Miraculous:
Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
Chapter Eleven: The Jewel of Alexandra
Cat Noir POV
Cat Noir tucked in his Astrocat wings and lowered to the ground. Unfortunately, like much of the weather in Russia, there was a blizzard, and he was forced to land short of his target. Etain had sent him GPS coordinates for the temple where the jewel was supposed to be stored. He could see it when the snow wasn't completely blanketing his vision in white. Thankfully, his astrosuit protected him from extreme cold much better than his normal Cat Noir suit did. He remembered that time when he'd been locked in the freezer by Lady Wifi. It wasn't an experience he wanted to duplicate.
He stopped before the temple and looked up at the architecture. It had the beautiful telltale signs of the country with the tall, wide towers with bulbs at their peaks. Most of it was covered in snow and would be next to impossible to see from the sky. Inside, he reverted his suit to normal and hefted his bag of supplies more securely onto his back. He didn't know what to expect so he brought a little bit of everything.
He remembered Uncanny playing a recording of Ladybug saying, "I can't imagine being Ladybug without him." Now he understood the feeling. As long as he'd been Cat Noir, he'd had his Ladybug. Being here now, alone, felt wrong. But I won't let that stop me. I'm here so that Marinette can be healed. I'm doing this for her!
While Etain knew the stone had been brought here by Romonov loyalists, she didn't know where in the temple it was being kept. He saw large statues of ancient gods and animal deities as well as beautiful murals painted over 100 years ago. He walked cautiously, not knowing what to expect, and that ended up being a good thing. He heard a click and his right foot depressed when he stepped on a trigger of some sort. Slots in the wall opened up and he ran and flipped forward dodging the many projectiles that were released. He looked back the way he'd come and couldn't even see the spot he'd activated. "Well," he started, quoting one of his favorite movies. "I will say this. This place certainly does keep you on your toes."
The walls were pretty sturdy, but some plants had begun to grow down into the temple where normally they'd die trying to grow up into the frigid tundra. Vines and bushes covered much of the outside room. Cat Noir didn't find anything on the ground floor and while there were stairs going up in the temple, his heightened senses told there was an unusual amount of activity down below. He heard liquid drops and gears turning. Strangely, though, he didn't see any stairs. That's never stopped me before. "Cataclysm!" He called upon his power and used it on the floor beneath him. The ground gave way and he dropped, landing on all fours, into a hidden basement level.
"Whoa…" His senses had been correct, but he wasn't ready for what lay before him. Marinette had once told him of vines swinging back and forth when he'd been busy fighting her Weredad. This seemed a lot like that. Gears were turning platforms that floated over a green glowing liquid that covered much of the basement floor. The smell alerted him to something poisonous, so he grabbed his stick and used the breathing feature on it.
Nearby, he picked up a vine that had broken off and fallen with him from above and dropped it into the somewhat bubbling pool. With a hiss, the plant smoked and then dissolved in seconds. Acid…great, why couldn't it have been lava? He had a fire protection upgrade he hadn't had a chance to test out yet, which probably protected him against lava at least somewhat. Acid was a no go though.
He poised himself a moment before he dashed forward, his eyes darting back and forth as he perfectly timed each leap, dodge, and flip. There were obstacles spinning at head level as well as knee level. If it were Ladybug, she'd probably just zipline over most of it. He could do the same thing with his stick, but he was currently using it as a breathing device and he couldn't do both.
A slot opened in the wall in front of him and he had to lean backwards until the back of his head nearly touched his tail. A thicker javelin whooshed over his nose. When he righted himself, he almost threw himself into the pool of acid. He waved his arms and picked a new landing place, pushing off the corner of his platform he rolled onto relatively solid ground at the end of the obstacle course.
He took a breath of relief and looked towards the door he saw when he'd first dropped in. His ring beeped and he knew if he changed back now, he'd probably get poisoned and suffocate. Not to mention Plagg might fall ill too. Gotta get this door opened and quick. With any luck, the air will be fine on the other side. He regarded the door and once again wished Ladybug were here. She was always better with the puzzles.
From what he could tell, there were six buttons around a giant tear-shaped design on the door. He didn't have time to be overly cautious, so he hit the first one in front of him. It popped back out almost immediately. Huh, I must have hit the wrong one. When nothing dangerous activated, he decided to reach up and hit the top left button. This one depressed and stayed that way. When he went back to the first button, both popped back out again.
Okay, I think I get it. It's a combination of sorts. When I get it wrong, the board resets. So, 6 numbers, that means…only 720 possible combinations. Easy, right? With his ring beeping, he knew he was down to 3 minutes. It's gonna be close! He was used to playing role playing video games which constantly had puzzles so he did what he could and hit the first one, then the top one, then the bottom one and so on until all 6 remained depressed. With a click, the doors' inner gears began cranking and he dove through just as his transformation reverted.
The doors closed behind him and the poisonous gas remained locked away. Plagg looked weak so Adrien dug into his pocket and fed him some camembert.
"You're really doing all the heavy lifting this time, aren't you?" Plagg commented.
"Well, I'm sure Ladybug would have solved it faster than me but so far so good." Adrien looked around the newest room while his kwami regained his strength. It was a wide-open area with round pillars scattered throughout. In the middle of the room stood a giant round mirror. Once Plagg was satisfied, Adrien transformed back into Cat Noir.
"I don't see the jewel yet, but this place is so big, I don't think I've reached the inner sanctum yet." He approached the mirror cautiously and thought he saw an odd reflection in it. There was a lot of water and everything was white. As he got closer, he thought he saw his reflection but in a weird light as if his colors had been inverted.
When he finally stood toe to toe with his reflection, he remembered where he'd heard of this version of him before:
"Well, I don't know all the facts. Bunnyx sort of helped me but warned I shouldn't know more about the future than absolutely necessary. At that time, you weren't Cat Noir but Cat Blanc."
"Cat Blanc?"
"Yeah, everything was white, and you had blue eyes…"
Cat Noir looked at himself now and could see just how evil he looked from the outside, even though he didn't really remember any of it. He raised a hand and touched the mirror only his reflection didn't do the same!
"What?"
Instead, Cat Blanc smirked and quickly reached up and grabbed the superhero by the wrist to pull him into the World That Never Was. Cat Noir stumbled and when he looked back, the mirror portal was nowhere to be seen. Cat Blanc sneered at him and walked around him slowly. "So, here we are…trying to compensate for our shortcomings again, are we?"
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Cat Noir couldn't believe the amount of devastation all around him. Is this really all the damage I caused while akumatized? He looked up and saw the moon practically broken in half.
"Yep, this is our world. You broke it when you were too weak to handle reality," Cat Blanc crossed his arms. "It's always the same with you. Sheltered from the world, pretending to be this innocent boy, when you're really just like the rest of them."
Cat Noir glared at his polar opposite yet offered no refute.
"So, you know it's true, huh?" Cat Blanc laughed now. "You cling to Ladybug, act as her sidekick, in some vein attempt not to be like your father. Then, when you discover what your hearts always told you, that he is the epitome of evil, you snap."
"You can't blame me for this!" Cat Noir argued. "This future never occurred! Ladybug saved me and fixed the timeline!"
"And now you're here trying to save her to pay her back, but the truth is the darkness that caused me to be born is still in you. Being akumatized doesn't create something out of nothing. It allows what's already there to grow and be free." Cat Blanc walked right up to Cat Noir and blue stared into green. "Will you ever stop pining after Ladybug just to make yourself feel better?"
"I don't pine after Ladybug!" Cat Noir countered. "We love each other!"
"And what's gonna happen when she learns about the real you?" Cat Blanc laughed shortly. "You seemed to have done a pretty good job of being your father when you coerced a certain Lila into changing her story about poor Marinette."
Cat Noir ground his teeth. "I'm done talking to you. How can you even know about stuff like that if you were trapped here?" He unhooked his staff from behind him. "I came here for the Jewel of Alexandra so either you tell me where it is or get out of my way!" He spun his staff in warning, making Cat Blanc flip back.
"The jewel isn't meant for just anyone. It's meant for creatures of light." Cat Blanc fired a cataclysm and Cat Noir dodged it by merely tilting his head. The next moment, his white counterpart was next to him, whispering in his ear. "Not creatures of darkness like us."
"Enough!" Cat Noir ran an elbow into Cat Blanc's back and spun around, finally taking the fight to his erased self. Cat Blanc dodged most everything and laughed the entire time. "If you know about the jewel, then I must have to defeat you to get to it!"
"I am the form the guardian has chosen to prevent you from ever getting to it! Face me? Defeat me? What's little innocent Adrien Agreste gonna do?"
"I am Cat Noir!" He didn't have the luxury of using multiple cataclysms like Cat Blanc so he was going to have to be careful. He tried to land hits, but it was like the akumatized him could read his mind. Worse yet, those dark cataclysms he fires off are getting really tiring to dodge. He aims at my feet and I can't plan proper counterattacks. Subconsciously, Cat Noir wondered how Ladybug fought his evil counterpart. His heart ached when he thought about the pain he'd inflicted on her.
"It's not just me, you know," Cat Blanc jumped up, bounced off debris on the side and came back from higher up, punching down at Cat Noir's head. Cat Noir pulled up his staff just in time to block but the blow rocked him down to his boots. "I think out of everyone in Paris, you've been controlled more than anyone. Let's see…you attacked dear Ladybug when you were being controlled by Dark Cupid, Princess Fragrance, Puppeteer, Despair Bear…shall I continue?"
"Hey, being a hero is an occupational hazard! If Ladybug didn't trust me in battle, then she wouldn't ask me to fight by her side!" Cat Noir felt his emotions getting the better of him, but he couldn't help it. All the times he'd been controlled by the enemy were a point of guilt for him.
"Then there was Zombizou, oh and my purrsonal favorite, Malediktator. He technically made you act like a sweet little kitty that time ahahaha!"
Okay, Cat Noir, Focus! What would Ladybug do in this situation. She'd analyze and find a weakness. Cat Blanc was hitting Cat Noir's personal failures trying to make him feel down so the best thing he could do was be positive. Poke fun. Oh, I got this. "Did you hear about the cheese factory that exploded? There was de brie everywhere!"
Cat Blanc skied to a halt and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"What about this one: Where do lizards go to fix their fallen tails? The retail shop!"
"Stop it! Those are terrible!" Cat Blanc resumed his attacks again, but Cat Noir could tell something was different. He's off his game. Cat Noir remained calm and used his senses to help lead his enemy into a trap. He pushed the offensive with his staff and maneuvered Cat Blanc back across a large steel beam. The end, however, was damaged and about to break off. At the right moment, Cat Noir slammed his shoulder into Cat Blanc's chest, pushing him down onto where the beam was weakest. With a groan, it collapsed beneath the enemy and fell down.
Cat Blanc released his staff and reached up to grab hold of the end of the steel beam. Instead, however, Cat Noir caught his wrist with his right hand. "See? Weakness. You wish to save the enemy even when it could cost you your life!"
Cat Noir smiled sadly and ingrained the image of his dark self in his mind, to remind him of what he must never become again. "It's not weakness because I know I'm not all light but I'm not all darkness either…Cataclysm." He activated his power and Cat Blanc's eyes went wide. "I will be whatever I have to in order to ensure that Ladybug keeps smiling and keeps winning."
He watched as Cat Blanc's form deteriorated. Having never cataclysmed a person before, it was disturbing to see skin peel away and muscle dry up and blow away in the wind. White bone turned black until what was left fell from the beam and out of Cat Noir's hand into the sea below.
He stood up and looked around, expecting the mirror portal to return but when it didn't, he was unsure of how to proceed. "I hope I didn't just cataclysm my way out of here—"
When he said the word, his power activated and he jolted when his hand electrified with the spell of destruction. "How did I…?" but the answer was obvious. "I must be getting stronger, like Ladybug." Her power of exorcism was growing and she was quickly becoming an even stronger superhero. Now, as her partner, he would be better armed to defend her. "Heh, better armed…" he laughed as his own joke as there was no one else left to joke with him.
He held his power still and quickly tried to search for a way out. Everywhere he looked there was massive destruction on a level he had never seen before. His ring began beeping yet when no portal seemed relevant, he allowed his transformation to revert, freeing a slightly tired Plagg. "I don't see a way out of here, Plagg," Adrien said with discouragement as he dug into his pocket and pulled out some cheese.
"Then it's a good thing Marinette thought to include a present," Plagg said as he downed the entire piece in one bite.
"Huh?"
"Check your backpack's front pocket," replied the little Kwami.
Adrien knelt down and opened the zipper, pulling out a pair of glasses. "These are…" To confirm his suspicions, he put the glasses on and the little horse Kwami appeared before him. "Kaalki! It is you!"
She shook her mane and regarded him evenly. "Hello, Guardian. While you are easy on the eyes, it was under Guardian Marinette's orders that I aide you if necessary."
Adrien closed his eyes, his mind going to the beautiful and perfect embodiment of love waiting for him back at home…their home. Even if it was temporary, even if this world was fake, he reaffirmed that there was no one else that belonged by his side than Marinette. Thank you, Marinette… He nodded to the Kwami and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Kaalki. I wouldn't be able to get out of here without you." When she nodded, he pushed the glasses higher up on his nose and said, "Kaalki, full gallop!"
When Kaalki's power covered him, his see-through glasses turned into shades and he punched forward just as Plagg ducked back into his shirt quickly. "Voyage!" While he wanted to return back to her, he still had a mission to complete. He opened the portal and stepped through, reappearing in the inner sanctum of the Russian temple.
While the room had been empty before, with only a mirror standing in the center, there now stood a man dressed in robes with a square fur hat sitting on his head. Not sure if he was going to fight, he leapt back and held up his ring, "Kaalki, Plagg, unify!" He felt safer within his black suit with heightened senses and reflexes of the cat, but he knew he only had a few more minutes of Kaalki's powers before he lost it. "Who are you?"
"Fear not, warrior. You have passed my test." The man had ice blue eyes, bordering on blue-white, and he looked at Cat Noir with an even expression. "When one wields great power, yet is held back from their past, great tragedy befalls those around them."
Relaxing slightly, Cat Noir nodded. "Yes, I've known many like that." His hands tightened into fists, "But I don't want to be like that. I want to grow stronger from my trials and move passed them. I want to look back on my life and know that I've changed for the better."
The man nodded and produced a stone from his pocket. It was a very large, tear-shaped crystal that seemed to change color in the light. One moment it was purple, then when it tilted it was closer to green. It's a chunk of Alexandrite, but I've never heard of such a piece existing. Makes sense, I guess. Russia never lets the stuff out of their borders often. It's why most of the world has lab-created Alexandrite. This piece alone is probably worth millions. Cat Noir thought for a moment that was why Etain wanted it so badly, but that didn't seem to make sense. Money wasn't her motivation. There was something else behind this that he wasn't seeing. And unfortunately, I don't have time to figure it out. He tentatively reached out and accepted the jewel from the guardian. As soon as the stone left the man's hands, his form faded from view and Cat Noir was forced to second guess if the man had ever really been there at all.
"I guess that's it." He shrugged and secured the jewel into his backpack. Remembering how he was able to use his cataclysm twice, he decided he'd see if the same were true of the Horse Miraculous. Putting his backpack on and tightening the straps, he punched forward and said "Voyage!" A portal opened up and a part of him puffed with pride. I am growing stronger, little by little. He knew he was still leagues from Ladybug's level, but it was a start. Time to go home.
He stepped through and the scene before him made him go on full alert. He saw Etain standing over a sleeping Marinette so he rushed forward, grabbed Etain by the shoulder and threw her away from the bed, putting himself between the two. He growled low and poised low in preparation for a fight. "What are you doing here?" he hissed quietly, his senses telling him that his angel was still asleep. "I told you not to so much as touch her."
Etain rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Don't be so melodramatic. I didn't touch her…physically in any case. I healed her, you moron." She spun on a heel and walked out of the room, leaving him to confirm her story.
When he regarded Marinette, he reached down and carefully pulled down a fraction of the bandages she had on her forearm. Sure enough, underneath the skin was as peach as the day she was born. His heart and spirit swelled with relief, but he didn't allow himself to celebrate long. He had to go take out the trash.
Giving Marinette a quick kiss on the forehead, he left the room and closed the door behind him. "Plagg, Kaalki, divide." As Kaalki removed her powers from him, he closed his eyes. "Plagg, claws in." Once Plagg and Kaalki were both in front of him, he motioned to Marinette's room. "Stay here and protect her. I'm going to handle Etain."
"Right!" Both Kwami nodded and phased through the door back inside.
Adrien squared his shoulders and started back downstairs towards the foyer where he knew he'd find Etain.
The truth is the darkness that caused me to be born is still in you… Cat Blanc's voice mocked him from the shadows. Yes, he knew he wasn't a creature of the light, but he also knew he wasn't all dark either. Due to his father, he knew how to fight from the shadows, and he could choose to use those skills to protect those he cared about. He would protect Marinette however he had to and now was no exception.
When he saw Etain down below, he did nothing to hide his complete distain of her. At least with Lila or Chloe, he shot for civility. He was done with that. "Why did you heal her? What if I had come back without the jewel?"
"I knew you would be successful, that's why," Etain replied simply and a shrug. "You are nothing if not predictable, my sweet Adrien." She held up her hand and looked at him in such a way he knew she thought was alluring.
He growled and dug into his backpack, producing the Jewel of Alexandra. "Why do you even need this? Aren't you powerful enough already? And isn't it a mere replica, as if everything in this world?"
"That's none of your business. You've played your part. Now you can return to your world with your little sweetheart and as soon as you leave, I'll destroy this realm and everything in it."
He gasped. "But there are millions of people here!"
"What do I care? It was my playground and I'm done with this sandbox. I have other toys to play with now." She turned and Adrien couldn't stop himself from calling out to her.
"Wait!" When she glanced over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised, he swallowed. "Why wait for us to leave? Couldn't you just destroy this place with us in it? Wouldn't that solve all your problems?
"Sweet, innocent, Adrien. I could have done that as soon as your precious Ladybug entered it in order to save you. I could have done it after she broke my spell over you. Truth is, this will be much more fun. I'll rewrite the stars and create the destiny I deserve." Before he could say more, her form turned into a shadow and phased into the floor where it disappeared. He had so many questions that didn't have answers. Looking at the time, he saw that it was ten o'clock at night. "May as well get some sleep. I'll discuss things over with Marinette in the morning." Thinking of her made him smile. Things were going to be back to normal and his angel would smile again. That put his heart at ease enough that he could leave the rest till later.
Marinette POV
Marinette awoke the next morning with bright light shining into her room. She stretched with her arms high over her head.
Wait. What?
Gasping, she dropped her arms and froze. There was no pain. She twisted her back and bent down to touch her toes. Nothing. Almost too afraid to look, Marinette carefully began unraveling the bandages from her right arm and stared for long moments at the skin underneath. No longer was it grey and wrinkly but perfect and smooth. "I've been healed…"
But that means…
Marinette threw off her covers so quickly that poor Tikki went tumbling into the windowsill. Marinette rushed out of her room, down the hallway, and followed the noises until she was downstairs looking at Adrien setting the table. "Adrien—!"
When Adrien saw her, his face turned red and he immediately turned around. "M-Marinette! Hey, um…"
Marinette frowned, "Huh?" What was going on?
Before he could finish stuttering out his sentence, Marinette felt someone drape a thick robe over her shoulders. Looking over, she saw it was Nausia. When her attendant cleared her throat, Marinette become immediately aware of the cold floor against her bare feet. Bare feet… She had been sleeping when she realized she'd been healed. Then she'd gotten up so fast hoping that Adrien was back that she'd completely forgotten she was still in her pjs!
Marinette looked down and saw she was scantily covered with a two-piece, spaghetti strap top (which she only wore when no one else would normally see her) and thin matching shorts. "Oh my gosh!" She grabbed the sides of the robe and quickly dropped into a ball, covering her form with the very not see-through plush material. "I am so sorry!"
She heard Adrien laugh and it reminded her of when that stupid umbrella closed on her head when she'd accidentally hit the button that fateful day in the rain in front of school. His laughter had been so clean and pure that she'd instantly fallen for him. "Don't worry about it. Head back to your room and get dressed and meet me back here. Breakfast should be ready by then."
"O-okay…" She quietly nodded to Nausia and removed herself from the room.
When Marinette appeared again, she wore a beautiful white sundress with one-inch straps and off the shoulder ruffles. It had big yellow flowers and she wore a pretty yellow hat to match. It was one of Adrien's selections and when she showed up in the dining room wearing it, she spun with a smile as if modeling it for professionals.
Adrian laughed and came up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist to lift her up and spin her around. When he put her back down again, he pulled her into a happy kiss that ended far too soon for her. While the answer was obvious, he still had to ask, "So, is everything feeling okay?"
She nodded and allowed him to pull her to her seat and help her down. "Yes, I feel perfect, better even after all that rest."
Adrien sat down and they eagerly dug into their food. He dismissed the help and began explaining his adventure to Marinette. She hung onto every word while she shoveled food into her mouth. It felt so good to feel normal again!
"So, when I saw the mirror, I knew to be cautious, but never could I have imagined I'd get pulled in and have to face off with Cat Blanc," he said.
Marinette gagged and quickly drank down some orange juice. "You…met him?"
Adrien nodded. "It was so weird. Now I know how Alya and Nino felt seeing their evil selves in the wax museum. He tried so hard to make me feel bad about all of my failures."
"What did you do?"
He grinned at her. "I told him jokes."
Marinette laughed, "Of course you did."
Adrien was mostly full and just pushed around an uneaten piece of eggs benedict. "You know, I don't know that I'd ever have gotten out of there without the Horse Miraculous." When he looked up at her, she blushed. "How did you know I'd need it?"
"I didn't…I just wanted to help somehow…to make sure you came back home…to me…"
His eyes soften and he smiled. "It's strange to think of this place like that, huh?" He looked around. "We've been here for so long, it's sad to know that it's all going to disappear."
"I still don't understand why Etain didn't just do it while we were down and healing."
Adrien pursed his lips. "She has a plan, I just don't know what it is yet. She said she won't end this world until we leave but still…"
"What about all the people? Nausia and the others…?"
Adrien smiled again. "I had the same thoughts, but what can we do? This world wasn't supposed to exist. It was fake to begin with."
"Fake or not these people have lives now."
"I think we have bigger problems than that," Adrien used his napkin to wipe his mouth clean. "Whatever she's going to use the Jewel of Alexandria for, we have to be ready."
"Heh, you sound like me now."
"Some of you may have rubbed off on me." When they were finished, he came around the table and pulled Marinette to her feet. "I know this isn't our real home, but someday I want to make this a reality. We'll have our own place someday where we can always be together."
"But not as many servants."
"No, definitely not as many servants." He kissed her again and held her close. Marinette snuggled closer and sighed. "What is it?"
"Well, when I came here to get you, it was nighttime. So, if we left now, our sleep schedule would be all messed up," Marinette began.
"You're right…" Adrien caught on. "So, we should probably wait until tonight before we leave." Marinette pulled back and looked up in his face with a grin. "So, what did you have in mind?"
Marinette and Adrien went for a walk at the Trocadero, visited the ice rink, and ate ice cream from Andre. While they sat in the park eating their treat, Marinette turned to Adrien. "What did you want to do?"
Adrien smiled shyly. "It might sound silly but…I never basked in my status of being a celebrity…"
Marinette laughed at this, "You could have fooled me with all that showboating you do as Cat Noir."
"That's different," he relented. "As Cat Noir, I can act silly and outspoken as much as I want. But honestly…" He held onto Marinette's free hand. "When I began getting used to being here, having status and money that my father didn't control, I actually started thinking back to New Year's." Marinette gasped and blushed. That was one of her fondest memories before all the craziness that followed. "When we danced, I felt like I was floating on air. When I found out you were Ladybug, my mind kept going back to that moment." He met her eyes now and his smile grew. "I'd really like to dance with you again, if possible."
Marinette was blushing but she couldn't deny she wanted to dance with him, too. "Well, it is Paris. I'm sure there's a party somewhere."
Once his ice cream was finished, Adrien stood up and dramatically held out his hand to Marinette. "Madam Marinette Dupain-Cheng, would you do me the immense honor of going to a dance with me?"
Marinette stood up, her ice cream also finished, "Why Adrien Agreste, I'd love to."
Adrien POV
Adrien stood opposite of Marinette, this time wearing a black tux with his cat ears and black mask. Marinette wore an absolutely stunning bright red dress that hugged her body to her thighs and then fanned out. She had on white elbow length gloves with a red mask with black spots. There was a costume party they'd found and it seemed perfect.
Cat Noir held his Ladybug close and he expertly led her across the dance floor in the four step waltz. Green eyes locked in on blue eyes and Marinette followed him effortlessly. Others around them saw the chemistry and couldn't help but stare at how beautiful of a couple they made. Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't exist in this realm, so no one caught on to who they were supposed to be. It was just a clever color scheme to them.
Ladybug wore her hair up in a single bun with her bangs down in front. Adrien fought it as long as he could, but when the last song ended, and in front of everyone present in the beautiful Palace of Versailles, Adrien put a hand behind Marinette's head and pulled her into a kiss. She sighed into it and allowed him to pull her closer. They would return to their realm, and they would face new challenges, but they would do it together and stronger than ever. No matter what came their way.
Etain POV
Etain stood in her tent, back in her own realm, the Jewel of Alexandra standing on a pedestal directly in the middle. She knew the moon was full above and the time was finally right. She began casting her spell and like clockwork, two figures broke in and a yoyo came flying in towards the jewel. A force field protected it so Etain turned calmly and snapped her fingers. Using the power of the jewel, she was able to freeze them. She regarded the intruders with a sneer. She didn't freeze time exactly because their eyes still followed her.
"Predictable, predictable, predictable," she approached the Ladybug and Cat Noir from her realm and walked around this generation's black cat chosen. "You two are nothing if not predictable. That's why I snagged this pretty thing." She looked at Cat Noir, or Elias as she knew him. "Hmm, there's still a sophistication here that cute Adrien doesn't possess." She turned and looked at Ladybug, or at least who the clan had chosen to be Ladybug. They'd chosen wrong. "And you, I'm going to take great joy in removing you from my life."
She spun on a heel and returned her attention back to her spell. She took hold of a rapier she had leaning against the edge of her room and used it to cut a slit in the top of her tent. Bright moonlight poured in and struck the jewel, causing its glow to grow. "I could use this sword now to end both of you, but that wouldn't be payback enough."
She discarded the sword dispassionately and focused all her attention on the jewel. Her spell would reshape her destiny and ultimately change her future to her liking. This would not be the end of her story…
