Chapter 6

"Oh starf!" Sage cried out. Sabrina gasped, but then sighed in relief when Scarlet used her wish energy manipulation to catch herself and Astra in midair, allowing them both to levitate for a moment before slowly and gently descending and landing on the floor—in between the refreshments table and the armchair Vivica and Chloe were sitting in. Phew! No one was hurt. But now there was another problem: Scarlet, Astra, and their powers were now exposed, so they had some explaining to do.

As for all the Wishlings besides Sabrina, they were just sitting or standing where they were, open-mouthed by what just happened. Vivica was also in a stunned silence, but that was only because she hadn't expected her rivals' hiding place to collapse. It was clear what everyone else was thinking: who were these girls, and how did they gain their magical powers?

Since Sage's slip of the tongue had resulted in her presence being revealed as well, Nadja looked up at the now-broken truss and said, "Come on down, miss. Before that thing gets into an even worse condition."

Sage sighed and used one of the vertical parts of the truss to climb back down. As she did, Ladybug turned to the other two Starlings and asked, "Hey, um…how were you able to stop that fall?"

Scarlet groaned. Why couldn't Cassie have gone to Paris with them? She had the power of invisibility, which would have spared them from having to go in here, climb that unstable truss, and try to snatch that phone while risking being seen! Sure, she got defeated by Star Perfectionist last starweek, but that didn't mean she couldn't go with them on this mission! Why did things have to come down to this?!

Unfortunately, before Scarlet or Astra could say anything to answer Ladybug's question, Vivica leapt off her armchair and angrily placed her hands on her hips. "I'll tell you how," she said. "They're not from this planet! Which means they were born with magical powers. And the reason I know this is because I'm also from that planet!" And with that, Vivica recited the "star light, star bright" incantation and transformed into her Starling form, leaving Sage, Scarlet, and Astra no choice but to do the same. They would have to erase these Wishlings' memories when this was all over.

Chloe, Ladybug, Cat Noir, Nadja, and the rest of the Wishling adults all gasped in shock when they saw the Starlings' true forms. Sabrina gasped too, but she hoped nobody would realize it wasn't out of surprise. However, in a split second, Chloe's anger returned, and she demanded, "What do you ridiculous aliens think I am? Even more utterly ridiculous than you? Who gives you three the right to try and steal my phone, and who gives you the right to treat me the way only a real minion like my ex-BFF should be treated?"

"We weren't trying to steal your phone, we just wanted to borrow it," said Sage. Pointing to Vivica, she added, "She was the one trying to use it for something bad! I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's got something to do with stealing the Miraculouses for herself!"

"Or for our other sworn enemy," continued Scarlet, glancing at Sabrina. Sage and Astra followed her gaze and then nodded, remembering Sabrina's warning that was obviously about Rancora.

Cat Noir held up a hand. "Okay, wait, let me get this straight. Miss Silver Sparkle, do you know anything about that creepy genie-like monster? Because it sounds like your enemies from home do."

Vivica scoffed. "Well obviously! I'm working with her, which was why I needed that phone! She needed to know where to find you, your partner, and all the Miraculouses here, and this was the only way to tell her! And she'll be here at any starmin now that she's got the Miraculous Guardian's box. Now I can even say that, thanks to your ally over there!" As she finished her last sentence, she furiously pointed a finger at Sabrina.

"Ally?! What are you talking about?" Astra demanded.

"You think I don't know that you let a Wishling into Starling Academy behind the entire school's backs? I heard about what happened on that stage, and I don't know how, but I still remember your rivalry with Rancora and those secret Wish Missions you've been going on! Having someone from Wishworld available to help you with all that stuff is a good strategy, especially if it's someone who can help you battle an akumatized Starling!"

"Wait, what?" Ladybug asked.

"Don't bother asking, Spot Girl," said Vivica. "You wouldn't remember it."

"But Vivica, you wouldn't even know about the time Vega got akumatized!" Sage exclaimed. "You weren't even there!"

"True, but I did hear you talking about it. Apparently some Wishlings helped you out, and I'm guessing you erased their memories, like you did with all your Wishers." Scarlet started to reply, but then Vivica continued, "Well, sorry to break it to you, but one of your Wishling allies still remembers us!"

Sage and Astra gasped in shock and looked at Sabrina. She started to deny Vivica's statement, but then noticed that unlike her teammates, Scarlet didn't look surprised at all. In fact, she looked like she'd expected this moment to happen right from the start. Sabrina didn't blame her—Scarlet was very smart, and she'd had a feeling she would suspect her rambling earlier wasn't just a coincidence. But if Vivica knew the truth too…she might as well come clean. She could fight to keep her memories later.

Sighing, Sabrina nodded. "It's true," she admitted to Sage and Astra. "I was the one who told Scarlet where to find Vivica, and I did it because I wanted to help you out. I already knew she was working with Rancora too." Then she turned to Vivica and asked, "But why did you tell me you were?"

Vivica rolled her eyes. "I thought saying that would scare you so much that it would stop you from trying to stop me. But clearly that didn't work!"

Chloe stared at Sabrina and Vivica, half in confusion and half in anger. "So you were also using me to get revenge on my ex-minion because apparently you two already know each other?"

"Well yeah," said Vivica, "but—"

"You're ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! I order you to leave my planet and never come back!"

Nadja nervously rose from her seat, obviously no longer interested in her talkshow's ratings. "Um…speaking of leaving, I just remembered my staff and I have to go help Alec Cataldi with one of his broadcasts…"

"Yeah, go do that," said Astra, but Nadja and the rest of the adults were already leaving the room.

Once the news workers were gone and the doors were closed, Vivica turned to all of her remaining companions and scoffed, "You can't make me leave, everyone." As she spoke, a platinum aura only visible to the Starlings appeared around each of Ladybug's earrings, which then suddenly flew off of their owner's ears and into the spiteful Starling's hands. Ladybug didn't realize what was happening until she saw her Miraculous floating away, and then herself transforming back into her civilian form, which made her yell out in fright.

Sabrina gasped in shock, as did Cat Noir and Chloe. Ladybug was…Marinette? But the two of them were so different! Marinette was awkward and clumsy, and Ladybug was brave and agile! They were exact opposites…and yet they were the same person. Not that Sabrina or even Cat Noir had anything against this fact—Marinette was still a good person, and they both liked her. And it explained a few things, like why she hadn't been able to help Sabrina with that science project they'd had to do with Chloe the day Evillustrator was akumatized. But it was what Chloe thought about this revelation that they were worried about. She'd always idolized Ladybug, but Marinette was her all-time rival.

Unfortunately, before the spoiled Wishling could decide how to respond, the doors opened and in stepped who appeared to be the Guardian Of The Miraculous. "Heroes of Paris! I've come to help you!"

"We already know it's you, Rancora," retorted Sage. "Drop the disguise, and hand over the Miraculouses you stole from the real guardian."

Rancora looked startled at first, but then a scary glare came to her face as she changed back into her evil Starling form. "Vivica," she scolded, "I know you want us to achieve our goals faster, but villains can't just reveal what we're really up to that quickly! Have you done even the slightest amount of deception here?!"

"I tried!" Vivica insisted. "But there's this Wishling who helped the Star Dippers and the Miraculous holders, and she still remembers me! She was the one who actually went to Starland and tried to stop me from making fun of my band's rivals! You know how hard it is for me to hide my rage around people like that!"

"Tell me about it," mumbled Chloe. Sabrina noticed she was glaring at Marinette as she said this, and she realized the girl didn't approve of her idol's secret identity. It looked like her hatred towards Marinette was stronger than her admiration for one of Paris's beloved superheroes, which actually wasn't a surprise. There had been times when she'd complained about Ladybug's rescue methods, after all…

"But don't be mad," Vivica continued, "because I got something out of it. Look!" She held up the Ladybug Miraculous, which she then attached to her ears. Instantly the earrings became star-shaped (kind of like Gemma's Wish Pendant, which was also a pair of earrings) and turned an almost-white shade of blue as a bright ball of pink light emerged from them. When it cleared away, Sabrina recognized her old ladybug kwami friend sitting on Vivica's shoulder (although she looked tired and a little dizzy, probably because Marinette's actions in her alter ego had made her hungry) and couldn't help remembering the night she and Libby had borrowed the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous.

Cat Noir rose from his seat, staff in hand. "You're not going to get away with this, Vivica. Hand over m'lady's Miraculous, or this cat's claws will come out!"

Rancora laughed and thrust the Guardian's box into Vivica's hands. "Nice work, Vivica. Now bring these Miraculouses and that…creature…to Starland and figure out how to activate their magic. I'll meet you there once I'm finished dealing with these teenagers."

Vivica nodded, and with the ladybug kwami, her Miraculous, and the box still in her clutches, the silver-haired Starling rushed out of the room. Cat Noir started to go after her, but Rancora held her arm out, and he along with Marinette were lifted into the air by a huge cloud of black and cyan negative energy.

"Marinette! Cat Noir!" Sabrina yelled in fear.

Scarlet approached her as Sage and Astra rushed up to start battling their enemy. "Sabrina, you stop Vivica. We'll handle Rancora."

Sabrina's eyes widened. "You…you want me to—"

"I'll admit, you were…and are…supposed to have your memories of us erased. But you're a good Wishling, and you already proved we can trust you. Why do you think I acted casual after you did such a bad job at pretending I was a stranger back on the sidewalk? We need all the help we can get, and besides…I do kind of miss your company." The two girls smiled for a moment, before Scarlet frowned and added, "But really, there's plenty of time for all this affection later. For now you should go find Vivica, or else that Bourgeois girl's going to find her first."

Sabrina jumped and glanced around the room. Sure enough, Chloe was running toward the hallway doors, shouting, "Come back here! I'll let you take the other Miraculouses, but at least give back mine! I want to be Queen Bee!"

"Don't worry, I won't let either of them take the Miraculous," promised Sabrina. She then ran after Chloe while Scarlet rummaged through her pockets, searching for her Power Crystal.

Suddenly Scarlet heard two loud screams, and she looked up just in time to see Ladybug (or Marinette, as her civilian form was named) and Cat Noir tensing up in pain, cyan electricity surrounding their bodies. Then suddenly the clouds of negative energy holding them in the air vanished, and both Wishlings collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Too much negatite had gone into their systems, and since Adora wasn't here to use her healing powers, only a Power Crystal could wake them up. However, the Star Darlings couldn't use theirs to heal them until Rancora was defeated.

"Eat my stardust!" Astra yelled, before using her super speed to run lap after lap around Rancora, making her dizzy. This bought Sage and Scarlet enough time to pull out their Power Crystals and press them against their chests, causing them to float several feet into the air and become surrounded by a purple glow (or in Scarlet's case, a pink one) that was so bright, anyone who watched them in that moment would assume every part of them, clothes, eyes, and all, was a bright, blinding purple (or pink). This distracted Rancora long enough for Astra to stand next to her friends and activate her own Power Crystal, allowing herself to join them up in the air, her body being engulfed in an equally bright reddish glow.

"Think we can do this with just three of us here?" Sage asked her teammates. She felt confident, but was nonetheless a little nervous.

"Only one way to find out," replied Scarlet. And with that, she and the other present Star Darlings began to fire bright streams of purple, pink, and red wish energy at their enemy. Rancora immediately fired streams of negative energy back, and the energy waves canceled each other out.

Once arriving in the hallway, Sabrina saw Chloe open a door and rush into the room it led to. She dashed after her and found herself entering a dark stairwell, only lit by the faint glow of Vivica's nearby aura.

"Stop right there! Both of you!" Sabrina ordered, following Chloe up the stairwell.

"Oh come on, Sabrina," groaned Chloe. "If you're trying to win me back, you're too late."

"I'm not trying to win you back, Chloe! Neither of you deserve to have the Miraculouses!"

"Well, neither does Dupain-Cheng," Chloe retorted. "I was foolish to think I could look up to her. Utterly foolish! From now on, only other people will look up to me!"

Vivica's mocking laughter echoed through the stairwell. "You know I'm only giving you the Miraculous you want if you decide to team up with me again, right Chloe? Remember, I'm a Starling, which means I was born with power! And you're just a powerless Wishling with no Miraculous and only one weapon: your daddy, who is also powerless!"

Chloe gasped in horror and anger. "How dare you say that! There's no way I'm teaming up with you after the way you used me back there! I may not have your definition of power, but at least I have my definition!"

"Which is no match for mine. You just don't want to admit it because you don't like feeling weak," Vivica replied smugly.

As Chloe and Vivica continued arguing, Sabrina did her best not to laugh. Those two were definitely so alike, she was losing count of how much they had in common! The only difference between the two was that, unlike Chloe, Vivica never got her way by forcing her parents to come to school—she just told her equally spiteful friends to help her out, which they were always more than willing to do. Aside from that, they were basically identical on the inside.

The girls made it to the top of the stairwell, where Vivica opened the door that was now in front of her and stepped through it. Chloe and Sabrina followed and were startled when they saw where they were: outside, on the building's roof. A gust of wind closed the door, and before any of her companions could react, Vivica used her wish energy manipulation powers to lift Chloe and Sabrina up into the air, rendering them motionless.

"Last chance, Chloe," warned Vivica, "or else you'll be punished just like your ex-minion will be. Although in your case, it'll simply be for interference."

"Okay, okay! I'll help you!" Chloe screamed, obviously scared.

"What?!" Sabrina exclaimed.

Regaining her snobby attitude, Chloe rolled her eyes at her. "It's the only way I can save myself, Sabrina. And besides, I still have to give you the payback you deserve. Plus, since Dupain-Cheng tricked me into respecting her and refused to give me my Miraculous too many times, I might as well make it worth my time."

"Starmendous," said Vivica, smiling. She then turned to the ladybug kwami and ordered, "Now you! Tell me how I transform into a ladybug-like Starling!"

"I'm not telling you…anything…" the kwami affirmed. She was still weak and dizzy, but that didn't stop her from defending herself.

"Fine," snapped Vivica. She turned back to her other two captives and said, "Can you help me out here, Chloe?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know Ladybug's transformation phrase, but I do know there's got to be one for every Miraculous. I mean, if they've got the suits, animal fashion, and superpower timers in common, they have to have that in common!"

"And?"

"When I was Queen Bee, my transformation phrase was 'Buzz on.' Sorry, but that's all I know."

"Chlo-eee…" Sabrina side-whispered, half in annoyance and half in fear. Her ex-friend glared at her, but said nothing.

Vivica turned back toward the ladybug kwami. "You'd better do as I say, little one. Tell me, what's your magic phrase?!" When she got no answer from her, the Starling turned back to Chloe. "Think hard! What do you think the phrase for the Ladybug Miraculous is?"

"What do you think it is?!" Chloe shot back. "I can't do all the work, you know!"

"Chloe, you never do any work," Sabrina reminded her. "You've always asked others to do it for you."

"Will you be quiet, Sabrina? I'm trying to argue with my other ex-BFF!"

Vivica opened the box's main compartment, pulled out the Bee Miraculous, and waved it in front of the girls' faces. "May I remind you what's at stake, ex-BFF?"

Chloe grunted loudly and said, "Alright! Try spot on or spots on or something. It's the only catchy thing I can think of that's got to do with ladybugs. Ugh, bees can be so much more creative in that sense."

"Which is why you can have this back now," said Vivica. She released Chloe from her wish energy grasp and levitated the Bee Miraculous right into her hand, but kept Sabrina suspended in the air.

As Chloe put on the Miraculous and watched her kwami materialize in front of her, Sabrina frantically looked around, trying to figure out how she was going to free herself from Vivica's clutches so she could try and rescue the Miraculouses. But the situation looked hopeless.

"Pollen, buzz on," declared Chloe. And before anyone could blink, she transformed into her bee-themed form, Queen Bee.

Sabrina gulped in fear…and then her heart pounded faster and faster. She had just come up with a plan—but she'd only have one chance to put it into action.

Sage, Scarlet, and Astra focused with all their might and so did their opponent, but none of them were exactly winning the battle. Their beams were all coming at full blast, and all they could do was push against each other, trying and failing to shove each other back.

"It's…no…use…" Astra said, straining as much as she could. "She…made herself…starmendously powerful…with the Butterfly Miraculous…"

"We have…to keep…trying…" insisted Sage. She glanced down at the still-unconscious Marinette and Cat Noir, and the sight increased her determination to defeat Rancora. If they didn't stop her, those Wishlings would still be in need of healing for who knew how long, and the villain would have all the time she needed to steal the Cat Miraculous. The Star Darlings couldn't let their enemies win.

"Push harder," instructed Scarlet, and her friends obeyed. For a moment, Rancora was pushed backward a little, and the girls smiled, finally beginning to feel confident that they would win the fight.

Unfortunately, Rancora fought back—hard. With a strain and a loud grunt, she increased the strengths of her negative energy beam, creating a sudden surge of negatite that sent the trio and their Power Crystals flying into the green-screen area. The impact was so strong that the green-screen wall in the middle toppled backwards once the girls came into contact with them, creating a loud crashing noise. So loud, in fact, that when she recovered from her daze a starsec later, Astra was shocked that the noise didn't wake Marinette and Cat Noir.

The intense solid-colour glows were no longer surrounding the Star Darlings. Sage quickly became aware of this and gasped. "Starf! Where did our Power Crystals go?"

"They probably went past the green-screen wall and into this room's wall," groaned Scarlet.

Astra stood up and began searching the floor. "I'll see if I can find them. Until I do, both of you hold her off!"

Sage and Scarlet nodded and charged toward Rancora, who tried to fire another beam of negative energy at them. Both Starlings deflected it with their own magic, only for another black beam to appear and head toward them. They deflected that one too, but the negative energy just kept on coming.

Astra, meanwhile, frantically crawled around the toppled green-screen and the floor underneath it, trying to find the Power Crystals. Where were they? How far had that hard landing sent them? In order to prevent her quick temper from getting to her, she counted on the fact that her own Power Crystal had a few sharp edges, which likely would have prevented it from rolling away once it hit the floor. As for Sage and Scarlet's, which were in more circular shapes…well, she'd just have to hope that wherever the crystals were, they weren't too far apart from each other.

Eventually finding her Power Crystal near the corner of the dark room's wall, Astra picked it up and sighed with relief. She was about to start searching for the other two crystals when she heard a scream, and then the sound of someone collapsing on the ground. Astra spun around just in time to see Scarlet landing next to Cat Noir, now unconscious and with a dimmed-out glow. Sage was thankfully still awake and deflecting Rancora's blasts, but since the villain was more powerful than ever—and she was now the only one battling her—it would only be a matter of starsecs before Sage would be taken out as well.

Astra quickly pressed her Power Crystal against her chest, reactivating it alongside her more intense glow, and flew up into the air. Just as Rancora fired an extra blast that sent Sage flying into one of the truss's vertical parts, Astra sent a fiery red beam at the villain, distracting her long enough for Sage to recover and escape.

"Did you find my crystal too?" Sage called.

"Just go over and look for it!" Astra yelled, and her teammate obeyed.

"Spot on," guessed Vivica. When nothing happened, she sighed and started to make another guess.

Now, Sabrina told herself. She took aim as best as she could, and just as Vivica began to speak again, she spat out, making sure every drop of her saliva landed in the Starling's eye.

Vivica yelped and covered her spat-on eye, and Sabrina suddenly fell to the ground, now able to move again. As she watched the girl frantically wiping the eye that had been spat on, the Wishling couldn't help but feel a little guilty, despite everything. She'd learned from her classmate Max and the school nurse that if someone spits in your eyes, you should wash it out immediately because of the germs residing in everyone's saliva. She hoped she hadn't created any risks for Vivica to go blind or something…

"VENOM!"

Oh no, she'd forgotten about Queen Bee! Knowing what happened whenever the Bee Miraculous's power was activated, Sabrina got up and darted out of the way just as her ex-friend came near, her spinning top glowing bright yellow. Queen Bee skidded to a stop, almost paralyzing Vivica by accident, but stopping herself just in time.

"What are you doing?!" Vivica exclaimed in fury, still wiping her eye. "Paralyze her, not me!"

"That's what I was trying to do!" Queen Bee retorted. She rushed toward Sabrina again, but she jumped out of the way, causing the bee-themed teen to almost run off the roof instead. Luckily, she caught herself just in time before making another attempt to paralyze Sabrina. As she ran after her again, her Miraculous beeped, signalling that her detransformation timer had started.

As she kept running around the roof and dodging Queen Bee's top, Sabrina glanced at Vivica. She was still busy dealing with her eye and hadn't transformed yet, but she knew she would sooner or later. Then she definitely wouldn't stand a chance against these two. There had to be something she could do to defend herself instead of just evading everyone's attacks, but what? Wait a minute…the Guardian's box! If she could just get it back from Vivica, she could use one of the Miraculouses inside of it to transform! That would give her the advantage that Chloe had, and that Vivica would soon have as well (unless Sabrina got lucky and would also succeed in tricking Queen Bee into paralyzing her), which would make this a more fair fight. All she needed to do was one of those fancy agile somersaults—the kind of move Ladybug and her teammates (including her former teammate Queen Bee) were all capable of. But could she pull it off without a Miraculous to help her?

Queen Bee rushed toward Sabrina again, and when she dodged her once again, she suddenly realized she was on Vivica's left side, and just a few feet away from her. This was her chance. Taking a deep breath, Sabrina scurried forward, jumped up, and in one extremely lucky movement, managed to snatch the Guardian's box out of Vivica's hand. The Starling jumped as she realized what happened and tried to grab the box back, but Sabrina noticed Queen Bee was running toward her from another direction and had an idea. As soon as both girls came near her, she jumped back, and unable to stop themselves in time, Vivica and Queen Bee bumped into each other and fell into a tangled heap.

Seeing the ladybug kwami still seated on Vivica's shoulder and not tangled up in the mess of arms and legs, Sabrina scooped her up and rushed back inside the building. Miraculous holders couldn't transform without their kwamis, so Sabrina hoped that rescuing this one would stall Vivica's transformation long enough for her to choose a Miraculous to use on herself. The problem was, she'd only seen some Miraculouses in use, so she didn't know which powers most of the jewels had to give—and those powers would impact her decision for sure.

As she dashed down the stairwell, Sabrina glanced at the ladybug kwami and said, "Hi, um…I'm not sure if you remember me, but we met before. Well, briefly. The Star Darlings probably erased your memory of it."

"There's little time…for introductions…" the kwami whispered.

"I know," sighed Sabrina. "Just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Sabrina, and…I'm sorry to say this, but I know your last owner was Marinette."

The kwami nodded. "I know, I realized that after…Vivica put on my Miraculous. My name is Tikki."

"Nice to meet you…again."

Sabrina reached the level the Star Darlings were on, but took cover in an empty dressing room instead, not wanting her rivals to find her so quickly. Once there, she hid under a table and sighed, cradling the kwami, Tikki, in her cupped hands as she placed the box in her lap. She remembered the adorable creature had been in this condition after Libby had transformed back last week, and why. "You need food, don't you?"

"No, that can wait," insisted Tikki. "In case Vivica finds us…I have to help in any way I can. She can still transform, but if she does now…she'll become just as hungry as I am. Really, don't worry about me."

"You're right," Sabrina said, although her reluctance in doing so was obvious, both in her expression and her voice. Tikki understood this and tried to smile, but in her weakened state, it wasn't an easy task.

Sabrina's gaze wandered toward the Guardian's box, and she then remembered what she was supposed to do. Placing Tikki in her left hand, she used her right one to open the box's main compartment, where she found the Fox, Turtle, and Peacock Miraculouses. The Peacock—that was a relief, but also strange. How come Vivica hadn't taken that one out when she'd had the chance? Then she remembered something.

Flashback to "Star Perfectionist"

Emilie Agreste sternly walked toward Hawk-Moth and his partner, who were still suspended in the air with Sage's powers. "Nathalie, give me an honest answer."

Nathalie swallowed hard and then began to explain how, after her Miraculous made Emilie fall into a coma that no medics could cure, Hawk-Moth became determined to take the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses for himself. Apparently when the same person wielded both of them at the same time, that person gained the power to destroy the universe and create a new one where everything went their way.

"But as you know, the only Miraculous in our possession were the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous," she explained, "The rest of the Miraculous were in the custody of the Guardian of the Miracle Box, whose identity and location were unknown at the time. The only way to bring the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous out of hiding was by creating mayhem that would force the Guardian to choose new wielders for them."

End of flashback

The Peacock Miraculous was broken. Or at least, it had been before it was returned to the Guardian's box (or the Miracle Box; how had she forgotten about that part of Nathalie's explanation?). But wait, how could Vivica and Rancora have possibly known that? They hadn't been there to hear Nathalie's story, and she doubted the Star Darlings had discussed that part back on Starland. Still, it was so strange…

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sabrina turned her attention back to the Miracle Box and curiously opened one of its drawers. Inside of it, she found a very pretty pink bracelet (at least, she thought it was a bracelet) with five pearls on it that instantly reminded her of Libby. She loved pink; if only she were here to see this!

Tikki saw what she was doing. "That's a good choice, but for two opponents…I don't think it's the right choice…"

Sabrina's eyes widened. "Wait, you know what this Miraculous can do?"

Tikki smiled. "It's the Pig Miraculous. You can use it to create an enchanted box that…can show someone their heart's greatest desire. It can…be a good distraction, but it'll only work on one person at a time…"

Curious, Sabrina opened the rest of the drawers. Every time she came across a new Miraculous, Tikki would explain how that one worked. The Snake and Rabbit Miraculouses were both time-based (probably the reason why their powers could be used more than once at a time), but Sabrina doubted she'd need to travel through time now. The Tiger Miraculous—a panjas bracelet she had no trouble imagining Juleka borrowing—could make its owner punch something and send it flying miles away, but…would that really help much in this kind of mission? The Monkey Miraculous granted its user the ability to sabotage villains' powers, the Rooster could allow its owner to gain whatever ability they wanted as long as it was just one, the Dog could make them gain control over any object…it was all so cool! Although, while she was able to narrow it down a bit (not to mention the fact that she could use two Miraculouses at a time if she wanted), the choice was still very difficult.

Finally, Sabrina decided to settle for the Pig and Monkey Miraculouses. She figured she could use the Pig's power on Queen Bee and then the Monkey's on Vivica. So long as nothing went wrong…

She picked up the Monkey Miraculous, a metallic circlet, and placed it on around her head, and then started to place the Pig Miraculous around her wrist, when Tikki said, "Oh, that's actually an anklet."

Chuckling, Sabrina placed the Miraculous on her ankle instead. Immediately, two bright balls of light emerged from both jewels, turning the circlet into a lavender hair ribbon and the anklet into an orange metal form. Two kwamis—one light brown and yellow monkey and a very light pink pig with a black spot on one eye—emerged from the light and greeted her, before explaining their names, their powers, and the transformation phrase you must use when wielding two Miraculouses at once.

"Got it," affirmed Sabrina. She closed all the compartments of the Miracle Box, stood up, and declared, "Xuppu, Daizzi, dual metamorphosis!"

It took forever, but Sage eventually found her Power Crystal behind the truss's right stand. It was a good thing Astra was the one distracting Rancora now, because not only was she skilled in wish energy usage and now with her own Power Crystal, but she also had super speed and teleportation as special talents. As a result, no matter how much negatite the villain sent her way, the athletic Starling remained completely untouched.

Sage quickly reactivated her crystal and charged up, narrowly preventing a blast of negative energy from hitting Astra. Together they continued battling the villain, but with Scarlet down, it was harder than before—even with their Power Crystals. Finally, Sage let herself admit it; even if Scarlet wasn't defeated, this would be a lot easier with the other Star Darlings. Even Libby. She hoped Lady Stella would notice Scarlet's energy levels were down and send someone to help them, fast!

"I have an idea," whispered Astra, floating closer to Sage while using her powers to distract Rancora. "You keep her busy, and I'll aim for the Butterfly Miraculous itself."

Sage caught on and nodded. "Of course! Without it, she won't have a way to strengthen her power!"

Rancora fired another beam of negative energy at the duo, but Sage deflected it and fired a lavender ray back. As the two battled, Astra somersaulted to the side and waited until she had a perfect view of the villain's purple and white moth-like brooch. She started to conjure a red beam to knock it off of her chest, but then saw Rancora summon a negatite ray more powerful than before. It was hurled at Sage, sending her flying against the wall and separating her from her Power Crystal once again. Only this time, once she fell, she didn't get back up. The amount of negatite that had touched her was big enough to dim out her glow and make her lose consciousness.

"Sage!" Astra screamed in dismay. There was no way she'd be able to defeat this villain by herself. What was she going to do?

The doors suddenly flew open, and Astra was startled to see Sabrina rush into the room, now with a mask and suit that looked like a light brown monkey, only with some pink areas that were definitely not monkey-like. Luckily, Sabrina was carrying the Miracle Box, and the ladybug kwami was now seated on her shoulder. Unluckily, they were being pursued by a bee-themed version of Chloe, which could only mean she'd stolen the Bee Miraculous and become the self-centered "superhero" Sabrina had described back on Starland.

Sabrina, who had decided to wait until later to come up with a name for her pig/monkey-themed form, gasped in fear when she saw Sage and Scarlet were unconscious, and Astra was left battling Rancora by herself. She had to help her out, but first she needed to deal with Vivica and Queen Bee. It was now or never.

"Gift!" Sabrina shouted, using her free hand to swing the pink tambourine she'd gained from her transformation. A pinkish-white present box appeared in front of her, and she quickly shoved it in front of Queen Bee, opening it before she had a chance to react. Instantly, a large amount of pink light flew out of the box, which then merged with the light as it came together in a big circular shape. A rose-coloured image began to form in the middle of the shape, displaying an image of Queen Bee's greatest wish.

With Queen Bee distracted by the vision, Sabrina turned towards Tikki to reassure her, only to see the kwami dissolve into a trail of light, which quickly disappeared through the cracks in the doors. Vivica must have said the Ladybug Miraculous's transformation phrase!

"Astra, hang in there," called Sabrina, seeing the Starling still using her Power Crystal to battle her opponent. "I'll be able to help you very soon!"

Before Astra could reply, a ladybug-themed version of Vivica burst into the room. Her stomach was growling constantly, clearly impacting her focus, but nevertheless, she noticed Queen Bee distracted and was ready to strike.

Oh dear…can Sabrina and Astra win these battles on their own? Or will the villains have the upper hand this time? Find out what's in store for everyone in the next chapter, coming soon!