Chapter 5: Cerulean

Marinette dropped by Alya's place to say goodbye.

"Girl, you won! It was just on the news! I want all the deets," said Alya, giving Marinette an excited hug.

"What do you mean?" asked Marinette.

"Hawk Moth gave up and turned his Miraculous over to you! The Butterfly Miraculous, some bird Miraculous we didn't know he had, and a book."

Alya showed the video of the hand-off.

"It wasn't me."

"You can't deny you're Ladybug to me, girl. I was there as Belle Abeille."

"I've given up being Ladybug since my identity was exposed. That Ladybug must be my replacement. I wonder how one was found so fast."

"There must have been one already chosen, waiting in the wings."

"Now I can leave at peace, knowing Paris is safe."

"Good deal. Can you hang around a for a bit? I want to call everyone over for a going-away party."

"Bon voyage, Marinette!" said all her friends in chorus. Everyone in the class was there except for Chloé and Sabrina.

"Thank you. I'll miss you all," said Marinette.

Adrien said, "I brought you something from my video disk collection. It's called 'The Devil Wears Prada' and it's about the New York fashion world."

"T-thanks, I'll be watch to glad it," said Marinette.

"Let's all watch it!" said Alya.

They all gathered around the TV in the living room to watch.

At the end of the movie, Marinette said, "I didn't realize the fashion world was so rough. Miranda Priestly was really mean."

"They say she was based on a real-life fashion magazine editor," said Adrien. "Not Audrey Bourgeois, but my father says Audrey is even meaner."

"You're going to have a rough time, Marinette," said Alix.

"I'll be a designer, not an assistant like in the movie," said Marinette. "I can get through it for the sake of my career."

"She treats everyone badly," said Adrien. "You saw how she treated her own daughter today, saying the only thing exceptional about her was her mother."

"Sick burn! Chloé deserves everything that she gets," said Kim.

"I feel bad about it," said Marinette. "I wish there was something I could do."

"It's unfair," said Adrien. "Everyone should have someone who loves them in their family, especially their mother..."

He trailed off, looking sad.

Marinette looked at him with a mixture of sorrow and love. "I'm sorry you've had so much trouble in your family."

"It's all right," said Adrien. "Father came out to see my show today. I have a feeling things are going to be a lot better from now on."

Chloé was eager to start using her powers right away. She spoke to Nooroo about it, but there was a hitch.

"What? I have to supply my own butterflies? That's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

"Hawk Moth raised them in a secret garden," said Nooroo.

Chloé picked up her cell phone. "Daddy!"

"Yes, my dear?"

"I want a big terrarium full of white butterflies."

"I'll order one for you at once."

"Not fast enough," said Chloé. "I want it today, before 8 PM."

"I'll see what I can do, sweetheart."

"You had better."

Marinette was walking towards Audrey Bourgeois' helicopter, a few minutes before 8 PM. She had a small carry-on bag in hand. The rest of her things would be sent on by her parents.

Things from the movie were running through her mind. The scene where Miranda talked down to her assistant about her cerulean blue sweater had stuck with her.

Marinette knew she would need more than talent to succeed in this job. She was going to have to kiss up to a terrible woman, one who treated her own child dreadfully.

It didn't feel good at all.

A purple butterfly landed on her carry-on bag without her noticing. A voice spoke in her mind as a butterfly mask outline appeared on her face.

"Hey, can you hear me? Is this thing on?" asked the voice.

"Yes, I can hear you," said Marinette. The mental voice was compelling. She didn't have Tikki around to recognize it as an attack and urge her to resist.

"This is Queen Butterfly. I feel you are disturbed by a person you are going to be working with, Audrey Bourgeois, and you want to do something about it. I'll give you the power to make your words strike to the heart. I'll call you... what's that weird word in your mind? Cerulean? Yeah, you can be Cerulean. All I ask is that you persuade Audrey not to leave her daughter behind in Paris. Will you do that for me?"

"I will, Queen Butterfly" said Marinette.

As the cloud of purple magic dispersed, she was revealed as a figure that was all one shade of cerulean blue.