Remember when I said I would have too much fun with this? I meant it, and this is the result

Back at the castle Hawkmoth settled in his throne, ordering the prisoner to be brought forth. However, since most of his subjects were a bit feral in nature they thought this meant they would be able to eat her. It wasn't surprising, Goblins had eaten Fairies in the past, and were this any other Fairy than the one they had captured he would have let them.

"No eating!" he ordered. A chorus of groans was his response, "I don't care, she's our bait to get the potion back."

"But-"

"No buts, bring her forth."

The sack was pushed close to him and then untied. From it Marinette rose, looking groggy and rubbing at her eyes. No one noticed that the dust she was rubbing out was pink. Hawkmoth's voice caught her attention,

"Welcome, little princess," he greeted with faux cordiality, "Do you know who I am?"

Marinette peered at him and blinked in a rather confused manner. Hawkmoth wondered what had happened to make her like that. She hadn't been handled with delicacy true, but he would have noticed an injury severe enough to leave visible head trauma. It was off putting to say the least. While he wanted her frightened and malleable, it hadn't exactly been his intention to seriously hurt her. He was walking a fine rope as it was considering he'd kidnapped her, but then something of immense value and potency had been stolen from him so it was fair. Though if the princess returned damaged he would certainly understand why the Fairy King would want to cease the peace treaty that had been put in place by their own fathers some decades ago.

Marinette still hadn't said anything. Hawkmoth clicked his fingers to her, "Hello?"

Then her eyes grew wide, pupils dilated until the irises were nearly eclipsed by the dark circles. Her smile was hesitant and shy, but at the same time big and stupid.

"Sugar pie!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together under her chin.

Hawkmoth was instantly taken aback, "What?" he deadpanned, utterly confused by her response.

Softly Marinette's wings spread and she took off, lightly floating over to him and taking his hands even as he tried to maintain a ferocious atmosphere. She was giggling like an idiot and she sighed dreamily. Hawkmoth reached for his staff and used it to push her back.

"Stay away," he warned her, "I'm evil, and I am not to be messed around with."

Still in the air, Marinette leaned against the end of the staff pointing at her. With an indulgent smile and a girlish sigh she replied, "Oh silly," then she began to sing, using the staff as a way to pull herself closer to him.

Hawkmoth tried to literally shake her off, "Stop that!" he ordered. But she wouldn't, he was tackled back to his throne, with her curled up in his lap and her arms around his neck. Pushing her off only let her hover in the air until she pushed against him. He flew up, trying to get out of reach but it was no use, she would follow. As she sung and stared like a besotted fool he noticed a strange glow to her skin, something that even the happiest of Fairies never usually possessed. Things started to click. This attitude, this behavior, he recognized it. Spring, and Rose, they always brought this on. And Rose had admitted to making the potion, but that mean? Of course it did, what was the point of making a love potion if its intent was to sit there unused? The potion had been used, and now he was going to suffer the fallout.

"The potion," he managed to get out through the jumbling of his thoughts while Marinette fluttered around him, "She's been dusted! It's the potion!"

Not that the revelation mattered, since Marinette's voice reverberated off the stark castle walls into a frequency that was causing his subjects visible pain. They couldn't hear anything over her singing. Hawkmoth continued to yell, trying to get them to listen but Marinette just followed his example and sang louder. He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arm's length. She stopped singing, too elated with the contact to continue and Hawkmoth slowly brought them back to the ground.

"Plagg, Trixx, take her away !" he ordered them, "Lock this love-crazy creature in the dungeon."

"She is crazy," another voice cut in as Trixx and Plagg went to execute his command. The last person he wanted as a witness to this debacle, Duusu, "Crazy in love with you. Do I hear wedding bells in the near future?"

That set Marinette off again and she started to sing, pulling against Trixx and Plagg's hold as they tried to escort her to the dungeon cells.

Hawkmoth glared at his step-mother, "Not with a Fairy, not with a princess, and most certainly not with a Fairy Princess," he growled, "I hate princesses."

"Fine," Duusu let it go, "But even if I have to look under every rock in this forest, I'm not going to let you die sad and alone."

Of course she wouldn't. But Hawkmoth wouldn't allow that to distract him, "Bring me Rosa Peace!" he ordered, slamming a fist down on the arm of his chair. He needed an antidote, or at least a way to shut her up for the time being.

MLB

Meanwhile Nathalie had flown to the border between the Fairy Fields and the Dark Forest. She stopped, hesitating, remembering everything that lurked and was said to lurk in the darkness. Her breath shuddered in and out of her, audibly trembling as her hands began to shake. The memories real and imagined, the nightmares, the stories they told of the innumerable dangers in that place. Nathalie wasn't sure she was ready for it. But then Marinette, poor Marinette, she was trapped in there. Nathalie wouldn't be worth the title she'd been born with if she just left her sibling to Hawkmoth's devices.

Tikki watched silently as Nathalie was trying to reaffirm her own decision. A touch of her rounded hand brought Nathalie out of her head and back to the present. Huge blue eyes met her own and Nathalie knew Tikki was silently encouraging her.

Right. Now was not the time to be doubt's prisoner. Now was the time to take a risk, and chance everything. Look out Dark Forest, Nathalie was coming. One final glance back at the land that was her home, then a nod to Tikki who signaled being ready when she was. Nathalie drew her sword and a look of fierce determination spread her wings and jumped into the abyss.

Her wings, usually quite light, lithe, and graceful were not made for the brambles and briers of the Dark Forest. Nathalie had to watch out a great deal as her shadow swept across the forest floor. There were things Nathalie had never seen before and couldn't begin to imagine had existed. She and Tikki saw a circle made of thread, but coming close to inspect it brought out a fearsome eight-legged monster that send the two fluttering away. As they did Nathalie's feet brushed against something and it began to move. Ferns, that unfurled and spread their leaves to the night sky. As Nathalie and Tikki evaded them they ended up Flying past a Goblin who spotted them. However, since Goblins couldn't fly the most it could do was raise the alarm.

Nathalie and Tikki had to do some pretty skillful flying maneuvers to evade the other creatures that proceeded to pop out of nowhere, each of them reaching for the Fairy interloper. To get out of reach Nathalie flew high into the sky, just in reach of the moon's light. It glimmered off her wings, making them turn a silvery purple while Tikki was thrown into a splendorous contrast.

"Well," Tikki giggled, always trying to make the best of a situation, "You wanted adventure."

"And now, I've got it." Nathalie shook her head, "Come on!"

Adrien, Pollen, and Nooroo meanwhile were chasing after the Imp. Adrien was on one of the Field's dragonflies while the Sprites swarmed around him. Each of them carried a rope and were to use them in tandem to subdue the creature. But as the Imp scurried along it gained more and more speed. Not to mention the distances it was quickly eating up, the potion caught in its tail. But the chase was uneventful as every rope that was tossed was evaded with ease. The Imp was just as acrobatic as Adrien was.

"Now what?" Pollen asked.

Adrien decided to tie his rope to the bo staff Nathalie had insisted he learn how to use and threw it the same way he would as if he were casting a fishing line. It caught hold of the Imp's foot and Adrien pulled tight, but in much the same manner as a hooked fish the Imp began to wriggle and writhe, pulling at the rope and trying to break free of it. It jerked to and fro and a sharp movement pulled Adrien off his dragonfly. He dug his heels into the ground, but the Imp was pulling hard enough to cause him to skid as he struggled to pull back. It was a tug of war and there was no telling who the winner would be. But just as suddenly the Imp stopped resisting, and allowed the Elf to start tugging. Adrien relaxed, not the wisest move at all. As soon as she felt that tiny bit of slack on the rope the Imp darted off, and completely caught off guard Adrien was dragged along for the ride right into a thick stem of a tall flower. Just as Adrien turned around he saw the Imp continue to run in circles around him, tightening the rope and securing him to the stem.

"Adrien!" Pollen and Nooroo exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Adrien assured them, "though my pride is a little bruised."

To add insult to injury the Imp darted in front of Adrien, slipped the loop off its foot and with its tail wiggled the bottle of the love potion in front of the three before giggling, blowing a kiss, and slipping off.

Adrien sighed, "And now I'm mad." He drew a blade from his pocket and cut the rope binding free from him and his staff, shrinking the latter down and tucking it in his pocket. Without a word he signaled to continue the chase.

MLB

Despite being dragged down into the dungeon Marinette hadn't ceased her singing. And by some unfortunate magic it was echoing throughout the entire castle. Hawkmoth's Goblins were near tears as the sound continued to assault their ears. Hawkmoth himself was grinding his teeth together in irritation. He was waiting for Rose to be brought to him so that he could force an antidote out of her. Ha, like that would be an easy task. Rose was a romantic, but she had no notion of the concept of love. But then, who was he to judge in that department? If anything his understanding of what love was was probably just as skewed as hers.

"Alright, alright," Duusu was back yet again, "We get that she sings pretty, but she's just not your type. So I think I've found someone who's positively perfect for you!"

"Not now mother!" Hawkmoth dismissed her before she could bring in yet another hopelessly hopeful girl to meet him. He would normally try to get her to stop altogether, but years upon years of this had made him aware that his step-mother had a tenacious hold on seeing him settled -perhaps due to her own want of grandchildren- and if twenty years of ordering her to stop refused to daunt her, he didn't know what would.

"Fine," she relented for the moment, "But I'm not giving up."

That indomitable spirit of hers had made her a force to be reckoned with when she'd ruled the forest with Hawkmoth's father. Now, however, well it was less than pleasant to be on the receiving end of that particular quirk of hers.

Panting and footsteps made their way to his ears. Plagg and Trixx. Hawkmoth breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally." He could get this to stop.

The creatures planted the staff of Rose's cage into the floor so that it would stand on its own. The tiny sprite like form that was Rose noticed the dowager and giggled cordially.

"Queen Duusu," she faked a curtsy.

Duusu stared at her, utterly unimpressed, "Rose,"

Rose laughed again, "I think it's so amusing how you keep trying. Twenty years not enough time to figure it out?"

"Like you're one to talk," Duusu scoffed, "With your magic recipe; for failure!"

As if to prove her wrong Marinette's singing echoed louder and more unbearably than it had before. Hawkmoth covered his ears, "Well the recipe's working now, isn't it?"

"I told you it would work," Rose replied, "It always works,"

"I need the antidote," Hawkmoth said while his stepmother scoffed again,

"You say it works? Then explain what happened to my son!"

Hawkmoth growled at her, but Duusu merely sighed with fondness, "You always did have your father's smile."

"Give me the antidote!" Hawkmoth ordered.

"Why should I?" Rose parried.

"Because everyone is suffering thanks to the effects of a potion you made!"

"But what punishment do I have to worry about? What will you do if I refuse? Lock me away? Ooh!" she wasn't scared for her noncompliance and to add insult to injury Rose began to sing with Marinette, causing more distress to the Goblins.

The noises of the Goblins coupled with the princess' singing was grating on his sanity and the last calm nerve in his body. His orders for everyone to silence themselves fell on deaf ears, everyone too concerned with their own suffering to pay the sovereign any heed. Hawkmoth took to the air, declaring he would take care of it himself.

Down in the dungeons Marinette was clutching the bars of her prison cell, singing without rest so that someone would take her back to her beloved. But the longer she sang, and no one came for her the more dejected she started to get. Just when her voice gave off out of sadness she saw that he'd come. With a noise of longing she reached for him, but he stayed just far enough away to keep her from touching him.

"If you don't keep your mouth shut," Hawkmoth growled lowly at her, "I'm going to rip your wings off and stuff them down your throat, my pretty little Fairy princess. Is that clear?"

Rather than being frightened, which she should have been given the severity of the threat, Marinette giggled and booped him on the nose, "You're such a charmer,"

Without warning she reached out and stuck something on his chest. Hawkmoth drew back and looked at the creation, dried petals of purple, blue, and green were cobbled together. And it rested on his chestplate as though it had been designed for such a thing. He had to admit, for her to put it together out of just the materials in her cell was kind of impressive. Or it would be, if it didn't make him feel so undignified.

"What is that?" he asked, unable to keep the slight revulsion out of his tone.

"I made it special for you," Marinette replied earnestly.

"You made this… for me?" he repeated in a rather dumbfounded way.

"It looks so good on you," she complimented. Through his sputters of attempted replies she added, "I hope you like it."

"This isn't!" Hawkmoth shook his fists, he wanted to rail against the gift but he saw the wide and hopeful eyes she was giving him. Rose had told him once, that if the potioned person's beloved was ever rejected by them they could literally die of a broken heart. Hawkmoth just wanted the potion back before it could do anymore harm, killing a princess of his closest neighbors was not an option he wanted to choose unless absolutely forced to.

He curbed his anger and cleared his throat. In a slightly hoarse voice, likely from the gentleness in it being disused for so long, he said, "Well, um..." he cracked his shoulder and neck, feeling rather awkward with his tall frame, "Thank you. It's, it's…" he felt like vomiting as the next word came out of his mouth, "lovely."

But just that one little bit of praise seemed to set her off again. She was fluttering about her cage singing at the top of her lungs.

"No, no, no." he tried to explain, "You don't love me, what you're feeling is the potion…" his argument petered out as he realized she wasn't paying the least bit of attention to his words, "You know…"

And Hawkmoth realized she just couldn't help herself. Fairies sung to express their emotions, as annoying as it was to everyone in the Dark Forest who had to listen to it. Marinette reached for him again and he took her hand in his and awkwardly patted it. But she continued to sing and it was hurting his ears.

"Stop!" he cried -not for mercy but clearly on the edge- and covered his ears. Not a moment later the singing ceased and Marinette was standing there, pinning him with an adoring gaze. Well, this was interesting wasn't it. She was so "in love" she would do anything he asked of her. This called for a little bit of well placed manipulation, if only to keep her quiet, "You must be tired from all that singing you've been doing."

"Tired?" Marinette quickly shook her head, "I could sing forever!"

Hawkmoth hushed her, "Why don't you take a little nap," at the suggestion Marinette yawned and turned to the non-sentient mushroom in her cell which served as bed and chair and began to curl up on it, wings folding over her like a blanket "I have to go now, but I promise I won't be gone long."

But as he turned to walk away he heard her cry out, "Wait!"

"What?" he asked without turning around, trying to hide his irritation. Since really, it wasn't her fault. She hadn't chosen to be love-dusted, nor had she chosen to look at him first afterwards. If anything she was only involved because the crown princess had been too much for his Goblins to handle. More's the pity, because at least she wouldn't have been driving half his subjects insane with her incessant singing.

"Tell me your name, please?" Marinette sounded so tiny and vulnerable. And perhaps it was paternal instinct -something Duusu said he'd feel when the time came but that he'd never felt before- that Hawkmoth found he couldn't refuse.

Putting on a front of confidence and impassiveness he turned to her and proclaimed, "I am King Hawkmoth of the Dark Forest."

"Aww!" Marinette cooed sleepily, "My Hawky-wocky King-wingy."

"Hawkmoth," he corrected.

They bickered like this over her cutesifying his title until she succumbed to sleep with a whispered, "Goodnight, sweet Hawky-wocky."

He wanted to growl in frustration, and a muted rumble of it could be heard, just barely over the silence of the room. But he grabbed hold of the doors to the cell and begrudgingly whispered, "Good night," in return.

Once they closed over fully he breathed a sigh of relief. Only to be startled when one of his subjects loudly announced their presence.

"Quiet!" he hissed, "She's asleep and not singing!"

"Sorry," the sentry instantly lowered his volume, "It's just…"

"What now?" Hawkmoth nearly groaned.

"There's been reports from all over the forest. Of lots of creatures getting," he looked around furtively as though someone might have been eavesdropping, "Love-dusted."

And now his rage was bubbling over. He wanted to shout, and he nearly did. But just as quickly Hawkmoth quieted his ire along with his voice, "Bring them in, bring them all in. And lock them up, away from each other."

"Right, sir," and the sentry bounded off to carry along his monarch's orders.

MLB

Everywhere as far as the average eye could see creatures were hit with pink dust and falling for the first thing they laid eyes on. It meant that there were all sorts of odd couples now populating the Dark Forest and its borderlands. The Imp sighed dreamily at the sight of love being spread everywhere. Only to start running as she saw the Elf coming for her. Adrien chased after her, hair getting messed up and green eyes gleaming ferally in the darkness. But the Imp was fast, though more importantly -she was cocky. After executing a particularly difficult acrobatic trick she turned to mockingly salute her pursuer, only to be caught in a net made from the remains of the rope that Adrien had sliced up while escaping, the ends held by Pollen and Nooroo.

The Imp struggled against the netting but it was too finely crafted to break. The Sprites with Adrien held the ends securely and kept the opening tightly closed. There was no way to escape.

"Alright you little mischief maker," Adrien approached, "We caught you fair and square, now hand it over!"

The Imp crossed her arms and the universal pose of considering their options. It was supposed to irritate them, but Adrien merely laughed.

"Alright, have it your way. I'll just be bringing both you and the potion to the king of the Dark Forest. Wonder what he'll want to do with the one who led to the creation and distribution of an illegal substance through his kingdom, don't you?"

Instantly the potion was stuck up through the tiny opening in the net by the neck. Adrien pulled the potion out and tossed it a small distance into the air. Catching it and putting it away he added, "Thanks. Alright guys, let her go."

The Sprites were dumbfounded, "But Adrien-" Pollen started.

"A deal's a deal. She gave up the potion, give her her freedom."

Sharing a look Pollen and Nooroo dropped the net. It unfurled around her, giving the Imp freedom. But instead of taking it and running she sat there morosely as Adrien and the others began to trek away. Feeling pity for her, Nooroo circled back and offered a hand to the Imp, gesturing for her to join them. Instantly the Imp was back to her bouncy and mischievous self. She ran along and hopped onto Adrien's shoulders, but made no attempt to reach for the bottle again.

They headed for the castle, where Nathalie had told her to meet them. But along the way they ran into Sebastian and the army the king had garnered for him. But considering the volume of people and the density of the forest it was slow progress since everything had to be cleared to make a path for Sebastian and his steed as they led the charge. Adrien wasn't sure what to make of the sight, nor was he sure of what to do. Should he approach them? Most of the army was comprised of Elves who weren't fond of them on a normal day, let alone the terror he'd caused them earlier this evening. And Sebastian, he'd left Adrien to take the blame for a plan that had been his in the first place. Something deep within him called for retribution. And what better retribution could there be than beating him to the castle and explaining the truth of the situation to everyone? Sebastian would be held accountable for all the events since he'd been the one conspiring and Adrien had been manipulated into helping. The ramifications of making a love potion would be severe and once the Fairy King heard of Sebastian's intentions with the potion there would be no diplomatic immunity saving him.

Barely suppressing a smirk Adrien disappeared into the underbrush. But just as quickly came back, unable to resist a small bit of personal payback. Adrien extended his bo staff carefully so that it landed between the rabbit's front and hind legs on its last jump. When it made to go forward again Adrien lifted and blocked the leap of the legs, causing the rabbit to stumble and throw Sebastian in the process, slowing down the trek of the army as their leader struggled to regain his footing and dignity on the rough terrain. Adrien, the Sprites, and the Imp snickered as they faded into the darkness once more, their destination Hawkmoth's castle.

You get a payback! You get a payback! Everyone gets a payback! That's what you get for being a selfish jerk. If only it were that simple. Leave a comment and let me know what you think