To Rose Tiger: Well, Ladybug definitely wants her head on a pike now…
To Anon2018: Yep! The African team is happy to help out, of course, but this whole crisis has thrown them for a loop, given that the location of one of their temples is almost certainly common knowledge now.
Pegasus let out a relieved breath, looking around at the assemblage of his friends, all gathered together in the newly-repaired wreckage of the city that had once been Tarascon. After six weeks of uncertainty, of not knowing for sure whether the Heroes of Paris were coming back, or if they had a plan to stop the Tarasque, or if they were even okay in Angola, everything was finally right again. When he had left Paris the night before with the other New Heroes of Paris, he had done so on a prayer, hoping that they might discover the location of the Tarasque but without any clear plan of what to do against it. But they had somehow arrived in time to make a difference, to turn the tide of the battle and give the Heroes of Paris the opening they needed to destroy the Tarasque. Now the Tarasque was gone. He looked down at Impératrice Pourpre's hand, interlocked with his, and gave it a gentle squeeze. This was what he had been missing for the last six weeks. He had hoped that she was okay; this finally confirmed it. She had made it to Angola. She had survived the Tarasque – she had survived it twice, even! Finally they were together again!
Feeling a gentle tug on his hand, Pegasus allowed Impératrice Pourpre to lead him around behind the closest building, a small single-story shop that had retained some significant foundational problems after the Miraculous Ladybug. Only once they were out of eyesight did Impératrice Pourpre whisper, "Nooroo, Bright wings fall," and de-transform. The light of her transformation left spots in Pegasus eyes, and he blinked dumbly until Nooroo's high-pitched squeak stirred him from his reverie.
"I am happy to see you again, Pegasus!" the Kwami told him happily, munching away on a bunch of grapes. "And I know I am not the only one."
Sabrina flushed but jumped at Pegasus, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping him in a tight hug, pressing her lips to his. Pegasus sighed in relief, returning the kiss, and rested his hands on her back, holding her close. This was what he had missed. "I missed you," she whispered, finally pulling apart from him and looking away shyly. "You have no idea how much I missed you…"
He nodded regretfully. "I am sorry," he replied quietly. "I thought about you every minute, about how much I hoped that you were well, about how much I wished to be with you." He chuckled humorlessly. "All that sustained me was the knowledge that you were safely away from Paris."
She swallowed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "We can talk about that later," she decided, glancing over at Nooroo before transforming once more. "For now, the others need us." Without another backward glance, she tugged on his hand, pulling him out from behind the store and back in the direction of the others.
Pegasus sighed, breathing slowly and calmly, and followed her toward Ladybug, Cat Noir, Sent-Bee, and the rest. While the heroes had all been more spread out right after the battle ended, they had begun to congregation closer together near the center of Tarascon over the last thirty minutes. Scanning the group of heroes and villains once more, his eyes widened in surprise on seeing so many unfamiliar faces. All of the miraculous teams were present, of course, along with their friends and allies. But the Olympiad he had never seen before today; they spoke enthusiastically with one of the New Atlantis sorcerers – Prism, perhaps – just outside of a half-repaired apartment building. Victory, Majestia, and Knightowl spoke quietly with Dino Dan on the opposite side of the intersection. And of course he could pick out a half dozen Lynchpin-ions and other ostensible villains who had come to Tarascon to fight alongside the heroes – the only one missing was Killer Bee.
As they walked, Impératrice Pourpre plucked a butterfly out of the air and handed it to him. The Akuma melded into his miraculous, and he started at the sensation. "Now you can open as many portals as we need," she explained.
"How many portals will we need?" he asked, frowning, as they reached Ladybug and Cat Noir.
Ladybug shrugged helplessly. "At this point… I have no idea." She chuckled humorlessly. "We were so focused on getting to this point, we never even considered what would come after." She glanced around the assemblage of heroes and shook her head. "We have people here from every continent, from dozens of countries… Two million refugees…" She blinked, her shoulders slumping. "This is going to be a nightmare," she grumbled. "I have no idea where to even begin."
"We could try starting from the beginning," suggested Cat Noir.
Ladybug hummed. "Perhaps first place to start is sending people back to Angola," she decided.
Pegasus nodded and punched out one fist. An image of a refugee camp came into his mind from Impératrice Pourpre, and he opened a portal to the exact location of the image, to find a large tent with a Red Cross symbol on the side. The familiar face of Mão Curadora looked back at him from the tent's entrance, holding a small bundle cradled in both hands. Almost at once, Lupa Gris gasped and jumped through the portal, running up to Mão Curadora and snatching the bundle out of her arms.
Standing alongside Ladybug and facing the portal, Rugindo Leoa clasped her hand firmly. "Remember what we talked about," she instructed her.
Ladybug gave her a quick hug. "Of course! We just need to make sure that Paris is okay and can support them, and then we will discuss the logistics of getting the refugees back home." Ladybug let out a breath. "Not much point to bringing them home if there isn't anywhere for them to stay…"
Rugindo Leoa nodded to her and raised an eyebrow at Jueran Eazim and Hakɛto, who joined her in hopping through the portal to Angola. Several of the African miraculous holders followed them, along with a couple of their Guardian Initiates. In moments, they had all vanished from view, spreading out through the refugee camp from the portal.
Pegasus glanced over at Ladybug as the portal closed behind the African team.
"We need to make sure that Paris is okay before people return," Ladybug decided, turning to Sent-Bee. "We don't want another logistical nightmare like when we first arrived in Angola."
"Um… sorry," Pegasus apologized, grimacing sheepishly.
"Don't be," Cat Noir told him firmly. "What you did saved lives. If it hadn't been for you, who knows how many more people would have been killed."
Sent-Bee met Ladybug's gaze and scoffed. "I take it you want me to make sure Paris is fit for human habitation?" she asked in a deadpan. She sighed heavily. "Yeah, all right, fine."
"Just send me a message if there is space for people to stay if their house or apartment was destroyed," Ladybug instructed her. "It doesn't have to be anything fancy; just somewhere off the streets."
"Yeah, you got it." Turning toward the next portal, Sent-Bee eyed Pegasus up and down before glancing down at his and Impératrice Pourpre's hands. "You take care of her, now," she warned him. "The last month wasn't exactly easy – what with the whole 'thinking you were dead' thing…" Pegasus opened his mouth to protest, but Sent-Bee cut him off with a curt wave. "We'll talk later." With a muttered, "Ridiculous," she stepped through the next portal, along with Lieutenant Ramus and a few of the Heroes of Paris.
Separating from the rest of her group, Victory walked across the street toward Ladybug and Cat Noir, holding her hand out to them as she reached them. "I'd been hoping for an opportunity to meet the heroes of Paris for the last several years," she began, shaking both of their hands in turn. "I'm glad to finally have that opportunity, even if it does come under these circumstances. Camilla Hombee: President of the United States."
Ladybug nodded. "I'm aware," she answered. "And I'm glad to meet you, also, though I do wish it was in Paris instead of here. But perhaps we can show you out city some time."
"I would like that," Victory agreed, nodded. "But in the meantime, we have much that needs to be discussed."
Ladybug nodded firmly. "If you are planning to stay for a while, we can work a few things out now."
Victory frowned, her eyes drifting back to the other United Heroez, and she shook her head. "Unfortunately, I need to return to Washington," she explained regretfully, pulling out a business card and handing it over. "But contact Mr. Tremendous; he will be happy to answer any questions and write up an arrangement between us."
"I will be sure to do that," Ladybug agreed, nodded. "Although it might be Sent-Bee, rather than myself."
On the far side of the area, Majestia landed next to Uncanny Valley and Sparrow, who were deep in conversation with Coquette, Fin, and Aisha. "Come on, kids; it's time to go. We haven't been home in a month." She jerked her head across the street to where Doorman was standing next to a closed door, the rest of the United Heroez gathered on the sidewalk in front of him.
"But Mother," begged Uncanny Valley, "you are always telling me that I need to make more friends!"
"There are a lot of people who need to leave, right?" asked Sparrow, folding his arms. "Why can't Doorman bring us back closer to the end?"
"At least this doesn't have to be 'goodbye,'" Aisha told them. "We have portals at out temples; maybe we can visit!"
Coquette smiled brightly. "I've always wanted to see New York!"
Majestia shook her head in amusement. "I suppose you can bring a few friends to visit," she allowed. "But any friends you invite, I have to approve," she added, folding her arms and eyeing the others warily.
Fin raised an eyebrow at Sparrow. "I'm glad I won't be the only guy!"
Uncanny Valley giggled.
Pegasus' gaze was pulled away from the others by a burnt-orange blur as Janabatala flew down and landed in front of him and her wings disappeared. "Chrysaor!" she called, grinning excitedly. She cocked her head to one side, studying him more closely. "I–I didn't realize you were actually Pegasus… But did you see me out there? I actually helped!"
"I did see!" Pegasus told her, smiling. "And I am relieved to see you came through the fight unscathed."
Ladybug furrowed her brows, staring at Nabatala. "This is Nabatala?" she asked Pegasus, who nodded. She examined Nabatala up and down. "And you have the Narwhal Miraculous?"
Nabatala nodded. "Guardian Emilie asked me to help Chrysaor and the others to protect the city and stop those escapees." Cat Noir blinked dumbly. Nabatala gave them a worried look. "Do–do I have to return the miraculous, now that the Tarasque is gone?"
"She's okay… and that must mean they're all okay!" Ladybug sniffled, squeezing Cat Noir's hand. Finally she cleared her throat and shook her head, placing her free hand on Nabatala's shoulder. "No – if Mom thinks you are a fit for the Narwhal, then you are."
"'Mom'," repeated Nabatala slowly, cocking her head and looking more closely at Ladybug and Cat Noir. Her eyes widened. "Wait… I know Ladybug and Cat Noir!?"
Cat Noir raised an eyebrow. "I guess the cat's out of the bag, Milady."
"Yes, but you can't tell anyone," Ladybug warned Nabatala.
"I won't," she promised, before catching sight of Ryoku and Viperion saying goodbye to Ronin and the Japanese heroes – along with the Yakuza members who had accompanied them. With a gasp, Nabatala ran over to them eagerly and stopped in front of Ryoku. "Do you see?" she asked, twirling once and grinning. "You saved me all those months ago, and now I get to be a hero just like you!"
"I see!" Ryoku responded hesitantly, putting her hands on Nabatala's shoulders and looking her in the eyes. Suddenly Ryoku cocked her head, eyes widening. "Wait… Leïla?"
Pegasus turned away from them to look around at the rest of the heroes, searching for the group that had come with him. The first he found was Turing, who had landed next to the flying car and was adjusting something on its control panel. Sarsavat was near Hoda, the two of them conversing quietly with Volpinax. Elementa and Libertad were talking to Prism and some of the other New Atlantis Sorcerers. For his part, Albailier flew in a racetrack pattern overhead, watching everything below like a hawk.
Seeing le Tirreur standing off to the side, Rena Rouge walked over to him with a grin. "I see that you can play nice with others!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Don't get used to it, Foxy."
Finally, Pegasus concentrated on his miraculous and punched out in all directions, opening almost a dozen portals simultaneously to allow their allies to return home. Again and again, Pegasus opened portals, and the number of heroes meandering about Tarascon dropped steadily. Finally, only a handful remained in Tarascon. Pegasus stifled a yawn from exhaustion but allowed himself a smile. "Are you ready to return home?" he asked Impératrice Pourpre.
She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. "I am."