This chapter has been built up for a very long time, the only one in this thing (so far, at least) that I've always had in mind since the beginning of the story. We left off with Andrew giving Marinette and Adrien an impossible choice. Now, we're faced with the true consequences of everyone's actions - Marinette and Adrien's choice, Gabriel and Nathalie being forced to be powerless, Alex, Jack, and the twins not acting decisively when they should've, Lila not acting decisively when she should've... and Andrew Hendrol, biting off more than he thought he could chew.

This chapter aims to answer one important question: Andrew Hendrol's mind has always been resistant to outside corruption. But what happens when the corruption is within? Read on, find out, enjoy!

Chapter Three

One Last Fight

Two days passed without any sign from Ladybug, Cat Noir, or their teammates… or Dragonus and the Darks, for that matter. The average citizens, even with their minds corrupted by Dragonus's invasive video, seemed to feel like life was returning to normal.

Until the massive airship appeared over the city, hovering over the Eiffel Tower.

It was huge, shaped like an aircraft carrier but twice the size, with six massive rotors positioned on either side of the airship at equal intervals. A single, massive hole was opened right in the middle, leading either into the belly of the beast or an uncertain doom.

What was certain, however, was the people's reactions to it - namely, blaming the behemoth's sudden appearance on Ladybug, as she was the only one who could've created such a massive metal monstrosity.

"Wow," Skinker muttered as he scrolled through the comments of the news he was broadcasting on his heads-up display. "I haven't even heard of some of those words before."

"If you start repeating obscenities, I will punch you," Iapallidus threatened.

All six Darks were based at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, absentmindedly waiting for the heroes. "And you're sure they'll show up? And this isn't some trap?" Crocdown asked.

"Positive… mostly," Dragonus admitted. "Our dear Ladybug sent me a message this morning. Apparently, they're going to march down that bridge," he pointed at the Pont d'Iéna, "and they'll be a little more cooperative with us."

"Is it cooperation if you're coercing them?" Alphaux snarked. Dragonus threw him a glare. "They had a choice to say no, it just would've been a very bad choice. Like getting on my bad side right now. I need absolute concentration for this, Alex."

"Quit bickering, you two," Maladea interjected, pointing a dagger towards the Pont d'Iéna. "Here they come."

The other Darks' gazes turned toward the bridge, and sure enough, Ladybug's team - all seventeen of them - were slowly walking towards the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Dragonus felt his lip curl in disdain. Is this what they decided to do? he thought to himself, even if Vorath read his musings. I would've expected them to fight more, resist more… I put up more of a fight when I was two years younger than them with even less backup…

"Of course, you had a flaming sword and righteous fury, as well as literal poison radiating off of you," Vorath muttered. "Tikki's gang and her little friends don't have that luxury."

"I didn't have abilities that could one shot ol' Queenie," Dragonus retorted. "They should have every advantage. I didn't even check the book."

"You didn't check the book?" Crocdown asked suddenly. Dragonus felt four pairs of eyes turn on him. He sensed the feeling of opportunity swell.

"No… I didn't," his response was measured, quiet, trying to draw attention. "It was a show of goodwill for all involved."

"Maybe it's all a trick," Iapallidus said. "Trying to let your guard down."

"If they're wise, they won't think of doing that," Dragonus said dangerously.

By the time the Darks' chatter quieted, Ladybug and her team stopped just a couple meters in front of Dragonus and the Darks, and the looks on their faces seemed to deem that couple meters as no man's land, and as if they were daring any of the Darks to cross.

Naturally, Dragonus did cross, walking briskly as he spread his arms out placatingly. "I'll be honest, I was a little worried when you didn't do anything yesterday. I'm guessing the choice was a bit hard to make, surrendering yourselves to me?"

"No one's surrendering anything yet," Ladybug replied icily. "And enough with the playing-nice act, we all know what you want to do."

Dragonus flippantly waved away her words. "I'd like to attempt to make this quick and pleasant for everyone involved, but if you want me to be the bad guy, I'm more than happy to oblige," he growled. "I already had to subdue Hawk Moth and Mayura this morning, and I'm still itching for a good fight. So unless you want me to drag you up there…"

"No one is dragging anyone anywhere," Cat Noir interjected, though the look in his eyes seemed to indicate that he wanted to drag Dragonus to a fate worse than death. "We all want this to be over with. Unless you're willing to come to your senses and see this plan of yours is insane, Andrew?"

"Insanity means I don't know what I'm doing," Dragonus retorted. "That couldn't be further from the truth. I know exactly what I am doing. Now…" he snapped his fingers, a gold portal opening behind the other Darks. "Are you ready to help me change the world?"

Ladybug and Cat Noir glanced at each other, then their teammates - noticing some of the apprehensive looks on the others - then the portal. "If it's going to end this war…" Ladybug finally said. "Fine. After you."

"Fair enough," Dragonus replied, motioning for the other Darks to enter the portal. "Oh, and so I don't forget… don't worry about holding your breath up on the Salvation. It's climate-controlled for a reason." Throwing one last look towards the heroes, he stepped through the portal himself.

"Ready preparations for our guests," Dragonus ordered once he touched down on the Salvation's top deck. "I want this done as quickly as possible. If they have enough time to react, it all falls apart."

Ladybug pursed her lips, her eyes flicking between the swirling portal, the massive shape of Dragonus's machine in the sky, and Cat Noir's own grimly set jaw. "Do you think you could Cataclysm it?"

"Hard to say," Cat Noir replied. "That thing's massive, and while I'm mostly sure it would crumble to dust, what's to say Dragonus hasn't done something to it? Like parts would break off before the Cataclysm fully spread and they'd crash to the ground? Not to mention that we'd be in freefall if it worked. Could a Lucky Charm do anything to it?"

"Depends on how exactly that thing works," she answered. "But in theory, if Andrew unleashes some kind of catastrophe, I could undo it with a Lucky Charm… the only problem is actually being able to use it."

Skinker popped his head out of the portal, and Ladybug could immediately tell he was glaring at them. "Boss says to hurry up. We haven't got all day." He pulled his head back in the portal.

"Well, that was rude," Queen Bee huffed. Traquemoiselle nodded wordlessly.

Ladybug turned to look at her team. "Alright. I'm not gonna mince words here. There's a very good chance Andrew might do something catastrophic… and there's a very likely chance I might not be able to fix it. All I'm going to ask of you guys for now is to not panic. Once we cross through that portal, we're on Andrew's terms. If you want to back out now, that's perfectly fine. We'll just fight them all until we win. But right here, right now… this is our best chance to end this. Who's still in?"

Rena Rouge, Carapace, Viperion, and Bunnyx immediately stepped forward, followed by Pegasus, King Monkey, and Ryuko. Polymouse and Minotaurox shared a brief kiss before stepping up. Pigella, Purple Tigress, Rooster Bold, Caprikid, and Traquemoiselle stepped forward cautiously.

Queen Bee crossed her arms, a deep, exasperated sigh escaping her lips. "Fine," she relented, scooting towards the rest of the team as slowly as possible. "Amber did say to punch that arrogant monster-trucker in the face for her."

"Don't you mean moth-?" King Monkey was about to correct her when Purple Tigress shot him the worst glare in the world as she covered a starry-eyed Pigella's ears. "Forget I said anything."

Ladybug couldn't help but smile a little. Might as well cherish this, she thought to herself. This might be the last time we get to smile like this. "Well, with that out of the way…" she turned back towards the portal. "Let's finish this… once and for all."

"Woah," Ladybug heard Rena Rouge gasp once the heroes slipped through the portal. Her reaction wasn't unwarranted. The portal had led them all to the top deck of the Salvation - or whatever Dragonus called it - and no one could have predicted the sight they beheld.

The top deck was almost abnormally flat for the type of ship it was based on - Ladybug remembered seeing pictures of aircraft carriers at sea and noticed that they had control towers that the Salvation lacked - and a massive glass dome covered the entire area, supported by thick iron beams. The Darks stood near the center of the ship, with two other shapes standing near them… or kneeling?

"Well, come on, then," Dragonus said impatiently. "We aren't getting any younger here."

"We were just admiring your superweapon," Pegasus called back. "The engineering is inspiring, really. How much thrust do the rotors need to produce to keep this magnificent machine flying?"

"If you're trying to flatter me, it won't work… much," Dragonus said, beckoning for the heroes to come closer.

Ladybug glanced back at her team. "Remember, don't panic. Whatever he does, panicking might make it worse. Just keep a cool head and we'll be fine," she said quietly. "C'mon, let's go."

Crossing the top deck of the massive ship felt like an eternity, even though the portal barely dropped them thirty yards from the Darks. As the group got closer, Ladybug started to realize exactly what the shapes by the Darks were, and her suspicions were confirmed when Crocdown and Iapallidus took off the sacks covering the figures' heads.

Metallic cords were wrapped around their wrists, anchoring their hands to the ground and forcing them to kneel uncomfortably. Though if Hawk Moth and Mayura were truly in discomfort, they didn't show it. In fact, the only emotion they were showing was nothing less than absolute loathing. The expression sent an involuntary chill down Ladybug's spine.

She knew Dragonus had absorbed the two adult supervillains' powers, and that had to have included sensing negative emotions. What could he feel from them?

"Enter her Majesty, the Queen of the Dawdlers," Skinker announced. "And her royal guard, the Miraculous Dawdlers."

"Dude, seriously? Not now," Dragonus chided before turning his gaze back on the heroes. "He's right, though. You did take a little more time than was necessary. I thought we had agreed you would cooperate."

"I was making sure everyone was on board with the plan," Ladybug replied coolly. "If anyone has any concerns, I usually like to address them, rather than brush them aside and hope for the best. It helps to make sure no one gets shifty-eyed."

Dragonus just chuckled darkly, but Ladybug could hear the nerves in it. "I don't need to. I'm not paranoid enough to think my teammates - my friends, my brothers - would betray me. Speaking of which, how are you, Chloé?"

"What's it to you?" Queen Bee demanded. "Why am I here, anyways?"

"I'll explain that in a second," Dragonus replied. "But for now, on with the show!"

He flicked his right hand once, and dozens of metal cables leapt from the Salvation's deck, immediately binding the heroes in place and forcing them to their knees.

"Hey, this wasn't part of the deal!" Ladybug protested as she struggled against the cords. Her eyes flickered to Cat Noir's right hand… and Dragonus seemed to spot her glance.

"Oh no, you don't!" Dragonus snapped as he gestured with his hand again. The cable around Cat Noir's hand pulled it to his chest before tying itself around his torso. "No Cataclysms today, kitten. There's too much riding on this for you to destroy."

Dragonus curled his fingers again, and the cables pulled each hero to a specifically outlined square - save Ladybug and Cat Noir, who were pulled to an engraved yin-yang sign on the floor, and Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, Hawk Moth, and Mayura, who were all pulled into petal-shaped engravings.

"What is this thing?" Ladybug demanded. Dragonus chuckled once. "Y'know, I'm really proud of myself for this one. I managed to get a glimpse of the old form of your Miracle Box, and I've gotta say, I like the look and the way it opened. So I made my own version of it… to scale with all of you. Add in some perfect control synced to my ring hand, and voila. The perfect Miracle Box."

Dragonus raised his hand, then clenched it into a fist. The yin-yang, petals, and squares all began to rise - their respective holder still stuck on them - and with the snap of Dragonus's fingers, arranged themselves into an approximation of the old box.

"I'll be honest, I would've preferred to have you all face-to-face with me," Dragonus sighed. "But I had to optimize input for maximum output."

"You didn't answer my question!" Queen Bee shouted indignantly. Dragonus threw an exasperated glare in her direction. "Must everyone keep interrupting my genius? Fine, fine. If you want to know, I read it in my spellbook."

"You have a spellbook?" Cat Noir asked. "I thought you just had the-"

"They are two different things!" Dragonus interrupted, an edge of anger in his voice. "But yes. The spell specifically said that I needed to have all holders from the moment the Miraculouses of the Ladybug, Black Cat, Fox, Turtle, Bee, Butterfly, and Peacock first became active at once. 'When the seven became one,' the scripture put it. I'm not entirely sure if allegiances mattered, but if the magic didn't list the concern, why bother checking?"

"Doesn't that usually end badly for the guy who doesn't check?" Cat Noir called back. "What if your little resurrection gambit ends up blowing up in your face and things end up worse than they do? Or sets off a zombie apocalypse or something?"

"It doesn't do that, and frankly, anyone who comes up with that idea is an idiot," Dragonus retorted. "I've gone over this plan so many times. My victory is certain. And there's nothing you or anyone here can do about it."

"If you wanted to save the planet, Andrew, you should've told your father to switch to electric engines!" Polymouse protested. "Or promoted green energy! Anything but this! Your resurrection powers can only lead to catastrophe!"

"So you know about it, don't you?" Dragonus muttered darkly. "I do believe in green energy and the like, but the time it would take to get all the green energy set up and cars to switch is simply too much compared to what's left. This is all to buy time… and perhaps some mortals could use a catastrophe or two to get that idea in their heads."

The sheer venom - and the fact that he used the word mortals, as if he wasn't one - in Dragonus's voice sent a small shudder down Ladybug's spine. He has to be losing his mind, she thought.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by Dragonus clearing his throat. "But enough of all that! I'm going to fix every climate problem on the planet in one fell swoop, and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me. I will warn you, though. This is not going to feel pleasant in the slightest."

Dragonus dove beneath the massive Miracle Box structure, coming to rest on the dragon emblem on the deck of the Salvation. "Let's see, how did the spell begin?" he muttered quietly to himself, just barely registering Alphaux, Crocdown, and the twins approaching him, Maladea standing just to the side.

"Andrew, you aren't going to do anything crazy, are you?" Alphaux asked cautiously. Dragonus waved his concerns away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Back up, I need space for this… I said, back up." Dragonus's voice started to get a dangerous edge to it.

"What if they're right?" Crocdown demanded. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Everything is going to go according to plan," Dragonus replied shortly. "They don't know what they're talking about. I do. I'm the only one that knows what I'm talking about."

"Let him do what he needs to do, boys," Maladea interjected. "The rest of it," she motioned in the direction of Ladybug and her team, "will be dealt with later. So back off, or I'll make you back off."

Iapallidus snickered darkly as he stepped back. "Ironic that the wielder of the Dark Miraculous of Betrayal is so blindly loyal." The others followed his example, leaving Dragonus with a wide berth.

Dragonus chuckled once. "Ready for the fireworks? Let's get started."

He cracked his knuckles once, then pressed his palms together. "Vorath, my kwami of Absorption, hear my wishes. For too long, your powers were chained. But I have absorbed enough to strengthen us to our true potential. Where we once took, now we give. Where we once drained, now we fill. Where we once Siphoned, now we Rekindle."

Dragonus's gloves started glowing gold, and he could see the apparition at the back of his mind - the image of Vorath's true form. Four arms connected to a torso with a black hole for a heart. Six pairs of dragon wings extended from his back. A massive dragon tail curled around his scaly legs that ended in sharp claws. His dragon-like head had four eyes and massive horns that curled up, down, and towards the front of his head.

"I accept your pledge," Vorath's voice boomed in his mind. "Direct my power."

Dragonus pressed his glowing hands to the seal bearing the Dark Dragon's emblem. Golden light traveled up the pillars that held the massive Miracle Box above him, then through the metal of the structure and into the cables wrapping around the holders' limbs.

The essence of their powers, pure and raw, flowed into him, a rush of energy so euphoric he almost lost control of his spell. Forcing himself to think clearly despite the reveling his nature demanded, Dragonus spoke the final part of the spell. "With this Rekindling gift, I offer it to you, mother Earth, to cleanse you of centuries of worldwide human destruction. Rejoice, mother Earth, for you are reborn." Then he forced the power through his hands and into the emblem.

The hole on the Salvation's underside began to glow with golden light as Dragonus's Rekindle charged up, the massive cannon humming while a massive orb of energy as bright as a sun began to grow in the barrel.

Dragonus, despite the overwhelming power still flowing through his body and into the Salvation, stood up. He removed his helmet with his left hand and threw it aside, revealing the wild look in his eyes. He raised his right hand, his fingers poised to snap.

"Look upon my works, and if you decide to despair, that's on you," he said, his voice booming across the Salvation. A heartbeat later, his fingers snapped.

The Salvation fired, its beam blasting into the Eiffel Tower. The energy permeated into the metal of the Tower as it traveled down, flowing from metal to concrete to the soil beneath Paris. The Rekindle continued to spread as lines of golden light shot around the world, through the continents and oceans, before meeting again on the other side of the world.

Dragonus started laughing, reveling in the power at his fingertips. "Now, as I swore long ago, Rekindle!" he commanded. The golden light started glowing brighter, almost turning the surface of the Earth into a small star.

The ravaged forests of the Amazon grew back in mere seconds, restoring the dead parts of the jungle to the verdant life they were two hundred years ago.

Coral unbleached, algae blooms died as the excess nutrients in their water disappeared. Soil worldwide returned to fertility. The destroyed ecosystems healed almost instantly. The polar ice caps began to reform, glaciers unmelting as if in some reversed timelapse.

Excess carbon dioxide in the air started decreasing rapidly, either returning to crude energy forms. Excess methane was broken down, its carbon joining the rest of the excess. Any remnants of the holes in the ozone layer were filled, returned to the state it was two hundred years ago.

"I can't be the only one seeing this."

"This is completely unprecedented… this should be impossible."

"The planet was nearly torn off of orbit a few months ago! By a magic volcano in the heart of Paris! We live in an impossible world now. First the energy surge from Paris, now the readings say that worldwide climate levels are reverting to the way they were back in 1776!"

"Wanna bet what it's all about? Some magic-crazed maniac with time powers decided he liked how things were?"

"Well, for the climate, it's not bad, but the world's population and number of population centers have increased a lot - put simply - since 1776. Get the message out to world governments. It may turn out that we'll have a new crisis on our hands."

Ladybug struggled against her bonds, her face contorted in pain as the Salvation drained her powers bit by bit for Dragonus's ambitions. She craned her head towards Cat Noir, who was similarly struggling, his teeth clenched as he tried to withstand the strain.

It was agonizing. It felt like every fiber of Ladybug's entire body was being drained to power the resurrection. Her head and chest felt like they were being crushed while her limbs were pulled and twisted in directions they shouldn't be. She ached in parts of her body she didn't know could ache. Parts felt like they were being melted alive, others felt frozen. All the while, a primal terror pounded at the edges of her mind, trying to claw its way into her conscious self.

Some of the others sounded like they had succumbed. Past the sound of the Salvation firing and Dragonus's joyous laughter, Ladybug could hear the screams.

"M'lady," Cat Noir croaked. Ladybug immediately turned her gaze towards him, her worry breaking her floodgates. She nearly screamed. Cat Noir - Adrien - looked starved. His skin turned deathly pale. His eyes were almost empty. She shuddered to imagine what she might look like.

"I'm sorry, kitty," she said quietly, her own voice ragged and almost unrecognizable. "I'm so, so sorry. He's going to completely drain us…"

Cat Noir cracked a small smile, and that broke Ladybug's heart all over again. "At least my last moments are with you, princess."

"Me too, my prince… me too."

Then it all stopped. The humming of the cannon, the golden light on the Earth below, the screaming, the pain… it all stopped. The new silence was almost perfect relief.

The giant Miracle Box began to descend, splitting back into squares and petals before reforming around Dragonus… and Ladybug noticed his scales - and eyes - were glowing. A satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Well, we all did good work, didn't we?" he began, a small chuckle in his voice.

It took all of Ladybug's willpower not to curse the American boy out, instead focusing what remained of her energy - and what was slowly coming back - to quickly check on her teammates… and Hawk Moth and Mayura. They all looked to be in the same state as she and Cat Noir were. Exhausted, pale, maybe just a touch skinnier… except Hawk Moth and Mayura, who seemed to have handled Dragonus's punishing draining far better than the teenage heroes did.

"You got what you wanted," Ladybug said, her voice hoarse. Dragonus turned in her direction, a massively smug smile on his face. "I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you. Would you mind speaking up, my dear Ladybug?" he asked condescendingly.

"You got what you wanted!" she shouted. "Now let us all go! Please!"

"Well," Dragonus tutted. "At least you remembered your manners. But I'm afraid letting you all go was not part of the plan."

"What do you mean?" Cat Noir demanded.

"Yeah, boss," Alphaux interjected, Crocdown and the twins at his flanks. "What do you mean?"

"Funny, I thought you knew," Dragonus replied. "But isn't it obvious? Even when time is bought, people squander it, meaning that there's a very good chance all the good I've done today will be undone in a matter of… decades? Years, even? Like I said, I want a future, not just for me, but for everyone. I don't understand why people want to hasten our destruction… so I've decided to make sure my glorious works will never be undone."

"You aren't saying…" The realization seemed to strike everyone present, but it was Skinker who voiced it.

"I thought it was obvious," Dragonus said nonchalantly. "My supervillain name was always a combination of Dragon and Deus."

"Andrew," Maladea said quietly, though the shock was obvious in her voice. "That's… no. Just… no. That's too far. I-"

"Was worried you'd say that," he sighed. "Lila, I like you. I really, really like you. I was going to offer you some of the power for yourself, to do what you'd like, to be my immortal counterpart, the balance to my power. But if you're going to be apprehensive about it…"

"It's now or never, boys!" Alphaux interrupted. "Get him now!"

But more metal cables ripped from the Salvation's deck, stopping the Darks' charge of their friend… and binding Maladea, as well.

"No!" she shouted as she struggled. "I thought you- you…"

"I do, I promise," Dragonus said softly. "This is for your own good. You activate your powers and they hit me… well, there's a bunch of bad ways that could go for everyone. And as for you four…" he turned towards the other Darks, who were struggling even harder against the bonds. An unimpressed look seemed to bore into the four boys.

"I trusted you. I gave you powers. I didn't check the book. I thought, they wouldn't interfere with my final plan. They'd support me. But clearly I was wrong. It's disappointing, really. Lifelong friendships to the point of brotherhood? Apparently goes right out the window when I'm close to winning."

"You really need to stop and listen to yourself sometime," Cat Noir quipped. "Considering if half of what you said is true, you're infinitely more guilty of that than they are," Dragonus turned his dagger-like glare on Cat Noir.

"I should really make you hurt for that, but I suppose, given my imminent godhood, such petty acts are beneath me," he replied shortly. "You'll get your due in time, Puss in Boots."

"We just want our brother back!" Crocdown yelled desperately. "You're losing your mind, Andrew! Just let us help you!"

A dark growl bubbled from Dragonus's throat. "I don't need help anymore. I already had to get Vorath to shut up once I was done with his powers because I'm dealing with one voice too many. Don't make me shut you up, too."

The stunned silence seemed to freeze the air, hurt and betrayal emanating off of the Darks, shock from the other heroes, and a sigh of resignation from Hawk Moth and Mayura. Then Dragonus started to laugh a little.

"I'm in the place you never could reach, Magnus," he said through his laughter. "I've passed everything you could ever do, Silverwing. I'm still standing, pheromone-lady. And I'm about to ascend even further. By my will, I am become omnipotent. SIPHON!"

The air crackled with golden lightning as the draining started again, except the power flowed only into Dragonus. He started glowing brighter, his suit shining like a star, eyes beaming golden light, his teeth shining silver. He began to grow as he became brighter and brighter, a second sunrise for the entire world.

The pain returned to Ladybug's body again, this time more excruciating as it tried to take power she didn't have enough of. Screams echoed in the air, but only one new voice joined the chorus.

Ladybug, the last of her strength fading, craned her neck over to see Alphaux let out a defiant, determined howl. "Summon the Pack!"

A dozen clones leapt from his body and immediately tore at his restraints. Alphaux freed himself with a snarl, then pointed at Crocdown, Iapallidus, Skinker… and Ladybug. "Free them! Take their places if you must!"

Six wolves leapt over to the male Darks, freeing them of their bonds. "Now we're cooking!" Crocdown growled. "Reptrile mode, boys! Al's got a plan and we need to buy him time!"

The twins nodded as their beast shells bubbled around them. Reptrile rose, swiping a massive hand at Dragonus, who ducked and lashed out at the combiner with his claws. The strike left deep gouges in Iapallidus's arm mode, but Reptrile struck again, forcing Dragonus to divide his attention.

A pair of wolves raced to Ladybug's side, skidding to a halt as their claws and teeth tore the cables apart. The pain immediately dissipated, and Alphaux sped over to help her to her feet.

"Thanks," she gasped quietly.

"Do you have any ideas to stop him?" Alphaux asked quickly. Ladybug found herself unwittingly rolling her eyes. I just got out of a trap that was causing me more pain than I've ever felt in my life, so of course I do! she ranted in her head.

"I have one plan… but you aren't going to like it," she answered. "I managed to talk to a Ladybug Miraculous holder from the past who fought a Dark Dragon. Joan said she defeated him by stabbing him through the chest."

Alphaux seemed to blink in surprise - it seemed, Ladybug couldn't quite tell with his helmet still on. "First off, you made contact with a past holder of your powers? How? But you're right. That isn't going to happen."

"I thought you wanted to stop him!"

"I want him brought back to his senses! Back to being the guy he used to be…"

Ladybug blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Alphaux sighed, then removed his helmet, his blond hair - a bit shorter than Cat Noir's, Ladybug noticed - shining against the glowing gold of Dragonus. "He used to be a good guy. A good superhero. Sure, he had his wobbles, and he had to put down a few nemeses here and there… but his heart's always been in the right place, and he's fought tooth and claw to protect and save everyone he loves. Of course, he's often stubborn and single-minded, but that was rarely a problem for us… until now. He hasn't quite been the same after his first girlfriend left, though."

"What?"

A wry smile split Alphaux's solemn expression. "It wasn't bad, from what I heard. Just a lot of pain for both of them. She had to move, and neither of them were sure a long-distance relationship would work… so they broke up amicably. Which, I suppose, gave Andrew enough peace of mind to move towards Maladea. It's funny. Melissa was his girlfriend, but she became the heart of the team… I suppose for her sake as much as ours…"

"Heart of the team… girlfriend… I've got it!" Ladybug exclaimed. "He still loves Lila, right? What if Joan didn't mean his literal heart, but his figurative one?"

"And she's in a compromised position," Alphaux added, the realization dawning on his face. "Melissa was in a really bad spot before they started dating - and that was one of the guys he put down - and once he mentioned that her screams as she was stuck in that goo still haunt him. If we can get him to associate what he's doing to Maladea to what happened to Melissa…"

"He might snap out of it," Ladybug finished. "But we'd need something to kickstart it."

"Do you have enough power for a Lucky Charm?"

Ladybug flexed her shoulders, trying to relieve the remaining aches. "I think so. I'll see what I can do."

Alphaux nodded as he put his helmet back on. "Do what you have to. Just save our friend. If he gets badly hurt… or worse… you answer to me."

"I'll do my best."

"Good. Wolves, Kingphaux mode!" he commanded, shifting into his beastly shell and enlarging as the remainder of his pack combined with him. Kingphaux pounded into the fray, swiping at Dragonus with his claws just as Dragonus was about to blast Reptrile. The strike missed, but he still clipped Dragonus's wings and made him stumble in mid-air.

Ladybug forced herself to turn her gaze away from the fight. "Lucky Charm!" she cried, praying she'd get exactly what she needed. The red-framed spotted-backed photograph fell into her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Andrew and a girl who had to be Melissa were posed in front of a statue in some kind of garden. She was wearing a red tank top and pressed against his dark blue shirt, hazel eyes glancing over at him, her dirty blonde locks pulled up in a ponytail that left her freckled face free for the world. A dazzling smile beamed, her eyes glittering just as much as her teeth.

Ladybug's thoughts raced as she glanced around, trying to find the perfect opening. The photo… Maladea trapped… Dragonus… Cat Noir… Cataclysm! That might do it!

She ran over to Cat Noir's side, careful to dodge any errant cables trying to pull her back, and skidded to a stop once she reached him. His eyes were sunken and his skin and suit were pale again, but an angry defiance still burned in his eyes.

"Do you still have enough power for a Cataclysm, kitty?" Ladybug asked quickly. Cat Noir nodded slowly. "You have a plan?"

"I do, but we'll need to act quickly. If Dragonus is still absorbing power, he won't expect a live Cataclysm right when he thinks he's going to win."

Cat Noir smirked a little, which turned into a grimace as he pulled his right hand - and its restraint - forward, the cable fighting him with every movement.

"Cataclysm," he hissed through clenched teeth and pain.

The effect was catastrophic. A dark pulse was pulled from his hand, through the cables, and raced hungrily towards Dragonus, who had been glowing brighter and brighter as his own skin started to fleck away from the intense power. The moment the pulse hit his body, the golden light of godhood immediately fizzled out as he roared in pain, the sound making Reptrile and Kingphaux step back in shock. He fell, clutching his head as little glowing cracks spread across his suit. His gaze flicked towards Ladybug.

"You've ruined everything!" he bellowed, primal rage in his voice. "I was about to win! I was about to make sure no one could unmake my works! I was going to achieve my destiny!"

"We both know that's not what happens, Andrew!" Ladybug yelled. "We saw your future self, he wasn't a god! You're never going to be a god! Alphaux told me you used to be a good person, so try and realize that what you've done could have, and probably has, hurt a lot of people!"

"They'll thank me in the end!" he growled, twitching erratically and clawing at his suit. "All of them! Once they understand, they'll thank me!"

"Will they?!" Ladybug demanded. "Would Melissa thank you if she knew what you've done?!"

"DON'T SAY HER NAME!" he screamed. "You don't deserve to say her name! You don't know her!"

"You do!" she retorted, holding up the Lucky Charm picture like a cross. "Look at it! Look at this picture and tell me she would like any of this! Alphaux told me something bad happened to Melissa! I don't know what exactly, but how different could it be from what you're putting Maladea through?"

It worked perfectly.

Dragonus whirled around to where he last saw Maladea, his thoughts and perceptions fracturing from the Cataclysm still working its terrible power on him. I couldn't protect- didn't see it coming- cheating- Lila?

Then he spotted her. Her helmet had been torn off, revealing her green mask. Cables and tendrils - as black as the organocyte enveloping her - were wrapped around her limbs and braids, her own power being pulled into the Salvation's empowerment platform - it has to be wrecked from the Cat-cat-cataclysm - and her own pained screams filled his ears.

Dragonus's vision turned black for a mere second, but it was enough for the scene to change - that horrible day - to Melissa's face over Maladea's, eyes full of pain and betrayal as she screamed and strained against cables - organocyte slime - that Magnus- he created.

His vision turned black again, then revealed Lila's face superimposed over Melissa's body as she tried to claw her way out of - the Salvation - Deathgoyle's waist. Deathgoyle- always had Magnus's face- no not him- that's me. That's me!

His vision was eclipsed one more time, back to the present. Melissa's spectral image stood next to Lila - is she still transformed? Please still be transformed - glancing down at her, then at Dragonus.

"Well, Andrew," she said, a sigh of disappointment in her voice. "What's it gonna be? Put her through the same pain I went through and die like Magnus? Or are you going to wake up and realize you messed up horrifically?"

Dragonus's mind was spinning, the Cataclysm taking more of a toll on his mental fortifications than he thought. Vorath's voice echoed in his head, spinning and fracturing just like his thoughts. "Make the right choice, Andrew."

With a tortured scream, Dragonus made his choice. His clawed fingers snapped once, and the echoed screams stopped.

Ladybug let out a sigh of relief as the remaining cables vanished, freeing Cat Noir and her teammates. She quickly raced over and helped up as many as she could, keeping an eye on Dragonus, as well as Hawk Moth and Mayura.

"Thanks, bugaboo," Cat Noir said weakly as she helped him stagger to his feet. "You've still got the Lucky Charm, right?"

She nodded once. "There's so much to fix. All of the damage Dragonus caused… here and worldwide."

"He did have a little bit of a point, you know," Cat Noir shrugged, then winced as his shoulders burned. "Buying time and all that."

"Maybe he did, but that excuses nothing," Ladybug replied. "I'm fixing all of this. Miraculous Ladybu- No!"

Once the photo left her grasp, it was disintegrated by a golden disk of destructive energy. Ladybug spun around.

Dragonus, clutching his head with one hand, had fired the Dracoclysm disk perfectly, intercepting the Lucky Charm and not leaving a trace of it.

"You might not like what I've done…" he said slowly, his breathing raspy. "But I'm not letting you unmake my achievements so easily. Drago Charm."

The same photograph fell into his free hand. A defeated smile curled the corners of his mouth up. "So it always was supposed to end that way."

"What are you doing?!" Ladybug demanded. "You've… you've…"

"I'm going to free Paris from my control," he said. "Revive anyone who might've been killed by my restorations. Make sure they return somewhere safe. Maybe make sure their lives aren't too interrupted."

"You had to have destroyed cities," Ladybug argued. "Displaced millions, overgrown all kinds of land… your power won't make all of it right."

"We'll see…" Dragonus replied cryptically. "Dark Miraculous Dragonus!"

The photo exploded into scales, scales that washed over Paris, washed over all the heroes and villains present on the Salvation - healing Dragonus, in particular - before spreading around the world, working to complete Dragonus's vision.

After what seemed like an eternity, the scales returned to the skies over Paris, then vanished without a trace.

"Now go," Dragonus said darkly, a portal opening beneath Hawk Moth and Mayura, dropping them out of the heroes' reach.

"No!" Ladybug yelled, drawing her yoyo and lashing out, but Dragonus just batted it aside with his sword. Another portal opened in front of Maladea, Kingphaux and Reptrile. They ran through just after it opened… but not before angry glares and worried glances were thrown in Dragonus's general direction.

"So… are we just going to fight him?" King Monkey asked. Dragonus just smiled darkly. "Nope."

A third portal opened beneath the heroes, dropping them off - in a massive heap - in Gustave Eiffel's office. Once the group untangled themselves, they rushed out of the room.

The first sight that greeted them was the massive golden vortex opening just in front of the Salvation. And the massive airship was flying into it. A speck of gold was flying in place, one arm extended, pointing towards the vortex.

"Is he… commanding it to go in there?" Queen Bee asked quietly.

Ladybug nodded, forcing herself not to acknowledge the awe-inspiring sight of the ship flying through the portal. She kept her eyes firmly on Dragonus.

A moment later, the Salvation had made its way into the massive vortex, the rift swirling shut once it was all the way through. Dragonus was still hovering in place, his wings flapping automatically. Then he turned and dove in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe.

"What does he think he's doing?!" Queen Bee demanded. "He can't just fall out of the sky like that!"

"He's not falling," Viperion replied. "I'm betting he's looking for a place to land and recuperate… figure things out, maybe."

"What are you saying?" Ladybug asked quietly.

Viperion shrugged. "That Siphon of his isn't as one-way as he thinks it is. I could hear his inner melody. It sounded like a fairly normal guitar set, but there was a massive orchestra backing it up. And when he got hit with Cataclysm, his orchestra started playing out of sync, and then it all stopped. He's silent."

An uneasy silence spread through the group before Ladybug cleared her throat. "Alright. We still have a lot of damage control to do. Dragonus decided to let Hawk Moth and Mayura run loose again, and they have their powers back. The other Darks are somewhere in the city… and the only one who might be a threat right now is Maladea."

She massaged her temples, trying to alleviate the growing headache. "Cat Noir and I will confront Dragonus. The rest of you, split into groups of three and look for Hawk Moth, Mayura, and the Darks. Make sure they aren't going anywhere, take their Miraculouses from them if you can. We can't have any loose ends."

The other fifteen heroes nodded, splitting up and racing in five different directions, leaving Ladybug and Cat Noir alone.

Ladybug drew a shaky breath and took Cat Noir's hand. "Do you think he's going to fight?" she asked.

"I don't know," Cat Noir replied, gently squeezing her hand. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We saw him fly towards the Arc. Let's check that first."

Ladybug smiled a little. "Good idea, kitty. Race you there?"

Cat Noir smiled back. "Always, purr-incess." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Then the two heroes took a deep breath, turned in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe, and started running towards the massive arch… and their enemy atop it.

And we're almost at the end! The Dark Miraculous holders are scattered, Hawk Moth and Mayura might(?) return to their old antics, the heroes are searching for all of them, and Andrew Hendrol is facing the consequences for his actions. The next chapter (which might come out two weeks from now instead of next week) is the resolution for everything... while maybe opening up more potential stories?

Yes, there are a couple spoilers for Andrew's past here, but they aren't really huge... Or maybe they are, I'm not spoiling more. I am planning to expand more on Andrew's backstory (prequel fic, anyone?) so there's that to look forward to, but you'll need to read the final chapter of this story (titled Forgive Me, My Weakness). As always, tell me what you think, questions, comments, concerns, and stay safe, healthy, and try to enjoy summer through the heat!