Okay! Coming up in this chapter, Cat Noir decides his friends are right and he needs to change the status quo between himself and Marinette.
What will this entail?
And seriously, didn't anyone like that scene where Marinette jabbed at Chloé and got Cat Noir to laugh about the whole thing? I certainly thought it was funny.
One evening, Marinette was up in her room, working on her project with her black fabric. She had a needle and thread and was humming as she worked.
She looked out the window and saw that the leaves were still changing and some of them were already falling off their trees. She laughed as one blew by her windows.
Marinette thought about Cat Noir and his friends' mission to guard the Miracle Box. They had taken on such a huge responsibility, and they were guarding that box and the jewels under the guise of protecting the forest.
Marinette wondered, if they'd been around for such a long time, would her present even be necessary? How did they handle the elements, anyway? Did they just retreat to their living space when things got cold or rainy? Would it be like how some animals burrowed when they went into hibernation?
Marinette held up her work-in-progress and examined it. She smiled with a blush as she imagined how it would look on her feline king. She gave it a hug, as if she were hugging her cat again, before going back to sewing.
At the market, Marinette was walking around the produce area, examining what was available. With the autumn season in full swing, she was seeing a sparser selection of items. Sure, the dried fruits were in good supply, but the variety was a little short. There were some root vegetables and pears that Marinette had already put in her basket.
'I know he likes apples, and he devoured that apple tart the other night,' Marinette thought. 'I wonder what else he would like to eat?'
She thought about her parents' baguettes, which were an obvious option. She tried thinking of other things to feed him when her eyes landed on the fishmonger. Her focus zeroed in on the larger sea bass that was on ice at the stand.
'Of course! I know it's a stereotype, but cats like to eat fish, don't they?' Marinette thought.
She smiled before making a jog over to the stand, only to feel her foot catch on something, sending her careening to the ground, and she landed on her stomach.
"Ow..." She murmured as she stood back up. She heard snide laughter.
"I'll bet that stupid cat of yours wouldn't like you so much if he saw you like this, Dupain-Cheng!" Chloé cackled from behind her. "Count yourself lucky that the fish aren't stinking right now, otherwise I would've shoved you in there! And I'll bet that cat would absolutely hate the smell of fish on you!"
Marinette stood up and brushed herself off, before saying, "Fish only smell when they're spoiled rotten, Chloé. Kind of like how you are."
Chloé scoffed as Marinette just walked towards the fishmonger.
"Your sea bass looks great," Marinette said, pointing towards the whole bass that was on the ice. "When was it caught?"
"Why, just this morning!" The fishmonger responded.
"Perfect! I'll take the second-largest one you have!" Marinette laughed, giving him the money.
"Thank you, Mademoiselle!" The fishmonger responded as he wrapped up the fish before putting it in Marinette's basket.
"No, thank you," Marinette responded. "Have a great day!"
Marinette turned on her heels before walking away. Chloé growled at Marinette's joy and stuck out her foot again.
But Marinette, humming and giggling, skipped over Chloé's foot before leaving.
Chloé grit her teeth and snarled, saying, "I don't know how a cat can make her that happy, but it's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
She kept watching Marinette, angry that she wasn't getting the reaction she would usually get out of her main victim.
Marinette got home and presented the whole fish to her parents.
"I think loup en croûte sounds like a great thing to eat for dinner tonight, don't you?" Marinette asked.
"Sounds like a great idea, Marinette!" Tom agreed as he took the fish and put it in their ice box.
"Maybe we can have another one of those tarté au pomme de noyers you made?" Sabine suggested.
"Well, I think I used up all the apples and walnuts. Maybe we can use some of these pears I found?" Marinette responded, showing the basket contents.
"I love the idea!" Sabine said.
Marinette smiled, thinking, 'There's definitely enough fish for me to bring some to my kitty.'
That evening at dinner, Marinette and her family were sitting at the table, eating the loup en croûte, and they had some roasted vegetables and breads to go with it.
"Wow, this is great," Marinette said as she ate another bite of the pastry-wrapped fish. "I could eat all of them!"
"I could too, Marinette. I actually think we made too much," Tom confessed as he also ate a bite. "But we can always wrap it up and share some with your friends tomorrow."
"What about that kitten that's been visiting you lately?" Sabine questioned.
Marinette turned to her and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I think it was Rose that mentioned you've had a cat visiting you on your balcony for a while?" Sabine repeated.
Marinette blushed before saying, "Y-Yeah, I mean... I can see if I can get some of the fish out of these pastries for the kitten."
"As long as that cat stays outside," Tom insisted. "We can't have him in the kitchen."
"Don't worry, dad, I haven't let him inside. He just stays out on the balcony and we cuddle a lot. Like I said to the girls, he's an affectionate, loving one." Marinette laughed, glad the stray cat alibi was working.
"No wonder you've been feeling better." Sabine giggled.
The family laughed as they kept eating their entrée and vegetables. It didn't take long for there to be only one loup en croûte left on the platter.
"That was delicious!" Marinette said, rubbing her stomach in satisfaction.
"It was! Wonderful idea for dinner! Now, how about those poached pear vol-au-vent we made?" Tom suggested as he stood up and out of the seat to go and get their dessert.
It was a tray of puff pastry cases with smaller, whole pears that had been poached and they were sitting in the cases, which were filled with a caramel cream.
"Looks incredible!" Sabine laughed as Tom put the tray between the three of them. There were more portions of the dessert than they could eat, but they didn't care. Good harvest, so they might as well take advantage of it, right?
They each took one of the pear vol-au-vent before eating it over their plates.
When dark fell upon the village, Marinette had gathered up a few leftover vol-au-vent and loup en croûte, and an extra baguette, put all of it and her finished project in her basket, and ran into her room. As always, she made sure her bed was made to look like she was there, and she kept her candles off. She took out her own pink cloak to keep warm as she once again walked out onto the balcony to go and see her lover.
In the woods, Cat Noir was pacing around. Carapace was off to the side, his arms crossed and looking at Cat Noir in worry.
"Are you sure about this, dude?" Carapace asked.
"I'm sure, Carapace," Cat Noir said. "You and the others said it: the status quo's gotta end. I'm worried about how she'll react."
Carapace gave his friend a concerned expression. After a few seconds of silence, they heard footsteps from the path.
"That might be her. Get lost!" Cat Noir spoke.
"No need to tell me twice, dude," Carapace agreed as he walked off into the nearby foliage. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"So do I." Cat Noir murmured.
True to form, Marinette did, in fact, emerge from the path. She caught sight of Cat Noir on the side, and she smiled.
"Chaton!" Marinette said as she walked over to him.
Cat Noir gave a loving smile and said to her, "Bonsoir, mon cher."
Marinette blushed as she approached him, her basket in her hands.
"I brought food. Hope you like fish." Marinette said, blushing.
"What cat doesn't?" He joked, chuckling.
Marinette laughed in response, and lifted the blanket off the basket to show him the fish pastries. He smiled at the sight of it, and he took one of the loup en croûte and the baguette up into his hands. He took a huge bite of the former and he moaned in bliss.
"Wow! This is delicious as always, Marinette!" He praised. "The sea bass is cooked to perfection!"
"Thank you. My parents do good work," Marinette giggled. "I also brought pear vol-au-vent for your dessert."
"I'm in for a feast tonight!" Cat Noir laughed as he tore into the baguette like he was starving.
After finishing the bread and pastry-wrapped fish, he took up a pear vol-au-vent. He took another massive bite, and he said, "Damn, this is great!"
Marinette laughed as she watched him eat the food.
When he cleaned everything out in the basket, Cat Noir rubbed his belly in satisfaction. There were a few stray crumbs on his face, which had a big smile.
"I'm glad you enjoyed everything," Marinette giggled as she watched him wipe his face clean. "I have one more thing I brought for you."
"Ma chérie, I'm stuffed, I can't eat any more." Cat Noir chuckled as Marinette reached into her basket.
"Oh, it's not food," Marinette explained. "It's something else. Here you go."
Marinette took the black cloak out of the basket and unraveled it so he could see it in its entirety. She could see he was looking at in awe.
"I made this for you. I know you've been around a while, so I'm sure you've found ways to deal with the cold, but I thought you would like this." Marinette confessed, blushing.
Cat Noir was silent. He was blushing under his mask, giving her a goofy smile, looking at the cloak with intensity.
"Please say something," Marinette began, the silence disconcerting to her. "I... Really hoped you would like it, but..."
"No, I love it," He said, taking the cloak in hand before draping it over himself. "Thank you so much, Marinette."
Marinette blushed, smiling as Cat Noir came over and held her hands.
"I have something for you, too. Follow me." He said as he led Marinette away.
He brought her to his usual tree, but there was something different about it this time. There was a curtain between his tree and another one, and in front of the curtain was a huge piano, and the bench had enough room for two people to sit on it.
"How'd a pia - oh, Caprikid must have helped again?" Marinette asked, surprised to see the piano.
"Right." Cat Noir confirmed as he brought her over to the piano bench. They sat down.
Cat Noir cracked his knuckles and said, "Lend me your ear and your heart for a song, mon coeur."
Marinette blushed as Cat Noir started playing the piano with gusto. Marinette recognized the song as Liebestraum - Love Dream - by Franz Liszt. She closed her eyes and listened to the romantic song, all but resisting the urge to lean her head onto Cat Noir's shoulder.
She could hear a light chuckle coming from him as he kept playing the piano. The music seemed to combine with the subtle forest sounds to create a symphony that was soothing her.
Once he finished the song, Cat Noir put his claws under her chin and gently lifted her face up to look him in the eyes.
"That was amazing. I don't think I've heard such an incredible piece." Marinette told him.
"A feast for your ears that I was glad to share," Cat Noir said in a voice that was above a whisper, causing her to blush. He laughed. "But that's not all I've prepared for you. Just a second."
Cat Noir swung his legs off the bench and he went over to his tree. He climbed it, took the curtain off the branch it was hooked to, and jumped back down, but the curtain was still blocking Marinette's view.
Marinette watched intently as Cat Noir side-stepped away, the curtain in his claws. Marinette gasped in awe when she saw what was behind him.
Cat Noir had clawed their initials in a heart in his tree. The heart itself had an arrow drawn into it, too. Marinette walked over to it, and she put her hand on it, a smile on her face.
"This is beautiful." Marinette said, breathless, about to burst into happy tears.
"I'm glad you like it." Cat Noir spoke.
"No, I love it, chaton!" Marinette responded as she turned her face to look at him.
"And I love you." Cat Noir murmured, also smiling.
Marinette's heart pounded, her cheeks turning red, and she felt her joy spill from her eyes. He stepped forward and put his hands on her hips. Marinette blushed, looked up at him, and saw desire in his green orbs.
Marinette put her hands on his cheeks, and she saw him blush under his mask. She also felt him ride his hands up her hips and onto her back.
Her heart pounding like nuts, and letting the world fade away from her, Marinette focused on the tall, dark, handsome king in front of her.
'It's so weird. Just over a month ago, I didn't think he was a real person, and I was scared shitless, but now...' Marinette thought.
Cat Noir brought her closer to him, his eyes lidding a little and his lips pursing.
'I don't think I've ever felt safer, more loved... So happy...' Marinette thought while staring at him with happy, loving eyes.
He took one of his hands, raised it to her cheek, and used his thumb to rub her bottom lip. His other arm was wrapped around her waist.
"May I...? No, may we...?" He asked, his voice rattled with the butterflies that were fluttering in his gut.
Marinette gave a consenting nod as he pulled his face closer to hers.
Their eyes closed, and their lips came together in a tender, warm kiss. Her hands were still on his cheeks, his had found their way around her waist. Marinette took her hands away and wrapped her arms around him, too. They stayed like that for a few seconds.
When they broke their lips away, they touched their foreheads, and looked into each other's eyes, like they were the only two people on the entire planet.
"This kiss was better than any fantasy I could've thought up." Marinette confessed, red in the face.
He chuckled before responding, "I'm glad. I wanted this moment to be perfect for us."
Cat Noir leaned in for another one, and Marinette accepted his attentions. It didn't take them long to get carried away. Their kisses grew more hungry, Cat Noir's hug on her became tighter, and Marinette's arms were draped over his shoulders.
They kept kissing each other, occasionally breaking apart for brief breathing, only to dive right back in, intense moans leaving them between lip smacks. Cat Noir took his lips away from hers, and started making a trail of soft kisses from her cheek to her temple, all the way down to her neck. Marinette didn't resist, only wrapping her arms around his neck in response.
In the throes of passion, Cat Noir stopped, wheezed for air, and moaned in a raspy voice, "Stay."
Marinette didn't quite comprehend what he said. Was she love-drunk? If so, she didn't want it to leave her system.
"Stay." He murmured again, almost pleading, as he dove in for another kiss on her neck.
Yet again, Marinette's head was too clouded to register his meaning. He kept kissing all the way back up her neck and to her lips. They shared another lip-locked moment. Again, as he came up for air, he repeated, this time more quietly, "Stay."
"What do you mean by that?" Marinette asked, her breathing heavy and feeling overheated from their make-out session.
"Leave it all behind," He murmured, kissing her cheek. "Never go back."
Another kiss on her temple.
"Live here. With me." He stated, his voice still husky.
A kiss on her lips.
He looked her in the eyes and said the last thing she expected.
"Marry me. Be my queen." He gave her one more kiss on her neck area.
Her eyes widened, and lucidity came rushing back to her mind.
"Wait, what?!" Marinette asked, shaking her head and clearing her mind up. She broke away from him. "Marry you? Stay here forever? You can't be serious, chaton!"
"Oh, I'm dead serious," He said to her, his face matching. "Every king needs a queen. And you're purrfect for that."
"What? Me, perfect? You're giving me too much credit, Cat Noir!" Marinette protested, her face turning red.
"I don't think so," He said, shaking his head. "If you can believe it, I fell for you the moment our eyes first met. I meant it when I said that you were a beauty."
Her heart pounded. He wanted her? Her? Klutzy, boring Marinette? None of the boys in the village gave her the time of day, but fate worked in strange ways. Maybe the universe was saving her for Cat Noir? But why? Why would the universe want her to be destined for an immortal king?
Marinette's face still burned, and yet she said, "But again, why me?"
He shrugged, giving her a smile with affection written all over his face.
"Why not you? You always find the right words to cheer me up, make me laugh, put a smile on my face. I always feel lonesome and sad when you leave at night. And I can't remember the last time I ate food so good." He justified.
Marinette laughed.
"You're creative. Smart. A quick thinker. Loyal to your friends. Kind and sweet..." He continued, leaning in closer to her and his smile growing. "When I look in your eyes, I feel like I can read into your soul. Like I can talk to you about anything."
"But I was such a wreck when we first met." Marinette responded.
"That wasn't your fault, though," He argued back, in a gentle manner. "Blame that girl in your town."
"Speaking of, what about my town? My parents, Alya, all my friends? What am I supposed to do about that?" Marinette asked.
He faltered. His ears flattened and he admitted, "Oh, right. I completely forgot. Alya knows what's going on - I mean, she and Carapace are getting close."
"And I haven't told my parents anything. They'd be so scared if I just up and disappeared." She added.
"Also true," Cat Noir conceded. "I guess I was just so excited to ask you for your hand that I ended up getting ahead of myself."
Marinette's cheeks turned redder than a ladybug shell, and she asked, "You want me that much?"
He gave a nod, telling her, "I understand what I'm asking is a lot. It's gonna change your life, sacrificing everything just so we can be together. I'd do the same for you if I had the power to turn myself into a human, but I don't. But..."
He took out a small box, and he handed it to her. He opened it to reveal a pair of black stud earrings.
"Wait, is that...?" Marinette asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes. The Ladybug Miraculous." He confirmed with a nod.
Marinette looked at the earrings in shock, and she whispered, "...You are serious about this..."
"I can turn you into one of us, but only if you're truly willing, ready, and mutually-consenting to this," He confessed. "If you put these earrings on, you'll become a beautiful ladybug. These earrings will stay on you, you'll freeze in age, and you'll stay that way until the end of time. You'll be the light to my darkness. The creation to my destruction. Ma moitié."
His other half.
Marinette's heart kept slamming into her chest, with more intensity this time. She stared at the earrings, her eyes occasionally going back to Cat Noir.
"I... I..." Marinette began, not sure what to say.
They hadn't known each other that long, but he loved her so much that he wanted to give her the Ladybug Miraculous? To turn her into an immortal guardian so she could stay by his side forever? To be the queen of the forest? The idea of her becoming royalty had never crossed her mind, let alone been a fantasy. Her mind was a mess, and her heart was doing happy flips, too.
"I... It's..." Marinette stammered, trying to force words out. "I..."
"It's okay," He said as he shut the box. "You don't have to answer me right now. Like I said, it's a lot to process. Take your time and think it over. And if you say no, I'll understand. And I promise that I won't love you any less, or feel any different about you."
Marinette felt relief wash over her at his respect. Once he put the box back in his pocket, he pulled Marinette in for another hug.
Marinette, a little overwhelmed at his proposal, let his natural scent soothe her. She let her happy, overwhelmed tears flow out as she closed her eyes and snuggled up to him.
'I love you, chaton! But... I don't know what I should do.' Marinette thought, not objecting to Cat Noir's kisses on her cheeks and forehead.
In town the following day...
"He asked you to WHAT?!" Alya shouted in delight.
"Alya, quiet down!" Marinette insisted.
She looked around and saw there were a few people staring, but they soon went back to their own business.
"Okay, yes, he asked me to marry him." Marinette reported.
"Girl, this is insane!" Alya said, her eyes alight with excitement. "What did you tell him?!"
"I... My mind went totally blank, and I couldn't respond," Marinette confessed. "Luckily, he told me that he won't push me for an answer."
"That's good," Alya responded. "Your handsome king is such a respectful gentle-cat."
Marinette laughed, blushing.
"But I'm still not sure what to do," Marinette confessed. "If I accept, then..."
"Marinette, he's handing you a queen's crown on a silver platter!" Alya spoke. "He loves you and wants you to be queen! His queen! Why are you so hesitant?!"
"Because it's going to change everything," Marinette responded. "I won't be able to come back here. The forest will be my new home. And if I just vanish, my parents will freak. The girls, too."
"That's true, but you love him, don't you?" Alya asked. "Besides, if you become an immortal queen, you'll be knocking Chloé down several pegs and she won't even know it! The perfect revenge!"
"It's surreal... I've never considered it, the thought of me becoming queen of anything." Marinette admitted.
"But it's not just a title and a husband we're talking about. You'll be helping Cat Noir and everyone else guard the forest and the Miracle Box," Alya refuted. "Cat Noir said it himself: if any one of those jewels fall into the wrong hands, things will go to hell in a hand basket fast."
"Getting married... Becoming queen of the forest... It's all so much to process. You're only person who knows about all of this, and..." Marinette began.
"Girl," Alya said, putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "I know you'll make the right call. If you choose to marry him, I'll help you break the news to your parents. I'll come up with something to tell the girls, too."
Marinette gave her best friend a smile before telling her, "Thanks, Alya. I'm glad I have you to count on. You'll be welcome in the forest any time."
The girls hugged.
They hadn't realized they had an audience. Chloé and Sabrina had been eavesdropping from nearby.
"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloé near-shouted, being quiet enough not to be heard. "She doesn't deserve to be a queen! I do!"
"Y-Yes, you do, Chloé!" Sabrina tittered, nervous.
"You're right about that for once," Chloé sniffed, but she grew a cruel smile on her face. "And that tidbit about jewels is interesting. So that's what it's all about."
"But it sounds like whatever the guardians are hiding in the forest could be dangerous." Sabrina warned.
"What's so dangerous about jewelry?!" Chloé barked. "Jewelry belongs on the bodies of queens, and I deserve to be a queen, not the bakery girl!"
"So, what are we going to do?" Sabrina asked.
"It's only a forest - just a waste of space that can easily be removed." Chloé began, a wicked smile growing on her face.
That evening, Marinette was in the main living space of the house, thinking about Cat Noir's proposal. Her heart was still pounding, and his words were on a loop in her mind. She kept thinking about his reasons for wanting to marry her - reasons she herself didn't believe at first.
'I love him and I want to be with him. But how am I going to go about it if I accept?' Marinette thought.
Her thoughts were broken when some kind of commotion started outside. She looked to the door, where it was coming from. There was shouting, murmurs, she could see the lights coming in through the windows.
Hearing the noise, Tom and Sabine came in and asked, "Marinette, any idea what's going on?"
"No." Marinette responded as she approached the door. She opened it and saw a crowd of villagers, their lanterns in hands, chattering about nonsense, and they were all headed for town square.
Marinette caught sight of Alya's family, and she ran up to her best friend.
"Alya, what's up?" Marinette asked.
"I have no idea, but Chloé's making a big scene in the square. Something about huge news?" Alya began as Marinette started walking with the Césaire family.
Marinette gave a shrug. Once the girls and their families made it to the square, they saw Chloé was standing on a table, her parents behind her, and Sabrina flanking her like the loyal servant she was.
"Everyone, I have reason to believe that the forest has a treasure that will lead to good fortune for the entire village!" Chloé announced. "I say we go and get it!"
Everyone started murmuring, wondering what Chloé was talking about.
"But what about the forest guardians?!" Someone asked.
"Think about it! I'll bet those so-called guardians are just some greedy monsters who are hoarding those riches for themselves! But we need it more than they do!" Chloé roared.
People started talking, wondering if Chloé was right. Marinette and Alya looked at each other in worry.
"That treasure is going to be ours! And then we'll take all the forest resources we can find!" Chloé declared. "DOWN WITH THE FOREST!"
"Don't tell me..." Marinette murmured, with Alya looking on in concern, while everyone was calling for action.
"Besides, it's not like those forest monsters will be able to do anything to us once the treasure is ours and they're dead," Chloé began before turning her eyes to Marinette. "Isn't that right, Dupain-Cheng?"
Everyone looked at Marinette, causing a pit to form in her stomach. Her eyes darted around to everyone, who were staring at her. The shock and confusion from her parents and friends. The disdain and anger from the rest of the villagers. The triumphant smirk from Chloé.
"What? Me? What are you talking about?" Marinette asked, trying to deflect.
"Oh, don't give me that!" Chloé spat. "You've been holding out on us, Dupain-Cheng! You've known those forest monsters are real for a long time, and you didn't bother slaying them to get the treasure for us?!"
Everyone, barring Alya, gasped.
"Hey, Cat Noir isn't a monster!" Marinette shot back. "What are you doing, twisting around the facts like that?!"
Chloé gave a haughty laugh and said, "Whatever seduction spell that cat cast on you must be pretty strong, considering you've been having nightly dalliances with him!"
Everyone gasped again. Marinette's parents in particular looked at her.
"Marinette... Is this true? You've been having meetings with the forest guardians' king?" Sabine asked as she and Tom approached their daughter.
"I..." Marinette began, looking at her parents with shame and embarrassment on her face. "Yes, I have."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Tom asked.
"I promised him I wouldn't say anything to anyone!" Marinette insisted. "For safety reasons!"
"Whose safety, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloé roared. "Your precious kitty's? He's got awful taste if he's got you of all people under a love spell!"
"I am NOT under any spell!" Marinette insisted.
"That's what someone who's been bewitched would say, isn't it?" Sabrina added, but Marinette could tell she was only playing along with Chloé.
"So, is everyone with us?! Burn the forest! Kill the guardians, and get that treasure for our future!" Chloé roared.
Minus the girls and Marinette's parents, everyone started shouting in agreement, ranting, and calling for the death of the guardians and the destruction of the forest. People were lighting torches and shouting, and some of the others had gotten pitchforks.
People were putting dried leaves at the base of the trees, and lighting them on fire with the torches.
Marinette and Alya's girl squad, plus Marinette's parents started shouting for everyone to stop - Alix and Myléne were already hauling water out from a nearby well to put out the fires.
"Please! Stop! The guardians don't mean any harm!" Alya shouted, trying to get people to stop their rampage.
The rest of the girl squad were standing in front of the trees, calling for peace.
Marinette started looking around to find a way to stop the villagers' rampage. Seeing an opening in the woods, she turned to Alya and said, "Alya, we gotta go! We gotta warn Cat Noir and the others!"
"Oh, no you don't!" Some of the men said as they grabbed Marinette and Alya by their arms, stopping them.
"You've been conspiring against the guardians! We'll make sure you don't interfere!" One of them said.
The next thing the girls knew, they were bound in chains and thrown in the basement of the Bourgeois household.
"HEY! LET US OUT OF HERE!" Marinette ordered as the door was shut.
The girls struggled, and Marinette asked, "Alya, have anything you can use to pick the lock?"
"No dice, girl." Alya said, heaving a sigh.
"Oh, what are we gonna do?!" Marinette whined, afraid.
In the woods, Cat Noir had gathered up his friends and told them what he'd done.
"You seriously asked that of her?" Carapace asked.
Cat Noir gave a confirming nod.
"I'm going to let her think it over, instead of putting the pressure on her for an answer." Cat Noir responded.
"Good idea." Minotaurox agreed.
Cat Noir's nose twitched, and he grew a puzzled expression on his face. He looked around, trying to find something before turning back to his friends.
"What's wrong?" Viperion asked, noticing Cat Noir's change in demeanor.
"Does anyone else smell smoke?" He asked. The mood plummeted.
"Over there!" Pegasus shouted, pointing towards the horizon. There was black smoke coming in a small stream, and they could see the bright red lights of fire.
"Fire!" Everyone shouted.
"Rooster Bold, think you can figure out what's going on?" Cat Noir asked. "It's too cold for a natural forest fire."
The rooster nodded before calling out, "Sublimation!"
He opened his hands and created a screen that could detect anything anywhere. He used his hand to move the screen around to try and find what was going on.
"Uh-oh," Rooster Bold spoke. "We've got a problem. Check this out!"
The rest of the boys looked at the screen and saw Chloé leading a mob through the forest, with people burning dead foliage as they walked, making sure the fire was downwind from them.
"Intruders! And they're burning the forest down!" Carapace pointed out.
"Where's Marinette?! Is she leading that mob?" Cat Noir questioned, wondering if she'd betrayed him.
"No, that ponytailed blonde is," Rooster Bold pointed out. "I'll find Marinette."
He kept moving the screen around with his hand, and he saw that near the forest line, a group of girls were hauling water and trying to put out the fire.
"SOMEONE GET US OUT OF HERE!" A familiar voice hollered.
Rooster Bold moved the screen, and saw that Marinette and Alya were chained up in a basement, and struggling to get out. Seeing his lover in distress, Cat Noir shouted, "We gotta get them out! Pegasus!"
"Voyage!" Pegasus shouted as he opened a portal right in front of the girls.
They looked up in shock.
"Marinette! Alya! Are you two okay?!" Cat Noir shouted as he, Pegasus, and Carapace ran through the portal and over to them.
"We are now." Marinette said as Cat Noir looked at the chains that the girls were bound in.
"Hold still, I'm getting these chains off," Cat Noir said. He lifted his ring hand. "Cataclysm!"
He touched the chains with one finger, and they corroded into dust in an instant.
The girls rubbed the parts of their arms that had been hurt by the chains. The boys helped them stand, with Carapace helping Alya while Cat Noir lifted Marinette up.
"Marinette, what happened?" Cat Noir asked.
Marinette looked down and with shame in her voice, said, "Either Chloé or Sabrina must have overheard Alya and me talking about your proposal. And being the entitled brat she is, Chloé rallied almost everyone in town to burn down the entire forest! She came up with this insane lie that the Forest Guardians are monsters that are guarding a treasure that would lead to eternal prosperity to all of us! That the guardians are hoarding it for themselves, and they need to be killed off to save everyone!"
"What?!" The boys shouted.
"We tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to us! The rest of the girls are trying to defend the forest by getting water from the well and putting the fires out." Alya added.
"Which we already knew, thanks." Pegasus stated.
"Knowing Chloé, she's just manipulating everyone by threatening to have her dad bring ruin to the village! All so that she can burn down the forest and get to the Miracle Box. And if that happens..." Marinette began, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
"Enough said," Cat Noir said, his expression serious. "Let's get you two to safety."
He took Marinette's hand to lead her to the portal, but she said, "No!"
"What? Why?!" Alya asked.
"It's all my fault that Chloé's doing this! You should be punishing me, I'm a pathetic failure and-" Marinette began, crying.
"Stop degrading yourself like that, Marinette!" Cat Noir said, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her closer. "What's important is that we stop that angry mob from destroying our home, protect the Miracle Box, and make sure that nothing like this happens again!"
Marinette began crying again, and Cat Noir hugged her close.
"I can't keep this portal open forever, guys! Let's get going!" Pegasus warned.
At that, Marinette stopped crying. She lifted her head.
"Wait... Pegasus, can you teleport us right into your living space?" Marinette asked.
"Yes, I can," Pegasus confirmed. "Why?"
Marinette got a clever smile on her face and she said, "I have an idea! But we need to get to the Miracle Box first."
Pegasus gave a nod before shutting the current portal. He opened another one with his hand, saying, "Voyage!"
He opened another portal that led directly to the Miracle Box's dais. The five of them ran inside, and Pegasus closed the portal behind them.
Marinette made a beeline for the box and picked it up.
"Okay. Alya, take the Fox Necklace. I'll take the Ladybug Earrings." Marinette said as she opened the box and took the earrings up, meanwhile Alya took the necklace with the fox tail charm.
"Marinette, are you sure about this?" Cat Noir asked.
"If we don't do it, who else will stop that mob from burning the forest down?" Marinette suggested.
"But like I said before, it's going to render you immortal and-" Cat Noir began, but Marinette put a hand on his cheek to stop him.
Marinette gave him a tender, loving smile before telling him, "I was going to say "yes" to you anyway. This is just an opportunity to show myself you were right about me."
Cat Noir returned her smile, putting his hand over hers.
"And Alya? What about you? You have younger twin sisters at home, right?" Carapace asked, taking Alya's hands into his own.
"Hey, my BFF needs me. Besides, Nora can handle things from here on out." Alya giggled.
She pressed a light kiss to Carapace's lips, causing him to blush and give an awkward chuckle.
"Let's get to work." Marinette said to Alya.
They put their respective jewelry on, and they instantly transformed, with features matching their respective animals.
"Okay, I have a plan, but it's going to take all but three of these gemstones," Marinette - now Ladybug - said as she took the Miracle Box into her hands. "Get Rooster Bold in here! He can track the rest of the girls!"
Cat Noir's eyes widened when he realized what Ladybug had in mind.
Okay, this chapter is done and dusted. The next one is the finale!