Chapter 28: Mama Piper
It's evening in the Couffaine houseboat. Luka just finished guitar practice and puts his instrument away. He tells Juleka he's going to head out for a bit. Juleka looks up from her phone, asking him where he's going. Luka pauses a moment and then tells her the truth—he's going to meet up with the rest of the B Team to practice using their powers. Juleka is still processing all this information and asks if he'll be okay. Luka confirms he trusts the rest of his pack. She then asks if he really is Alpha.
Luka glances around to make sure their mother isn't watching. He then transforms in front of Juleka. She's speechless. Alpha promises he'll be okay and that he'll return in an hour and a half. He bounds outside and into the sunset. Juleka still is a bit unsure about her brother being a superhero, but she is flattered that she's the one he trusted with this secret.
Juleka returns to her phone. She's been texting Rose Lavillant and Mylene Haprele and the other girls. Rose mentions she found an audition for models, and she's encouraging Juleka to go for it. Juleka doesn't feel confident about it. Remember her curse with pictures? However, Mylene also chimes in—"I know what it's like to be afraid, but you can do amazing things when you swallow that fear. And no one wants to live in fear." Marinette Dupin-Cheng even offers to give Juleka a trial run with some of her fashion designs to give Juleka confidence and practice. Alya Cesaire says they could photograph it to give Juleka a leg up during the application part of the audition (meaning Juleka would have high quality photos for her application). They even suggest Adrien Agreste could give pointers as he's a model and link him into the conversation. Juleka thanks them all and calls them the best friends a girl could have.
The B Team again meets in the cemetery. Alpha congratulates them all for following their guidelines and is impressed with how well they're working. Firefly is a bit restless for action and fighting alongside Ladybug. Froppy repeats herself that it's a good thing when they're not all needed as that means things haven't escalated. Dauphin then wonders about Cat Noir's prior half-joke during Black Thorn about "call us if you need us?" Firefly tells Dauphin that it was clearly a joke (Firefly is disappointed but accepts the golden duo likely weren't serious), but Froppy suggests that they ponder what if Cat Noir and Ladybug were serious? Should they open communicate with Paris's heroes? Tsukuyomi says "no," but the other heroes like to consider that idea. Firefly is all for it, and Alpha feels that it's worth at least thinking about. After all, Ladybug did trust me to be Viperion, I can at least trust her with a phone call, right?
Alpha delegates out practices, drills, meditation, and sparring, and the B Team gets to work.
The next morning opens in the Beaureal home. Aurore is getting ready early for her work at the news station. Her step-mother is trying to get Aurore's little brother ready for school. And he is pretty young, maybe even a year younger than Alya's sisters. It's clear that this blended family is new, as Aurore is very awkward around her step-mother. Her brother, Guilliame, isn't responding well to the new Mrs. Beaureal at all. No matter what she tries, he fusses and runs away and struggles and doesn't listen. When Aurore does the exact same thing, Guilliame listens to her. Mrs. Beaureal is flustered, but she does thank Aurore for her help. Aurore says, "you're welcome" and she calls her step-mother by her first name, Pauline, not by "mother." Aurore then leaves for her part time celebrity work, leaving Mrs. Beaureal to try to get her step-son off to elementary school.
By the time she actually gets Guilliame to his school, she's stressed. She drops him off and says good-bye. He says good-bye too and also calls her "Pauline." Mrs. Beaureal tells him that he can call her mother. He says "no, I can't because you'll never be my real mom." Mrs. Beaureal, who loves the kids as well as their father, is heart broken.
Hawk Moth picks up on her rejection and sends an akuma her way. He transforms her into Mama Piper, inspired by the Pied Piper mythos. With her weapon (a pipe, surprise, surprise), she can hypnotize any child and make them obey her commands. Hawk Moth promises that all the children of Paris will love her as if she were their own mother.
He isn't alone. Nathalie Sancoeur is at his side, and Hawk Moth gives her permission to turn into Mayura. With the power to control children, even the superheroes (who are all still minors) will fall to her powers. And Mayura has just the power to ensure that all the children of Paris hear the pipes. Mayura creates an amok and sends it to Mama Piper as an ally—it's a giant goose, for transportation and elevation. Inspired by Mother Goose.
Mama Piper first turns her sights on the elementary school in front of her. She hypnotizes all the children into following her and then heads into Paris, charming anyone under 18 who happens to hear her. The news quickly picks up on this; it's pretty hard to hide a parade of children. This does allow Nadja Chamack to warn families.
The Akuma Alert goes live with an extra warning to not let minors hear the melody. This sparks an evacuation of the main cast's school, as that's where Mama Piper is heading. She's after Aurore. Principal Damocles tells everyone to remain calm. They do for the most part as this is starting to become old hat, but there is an undercurrent of tension. Mylene Haprele is humming "Smelly Wolf" because she's scared (and Ivan Bruel is out sick, so she can't rely on him.) Nonetheless, she gathers her courage and takes Juleka and Monique Imhof's hands to help them to safety. She even waits up for Marinette, who was trying to sneak off and transform. Juleka thanks Mylene, and Mylene repeats the same line of thinking that Luka did—courage means acting when afraid, not being devoid of fear.
It takes some excuses for Marinette and Adrien to sneak out of the evacuation after head count. (Nathaniel, Kim, Tsuyu, Fumikage, and Luka are also having trouble slipping out.) They both put on ear protection before going to confront Mama Piper as Ladybug and Cat Noir. They meet up and greet each other, but they can't properly hear the greeting, so it's a bit of a funny.
They leap in to break Mama Piper's akumatized object, but all the children she has under her power defend her. They do so in ways appropriate for their ages and abilities, like throwing balls or yelling insults or just standing in front of Mama Piper. Ladybug and Cat Noir realize this is going to be A LOT harder than they realized.
The first thing they have to do is keep Mama Piper from brainwashing more children. This means distracting her so she can't play her pipe. Unfortunately, thanks to her senti monster ally, she's able to get high enough to avoid their weapons, and she keeps playing. The goose is also fast and agile. Fortunately, Nadja Chamack is getting skilled at broadcasting superheroes and has enough foresight to turn the sound off so children aren't hypnotized over the television.
At the school's evacuation point, the B Team does their best to meet with their spotters. Nathaniel finds Marc, Kim is with Max but he doesn't have the anklet, Luka finds Juleka (mostly to make sure she's okay, he is a worried big brother), Tsuyu and Fumikage are already together. Of all the irony, the entire B Team minus Ondine is in the same location, and none of them realize it. (Remember, like the term "B Team" (most of the time) and several others, "spotters" is the summary-based term and not actually how things will be called in-fic.)
It all breaks down as Mama Piper is able to get past Ladybug and Cat Noir to the evacuation point. The teachers are very good about telling students to cover their ears. Many do their best. Some pull out headphones and whatnot. However, as more and more students fall under the piper's song, things break into chaos. This gives the entire B Team a chance to sneak out and transform (the dolphin trio winds up running a bit late as they have to go off campus to find Ondine). The B Team is also very careful about making sure all their spotters have hearing protection as well before they take off, also wearing headphones or whatnot themselves.
Ladybug and Cat Noir catch up with Mama Piper and her goose and do their best to hold her off until Miss Bustier, Ms Mendeleiev, Mr Haprele, Principal Damocles, and the rest can get the students to another place of safety. It's worth noting that at this point, Alya, Mylene, and Aurore are free of control. However, now Mama Piper has teenagers under her control as well. Among them is Cameran Tyler, who is a skilled baseball pitcher (and an American exchange student).
Mama Piper urges the controlled teenagers to come to her aid, making it a rather chaotic scene as people are evacuating, fighting, trying to find siblings, etc. Ladybug activates her Lucky Charm, getting a single pair of earplugs. Cat Noir remarks that now they only need a thousand more of them. Fortunately for Ladybug and Cat Noir, the B Team begins to arrive with Firefly landing on the scene first. Since he naturally has flight, he's able to reach Mama Piper. (Ladybug and Cat Noir do make a passing comment about needing to go off and transform back into their flight forms. However, the special sorta jossed that concept as a superhero can just eat the potion while transformed to change forms. However, that ability might not be canon to the fic.) Unfortunately for Ladybug and Cat Noir, Cameran is able to pitch a baseball and knock both of their hearing protection off.
Despite Firefly's best effort to distract Mama Piper as well as Cat Noir and Ladybug using their hands to cover their ears, both main superheroes begin to succumb. They're struggling, and Cat Noir sees Ladybug begin to remove her hands as her eyes move towards Mama Piper. He loves her too much to let that happen, so he removes his own hands from his ears and clasps Ladybug's hands in his, moving them back to her own ears—so she has four hands on her head to protect her. This is enough to snap Ladybug out of it. She then struggles, shouting at Cat Noir to protect himself. He says he loves her as his eyes glaze over. Ladybug shouts his name. With one final burst of control, Cat Noir shoves her away as hard as he can so she can escape the range of noise. He struggles to get out the word Cataclysm to protect his ring. Then he succumbs and joins Mama Piper.
The rest of the B Team arrives minus Dauphine and Tsukuyomi, who is still called Crow-man by the populace. They begin to help in any way they can—getting children away from Mama Piper, helping with the evacuation, and especially keeping brain-controlled Cat Noir at bay. Ladybug is mildly panicked as Cat Noir begins to fight against them. She looks at her lucky ear plugs but sees no way to use them. Then Cat Noir's comment about "needing a thousand of them" echoes in her head. She has an idea, but she needs the B Team to hold Mama Piper at bay for a while. The B Team is more than willing to help.
Ladybug races to Master Fu. He's surprised to see her but offers her the miraculous box. That confirms Ladybug's idea as two miraculous do the grey vision/red dots thing in front of her. She selects the fox…and then she selects the mouse.
Meanwhile, the B Team does their best against Cat Noir and his active Cataclysm. Fortunately, they are able to divert his Cataclysm into something non-living, leaving him brainwashed and with only five minutes left of his transformation. Dauphine arrives as well to help. Their spotters are also watching from a distance, ears protected.
Hawk Moth and Mayura watch rather happily as things turn out. Mayura points out that Ladybug is gone; they can't get her earrings. Hawk Moth is sure she'll be back soon...but in the meantime, he has an idea. He tells Mama Piper to have Cat Noir fall back and then take off his ring.
Cat Noir leaps behind Mama Piper as she holds the B Team back. This puts him within range of Fumikage's hiding spot. The rest of the B Team is unable to stop him as he reaches for his ring and begins to slide it off his finger. Fumikage decides that this qualifies as an emergency and chances it, transforming into Tsukuyomi (while he's supposed to be Froppy's spotter) and using his shadow to bind Cat Noir's arms so he can't take his ring off. Cat Noir struggles, but Tsukuyomi/Crow-man holds him tightly. Hawk Moth, through Mama Piper, tells them it's only a matter of a minute until Cat Noir transforms back, then the entire world will know his identity.
Alpha grins and Howls, which refills Cat Noir's counter gauge, meaning he won't transform back. Tsukuyomi then grapples with Cat Noir to prevent him from speaking—he also moves to the ears to try to block out the noise. Mayura comments that maybe it's time to take control of the B Team. Hawk Moth points out that he could only turn one member at the moment and in doing so, would lose his advantage over them forever (as it would confirm such an advantage existed. He's aiming for a bigger, longer gain than what he would get now.) He also can't do more since she's busy being Mayura not Catalyst. Instead, he tells Mama Piper to order her enthralled students to remove the ear coverings from everyone left around.
Ladybug circles behind the school, looking for Alya. Unfortunately, at that moment, Alya Cesaire has her hands full trying to protect Rose and Mylene while Yvonne Garnier and Genevieve Faucher go for her headphones. Alya tells Rose and Mylene to run while she holds them off. Then Alya is swarmed. The girls flee; Mylene is singing "Smelly Wolf" again to herself.
Rose trips. Mylene has a moment where she can run and save herself. Although scared, she hurries back and helps Rose. Ladybug jumps down and defends them, giving them time to escape. Ladybug then traps the brainwashed students in a classroom and turns around. She's surprised to see Mylene watching her from around the corner. Ladybug asks why, and Mylene says she was worried about Ladybug and thought maybe she could help. (Remember, they all have ear protection on, so their hearing isn't perfect.) Ladybug looks at the two miraculous in her hand and then sees Alya, eyes glazed over, now amid the throngs of controlled students.
Ladybug makes her decision and gives the mouse to Mylene. Mylene accepts after the usual "you will use your powers for the greater good" speech. Mylene then transforms into Minimouse. Ladybug gives Minimouse the lucky ear plugs and tells her what to do in a whisper, so the reader doesn't know (unspoken plan guarantee). Minimouse is still a bit timid, so she points out that Mama Piper is likely to notice. Ladybug insists she won't. She then fuses the ladybug and the fox miraculous together, turning herself into Fox Bug (or Lady Fox) the heroine.
Lady Fox returns to the fray, helping out the B Team. Froppy is surprised by her new form as Fox Bug, but Lady Fox says there's no time to explain. Hawk Moth warns Mama Piper that they're up to something just as Lady Fox casts Mirage. However, it doesn't appear to change anything. Cat Noir breaks free of Tsukuyomi and charges Fox Bug. Froppy tries to stop him with her fishing line and hook, but he evades it.
Meanwhile, Minimouse splits herself into hundreds of tiny clones using her Multitude ability—and each clone has a pair of earplugs. All of her scampers into the crowd, putting ear plugs in children's ears. The illusion Lady Fox cast made it so no one could see what Minimouse was doing.
The battle between Mama Piper and her minions versus Lady Fox and the B Team continues. We get to see all of the heroes' weapons: fishing line and hook for Froppy, feather darts for Tsukuyomi, glowing spring for Firefly, spear for Alpha, surfboard for Dauphin, yo-yo for Lady Fox, baton for Cat Noir, and jump rope for Minimouse. We also get to see various abilities. Tsukuyomi has to use his Abyssal Black Body to coat himself in living shadow to help hold the brainwashed students back. Froppy uses Camouflage to escape in a pinch. Firefly can use Beacon to get his allies out of a jam before their hearing protection are removed. Alpha uses Howl to empower everyone. It's only Dauphin's Echolocation to find a secure route that would be hard to fit in.
Despite it all, Mama Piper insists that Fox Bug's crew can't beat her because she's a mother to her children and they all love her. "Isn't that right?" Her mind controlled children all reply hollowly. Mama Piper realizes this isn't what she wants. She wants her real (step) children to care about her. She demands the children she controls tell her that they love her. Again, the words are empty. And only half spoke. Fox Bug realizes her plan is working as now half of the children are free.
Then one voice cuts through the crowd and the conflict. One word, crystal clear. "Mom!" Mama Piper looks up. Aurore is standing on the roof/balcony/top floor whatever, looking right at her. A single tear slides down Mama Piper's face. THIS is what she wanted. However, Hawk Moth refuses to let her go. He doubles down, demanding Mama Piper user her thralls to subdue Ladybug/Fox Bug. Mama Piper is lost in the akumatization and demands just that.
And no one responds. She players her pipe again, ordering them to attack. However, everyone she previously controlled is being urged to escape in a calm and safe manner by a Minimouse on their shoulders. Mama Piper turns to Cat Noir, demanding he attack his allies. Cat Noir shakes his head to clear it and smiles, refusing. Mama Piper looks over. She and Hawk Moth then both notice the Minimouse on his shoulder.
This distraction is enough to allow someone from the B Team to bolt in and destroy the akumatized item and senti monster. Lady Fox de-evilizes the akuma and amok, and Tsukuyomi catches Mrs. Beaureal before she falls. Fox Bug does her world-healing wave, and the entire group Pounds It—even Minimouse, who regathers into her proper height. She's flustered and a bit overwhelmed, but she's very happy she could help.
Aurore runs to her step-mother to make sure everything is okay. Mrs. Beaureal is confused as to what happened. However, she does have one crystal clear memory. "You called me mom?" Aurore nods a bit hesitantly. She says this is all a time of change for their whole family. She misses her biological mom—but she knows the new Mrs. Beaureal loves her dad very much and makes him happy. And...and Aurore WANTS her to be a part of the family. The two hug, and Mrs. Beaureal promises she won't try to replace Aurore's mother. Aurore shakes her head—"you don't have to replace her, you just have to be your own type of mother to us."
Meanwhile, Lady Fox and Cat Noir talk to the B Team, who is fully present. Both thank the B Team for their help as this wouldn't have been possible without them. (Minimouse is a bit confused by everything they say—maybe she has to run off to detransform just so she's not in this scene?) Fox Bug says that she doesn't like it, but they have accepted that they can't stop the B Team. She just repeats her warning about Hawk Moth and tells them to be careful ("be careful." there it is again). Cat Noir also adds that they're going to accept the offer to open communication between the two teams. The B Team is surprised but thrilled by this development. Froppy actually pulls out a business card with their Discord/chat room/whatever that they use to talk to each other. She gives it to Lady Fox. (Remember, Tsuyu/Froppy's personal development is efficient organization.)
"Got it memorized?" When Fox Bug confirms she does, Froppy uses her tongue to steal it back and eat it (after all, Froppy is the secretary of the group whereas Alpha is the leader). "We don't want that to fall into the wrong hands. We take secret identities as seriously as you do." That is a bit of relief to Fox Bug, who is still uncertain about more quasi-miraculous being active (but she's aware the B Team won't give them up and that she doesn't have the moral impurity to steal them). Firefly flirts with Lady Fox a bit, and Cat Noir snaps at him.
Alpha tells Fox Bug that they do respect Ladybug and Cat Noir and what they do to keep Paris safe. They don't want to step on Ladybug and Cat Noir's toes—let alone put them at risk or jeopardize their mission to stop Hawk Moth. He says he does want them to be allies instead of rivals, and he says they realize Ladybug is the only one who can purify akumas. Lady Fox says she appreciates it—then she and Cat Noir have to go. They leave. Fox Bug collects the mouse miraculous from Mylene and thanks her for helping. Mylene is flattered. Fox Bug makes sure to get the fox and the mouse back to Master Fu.
To be continued in Chapter 29: Alchemist…