a nap before I even think about all this."

Marinette nodded and wobbled a bit herself. Cat Noir caught her and she leaned on him. "Take care. I'll see you soon, one way or the other."

That left the two of them alone again. This was a familiar place, only everything had changed. Marinette gently nudged Cat Noir,"So, you like me a bit then do you?"

They shared another stress-relieving laugh then he whispered,"Come M'Lady, let me take you home.