Miraculous Adventure in Joey Drew Studio, Ch 2.5: The Time that Passes in Pain.
~}i{ A Week Later (after then end of Chapter 2), Outside the Studio }i{~
"Voyage!"
A portal opened on the outskirt, in the denser part of the nearby forest where the building of Joey Drew Studio stood. Master Fu, wearing the activated Horse Miraculous, stepped out of the portal and looked around. Once the elderly man spotted the old building, he immediately raced over to it.
His outfit could easily be mistaken as jocky wear if it weren't for the horseshoes on his back and arms and a hero mask (lower face) in place.
A fox-like Kwami poked his head out from under the Guardian's hat when he told him, "Master, do not push yourself too much. Save some energy for when we must defend ourselves from whatever threats are inside that place. You're not exactly a spring chicken, you know."
"I know, Trixx," Fu said as he stopped just short of the fence.
"Hey! Hold it!"
Fu turned to see Roger Raincomprex and a couple of other armed officers. It didn't take the Guardian of the Miraculous much thought on why they were here. Fu turned to the police and said, "I am here to help. Ladybug and Chat Noir have been sent to the Temple of the Guardians for more training by the Guardian of the Miraculous, so I am here as one of the temporary replacements in their steed. You may call me Horseshoe." The elderly man heard Trixx groan in annoyance at the uncreative name.
~Earlier in the Day~
Wang Fu saught out some of the other temporary heroes to aid him in keeping Paris safe from Hawkmoth in Ladybug's and Chat Noir's absences. They will have to help with the Akumas. However, three of those holders needed new Miraculous due to compromised identities.
~Back to Present~
"Horseshoe?" One of the officers asked with a raised brow.
Master Fu activated his weapon (a horseshoe) and held it up when he said, "Yes, like the game. Uh, it was the first thing I thought of when I was given the Horse Miraculous." He added that last bit a little sheepishly, hoping that they'd buy that.
The officers glanced at each other before shrugging. Roger stepped towards Horseshoe when he said, "How long have Ladybug and Chat Noir been gone and when are they going to be back?"
Wang Fu tried not to bite his lip when he said, "I am unsure about the time they will be gone, I know it might be a while because of all the training that needs to be done. But the Guardian of the Miraculous sent them to the temple a little after the last Akuma attack." This made Wang glad he told Marinette and Adrien to take a well-deserved break after the last Akuma attack, it now gave him the chance to prevent the connection between the heroes and their civilian ids.
Thankfully, the police bought the tale without much question. While it did satisfy Wang that he didn't have to worry about that, it was a little concerning that they accepted it a little too easily. But that's a different problem for another day.
That was when Horseshoe asked, "Has anyone else entered this studio? Or is there any update on the children trapped inside?" He needed to know what happens between the news feed and now, so he could figure out how to act.
That was when Roger explained what happened so far.
The construction/destruction company that Gabriel hired tried to break down the main door into the studio, but the vehicles they used broke down before they could even reach the door. When the employees of the construction/destruction company checked the mechanics of the vehicles, they realized that there was thick black ink flooding the components. Even the brand new bulldozer they got had the engine flooded with ink.
"So somehow, the studio is protecting itself from being forcibly entered or destroyed..." Horseshoe commented, rubbing his chin in thought. 'But what is with the ink though...' Master Fu couldn't help but wonder.
Roger then stated that the main door was also locked or barricaded from the inside. So no one has been able to get inside.
Horseshoe nodded when he said, "I see, so as far as we know, it's just the children trapped inside." 'But why would the doors be locked? Did someone lock it? Do they have a key? Or is it the studio itself?' the Guardian wondered. So many questions brought on by this one simple action/fact.
As Roger nodded, another officer brought over a rolled-up blueprint. "My daughter's class made a haunted house based on this place, so they got the blueprints from the library archive," Roger stated as he unrolled the blueprints and showed it to Horseshoe.
The Guardian looked over the blueprint when he asked, "Where did the class last hear from the teens?"
Roger looked over the horse hero's shoulder when he pointed at the image of a staircase when he said, "According to the video evidence, the last contact they had was when they fell when the staircase broke. *Then moves his finger to the image of the lower level on what was believed to be under the staircase*. So they should be around this area or close to it. I'm not sure if they'll still be there since there are ink monsters on the loose and chasing them..."
Horseshoe nodded when he said, "It's close enough. I'll use Voyage to get in. Um, that's the name of the ability of the Horse Miraculous, it allows me to teleport anywhere so long as I know where it is." Explaining the ability to the police.
"We're coming with you," One of the officers stated, loading a round into his gun and adding, "At least I am, because the last thing I want is for their parents to never see their children again. I know I wouldn't want that with my child."
That was when Roger said, "Those teens are classmates of my daughter..." He then cocks his gun when he adds, "So I'm going in too."
Horseshoe watched as some of the other officers loaded their guns, ready to go inside the studio to save the teens trapped inside. He knew that there was no changing their minds. So he nodded when he said, "I understand, and I'll bring you along. On one condition, we stick together. Understood?"
When the police nodded in agreement, Horseshoe looked at the blueprint before he activated Voyage. Creating a portal that leads into the studio. Horseshoe peered inside to see an office-like area that was close to being considered very old but not dilapidated. The horse hero took a deep breath before he glanced at the officers, now armed and ready for whatever could happen.
But before anyone could take even one step towards the portal a tall ink creature with a malformed figure with his skin made in black ink resembling tar. A head highly resembles that of the Bendy from the old cartoons, but the top area of his head appears melted, obscuring his eyes. The horns are slightly more curved to bear a shape like a deformed crescent moon, being able to articulate similarly to animal ears. A toothy, Cheshire grin, with sketch-like shadings. Had a spine appears slightly crooked or curved, with a slightly-hunched back, with endless wisps of blackish smoke, and a spiky spine that seemed like demonic features. Had a left arm that is slightly longer than his right, which looks thinner and less human. On his left hand, he wears an oversized white glove with four fingers, though it does not sport two buttons like the original Bendy, while his right hand is smaller and more human-like, with five fingers. Had feet are also mismatched: the right foot faintly resembles that of a human, while the left is just a lump-covered, disease-like stump, which gives him a limp. This creature also wears a drooping bowtie close to the middle of his chest suddenly appeared in front of the group with a growl.
Horseshoe fell back in shock as the police opened fired their guns at the Ink Demon. The bullets did nothing to the creature as its inky skin caught them and let them plop to the ground with nothing more than the small sounds of metal hitting wood. Horseshoe quickly regained his composure long enough to throw one of his weapons at the ink creature. But to the utter shock to the hero and police, the Ink Demon caught the horseshoe in its oversized left hand before breaking it into pieces with an animalistic growl.
Horseshoe and the polices took a step back in fear as the Ink Demon dropped the metal weapon out of the portal as it tried to push its hand through it. But for some reason, the ink creature's hand couldn't pass through the portal. The Ink Demon could only let out a low growl as he used his oversized hand to point at the humans as it waved its right hand from side to side and then pointed at the ground below their feet with the left as his teeth chattered. The ink creature then appeared to have looked around the area the group was in and then made an odd sound.
WIth that the portal closed, leaving only the broken weapon from the horse hero.
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what the hell was that?!" One of the cops shouted as the rest of the force collapsed to the ground in pure terror.
"Worse than an Akuma! That's for sure!" another officer shouted in fear. And to be honest, they weren't far off.
A different officer then said, "Well, at least one rumour is true. Those things can't leave the studio..."
Horseshoe thought about the actions of the Ink Demon. "Those hand motions..." He muttered as he stroked his chin, pondering the strange actions of the ink creature.
"Horseshoe... What's wrong?" Roger asked, still a bit spooked by what had just happened.
Horseshoe made the hand motions the Ink Demon did before realizing what they meant and said, "That Ink Creature! It was telling us that we cannot enter and just remain here, outside the studio!"
"Wait! You can't be serious?!" one of the officers shouted in shock.
Horseshoe repeated the same hand motions when he asked in a serious tone, "Would these mean anything different?"
That made the police officers look at each other with a look that seemed both conflicted and concerned. There wasn't a rebuttal to that.
Roger looked at the dilapidated studio when he said, "If that's the case... Then... Why were those kids allowed in? And why can't we help? What could that place possibly want with them?"
Master Fu couldn't help but say, "It seems like only one person knows, or thing in this case." As he and the rest of the officers stare down the studio. That was when the elderly man wondered out loud, "But... Why? What could this place possibly want with them?"
That was a question that no one had an answer to.
~}i{ Elsewhere About Three Hours Later }i{~
The patrol of the other Temporary Heroes was going smoothly as could be, well, until an Akuma suddenly appeared. The Temp Team took care of it easily enough.
Bunnyx (not the one from the future) leapt up and captured the corrupted butterfly into the tip of her umbrella. She took a breath of relief when she opened her umbrella, freeing a now purified butterfly, and said, "Bye-bye, little butterfly." She giggled a bit when she said, "I've always wanted to say that."
"Hurry up and use that, that, ability thing that the old man told you to do," said the new Turtle Hero. A red goggled female hero with blonde hair that was tied in a low loose braid that reached her waist, a neutral green skin-tight bodysuit with a large turtle shell on her back and her left arm, her chest was a lighter shade of green while her boots and gloves were a darker shade of green, and an emerald bejewelled belt wrapped elegantly around her waist.
Bunnyx rolled her eyes when she said, "It's called "Time Heal", Lady."
The turtle hero scoffed before she said, "That's Madam Emerald to you, short stack."
"Whatever," Bunnyx said before she threw her umbrella in the air when she shouted, "TIME HEAL!" With that, the umbrella burst into little white sparkling bunnies as they hopped threw the air and repairing everything that was affected by the day's event. It wasn't the Miraculous Cure, but close enough to repair everything in its place.
"You did that pretty well for your first time, dudette," the new Dragon Hero said as the rest of the team re-grouped. The new Dragon Hero was wearing the same style bodysuit as Ryuko did during her debut, but his costume had a wicked red, black, and gold sleeveless dragon cloak with a hood covering his had and that loosely hangs off his back almost like a dragon's tail.
Viperion smiled when he said, "And it didn't take many Second Chances, only seven."
"That is a lot less than I thought it would be," the new Bee Hero stated bluntly. The new Bee Hero's outfit was similar to Queen Bee's, but she had a black honeycomb pattern on the yellow stripes and had a yellow honeycomb pattern on the black stripes, and a white honeycomb-shaped belt wrapped around her waist.
Bunnyx shrugged as her umbrella reappeared in her hands when she said, "Well, I am an awesome hero."
Viperion glanced at the other heroes before he asked, "You guys mind if I ask a question?"
"You just did," the new Bee Hero replied almost immediately, causing the new Dragon Hero to chuckle in amusement.
Madam Emerald rolled her eyes when she said, "Just ask it, so we check on the victims sooner."
While Bunnyx and the new Bee hero rolled their eyes, Viperion asked, "Listen, I know a few of the prior temp heroes had compromised identities, from what the elderly gentleman told us. *Missing the glare from Madam Emerald and a slight nervous twitch from the new Bee and Dragon Heroes*. But weren't there more of them?"
"What do you mean?" Bunnyx asked with a raised brow.
Viperion counted off the prior temporary heroes on his left hand when he said, "Carapres, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, Ryuko, Pegasus, Roi Singe, Me, and Chat mentioned a Multimouse." He then looked at the other heroes when he said, "From what I heard, Pegasus is pretty smart and Roi Singe's ability is extremely helpful. They would be valued members of our team, so why aren't they chosen to help protect the city from the Akumas while Ladybug and Chat Noir are away?"
"Maybe they already have a lot on their plate right now," the new Dragon Hero said with a shrug, trying to ignore the slight tightness in his chest. That was when he said, "I know their identities weren't compromised, so it has to be that they have busy lives now, or something along that line."
Viperion gave a small hum before he said, "Maybe Drak-Kon, but what about Multimouse?"
The new Bee Hero had an answer for that, "I recall Chat Noir saying that it was because Hawkmoth could've seen her when she accidentally revealed her identity to him, but that could've been solved by giving her a different Miraculous."
Bunnyx couldn't help but say, "That would've been a little too obvious Mitsubachi."
But that was an issue to ponder about another day. Now the heroes needed to check on the victims of the Akuma Attack, to make sure the Time Heal worked on them.
}i{ Césaire Household }i{
Alya slumped in the couch as the news report of the recent Akuma attack came on the tv. There were some new heroes, taking the place of Ladybug and Chat Noir, both of whom were at a hidden Temple of the Guardians for more training for an unknown period of time.
"Look, Alya!" Ella exclaimed happily as she watched the tv with joy. That was when Etta exclaimed, "New Heroes!" Both twins pointed at the tv when an image of the three new heroes appeared on the tv.
In a lacklustre tone, Alya said, "Yeah... That's nice..." She just couldn't bring herself to care about the fact that there were new heroes in Paris, something that would've brought her the utmost joy in the past. This shift in behaviour did not go unnoticed.
Ella and Etta glance at each other before they gave their second oldest sister a worried look when they asked in unison, "Are you okay, Alya?"
Alya stood up from the couch and walked to her room when she said, "I'm fine... Just tired..."
Once she was out of hearing ranged Ella told Etta, "She's not fine..." That was when Etta told Ella, "And she's been "Tired" since That Day..." Both then looked int the direction Alya went.
Nora and the Césaire parent saw the whole thing from the doorway. They weren't hiding or even trying to, they'd been standing there since the twins shouted about the new heroes. They were very worried about the middle Césaire child.
}i{ Upstairs in Alya Room }i{
Alya flopped on her bed with a loud sigh. After everything that has happened... She wasn't surprised that Rena Rouge wasn't chosen to help Paris in the absence of Ladybug and Chat Noir... Ladybug had told the media in the past that she wasn't friends with Lila, multiple times, but Alya didn't believe any of them because Lila spun a tale of those interviews were just edited together to discredit her... Alya groaned in annoyance as she ran a hand over her face, wondering why the hell she believed that! There were so many interviews of Ladybug publically denying her "friendship" with Lila and explained why that it should've got Alya suspicious about Lila...
'I'm such an idiot...' Alya thought as she turned to her side and spotted an old picture of her and Nino, smiling at the camera when they were on one of their dates...
That picture just reminded Alya what she lost to Lila and her lies.
She lost her credibility as a reporter. Even though she removed all the posts regarding Lila and made an apology video regarding the inaccuracies, the damage was already done... The Ladyblog was no longer a reliable source of anything hero related anymore. So Alya shut the blog down, for good.
She lost the closeness of her classmate. They all found out that Lila was a liar, and while some pretended to be her "Loyal Followers", as Alya found out that the liar called them, to keep Lila at bay, they all have been gathering proof of the liar's misdeeds... Everyone but the class' "reporter"... Alya did ask why none of the "Fake Followers" didn't try to tell her that Lila was a liar, but they all pretty much told her, "Alya, you didn't believe Marinette, Adrien, or Nino about Lila, and you've known them long enough to know that they never lie about their friends, especially Nino. So why would you're response to us would be any different?" Alya knew they were right...
She lost her boyfriend because of Lila's lies... He pointed out such an obvious flaw in the lie that Alya should've thought weird and should've trusted Nino... But she didn't... And their relationship came to an end... And it seemed like she also cost Nino his chances of being Catapres in the absent of Ladybug and Chat Noir because she knew who he was...
She lost her Best Friend because of the liar...
Alya sighed as she rolled to her back.
Should she really consider herself to be Marinette's best friend after all that has happened? After Lila practically destroyed their friendship? Maybe it was more accurate to say that Alya lost her friendship with one of the best girls in her class... Yeah, that sound more accurate.
... ... ... 'How can I make right what I've done?' Alya thought to herself. She knew there's no real quick fix to this whole thing, but there has to be something she can do to show that she trying to rectify what she had done.
}i{ Elsewhere }i{
Madam Emerald carefully snuck into a fancy hotel via the balcony and quickly darted into the high-class bathroom.
"Wayzz, Shell Off," the Turtle Hero said to deactivate her hero persona. With that, a green light enveloped her form before Wayzz flew out of the bracelet. Once the light vanished, Chloe Bourgeois was standing in the place of Madam Emerald.
The green Kwami floated over to his new holder and said, "I know you wanted Pollen and to be Queen Bee again, but this is for the safety of you, your friends, and your father. And I must say, you were pretty good as a Turtle Holder." He said that last bit to cheer the blonde up.
Chloe sighed when she said, "I know, and I hope that Mitsubachi is treating Pollen right... And I understand why I can't have Pollen, and I'm actually okay with that."
Wayzz smiled at this as he patted his new holder on the cheek. Chloe gave a small smile as she used her hand to hug the little being to her cheek. The blonde quickly covered the camouflage turtle Miraculous under one of her bracelets before she exited the bathroom with Wayzz close behind.
She was glad to be a hero again, but she wished she could help the ones who needed help the most. (Horseshoe already told all the temp heroes about what happened during his attempt to enter the studio).
}i{ At the Same Time }i{
In a block off alleyway void of people and eyes. Drak-Kon quietly landed in the middle of it and quickly looked around, just in case.
"Longg, Open Sky," Drak-Kon said softly, so not to draw any attention to himself. With that, a red light enveloped him before Longg flew out of the chocker. Once the light vanished, Nino Lahiffe was standing in the place of Drak-Kon.
Longg floated in front of Nino when he said, "You did well as the new Dragon Holder. I mean, it may be different from the Turtle. Dragons and Turtles are certainly different, except for the fact that they're reptiles. But you did very well for your first time."
Nino chuckled as he tapped the dragon Kwami on the head to pat him when the teen said, "You're certainly a talker, Longg dude. But try to stay quiet during school and around others."
Longg smiled before he ducked under Nino's cap. It's a nice warm spot to stay hidden, and he could listen in on human conversations.
Nino quickly checked around the alleyway and then the street before he finally left the ally and made his way home. On his way, he let out a quiet sigh. He was glad to be a hero again, but he wished he could help the ones who needed help the most.
}i{ Also at the Same Time }i{
Mitsubachi snuck into the girls' bathroom in Dupont, after making sure there was no one else in it, and quickly darted into one of the stalls, making sure the door stall was locked.
"Pollen, Buzz Off," Mitsubachi said softly, so not to draw any attention to himself. With that, a yellow light enveloped her before Pollen flew out of the hair comb Miraculous. Once the light vanished, Kagami Tsurugi was standing in the place of Mitsubachi.
Pollen floated in front of Kagami when she said, "No offence, my queen, but you might want to think about what you're going to say before you say it. It could be mistaken as rude."
Kagami sighed as she removed the camouflage Bee Miraculous and placed it in an inner jacket pocket when she said, "I only said it because I thought I would have trouble adjusting to a new weapon, so I thought Viperion would have used the Second Chance ability more than what he stated."
Pollen patted her new holder on the cheek when she said, "But that only means that you and the others were more adaptable than you thought. You should be proud of that, my queen."
That cheered Kagami up as a small smile formed on her face. She hugged the bee Kwami against her cheek before the Kwami hid in the fencer's other inner jacket pocket. Kagami then left the bathroom to meet her mother in front of the school, as promised.
She was glad to be a hero again, but she wished she could help the ones who needed help the most.
~}i{ The Next School Day }i{~
The students of Miss Bustier's class walked into their classroom with little vigour. They all stopped when they spotted four desk spaces that were piled with sealed letters, flowers, and a few stuffed plushies. Gifts from the other classes, all were hopeful gestures that the missing classmates return...
It took a minute or so, but finally, everyone walked towards their assigned seats.
Nino placed a hand on the desk space next to his, one that was practically overflowing with letters and flowers with a few plushes on top. Images of Adrien flashed through his mind, some of those images were of him and the blonde just hanging. Being with their friends. How much Adrien has grown outside the walls of this gilded cage. The last image was of Adrien happily telling Nino that he'll see him at the Haunted Houses. The red-capped teen sighed before he took his seat with a slump. He could feel Longg patting him on the head from under his cap.
Chloe placed a hand on the desk space next to hers that had a lot of letters, a few flowers, and a plushie scattered on top of it. Images of Marinette flashed through her mind. How they first met, and how their relationship changed from the bully and bullied to best of friends. The last image was of Marinette telling Chloe that she'll see everyone at the haunted Houses. The blonde sighed as Sabrina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Alix walked to her seat and placed her hands on the desk space behind her assigned seat, one and on each desk space, both were full of letters with a couple of flowers and a plushie each. Images of Kim, Max, and Markov flashed through her mind. Images of all the contests between her and Kim with Max refereeing. Meeting Markov for the first time. Her managing to get Kim and Max in a double headlock. Her and Kim getting into the screaming contest as Max and Markov sport an "As Expected" look on their faces. The last images were of Kim, Max, and Markov telling her that they'll see her and the rest of the class at the Haunted Houses. Alix sighed as she flopped into her assigned seat. A worried Fluff peaked out of the skater girl's pack, more so to make sure that her holder was physically fine.
Alya slowly trudged into the classroom and walked on autopilot to her assigned seat. She bearly noticed a piece of paper duct-taped to the deskspace next to hers. 'Oh yeah... That was Lila's seat...' Alya thought as she read what was tapped to Lila's desk. Only one word was written on the paper.
LIAR!
Alya only turned her attention towards the blackboard after reading the word, innately thankful that that was the only thing the other students did to the desk. She wasn't going to give Lila another thought, she wasn't going to give her the attention anymore, and that was that. Alya needed to focus on what she can do to make things right.
Miss Bustier walked into class. Much like her students, she wasn't in her usual chipper mood. When she was about to take attendance, she paused when she saw the first name on the class roster. The teacher took a deep breath before she called the next name on the list. Internally, she was hoping that Hawkmoth didn't target any of her students for Akumazation...
~}i{ Agreste Mansion }i{~
Nooroo was worried...
Okay, if the Moth Kwami was being honest, he's been worried since he came into Gabriel Agreste's possession.
Worried for Ladybug and Chat Noir, because they had the Miraculous that Gabriel wanted.
Worried for Emilie, because she was in a coma that she would probably never awaken from until she dies.
Worried for Nathalie, because she was close to following Emilie if she used the broken Miraculous any more than she already has.
Worried for Duusu, because his Miraculous was damaged.
Worried for Adrien, because if Gabriel acquired the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction he would be the price needed to revive Emilie.
Worried for Gabriel, because he doesn't understand the price needed to make his wish.
But now... Nooroo was worried about Gabriel for a new reason... The purple Kwami heard everything from the Moth Miraculous... He knew what happened to Adrien and three of his classmates (plus the AI)... He knew about Joey Drew Studio and the dangers that dwell within its walls... So now... Nooroo was worried about Gabriel's mental well-being and what he might do to get his son back...
Nooroo's wings drooped as he gazed out the window overlooking the city. He was truly hoping that the teens trapped in that studio would be saved and that someone could save Gabriel from himself.
~}i{~
To be Continued...
~}i{~