A/N Thank you to everyone who's still reading, there's more Sugarsock in this chapter so I hope you like it. Please leave a review if there's anything you want to see more or less of, I'm all ears. I know I take ages to write new chapters, it's because I'm writing three fics at once. Hope you like the story!

The first thing Plagg did when he got out of bed was eat. He was from a wealthy family so each meal was a feast. Especially breakfast, which was never half done in his household. Platters of eggs, gammon, warm bread, hundreds of different cheeses and the like would fill the dining room and it would usually take up the majority of his morning to eat it all. Tikki and the others knew this of course so were not surprised when he arrived late.

"Thank you for joining us stinky sock."

Aw how sweet, his little sugar-cube was trying to get back at him for the nickname he gave her. Well it wasn't his fault sugar-cube suited her so perfectly. But he had to admit, stinky sock was quite a good one on her part. He got the feeling it would grow on him.

"Anytime sugar-cube! So what's the plan guys?"

"The last time I saw Duusuu was 3 days ago. There's only one path that leads away from the village and it leads into enemy territory. If she's left the village, it will be through there. I don't think she will have reached the border yet but there's not much time until she does. I hope she's alright. Something awful might have happened to her." exclaimed Nooroo, tears pricking his eyes.

"You mustn't worry Nooroo, we won't let anything happen to her." Wayzz tried to comfort him. Meanwhile the cogs were turning in Tikki's brain.

"Guys, what about the jewels? The man told me they had a special power maybe we could use them-"

"To find her, Tikki you're a genius!" Cried Trixx, "The man who gave them to you, what did he tell you?"

Tikki hadn't forgotten a single word he had said. How could she? It was the weirdest conversation she'd ever had in her life, she would never forget it as long as she lived.

"He said he lived at the mouth of the river, opposite the farm."

"Aw my little sugarcube's so smart! Well it looks like you've got everything under control. I'm gonna go, this is too tiring."

Tikki was starting to get really annoyed at Plagg. And she wasn't the only one.

"Not so fast Plagg. We need to work together on this." Said Pollen, always about teamwork. Tikki knew that what Pollen was saying wasn't going to make Plagg stay. Her friend was scared and when Plagg got scared, he ran, pretending it was because he was too lazy. Luckily, Tikki knew exactly what to say to change his mind.

"Plagg, there'll be food, do you really need anymore reason to come? And we need you. I need you."

Plagg mulled over this in his head. He couldn't resist free food, not to mention the girl he may have started to like as a bit more than a friend was pleading with him. He'd do anything for Tikki. He cared about her a lot, not that he'd tell her of course, he couldn't ruin his reputation as a carefree, independent spirit.

"Alright, alright I'll come, but only because there's food. Geez you guys are so needy." He joked while secretly hoping he wouldn't regret this.

'As long as there was Camembert, it would be worth it' he thought to himself as the six friends set off for the old man's house. It was only a few minutes into the trek when his sugar-cube pulled him aside.

"Plagg, I saw the way you tried to make Nooroo feel better yesterday, I just want to tell you that I know you're only pretending to not care because you're scared that people will see your vulnerable side. If you want to talk about anything-"

"Nuh huh. I'm just here for the food. There's nothing I want to talk about so why don't you leave me alone Tikki?" He felt guilty the second the words came tumbling out of his stupid mouth. Tikki was right, he didn't want people to see his vulnerable side, it had been hammered hidden deep inside him by his father since birth but he'd be damned if she found out or worse, if she ever felt sorry for him. Looking at Tikki's face contorted with hurt did not ease his guilt yet he knew he couldn't open up to her. Not yet. The pain was too recent, too real. Tikki just glared at him and turned on her heels to join the rest of his friends. They stayed well away from him the remainder of the journey which eventually came to an end when they found the house not even an hour later.

It was a dusty old place with peeling paint and a door on its hinges, yet there was something about how the fog swirled around it and the windows glistened in the Sun that gave it the sense of something… magical. Maybe the man was a wizard or just simply an old craftsman. Either way, they were about to find out. There was no knocker on the door so they creeped it open and stepped inside.

If outside was magical, then inside was an epicentre for magic. In the middle of the room hovered a cauldron just a little way off the ground with a ladle swirling the steaming potion in it, tiny winged creatures were trapped in wooden cages with incantations etched into them and on the rickety table in the corner were seven dolls made of straw. The six friends took all this in with astonished looks and suspicious glances until they were welcomed by the old man who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

"Pleasant evening, is it not? I was wondering when I'd see you six. The fates told me you're looking for your friend and I'm sorry to say she is in a very precarious situation. She's been taken apparently, by a gang from beyond the mountains. I trust you'll be trying to save her? Well it won't be easy. You have two days to beat them to the border or you won't get her back, not to mention it's a week's journey. Luckily I have just the thing, or rather you do. I trust you have the peacock brooch?"

Tikki's mind was filled with so many questions but she only nodded. Then, to further confuse her, he said, "Good, now fetch me a peacock from the pen outside."

The man's request was directed at Tikki but it was Trixx who said, "I'll do it!"

"I'll come with you!" Pollen volunteered.

The two ran out the door and went to the pen outside the house. The pen itself housed a huge variety of animals from an ox to a rooster and seemed to go on forever which wasn't helped by the mountains of hay preventing the two from seeing much further than a few feet in front of them. In addition to this, the animals seemed to love hiding. It was a long time before they managed to even find the requested peacock, let alone catch it. However when they did see it's sparkling blue and green feathers hiding behind one of the hay stacks, they were in awe. The bird was majestic and proud, beautiful beyond belief. Unfortunately as soon as it saw Pollen and Trixx, it took off, dancing around the room, teasing them, daring them to catch it.

Meanwhile, back in the hut, Tikki was questioning the man.

"Wait, before we even consider going any further, I think you've got some explaining to do. How did you know we'd need to come here? How do you know so much? Why is a peacock involved?"

"And what's the deal with these magic jewels?" Plagg added.

"The Fates told me everything I need to know. Be patient and you'll get the answers to your questions."

This peaked everyone's interest and confusion. Tikki prodded further.

"The fates?"

"The Fates. They see the future, my child, and sometimes they are willing to let me see it."

This man was speaking in nothing but riddles and it was all Tikki could do to take a deep breath to cool the irritation rising within her. She wanted a direct answer so perhaps she should just ask a direct question.

"How does that work?" Was the question she settled on. Suddenly the man grew cold and distant. He walked to his cauldron and added a strange herb that made the potion shimmer silver before flashes of the past played on its shiny surface, dictated by his words.

"I suppose I should at least try to explain. Alright here is my story. When I was a child, my village was raided and I was taken to a temple occupied by a group who called themselves the Faithful. It was their belief that people like me, people who had magic, were blessed by powerful entities called the Fates. These entities often came down to Earth in animal form to bless us and while in animal form their essence could be extracted and incorporated into objects, such as jewellery, to lend the wielder some of their power. People like me are supposedly the only ones who can communicate with them. This is why they took me, they wanted me to act as their mouthpiece. Over the years my anger for the Faithful built up until it could no longer be contained and I escaped. But I kept the knowledge I had gained during my time with them and tried to exact my revenge. I called upon the Fates and trapped them in their animal forms so that they could never instruct their loyal fanatics to harm innocent villagers for the sake of magic-wielders ever again. The peacock I asked your friends to get is a trapped Fate and we will use its power to help get your friend back."

The idea of magic made Tikki's head spin. The idea of powerful entities trapped in this man's back-garden made her head spin more. Her mama had told her stories of course, every child in the province knew the tales of old gods blessing their chosen with magic, but not once had she believed them to be real. Never would she have dreamed she would be in the presence of someone who could destroy everything she thought to be true. As sceptical as she was, she knew there was no other choice but to trust him.

Back in the pen, still trying their luck at catching the peacock, Trixx and Pollen were planning.

"You go that side and I'll go this side. Once we've cornered it, I'll pounce and hold it down while you put the leash around it's neck. Got it?" An exhausted Trixx asked. Pollen nodded in reply.

The two ran around the hay stack where the peacock was waiting and executed the plan. Not wanting to use force to bring the bird into the house, they got some grain and fed it, slowly inching it forwards until they reached the door. They opened it to find the man waiting expectantly.

"Did someone order a peacock?" Trixx grinned.

"Thank you, excellent work children." He said, stroking his beard.

Before the children knew what was happening, he began chanting. His voice resonated in the room, causing the cauldron to boil over and create puffs of smoke. Tikki was in awe and could do nothing but stand and watch. She was still suspicious of course but just this once she decided to cast her doubts aside and take a leap of faith, to trust in the magic that was so obviously being displayed before her. The spectacle was over as soon as it had begun and as the smoke cleared, she wasn't the only one to notice that the peacock had disappeared. She knew she wasn't the only one because she searched everyone's faces to make sure they were seeing the same thing. As they all stood dumbfounded, the man spoke as calmly as if he was talking about the weather.

"The spell seems to have worked. I present to you, the peacock miraculous. May it aid you on your quest to find your friend." Then, upon seeing all their worried glances he added, "Don't worry, the bird was not harmed. It's just been stored in the brooch."

"Thank you sir but how is that even possible? And how can it help us if it's in the brooch?" Wayzz gushed.

"The brooch is bound by magic so the soul trapped inside will fuse with yours and give you superpowers on hearing the words 'transform me'."

"You're joking right?"

The man replied with a weariness that somehow worked to grab the children's attention. There was a hint of danger in his words that made all of their hearts beat just a little bit faster.

"My child I wish I was. There are people out there who would steal these jewels for themselves. You cannot allow that to happen. I'm getting old and soon I will be unable to defend them which is why I am entrusting you and my apprentice, who has promised to be a guardian for them."

"We will try our best." Tikki assured him although secretly she was feeling a little nervous.

It was all starting to get a bit overwhelming. For the first time the thought that they might actually die on this quest to find Duusuu crossed her mind. Fortunately, the ever observant Trixx saw the fear hiding beneath her eyes.

"You ok Tikki?"

"Yeah it's just starting to become real. We could actually die out there." Came her reply. The beginnings of this conversation were overheard by Pollen who rushed forward to comfort her.

"But we won't. We make a pretty good team you know, and a good team can accomplish anything."

Tikki only half believed those words but despite her feelings she found herself saying, "You're right, we can do this."

In the heat of the mid-afternoon Sun they began preparations for their journey. It wasn't long before they were ready to set off, peacock miraculous in hand. And set off they did. Full of hope and determination fuelled by a steadfast friendship that, little did they know, would help them to survive one of the most perilous journeys to ever be undertaken by six young children.