One week, Ning had one week until she had to return to the United Nations in New York. Despite, what she had learned so far, she was still frustrated by her lack of ability to use two Kwami Charms at once. She was also secretly disappointed that Master Fu hadn't let her try to transform with Wayzz. She really wanted to try and understand what it felt like with that much magic.
Also on her mind, was why the symbol of the Order of the Guardians, kept appearing on her hand and burning her? First, it had sent her a dream about another Miraculous Circle. Then, it had helped reveal to her the secrets in the Miraculous Book. Later, it had alerted her about the lost Miraculous. Lastly, it had given her the spell to awaken Honarra.
Ning was in the kitchen, her breakfast forgotten. For a change, she didn't have the news on. The radio was playing in the background, offering her some white noise. A pad of paper with a sketch of the symbol was in front of her. "Why, why, why? What does it all mean?"
She searched her memory, hoping for some clue or passage she had read would help her figure out this problem. Even her perfect memory didn't have an answer for her. "I know so much about magic and science. I'm an expert in multiple cultures and can speak over a dozen languages. Why can't I figure this out?"
"Because some mysteries will always be mysteries," Master Fu told her, as he entered the kitchen. Wayzz and Honorra followed him around before heading to the fridge for their breakfast. Honorra was having difficulty eating solid food, so Master Fu had bought her rice pudding to eat. Hopefully, it would help her recover her energy faster.
The Great Guardian and his Apprentice watched in amusement as Honorra dived into the pudding cup and splashed around in it, as she ate merrily. Wayzz, scooted his breakfast further away, to avoid getting them covered in pudding. He was not pleased at all with his "cousin's" manners.
"This is the most delicious food I've ever eaten! This pudding is almost as good as rice balls! What else have humans been making with my favorite food over the last few centuries?"
"They certainly haven't been using it on my baby carrots," Wayzz mumbled. As each kwami represented an abstract concept and looked like an animal, they each had a specific food they needed to survive. In times of emergency, they could eat other foods, but to stay charged up they needed a specific food. Many Kwamiis had a distaste for what other Kwamiis needed to eat.
Master Fu chuckled lightly. The scene reminded him of his childhood at the temple long ago. During lunch time, all the initiates would let out the stress of their day by bickering a little. Wayzz was use to being the only Kwami here. With Honorra's arrival, he was having a few problems adjusting to her presence.
"Master Fu?" Ning asked quietly. Her mentor shifted his gaze to her, waiting patiently for her to continue to speak.
She showed him the sketch and her left palm. The symbol wasn't there right now, but she felt it as if it was there. "The symbol of the Order of the Guardians keeps appearing on my hand and burning me. Whenever it happens, it has something to do with the Miraculouses or Kwamiis. Has this happened before?"
Master Fu closed his eyes, trying to recall if Master Zhu had told him anything related to this. Master Zhu had shared stories with him about the past. In his mind he could see himself, as a young boy, drinking tea as Master Zhu told him about the symbol of the Order of the Guardians.
The old man had traced the symbol on his hand, saying the symbol had more than one meaning. The symbol did stand for order and guardian, but there was a hidden meaning. One that very few Guardians knew.
"Special Friend," he whispered in the present.
"Master?" Ning replied in confusion.
Master Fu let her hand go and picked up the sketch. "When I was only an initiate I was favored by Master Zhu, the former Great Guardian of the Universal Circle. He taught me many things, including advance knowledge I wasn't supposed to be taught until I was older."
Wayzz and Honorra stopped eating or cleaning themselves. The two Kwamiis sat at the table paying rapt attention to the Great Guardian, curious about what he had to say.
The Great Guardian turned the sketch so Ning could see. "You can see the symbol combines the hanzi for order and guardian together, but if you look closer, you can see the symbol for special and friend hidden in the decorative circle."
Ning took a closer look and she finally saw the hidden characters. "I can't believe I missed that. What does it mean for me and why is the symbol burning on my palm at times?"
"Ning, very few people know about the Miraculouses or the parts they played across the world in varying cultures. Even among those who knew, only a handful understood the profound connection the Miraculouses, Kwamiis, and humans, all had with one another.
The universe gave birth to the first Kwamiis. They helped humans as best they could. The Miraculouses were made to help them to do more. Without the Miraculouses humans wouldn't have started creating abstract ideas, which led to the universe making more. We're all connected and those who truly understand that are considered special friends to all parties in the circle."
Honorra spoke up, "I don't understand. You and Ning are very similar in regards to all this. Not to mention you are the last Great Guardian. Why do you not have a symbol that appears and disappears?"
"One day I might. Master Zhu told me that when someone bears this mark, not only are they a special friend, they have a very important purpose to fulfill. Each time something related to their purpose occurs, your mark will appear and burn slightly to alert you."
Ning muttered the sensation was more like a hot fire, then a minor burning feeling. At least she finally had answer for the reoccurring mark. However, she was left with a new question. "So my purpose was to find Honorra? Does that mean the symbol isn't coming back?"
Master Fu shrugged his shoulders. He would need a little time to investigate, but he promised to have an answer for her, before she left at the end of the week. Until then, she needed to train more in order to prepare her for whatever happened next.
The next day, Marinette and Adrien were joining a few of their friends, who were all couples, to find the famous André, the Ice Cream Matchmaker. Technically, that wasn't his official name. André was a successful and hard to find ice cream vendor whose custom made ice cream cones, brought many couples together, when on their first date or needed to repair a trouble relationship.
Marinette was chatting amicably to Adrien. "Once you try this ice cream, you'll know what it means to be in love. My parents had their first date at his cart. They couldn't keep their eyes off each other as they shared their ice cream with one another. My dad even proposed to my mom by hiding the engagement ring in her ice cream."
Adrien eyes looked a little sad, before he politely hummed. "You're dad's proposal idea was wonderful and romantic. Maybe one day I should prepare us a romantic rooftop dinner and propose to you there."
Marinette blushed fiercely. "Proposing is a long way off. We should focus on our romantic ice cream date. André ice cream is the best in the city. I'm surprised you haven't tasted it by now. Did your dad ever take your mom on an ice cream date?"
Adrien froze and squirmed uncomfortably. Ever since his mom disappeared, his father hadn't mentioned her once. Whenever he asked about the subject the conversation was quickly shut down. Even when his mom was around, whenever he asked about their past and how they got to together, his parents said he was too young to know about such things.
"I don't know. I don't know what my parents would do for a date night." He was trying his best not to cry. Thinking about his mom and how her disappearance changed his father, was making him very upset.
Marinette felt horrible for making Adrien feeling so sad. She stopped walking and stood in front of him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Do you want talk about it?"
The blond model muttered no and he walked around her, his pace increased. He kept his head down with his hands in his pocket. Marinette chased after him, knowing if she lost him, she would have to answer to the Gorilla and Mr. Agreste. She shivered in fear at the thought of having a serious talk with them.
Adrien arrived at the meeting spot on the Pont des Arts and half-heartedly greeted Nino, Alya, and Ivan and Mylene. Nino was concerned about his best friend, noticing he seemed upset and that he didn't arrive with Marinette, who was only now reaching the newly improved Pont des Arts.
The bridge had undergone a massive transformation over the last few years. In 2015, the city of Paris had begun the process of removing love locks off the bridge, in order to preserve the bridge and ensure the historical ironwork lattice grid, wasn't lost.
In the present Plexiglas had been installed to allow people finally view the Seine again and protect the historical areas of the bridge. All the bridges in Paris were getting the same treatment. Love locks had been removed from the Eiffel Tower also. Plans were in motion to have dive teams clean up the Seine of all the thousands of padlock keys which had been thrown in over the years.
When Marinette arrived, she tiptoed to her boyfriend cautiously. He didn't look up and turned slightly away from her. Alya mouthed what was going on to Marinette who only held up her hands helplessly.
Nino slid slightly over to talk to his best friend. "Hey man, you okay?"
Adrien nodded. "I'm fine Nino. Let's just get some ice cream."
At that moment everyone heard the jingle and hearty laugh coming closer. The couples smiled brightly upon seeing André and his ice cream cart. "Bonjor, young lovers. It is always wonderful to see couples searching for my ice cream to deepen the bond of love. Come, I will serve each of you my one of kind match making cones."
André spoke poetically as he prepared cones for each of them. He lovingly described what each flavor represented and how it connected the couples together. Alya and Nino got there ice cream first. Then Mylene and Ivan.
Finally it was, Marinette and Adrien's turn. Marinette smiled brightly and wrapped her arm around his, but he pulled away. André noticed and saw the sadness in Marinette's eyes. It seemed this couple need a bit more magic than the others.
"Ah, relationships of love can go up and down. My ice cream can make any problem between young couples go away. For you young lady, peach pink like his lips, mint like his eyes. For the young gentleman, my newest creation, Ladybug inspired ice cream."
He held out the cones and Marinette took hers, but Adrien didn't. He raised his head slightly."I'm sorry Mr. André, but I'm not hungry. I doubt your ice cream can solve my problem. I got to go now." He walked away sadly and his friends tried to get him to come back, but he didn't.
Marinette started crying. "It's my fault. I never should have asked him about his parents and what they did when they were dating. I'm sorry Mr. André. You're ice cream can do amazing things, but it can't fix a heart that's heartbroken about a lost parent."
Marinette took the other cone, paid for the ice cream, and then went in the opposite direction of her boyfriend, so she could eat the ice cream and drown her misery. Her friends followed her to give her emotional support.
André couldn't believe what had just happened. No one had ever turned down an ice cream cone and he was horrified that instead of fixing the relationship, he only worsened the situation. He couldn't get the picture of a crying Marinette out of his mind.
So preoccupied by his thoughts, he didn't notice the akuma flying towards him and melting into his ice cream scoop. In an instant he was in the pre akumanzation trance.
"Glaciator, I am Hawkmoth. You're beloved ice cream of love has been tainted by someone who doesn't understand its magic power. I can give you the power to show all of Paris your marvelous ice cream can do.
All I need from you is to bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses."
"I shall serve this new flavor with great joy." The purple and black smoke covered André. He grew in size and was covered in ice cream. When the akumanzation was finished, he now resembled an Ice Cream Sunday version of the Pillsbury Doughboy.
"The loving couples of Paris, will be so pleased," he sang out loud. He then started marching through the city streets firing ice cream at any person who was alone.
Back with Marinette, she laid down on her lounge chair on her balcony. She was having a case of sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, or more commonly known, brain freeze. "My head, ugh I blame Adrien for this." She pinched her forehead, trying to make her headache go away.
"You're the one who decided you had to eat two ice creams cones quickly. You should have given one to me so this didn't happen," Tikki chastised her.
Marinette moaned and turned over in the chair. She started to sniffle. "Tikki, what do I do about Adrien? I was so excited for the ice cream date and I must have hurt him deeply talking about my parents and asking about his. How could I be so insensitive?"
"Oh Marinette," Tikki spoke in a gentle voice. She rubbed against her wielder's cheeks in a loving gesture. "You weren't doing it on purpose. Your intention was to make a happy memory with Adrien, sharing something which was very special to you, with him. Adrien is responsible for his own reactions, not you. Give him time, he'll feel better soon."
A few blocks away, Adrien was sitting in his bed staring up at the ceiling feeling sad. He knew he had unintentionally upset Marinette by leaving her standing there by the ice cream cart. He also had offended the vendor unintentionally by ignoring the treat offered to him. "I shouldn't have been rude to her or Mr. André. He was just doing his job and trying to be nice."
Plagg, who had been burying himself under Adrien's dirty socks, popped his head out of the hamper. "When your right your right. You did make a big mistake."
"Plagg! You're supposed to be helping me feel better!"
Plagg rolled his eyes and phased out of the hamper. "Making you feel better isn't in my job description. When Marinette asked if you wanted to talk about it, you're the one who said you didn't need to. Your lady is so sweet its nauseating at times.
I have seen how much it hurts you when your mom is brought up or how your unhappy with your father's actions. It's okay to feel upset and hurt. What's not right is taking it out on others."
Adrien nodded knowing Plagg was right. He had promised Teal Peacock, he would try to deal with his worries about his father, but he hadn't. Neither had he talked to someone about how he really felt with his mother missing. Maybe it was time to keep that promise.
He reached for the phone to call her when pink ice cream splattered all over his window. Surprised, he jumped out of bed and peered through a piece of glass that wasn't covered. He couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing.
"Oh Paris how can you resist me? I make a sweet treat for couples to eat. Let me express my loving devotion to you." More ice cream bars shot out of Glaciator's fists, turning anyone hit by them into a frozen popsicle. "I'm going to find you Ladybug and Chat Noir, and you will be handing over your Miraculouses."
Adrien cursed under his breath. He really wished Hawkmoth would take a vacation. "We need call Master Fu and Peace Keeper. I think we'll need back up with this one."
"Peace Keeper will come if she feels Ladybug and Chat Noir can't handle this. Now, let's not stand up your girlfriend." Adrien nodded and shouted out his activation phrase and then leaped into action.
Glaciator was strolling closer to the bakery. His giant footsteps shook the whole block and Marinette right out of her lounge chair. She blinked several times to be sure she was seeing properly. "Please tell me, my brain freeze is making me see things."
"Oh Marinette, where are you? I have come to aid you in your time of heart break. Together, we shall help your prince the power of true love!"
The teen ducked back into her room and headed for the bathroom, while Tikki waited impatiently for her. After taking a pill for her headache, Marinette raced back upstairs. "Tikki Spots On!" She swung through the air, her mind already trying to figure out the best way to deal with this akuma.
At Master Fu's home, Honorra was watching an Akuma attack for the first time, considering last time she was in charge of helping keep Master Fu safe. She was fascinated by this computer machine.
Master Fu had logged on to the Ladyblog and brought up the live action feed. Instead of the close up footage normally featured, it appeared Alya was filming from inside of a building and wasn't close enough to get audio.
On the screen, Chat Noir was acting as a decoy, so Ladybug could get the civilians somewhere safe. Occasionally ice cream rained down on the streets, causing Ladybug to start spinning a massive shield to protect everyone.
The live broadcast zoomed in on Chat Noir. He was saying something as he ran up Glaciator's arm. The giant desert man started waving his arm and flung the boy away. Judging by where Chat Noir disappeared from camera range, he was likely in another arrondissement.
"For an akuma based of a dessert, he's pretty strong," Wayzz commented offhand.
Honorra wings flapped in agitation. On the screen, Ladybug noticed, the absence of her partner. There was a couple behind her. She got into a fight stance, as Glaciator raised his fist towards her, but nothing happened. Glaciator ignored the couple and decided to head back towards the bakery.
Honorra let out a happy chirp. "Did you see that? Even akumatized, the gentleman has some honor. He won't attack couples because his belief in his loving ice cream."
Master Fu stroked his beard as Ning watched the footage closely. It appeared Honorra was right. He wasn't attacking couples. Chat Noir suddenly reappeared on the screen. He attacked high and Ladybug attacked low. This tactic didn't work this time.
Glaciator lifted his arms up high and fired multiple ice cream cones into the air. They came raining down all over the city and forced the duo to make a hasty retreat. It appeared they were too preoccupied on staying unfrozen to notice a vital clue.
Master Fu stopped stroking his beard. Looking down at his bracelet, he internally debated something before sliding the bracelet off. Wayzz noticed what he was doing and figured out what the old man was going to do.
Wayzz shook his head furiously. His wielder stared back at him. Wayzz mouthed protests. The human didn't give up, just kept staring. Finally, Wayzz slumped his shoulders, knowing he wasn't going to win this fight.
Ning felt a hand placed on her shoulder. She turned her head and looked at her pseudo grandfather. He was holding the Turtle Miraculous out towards her. Standing up, she looked at him in confusion. "I thought you said I wasn't ready to try using the Turtle Miraculous."
"I believe the special circumstances around this akuma victim, makes this an exception. Our heroes are acting purely offensive in this fight. They need someone, who can observe and relay information to them. Just attacking isn't helping, they need to find a way to defend themselves for a short period of time before using their attacks."
He placed the bracelet in Ning's hand. "One of your greatest skills, is how you are able to take in your surroundings and quickly assess everything you can use to your advantage." He curled the young woman's fingers over the bracelet.
It hit her right then. Master Fu, was letting her borrow his Miraculous, in order to help Ladybug and Chat Noir. She wouldn't have to fight. All she had to do was figure out a winning strategy and convey it to the heroes. Her desire to try using a Miraculous was coming true.
She slid the bracelet around her wrist, feeling weight of it. She knew it didn't weight a lot, but if felt much heavier to her. She reached to remove her Kwami Charm necklace, but Master Fu grabbed her hand. "Keep the necklace on. You're not ready to use any powers associated with the Miraculous. You'll use the Kwami Charms, if it is needed."
Wayzz stood by as Ning took a deep breath and did a few quick exercises to relieve any stress or tension in her body. Once she was relaxed, she held up the bracelet and said the transformation phrase. "Shell Closed!"
Wayzz zipped into the Miraculous and Ning felt the magic flowing from the bracelet into her body. Unlike the time she was possessed by the Fox Miraculous, the magic felt warm and inviting. Her mind was calm.
The magic transformed her into a turtle version of her regular battle attire. Her shell was smaller, covering most of her back, but leaving her neck exposed. The meteor hammer took the place of her utility belt.
"I feel stronger and my stamina is so high I could run for hours. Is this what it always feels like?" Peace Keeper asked.
"The first time, yes. Try to imagine wearing your regular mission attire and being able to go a little bit further or higher than you could before. It will help keep you from overdoing it."
Peace Keeper nodded her headed. She went up to roof. From there, she could see Glaciator still attacking the heroes. Without a second of hesitation, she jumped off the roof and headed for the action.
As she transverse the rooftops, Peace Keeper understood what her mentor meant. Her jumps lasted a minute longer and were a bit higher. Her running speed was faster, and there was less resistance from the elements.
I have to pace myself. I can't be any help if I overdo it. Slow and steady she thought to herself. By concentrating on her movements, Peace Keeper managed to slow down and move like her regular self, with only a tiny boost of power.
She kept her eyes focused on Glaciator. Ladybug and Chat Noir had managed to get him away from their neighborhood and into one of the bigger streets. To her annoyance, the akumatized ice cream man was still singing.
"Couples, couples, couples! Love is the language of Paris and couples are the future. If you give me your Miraculouses, I can introduce you to this love sensation."
Peace Keeper came to a halt on a rooftop a short distant away. There was a telescope on the roof for viewing the sky. Looking through it she saw more couples racing away, and only single people getting frozen.
Swinging the telescope towards the heroes, it was obvious they were still too busy trying to avoid being frozen or fighting to take notice how several couples ran away, without having ice cream shot at them. The teens need help if they were going to stop the walking dessert.
Her senses took over evaluating everything she could see as her mind dismissed non-viable options. Because she was using a Miraculous, she had a better idea of the capabilities of the heroes. "The street is to narrow and there isn't anything around that could help. Chat Noir needs to be able to use Cataclysm. Ladybug has nothing that can help if she summons a Lucky Charm. Come on Peace Keeper think!"
Reviewing what she knew about Paris, an idea started to form in her mind. She swung the telescope so it was looking at the 19th arrondissement. There she saw Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, one of the largest and most beautiful parks in Paris.
There was enough open space to move and plenty of places to utilize for protection. There were also numerous items in the park which could be used with a number of different Lucky Charms. The best part was she could hide and use the Kwami Charms without being seen by anyone.
Tapping the screen on one of the balls of her meteor hammer, Peace Keeper dialed Ladybug.
Ladybug was currently trying to hide a few civilians that had still been on the street when Glaciator came by. Instead of firing ice cream at her, he slammed his fists down on the ground, letting melting ice cream cover everything on the street.
Her yo-yo started beeping, indicating an incoming call. Spying a store, she led the civilians there. "Quick, get in the back and don't come out until it's safe. You'll be okay I promise."
Popping the cover of her yo-yo she answered the call. "Chat, I'm doing the best I can, I'll be there in a second."
"I'm not Chat," a familiar voice said over the line. Ladybug nearly dropped her yo-yo in surprise. "Peace Keeper? How are you calling me?! You're communicator doesn't transmit on the same frequency of the Miraculouses."
"I'm using a Miraculous right now. Master Fu let me borrow the Turtle Miraculous, so I could better observe the fight and help," Peace Keeper responded in a clipped voice.
Back on the rooftop, Peace Keeper was looking through the telescope again, keeping track of Glaciator and seeing how close he was in proximity to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. "I've been observing Glaciator and have some information for you. He attacks single people not couples. Also, it's subtle, but his ice cream form is slowly melting. He's lost half an inch during this fight."
Ladybug was astonished by this. Had she really been too busy fighting to notice such an important detail? Tikki and Plagg were right, she had been so busy fighting offensively, and she never set up a defense so she could observe the Akuma. It was time to fight smarter. Her hand tightened around her yo-yo. "Do you have a strategy to offer?"
"Yes, but you'll need to trust me. First, you need to guide Glaciator to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. I'll make sure he follows. Once in the park, have Chat Noir use his defensive powers to cause Glaciator to step into a lake. You'll use your defensive power to trap him so you can summon a Lucky Charm to end this."
It was a solid strategy. Disconnecting the call, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo and started swinging through the streets. Approaching Glaciator from behind so he couldn't see her she spotted her partner on the street eyeing the Akuma. He seemed to be struggling with his flight or fight response.
"Chat Noir, you need to be frozen, so kindly give me your Miraculous!"
"Not going to happen," he huffed. He was starting to get a little winded from all this fighting. Glaciator raised his fist and fired double the amount of ice cream cones than before at the teen hero.
Ladybug swooped down, grabbed her partner, and did a lofty loop de loop before letting Chat Noir go on a rooftop. "We need to stick close together. As long as we act like a couple, he won't fire any ice cream at us."
"When did you figure that out My Lady?"
"I didn't, Peace Keeper did. She's currently using the Turtle Miraculous to help us out. She worked out a strategy to stop Glaciator. The first step is leading him to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont."
While this conversation was going on, Peace Keeper had gotten a bit closer. She needed to near enough to the fight to use the Kwami Charms, but at a distance she couldn't be seen.
Getting into position, Peace Keeper prayed silently this time she could pull off using two Kwami Charms at once. She didn't know if using the Turtle Miraculous would help or not, but it felt good to have a friend with her, even if he was in his Miraculous right now.
"Focus on your intent. Don't get flustered. Concentrate." She held out her hands and slowly reached out for the magic inside the Kwami Charms. Nooroo and Wayzz's Charms started glittering as the magic slowly moved to her palms.
The magic started to form quickly as the spheres came together. Slowly, she moved them closer together, keeping her mind calm. She breathed in an out. The Miraculous glowed briefly as Wayzz's loving support was felt. If she reached out enough, she could feel the faint hope Nooroo was sending his way.
The spheres merged together without a problem. She felt the magic binding to one another. The power of the spell doubled. Her forehead started to wrinkle under the strain. This was getting too much for her.
NO! I can do this! Don't give up! Peace Keeper shouted in her mind.
The magical sphere was now an even amount of green and purple. Curling her fingers, she moved slightly so she had a clean shot. Glaciator was almost in range.
Glaciator stepped into her line of sight, singing about turning the Eiffel Tower into his new ice cream stand. Peace Keeper let the magic loose. "Champion Guard!" The magic sphere shot through the air with deadly speed. It connected with Glaciator's right arm. The magic traveled up through the arm and down towards the tummy where André's real body was.
The magic entered the man's body. The magic connected to his mind disconnecting him for a few minutes from Hawkmoth and hooking him up with Peace Keeper.
"Glaciator, I am Peace Keeper. Your famous ice cream is enjoyed by many. Ladybug and Chat Noir love it too. They would love for you to serve them some at a romantic location. I suggested going to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. It's so romantic, especially the water features."
"You are right Peace Keeper, I shall go there and serve up my best ice cream before taking the Miraculouses."
The connection dwindled away as the magic seeped back out of the man's body and formed a protective shell around. He would be safe inside once the ice cream body was fully melted. Right now, he was doing as she suggested and heading for the park.
Peace Keeper couldn't believe it. She had actually done it! She had used two Kwami Charms at once! This was fantastic. Now, time to see if the hero and heroine could use their defensive powers now.
Ladybug and Chat Noir had entered the park. Instead of running towards a nearby lake, they strolled hand in hand. Chat Noir was even joking. "What did the strawberry ice cream say to the vanilla ice cream?"
"I don't know, what did the strawberry say to the vanilla?"
"I'll cone you later!"
Both of them laughed at the corny pun. Glaciator's shadow fell over them, but they just continued strolling a leisurely pace. Ladybug started to talk about what kind of date they should go on next.
"Personally, I would love a picnic the park. Wouldn't it be romantic? Us, eating under the shade of a nice tree. The gentle breeze blowing through the air. Enjoying the view of the lake and seeing how many bikes we can count?"
"It is the purrfect set up to me. The only thing that would make it better would be sharing some of André the Ice Cream Matchmaker's famous ice cream with you."
Glaciator paused and listened to the couple. He had been aiming at them, ready to freeze them, when he realized they were on a romantic date. His chocolate smile seemed to go on forever. The super hero couple loved his ice cream!
"Glaciator, now's your chance! Freeze them and take their Miraculouses!"
"Mr. Hawkmoth, I cannot do that. These two are truly in love and they want to eat my famous ice cream!"
"I'm ordering you to take their Miraculouses. Serve them ice cream if you must, but bring me those Miraculouses now!"
Glaciator followed the command. He jumped over the couple, barely managing to get any height. He pointed his fists at the two, who stopped hastily. "I apologize for interrupting your date, but I need to collect your Miraculouses now."
Chat Noir closed his eyes and thought about being a huge hissing feline. He could feel the power growing inside him. Dipping deep down into his reserves, he focused all his energy into pulling off this move. "Feline Bluff!" He felt himself getting bigger and bigger. His shadow lengthened becoming a snarling cat. His green eyes locked on Glaciator. He took a swipe at him with his claws taking a small layer of ice cream off.
"What is this? No, stay away! Don't come any closer!" Glaciator was truly frightened. He kept backing up trying to get away from the angry cat. Chat Noir came closer. The Akuma fired some ice cream only for it to be knocked away by the shadows claws.
He backed up into the lake, the water slowly melting the ice cream away. Glaciator tried to get back on the bank, but this time Ladybug used her defensive power.
"Warning Spots!" All the spots on her outfit magically came off and started forming a cage around Glaciator. Bombarding him again and again, causing more ice cream to melt. He kept firing ice cream cones, hoping to get rid of the spots, but they were just to fast.
Knowing she would get another chance Ladybug called for her Lucky Charm. A bike helmet landed in her hands. Using both her powers back to back was draining her energy fast. If she didn't act quickly, Glaciator would get free and she would be defenseless.
She quickly spotted the items she needed to use. Chat Noir helped her assemble a propeller. While she biked in place, Chat Noir's belt converted the bike's energy to help spin a propeller made from three signs.
The propeller blew away the rest of the ice cream revealing André's body in a protective green turtle shell. The shell landed in the lake and Chat Noir used his baton to maneuver the encased man towards him.
Once on shore, the protective shield dropped and the ice cream scoop landed on the ground. Chat Noir didn't waste any time. He used his Cataclysm to destroy the ice cream scoop. Ladybug caught the escaping akuma, purified it, before restoring everything to normal. This had been a real close fight.
In his lair, Hawkmoth growled at another defeat. "Ladybug and Chat Noir, have new powers?! How can this be? Darkwings rest!" Instantly he turned back into Gabriel Agreste.
Nooroo shivered and curled himself up to be smaller. He knew what was coming. "How can I be of service Master?"
"Don't be coy with me. Ladybug and Chat Noir, used new powers! I want to know how they did it and why you didn't tell me."
Nooroo gulped and then replied. "They used their defensive powers. Each Miraculous has an offensive and defensive power. You're offensive power is the ability to create Champions. Your defensive power is Chrysalis."
Gabriel moved closer to Nooroo and got right in his face. "What does Chrysalis do exactly?"
Nooroo swallowed. "You can use it to protect yourself or trap an enemy so you can flee. The power lasts for ten minutes and your own life force powers it."
Gabriel filed the information away for now. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"Because Master, you didn't ask. Wielders need to know their offensive attacks, but most don't want to know about defensive, so you need to ask. Chrysalis is a last resort, considering the Butterfly Miraculous works best at a distance."
Gabriel grimaced in anger. Compared to Ladybug and Chat Noir's defensive powers, Chrysalis sounded pretty weak. Also he was highly suspicious of why there had been a green shield around the ice cream vendor's body. Was that strange woman passing through again?
He still knew little about the Kwami Charms. He had studied the book using his computer in an attempt to translate the text, but he hadn't found much other than confirming they existed. Nooroo had been no help considering it wasn't information he could share.
"Ladybug and Chat Noir may have new defensive powers, but I still have the edge when it comes to tapping into my special ability. Soon, I will be able to connect and control anyone or anything I want. Those Miraculouses will be mine," Gabriel proclaimed to himself.
A few days later it was time for Ning to head home. The UN Security Council needed her skills once again. Problems in several countries had recently gotten worse and she was one of the few people who could deescalate the problem. Hopefully, the world wouldn't implode on itself while she traveled back to the States.
She had finished packing and putting on her American male disguise to go home in. This trip to Paris had been enlightening. She had learned so much from Master Fu. The history of the Great Guardians, the code of the Miraculous Book, and even how to use two Kwamii Charms at once.
The accomplishment she was most proud of was being able to transform and experience the power behind the Turtle Miraculous. "I wanted to try using a Miraculous and I finally got that experience. It was amazing and humbling," she said to herself.
Master Fu's praise for handling the Miraculous and using two Kwami Charms at once, was more rewarding then punishing official UN Peace Keepers, who broke the rules. This next level of training was very difficult, yet at the same time, rewarding. In her heart, she knew this was the right path for her.
Entering the main room, the others were waiting for her. Marinette and Adrien blinked several times, astonished how easy it was for Ning to disguise herself as a male. Their Kwamiis jaw's dropped upon seeing the transformation.
"I knew you were great at disguises, but I would have never guessed you were really a woman. How do you pass as one in the bathroom?"
"Plagg! That's rude."
"Geeze, Tikki it was just a question."
Their wielders shushed the Kwamiis before going over and hugging Ning goodbye. She was still getting use to displays of affection, so it surprised her a little bit. "I'll miss you two greatly, but I'm happy knowing you can finally use your new defensive powers."
Marinette replied, "We should be thanking you. Without your help we wouldn't have been able to stop Glaciator. You're going to be a wonderful Great Guardian one day."
Adrien's head bounced up and down in agreement. "The Kwamiis and their Miraculouses, will be super safe with you."
Honorra dove down and landed on Ning's outstretched finger. Honorra chirped happily as Ning used her other hand to stroke the little magpie head. "Thank you for bringing me back home."
"You're welcome Honorra. Despite the risks involved, you were worth it. I only wish we knew where the rest of your Circle was or what happened to your Kwamii Charm." She frowned slightly. She was a tiny bit upset with herself for not finding an answer for Honorra.
"You may find out those answers sooner than you think," Wayzz informed her. He gestured to Master Fu, holding out ornate colorful box to her. He was looking at her with pride.
"With a little investigation and ancient wisdom, I discovered what your special mission is." He passed the box to his Apprentice and held onto her hands tightly. He had a serious expression on his face. It reminded her of her superior's when they asked her to take on an important mission.
"The other Miraculous Circles are scattered across the world, their purposes, lost in time. I don't know how much life I have left to live, and with one of the Universal Circle Miraculouses being misused, it is more important than ever to ensure their safety.
You have been selected for a unique quest. It is your mission to recover all the lost Miraculouses and bring them here where they can be safe. It will be very difficult and you will encounter many obstacles. I have faith in you Ning Sun."
Ning felt the heavy weight of the box in her hands. The box itself was giving off powerful magical vibes. It looked like a miniature version of the Order of the Guardian's temple. She had strong feeling that no matter what Miraculous she came across, it would fit in here.
"I am honored Master to be chosen for this quest. I promise, no matter how long it takes, I will find every Miraculous, heal the Kwamiis, and return them to your safety and protection," Ning swore.
It was a promise of a lifetime and she would keep. The next time she was in Paris, she would bring back more Miraculous and reunite each kwami with their family.