Chapter 22: Broken Bones and Shattered Plans

La Paon could not believe what had happened. Her creation had been destroyed, right in front of her by Hawk Moth. And the way he did it, made her realize two things. First, he had become stronger than she could have imagined. And second, that the anger she felt for him before, was nothing compared to what she felt now. Unlike Hawk Moth who saw the Akumas as nothing more than weapons to be used in his crusade against the Miraculous heroes and the Miraculous Order, La Paon saw the Sentimonsters she created, as her own children. And in the old days, when Hawk Moth used them to train his soldiers and lieutenants, and even when they were sent into battle, La Paon believed they were destroyed for a purpose. But Surtr had been eliminated, only because it faced Hawk Moth, who destroyed it without any shred of mercy. And thinking about it, only fueled the hatred for the villain that she carried in her chest.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my beautiful Sentimonster, Hawk Moth!" -La Paon shouted at the villain, as she held her rapier with both hands, and then magically divided it into two. –"I will avenge it, by cutting off your head and then feed it to the next Sentimonster I create!" -she threatened him.

"Will you?" -Hawk Moth asked, with a neutral voice. –"All that rage I hear in your voice, will be your downfall." -he said. –"You've always allowed yourself to be guided by your emotions, instead of using them, the way I do. The only outcome of this battle will be your defeat, and me, taking your life and your miraculous, after which, I will destroy it and claim its power back."

"You'll be a corpse, before you get my miraculous, Hawk Moth!" -La Paon shouted, as she charged against Hawk Moth, ready to cut him to pieces with her rapiers.

Taking advantage of her rage, Hawk Moth allowed her to approach him, before using his cane-sword to disarm her, and then fire an energy blast at her, which hit her on the chest and made her fly several meters, before landing on a pile of ashes that had once been Surtr.

"Rage. No doubt, one of the most powerful of emotions. But also, one of the easiest to take advantage of, when in a battle." -Hawk Moth said, when he was interrupted by cheers that come from behind him.

Hearing the cheering and voices of both Reptile and Rapier, it was only then that Hawk Moth remembered that his lieutenants were standing behind him. In the heat of the moment, he had forgotten about them. And realizing they were still, there, enraged him.

"What are you all standing there for?! I gave you all a mission!" -Hawk Moth yelled at his lieutenants. –"Bring me the heroes' miraculouses!" -he ordered them, before throwing another energy blast at La Paon, who was getting back up.

"Yes, master." -Madame Romani asserted.

"It shall be done." -Brutus declared.

Obeying his master's orders, the four lieutenants quickly scattered, looking for the heroes, leaving Hawk Moth to deal with La Paon, who, more than ever, wanted his head on a silver platter. Looking at him, the villainess wondered what her next move would be, and how she would tackle Hawk Moth. She had underestimated him. But she was not going to do it again.

"He may have grown incredibly more powerful, since the last time we met, but I will not be defeated this easily." -La Paon thought to herself. –"I will make use of my chaotic magic to kill him." -she thought as she united the rapiers, and turned them into her fan. –"You will beg me to end you quickly, Hawk Moth! But that will not happen!"

Plucking several feathers from her fan, La Paon swiftly shot them into the asphalt, where these buried themselves. A second later, the street's asphalt began to peel away from the ground in strips, which quickly came together and formed several gigantic octopus-like creatures. Moving with incredible speed, these went straight for Hawk Moth, who faced them head-on, using his blade to cut them into pieces.

"More chaotic magic. You never learn, do you?" -Hawk Moth thought to himself. –"If you want to kill me, you'll have to do better than that." -he thought.


Making their way down the street, the team quickly split into two groups. The larger one, made their way to fight Hawk Moth and La Paon, while the smaller one, composed by Queen Bee, Louve Grise, Panda Roux and Antelope, went to put out the fires, that were quickly ravaging the buildings, as well as evacuating the people inside them.

"I'll get the people out. You come up with a way to get us some water." -Antelope told Panda, as he dashed out of there.

"Okay, water. Coming up." -Panda Roux said, as he shrank his spear, and thought of what he was going to draw with it.

Many ideas went through Panda's brain, and all of them good. The problem was not choosing which ones were good enough to deal with the problem at hand. The problem was to choose which one he still had the energy to turn into reality. If he was not exhausted, he would draw a storm and make it rain on the whole neighbourhood, pouring out the fires. But that was not going to happen that day. He was tired, yet, he still had enough energy to create something, which would help him and Antelope put out the fires, while the firefighters did not arrive.

"I think this will work." -Panda thought to himself, as he saw Antelope leaving the first people he had taken from the burning building in front.

Drawing as fast as he could, Panda Roux quickly created a kind of pump, from which several fire hoses came out, as well as a larger hose that he drew with the ability to stretch, so that it could be placed in the river, and pump the water. water. By the time he finished it, Antelope had managed to evacuate everyone from neighboring buildings.

"What's that?" -Antelope asked, as he approached Panda and the device he had created.

"It's basically a pump. A very powerful pump, which will help us put out the fires. All we have to do is take that hose over there, and place it on the river, to get some water here." -Panda answered him.

"And you want me to do that?" -Antelope asked.

"Yes, please." -Panda Roux told Antelope, as the latter grabbed the hose.

After explaining him what he had to do, Antelope took the largest hose and carried it to the river, testing its elasticity. Once he arrived at the river, he placed in the water, and hurried it returned and Panda turned on the pump, which immediately started pumping water. Armed with hoses, both heroes aimed at the fire, trying to put it out.

"I think we're going to have to get in there!" -Antelope shouted, as he put out the flames that were coming out of a window on the 1st floor.

"I agree. If the firefighters don't get here soon, we'll have to put out all of this ourselves." -Panda Roux declared, as he aimed the hose at another burning window.

And while they put out the fire, not far from where they were, Queen Bee and Louve Grise were doing the same. Ignoring the parliament, which was also on fire, they focused on the residential buildings near it. Entering and exiting the buildings, the bee heroine tried to get out as many people as she could, while the wolf heroine used her ice breath to try and extinguish the flames.

"Okay, here we are. Try and find some place to hide in that direction. Believe me, you don't want to go that way." -Queen Bee warned the couple, she had just saved. As they ran out of there, she turned to Louve, to ask her how she was doing. –"How's it going?"

"Not easy. I'm beginning to feel like my lungs are in flames, just like these buildings."-Louve Grise admitted, as she tried to catch her breath.

"I know. I'm not feeling fresh as a daisy either. But we've got to continue to do this, until the firefighters show up with their trucks." -Queen Bee said, encouraging her.

"Alright. I'm going in. Be right back!" –Louve said, as she went into the building.

Seeing her partner going into the building, the bee heroine decided she was going to check the building Louve had gone into, one more time, to see if she had managed to get everyone out. But this idea came to a halt, when something sharp landed centimetres from her feet, startling her. Looking down, she noticed it was one of Rapier's razor-sharp feathers. And a moment after, he himself showed up, landing in front of her, with a sadistic smile on his face.

"You again?!" -Queen Bee asked. –"Didn't I throw you into the river, earlier?"

"Yes, you did. And I'm here to return you the favour!" -Rapier told her.

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots, which by the way, I'm not wearing, because my outfit is a one-piece leotard, mister." -Queen Bee told him, with a voice filled with sarcasm. –"I got to knock this idiot down, and fast. I'm just like Sabrina, and the rest of the team. I'm running on fumes here." -she thought to herself, as she grabbed her trompo and begun to spin it, and creating a shield with it. –"Now, let's do this! The faster I take care of you, the faster I go back to saving people from the flames."

"You really think you're going to defeat me again?! You got lucky, last time!" -Rapier told her, with a cocky voice.

"I don't think. I know." -Queen Bee said, with a cynical voice. –"Now, are you going to attack me with one of those stupid feathers of yours, or not?!" -she asked him.

"No, I'm using this!" -Rapier exclaimed, as he pulled the taser gun, that he was concealing, and fired it.

Caught by surprise, Queen Bee was hit by the taser needles, and immediately began to shiver violently. Falling down on her back, she felt like every muscle in her body was constricting and expanding simultaneously, at the speed of thought. It was a feeling that she would not wish upon anyone, except, maybe her worst enemy. And as this happened, Rapier watched, enjoying himself.

"Look at you! Shaking like an epileptic having a seizure, or a drug addict having an overdose!" -Rapier laughed like crazy, as Queen Bee continued to shake violently, feeling the electricity coursing through her body. –"I read once, that these things have enough juice in them to stop a heart. You just need to crank up the power." -he said, as he looked at the taser, looking for the switch to turn up the voltage. –"Where is it? Where… Ah! This must be it. Let's see if I can stop your heart, your majesty."

Rapier reached for the button, when someone swooped his leg, making him fall on his back and drop the taser gun. Getting back up in one quick swoop, he realized that the one responsible for his fall, had been Louve Grise, who was now standing between him and Queen Bee.

"You leave her alone, you demented cretin!" -Louve Grise shouted at him. –"Don't worry, Chloe. I'm here." -she thought to herself, as she pulled the wires from Bee's chest. –"I don't know where you got that thing, but you're going to be sorry you used it on her, you savage!"

"Oh, the big bad wolf is going bite me, is she?!" -Rapier mocked her, as he threw a volley of razor-sharp feathers at Louve, only for her to deflect most of it, with the use of her fans.

"This big bad wolf is going to bite your head off, you bastard!" -Louve Grise shouted at him, practically growling. –"And if you think I'm kidding, then, come at me!" -she yelled.

Not one to decline a challenge, Rapier charged against Louve, who jumped over him, and before he could turn around to go up against her again, she used her ice breath on him. Using all her strength, she blew as hard as she could, trying to freeze him in place. Unfortunately, her hardest was not enough, and she ended up only freezing his upper half, making it impossible for him to move his arms. Still, she knew that if she did not take him out, Rapier would thaw and strike her again, before she could get her strength back. Luckily, she knew how to knock him out. Grabbing the taser, that he had dropped, when she hit him, Louve was going to do to him, what he had done to her girlfriend.

"One of the good things of being a policeman's daughter, is that you end up learning how to use one of these, and that this particular model comes with an extra cartridge, if we need to use it more than just one suspect." -Louve Grise thought, as she loaded the cartridge, and got ready to use the taser. Pointing it, she did not hesitate. –"Fry, you overgrown turkey!" -she shouted, as she fired the taser.

Squeezing the taser's trigger, the needles flew straight into Rapier, hitting him on the chest. And just like it happened with Queen Bee, once the electricity started coursing through his body, every single muscle in it began to spasm violently, breaking the layer of ice that was covering his upper body. Seeing this, Louve just wanted to turn up the voltage and cause his heart to stop or his brain to fry, as payback for hurting her girlfriend. But unlike it happened with others, she did not allow herself to succumb to her darkest desires. A few more seconds went by, when she finally turned off the taser, and Rapier fell on his head, unconscious.

"That oughta do it." -Louve Grise told herself, as she dropped the taser gun and ran towards Queen Bee.

Kneeling by her side, she ripped the needles from the bee heroine's chest, and placed her right hand over her neck, to see if she was alright. She was blaming herself for getting distracted with the flames, that she did not hear Rapier sneaking up on them, and attacking Queen Bee, even though she kept telling herself it was not her

"Are you okay, my queen?" -Louve Grise asked her, worried.

"M-My chest hurts like Hell. Feels l-like I was kicked in the chest by a horse." -Queen Bee complained, as she rubbed it. –"And the rest of my body f-feels super sore." -she told Louve.

"Yeah, it's not a pleasant experience." -Louve said. –"You're lucky, I came back, because of all the smoke, that didn't let me see where I was going. Or else, you would've been turned into a French fry. Can you move?" -she asked her.

"I-I think so." -Queen Bee said, as Louve helped her get up. –"F-Forget what I said. I c-can barely stand up." -she said, when she was forced to hold on to the wolf heroine.

"We have to find you a place for you to rest for a bit." -Louve Grise said, as she looked around. –"And don't rub your chest, where the needles hit you. It'll just make it worse." -she begged her, as she continued to look for a place, where she knew it would be okay, for the blonde to rest.


As this happened, Ladybug and Chat Nor ran into Brutus, who attacked them. They did not want to fight him. They had their sights set on Hawk Moth and La Paon. But they did not have another choice but to face him. Brutus was determined to fulfil his master's orders, and to prevent the heroes from getting close to him and La Paon, as he wanted to fight her, without any distractions.

Telling the rest of the team members that were accompanying them, to keep going, the scarlet heroine and the feline hero hoped to deal with Brutus, as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this was not happening, as Brutus charged against them. Unlike the heroes, his stamina had only decreased a bit, and he was fighting with every bit of his strength, as if he had just begun to fight. Ladybug and Chat Noir were not so lucky, as exhaustion was creeping on them, and their moves were becoming slower.

"Look, I don't know about you, but the two of us are exhausted. Why don't you just let us through, so we can beat the crud out of your boss, and call it a day?" -Chat Noir asked Brutus, as he dodged his blade, which nearly touched his chest. –"Come on, Brutus! Don't tell me that you're not tired of being smacked?!" -he asked him, in a playful voice.

"When fulfilling his duty, a warrior's last thought is exhaustion! And if you think that I will allow you to reach my master, you're dead wrong!" -Brutus declared, as he swung his sword against Chat, one more time.

Throwing her yo-yo at Brutus, Ladybug was able to wrap it around Brutus. Pulling it, she tried to knock him down. But the lieutenants realized what the young heroine was trying to do, and countered her, using his body to pull her towards him. Dong it so, Ladybug fell on her face, and let go of her yo-yo, releasing him.

"You wait your turn! Once I deal with him, I'll come for you! A warrior must never attack another from the back, while he's battling an opponent." -Brutus warned her, only to be interrupted by Chat who scratched his face.

"Hey, eyes over here, mister!" -Chat Noir exclaimed, as he tried to get steer Brutus' attention back to him. –"You're the one who's always professing that when in a fight, you got to keep your eyes on the guy you're trying to decapitate!" -he joked, as he dodged.

Realizing that close combat was not working, Brutus decided to change his strategy. Dropping the scimitar, he was using, he then pulled a halberd from his chest and proceeded to try and stab Chat with it. But Chat's cat-like reflexes, combined with an almost irresistible desire to show off his dance moves. He could be tired. But dancing was one of the things he always had the energy to do.

"Come on! Join the fun! Do you want me to teach you how to dance? I promise to go easy on you!" -Chat Noir exclaimed, as he had fun dancing around Brutus.

Beginning to get tired of Chat's antics, Brutus decided to use another strategy. And this one was one of his favourites. Hammering things. Pulling out his usual massive war-hammer from his back, Brutus proceeded to try and squash the feline hero. But just like always, Chat moved too fast for Brutus to hit him.

"You know, I'll be honest! I like that you don't give up!" -Chat Noir laughed. –"If I ever need a partner for a three-legged race, I'll be sure to call you!" -he joked.

But cockiness got the best of him, as when he dodged, he tripped. Dropping to his knees on the ground, Chat froze as he saw the hammer come at him. Fortunately for him, his guardian angel quickly came to his rescue. Unfortunately, for said guardian angel, things did not go as she had planned.

"Chat! Look out!" -Ladybug yelled, as she pushed him.

Pushing Chat out of the way, Ladybug was struck by the war-hammer, which propelled her into the air, flying several meters, before landing hard on the ground. When she hit the ground, she heard something breaking inside of her. And that something was her left knee. The blunt force of the war-hammer, combined with the hard landing, broke Ladybug's knee. Laying on the ground, the scarlet heroine was howling in pain, as tears ran down from her eyes, clutching to her knee with both arms. Every pain receptor in her brain was turned on, and though she tried to ignore them, it was impossible. She could not even remember when was the last time she had felt that much pain.

"Aaargh! M-My knee! My knee!" -Ladybug cried in pain.

Seeing his opponent on the ground, Brutus did not waste time, and quickly made his way to where the scarlet heroine was. Stopping in front of her, he prepared himself for the killing blow, when he felt someone slashing his back. Turning around, he saw Chat Noir staring at him.

"Leave her alone, Brutus!" -Chat Noir yelled, furious. Gone was the cockiness and the playfulness he had been displaying towards Brutus.

"I'm going to tell you what I told Ladybug a few seconds ago. A true warrior, doesn't attack another, when his back is turned!" -Brutus exclaimed, once more professing his moral code.

"I don't care about that! You won't be hurting her, or anyone else, man!" -Chat Noir threatened Brutus, as he prepared to use Cataclysm on him. –"Not if I have any say on the matter!"

Ignoring Ladybug, Brutus decided to fight Chat Noir, who was more than willing to tear him down with his bare hands. But this did not come to happen, because when Chat was about to attack him, Grizzly came out of nowhere and punched Brutus in the face, making him lose his balance and fall on his back, while also dropping his war-hammer, which turned to dust, once it hit the ground.

"I'll handle him! You, get her out of here!" -Grizzly shouted at Chat Noir, as he charged once more against Brutus, before he could get up.

Following Grizzly's orders, Chat quickly grabbed Ladybug, who was in terrible pain, and carried out of there. Looking for a safe place to take her, he realized the best place to take her, was the building where they were before. Making use of his cat-like moves and his agility, Chat made his way up one building, while be careful not to further hurt his girlfriend, whose pains kept growing. Once they arrived at their destination, the black cat hero gently placed Ladybug on the floor.

"Okay, we're safe here." -Chat Noir said, as he placed her on the floor. –"Where does it hurt?" -he asked her.

"M-My knee!" -Ladybug yelled, as she held onto her right knee. –"I think it's broken!" -she said, while gritting her teeth in pain. –"M-Make it stop, A-Adrien, please!"

"I wish I could, Marinette." -Chat Noir told her. –"Where's Nino when you need him the most?!" -he thought to himself. He had managed to get his girlfriend to a safe place, but that was not enough. She needed medical attention.

From the sky, Dragonfly, who was accompanied by Corbeau Noire and Flamingo, noticed the two of them on the rooftop and wanted to see what was happening with them. The three of them had been helping evacuating the people from some of the burning buildings, and were then on their way to fight Hawk Moth and La Paon. Signalling the other two, the dragonfly warrior dove towards the rooftop where they were.

"Hey, what's the matter?" -Dragonfly asked, as she and the other two landed. –"What's up with her?" -she asked, noticing Ladybug was in pain.

"I think Brutus busted her knee." -Chat Noir said. –"We need Nino, so he can heal her up." -he told her, as Ladybug continued to howl in pain.

"I'll go get him." -Dragonfly said. –"Back in a flash!" -she shouted, as she jumped off the edge of the building.

"Is there any way we can help?" -Flamingo asked Chat.

"I don't think so, Rose." -Chat told her. –"The only one who can help her is Nino." -he said.

"Then, in that case we better get going." -Corbeau Noire said.

"Yes. The sooner we do that, the better." -Flamingo agreed.

"Do what, girls?" -Chat Noir asked, not understanding what they were talking about.

"While we were helping evacuating the buildings, we talked about it and we decided that we're going to try and take Hawk Moth and La Paon out. Just the two of us." -Corbeau Noire told the black cat hero.

"W-What are you talking about?" -Ladybug asked her, as she tried to ignore the pain.

"We're going to use "Feathers and Shadows" to end this." -Flamingo declared.

Nothing could have prepared for what they heard out of Flamingo's mouth. That particular combined attack was one that used the abilities of both Flamingo and Corbeau Noire, magnifying them, into what many would call a "killer move", that was not to be used, unless there was no other alternative. So, when Chat Noir and Ladybug heard what their friends were about to do, they promptly opposed their decision.

"Girls, that's a bit too risky, don't you think?" -Chat Noir asked them, knowing exactly what they were going to do.

"Not j-just risky! It's suicidal!" -Ladybug exclaimed. –"You're not going to do that, girls." -she told them.

"Sorry, but are minds are made-up, Marinette." -Corbeau Noire said. –"We're going to end the fight between those two, before the whole town becomes a disaster zone." -she said, determined.

"As the leader of this team, I forbid you to do it!" -Ladybug exclaimed, raising her voice. –"I-I'm not going to let you girls do something that can possibly kill you. Even master Fu warned you not to use that combined attack in battle, until you found a way to master it!" -she told them.

"I'm sorry, but that is one order that we're just going to ignore." -Flamingo said. –"And before you tell us that we have no right to risk our necks, sorry, but we're all risking our necks for this town. This won't be any different." -she said.

"If you girls lose your focus, for even one second, you'll end up in shreds!" -Ladybug shouted at them, as they took to the sky. –"Get back here, right now!" -she ordered them.

She did not know what it was worse. If she was in excruciating pain, which prevented her from moving, or if she saw two of her friends ignore an order, she had given them, heading at full speed to where the two villains continued to fight. But whatever the right answer was, Ladybug was pissed. And the anger that was coursing through her mind, made her do something incredibly stupid and reckless; to try and get on her feet.

"I can't let them do this!" -Ladybug yelled, before feeling a stinging pain in her knee. –"D-Damn it, my knee!" -she screamed, as she fell down, hitting her knee on the floor, and letting out another scream, as a tear ran down her face. –"I-It hurts like Hell, b-but I've got to…"

"Marinette, stop moving!" -Chat Noir ordered her, as he knelt beside her, preventing her from moving. –"You're in no condition to move! Not until Nino fixes you up." -he told her. –"It's bad enough she still has that cut on her head. But to have her knee busted like that, that's more than just having bad luck. It's almost like she's cursed."

"I don't care! Rose and Juleka are going to get themselves killed, by pulling that stunt! I know we've got to do something and break those two psychopaths up, or else, they're going to reduce this part of the city to rubble! But not something that will endanger us!" -Ladybug told Chat, frustrated. –"That combined attack of theirs hasn't been perfected yet, and if they use it and lose control of it, they'll go all kamikaze on Hawk Moth and La Paon!" -she exclaimed, frustrated. –"They have no right to risk their lives like that, when I ordered them not to!"

"We're always putting our lives at stake. What they're doing is no different from what we tend to do." -Chat Noir said, trying to reason with her. –"I know you're upset that you're in no shape to fight, and that they ignored your orders. But you need to put your faith in them. I'm sure they didn't make this decision lightly, and have considered the dangers."

Chat kept talking, but Ladybug did not want to hear him. She was hurt, both physically and emotionally. It was not a custom to anyone ignoring her orders. And usually, when someone ignored her orders, it was either Queen Bee or Dragonfly, or even Antelope, when they believed they had a better plan, than she did. But Flamingo and Corbeau Noire were not the kind of girls to do that. Just thinking about it, it was making Ladybug feel betrayed, and that was just giving her more reasons to get up and go after them and order them to turn around and do as she had ordered them. Needless to say, that Chat noticed it, just from looking at his girlfriend, and he had to give him a piece of his mind.

"Don't. I can see what you're thinking, just by looking into your eyes. And if you're thinking I'm going to allow you to follow the girls to stop them from going toe-to-toe with either one of those two psychos, you can forget it. I said it once, and I'll say it again." -Chat Noir said, concerned. –"Think rationally. You're in no shape to fight anyone, or to stop anyone from doing something crazy. It's bad, I know, but it's the truth." -he said.

"Then, you go! Stop them!" -Ladybug snapped at him. –"You're the team's co-leader! Act like it!" -she yelled at him.

"I can't do that, bugaboo." -Chat told her. –"Even if I told them not to do what they're going to do, they're determined to stick with their plan." -he said. –"The only way I would be able to stop them, would be to use brute force on them."

"It wouldn't matter, if it meant they wouldn't die!" -Ladybug yelled at him.

This was one side of the girl he loved that Chat had rarely seen. He was used to seeing her being sweet, adorable, caring, passionate and patient. So, to see her acting that way was a bit of a shock. But he knew that the sweet, adorable, caring, passionate and patient girl he loved so much was still there. It was just obscured by all the pain that was making her act differently. So, instead of yelling back at her, he went with another approach, which he believed was better for that kind of situations.

"Marinette." -Chat said with the calmest and most soothing voice he could muster. –"This isn't you talking. It's the pain that you're in that's making you say stupid things." -he said, as he placed his hands over her shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. –"If you weren't in pain right now, you wouldn't be saying the things you're saying. I know you, and I know that in a regular situation, you wouldn't be thrilled about the idea, but you wouldn't be totally against it, because you yourself would do such a thing if needed. But more importantly, you would have faith and trust in Rose and Juleka to pull it off."

She did not want to admit it, but she needed to hear those words from her boyfriend. She needed to be told she was being irrational. And when he the frustration and anger in her eyes subsided a little, he knew that he had done the right thing, talking to her like that. One of the things he had learned from reading most of the books in the manor's library, is that sometimes, instead of yelling back, a person needs to take the time and talk calmly, with someone who is in a bad mood.

"You'll just have to trust that our two birds of prey can handle themselves, milady." -Chat Noir said, as he managed to make Ladybug give him a smile, despite the awful pain she was in.

"You're right." -Ladybug admitted. –"I wouldn't like it, but I would have faith in my friends." -she said, trying to ignore the pain she was in. –"Still, I don't like sitting on the sidelines, while Paris gets destroyed. And it doesn't help when I know the others are over there, fighting, either."

"I know that you want to fight, but you can't fight right now." -Chat said. –"So, it's our job to take on the task of saving the day, while you stand still, and try not to get worse from that knee injury." -he told her.

She knew her teammates were more than willing to handle the responsibility of facing whatever danger there was, while she was hurt. Still, she hated not being able to help. And until Carapace showed up to heal her up, she would have to stay put. Looking at her, and seeing her in pain, Chat wondered what was taking so long for Dragonfly to come back with him. Seconds went by, and there was no sign of either one of them. Seeing Ladybug huffing and puffing in pain, the black cat hero decided that their friends were taking too long, and was going to look for the turtle hero.

"I know we told Alix to get Nino here, but she's taking too long to do it." -Chat said. –"Stay put. I'll be back with him, in a flash." -he said, as he jumped from the ledge and used his staff to safely slide down to the ground.

The reason why Dragonfly still had not returned with Carapace was Reptile who had picked a fight with Rena Rouge, and seeing her having some difficulties to handle him, she decided to help. Usually, Reptile would not be a match for the fox heroine, but because she was beginning to feel exhausted, that exhaustion made her the perfect target for the lizard man. Luckily, exhaustion had not begun to bother Dragonfly, and she was more than happy to give Rena a little help.

"You are beginning to get on my nerves!" -Reptile shouted at Dragonfly, as he tried to stab her with his switchblade. –"Why don't you just wait until it's your turn, you infernal bug?!"

"I don't like to wait, and you know it! And if you don't like bugs, then you should've become an exterminator, instead of an idiot whose only power is to change his face!" -Dragonfly taunted him, as she threw her frisbee and hit him on the shoulder.

"Don't you dare call me that!" -Reptile shouted, as he dashed towards her and grabbed her left arm.

"Let go of me, stupid!" -Dragonfly yelled, as she air-kicked him in the head, knocking him. –"Keep your disgusting hands to you!" -she warned him. –"I've got to get rid of him, and find Nino. Marinette needs his help."

As Reptile got back up, Rena Rouge managed to get behind him, and placed her flute-staff against his throat, and began to choke him, wanting to make him pass out from lack of oxygen. Yet, it was taking too long for him to lose conscious. Realizing Rena's idea might not work as fast as she wanted, Dragonfly decided to take advantage of Reptile being restrained, and proceeded to punch him a few dozen times in the stomach. Once Dragonfly punched him one last time, Reptile was already unconscious. Releasing him, he fell over Rena's feet.

"And stay down, ugly!" -Dragonfly exclaimed, before kissing her knuckles. –"These babies are weapons of mass destruction, or mass punching." -she joked.

"Thanks for the help, girl!" –Rena Rouge told her.

"My pleasure. But tell me, did you see Carapace?" -Dragonfly asked.

"I told him to keep going, while I dealt with this guy." -Rena Rouge answered her. –"I haven't seen him since. Why?" -she asked her.

"The boss lady is injured, and we need him to help her." –Dragonfly said.

"How bad is it?!" -Rena Rouge asked, worried.

"Let's just say that it's a bit serious. But don't worry. I think our Ninja turtle can heal her, in no time at all." -Dragonfly said, as she changed her frisbee into its cell phone mode, and called Chat. A few seconds later, he answered her. –"Chat? It's me. Sorry I'm a bit late, but I ran into Rena and was helping her out. I still haven't found Carapace." -she told him.

"Don't worry. I found him, and we're on our way to where Ladybug is." -Chat Noir told her. –"But if you want to help, give Flamingo and Corbeau some backup, because they're about to do something really dangerous to stop Hawk Moth and La Paon." -he said.

"Got it!" -Dragonfly said, as she ended the call. –"Whatever those two have on their minds, it can't be good, if Adrien's telling me to go after them." -she thought to herself, before turning to Rena. –"You're good here?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just going to see if I find a way to hold this guy, so he doesn't give us anymore trouble." -Rena declared, as she grabbed the unconscious Reptile by the left arm, and dragged him. –"Let's see, where am I going to put you in? I'm not going to handcuff you to something, because you tend to bite your way out of it. So… that over there will be a better choice."

With all the chaos caused by Surtr, an armoured car that was on the street got turned over. The security guards that were inside fled, leaving it behind. Knowing it would be hard for one to get out of it, once locked in, Rena decided to use it, to lock Reptile. Forcing the rear doors open, she then threw him inside, and closed them, twisting the handles to block it.

"There. Let's see if you can get out of there, once you wake up." -Rena Rouge said.

"Okay. I've got to go and see if our birds of prey don't end up killing themselves." -Dragonfly said. –"If you want to follow me, try to keep up. If not, take a moment to rest and get your strength back, so we can finish this. This only ends, when then fat lady sings." -she joked.

"I'll catch up to you, in a bit." -Rena Rouge smiled at her.

"Alright. See you in a bit, foxy fox!" -Dragonfly said, calling her by the nickname her boyfriend had given her.

"Only my boyfriend gets to call me that, you know?" -Rena laughed, as Dragonfly took to the air, leaving her.


Corbeau Noire and Flamingo were getting ready to use their combined special, hoping it would stop Hawk Moth and La Paon. To say they were nervous, would be an understatement. They both had butterflies in their stomachs, and the closer they got to where those two were fighting, the stronger that feeling in their stomachs grew. Though they had decided that was the best course of action, there was a shred of doubt in their minds, as they kept hearing what Ladybug and Chat Noir told them, regarding that decision of theirs.

"Are you really sure about this?" -Corbeau Noire asked her girlfriend. –"Because we can always not do this, and try to find another solution, alongside the others." -she suggested.

"I am. And if we manage to hit them both, with everything we've got, maybe the fight will stop." -Flamingo said. –"Who knows? Maybe we might be able to get not only La Paon's miraculous, but also Hawk Moth's, and defeat him, once and for all." -she said.

"That's a big if, Rose. But I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like that to happen." -Corbeau Noire smiled at her.

Flamingo's enthusiasm and optimism was as infectious as her smile. It was hard not to get infected by it, and the raven heroine knew it. That was one of the reasons why she had fallen in love with her. And it was that infectious enthusiasm and optimism of hers, that was giving her the courage to go along with that plan. Feathers and Shadows was by fat their most powerful combined attack. It combined Flamingo's ability to create feathers that were as sharp as knives, and Corbeau's shadow's abilities. The whole attack could be described as a dance, where the two girls danced with one another, creating a twister made out of feathers and living shadows, which could destroy anything in its path. The problem was that if they lost focus of it, the twister would become unstable, falling apart and destroy everything surrounding it, including its creators.

"There they are!" -Flamingo said, as she pointed at their targets, who were then fighting at the Les Invalides' garden, and making their way towards the Les Invalides complex.

The garden was practically deserted. People fled when Hawk Moth and La Paon got there. The only ones there were the police, who had begun to block the streets leading to the garden, and a couple of bystanders, who were ignoring both the danger and the police orders to find a safe place.

"Let's dance, Rose." -Corbeau Noire declared.

"Yes. Let's dance, Juleka." -Flamingo agreed.

Landing on top of the grass, the two heroines joined hands, getting closer, eye to eye, and began to dance the waltz. At first, nothing happened, but suddenly, their shadows began to come to life, separating into multiple shadows. Then the feathers on Flamingo's shoulders let go and began to multiply in the air, where from each feather three new ones appeared. And then, the shadows and feathers began to dance around the heroines, while they continued with their own dance. Quickening their pace, they rose from the ground and began to dance faster, shadows and feathers, mimicking them, swirling around them. In a matter of seconds, the two of them had created a twister that was sucking in everything around it, starting to move towards Hawk Moth and La Paon.

"Here we go!" -Corbeau Noire said. –"Remember. Don't lose focus." -she said, without taking her eyes off hers.

"I won't!" -Flamingo said, eyes locked with her girlfriend's.

If it was not for the wind whistling and howling, that moment could have been described as intensely romantic. Focusing each other on the other's eyes and smile, Flamingo and Corbeau Noire danced faster than ever, with the twister gaining more momentum. The suction force of the tornado was such that the grass on the ground was uprooted, leaving the lawn barren. By then, the feathers that were flying out the twister were like knives. Anything that got in its way, was completely obliterated. A street lamp that happened to be in the way, was completely destroyed, as if a machine gun had used it for target shooting. It was easy to imagine what it would do to a person. With each passing second, the strength of the twister doubled, with it beginning to pull everything around it, towards it. From leaves to litter on the ground, to park benches, street lamps and traffic lights, the twister was swallowing everything, only to regurgitate them seconds later with the force of a cannonball. It was easy to see why it was such a powerful, yet dangerous attack.

It did not take long for the villains to see the pink and black twister, or in this case, to feel its power. As tangled as they were in their fight, even they were not able to ignore what it was coming their way.

"Oh, how lovely! The kids have decided to join us!" -La Paon laughed.

"How does she manage to go from angry to excited like this? She is clearly crazy!" -Hawk Moth thought to himself. -"Those idiots can't even make sure those kids don't interrupt us!" -he thought , referring to his lieutenants, as he dodged another of La Paon's attacks. –"I'm too close to victory, to be stopped now. I'm putting an end to this stupid attempt to take me down."

After deflecting another of La Paon's attacks, Hawk Moth pointed his cane-sword, and shot purple lightning at the twister. The lightning pierced it and hit Corbeau Noire, who lost her focus. When this happened, the twister began to spin faster than it was supposed to, as well as to change shape. It was a clear size there was something wrong with it. Flamingo hoped if she remained focused that she would be able to hold it together, long enough for Corbeau to regain her focus. But unfortunately, it did not work. The interior of the twister became like the interior of a beehive filled with angry bees, with feathers, shadows and debris hitting the heroines, bruising and cutting them. As much as they tried to regain control of the twister, they quickly realized it was a lost cause. A second later, the twister disintegrated, and both Flamingo and Corbeau Noire were thrown out of it, unconscious. Flying through the sky, anyone could tell the two of them were going to end up crashing against a building, or against the ground. That was a certainty. Lucky for them, a certain pink-haired heroine was on their way to save them.

"Hang on, girls!" -Dragonfly said, as she speeded up. –"Got to go full speeding bullet to get to them!" -she thought to herself, as she felt the wind

Grabbing Corbeau Noire by the hand, Dragonfly had to move fast, so as to catch Flamingo, before she hit the ground. For a brief second, she thought she was not going to be able to catch her, before she became a bloody blot on the pavement. But she did it. Grabbing her by the right leg, she flew upwards, a mere second before Flamingo's face touched the ground.

"Oh, dang it! You girls really are insane! And that's coming from me, who's usually the one in the gang, branded insane." -Dragonfly said, not realizing they were both unconscious. –"You made a fine mess, that's for sure!" -she declared, as she looked at just how messed up their outfits were, as well as all the cuts and bruises they had on their faces and over their bodies. –"I've got to get you girls fixed, right now."


Carapace was used to healing the injuries of his teammates, whenever necessary. But no matter how many times he did it, it never got easier. It was a bitter reminder that saving the city came with its dangers. And these dangers kept growing. Still, he knew from the beginning that this journey would not be a walk in the park, and knew that with the help of his friends, it would be an easier journey. That was what he always told himself, when fixing his friends' injuries, like in that moment.

"Okay. Hopefully you're going to start feeling better in a minute." -Carapace said, as his hands began to glow over Ladybug's knee. –"And we'll have to do something about that cut on your head, too." -he said, as Chat removed his tail from around the scarlet heroine's head.

"You can take care of the cut later. Just fix my knee, so I can go after Rose and Juleka, and stop them from doing something stupid!" -Ladybug yelled, as she accidently moved her hurt knee and screamed in pain. –"Dang it!" -she yelled, as a tear ran down her face.

"You're not going anywhere, Marinette." -Chat Noir told her.

"He's right. I can feel the damage that was done to your knee, and it's like someone used it for target practice with a sledgehammer." -Carapace said, as he continued to heal her injuries. –"You'll be lucky if you don't limp for the rest of the week." -he said.

"It would be hard to come up with a good excuse, so your parents wouldn't suspect of what really happened." -Chat Noir said. –"So, you're going to stay put. As the co-leader of this team, I'm ordering you to stand down, for the rest of this battle." -he told her, with a serious, yet caring voice.

It was hard for Ladybug to accept such an order, especially when she was so used to being the one to give them; and more importantly, to always be where the action took place. Still, Chat's caring voice, and tender eyes went a long way to convince her to stay put. Resigning herself, she admitted that remaining out of the fight, until the end, was the best course of action, and to let the others handle things. Just as this happened, Chat's staff began to vibrate, signalling an incoming call. Picking it up, he saw Louve's name on it.

"What's up?" -Chat Noir asked Louve Grise.

"Please tell me you know where Nino is! Chloe's hurt, and she needs help." -Louve Grise said, worried.

"I do. He's a little busy healing Marinette, who had a run-in with Brutus' war-hammer. How hurt is Chloe?" -Chat Noir asked.

"She was stunned by a taser gun, and can hardly walk." -Louve Grise answered.

"Do you think you can carry her here? We're at the top of the building we gathered earlier." -Chat Noir explained.

"I make no promises. But I'm going to try. I'm on my way." -Louve Grise said, as she hung up.

"This is getting bad. First you, now, Chloe." -Chat Noir said, as he looked at Ladybug, when his staff began to vibrate. –"Another call. I wonder… it's Alix." -he said, as he answered. –"What's wrong, Alix?"

"I'm on my way with Rose and Juleka. They're in pretty bad shape." -Dragonfly told him. –"I even had to land on a rooftop, to see if they were still breathing or not." -she said.

"Okay, understood." –Chat Noir told her. –"Bring them, so Nino can check them." -he said, before ending the call. –"This just keeps getting better and better."

"I told them not to do that, and now…" -Ladybug said, gritting her teeth in pain. –"N-Nino, why is it taking so long for the pain to go away?" -she asked him, impatient.

"The knees are very sensitive, Marinette. You've got to be a little patient." -Carapace said.

But patience was one thing that Ladybug did not have, at that moment. No matter how much she wanted to. She was about to tell something to Carapace, when a colossal thunder-like noise was heard. Usually, when one hears a thunder, the first thing they do is to look up into the sky. But this time, it was not the case. There were no dark clouds in the sky. So, they looked around, trying to see where the sound had come from. Then, suddenly, a second thunder-like noise was heard, this one even louder than the first, followed by several others, each louder than the one before. And then, the cause for them was revealed.

"What are those?!" –Ladybug asked, speechless.


Yeah, things aren't looking good for Ladybug and the others. This chapter was basically me showing you all that exhaustion is getting the better of our heroes, and that means injuries, crazy and desperate plans to try and save the day, while at the same time Hawk Moth and La Paon continue to try and kll each other and destroying Paris.

And now, something happened that might mean further trouble for our heroes. What could it be? The answer might surprise you, on the next chapter, as we reach the battle's climax.

Also, I want to thank SydneySaffron for asking that question regarding Françoise-Dupont being only a collège or if it's also a lycèe. Well, I'll be honest, I always planned the school to be both, unlike in the series, but it never went through my mind to add the word "Lycèe" when addressing the school (I suppose it's because when I was a kid, I attended a school that was both juinior high and high school, and my brain didn't even think about it. Memories... sometimes they tend to play tricks on you. xD). So, yeah, to clarify that issue, at the end of the current school year, and unlike in the series, our heroes will remain in Françoise-Dupont for the following 3 years of high school (I'll have to go and make a couple of changes to the chapters where we have the school's name, so no one else has any doubts about it). They will continue to be classmates for many more years to come.

And regarding the end of season 5, I think I'll pass it, and focus on the Awakening movie that's coming (I have a good feeling about the movie's writing, and about the movie itself. So, I'm going to focus on it, and not on the show). As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this and/or future fics.