Marinette lunged at the creature, swinging the frying pan violently. "It's a talking bug!" she screamed. "Get out! Get out!"

She tried to squish it with the pan, but the insect quickly flew to the side and dodged the attack. It pouted and put its hands on its hips. "That's not very nice! You could have hit me!"

"I have to be going mad," Marinette thought as she watched the bug fly back towards its snack. "There's a giant bug and it's talking to me? Did I hit my head on something? Maybe all that crying messed up my brain. It might be best to go lay down... Oh, but I can't leave this mess down here. I don't know when Maman and Papa will be home. Real or not, I have to deal with this pest."

"You look funny," the bug observed, suddenly flying close to Marinette's face. "Your face has gone completely white. Are you feeling okay?" Marinette jumped back with a scream and swatted her hands, the pan clattering on the ground. Marinette hit the bug, knocking it across the room and against the wall. It hit with a sickening sound and slid down on to the floor.

"Is it dead yet?" Marinette wondered. She grabbed a towel from the counter and tiptoed toward the corpse, prepared to dispose of it.

The bug's body shifted, causing Marinette to flinch. It proceeded to sit up and open its eyes to Marinette's dismay. It let out an exasperated sigh and shook out its wings. After deciding that the damage was minimal, it flew back up in front of Marinette's face and pointed at her angrily.

"That hurt! I could have bent a wing! You hit surprisingly hard, but I guess I should have expected that. You are the next Ladybug after all!"

"Ladybug?"

"I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I see that I scared you. My name's Tikki and I'm a kwami. It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinette. I've been waiting to meet you for a long time. It's been over a hundred years since the last Ladybug and being alone for that long gets dreadfully boring."

"H-how do you know my name?" Marinette asked, her voice wavering. She had gone from confused to downright terrified. She was talking to a bug and it knew her name. Her name! "This has to be a dream, but this is one of the craziest dreams I've ever had. And I thought the dream about a thousand Chloes was weird..."

"Of course I know your name!" Tikki's beamed. "I'm Ladybug's personal kwami, so it's only natural I'd know everything about her. I know your favorite animal is a hamster, you really love sewing, and you have a crush on-"

"That's enough!" Marinette cried, cutting the kwami off. "I believe you!" She was disturbed by how much the creature knew. And while Tikki thought she was providing answers, she was creating even more questions for Marinette like this mysterious person Tikki kept mentioning.

"Ladybug?" Marinette thought. "Who's that? Could she be the owner of this... thing? What a weird name though. Why would you name yourself after a creepy bug? I would definitely remember that name if I had heard it before, but it doesn't ring any bells."

"Excuse me..." Marinette politely cleared her throat and gave Tikki a hesitant smile. "I'm still not quite sure what you're talking about, but I'm still trying to figure out how there's a talking bug in my house. Exactly who is this 'Ladybug'? Is she looking for you?"

"I must not have made myself clear. You're the new Ladybug, Marinette!"

"What? Me?"

"Yep," Tikki nodded. "Ladybug is a powerful hero that protects people with her magic powers. She is chosen based off her kindness, bravery, and wisdom. You're the perfect fit! We've only just met and I can tell you're going to be a great Ladybug!"

"You must have me confused with somebody else." Marinette shook her head. "I don't have magic powers. That's impossible!" She took another look at Tikki and thought, "Well I am speaking with a talking bug so maybe magic powers aren't completely out of the question. But this sounds like something out of one of my old storybooks. Magic, heroes, talking animals! It can't be real."

"You don't have magic powers yet! That's where I come in. I'm a kwami or a magical spirit. By channeling my magic into a special object, you can use my powers to protect people and fight evil! See! Watch this!"

Tikki clapped her hands together and a small box appeared out of thin air. "Hold out your hands," Tikki smiled. Marinette held out her hands, the box dropping into them. She gave Tikki a nervous look, but Tikki kept smiling. "Go on," the creature chided. "Open it. It's a present for you."

Marinette opened the box, revealing a pair of jet black earrings. They took her breath away. She had never seen a piece of jewelry quite so stunning. "Put them in," Tikki said as she took one of the earrings out of the box. "I want to see how they look on you." Marinette wanted to decline, but the cheerful look on the kwami's face forced her hand otherwise. She carefully took the earring from Tikki's hand and pushed it into the ear, followed by its pair.

"There," Marinette sighed. "Is that good?" Marinette secretly wanted to see how they looked too. She wasn't used to wearing such expensive jewelry. She barely had enough money to afford fabric let alone accessories. Being able to wear the earrings even for a brief moment made her feel like a princess. There was something odd about them that made her feel more confident and beautiful.

"They look wonderful!" Tikki grinned. "Those earrings are the special object I was talking about! With them on, I can lend you my magic. That's what allows you to transform into Ladybug!"

"Umm... I'm not sure I follow."

"I'll just have to show you then. It'll be good to go out and get some practice anyways. I have a feeling that we don't have much time to spare. You ready?"

Marinette slowly nodded, deciding to trust Tikki. "Sure... though I have no idea what for."

"All you have to do is say 'spots on'!"

"Spots on?"

All of sudden, there was a whirlwind of pink light. Marinette gasped as it wrapped around her. She watched in awe as her worn, pink dress transformed into a tight, stretchy material that covered her entire body. It was red and black spotted, just like a ladybug. There was a strange coolness on her face and when Marinette touched it, she noticed something there like a mask. It disguised all her distinguishing features.

"What's happening?" she screamed internally. "My clothes changed and why am I wearing this weird mask? What's with this yo-yo strapped to my side? What happened to Tikki? This is too much for me to handle."

"Calm down," a familiar voice whispered inside Marinette's head. She looked around the room, but saw nobody. "Tikki?" she asked aloud. "Where are you? Stop joking around and come out. This is scaring me. What did you do?"

"I'm inside the earrings, Marinette. You're using your Ladybug powers right now. That's why your appearance has changed. Dressed like this, you can move freely while you're fighting! The mask is protect your identity. People these days aren't too fond of magicians. Even if one saves their life, people can get violent. I don't want you getting hurt because of that. I don't want the bad guys to catch you either!"

"Hold on! Can we back up for a moment? Bad guys? Fighting? Who am I fighting? I don't want to fight anyone."

"I'm not sure who we're fighting quite yet, but I sensed a great evil was coming. That's why I came out and found you. Marinette, you've been chosen to protect Paris. I know it's a lot to take in, but this is your destiny. You must rise to the occasion. Ladybug can be no one else but you. I made sure I picked the right person and I'm confident in my decision. I believe in you!"

Marinette's heart stopped. "She's wants me to become a hero and protect Paris! I'm only a simple baker's daughter. I don't have any experience in fighting or magic. I want to tell her that I'm not the right person for the job, but there's a part of me that's curious. All my life I've lived in this bakery and not thought about what's going on outside especially since Adrien passed away. Maybe this could be the chance to move on that I've been waiting for..."

"She makes it sound like Paris is in big trouble too. I can't abandon my city like this. What if my friends and family get hurt? Then it would all be my fault because I didn't act. I'm scared, but I'll be brave for the sake of everyone else. I can do this!"

"Okay Tikki... I think I'm starting to understand. I don't know if I can live up to your expectations, but I'll do my best!"

Marinette's heard a giggle inside her head which sounded more like ringing bells. "I'm glad you're on board," Tikki cheered. "Sometimes new Ladybugs take a lot more convincing. For now, we should go out and have some fun! It's important to learn how to use your new powers before something bad happens. Is there a way we can sneak out of here without being seen?"

"There's a balcony in my bedroom that leads up to the roof."

"That's perfect!"

"Perfect?" Marinette wondered as she walked up to her bedroom. She pushed open the doors to her balcony and was greeted by the bright sun. It stung her eyes. Marinette closed the balcony doors and then hoisted herself up to the roof. Her feet leaned over the edge of the shingles. The bakery certainly wasn't the tallest building in Paris, but it was tall enough to make her feel nauseous. The ground was a long way away and it was dangerous this high up. What if she fell?

"Great! Now grab your yo-yo off your belt! Consider it your magical item. It can do a lot, but for now we'll use it to get around. All you have to do is throw it towards where you want to go and I'm sure you can figure out what to do from there."

Marinette grabbed the yo-yo and tugged on the string. "It looks like a normal yo-yo. What could it possibly do?" She saw the chimney of a nearby building. "Just throw it where I want to go, huh?" Marinette chucked the yo-yo at the chimney and watched it wrap around. She pulled the wire tight and bit her lip. "What now? Does she expect me to jump?"

She lifted one foot up and suddenly the yo-yo yanked her towards the chimney. Marinette screamed as she flew swiftly through the air. The yo-yo dragged her along at its own pace until she felt her feet land firmly on the roof where the chimney was. With a sigh of relief at being on solid ground again, Marinette pulled on the yo-yo string and it unwound, returning to normal.

"Wasn't that fun?" Tikki asked from inside Marinette's head.

"Fun is not the word," Marinette heaved, still trying to catch her breath. "That was terrifying. What if the string broke and I fell?"

"It's a magic yo-yo. That won't happen. Just play around with it a little bit more. You'll get the hang of it."

Marinette examined the yo-yo again. It didn't look magical, but like before, she would trust Tikki. She spotted a tall building about a kilometer away. By her calculations, if she used her yo-yo to jump from building to building, she could probably make it there in a matter of seconds. Normally a trip like that would take a few minutes. Marinette shrugged her shoulders and thought, "Here goes nothing!"

She let the yo-yo loose and off she went again. The wind whipped at her face, but the cool breeze felt good against her skin. An odd sense of freedom overcame Marinette. She felt unstoppable. Almost instinctively, she threw the yo-yo to the next building, followed by the next. Once she let her nerves fade away, everything felt so natural.

"You're doing great!" Tikki complimented her. "I can't say that being Ladybug is all fun and games, but this is a definite perk!"

"Tikki, this is amazing! I feel like I'm flying! I'm sorry for being such a scaredy cat before!"

"It's okay. Everyone is scared to try new things and being a hero is definitely one of those things. It's nice to see a smile on your face. It suits you much better than tears."

"Did you see all that?"

Tikki went silent which Marinette took to mean yes. The girl wasn't exactly embarrassed, but she wasn't proud either. Those were her true feelings. Thinking about the past upset her. It was hard to handle, but it was time to move on. It seemed like Tikki was a gift from the heavens that intended to make Marinette do just that. Marinette didn't pretend to understand, but she felt grateful.

"I wonder what Prince Adrien would think if he saw me now," Marinette giggled, trying to imagine his dumbfounded expression. He would probably be shocked and first, but then get really excited. For as mature as he acted, he had a childish side or at least that's what Marinette imagined. She had only spoken to him for a few minutes. He might have said, "That's amazing! You're so cool! Do you think you could take me for a swing around Paris?"

Might have.

Those words stung Marinette's heart. Her jubilance died down into heartache as she tried to push bad memories out of her head. "What's wrong?" Tikki worried. "You're so sad all of a sudden. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing..." Marinette replied in a hushed tone. "I was just thinking about someone I used to know." Tikki wanted to push further, but stayed silence. She knew Marinette would talk when she was ready. It was too early to pry considering they had only met just earlier. Tikki didn't want to upset her new friend.

"We should head back home," Tikki said, trying to change the subject. "The sun's going down and your parents might be back soon. By the way, you should keep me and being Ladybug a secret from them. It keeps both of us safe."

"Got it. I wasn't planning on telling them anyways. I don't know how they'd react. My parents are really sweet, but they can be a little overprotective..."

"That's just a sign that they love you. On another note, do you have more cookies back at the bakery?"

"Plenty. Is that what you like to eat?"

"Cookies are my favorite! When I'm tired, they help me regain my strength. If you use your Ladybug powers too much, I run out of magic and need to recharge by eating. It might be a good idea to have cookies on hand whenever we leave the bakery just in case. You never know what might happen."

"Are you sure you didn't pick me to be Ladybug because I live in a bakery?" Marinette laughed. She threw the yo-yo in the direction of home and let it take her away. She was quickly starting to get used to this Ladybug thing.

Marinette landed safely back on her own roof and hooked her yo-yo back on her hip. "Now what?" she asked. She had no idea how to return to normal.

"Say 'spots off'!"

"Spots off?"

Just like before, there was a swirl of pink light and Marinette's suit transformed back into her dress. The mask disappeared along with the yo-yo. Marinette was back to being normal Marinette. Tikki came flying out of the earrings and landed gently in Marinette's palms.

"You did it!" the kwami smiled, doing a tiny cheer. "See? Being Ladybug isn't that bad, but I still have a few more things to tell you. When you use my magic, your earrings turn red with five black spots. As long as you don't use Ladybug's special powers, you can remain in that form for as long as you'd like."

"Special powers?" Marinette thought just being able to transform and use a magic yo-yo was special enough. There was even more?

Tikki nodded and said, "Ladybug has a few magic spells that allow you to defeat evil. The most important is your Lucky Charm! It allows you to summon a magic object that can help defeat the person you're fighting. It comes in handy often, so make sure you know how to use it. But once you use this spell, you only have five minutes before you transform back into normal Marinette. One dot equals one minute. Your earrings will beep as a countdown so you know how much time you have left."

"Why do I turn back into normal me?"

"That particular spell uses a lot of my energy. Once you use it, it becomes difficult to maintain your Ladybug form."

"I see. So what's another one of those magic spells?"

"You don't need to worry about them yet," Tikki replied. "I'll teach them to you when the time comes. For now, let's head back into the bakery. I'm starving!"

"Starving?" Marinette raised an eyebrow as she slipped Tikki into her dress pocket. "I recall watching you stuff your face with all kinds of cookies earlier. By the way, I still have to clean up that mess you made. There were crumbs everywhere!"

"Sorry!" Tikki squeaked. "I tried to reach for one of the cookies and accidentally knocked over the entire tray. I can help you clean up! I'm really sorry!" The poor creature looked like she was about to cry. Her face was red with embarrassment causing Marinette to laugh.

"It's not a big deal," Marinette told her, patting Tikki's head with her finger. "It'll only take a few minutes to clean up. Besides, I'm glad you enjoyed them. People say my parents make the best cookies in Paris!"

"I think I can agree with that!"

The two burst into laughter again. Marinette smiled, happy to have made a new friend and excited to explore this strange magic that had gifted to her. Tikki watched her partner beam and felt relieved. It had been so long since she last had a friend. While she waited for a new Ladybug to appear, she spent most of her days alone with only the occasional visit from other kwami. Her own heart hurt as she recalled recent memories.

Like Marinette, she had someone special she held dear. He was a kwami like her, but the opposite in terms of personality. He was crude and had no manners. He liked stinky cheese and made bad jokes. Out of all the other kwami, he was definitely the most annoying, but Tikki cared about him the most. They used to visit each other often while they waited to find their next masters.

Then one day last year, he simply stopped coming. He vanished with no explanation to where he had gone. Tikki's lonely days began again, but this time they were filled with worry. She waited and prayed for his return. Kwamis didn't die easily, but Tikki couldn't help but think something bad happened to him.

At the peak of her sadness, Tikki was struck with a strange feeling. It was a sign that it was time for the new Ladybug to appear. Delighted to finally escape her solitude, Tikki set out to find her Ladybug. However the thought of her missing friend weighed deeply in the back of her mind. She hoped that this new Ladybug might be able to provide some answers and help her find her other half.

"Let's head inside then!" Marinette grinned. "We have cleaning to do and I have to figure out where you'll be sleeping from now on." Tikki looked excited at the prospect of a place to call her own.

As they went back inside, Marinette had a few lingering thoughts about her kwami friend and her purpose. Tikki kept describing a type of "evil" that Ladybug was expected to fight. Marinette didn't exactly understand what that entailed. Tikki's words were incredibly vague. Marinette couldn't even imagine what this evil could be. Paris had been a period of peace for over fifty years. There had been no wars, little poverty, and was a site of major technological innovation. It was one of the few cities to have a working trolley system which was a source of citywide pride.

It seemed impossible that Paris's peace would vanish so easily. Marinette assumed Tikki might have been over exaggerating, but she still felt nervous. According to Tikki, Ladybug held extraordinary powers. It could only be assumed that this evil might match her in skill and magic. "I shouldn't worry too much," Marinette reassured herself. "Everything will be just fine..."


From the distance in a nearby alley way clouded in shadows, a black cat watched them with glowing, emerald eyes. He had been scavenging for scraps when he spotted a strange red blur out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw a beautiful woman racing across the rooftops. Her presence went unnoticed by everyone but him. Perhaps it was attributed to his finely honed animal instincts.

A jolt of electricity ran through his body, signaling him to follow her. He chased her from the streets as she vaulted across the sky. Her speed was incredible and even on four legs, it was difficult for him to keep up. Finally she stopped on the roof of a popular bakery he recognized. They threw out wonderful scraps, so he often frequented the place for meals. The cat approached the bakery and saw a trail of ivy leading up the side of the wall. He carefully climbed up, a skill he was proud to have developed.

On top of the roof was a large chimney that he stealthily hid behind. His black coat kept him safe in the shadows. It would be hard to spot him aside from his bright eyes. He watched the girl shout "spots off" and there was a sudden rush of powerful magic. The girl's outfit became a pink dress that the cat thought suited her quite well. A strange creature emerged from nowhere and landed in the girl's hands.

Both laughing, the girl and the creature went into the bakery, leaving the cat on the roof. He was astounded with what he had seen. Magic was hard to come by these days, but he recognized it when he saw it. This girl knew magic. There was no doubt in his mind. But her magic wasn't what intrigued him. It was the red and black spots she had been wearing. Her image tugged at the back of his mind, at the one thing he remembered.

Ladybug.

It was the only thing he remembered from the day he considered his life to begin. After rushing away from the scene of danger, the cat found himself repeating that word over and over. He didn't know its meaning. For all he knew, it could have been meaningless. It could have just been the name of a bug. But it was all he had, so he made sure never to forget it.

From that day on, he lived on the streets as a normal alley cat. He stole food wherever he could. Sometimes he even resorted to mice if he was starving. He slept in hidden alleys and made friends with the other strays. He quickly adapted to the rugged lifestyle and accepted it as his fate. It was a harsh and unforgiving life. No one offered to help and each day was a struggle to survive. It was a life typical of any stray. Still, he knew he was different from the other cats and it all stemmed from that one day.

The face he saw in the mirror stuck with him. He vividly remembered the blonde hair and a human face. Despite how hard he tried, the cat could never return to that semi-human form. He reached a point where he gave up though his questions remained. Why was he in the palace that day? Why did he become a human? For a long time he had no answers, but that was different now. After seeing that girl, he was sure of it.

She would show him the answers.

After all, she was certainly Ladybug.


Comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated! :)