Mayura
Little Girl, Lost
"Alya, what's going on?" Trixx asked her dearest friend as Volpina stood atop the chimney of a long-abandoned shop. "Come on. You can't hide your feelings from me."
"Those things Master Fu said to me," Alya answered, trying not to look her partner's spirit in the eye. "I just can't get them out of my head…How could things get any worse than they have been? How much am I supposed to live with?"
"Alya, we'll take it one day at a time," the fox Kwami calmly explained. "That old man is way too serious. Don't let it freak you out. We'll get through this together. Fox's honor."
Alya let out a heavy sigh and turned her eyes to the center of the city as Volpina. "I just came out to clear my head," she said just above a whisper. "Looks like Hawk Moth's got no surprises for me tonight." Planting her staff on the concrete she stood upon, the fox Miraculous leapt off her resting spot and made her way towards the Eiffel Tower. Along the way, she could not escape her master's words. I thought I'd stop feeling powerless once I became a Miraculous, she attempted to rationalize. Now, I'm just as messed up as ever. Maybe it would've been better if they never chose me in the first place.
Suddenly, the young woman felt something tighten around her ankles and drag her down while between buildings. Crashing down on a fire escape, Volpina opened her eyes to see a strange, inhuman being lying on its belly just in front of her. "I don't think we've met," the fox Miraculous declared with confidence in her voice as she rose to her feet.
The strange creature let out a loud groan as it rose to its ape-like feet and held out its hand. Its movements and mannerisms weren't that of a hostile force, but, rather, a savior. Volpina remained still for a moment, trying to determine the purpose of the odd being before her. Its eyes appeared empty and lacking in any form of intelligence, though its desire was clear.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Volpina asked, making sure to keep her voice and body language calm and unassuming. The creature maintained its posture with no sign of tiring.
"Trixx, I've got a weird feeling about this guy," Alya declared within a passing second. "I don't think it's an Akumatized, but I don't know if I can trust it."
"I feel like I've seen something like this before," the fox Kwami answered as she studied the creature through Volpina's eyes. "It seems…wrong, though. Whatever you do, Alya, be careful."
"…Okay, little guy," the Miraculous warmly declared, having made up her mind. "Show me what you need me to see." Upon reaching out her arm, Volpina took the creature's hand, and immediately felt a dark aura wash over her entire body. Her senses dulled and her body growing weak and tired, the young woman fell to her knees as her eyes blackened and her pupils dimmed. "Oh, god," she exclaimed in a whisper as her costume faded to a gray color. "What am I doing? I've got no right to call myself a hero…I'm nothing." Mayura's tears began to drip from the heroine's eyes as her crushing doubt and shame grew within her heart.
Letting out a sympathetic sound like a dog's whimper, the creature held Volpina's hand tighter and slowly walked closer. Her sorrowful eyes lifting from the ground below, the Miraculous gazed into her new companion's sympathetic face and began to feel some semblance of hope.
"You have somewhere to take me?" Volpina asked in a hoarse voice. "Have you come to save me?"
The creature nodded its head slightly and released a sorrowful moan as its dark energy began to flow into the Miraculous. Its intentions were pure, and Volpina knew it to be true.
"…Wait a minute," Alya's voice began to rise within her ailing mind. "No…I swore I'd be strong. Trixx and I…Marinette…Adrien…Master Fu…No. What's happening to me? This isn't right."
Opening her true eyes, Volpina looked down at her hand before jolting it away from the sorrowful creature. Once their grip was broken, the young woman felt the thing she once considered a friend lose its hold over her. "I don't know what you are, but whatever you did to me…whatever you tried to make me feel…it's all wrong," the hero declared as she rose to her feet. "Yeah, I doubt myself and get scared, but I'll never give into those feelings again. That's what you were trying to make me do, wasn't it?"
Releasing a high-pitched whine, the furry being opened and revealed a large, unformed mouth below its swirling, empty eyes and let out a howl to the night. Soon, two more identical creatures charged forth from the shadow and descended upon the two.
Quickly turning her head to size up her attackers, Volpina let out a snicker and readied her flute-staff. "Okay, Fluffy," she confidently accepted the challenge, entering something into her communicator. "Let's see what you're all made of."
Standing alone in the cold and darkness of her beloved's lair, Mayura kept her arms cupped over her waist as she gazed through the eyes of the Avatars, not so much as blinking. "Damn you," she whispered with sharp, seething anger Nathalie would never have released. "I could have saved you." Despite her rage, the dark Miraculous shed a tear of sorrow. "…We didn't have to be enemies." Dark veins formed around Mayura's eyes as her mercy faded. "Take her Miraculous, but don't kill her. Show her what sorrow truly is."
Crying out in fury, the Avatars jumped toward Volpina, only for her to vanish in a cloud of smoke. The three creatures collided with one another and dropped onto the metal floor below as their foe gazed down at them.
"Oh, boys," the fox Miraculous playfully taunted her attackers from the rooftop. Hissing, the strange beings gazed upward as they scrambled to their feet. "Maybe we should keep this down. The neighbors are trying to sleep."
The Avatars dug their claws into the sides of the vacant building and began vigorously climbing until they reached the same level as their target. Their mouths wide open and dripping with saliva, the beasts closed in around the Miraculous with angry, empty eyes.
Come on, guys, Volpina pleaded to herself as her confidence began to wane. Marinette, Adrien…where are you? The Avatars extended their claws and drew closer. "Okay," the young woman declared amidst the pounding of her heart. "You had your chance to walk away. Now you'll see what happens when you corner a fox!"
Howling madly, the incensed creatures charged at their opponent, though one reached her sooner than the others. Grabbing the beast by its wrist, Volpina summoned all her strength to spin and throw it against one of its companions, knocking both down. Jolting in the direction of her last attacker, the Miraculous drew her flute and converted it into its staff form. No spells or tricks, she declared to herself as she twirled her weapon in her right hand. Once the final Avatar jumped forward, Volpina swung her staff, striking the beast upon its left cheek, and knocking it back until it stumbled off the rooftop and fell.
Her caring instincts returning to her, the fox Miraculous raced to the ledge and gazed down in the vain hope of rescuing the creature, only to find its body lying atop the ground of the alley before it faded into black and blue smoke and vanished. Her heart lightened, Volpina turned back to her remaining opponents. "You're not real," she declared in words full of both weight and relief. "Just smoke and shadows…But who made you? Who are you working for?"
Rising to their feet, the last two Avatars roared at the moon before running towards the Miraculous. Despite the loss of their companion, the two acted only out of instinct and direction: They felt nothing.
"If that's the way it's gotta be," Volpina declared before charging forward. Letting her staff dangle just in front of her leg, the young woman tightened her grip and swung upward at the closest opponent. The impact knocked the creature back, creating an opening for its partner to leap forward and slash the Miraculous' arm, successfully knocking her back. Though her suit was unharmed, the sting of the wound still burned. "Didn't your mom teach you how to treat a lady?"
Jumping forward to deliver its final blow, the Avatar stared blankly at its foe. However, before it could land its attack, Volpina drove both of her feet into its abdomen and thrust forward, propelling the beast back into the fire door. Though stunned, the final Avatar remained in its physical form. Retracting her staff, the fox Miraculous quickly took a picture of her strange foe and prepared to neutralize it until her allies arrived. However, before she drew near, the creature looked up at her, its eyes almost reflecting a look of sorrow, and faded into smoke that dissipated on the wind.
"…Huh," Volpina exclaimed after taking a second to process what had happened. "Don't send rabbits…to chase a fox," she proudly declared as she turned her back to the scene and leapt into the night.
Bowing her head, Mayura tightly shut and clenched her eyes. "Failure," she angrily roared as her entire being seemed to drown in sorrow and disgust. "…But I won't give up…" the woman's voice grew cold as an icy determination flowed through her veins. "I'll find them…I'll find more. I'll turn the entire city's pain and anguish against you, Ladybug. Then, your friends will become my prisoners. You will not stand in his way any longer."
"Alya, I'm here," Marinette exclaimed as she raced into Master Fu's apartment. "I got your call, but I couldn't make it in time. Thank Heaven you're okay. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me."
"Marinette, it's okay," Alya warmly replied as she slowly sipped a cup of hot tea while Trixx nibbled on a cookie. "Trixx and I handled it. But that's not the point. Those things that attacked me…they weren't Akumatized. I'd never felt anything like them before." Pulling the photograph from her pocket, the young woman handed her friend the only surviving piece of evidence from the battle. "Does this ring any bells?"
Studying the image, Marinette slowly shook her head before handing it to her master. "How many were there?" she asked.
"Three," Alya answered. "They all turned to smoke once they were beaten, but the last one…it was like he forced himself to vanish. Master, do you know what they could be?"
Gazing deeply into the flames licking the air in his fireplace, the old master let out a heavy breath. "…Yes, Alya," he confessed with a great weight to his voice. "Deh creatures you fought…were constructs made by deh peacock Miraculous."
"What?" Marinette and Alya exclaimed.
"Deh second lost Miraculous…" Master Fu recounted his sorrowful loss. "I had thought it lost forever…But now, evil has claimed it as its own. It was broken long ago…And deh damages have opened it to a darkness…It cries out to me, but I cannot find it." With that, the old master lowered his head in shame.
"Master, don't blame yourself," Marinette begged of her dear mentor. The young woman walked up to the man and gently placed her hand on his weary shoulder. "We've been searching for Hawk Moth for years and haven't found him. Besides, things are different now." Fu looked back at his student. "…We've got each other."
Alya and Master Fu found themselves smiling at Marinette's simple yet profound statement. Not long after, Chat Noir's knock sounded at the door. The elderly man welcomed his student, who entered in his civilian attire. "Sorry I came so late," Adrien declared as he walked over to Alya and warmly embraced her. "Plagg couldn't wake me up. By the time I finally came to, your message said everything was okay."
"I got attacked by these three creatures," Alya explained. "Master Fu says they came from the peacock Miraculous. They all disappeared, but there'll definitely be more."
Adrien felt his heart begin to pound as he turned nervously to his master. "Another Miraculous?" he gasped. "I'm so sorry. I should've been there. I…"
"Adrien, neither of us got there in time," Marinette spoke up. "Besides, the things that attacked Alya were mindless beasts. They didn't have any information to give. Please, don't blame yourself."
Clenching his fist, Master Fu forced out one last act of hypocrisy. "She is right, Adrien," he declared. "We cannot linger in deh past. Dere is much to prepare for. Forgive yourself, Adrien. It is deh only way." Nodding his head, the blond young man let out a heavy sigh and took a seat on the floor. "You did deh right thing by calling in assistance, Alya. You have come a long way."
"Thank you, Master," Alya warmly replied. "Those creatures, they seemed to give off some kind of…like, an emotion. The one took my hand, and I started feeling helpless and depressed. I could barely even stand. It's like it was controlling my mind."
"And it hit you with feelings you were already struggling with," Trixx added as she took a seat on her partner's shoulder. "Master, can the Peacock Miraculous tap into a person's emotions like Hawk Moth can?"
"I am afraid so," Master Fu answered as he slowly took a seat across from his students. "Deh peacock Miraculous carries deh power of Empathy. I had thought another Miraculous would guard its holder from dat power, but I was wrong. Alya, deh peacock Miraculous attempted to manipulate your feelings. What brought you to feel such sorrow and despair?"
"…I was afraid, Master," the reddish-brunette confessed. "Those things you said to me…I was afraid I was still powerless, weak. I started thinking, again, that you made a mistake choosing me. When that thing touched my hand, all those thoughts attacked me all at once. I'm sorry, Master. If it weren't for me…"
"Alya, no," Marinette interrupted with fire in her voice. "Never apologize for having feelings. That's what drew Hawk Moth to me before…This was not your fault. We're a team…a family…We have to open up and trust each other."
"Marinette, despite her emotional outbursts, is wise beyond her years," the elderly man proudly declared, much to Marinette's confusion. "Alya, we all have battles to be fought. Deh words I give you are neither threat nor doubt. I believe dat you have deh strength to endure what lies ahead of you. But, you must be deh one to convince yourself of dat. Dere is nothing to fear. I made no mistake in choosing any of you."
"Besides, whatever you can't figure out, I'm sure I can," Trixx happily volunteered.
"And we're here for you, too, Alya," Adrien added with a gleam of hope in his voice. "Just like you are for us."
"Thanks, guys," the African-American young woman lovingly replied. "And, thanks for believing in me."
"Just as long as you believe in yourself, too," Marinette reminded her friend. Alya smiled at her dearest friend and nodded her head. "Master, what's our next move?"
In the darkness and silence of Hawk Moth's gilded cage, Mayura searched the city for the Miraculous, only to be left with nothing. The woman closed her eyes and dropped to her knees in shame as bitter tears dripped down her cheeks. With a heavy, painful sigh of defeat, Nathalie relinquished her dark Miraculous form and released Duusu, who flew to her new partner's shoulder. Once the Miraculous Light faded, the woman kept her glance on the cold, metal floor as she let out a loud, heaving cough that burned her chest and throat. As her heart began to pound, Nathalie clasped her neck with her right hand while her left supported her trembling body.
Duusu quickly wrapped herself around her partner's back and warmly embraced her. Despite the Kwami's efforts, the purple-haired woman continued to cough and gag for nearly ten minutes. Once the spell was over, Nathalie collapsed onto her right side, struggling to calm her pounding heart and steady her breathing. As saliva began to stream from her dry, cracked lips, the woman gasped repeatedly, until she found peace and an escape from her pain. Duusu lay atop her friend's arm and lovingly held her until Nathalie's tired, bloodshot eyes finally began to close. "All better now," the Kwami prayed, her voice just above a whisper. "All better now."