Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters.
Chapter 7,
"Adrien! Where are you?" Masquerade screeched. She searched high and low for that spoiled brat. She grew more angry by the minute, but that was only the surface. Deep down she knew that all of this must have been a misunderstanding. Unfortunately whenever Masquerade got a bit soft or merciful, Hawk Moth would punish her. He was growing impatient with the lack of superheroes fighting. And the more impatient he got, the less lenient he was with Masquerade.
"Adrien!" Masquerade mind was foggy. Each punishment made her less and less Marinette. Little did she know, Adrien was carefully following her.
"Tikki, she seems different then earlier." Adrien said. Master Fu gave Adrien a ziplock bag of ice and some paper towels for any bleeding from his piercings.
"She is different, Adrien." Tikki stated and Adrien watched Masquerade walk towards the Eiffel Tower. Suddenly she stopped at one of Adrien's many fragrance ads. Adrien saw Masquerade's anger fade away as she stared at the ad.
"Huh?" Adrien said and Tikki watched as well. Masquerade whispered something, and then her body clenched together as if she were tied with an invisible rope and she cried out in pain.
"Tikki, what's happening?" Adrien asked.
"Hawk Moth is squeezing Masquerade with his hand." Tikki explained sadly and Adrien blinked.
"What, how? Hawk Moth's Powers is to give others powers?" Adrien asked and Tikki sighed.
"The linger you have the powers, the more control Hawk Moth has over his villains. He could control body parts, or squeezing them as you already saw, or-"
"Or covering them in a dark cloud to hurt them." Adrien interrupted as he remembered this from earlier.
"Yes, if the victim needs extreme persuasion." Tikki said and Adrien's face grew concerned.
"How many times could he do that before he really hurts her?" Adrien asked.
"Honestly, it depends on the person. Ladybug is tough so she could probably handle more. But she has a deep need to protect people. It's probably taking Hawk Moth a lot of energy to keep Ladybug as Masquerade." Tikki said and Adrien watched as Hawk Moth released Masquerade and she threw a mask at the Ad and then Masquerade transported it up into the air and then drop down with a grand crash.
"Well, I'm still not sure if I can do this alone, but Master Fu is right about one thing." Adrien said.
"What's that?" Tikki asked.
"She isn't herself. Maybe I can take her." Adrien said and Tikki flew up and checked Adrien's ears.
"Looks like the bleeding has stopped. Are you ready to transform?" Tikki asked, and Adrien took a deep breath.
"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien said and Masquerade whipped around.
"What was that?" She asked aloud.
"No, no, no, that is not what Ladybug says." Tikki whispered and Adrien saw that he got Masquerade's attention.
"Perhaps that is Cat Noir, coming to ruin your chances of finding Adrien." Hawk Moth said to Masquerade.
"Adrien." She said almost zombie-like.
"Oh, uh, sorry. What does Ladybug say? 'Bug out'?" Adrien asked nervously.
"Go see who it is." Hawk Moth ordered and Masquerade started walking towards Adrien.
"No, Adrien. Not bug out. Spots on." Tikki clarified.
"Well, spots on already." Adrien said and for the first time Adrien transformed into Ladybug. His masked appeared first, then his sleeves and rest flowed down his body and then that circular purse appeared on his hip.
"Odd, this kinda feels the same as the Cat Noir suit." Adrien whispered and he saw Masquerade getting closer.
"Adrien." Masquerade said and she rounded the corner and there was a dark figure leaning against the wall.
"It must be Cat Noir, get his Miraculous, now!" Hawk Moth ordered and she growled as the figure stepped out into the light.
"What?" Hawk Moth wondered out loud.
"Cat?" Masquerade asked and Cat Noir grabbed the Ladybug yo-yo and started playing with it.
"I had to step in for Malady, since she isn't feeling herself. I hope you're not mad at my Bugaboo." Cat Noir said and Masquerade blinked.
"You're not really a Cat Noir, or a Ladybug, so what are you?" Masquerade asked and Cat Noir blinked.
"Why are you making chitchat? Just take the earrings and make him tell you where the Cat Noir ring is." Hawk Moth said.
"Well Catbug sounds a bit odd, so even though I'm a guy, just call me Lady Noir. It flows off the tongue better." Lady Noir said Masquerade's body shook a little and Hawk Moth forced her to lunge at Lady Noir.
"Whoa!" Masquerade commented and Lady Noir easily dodged out of her reach.
"Hmm." Lady Noir noticed and he started spinning the Yo-yo as a added defense.
"Lady Noir, I'm gonna take your miraculous, and then I'll force you to tell me where the Cat Noir ring is." Masquerade said and she threw a mask at the fence and it lifted out of the ground.
"Oh." Lady Noir said as it started to chase him.
"Uh, bug out." Lady Noir said and he ran off. Oddly though this phrase rang deep into Masquerade's core. She had always said this phrase after she saved the day. It felt different then this. And suddenly Masquerade wasn't sure if she was helping the people around her or not.
"Go after him!" Hawk Moth urged and Masquerade hesitated.
"Am I really helping people?" Masquerade wondered out loud and Hawk Moth sighed.
"You are relentless, Masquerade. I fear that I'm gonna have to take over." Hawk Moth said and this confused Masquerade.
"But your spirit reminds me of someone important to me." Hawk Moth said and in Masquerade's mind, she saw flashes of this woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She found it odd to see such vivid memories of this blonde laughing and talking and even holding a baby.
"Let me give you one last chance, Masquerade, to get Cat Noir-er, Lady Noir and give me the miraculous." Hawk Moth said and Masquerade straightened her back. Lady Noir was surprised at how much a fence could do. The pointed parts were being thrown at him like Agate Arrowheads, and the straight rods kept trying to tie him up.
"Oh, this is so stupid. Ladybug wouldn't be running like this." Lady Noir said. He stopped and he took out the yo-yo. He spun it as the arrows were being shot at him. As for the bits trying to tie him up, he jumped up into the air, and with the help from the yo-yo, he ties a pretty standard knot.
"Heh, can't believe I left Boy Scouts." Lady Noir said and a mask flew past him and on the knot. The knot was transported above his head.
"Knot quite." Masquerade said and she dropped the Metal knot, but Lady Noir jumped out of the way just in time.
"I heard that there is always time for a bow, but that's ridiculous." Lady Noir said, and Masquerade smirked.
"You're starting to bug me." Masquerade said.
"Starting now? I must be off my game." Lady Noir said. Masquerade shot out masks at Lady Noir.
"As soon as one of these touches you, you will give into your emotions of dedication and follow me." Masquerade said and she threw mask after mask, but Lady Noir just kept dodging them.
"Ha! Can't touch this. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, cha." Lady Noir sang when he dodged even more. With a growl, Masquerade stopped and she looked around at the scared onlookers. There was about ten of them, and she threw a mask at each of them.
"Parisians. This kitty is trying to overthrow the true Ladybug. He had already stolen her miraculous. Show him your true feelings." Masquerade said and Lady Noir watched the crowd surround him. Instinctively, he reached for his stick, but that doesn't come with this suit. He just had the yo-yo that he wasn't use to dealing with.
"Masquerade, I think that you're a big hypocrite." Lady Noir said and Masquerade blinked and held up her hand and the ten pawns stopped.
"You are trying to show everyone how great it is to be honest about their feelings, but you are hiding yourself. What would your mom say or even your dad or your friends?" Lady Noir said and Masquerade hesitated she tried to remember who she was before she got the mask.
"I don't know." Masquerade said and she lowered her hand and the ten started moving again and Lady Noir spun the yo-yo.
"You don't know what your family and friends would say? That's hard to believes." Lady Noir said.
"I-I don't remember." Masquerade admitted and Masquerade tried to remember something, anything. And Lady Noir noticed, how much she struggled. She really isn't the Ladybug he has come to know and love.
"The only thing I remember, is my anger towards Adrien. Attack the imposter." Masquerade ordered. Lady Noir swung the yo-yo. He hit people, and dodged them, and forced people to trip by grabbing their ankles with the yo-yo.
"Adrien is gone." Lady Noir heard a familiar voice say. He glanced over someone and saw his bodyguard. But his suit was messed up and torn, and he was drenched in sweat.
"No!" Masquerade yelled and her mask started to shake and Lady Noir knew he had to get away. He swung the yo-yo up to the lamppost and he catapulted his way to a nearby roof. He turned around and saw Masquerade's mask multiplying so many masks that it looked like a beacon of darkness. It shot up and then the masks covered the sky, eliminating the light.
"Ok, I've never done this, but I think it's time. Lucky charm." Lady Noir said and the device flew up into the air and spun like it always does and down came...
"A human-size hamster ball? What am I suppose to do with this?" Lady Noir said and he looked around just like Ladybug does but he still didn't know how to use it.
"What? Where did that bug go? Find him! Attack every door in Paris if you must." Masquerade said and Lady Noir didn't want to be seen, so he stepped a bit closer to the roof pool. He looked down at his reflection and his reflection flashed in red and black spots. Confused he looked back at the hamster ball and it flashed in red and black spots, and how he understood.
"Oh, the ball is for me." He thought out loud and he quickly hid inside.
"Parisians!" Masquerade's voice said and Lady Noir looked into the sky and saw a giant face made out of masks.
"Aren't you tired of suppressing your emotions? Well, I'm here to tell you that you don't have to worry about it anymore. Feel free to express your jealousy and resentment towards two people.
Adrien's Agreste, who isn't what he seems; and Cat Noir, or should I say 'Lady Noir' because he is trying to be Ladybug. Find them, fight them and bring them to me!" Masquerade said and all of the masks in the sky crashed down and Lady Noir flinched and covered his face with his arms and he fell to his knees when the ball shook. He took a shaky breath and looked up. The ground was covered in masks, and he carefully stood. It was a good thing he had the ball instead of an umbrella. If he stepped on one of those masks, it would probably turn him. But when he was standing, he looked over at the pool, and he saw how the masks were dissolving in the water and Lady Noir smiled.