Marinette felt the wind in her hair as she stood at the top of the eiffel tower. Her grip on the metal railing was tight, her knuckles turning white and her nails digging into the palms of her hands. Tears began to fall from her face as she recalled how she got here.

It was just another day at school, another day of torture and isolation. No one was on her side, no one was her friend, no one had her back anymore. Her so-called friends tore into her like lionesses ripping into a carcass.

"How could you be so heartless to Lila?!"

"What the heck is your problem?! You used to be so nice!"

"What happened to our Everyday Ladybug?"

"How were we ever friends, Marinette?"

Marinette had grown numb to their words. Yet they still pierced her armor, a barrage of arrows directed towards her vulnerable body and mind. What was worse, was the smug smirk that the lying snake had on her face as arsenic tears fell from her cheeks. She had succeeded in her threats, Lila had won. But they weren't what brought her here, no, that honor belonged to him. She had finally gathered the courage to confess to him, her long time crush. She had dreamt about this moment for years.

Only for her heart to get crushed underneath his designer shoes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be with a bully."

He was the one who told her to take the high road.

He was the one who knew the truth.

He was the one she loved for years.

Within seconds, her feelings for her were dashed by his words.

It had felt good to slap him, it felt right to yell at him, to scream at him that he was a coward, a spineless boy, and unworthy of being her friend or anyone's friend.

Marinette had run out of the school after that and made her way here. Standing on the edge of the eiffel tower, looking down at the world below. She didn't know how long she had been here, how long she cried, how long she stared into the abyss below her.

"Marinette." It should've been a voice that brought her comfort, but instead she scoffed. She didn't turn around to look at them, she knew why they were here.

"Leave me alone, please." Her voice was barely above a whisper after using it on her crush.

"I can't let you do this."

"Let me? You've stood by and let me suffer for years under her thumb. And for what? So you could get a spot on the team? Does your younger self even know? Or have you kept her in the dark too?"

"I can't change what is set in stone."

"What about Chat Blanc, huh?" She used to be afraid of him, so afraid that she would create another incident in this timeline. She had been keeping Chat Noir at a distance, refusing his insistent advances towards her. Now she would be happy if a white cat appeared, rewriting this world and her with him. "When you placed a tin dome over my head and threw me into his time with limited information? That wasn't set in stone. You are unworthy of your miraculous, both you and her." Marinette spat venom at the figure.

"We can fix thi-"

"Tell me who Hawkmoth is." Marinette scoffed when the figure didn't respond. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Go back to your timeline with your healthier, happier Marinette."

"Marinette…"

"Leave me alone."

She heard the woosh of a portal and the uneasy silence returned. Marinette took a deep breath and unconsciously rubbed her earlobes. Her earrings weren't there, the Ladybug earrings, but she knew that. Despite Tikki's pleas, Marinette had done what she almost did in the beginning, she took off the Miraculous. She had stored them someplace safe, she couldn't trust anyone with them, not even her friends, not her parents, no one.

Maybe one day someone will find them and read the note she had written, maybe they'll be a better Ladybug than she was.

Marinette took one last look at the night sky above, the stars twinkling, shining in the star.

The former hero pushed herself off the ledge, feeling the familiar push of air against her face. Except this time there was no yo-yo for her to swing to catch her if she fell.

Marinette was falling.

Falling…

Falling…

Crunch.


"Amira!" Rapid knocking came from the other side of a bedroom door, "Wake up!"

Beneath the mound of blankets and coverings, the head of a teenager popped out, her head still groggy and booting up. Only for the mound to fall off the bed and onto the floor. The pounding continued. Amira yanked open the door, staring down the little girl.

"What? It's the weekend."

"The Hero Festival is today! You promised to take me and meet up with Kumiko!" The girl pouted.

"Seriously?! That's today?" Amira groaned as the dark haired little girl nodded, "Hold on, give me a minute to change." She closed the door and quickly changed into the first thing that caught her eye. She pulled her dark brown curls into a ponytail with a red hairband.

"Are you really wearing that?"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" She wore a worn-out old sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers. It was red sporting a symbol of several black dots. It had been some old merch from the Ladybug days, she had gotten it a few years ago during her superhero fan days.

"Ladybug is an old hero."

"So?"

"That makes you old." She giggled, "An old, old granny."

"Well if I'm an old granny, then you're a baby. Mischief is a new hero." She gestured to her costume. It was a light gray hoodie with pink outlines with little mouse ears on the hood. There was also a belt that resembled a jump rope, along with gray tights and pink flats to pull it all together.

"I'm a big girl, I'm not a baby." The six year old pouted.

"Sure you're not." She ruffled her curls, "But I'm not changing. She looked around the empty halls of their house, "Where's daddy? Wasn't he supposed to drive us there?"

She shrugged, "Out."

"Out? Again?" She sighed.

"He left this." Nessa handed her a folded up piece of paper. Amira frowned as she read the message that their dad left for them. She didn't need to read all of it, she knew what it was going to say before her sister handed it to her.

Once again, their father had chosen work over his kids.

"Of course, this would happen." She scoffed as she wadded up the note.

"Is daddy going to join us?" Nessa asked.

Amira forced a smile, "Dad had an emergency at work, so it will just be a girls' day."

"Oh, okay." Nessa sounded disappointed.

"How about this? Afterwards we can get Gelato and you can have it before dinner."

"Really?!" She brightened up at the prospect of having ice cream before a meal. "You promise?"

"I pinkie swear to get the mighty Miss Mischief Nessa the biggest scoop of gelato…within my price range." She held out her finger.

"Okay, but you better keep it. You can't go back on a pinkie promise."

"I know." She laughed, "Now let's head to the festival. We don't want to keep Kumiko waiting."


The park was decorated with strung up symbols of the Miraculous Squad and booths lined the grounds. Families, couples, and friend groups crowded the various areas, enjoying all of the numerous entertainments the festival had to offer.

"So cool!" Nessa stared in awe, her head whipping around like an owl to make sure she saw everything.

"Do you remember where you're supposed to meet up?"

"Yeah, she's by the um…" Nessa began to think, and then her eyes lit up, "She's by the fountain!"

"Alright then, let's head over there."

"Can we buy a snack first?" Nessa eyed a stand that had hero themed treats. "I'm hungry."

Amira looked over at the board and frowned at the prices. 20 euros for a box of macarons?!

"It's a little pricy and we also just ate breakfast, and-" She was cut off as Nessa pulled out her secret weapon; the puppy dog eyes.

How dare she use her own technique against her own sister? She taught her that and now it was being used against her.

"Fine, just stop using that for evil. I taught you that to use on dad, not on me." She handed her the exact money she would need for a single bag.

"Yeah!" She ran over to the stand as Amira followed behind.

Skipping with her box of macarons, Nessa and Amira continued their trek through the festival area. As they walked, the older sister noticed several booths that held Miraculous Squad merchandise and memorabilia. Though they were all at outrageous prices. She spotted several signs that said "All purchases are in support of our heroes, the Miraculous Squad." Or "I support the Miraculous Squad."

"What a cute costume!" A woman suddenly approached them, "Where did you buy it?"

"My sister made it for me." Nessa pointed to Amira who smiled awkwardly. It had taken her so many nights and so many failed attempts at her aunt's old sewing machine (she used it for repairing her boxing gloves), but it was worth it to see the smile on her sister's face. It wasn't designer clothing, but it was the best she could do on a short notice.

"That is so thoughtful of her, you look amazing." The woman pulled something from her purse, it was a pair of pins. "Here take these."

They were small button pins that had the words "I support the Miraculous Squad."

"Oh we can't possible-"

"Don't worry about money, they're free." Amira soon realized she might be an employee of the festival.

"Thank you for the gift." She took the pins and helped Nessa put hers on.

"Does it look okay?" The girl asked. It didn't look good at all, the pin was tacky and flimsy and didn't look well with the costume. As for her own, the pin clashed with the sweatshirt's own colors.

"Sure."

"Yeah! To the fountain!" Nessa ran off with renewed energy with Amira keeping up with her. As they closed in on their destination, she saw a girl with dark hair around Nessa's age dressed in her own costume. It was a dark red dress with yellow and orange dragon scales and a dragon tail sticking out. She wore a headband that resembled lizard horns.

"Kumiko!" Nessa shouted at the girl and she started bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Nessa!" The two girls started chatting and giggling excitedly with each other. It warmed Amira's heart to see her sister with her best friend.

"I'm guessing you got stuck with babysitting duty as well?" Aiko's brother, a teenager around Amira's age, approached her. He had hair in a similar color as his sister, though his eyes were a vibrant green color than her brown. He also wore hero merch clothing, except his were the dark magenta and golden stripes of Carnivore Reign, the tiger miraculous hero.

He eyed her sweatshirt, "I like your Ladybug shirt, the older heroes need some love too."

"Would you believe me if I said this was the first thing I saw and put on?"

He laughed, "I'd believe it."

"Oliver!" The boy and the girl both cringed at the sound of his name. They turned to see an auburn haired girl wearing a yellow and black striped top with black tights and heels. "Why did you run off? We were having fun."

"I told you I have to take care of my sister today, Lucia." Oliver stated, "I can't hang out with you or the others today."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Oliver, surely you can leave her alone for a few minutes."

"She's six years old, Lucia."

"Well then let someone else take care of her. She seems decent enough," She gestured to Amira.

"Excuse me?" Amira scoffed, "It's me, Amira. We've been in the same homeroom class for a couple of years."

Amira knew Lucia very well as she sat a few rows behind her. At their collège, Lucia was popular, well liked, and had admirers falling over themselves for her. It didn't help that her parents were influential and had a lot of cash to spend frivolously.

"Really?" Lucia looked at her as if she was trying to draw a face, "I don't remember you, Amy."

"Amira."

"Right, that's what I said, Mary." She waved off of her and turned to Oliver, "Why don't you just leave your sister with her and we can go and have some fun with our friends!"

Oliver unlatched her arm from him, "Sorry, but I'm not just going to dump Kumiko on Amira, she has her hands full with her own sister already."

Lucia huffed, "Fine, enjoy your time with the babies." She walked off, her heels clicking and clacking behind her. Both of them glared at the auburnette from behind her back.

"Sorry about that, she's been pestering me all week to hang out, even sending messages at all hours." He sighed, "I'm not about to ditch my sister in a crowded area where someone could take her."

"What about your parents? Are they around?" She turned to see Kumiko and Nessa running around the area and imitating sound effects.

"My dad's in London overseeing some business alliance, my mom is busy with her own work at Tsurugi Tech." He sounded frustrated and upset by this, but his voice didn't go further than

"Hey, don't worry about it, my parents are busy as well." That was partially true. Her father was actually DJing the event and her mother was a whole sea away in New York. "We can still have fun with our sisters."

"Amira! I want that!" The teenager turned to see Nessa pointing at a large stuffed version of Mischief hanging from a game booth. It was a simple game of darts with colorful balloons and targets.

"I don't know, Nessa. These games aren't meant to win big prizes."

"Please." Both Kumiko and Nessa put on cute eyes. Amira regretted teaching Nessa that the puppy eyes were her move. Now it was multiplying to Kumiko.

"Looks like we've got no choice, we're at their adorable mercy of Mini Mischief and Wyvern." Oliver snickered. "Or are you just afraid to lose?"

Amira gave him a glare and pulled out a few dollars from her purse, slamming them onto the table.

"Give me the darts." She addressed the employee as Oliver, Kumiko, and Nessa watched from the sidelines.


On the other side of the park, a stage had been built and the people backstage worked tirelessly to make sure all of the preparations were in place.

"Madam Mayor, are you sure this is wise? Throwing a big event like this is bound to get the attention of your enemies. Perhaps it is best that we hold off the festivities for your sake."

The mayor of Paris smiled, "I'm positive this is just what the people need. A day of fun and enjoyment. We can't let fear keep us from enjoying life. In fact, this will bring the people together and show that the Miraculous Squad is more than capable of taking on any threat that anyone throws at us."

"Well said, Mayor Raincomprix."

A woman with auburn hair and green eyes approached her. She wore professional clothes that were designer and emblemed a red circle with black dots monikered on her orange blazer coat.

"Thank you for having the Miraculous Squad to be here today. This event wouldn't have been possible without your support."

"Of course." The woman's voice was like honey, "Anything for a dear friend, Sabrina. As the manager of the Miraculous Squad, I am willing to pull some strings."

"Speaking of the Squad, I haven't seen them yet. I hope they aren't late."

"Rest assured, they will be here soon." The woman placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "They're just out on patrol, keeping our beloved city safe."

"I would not expect less from them." Sabrina smiled, but that quickly faded with nervousness. "Though I still haven't gotten used to being called Mayor Raincomprix. Sometimes I don't feel qualified for the job."

"Nonsense, you're the perfect candidate for the job. You're passionate, clear headed, dedicated, and loyal to this city." Sabrina began to smile.

"Thank you, Lila. None of this would be possible without you by my side." Sabrina hugged her. "You have been an amazing friend."

"Ma'am, it's almost time." Her assistant interrupted the tender moment.

"Right." Mayor Raincomprix smoothed out her clothes and made sure her earpiece was in place, "I've got a speech to make."

"Good luck." As soon as Sabrina was out of sight with her assistant, Lila's smile dropped. She pulled her phone from her purse and quickly accessed a group text.

Lila: Where are all of you!? The show is about to begin and none of you are here!

CR: Relax, we'll be there.

HC: Yeah, we're just having fun.

MM: We can just say we had to get a kitten out of a tree and they'll believe it lol.

CR: Or an akuma shows up during it.

W: That's not funny, Carnivore.

CR: Says you, Mr. Killjoy.

W: We'll be there soon, ma'am.

CR: Fine, I guess.

Lila: Just get here, I will not be humiliated because none of you know the definition of being on time.

With that final message sent, she placed the phone back into her purse. She paused when she saw a butterfly flying towards the stage. It disappeared the second she blinked.

"I need to stop working late into the night." Lila shook her head.

Hawkmoth was gone, Ladybug was gone, and her greatest obstacle was six feet underground. Lila smirked, it had been almost too easy to find the Miracle Box. Of course there were a couple missing miraculous: the Ladybug, the Black Cat, the Butterfly, the Peacock, and the Rabbit. But they didn't matter though, she had all the power she needed.

"Is everything alright, dear?" She turned to the sound of the voice. It was her husband, the man who was devoted to her every desire and thought. The man who successfully gave her the keys to her own kingdom.

"Everything is perfect, Adrien." Lila pecked him on the lips, "Let's find our seats, the show is about to start."

It didn't matter, she had the city under her control. The city, mayor and the heroes obeyed her.

Who was going to stop her now?


It was funny how so much power could be stored in such a small item. The figure held the brooch in the palm of their hand. The jewelry piece was an ordinary dark purple color, anyone else would've mistaken them for an ordinary ornament. But the person knew better, they smiled as they wondered how much power they could offer them.

"Those are not yours to use." The small red god spoke. It called itself a god, a kwami, but they knew what she was. He was a prisoner, bound to the physical world by a brooch. Invisible chains kept them from leaving by their command.

"Nooroo, was it?" They turned to the small winged lavender creature. "Please remind me of your abilities."

Nooroo said nothing, instead he silently stared at them.

"Nooroo, I order you to tell me of your miraculous abilities." The order washed over the small kwami like a tsunami, drowning him in an endless sea of obedience.

"The Butterfly Miraculous is one of transmission." The kwami stiffened as the words flowed out of his tiny mouth, "It is to be used by its chosen holder and used for good."

"Then it's a good thing I'll be using it to get rid of the so-called Miraculous Squad." They gritted their teeth in anger as they spoke, "They've led this city astray for too long. What else? What powers do I acquire?"

"You will have Akumaization which creates an object that will help you create champions. You will be able to give abilities to them and transform them into your soldier."

"This will help me achieve my goals?" They asked, placing the brooch onto their shirt. "And this wish, you spoke of when we first met? It will reset everything to what it once was?"

"If that is what you desire, then yes." Nooroo hated the hold they had over him. Plagg had a few bad holders in the past: thieves, criminals, even a serial killer in London (Plagg forbade them from talking about Jack). Nooroo desperately wanted to believe that this one would be different from his previous holder, they were so full of light and hope when he first met them.

Oh, how wrong he had been. It hadn't been real light, just artificial and fake.

"I can regain everything I lost, Nooroo." They smiled, "My family, my love, my life. Everything will be as it should have been."

Their confident grin turned into a frown as their gaze fell on an article. It was an old one, the wedding of Lila Rossi and Adrien Agreste. The perfect couple with the perfect wedding. At least that's how they were portrayed. If only the people knew how awful they really were. They crumpled it in their hands, the couples' smiling faces wrinkled and creased in moments.

"This nightmare of a world shouldn't exist." Their tone turned cold and bitter, "I will make sure no one remembers this reality once I find the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous then make my wish."

"Nooroo! Wings Rise!"