Amira, could you get me ice cream?" Nessa tugged on her older sister's sleeve to get her attention.
"What?" Amira snapped herself out of her thoughts,"No, Nessa, we've got ice cream at home, you'll have to wait until later."
It had been a few days since she learned the true identity of the previous Ladybug, the young fashion design, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was kind, selfless, always put her all into every project she made, the perfect girl to be a hero. So what happened? Why did she take her own life? Did something happen in her personal life? Has someone found out her real identity? Was someone after her and she was forced into a corner she couldn't get out of? The detective in Amira was buzzing with questions.
Tikki had been quiet the last couple of days, it haunted her seeing remnants of her old holder, the girl she couldn't save. Amira felt bad as she had heard the small kwami crying whenever the kwami thought Amira was asleep.
"I want to play on the carousel!" Nessa pointed to the park's main and oldest attraction, a moving carousel.
"Alright, just be careful and don't push anyone off their horse..again." Amira watched from a bench as Nessa ran to the carousel.
It had been a few days since she learned the true identity of the previous Ladybug, the young fashion design, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was kind, selfless, always put her all into every project she made, the perfect girl to be a hero. So what happened? Why did she take her own life? Did something happen in her personal life? Has someone found out her real identity? Was soemone after her and she was forced into a corner she couldn't get out of? The detective in Amira was buzzing with questions.
Tikki had been quiet the last couple of days, it haunted her seeing remnants of her old holder, the girl she couldn't save. Amira felt bad as she had heard the small kwami crying whenever the kwami thought Amira was asleep.
"What the heck?" Amira saw a familiar looking woman talking to Nessa. The girl looked visibly confused as to why this woman was talking to her.
"Excuse me, how can I help-" She stopped talking when the woman turned towards her.
It was her mother.
"Sweetie, it's so good to see you." She looked worse than the last time she saw her and that was in court. She had decent clothes on but her glasses were slightly cracked and her eyes looked sunken, like she hadn't slept in days. Her hair was still curly but now cut very very short and lacked its bounce, it wasn't a good look on her.
Amira didn't say anything to her, instead she turns to Nessa. "Are you okay?"
"Who is she? She keeps saying she's my mom." Nessa was visibly confused. Amira understood why, her mother was rarely around by the time Nessa was born, so she spwouldnt have any memories of her,
"Why don't you play by the fountain, okay?"
Nessa nodded, then ran towards the park.
Amira turned to Alya and gave her a frown,"What are you doing here? You know you can't be here."
"I was talking to my daughter, is that a crime?"
"It is when you have a court order not to be 15 feet from us."
Alya looked shocked by Amira's attitude towards her, "That is no way to talk to your mother."
"You haven't been my mother for years or even Nessa's mom, Dad had to raise us since you were always chasing after the next big story." Amira hushed at her, trying to keep her voice down as there were children (and Nessa) nearby.
"T-that is not true, I did what I could to support our family,"
"So leaving at every possible opportunity and risking your life by diving into dangerous situations was supporting us? Do you know how many times you broke promises at the last moment for some big interview? How about the time you got both of us injured and taken in the hospital after chasing a scoop?" Was that all for our family?" Amira's eyes were filled with righteous rage and fury as she spoke.
"B-but you're my daughter, you're supposed to on my side."
"How can I be your daughter or even stand by you…" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "When you cheated on dad?"
This left Alya completely stunned.
"Don't come near us again or I will call the police." Amira walked away from the woman she once called her mother. Tikki gently calmed her down while hiding in her purse. She was relieved Tikki was nearby otherwise, she would've attracted an akuma.
Amira didn't recognize her own mother and she doubt she ever will.
Apparently some people couldn't take a hint as she spotted a very familiar pair of glasses watching her, Nessa, and her dad as they went out for an evening show. She didn't want to cause a scene, she hadn't told her dad she saw her mom earlier today, she knew it would likely cause an akuma if he went all out on her. No, she decided on a different approach.
"Hey, dad, I think I left my wallet at the house. I'm going to quickly run back and grab it. I'll meet you two at the show." She ran off before her father could say anything. She quickly sucked into a nearby alley and transformed into Miss Chance.
"Excuse me, ma'am…but what are you doing?" Miss Chance approached Alya with her arms crossed.
"Ladybug?" Alya looked confused, then curious, "You're not Ladybug."
"No, I'm not." The spotted heroine crossed her arms in a serious manner, "I'm Miss Chance, the new ladybug."
"Alya Cesaire, reporter." She excitedly shakes her hand, "I used to run the Ladyblog. I'm sure Ladybug has told you all about me."
"Excuse me?"
"Sorry, it just been so long since I met a fellow superhero." Alya lowered her voice to a whisper.
"What?" Amira was visibly confused by this, her mom was just outing her secret identity to a stranger? Sure she was also a superhero, but that still doesn't make it right to tell someone.
"You know because I'm Rena Rouge-well I was Rena Rouge. Did Ladybug send you? Is Trixx with you?" Who the heck was Trixx? Another kwami?
"No, Ms. Cesaire, that is not why I approached you." She stated, "I approached you because you are currently following and talking picture of a family."
"Oh no, they're not just a family, they're my family."
"Really? Because a concerned citizen informed me that you weren't apart of that family anymore and that you
Alya's smile twitched, "well, I still have a right to see my children, my daughters need their mother."
"Your daughters need you? From what I've seen, they don't need you, they have their father."
"But I-"
"Ms. Cesaire, I'm leaving you off with a warning, next time, I will let the authorities know of your activities." She was stern in her tone, ironic that she was scolding her mother on her behavior. Amira swung off, hoping that was enough.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Alya was in a stupified state as she wandered aimlessly through the streets of Paris.
Alya just wanted to reconnect with his daughter, have Nino take her back, and get her blog back. Instead she was scolded by both her daughter and the young new ladybug hero.
"What do they know?" Alya tsked, "They weren't there, they have no right to judge me, I did nothing wrong."
"Hello, Alya." The woman froze up upon hearing the voice in her mind.
"Y-you're not Hawkmoth."
"No, I'm not. I thought you lost all of your brain cells years ago, I was mistaken." Chrysalis said with resentment in her voice, "You spineless coward."
"What are you talking about?"
"You claim to want the truth, yet you have surrounded yourself with lies. Nino sees it, Miss Chance was able to sniff you out, and even your daughters can smell it on you."
"Shut up! I don't have to listen to your lies."
"You're right, you don't listen to anyone, not your husband, not your family, not even Marinette."
"W-what does this have to do with that bully-" She toppled over in pain as a massive migraine pierced her skull. It was as if a drill was being stabbed into her brain.
"THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH MARINETTE!" Chrysalis shouted. "YOU AND HER SO CALLED FRIENDS PUSHED HER TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE!"
The migraine continued to stab her skull violently, like being pulled under the rapids of a rushing river.
"Please, stop." Alya whimpered in pain. The infliction lessened, but a buzzing still rang in her head.
"I don't want to hurt you, Alya." She said with a sweet yet vindictive tone, "I want to ruin your life, to make you feel as horrible and suffering as she did. It's only fair since you were her so-called bestie. Of course you've already ruined your life, so I'll make you a puppet, a puppet for my rage."
"I thought akumas had to be accepted to work."
"For Hawkmoth, yes. But for me? All I need to do is tighten the puppet strings around you."
Alya tried to resist, but the purple mist around her slowly consumed her.
"Over here!" Nino waved over Amira as rows and rows of seats were stationed in the park. Amira scoot her way over and sat down next to him and Nessa.
"You okay?" Nino noticed her frustrated expression, "You look out of breath. You didn't run here, did you?"
"I'm fine, I'm just glad I got back in time."
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" A booming voice rang throughout the stage.
"I know you're all waiting for the main event, but get ready for a blast from the past!"
Four spotlights appeared on the stage and four figures stood.
"Ladybug!" A girl in a red suit with black spots wearing a mask and pigtails stood heroically on center stage. She wore a bright smile on her face.
"Chat Noir!" Next to her, a blonde haired boy swung a baton into the air. He wore all black leather complete with cat ears and a tail like belt.
"Carapace!" A hooded green cloaked teenage boy held a shield high above him.
"And Rena Rouge!" Finally, a girl in a deep orange, black, and white pressed a flute to her lips but no sound came out. She had long fox ears and her outfit included a tailcoat that resembled a fox's tail.
Instead of applauding, the crowd just murmured and talked among themselves.
"Is this part of the show?"
"Aren't they ancient?"
"Who are these guys?"
Amira didn't like where this was going, this was definitely not apart of the show.
"And our very special guest: Nessa!" A spotlight was placed on the terrified little girl standing on the stage. She looked nervous, slowly backing away from the gathered crowd.
"Nessa!" Both Nino and Amira shouted, but their voices barely carries above the murmurs of the large crowd.
"How did she get up there?"
"I'll get her, dad." Amira tried to scoot past the other audience members.
"Come on, give us a big smile!" Rena Rouge coaxed Nessa towards the front of the stage.
"I-I want my daddy, I want my sister." Nessa looked on the verge of crying.
Amira tried her best to get out of the crowd, but was stopped by copies of the heroes.
"Where do you think you're going? The show's just started." They spoke in unison. It made her shudder, this wasn't
"Give me back my sister!" She lunged at one of them only for it to disappear in a cloud of orange smoke and reappear behind her. Amira was grabbed by the copies and shoved onto the stage along with Nessa.
"Amira!"
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Amira looked over her little sister.
"I'm fine, Miss Chance will save us, right?"
"Y-yeah, she'll came, I'm sure of it." Amira felt her stomach drop, she couldn't transform as they were both stuck on a stage. Instead she focused on where the akuma could be, she glanced at the four main heroes. None of them had anything resembling an akuma, then in the shadows of the curtains, she saw a flicker of purple. The akuma was hiding backstage.
"Did someone call for a hero?!" Amira felt the urge to roll her eyes at that familiar voice. Out of the shadows, Carnivore Reign stood triumphantly on top of the stage lights.
"Oh, great. It's him." Amira groaned as Carnivore took down several copies of Chat Noir.
"Everyone knows there's only one cat the people love and that's me." He winks at the audience. The crowd started cheering at Carnivore Reign's arrival.
Before she could react, Carnivore grabbed Amira and Nessa then leaped off the stage.
"Hold on tight, little ladies." His arrogant smirk made her mentally cringe.
"Wee!" Nessa was clearly enjoying the ride, Amira was not enjoying being so close to the tiger hero as much, but had a fake smile on her face. The copies chased after him, shouting and screaming at him.
"Give them back to us!"
"We need them!"
"We can't lose them again!"
Amira processed the hero dopplegangers' words, "Again?"
Then she saw it again, the flicker of amber orange now stalking them.
"We're being followed!"
"Oh, you think!?" Carnivore snarled back.
"No, not just the copies, the akuma!"
"What are you tal-" BAM! An orange blur tackled Carnivore Reign, sending both Amira and Nessa tumbling to the ground.
Standing before them was Rena Rouge, but not as clean or sleek looking as her copies. Her orange was more rust, her body suit was ragged and torn with the tail shredded into nine distinct cuts. Beneath her mask, her eyes was a deep magenta and held fury and rage within them.
Give my daughters back to me, you stupid hero!"
"Daughters?"
"Mom?!"
"I have to protect them, I hav-" A dark purple glowing mask illuminated her face, momentarily distracting her. "I don't care about her, I need to protect them!"
"Nessa, run." Amira whispered as the akuma argued with Chrysalis. The two sisters ran off, the screaming of the akuma echoed in the distance. They eventually hid in an alley way as clones of th old heroes ran past them.
"Nessa, go find dad, I'll find help."
"But what about y-"
"No buts, go." The teenager pushed her sister forward, then she quickly ducked behind the trash can.
"This is all my fault, I shouldn't have confronted her as Miss Chance." She said to Tikki, a sense of guilt washing over her.
"You did nothing wrong, she was invading the space of your family. She may be your mother but that doesn't make
"Thanks, that means a lot to me. Tikki, Spots on!"
Alya regained her senses as she reverted from her akuma form.
"What happened?" Alya looked around and narrowed her eyes at Miss Chance, "It's you."
Miss Chance extended a hand to Alya only for her to slap her hand away.
"Stay away from me, you faker." She didn't like that angry look in her eyes.
"Ms. Cesaire, I understand your anger, but…"
"You wouldn't understand, how could you? You're just some kid." Alya snapped as she walked away from the heroine.
I guess not everyone likes you, baby bug." Carnivore taunted.
Amira stared at the distant figure of her mother. Memories came flooding back to her, good moments of her and her mother. They were early memories, but they were still memories. Yet they became bittersweet as she got older. What happened to the woman she once called her mother? How deep had Lila sunk her claws into her that she wouldn't listen to her own daughter?
Adrien frowned as he watched the coverage of the latest akuma attack. He didn't like this new Ladybug. She was elusive, barely spoke to the public besides the akuma victims, didn't do interviews, and didn't work with the Miraculous Squad. She wasn't Ladybug, she didn't go went on talk shows, she didn't smile in front of the cameras, she didn't even stand by her fellow miraculous holders. Whenever he saw or heard anything about Miss Chance, his fists clenched so tight that they were bruises from how his nails dug into his skin.
"Mr. Agreste?" MARI, a flying robotic AI made by Max addressed the blonde man. It had propellers that resembled pigtails, "Ms. Cesaire is here for her appointment."
"Yes, let her in." He nodded.
The door open and Alya stepped inside. Adrien's old friend was looking worse than the last time he saw her. Her glasses were cheap, her clothes were worn out as well as overused, and her face looked drained of life. At least now she lived out of a decent apartment, and not in a homeless shelter. He had been surprised to see her in such a state and was more than happy to help his friend out of the streets.
"It's good to see you, Adrien."
"I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"I wanted to thank you for helping me get back on track." Alya took a deep breath, "I felt awful about my behavior towards you, Nino, Lila and the rest of our friends. I'm sorry."
"I forgive you, Alya. It's what friends do." He turned back to his desk, "And in order to show you I trust you, I'm giving you a position on the Miracsite."
Alya stared in shock, "You're giving me back the Ladyblog?" The Miraclesite was once the Ladyblog, her pride and joy. It was the beginning of her reporting career, then that was all taken from her, blocking her from her dream.
"Not quite, I'm giving you a job, to be a reporter again. In return, I want you to do something for me."
"Of course, I'll do anything."
Adrien's fingers traced over an photo of the new Ladybug hero. "Get me the identity of Miss Chance."
Alya smiled deviously, "You don't even have to ask, it would be my pleasure."
—
A/N:
Fun fact: A group of foxes is called a Skulk!
Please make sure to follow, favorite, and review. I really appreciate it. Until next time, FallenFairy20