Chapter 2

Spotted Turtle was starting to feel hopeless.

"I don't know how I can get close enough to Malediktator to destroy his sash," she said. "I can't swing around the city in this form. Carapace couldn't leap as well as the rest of us, either. Malediktator's slaves will spot me and he'll be ready for me."

"Don't forget that I have potions of extra empowerment," said Master Fu.

Master Fu went into the next room and returned with small rack of test tubes.

"You have tried Water and Ice," said Master Fu. "What about Air, with the power of flight?"

"Thanks! That'll help," said Spotted Turtle.

"You must detransform and let Wayzz feed first, since you just used Shell-ter," said Master Fu. "Then I will give him the potion."

After Wayzz had refueled with salad greens, they went to the rooftop. Master Fu gave Wayzz a spoonful of the yellow potion.

"Wayzz, power up!" said Marinette.

Wayzz spun in the air and sprouted light green wings. "Aero-Wayzz!"

"Aero-Wayzz, shell on!"

The transformation dance this time included spinning around in the air and ended up with hovering on her new wings.

"Good fortune, Spotted Turtle," said Master Fu. "The fate of the city depends on you."

"I know," said Spotted Turtle nervously, flying off from the roof.

Everything was quiet. Cars were stopped and pedestrians were standing still. Everyone was waiting for orders from their new master. Spotted Turtle realized this wasn't a sustainable situation – the city would die of thirst in a few days if Malediktator didn't bother to command them to drink.

She arrived at the school; the helicopter was no longer there. Mr. Damocles was still leading a demolition crew.

"Specific orders must take precedence over new general ones," thought Spotted Turtle. "Now, where would Malediktator go next? Most likely City Hall, where he can reign over everyone."

Spotted Turtle flew towards City Hall – the wings were faster than swinging by yo-yo. She flew from building to building, taking cover as she went. The motionless slaves weren't reacting, but she didn't want to be seen by Malediktator or anyone he had commanded to protect him.

Spotted Turtle landed in the cupola at the top of City Hall and looked down.

Malediktator and his entourage were the steps of City Hall. A troop of police officers were around him as his guards. Audrey and Chloé were on either side of him. On all fours, next to Audrey, was Adrien, purring to her.

"Why is Adrien acting like a cat?" thought Spotted Turtle. "I expected Chat Noir. Unless... Adrien was Chat Noir all along!"

Spotted Turtle tried to deal with the shock. How could sweet, gentle Adrien was the wild and flirtatious Chat?

While she was still processing this, Hawk Moth came running up to Malediktator. "I am here to serve you, Master, as you commanded through the link."

"Very good," said Malediktator. "Drop your transformation and let me see who you really are."

"Dark wings, fall!" said Hawk Moth.

Another shock: Hawk Moth was Gabriel Agreste! They suspected him once, but then he had become the Collector. He must have akumatized himself somehow to throw them off his track.

"You shall be my personal valet," said Malediktator to Gabriel. "It will serve you right for trying to control me."

"Yes, Master," said Gabriel.

"I wish you would put my pet back in his cute cat costume, darling," said Audrey. (She was under the spell to be a loyal wife rather than a slave, which allowed her a mind of her own).

"Is that all right with you, Chloé?" Malediktator asked his daughter. "I know he's your friend."

"Anything you want, Master," said Chloé.

"Call me Daddy."

"Yes, Master Daddy."

Malediktator looked a little annoyed, but he shook his head and returned to the business at hand.

"I'll do it," said Malediktator. "Tell me how to make him Chat Noir again, Gabriel. You know about these Miraculous matters."

"Put his ring back on, Master," said Gabriel.

Audrey still had the ring, and she slipped it back onto Adrien's hand.

"Now he needs to say his transformation phrase," said Gabriel.

"Meow!" said Adrien.

Plagg showed himself. "I am Plagg the Cat kwami, here to serve you, Master. Adrien can't say anything when he's like this, but I can still transform him if you wish."

"Do it," said Malediktator.

Plagg flew into the ring and Adrien turned back into Chat Noir.

The group began to walk together into City Hall.

"Now is my best chance," thought Spotted Turtle.

Flying out from the cupola, Spotted Turtle took the shield off her back and hurled it at the most breakable part of the mayor's sash, the medallion on the ribbon.

The police officers around him instantly formed themselves into a barrier to block the shield. It bounced off and two officers caught it. She had lost her only weapon.

"I failed!" Spotted Turtle said to herself.

"Get that flying attacker!" Malediktator commanded.

Spotted Turtle flew into an open window of the building as the police readied their weapons and bystanders began throwing whatever they could up at her.

Spotted Turtle felt like crying.

"What should I do?" she thought. "Just run and let Malediktator win? Paris will die, and Adrien will be a cat for the rest of his life!"

Then she saw an object on a meeting table, and thought of one last chance. It was very risky, but she had to try it.

Marinette slipped out of a side door. Detransformed, she was not a target of the flying hero hunt. She walked around to the front of the building where a pair of police officers stood guard.

"I'm here to receive special orders from the Master," Marinette told the guards.

They let her pass. Inside, Malediktator had set up his court in the entry of City Hall. Ornate chairs had been found as thrones for the ruler, his wife, and his daughter. Chat Noir was playing at Audrey's feet.

Marinette approached and bowed.

"I was hiding at the school when you were there today, Master," Marinette said as calmly as possible. "I heard you say that you had a special order for me, but I don't know what it was. I am here to receive and obey your commands."

It was a huge risk, but Marinette calculated that both the orders about the school and about her were demands from Chloé before the akumatization happened. It wouldn't be to kill her... she hoped.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I order you to exile yourself from Paris," said Malediktator. "You will go home and get your parents, and then all of you will leave the city and never return."

"Yes, Master," said Marinette, bowing again.

Marinette held the laser pointer she had taken from the office table in the palm of her right hand. She placed the red dot in front of Chat Noir, catching his attention. She swiftly moved it up until it was centered on the medallion of the sash.

Chat Noir pounced on it with his super strength. The medallion tore away before Malediktator and his guards could react. The akuma butterfly was released.

The prerequisite for the healing spell was fulfilled. Marinette pulled from her purse the spotted abacus that had lead her to Master Fu, and threw it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

She wasn't entirely sure it was going to work since she wasn't Ladybug and had even renounced Tikki, but it did. The magical swarm of ladybugs flew out and everyone returned to their right minds.

"What happened?" asked Chat Noir, getting up from the floor.

Now she had to act fast to catch the akuma before it multiplied. She got out the earrings and put them on.

"Tikki, I reclaim you!"

The kwami reappeared. "Marinette, I'm sorry I turned against you!"

"Not your fault. Tikki, spots on!"

Moments later, she captured and purified the akuma.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly!"

The finale was bittersweet. The secret identities of both Ladybug and Chat Noir were exposed to the world, but so was Hawk Moth's. He was taken away by the police to face charges of terrorism.

"I guess we can give up our Miraculous powers now and go back to normal life," Marinette said to Adrien.

"There's not going to be a normal life for me," said Adrien. "My father is going to jail as a master villain. Even Nathalie is being questioned. They think she's implicated, too."

"Maybe we should leave Paris," said Marinette. "At least for a while. My parents called and they're talking about going to Italy to stay with relatives and avoid the paparazzi. You could come with us."

"I'd like that," said Adrien.

"It was what Chloé wanted, for me to be forced to leave Paris," said Marinette.

"That was extreme," said Adrien. "Maybe I was wrong about her."

"I've heard that Mayor Bourgeois is resigning and leaving for New York with his family. I wish he didn't – it really wasn't his fault. If he hadn't come so close to winning, I think he would have stayed and even Chloé could have been reconciled with everyone. I almost made her Queen Bee again."

"So you do forgive her," said Adrien. "I like that about you, that you see the good in everyone."

"You've helped me see that about Chloé."

"Marinette, I hope we can spend more time together and get to know each other better."

"Each of us had a secret side we kept from each other. I idolized you from a distance. I'd like to know the real you."

"Me too."

Marinette gave Adrien a tender kiss on the cheek.

THE END