Quick note: I own none of the songs in this chapter; they belong to their original artists. And I apologize for all the terrible puns; I'm sorry, but I'm not as good as Chat Noir!
When Chat Noir and Lady Beatle got back outside, they looked around until they saw a strange looking akuma chasing several students and teachers.
"Lady Beatle, is that her?" Chat Noir asked, pointing toward the figure he remembered seeing from the video.
"The one that looks like Mother Ginger from The Nutcracker?" Lady Beatle asked. "Yes, that's her…" She trailed off, thinking, 'Speaking of Mother Ginger, aw, I remember going to Forest Roberts Theater with Mom and Dad last year when Corey danced in that show!'
Chat Noir smiled to himself when he heard the description. 'The Nutcracker? Aw, one of my favorite parts of Christmas! I remember watching that ballet with Chloe, her mom, and my mom every year when I was a kid!' He and Lady Beatle quickly got their minds back on business as they watched the akuma at work. They had a good idea of what her powers did, thanks to the video, but now they could see her work up close.
Marionette, who was wearing a black and purple hoopskirt dress and black boots and had her hair in a very elaborate updo and held in place with butterfly clips, aimed a bizarre wooden cross-shaped object at a group, and when it glowed, strings came out of it, wrapping themselves around the wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles of those they came in contact with. Their clothes turned into harlequin-style outfits for a moment, but then returned to normal, but their eyes had a purple glow, showing that they were under her spell.
"I am Marionette! My loyal puppets, find me Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Marionette waved her hands and wiggled her fingers, and several students and teachers started moving jerkily as they went off to follow her orders.
"I was right, your name for her was better," Chat Noir smirked. "But what's with the wardrobe changes?"
"First, maybe, but that I've Got No Strings song from Pinocchio, or I'm Your Puppet by James and Bobby Purify would both be fitting songs for her," Lady Beatle mused. "Or we'll have to play those songs for Puppeteer if she ever comes again. Second, I showed you how she turned her targets into harlequin jesters, and those are a kind of puppet too."
"How do you know what those are?" Chat Noir asked. "No offense, but you don't strike me as someone who watches Suicide Squad or recognizes Harley Quinn. Of course, I don't watch it either, but my friends have mentioned it and some of them gave me a few Batman comics."
"None taken, but I've seen that old Batman the Animated Series cartoon, so I know what the costume looks like from that," Lady Beatle explained, thinking, 'And of course they made a mistake at the end of the one episode; Janus isn't Greek, he's Roman!' "I have a cousin at home that loves Batman comics, and another cousin dressed up as Batman in a waterski show."
"Well, anyway, about those songs you mentioned before, Ladybug's and my blogger friend has been talking about this new section of her Miraculous LadyChat blog that's going to give akumas their own theme songs," Chat Noir added.
"When this is over, I'll have to get together with her and give her a few ideas," Lady Beatle mused, then she shook her head. "But we can plan our victory songs and read comics later. First, let's look before we leap and see what we're going to be up against."
Chat Noir smiled. "That's right! We should also see if that stick thing she's holding is where the akuma is. And it looks like she's using it to control her victims."
"Actually, I saw the akuma land on the purse at her side," Lady Beatle admitted. "But you have a good point too; we should find a way to take out Marionette's wooden controller so she can't use it on us, or anyone else."
"You're making milady proud, Lady Beatle," Chat Noir grinned.
Lady Beatle had no time to reply, since Marionette turned toward them. The akuma aimed her wooden controller at them, and she had to use the yoyo to swing away while Chat Noir had to use his staff to vault away from her to escape the strings. Luckily, she had seen Ladybug do this sort of thing several times before, so she tried to copy what she did. She looked up for something to hook the yoyo onto, and thanking her grandfather for teaching her how to fish when she was younger, cast the yoyo onto a tree branch, then took a deep breath, told herself to think of this as the rope swing she used to play on with her cousins during reunions at the old family farm when she was little, took a running leap, and swung herself away from Marionette, while giving her best imitation of the Xena battle cry Liz always did. "Ay-iyiyiyiyiyi!" Then when she landed unharmed next to Chat Noir, she was grinning madly. "That. Was. AWESOME!" she cheered. "My 'Things to Do in Paris' bucket list is so getting an update after this!"
"Yeah, it's pretty paw-some the first time you do this, but we've still got a job to do," Chat Noir couldn't help chuckling at her enthusiasm; he knew all too well how cool getting superpowers was, as well as using them for the first time, but they had to be serious now, and he had to help her do something she was unused to.
Lady Beatle nodded beside him. She hadn't meant to act so goofy just now, but this was by far the coolest thing she'd ever done. "Right. Sorry. Let's do this." She and Chat Noir jumped down with their weapons ready, and she said to Marionette, "Good Day, Sunshine! Today's a great day to be beaten by Paris's heroes, isn't it?"
Chat Noir grinned, hearing her reference one of his mother's favorite Beatles songs. "It certainly is," he turned to Marionette. "And don't worry. This Boy and this girl will help free you from Shadowmoth!"
Marionette growled and waved her hands around. The people she put under her control all turned as one and ran after Chat Noir and Lady Beatle.
"Well, we were close," Lady Beatle tried to smile as she stole a glance at the clock. "We said it would take about five or ten minutes to defeat her or drive her crazy, but according to that clock, we've only been fighting around seven minutes now!"
"Time flies when you're having fun!" Chat Noir quipped as they ran at Marionette and the puppets.
***LBCNLBCNLBCN***
'Marionette! What are you doing?' Shadowmoth's voice shouted in the akuma's head as she chased after them. However, he couldn't help but smile to himself as he recalled the Good Day Sunshine song that Emilie used to sing to Adrien when he was little. 'I haven't thought about that song in years,' he mused. 'Emilie always loved singing that to Adrien.'
"That's clearly not Ladybug," Marionette scoffed as she turned another student into a puppet minion. "She's too inexperienced and immature." (Here, Lady Beatle stuck her tongue out at her while Chat Noir tried not to laugh at the interaction.) "I'll get her later, but first I'll take out Chat Noir, so she'll be vulnerable to my puppets."
However, before she could aim her controller at him, Lady Beatle wrapped the yoyo around it. "No, no!" she scolded as she drew back, making Marionette stumble forward, and mentally thanking her father for teaching her how to use a yoyo when she was little, and all the times she saw Ladybug use it herself. "We don't harm our kit-ty." She heard Chat Noir snicker as he got the movie reference, and Lady Beatle smiled back as continued pulling back on the yoyo as she continued, "Lea—no! Leave Chat Noir alone. Just love him and stroke him."
"Enough talk! Give me your Miraculous!" Marionette growled as she drew back, freeing herself from the yoyo.
"Oh, great. It looks like Shadowmoth's newest lackey's angry," Lady Beatle sighed.
"And when Shadowmoth's newest lackey's angry, Shadowmoth himself gets upset," Chat Noir agreed as he recalled all the times he, as Adrien, and Felix used to stay up at night having Austin Powers movie marathons. And just like how he and Nino quoted entire movies, so did he and Felix.
"And when Shadowmoth himself gets upset," Lady Beatle continued, then she and Chat Noir shouted together as they fended off two more puppet minions and adopted the 'Dr. Evil' pose, "People die!"
Marionette glared at them. "If you won't give me your miraculous willingly, I'll turn you into my puppets and make you give them to me!"
"Stop in the Name of Love! No, wait; that's the Supremes, but really, whatever's wrong, I'm sure We Can Work It Out," Lady Beatle tried to assure her as she and Chat Noir regrouped, and she accidentally let a different music pun slip out. "Just Let It Be, and we'll Help you."
"And don't worry, purr-incess," Chat Noir added. "You'll be Free as a Bird and on The Long and Winding Road to recovery before you know it! But really, I'll Stand By You no matter what!"
"Actually, Kitty Friend, that one's from The Pretenders, and yes, I know, I made a mistake with the artists too," Lady Beatle said as she fended off Marionette's strings.
"That's okay, dudette, but I meant to ask before, what's with all the Beatles songs?" Nino asked.
"And where's Ladybug?" Rose asked, seeing a different red and black spotted heroine with Chat Noir.
"Ladybug was in her civilian identity when she was caught up in one of Marionette's first attacks, and she didn't have time to transform since it happened so quickly, but she held out as long as she could. Since I was close by, she gave me her earrings before she was completely overcome by the akuma's spell," Lady Beatle admitted as she used the yoyo as a shield between them and the akuma. "Hi! I'm Lady Beatle, Ladybug's convenient temporary stand-in!" She couldn't help but grin as she watched the yoyo and murmured, "I have got to get me one of these!"
"A new Ladybug?!" Alya gasped, whipping out her phone and starting to livestream the new hero. "Hey there, Bugheads and Chatfans! Alya here, with some good news and bad news. The bad news is that Ladybug got akumatized in her civilian identity and she's attacking us, but good news, Lady Beatle's on the scene to help her, and us!"
"Not the time or place, Alya, not the time or place!" Lady Beatle whispered, her excitement all but forgotten when she turned pale when Alya aimed her camera at her. She took a step back at all the attention she was getting, all the while thinking, 'I know I'm supposed to name Beatles songs right now, but…Ode to Big Blue…Summertime Dream…Approaching Lavender…Brave Mountaineers…Cobwebs and Dust…' As she started mentally naming Gordon Lightfoot's songs, Lady Beatle used her free hand to discreetly reach into her pocket and squeeze Lady Elf before feeling Chat Noir squeeze her wrist to get her attention.
"I know," he murmured. "It always takes me and milady by surprise too, when Alya shows up in the middle of a fight or wants an interview before we have to go, since our timers will run out. But it'll be okay. Just focus on the fight and stay close to me."
"Don't scare her, Alya," Rose whispered. She raised her voice. "It's nice to meet you, Lady Beatle! I'm sure you'll do everything you can to save Ladybug!"
Lila sneered at Lady Beatle as she cut Rose off. "Are you sure about that? I mean, did you see her cower when Alya started filming her? She calls herself a hero? That's a laugh! Who doesn't like attention on them?"
"Not everyone likes attention, Lila," Ivan frowned, Mylene nodding next to him.
"Well, it's her loss, but she can do us all a favor and give those earrings to me! I'm Ladybug's BFF!" Lila continued. "Ladybug promised she'd give her earrings to ME if she ever got in trouble!"
Forgetting her unease when she heard that, Lady Beatle looked at Chat Noir, then at Lila, then back to Chat Noir, and the two heroes started cracking up, along with the rest of the group. "Thanks for that! I needed a good laugh to calm down! But do you even hear yourself when you talk? Nobody looks or sounds like they believe you, Liar, so just stop while you're ahead!"
"You think you're milady's best friend? She told me, her actual BFF, that she hates your guts!" Chat Noir chuckled.
"And I'm guessing it's both in and out of the mask! Oh, mercy!" Lady Beatle snickered as she wiped her eyes and looked over at Alya. "But really, you shouldn't record and/or livestream this when crazed puppet people are after you. And I'm not just saying that because I didn't like that attention you just gave me! Also, all of you should have split up and made it harder for the akuma to find all of you, at least, that's what I remember seeing in movies."
"Why are we even running? And why should we listen to this wannabe Ladybug?" Lila pouted. "It's Marinette's fault she was akumatized!"
"Actually, from what I heard, it's your fault," Chat Noir corrected her. "You were the one running your mouth off with all those stupid lies."
"It's not my fault I tell people what they want to hear!" Lila pouted. "Ladybug called me out in front of Adrien! She should have minded her own business!"
'Lie-la's still harping about that? How long ago was that incident?' Lady Beatle thought, recalling how Adrien had told her, as Jazz, about how Ladybug had called Lila out in front of him as she scanned the area for the akuma.
"And it looks like you didn't learn your lesson from the last akuma you caused," Chat Noir snapped.
"Guys, as much as I'd love to continue this, we've still got an akuma to deal with," Lady Beatle broke in, seeing Marionette and her puppets coming toward them. "It would be good for all of you to take cover somewhere or split up. And if you absolutely must record and/or livestream this," she added, turning to Alya, "either do it from a safe location or learn to dodge attacks on your own. And don't argue!" she continued, seeing Alya start to protest as she held up her phone, "You shouldn't put yourself in danger like this! Your life is more important than a post on your blog, and I think Ladybug would agree with me if she was here! I'll do my best to keep all of you safe while Chat Noir and I are fighting Marionette, since this is my first time doing something like this, but don't expect me to do everything just like Ladybug."
"You're doing great so far, Lady Beatle!" Chat Noir smiled.
Lady Beatle had no time to reply, because Marionette had found the group. She tried to protect the group, but Nino and Rose were caught up in the attack. Even though she felt a little guilty about not being able to protect them, she still smiled to herself, thinking that even though Nino's red and blue jester outfit looked okay, Rose's pink and white jester outfit was really cute!
As she watched them turn into puppet minions, Lila grumbled, "Why aren't you sparing me, Shadowmoth? I was the one who got Marinette so mad that she was finally able to get akumatized!"
"Thanks for telling everyone that!" Chat Noir smirked as he pointed to Alya, who was still recording.
"Give me that phone!" Lila yelled, advancing toward her.
"And give me your Miraculous!" they heard Marionette shout.
"Incoming!" Lady Beatle shouted, getting her head back in the game and seeing Marionette wave her controller, making more strings appear. She and Chat Noir ducked, one or two people ran off, but Alya and Lila were caught up in the attack.
"Well, it looks like Lila's the unwilling puppet now!" Chat Noir smirked as he saw Marionette wave her hands and make the puppet Lila dance. And it was even funnier when they saw how she looked. Lila was now wearing an orange-and-white jester outfit, and unlike the other people she had put under her control, tape covered her mouth. They then saw Marionette wave her hands again, and Lila was back in her own outfit and the tape was gone, but her eyes now had a purple tint to them, just like the other victims of the spell.
"The immortal phrase 'I told you so' comes to mind," Lady Beatle agreed, smirking as she watched the akuma play with her new puppets before sending them off again. "But take down the akuma first, gloat later."
"If we must," Chat Noir sighed in mock defeat.
"But I'm wondering about something," Lady Beatle continued. "Will Alya's phone still get this even though she's under the akuma's spell? Not that I want to be interviewed again…at least right now anyway, but she seems pretty adamant about getting footage of the fight."
"Probably," Chat Noir nodded. "She's been hit or captured by akumas before when she's livestreaming, and she still manages to get pretty good footage of the fights. And of course other people will be recording the fight and sending her footage so she'll get to see everything."
"Okay. I was just curious about that, since I really would like to see it later too," Lady Beatle agreed.
They had no more time to talk, since Marionette was sending more puppet minions after them. She had even managed to capture some of the teachers and Mr. Damocles as well.
As she looked over the teachers in their new harlequin outfits, Lady Beatle smirked. "An owl-colored harlequin mask for Mr. Damocles is strangely appropriate, but look at Ms. Mendeleiv!"
As they faced off against the new group, Chat Noir smirked as he looked over the science teacher's red and blue jester outfit. "Based on the litmus paper tests for acids and bases," he mused, "Isn't that fitting!"
"And I can see you in a black and green outfit, Chat Noir," they heard Marionette's voice. "And you in a red and black one, Pseudo-Ladybug!"
"The name's Lady Beatle, and that's not going to happen!" Lady Beatle shouted as she and Chat Noir fended off the strings and puppet minions.
***LBCNLBCNLBCN***
"Okay, I think it's about time for a Lucky Charm right about now!" Chat Noir said as he and Lady Beatle regrouped.
"Okay, but how will I know what to call for?" Lady Beatle asked.
"Just channel your inner MacGyver," Chat Noir smirked. "If he can save the world with paperclips and a candy bar every week, then you can save the day with the object of your choice…say, a tuba, an airhorn, or even a giant round mirror!"
"Is that really what I'll get if I summon it?" Lady Beatle asked, "I mean, does the Lucky Charm take my ideas into account, just like the Sorting Hat does in Harry Potter?"
"Who knows, but Ladybug told me that the Lucky Charm doesn't just give you an object; you have to figure out how to use it as well. Trust yourself," Chat Noir smiled encouragingly as he fended off another attack. "You'll figure it out when you see it."
"Okay…" Lady Beatle agreed, but she couldn't help but think 'Come on, it's my first time doing something like this, give me something good!'. Tossing up the yoyo, she called out, "Lucky Charm!" When she saw the large box falling toward them, she couldn't help but yelp as she and Chat Noir had to jump away from it so they wouldn't get crushed underneath. "Sorry about that!" she murmured as it landed, and they came back up to it.
"Don't worry," Chat Noir assured her. "That sometimes happens with me and milady when she summons big Lucky Charms too. But what kind of Lucky Charm is this?"
"A giant box of water balloons?" Lady Beatle mused as she looked inside, seeing several colorful objects inside it and poking one, making it wobble under her touch.
"And do they say 'Happy Birthday' on the side?" Chat Noir smirked, remembering a scene from a Simpsons episode that he liked.
"Yes, and I'd rather they said 'Death from Above'…but I guess we're stuck," Lady Beatle shrugged as she examined one, having seen it as well. "But other than that, how can I…wait a minute!" She frowned for a moment, then she grinned widely as her vision became gray, then highlighted the box, the balloon in her hand, Chat Noir, and Marionette and her puppet minions in red and black spots. "This gives me an idea!"
"What is it?" Chat Noir asked.
"A long time ago, I wrote a story about someone who got possessed by a magical object," Lady Beatle started, "It was never published online, and I ended up throwing it away, but I remember that a group of the possessed person's friends, who had rings of their own which created holograms—and don't worry, this was written long before I learned about all this stuff about being akumatized and actual magical jewelry—and this one girl created a whole bunch of water balloons, which became real after a moment or two. When they threw the balloons at the mob of people the possessed guy was with, they came to their senses, joined the other group, and took the person down."
"Sounds like a wet and wild idea to me!" Chat Noir grinned.
"Well, we can try it and see if it works…" Lady Beatle agreed. "But first…" she took up the yoyo, pressed one of the spots, and watched in amazement as it turned into a flip phone. "Again, I have got to get me one of these!" she grinned as found the YouTube app, tapped it, and typed in a song. "Like I was going to say, this is the song I remember from that story!" She turned the volume all the way up, tucked the phone into her belt so it would still be close by, and she wouldn't lose it while she could still be able to hear the song, grabbed a balloon, and started singing.
Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical
Science in the home
Late nights all alone with a test-tube, ohh uh oh oh
Maxwell Edison majoring in medicine
Calls her on the phone
"Can I take you out to the pictures, Joan?"
"No more Beatles references!" Marionette growled, waving her controller, and sending her puppets toward the heroes.
"Like I said, my name is Lady Beatle, so you're going to get Beatles references no matter what," Lady Beatle smirked as she threw a water balloon at Alya, who shook her head to clear it, noticed that she was back in her normal clothes, then got her phone out to record what was going on, but stayed by the side so it wouldn't get wet. "Awesome; it worked!"
"You'll have to re-write that story of yours now!" Chat Noir grinned as he picked up a few balloons and started throwing them.
"Yeah!" Lady Beatle agreed as she continued the verse, But as she's getting ready to go
A knock comes on the door
As she sang along, Lady Beatle threw a few water balloons at some of the people coming toward them. As soon as they were hit, they looked around as they were freed from the spell.
As he shook his head, Max, who had come out of the trance he was in, looked around and said as he heard the music and someone singing, "For whoever's playing that song, it's 100% lucky for you that I like it!"
"Thanks! Now those who just got freed from the akuma, grab a water balloon, and start hitting Marionette's puppets! They'll return to normal when they're hit!" Lady Beatle called. "Also, sorry if your little robo-buddy got wet!"
Max quickly looked Markov over. "He didn't, and he'll be fine," he said as they started calculating the best angles to throw water balloons as Lady Beatle continued singing.
Bang, bang, Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head
Bang, bang, Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead
As she sang the chorus, Lady Beatle looked conflicted about throwing a perfectly good water balloon at Lila, who was advancing toward them. It really was Lila's fault that Marinette had gotten so upset before, and Shadowmoth had taken advantage of that, so did she truly want to free the stupid liar from the puppet spell, especially after what Lila said on Alya's livestream about why Shadowmoth wasn't sparing her? All she probably needed to do was cast the miracle cure and the spell would be broken anyway! But before she could turn away, she could hear Ladybug's voice in her head, saying, 'You're Lady Beatle now, Jazz. You're the hero of Paris; it's the right thing to do.' She could also hear her maternal grandmother's words in her head at the same time, 'You should always do what's right, Jasmine. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' She sighed, knowing Ladybug and Grandma Mary were probably right, and hoping they'd better appreciate this, threw a water balloon at Lila, who glared at them after she was freed before running off. "You're welcome…" she grumbled, mentally flipping her off.
"I felt that way too, but you really did do the right thing," Chat Noir smiled when he saw her hesitate, but he knew she did the right thing in the end. He still couldn't help but grin as the song continued. 'Felix will kill me when he hears one of his favorite Beatles songs being used like this, and when he sees this fight, but I don't care!' he thought, emailing the song to himself, all the while throwing water balloons at the akuma's victims as he joined in the song.
Back in school again Maxwell plays the fool again
Teacher gets annoyed
Wishing to avoid an unpleasant scene
She tells Max to stay when the class has gone away
So he waits behind
Writing fifty times I must not be so, uh oh oh
But when she turns her back on the boy
He creeps up from behind
"Hey! You two! Business before pleasure!" Lady Beatle called when she saw Kim and Alix grab more water balloons and look like they were going to throw them at each other after they had been freed from the spell. "You can play with any water balloons that are left after we get everyone freed!"
Kim and Alix pouted a little, but they agreed to wait and, starting a competition as to who could free the most people, threw the water balloons into the crowd of people, freeing them from the spell as they joined in the chorus.
Bang, bang, Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon her head (do-do, do-do do)
Clang, clang, Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that she was dead
Marc and Nathaniel had also been freed as the first verse played, and Marc was having the time of his life throwing the water balloons. "Just like when we have snowball fights," the writer smirked.
"No fair; Marc's doing all the work, and Nath throws like a girl!" Nino muttered when he saw what was happening after he had been freed.
"Wait until everyone's freed and if there are extra balloons, Rainbow," Nathaniel murmured, "We'll get him then."
Lady Beatle hit another one of Marionette's victims as she started the next verse, PC 31 said, "We caught a dirty one"
Maxwell stands alone
Painting testimonial pictures, ohh uh oh oh
Chat Noir winked at Rose and Juleka, who had also been freed as he joined in, Rose and Juleka screaming from the gallery
Say he must go free (Rose giggled and Juleka smiled as they echoed, Maxwell must go free)
The judge does not agree and he tells them so, uh oh oh
But as the words are leaving his lips
A noise comes from behind
"Nice job, Kitty Friend! Now everyone let her have it!" Lady Beatle shouted as everyone aimed water balloons at Marionette and began pelting her as they joined in the last chorus.
Bang, bang, Maxwell's silver hammer
Came down upon his head (do-do, do-do do)
Clang, clang, Maxwell's silver hammer
Made sure that he was dead
Whoa, whoa, whoa, oh
(Do-do, do-do do)
Silver Hammer Max
"Normally, I'd never have this much fun doing something like this to Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe, who had also been freed from the spell, smirked as Marionette collapsed, but it dropped when she saw Chat Noir's and Lady Beatle's disapproving frowns. "But I know it was for a good cause this time…And I'm so glad to be out of that utterly ridiculous clown outfit!"
"Ooookay…And something like this'll never happen to my purrincess again, am I right?" Chat Noir agreed as he and Lady Beatle stomped on Marionette's wooden controller and broke it before she could try to reach it.
"Right! And we'll watch each other's backs, that's for sure…yoink!" Lady Beatle added as she grabbed the soaking wet purse and held it out to him. "Now, Chat Noir, do your stuff! Or will your cataclysm work on something that got wet?"
"Don't worry, Lady Beatle, it worked just fine during Syren and Queen Wasp, and it can work for this!" Chat Noir grinned. "Cataclysm!"
As she watched him touch the purse and made it crumble into dust, Lady Beatle saw the akuma fly out of the remains of it. Knowing what was going to come next, she swung the yoyo, just like she'd seen Ladybug do a thousand times before on the Ladyblog and Miraculous LadyChat. She didn't want to use the same exact wording Ladybug used, so she said as she captured the akuma, "Party's over, little akuma! Let's get you de-evilized!" She held the yoyo with the captured akuma up, cheering, "Boo-yah!" She let the newly purified butterfly out, adding, "Bye-bye, little butterfly…" She then tossed the box, which was now a lot lighter, up as high as she could as she called out, "Miraculous Lady Beatle!"
As the magical ladybugs undid the damage and washed over her, Marinette sat up slowly while Lady Beatle and Chat Noir got on either side of her. "Chat Noir?" she asked. "And…"
"Lady Beatle," the new hero smiled as Nathaniel started sketching her. "Are you alright?"
Marinette nodded, recalling that she had given Jazz her earrings. She knew she'd have to talk to her about her being Ladybug, but now was not the time. "I'm fine, thank you. Both of you."
"See, you did it, and you did a great job, Lady Beatle!" Chat Noir smiled, holding out his fist.
"Thanks, and you were great too," Lady Beatle smiled back, chorusing with him as they fistbumped, "Pound it!"
They didn't have time to say anymore, since Alya ran right up to them with her phone out. "Like I said before, oh my gosh! We were just saved by the new Ladybug! And now, hopefully, it's safe for a post-battle interview!"
"It was fun singing that song with you, but you're not replacing Ladybug, are you?" Rose asked as she came up to her.
"Of course not, and I think I might have time for a quick interview," Lady Beatle assured her as she returned Marinette's restored purse to her, adding silently as she gave Lady Elf a quick squeeze, 'As long as Chat Noir stays with me!' "Like I said before, Ladybug was caught up in one of the akuma's first attacks before she could transform, and I happened to be close by, so she gave me her earrings before it took her over. I'll give them back to her as soon as I see her again."
"So this is temporary?" Alya pressed.
"Yes," Lady Beatle repeated. "I saw her run off when Chat Noir and I were fistbumping, but I know she's okay, just like all of you guys are. And I could never replace Ladybug as Paris' heroine. I didn't even know what I was doing half the time. Chat Noir took the lead, and I worked things out in my own way."
"And she did a meow-velous job!" Chat Noir agreed. "She's done milady proud!"
"She certainly has," Marinette murmured.
"Princess, are you alright?" Chat Noir continued, turning to check on her.
"I'm fine, Chat," Marinette smiled as Lila stomped up to them and pushed her away.
"You!" Lila yelled at Lady Beatle. "I didn't think it was possible, but you're an even bigger pest than Ladybug! With those stupid movie and song references and the useless trivia you were spouting, it's no wonder that I got captured and turned into a puppet!"
"Yeah, we're both full of something," Lady Beatle smirked. "I'm full of musical knowledge and trivia, and you're just full of…well, I can't say what I'd like to right now, so I'll just have to settle for 'hot air!'"
"Good idea to keep it kitty and kiddie friendly, Lady Beatle, but…um, Lie-la?" Chat Noir smirked.
Lila turned and glared at him. "What?"
"Can you do us a big favor?" Chat Noir continued. "Turn around, look over there, and say 'Yes, hello Paris.'"
Lila turned in confusion. "Yes, hello Paris?"
"And there you have it, Paris!" Alya smirked from where she was still recording. "Lila Rossi has admitted to all my viewers that she's still working with our number one enemy!"
Lila immediately ran off when she heard that. There was no way that she was going to go back to her grandmother's school, or prison, if she had anything to say about it! However, she was already starting to plan her revenge on Chat Noir and Lady Beatle.
***LBCNLBCNLBCN***
In his lair, Shadowmoth was actually facepalming himself in frustration. "You had beginner's luck this time, Lady Beatle, but I will be the one who triumphs in the end!" He also thought in irritation, 'And if I never hear another Beatles song again, it will be too soon!'
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Chat Noir and Lady Beatle paused outside the girls' bathroom. "As I said before, you did a meow-velous job, Lady Beatle. I know you've made Ladybug proud!"
"I was happy to help," Lady Beatle smiled. "And it was pretty lucky that the room I transformed in didn't have security cameras."
"See, Ladybug's luck was already rubbing off on you," Chat Noir grinned.
"Oh, the irony; I'm the embodiment of good luck, and I was born on Friday the thirteenth," Lady Beatle smirked.
"And may I say that you worked purr-fectly alongside a black cat?" Chat Noir grinned.
Lady Beatle was about to reply when she heard the miraculous beeping. "Thanks, Chat Noir, but if I don't get out of here right now, my luck might run out. I know you know who I really am, but I don't want you to reveal your identity to me. I can keep it a secret if that happens, but…"
"I understand, better to be safe than sorry, but I've got to get going anyway. See you around, Lady Beatle!" Chat Noir smiled, giving her a two-finger salute as he slipped away.
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Lady Beatle slipped into the girls' bathroom. She quickly looked around, then after a quick check in each of the stalls to ensure that she was alone, she murmured, "Spots off!"
Tikki re-appeared and settled in Jazz's hands. "You did a wonderful job, Jazz! I knew you could do it!" She watched as Jazz took her keychain out of her pocket, and they noticed that the elf was back to normal as well. Tikki giggled and said to it, "Thanks for your help too, Lady Elf!" She looked around, then whispered, "And I haven't heard that many musical references since I was the kwami of this one lady in the 1960s! She and her two friends made such pretty music! Unfortunately, Longg, the dragon kwami, was mad at me for a short time following the release of one of their songs. She said it put dragons in a bad light, but the younger children seemed to like it. And you might be interested to know that Fluff, the rabbit kwami, helped another singer write a song! She took him to the time it happened, and he got a lot of good information!"
"Wait a minute…let's see," Jazz mused. "Nineteen sixties, a lady with her two friends…song about a dragon…kids liked it…" She suddenly looked up, knowing who Tikki was referring to. "Peter, Paul, and Mary, and they did Puff the Magic Dragon…which of course references drugs despite it being a children's song… Wait…you were Mary Travers' kwami? And I'm guessing Donovan was this Fluff's holder, since he sang the song Atlantis with all that information in it! And do you know if Fluff was also Grace Slick's kwami, you know, Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit?"
Tikki nodded, clearly impressed that Jazz knew all those artists. "That's right! Unfortunately, Plagg hates that Donovan song, since he destroyed Atlantis and doesn't like to be reminded of it. And no, Jefferson Airplane's members weren't holders, and neither were Jefferson Starship's, or Starship's. The members of the Supremes and the Pretenders weren't holders either."
She paused and giggled when she heard Jazz mutter, "And speaking of Jefferson Airplane, it took twenty years and two name changes before they finally got something good! Why they couldn't have just started out in the eighties as Starship, I'll never know! It would have saved them a lot of time and trouble!"
"If you say so, Jazz," Tikki giggled, "Anyway, speaking of white rabbits, Lewis Carroll wasn't a holder either. But I heard Peter, Paul, and Mary sang two of your favorite artist's songs!"
"If you're referring to Gordon Lightfoot's Early Morning Rain and For Lovin' Me, then you're right," Jazz agreed. "However, their version is an unworthy variation of a true classic!"
"Don't you mean utterly ridiculous?" Tikki smirked.
"Who do I look like, Chloe?" Jazz smirked back. "She's got her phrase, I've got mine. But speaking of musicians as holders, was Gordon Lightfoot a holder too?"
"Yes he was," Tikki smiled. "His kwami at the time, Kaalki, said he called himself Le Cheval, and she loved the songs about horses that he wrote!"
"That's right; The Pony Man and My Pony Won't Go," Jazz agreed. "But what does the Horse Miraculous look like?"
"It's a pair of glasses," Tikki replied.
Jazz looked up a picture on her phone. "Here it is! The cover of his Endless Wire album!" When Tikki nodded and smiled, she continued, "Maybe some time when Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't fighting akumas, you can bring her to my place, and I can play his music for her."
"I'll see what I can do, Jazz, but I'm sure Kaalki would love to hear his music again!" Tikki smiled.
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Jazz made sure that the coast was clear before she and Tikki left the bathroom. "You'll make a fantastic Miraculous holder one day, Jazz," Tikki smiled. "But I should get back to my holder-" she was cut off by a soft growling sound. She held her stomach, muttering, "Oh, how embarrassing!"
"Don't worry about it. I'll get you back to Ladybug, but first, I need to make a quick stop," Jazz said as she stopped in front of the vending machines. She put some money in, pushed a button, and picked up a package of cookies. "Here you go, dig in! Sorry if I didn't have anything with me when we started out, but I didn't know I was going to be doing something like this."
"Thank you, Jazz!" Tikki smiled as she bit into one. "And don't worry, you did wonderfully!"
"Thanks, Tikki, and thank you for giving me this opportunity," Jazz smiled back. She carefully took the earrings out, wincing a little at the pain, but she gave them back to Tikki. "There you go! You may as well go back to Ladybug fully charged up and ready for her. But will you know where to find her? I can help you look for her if you want."
"Don't worry, I can find her," Tikki smiled as she took the earrings. "But before I go, let me see your ears. I know you were concerned about wearing earrings after so long." She looked Jazz over, then smiled. "You'll be fine in a day or so. And you said your hair's long enough to cover your ears, so you'll be okay."
"That's good, and thanks for everything," Jazz smiled. "See you again soon, Tikki."
"Bye-bye, Jazz!" Tikki smiled as she flew off.
***LBCNLBCNLBCN***
Since Marinette had been akumatized in the art room the last time Tikki saw her, the little kwami decided to look for her there first. She looked around for a minute, then she saw her holder. "Marinette!"
"Tikki!" Marinette smiled as she hugged her, then put the earrings back in. "Tikki, I am so, so, so sorry about-"
"Don't apologize, Marinette," Tikki smiled. "You're only human; you can get akumatized too. It wasn't your fault. None of it was. And you did the right thing when you gave the earrings to Jazz."
Marinette smiled. "I guess she did a good job; I didn't really pay attention to what she was doing during the fight. But since I know Alya was recording before and after she was caught up in the attack, we can watch the video of it and see how she did. But first, let's get you something to eat. You must be starving!"
"Actually, Marinette, Jazz took care of it," Tikki smiled. "She stopped at one of the vending machines and bought me some cookies, so I'd be ready to help you transform again."
"That was nice of her," Marinette agreed. "We'll have to give her something to thank her for everything she's done."
"You mentioned having her become a permanent Miraculous holder," Tikki recalled a conversation they had once.
"That's a possibility for a future akuma fight, but for now, I think I've got something better in mind," Marinette smiled.
Authors Notes
Thanks to Niagara14301 for helping with the details of this chapter.
I've Got No Strings from Pinocchio and I'm Your Puppet by James and Bobby Purify are not mine.
Suicide Squad is not mine.
Batman The Animated Series is not mine, and the episode that Lady Beatle was talking about was Fire From Olympus.
Xena: Warrior Princess is not mine.
Good Day Sunshine, This Boy, Help, We Can Work It Out, Free as a Bird, and The Long and Winding Road are not mine.
Stop In the Name of Love by the Supremes is not mine.
I'll Stand by You by the Pretenders is not mine.
Lady Beatle's and Chat Noir's movie dialogue during one of Marionette's first attacks was from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Lady Beatle's 'I have got to get me one of these!' is from Independence Day.
Ode to Big Blue, Summertime Dream, Approaching Lavender, Brave Mountaineers, and Cobwebs and Dust by Gordon Lightfoot are not mine.
Lie-la has apparently been 'harping about being called out on her lies' since Volpina.
The Lucky Charms that Chat Noir mentions (tuba, air horn, giant round mirror) are from Befana, my story How to Have a Jazzy Good Time With an Akuma, and Reflekdoll respectively.
The Simpsons episode that Chat Noir and Lady Beatle were talking about was Bart the General.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer by the Beatles is not mine.
I've read stories where Marc dominates in snowball fights, so why can't he dominate in water balloon fights too?
Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul, and Mary is not mine.
Atlantis by Donovan is not mine.
The Pony Man and My Pony Won't Go by Gordon Lightfoot are not mine.
Jazz and Tikki's parting words were what Tikki and Adrien said in Reflekdoll.
What could Marinette have in store for Jazz? And what will happen to Lila? Find out in the next chapter!