Chapter 1: Sandboy

The fic version of this episode starts and is told from Nathaniel Kurtzberg's point of view. It's the beginning of day, before school, and he's at a stationary/arts and crafts store buying supplies. On his way to the cashier, a golden pencil topper shaped like a lightning bug catches his eye. He impulse buys it (perhaps the cashier mentions she doesn't remember seeing it before)—and winds up barely making it to class on time, the bell ringing just as he gets through the door.

The main characters are up to their usual shenanigans with Chloe Bourgeois flirting with Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupin-Cheng getting jealous. On his way to the back row, where he sits, Nathaniel watches her for a moment. Then Miss Bustier calls the class to order. Nathaniel promptly does what he does every day. He takes out his notebook so it looks like he's listening. Then he props up his sketchpad behind it and begins working on his comics.

He's working on a Ladybug fan comic (using a pencil topped with his new charm)—namely, he's working on line art with physical pencil and paper before uploading it into his tablet. However, he isn't too happy with his overall plot as he does realize it's glaringly a self-insert (hence why he's working it out with pencil and paper first) with himself as The Mighty Illustrator, fighting along side Ladybug and Cat Noir and being another love interest for Ladybug. He doesn't really know how to fix that since he's an artist, not a writer. And he badly wishes he could be there, right alongside Ladybug, helping her. His crush is pretty obvious.

He's busy sketching, completely in the zone, when Miss Bustier snaps him out of it. She's standing right over him, and it's clear she's been there for a while. Nathaniel is embarrassed, and when it's revealed what he's drawing, Chloe mocks him for having a crush on Ladybug. Marinette calls Chloe out, saying it's not right to mock someone for falling in love. A few more students chime in before Miss Bustier calls the class to order again and gives Nathaniel detention.

So he winds up getting home late. The apartment is empty; his parents are still at work. Again. It's clear he doesn't spend a lot of time with his family. (Probably like Amy from Sailor Moon.) Nathaniel goes to his room to start on homework, but it isn't long before he's working on his comic again. It's shown he's fairly lonely and that his nights are often like this. He falls asleep across his drawing table.

It's that night that Hawk Moth creates the akumatized victim Sandboy.

Nathaniel hears the Sandboy's obnoxious earworm ("The Sandboy just checked in; now nightmares can begin") and rouses himself. He calls out, wondering if his parents are home. They aren't, and loneliness lingers in the pit of his stomach. Nathaniel thinks it's pitch black outside as he stumbles around his room. He flips the switch, but no light. Nathaniel tries not to trip over furniture as he looks for a flashlight, but that doesn't turn on either. Confused, he struggles out of his room and into the apartment, but everything is blackness. He worries about his parents, wondering why they're still gone, then scolding himself as it isn't that unusual. Nathaniel gropes around, pencil and flashlight in hand. It's not until he places his hand on a lamp and realizes the bulb is warm that he understands that the lights are working. He just can't see. He's gone blind (his nightmare).

This causes him to panic as it means he'll never be able to draw again, never have a career in comics, never be able to read a comic or go to the art museum or anything ever again. He stumbles to the front door, feeling new fear in addition to the loneliness and isolation, not really sure what to do. It's when he's close to the door that he realizes there's strange sounds coming from outside—monsters, people screaming. That's when Nathaniel puts two and two together, realizing this is an akuma incident.

However, that doesn't stop his emotional overload. He can't hear Ladybug or Cat Noir outside (the canon bulk of this episode doesn't happen near Nathaniel's apartment). What happens if Ladybug and Cat Noir failed, will he ever see again? What if Ladybug is in trouble?!

His feelings causes the charm on the end of his pencil to react (he forgot he was even carrying in; he just picked it up out of reflex and panic). This is the first time the reader will see such a transformation without a kwami, so it has to be strongly implied that the reason he transformed are element plus emotions. In the case of this miraculous without a kwami, it's the light element plus the negative emotion of loneliness. Nathaniel Kurtzberg gets turned into a lightning bug themed superhero.

His outfit is like a red and black, full body leather motorcycle suit with a set of short wings that hang down to the back, hiding a jet-pack underneath. This includes gloves and boots with red soles. His mask isn't actually a mask at all but a full, face-concealing motorcycle-style helmet—though narrower with the visor rounded like conjoined insect eyes.

Nathaniel is confused at first, but ecstatic as his transformation means he can now see. He studies himself in a nearby mirror, trying to figure out what's going on. How did he become a superhero?! Wait—wait! He became a superhero! Nathaniel takes off out the front door, elated—and immediately runs into monsters conjured by Sandboy.

Nathaniel spends the next part of the chapter helping people and dealing with the monsters. He struggles to use his powers and is surprised when he's able to fly. He's abilities are light related, including blinding explosions. His weapon is a spring, which he wears coiled around his left arm from wrist to elbow. It glows via his will, and Nathaniel can use it to shoot orbs of light projectiles at opponents. He can also take the spring off and use it like a regular spring, but it is much more effective as a wrist-mounted weapon.

Nathaniel saves people and makes some clumsy fails. It's a combination of drama and humor. When asked by someone he helps, he names himself Firefly. In the end, however, he never does cross paths with Ladybug or Cat Noir.

The next day, Nathaniel wakes up at his drawing desk with a stiff neck. Was it all just a dream? It had to be. Darn. It was a nice dream too. Maybe he could use it for inspiration for his comic? Could he include a character named Firefly in his story? But he already has The Mighty Illustrator, and his online fans are used to that character.

Nathaniel realizes he needs to get to school and races out the door. He has to get himself ready for school, as usual, since his parents aren't even around in the morning. Luckily, he's not late this time. All his classmates are chatting about the newest akumatization incident—Sandboy. Wait, there really was an akuma last night? However, no one is talking about the mysterious Firefly who appeared, so Nathaniel is just about to dismiss it as a weird type of coincidental dream. Until Alya Cesaire pulls up some footage on her phone. It's blurry, but Nathaniel can tell it is Firefly (not a shot of Ladybug, as Alya assumes—it really is that blurry). Nathaniel is incredulous but excited beyond belief. Except he has no idea how he transformed.

To be continued in Chapter 2: Reverser…