Juleka did her best to hide in the background, making sure not to draw in too much attention as Ms Bustier held announcements. "Now, for our next topic, the Class Representative election is coming up!"
"Uggggggggggghhhhh." Everyone collectively groaned, aside from the four kids unfamiliar with how this usually went during the school year, that being Peter, Alya, Felicia, and Adrien. It was the one time of year that everyone was just as withdrawn as her, and that made her feel less isolated.
"Wow, democracy must be more unpopular than I thought." Peter chuckled.
"It's less of a democracy and more of a dictatorship." Max explained. "Chloe wins every year."
"… Chloe …" Alya asked, looking at the mean girl. "… Why would anyone vote for her?"
"Obviously, because they see my qualified talents." The girl in question smirked.
"Blackmail." Alix bluntly responded. "If you don't do what she says, secrets spill."
"Really?" Felicia asked with an inquisitive look on her face. "She has blackmail on EVERYONE here?"
"We've shared the same class for years." Ivan gave a low sigh as Mylene patted his back. "She's had a lot of patience to round up enough dirt."
"Everyone has some kind of embarrassing story." Rose nodded. "We're just nice enough to keep them secret."
"And that's what makes you such LOVELY voters." Chloe smiled as Sabrina passed out her campaign pins. "Remember, a vote for me is another year you get to save yourselves the embarrassment."
"… And you're not going to stop this?" Alya asked the teacher still in the room.
"A little friendly competition never hurt anyone." ….. Okay, Juleka liked Ms. Bustier, but she couldn't be that naive, right?
"Yikes….. pays to be the new kid I guess." Peter smirked.
"I wouldn't count on it.." Chloe smirked, whispering in his ear.
That made Peter fall back. "How did you know that nickname!?"
"Money, connections, and asking Adrikens for a fun story about you two as kids." She smirked. "Thanks again btw."
The poor boy sent the rich one a look of betrayal. "She said she wanted to know more about you … to bond … and I never told her the name!" Adrien tried to justify.
"That would be a 'Flash' guy." Chloe waved off.
"... Yeah I'm out." Peter said. "Alya, Felicia, you're our last hope, avenge me."
"Actually, kind of want to see where this all goes." Felicia smirked. "Plus I don't do well in positions of power."
"Good was well, I couldn't find anything in your apartment." Chloe sighed.
"I never told anyone where I lived!" The new girl hid behind Juleka. And to think she was supposed to be more affable than that.
"Never post pics online. One post tells me everything." Chloe smirked.
"Then I stand alone." Alya said dramatically. "Opposing this tyrant with reporters' integrity! A lone soul against a corrupt army! I stand against thee, Chloe Bourgeois!"
"Actually Alya, you're invalid for candidacy." Ms. Bustier held up a lease. "You're missing at least three social studies reports and you haven't tuned in the last three math assignments. I understand working at a slow pace, but I need my class rep to be on top of everything."
"…Damn it! Why did the Ladyblog have to blow up so fast so soon!?"
"No cursing in this classroom as well." Ms Bustier added.
Nino turned to Adrien. "Wanna be the last hope man?"
"I understand your plight, but I came to school to avoid pressure and have fun with friends. I do not need class rep added to that list." Welp, there went their last chance… as well as any of their dignity.
"Hah, serves you right." Chloe smirked. "Might as well give me the position right now. Not like anyone else here has the guts to stand up." Rude… but true.
"No.." Everyone turned their head to a slowly rising Marinette.
"…What was that, Dupain-Cheng?" The rich girl glared.
"You heard me." Marientte responded back with a growl. "Everyone here is soo afraid of you that they're willing to let themselves be walked all over. Well, you know what? I'm putting an end to the madness today! I'm running for Class Rep!" The girl shouted.
The class began cheering as Juleka let out a quiet 'go Marinette' go into the air. "You wouldn't dare." Chloe growled.
"Oh I dare all right." Marinette, in a bold act of stubbornness that she rarely seen out of the girl, flared back. "Unless you are afraid of failing… utterly failing."
"Oh I'm not afraid. I will crush you to the ground until you're nothing more than dust in the wind!"
"Now now girls, settle down." Ms Bustier smiled. "Let's get back to class, we still have other announcements to make."
The two girls continued to stare at each other even when they sat back down, their hatred and spite being almost visible palpable enough to actually affect the air around them.
"I thought she had blackmail on everyone in the class?" Peter asked quietly. "With how much she hates her, I would think Miss Richie Rich has the most dirt on her.
"Chloe embarrasses her publicly all the time, there's nothing really that we don't already know about." Nino answered.
"All the embarrassment in the open I see." Peter nodded. That was true … it wasn't like Marinette had some big secret or something. "You going to throw your support for our young baker, Adrian?"
"I'd like to stay impartial for the moment." The rich boy sighed. "Besides, I got fencing class later, and my instructor's been extra strict lately. I think he tried running for mayor against Chloe's dad."
"A mistake on his part." Chloe rolled her eyes.
"... He went against Mr obviously corrupt and hatable and still lost?" Peter asked in bafflement. "How is this city weirder than New York?"
Armand D'Argencourt watched as his star pupil Adrien Agreste thrusted forward, skill precise as his entire body seemed to flow within his arms. "Hmm … I think something has interfered with your training." He observed. "Your physical capabilities and precision has increased, but you're treating the rapier like it was a staff rather than a blade."
"Oh really? Sorry, my father recently purchased one from an auction, and I've tried practicing using it. Guess some of the habits I picked up slipped in." His top student chuckled nervously.
"While it's good to expand upon your skills, your still in the developmental stage of your training. External influences can subtly but surely change the flow of your progress." Armand said.
"Right … sir? Why do fighters only use one hand when they have two?" Adrien asked. "I understand dual wielding or a heavy two handed sword … but a rapier is light."
"Light, yes, but the human body can be easily unbalanced." He demonstrated, making quick movements and striking the boy in the shoulder and chest area. "A true fencer must be in total control of his surroundings as use what he can to dominate, as my great ancestor Darkblade did when he ruled Paris"
"Darkblade?" The young boy asked. "That title kind of sounds like a super villain name."
"Armand was nothing of the sort." Armand shook his head. "He was once a true king. Ruling Paris with an iron fist and destroying all that opposed the kingdom."
"That's not really helping your case." Aggh, the youth could be so ignorant! That's why a change in mayorship was needed.
"He was a firm but just ruler. He expanded the kingdom of Paris and made it prosper, until a lowly degenerate from Latveria bribed the people into overthrowing his rule. My family swore vengeance ever since." He continued.
"An English thief giving people money … isn't that just Robin Hood?"
"That's beside the point!" He shouted, before taking a deep breath. "That is why it is my duty, nay, my destiny to succeed where Darkblade fell, and reclaim my family's rightfully owned title!"
"And wasn't this the 'medieval dark aged thinking' the voters all said you had when you lost in your landslide defeat?" Turning around, they saw a camera crew, with that news woman Nadja Chadwick with her microphone lit up.
"How dare you film me without my permission!" He shouted.
"I think the bigger concern is that they broke into the school during a private fencing lesson." Adrien muttered.
"Sir, how would you care to comment about the absolute landslide against you?" The woman asked. "With most commenting about your views of racial class and misogyny making Andre Bourgeois seem like an angel in comparison to the, and I quote l, 'rusted overhyped battle axe fossil?"
"Leave me be, Plasembleu!"
"Seriously, listen to the man, getting people upset around Paris isn't exactly a smart move these days."
"Kid, I work with the news." The woman said bluntly. "Making people upset is about eighty percent of my job. On that note, what is your response about the questions raised at your family history, who many believe today to be harsh and cruel dictators that deserved their downfall and Blight in history?"
Armand felt rage like never before. "Listen to me, you lower class. Our family rightfully deserves the throne." He glared. "And I refuse to back down until that no good Bourgeois family has fallen into-" He froze, as they watched a purple butterfly flutter around in front of them … and onto his blade, as he felt his soul open up.
"Darkblade, I am Hawkmoth. Your chivalrous heart has been spurned by the people of Paris, robbing you of your rightful throne."
"We just caught an akumanization on camera! Keep rolling!"
"Do you people have no shame at all!?" Adrien shouted as he ran away.
"I will give you the power to turn Paris back to the dark ages, where you reign as King! All I ask for in return is the Ladybug and Cat miraculous that fool others just like that thief."
"Yes, I shall become the one true king and rule over France, making us an even stronger and more United country than America! Then I shall declare war on Latveria!" Doctor Doom had it coming. "I will march onto city hall and hoist my flag on the roof, for all of the world to witness!"
Energy overcame him, as he turned to the wrench that dared to call him wrong. "You now serve Darkblade, the new king of Paris."
"…You wouldn't happen to agree to an interview-?"
"Silence, welp!" Darkblade sent out his hilt, and fired a laser, transforming the annoyance into a loyal knight of the guild of Darkblade.
"Hey, I don't get paid enough for this." The man holding the rectangular device backed up.
"You shall join my army as well!" He fired another laser. "Ha, my army grows, and soon, it will reign supreme!"
"Supremely lame that is!" A metallic staff hit him in the back.
"Chat noir! You will do well to surrender your miraculous, and join my army to dethrone the despicable unworthy peasants that have stolen the rule of the top!" He shouted. "Guild, delay him. My forces need to match that of Paris itself!"
"You buckets of bolts are no match for the awesome trio that is team miraculous, who will no doubt show up any second now." The cat fink smirked as his army marched. "…Any second now." His army raised their axes at the hero. "ANY SECOND NOW WOULD BE NICE!"
Alya was being held back by Peter as they made their way to city hall. "Come on … let me … snag some …"
"No! It's a Chloe bribe! Resist the temptation!" Peter shouted.
"But Jagged Stone is right there!"
"And that's awesome…but it's also a bribe!"
"Just let me smell the cd's at least! I can be satisfied with just a photo and an autograph!" Yeah, Chloe's latest plan. If you couldn't blackmail the competition, bribe the rest. And the current bribe? Signed CDs by one of the greatest rockstars known to man … Jagged Stone! "Jagged is innocent, he doesn't know the part he plays!"
"And this'll undermine any integrity you have as a journalist if you accept the bribe." Peter began moving her backwards. "At least do it for Marinette! She's the one who's running!""
"I am! Marinette can't accept the bribe, but I can snag a copy FOR her!" She pointed out.
"We both know she'd throw it in the trash if it came from Chloe!"
"I won't tell her that part then!" She shouted, trying to pull back. "How are you this strong anyways?! You're a nerd!"
"I'm a New Yorker. If I can't lift rubble off my leg, I'm a dead man!"
"Damn you New York!" Part of her was saying Peter was right, that supporting Marientte one hundred perfect all the way was the right thing to do…but the other half of her was saying to grab a Jagged Stone cd before her class took them all!
They eventually managed to get to the door as she pushed it open … revealing the entire class inside. "Haha, I'm NOT the only one!" She shouted with satisfaction.
"This still doesn't doesn't detract my point about integrity, you know!" Peter shouted as she finally managed to slip out. "Come on people, don't fall for Chloe's bribe! Marinette's counting on us to help her win!"
"I don't see the big deal." Mylene shrugged. "We say we vote for Chloe, take a signed copy, and don't vote for her on the day of Class Rep election."
"Unless she uses contracts, it's pretty much the legal equivalent of giving out electron pins." Nathaniel added.
"See Peter, everyone gets it." Alya showed off. "In a way, we're actually HELPING Marinette by depowering Chloe's political sway over us."
"... I honestly have no words." The boy muttered.
"Okay, I'm here, what's the damage right now-Is everyone taking Chloe's bribes?!" Marinette bursted through the doors.
"Apparently they're gonna take them and vote for you at the same time." Peter shrugged.
"You're WHAT!?" Chloe shouted, having finally heard their conversation. "Who said you could do that!?"
"The fact we haven't had to sign away anything for starters." Nino deadpanned. "Also like any of us were actually going to vote for you."
"Yeah, this is the first time in…well…ever that someone other than you is running for class rep." Rose smiled. "And that someone is Marinette, who above all else…isn't you, and that's good enough for me."
Most of the class nodded at that. "Come on, I don't want people to vote for me just because I'm not Chloe." Marinette pouted.
"But that's your best trait." Alix said bluntly. "You're basically the anti-Chloe. The nice girl who'd do anything for others."
"You say that now, but just you wait." Chloe gave a vicious smirk. "Soon I'll have the dirt I need to prove that-" The door burst open, as Sabrina walked inside. "Here she is now. Sabrina, show us what you found."
"I …" The girl started, actually sounding scared and terrified. "I found Marinette's diary …"
"YOU BROKE INTO MY HOME!?"
"No, I ordered Sabrina to walk into your bakery and grab your diary." Chloe smirked. "Not my fault if your parents just let her in."
"Wow, there is no low you won't go." Peter deadpanned.
"Come on Sabrina, give it to me." Chloe held out her hand.
"I … can't …" The lacky whimpered.
"Why not!?"
"Because you're surrounded by people that'll just jump you the moment you try to read it?" Alya pointed out.
"And…ah…." Sarbrina lifted her hand… and showed off what looked like a mini bear-trap encased around the girl's arm. "This…"
"Whoa…" Peter whistled. "Marinette, you went full medieval. Nice."
"Superpowered costumed people have a habit of breaking into my room. I had to upgrade some security." She answered. "Luckily she didn't try to force it off, otherwise the secondary clamp would cut off the blood flow from her arm to her hand."
"IT WOULD WHAT!?" Sabrina shouted in newfound horror. "GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"
"Sarbrina, don't be weak! Your hand is just gonna have to be sacrificed for the greater good!"
"What did I miss?" Juleka quietly asked, walking back with a signed dvd cover.
"Marinette proved she's even cooler and more terrifying than she lets on, and Sabrina may or may not lose her hand." Alya responded.
"Hardcore." Felicia grinned. "Well my vote's already decided."
"Same." Ivan agreed as everyone nodded.
"Come one, I worked up the courage to stand up to Chloe and write a speech." Mariettee sighed. "Can't we at least pretend this is going to be fair?"
"Well Chloe will have the chance to come back in a minute." Max said, looking out of the window.
"Why's that?" Alya asked.
"Because someone's gonna have to step up. We're being invaded either by an outdated time traveler, or an akuma." He pointed outward, and sure enough, a bunch of people in metal suits were marching forward at them with blades pointed right at them.
"Another villain attack, and this time it's coming to me!" Alya smiled, heading to the door with her phone out.
"Oh no you don't!" Marinette grabbed onto her arm. "You're NOT going to go out in the middle of another villain attack!"
"Alya Cersie here, what are you after!?" She shouted, managing to open the door just a bit.
The army paused, as a man in a black and red suit walked up to the door. "Andre Bourgeois! Leave your feeble defenses and do battle with I, Darkblade! We will determine the true king of Paris in true steel as the sun strikes down upon us!"
"... What is he asking?" The Mayor asked.
"He wants to beat you up." Alya translated. Guess Akumas naturally hated the Bougeois. Maybe Paris would be safer if they just moved away.
"Ah … can I ask if we can talk this out?" The Mayor asked.
"NO! You unjustly stole the crown from me and my family!" The man shouted.
"... Wait, wasn't he that D'Argencourt guy who tried to run against the Mayor?" Nathaniel realized.
"The one with the really old and misguided views?" Rose asked.
"Silence lowly wench! Unless you're serving food or cleaning, you will leave this area at once!" … For once, she was glad Chloe's dad was mayor.
"Alya, close the door!" Marinette shouted as she managed to pull her away. "Peter, hold the girl down while I-Peter?" Marinette looked around. "Where'd he go?"
"Yeah, he has a habit of that." Alya lamented. "Kim, you're my new cameraman!"
"Sweet!" Kim shouted. "Don't worry, I'll capture everything, scout's honor." He saluted….sending her phone flying into the wall.
crack
"... You're paying for that if the Miraculous insurance doesn't fix it."
The one thing Peter Parker loved about fancy, big, and expensive buildings? Perfectly large air vents to crawl through. And luckily the commotion was large enough for him to slide away undetected by the crowd. Sure they would probably question where he was the entire time, but the good ole 'locked in the bathroom' excuse would be good enough to explain everything.
He kicked his way out of the ventilation, landing down on the street. "Now, where is the rest of the crew …"
Crash
Spidey turned and saw Chat Noir, sitting in a trash can. "Gaaah … so many blades …" The cat rolled his eyes in pain, turning to him. "Oh hey Spidey? Don't mind me, I'm just giving these guy's a cat nap before round two starts."
"Obviously, no one can stand to brawl against you." He grinned, pulling him out. "So, what did you find out, my feline friend?"
"Darkblade can turn people into knights with the handle on his akumatized sword. The army was somewhere in the fifties when he decided attacking the Mayor directly was a good idea." Chat stood up, stretching out his arm. "He's a fencing instructor that tried to run against Mayor Boegious. Complicated family history that may be historically revised in his own head."
"Don't all megalomaniacs do the same?" Spidey chuckled. "Any luck on contacting Ladybug?"
"No, I've been fighting through the grunts for the past thirty minutes waiting for you guys to show up." Chat groaned. "A saucer of milk ought to revitalize me though."
"Take five, I'll hold em at bay." Spidey got his chain ready.
"Shouldn't we, you know, take on the object and stop this?" Chat asked.
"And risk an army of army making villains?" Spidey asked. "No, we focus on civilian protection, knight containment, minimizing damage, and if possible, snatch without breaking it." He jumped into the fray. "Hey bucket of bolts, there's a new animal in the fray!" He swung his chain at the head knight, wrapping around their leg and pulling them away.
"Insolent insect! Your fangs shall not piece through my valor!"
"Arachnid actually! I've gone too long without correcting everyone up to this point! Learn to get with the times, pal!" Spidey said, slamming himself into the horde. "I'm trying to establish my own brand here. Save all the bug and insect jokes for Ladybug, she LITERALLY has Bug in her name!"
"Bug or not, you're all the same, mere tools to higher power! Guild of Darkblade, destroy this interloper!" The army raised their weapons, marching forward.
"Come onto hither yon rusty head and competish fairish battle in moonlit glory." …. The mind controlled army turned to each other in confusion. "Look, I prepared ye old English if I ever fought a mid evil supervillain, not ye old French."
"Then you're a greater insult to this fine country than your wardrobe." Darkblade turned his sword to a couple of cars … and transformed them into catapults, filled with huge boulders. "And I shall squash you where you stand!"
"... Honestly, just glad you didn't turn them into dragons." He admitted sheepishly as he avoided the boulders.
"Archers, aim and fire!" He shouted, as a volley of arrows was launched at Spider-man.
"Okay, knock off Hawkeyes, do your worst!" Spidey shouted as he was bombarded with the fast moving projectiles. "OOOWWW! OWWWW! I didn't mean it so literally!" His chest was covered in arrows by the time Spider-man took out his chain to form a shield to protect himself. "Medieval magic arrows… should've known that would leave a bit of a dent."
"This cat's back for round two!" Chat shouted, creating a second shield. "So, they got catapults now. That's fun."
"Yeah, the Rein fairs actually make this look fun somehow!" Spidey yelled, jumping over a boulder coming their way. "Don't know what I was thinking to assume this would be similar, the dark ages sucked!"
Darkblade paused at that. "You … insolent … welp!" He screamed from the top of his lungs, rusing forward in a blazing speed as he clashed against Spidey's chain. "The age of knights is the only time worth living! Where everything made sense! Where no electronics clouded the mind! Where chivalry and power were respected! I shall chase you down to the ends of the earth for that insult!" He swung again, the power knocking Spider-Man through a couple of walls.
"You know… chivalry is a word that gets a bad rep nowadays." Chat Noir leaped ahead, and clashed his staff against the man's sword. "I like knights, what they represent. Strong, fierce, and fearless people who stood strong and fought for what's right no matter the cost." He swung harder and harder, pushing against the villain as hard as possible. "They were basically the first heroes that ever existed."
"Yes!" Darkblade agreed as Spidey got himself unstuck. "And when I stick my flag and claim this town back in the name of Darkblade, all of Paris shall become knights of loyalty and hope, as we march forth to reclaim France from corrupted souls!"
"No… what you're doing isn't heroism… forcing people to serve you and your own whims… that's tyranny." Chat stated, sweeping Darkblade's legs. "The only soul that's corrupted here is yours!"
"Tyranny!? You're just like everyone else!" He shouted, shooting lasers as Chat dodged. "Controlling people with an iron fist is the only way for a king to rule! THAT IS JUSTICE!"
"No, that's just evil." Spidey nodded, getting back up. "You think you'll be able to hold up Chat?"
"Of course, Spidey,." Chat grinned. "I can do this all day." Or at least until Ladybug showed up.
"Sir Darkblade, the catapults are in position." A knight saluted.
"Focus on breaking through the front door while our army marches from the top. Too many objectives for these plebeians." The akuma stated. "They will fail, unlike that thieving and despicable villain known as Robin Hood!"
"...Well, I mean, if we're being technical, Robin Hood counts more along the lines of Anti-hero." Spider-man shrugged. "Or I guess Anti-villain would be just as good."
"I will take your head you deluded fool!" Guess they were going to be here for the long haul… please Ladybug… get here soon.
Sabrina found herself whimpering in nearly uncontrollable sobs. One reason was due to the fact that she was likely going to lose her hand due to Marinette's beartrap on her dairy, a plan that she would've never gone through with until Chloe made her do it. Another was the army of knights banging against the door that were likely going to kill them or turn them into mindless slaves…. although the latter sounded preferable to the former if she was being honest.
"Heeve!"
"Hoo!"
"Heeve!"
"Hoo!"
They constantly shouted, banging against the door and ramming it. "Ahhh! The robotic apocalypse has returned!" Kim shouted, hiding behind a pillow.
"Kim, this is not the robot apocalypse!" Max shouted. "I told you I would give you a heads up when that would happen!"
"Those knights are getting close." Rose said, looking at the cracks in the door.
"Don't worry kids." Jagged Stone grinned, being held by his assistant. "I'll go calm those rabid fans no problem."
"SIR! Just because you're bored doesn't mean you can dissociate to the point of having no self preservation!" The man's assistant holding him shouted.
"But all I've done all day is sign autographs! I love showing fan's appreciation, but I need something for myself! It's how I rock n roll it!" The crazy man marched out the door. "Ello mates! Who's ready to get medieval up in this joint!?"
"You must be the champion of Bourgeois!" The crazy knight shouted.
"Actually he seems more like a … a player … Chat, how do you say bard in french!?"
"Barde." Chat Noir shouted as he was slammed into the stairs.
"Bard or not, he shall be conquered like all before Darkblade!" The villain fired off lasers as Spider-Man tried to help, before he was blocked by the army of knights. "Haha, conquered another! Now, join your brothers and squash the spider!"
"Close the door, close the door, close the freaking door!" Chloe shouted, hiding behind nearby desk
"We're trying!" Ivan shouted, as it cracked. "They're breaking through anyway!"
"Board it up!" Marinette shouted. "Chairs, tables, plants! Grab anything you can and shove it in front of the door and windows! We're gonna barricade ourselves in!"
"On it!" Nino shouted as he and Nathaneil lifted up the table Jagged stone was using to block the doors.
"Mylene, did you check the back?" Marinette asked as the girl came back.
"Yes. The knights surrounded everywhere. A couple of them are climbing the walls to the second floor."
"Mr. Bourgeois, does this place have a kitchen?" Marinnette asked
"Of course, stocked with the finest ingredients and utensils in Paris." The man nodded.
"Mylene, Max, Alix, run into the kitchen and fill the pots with boiling water and dumped them out the windows.. If we're dealing with medieval knights, we're going to borrow some of their tactics for castle defending." Marinette firmly stated.
"On it!" They all ran.
"Ivan, Kim, Nino, keep finding stuff to block up the doors and windows. All the floors and exits need to be accounted for!"
"They've started flinging their men with the catapults!"
"Alya, stay on the second floor, I want a progress report on the fight."
"HE TURNED A TRAIN CAR INTO A BATTERING RAM!" Chat Noir shouted.
"Can't you get something less lethal in your arsenal!?" Spider-Man screamed.
"They have battering rams now." Alya deadpanned as she went up, taking a quick glance at the cowering Chloe. "You know… THIS is a class rep done right. You have NO chance now girl."
"Oh yeah, well I'll show you, miss wannabe reporter!" Chloe shouted. "Sabrina, go out there and distract those rusted piles of bolts!"
On the one hand, that was suicide. On the other hand, maybe it would free her hand from the nightmarish death trap encrusted on her arm …"Sabrina, don't listen to her!" Marinette shouted. "I'll unlock the trap from your hand if you help me gatter silverware from the kitchen."
"Thank you!" She cried out, sobbing as she clung to the girl. "Please, please, please free me! I didn't want to sneak into your room, but Chloe made me and you have really nice parents and I felt really really guilty about tricking them and…!"
"Seriously, are the perks worth it at this point?" Felicia asked. "Pretty sure Chloe has no idea how to treat her property right."
"Hey, I ALWAYS treat my property fairly… until it breaks down and I get new updated versions." Who was supposed to be Sabrina's best friend said as she continued to duck underneath the desk. "Don't know why everyone's panicking so much anyway. Spidey's going to beat back these outdated tin cans. We have nothing to worry about."
"But he can't break the object unless Ladybug shows up." Rose pointed out. "... You think she got turned into a Knight?"
"But I don't wanna lose you guys." Juleka muttered quietly again.
"If we're really desperate we can use the escape tunnel." Chloe's dad suggested.
"... And you didn't mention that before?" Marinette asked, holding back a growl.
"We haven't finished disarming the traps. It was made in the thirteenth century. Five axe drops alone on the first ten steps." Mayor Boegious sweated a little.
"Ugh, I'll be mad at that later." Marinette groaned. "Chloe, get off your butt and help block the windows."
"Uh…and WHY should I listen to yo-"
"GET THE HELL OFF YOUR FAT TACKY BUTT OR I'M THROWING YOU INTO THE CROWD MYSELF!" Marinette shouted at such a high intensity as it seemed to physically move Chloe out of her seat into the ground.
"... Fine." She grumbled, getting up and moving.
CRASH
Spider-Man crashed through the unblocked window, groaning. "Alright … magic battering rams … hurt." He grumbled, getting up, turning to Chloe. "Hey princess….guess I found you in the right castle…."
"Oooh … hey Spidey." The rich girl smiled. "You're doing pretty good out there."
"Thank you, I try my-"
"They're crawling through the windows!" Marinette shouted, pointing to the knights trying to crawl through the opening Spider-Man made.
"Not on my watch!" He punched them back. "... You know it's weird." The hero muttered. "The guy was angry at Mr Mayor, but all they seem to do is want to get up instead of just inside …"
"The man said something about 'planting his family crest' on top of the building and establishing his order over all of Paris during his campaign." Chloe's dad spoke up.
"Wait, so if his power is to turn everything medieval…what does that mean for him planting a flag on top of city hall?" Marinette asked.
Spider-Man looked at her, before his eyes widened, jumping out of the window. "CHAT NOIR! New priority! Grab the flag! Grab the fucking flag right now!"
"Little…busy…drowning…in metal!"
"If we don't grab the flag, he's gonna-!"
"FOOLS!" The knight's voice shouted from the top as the sky filled with back. "My reign starts now … may the dark ages rise again!"
Chat looked at the shrinking barrier surrounding the city. "Ooooh … that's not good."
"No, no it's not!" Spidey shouted. "He's bringing the entire city back to the dark ages. We can't afford to wait for Ladybug anymore." He pointed to the building, which turned from a dome top to a brick built castle. "If we don't stop this now the entire city will be under his spell, us included."
"But we can't purify the akuma." Chat said, trying to fight off the army surrounding them.
"Then we gotta contain it somehow after we break his sword." Spider-man cracked his knuckles. "Time to divide and conquer. I'll go for the flag while you go for the sword."
"Divide and conquer my army! Surround the flag and myself! Let the plebeians wear themselves out trying to stop this inevitable fate!"
"Great, now he's a copycat." Spidey muttered, swinging up. "Sorry knights! No more holding back for this Spider! You're gonna get a full taste of my venomous fury!" He kicked a knight away and stuck out his hand at the flag. "Adhesion!"
The flag flew off from its hand, heading straight to Spidey…only for one of the flinging boulders from the catapults to knock him aside and into a brick wall. "AHA!" Darkblade held his flag in his left hand. "You thought you could end my area that easily?! Foolish peasants! None can stop Darkblade! Master of the sword and king of all Paris!"
"Master swordsman.." Chat looked at Darkblade …. both of his hands were now occupied…meaning he didn't have balance for a proper fencing. "Let's go ahead and test that, shall we!?" Grinning, Chat charged ahead, extending his staff and striking at the man's shoulder and knee caps, weak spots to knock him off guard.
"From a distance or up close, I'll slice you up into a fur coat, you common alley cat!" He blacked another strike with his sword, keeping the hand that held the flag held high in the sky.
"Fun fact about us Alley Cats…we know how to play dirty!" Chat smirked, striking the man's flag hand and sending it flying in the air. "Looks like I win at capture the flag!"
"Give that back!" The man shouted, striking forward with his blade, the dark skies around them continuing to close in.
"Sure, go head, you can have it!" Chat used the flag to block the strike with all the force that he had. Come one, use that miraculous cat strength, use that cat strength!
Crack
Both the sword and the flag broke upon making contact with each other. The skies cleared up, the people returned to normal … albeit clearly hurt and wounded from the fighting, and the purple butterfly emerged from the sword.
"Crap, the akuma's flying off!" And there was still no Ladybug in sight! If they let it fly off, they'll end up in an ever bigger mess than before!
"Come on, get in the jar!" Spidey shouted, trying to contain it with a glass container. "We can't let the thing get away!" He caught it. "... Wow, can't believe that work-" The akuma began fluttering around, banging against the glass as it sparked, parts of its body bulging. "No, nononono."
Boom
The glass broke and the Akuma flew off, continuously bulging and looking like it was about to explode. "NO!" Spidey shouted. "An army of Darkblades making more armies…I'm not sure we can handle that."
"Come one, come one… what can we do?" What did they have? Their weapons would be useless against it, hitting them and linking them to hawkmoth, who may even figure out their identities if that was the case. Spidey's adhesion was a no go, and all they had left was his… his…
Would… would that work… his power was destruction… If his cataclysm really could destroy anything ... "I hope I don't regret this!" He jumped ahead. "Cataclysm!"
He grabbed onto the Akuma … it was a strange sensation. He could feel the negativity, the rage, the power, the elden feel … and he felt it all crumble away like dust in the palm of his hand, shrinking into nothing. "Whoa… you…. you did it." Spidey said in shock.
"I did …" He looked at his hand. "I was kinda gambling there, might have been akumatized myself …"
"WHOO HOO! Yeah, you did it! Way to go CHAT!" Spidey shook him in excitement. "You stopped the villain by yourself….you saved the day!"
"What happened …" His fencing instructor asked …with his head bruised with a nasty mark.
"MY ARM!" Someone shouted. "My arm is broken!"
"I can't feel my legs."
"Where's my husband?! How'd I get outside!?"
"I feel so sick.."
"I…I…I caused this…" Chat looked around. "There's no ladybug… without her… I can't… the damage… it stayed…" His first victory by himself…and he left a mess for all of Paris.
"And without you, it would have been even worse." Spidey said, losing his smile. "... Come on chat." Spidey began picking up rubble. "Let's at least attempt to clean up our mess."
"Um …" He pointed to their timers. "I don't think we really have the luxury for that."
"Right…recharge and meet back up in ten minutes." Spidey sighed, sending his chain out. "We can't leave these people by themselves for too long."
"Right …" He looked at the damage … now he knew why Spidey always tried to avoid hitting brainwashed people … their cries … it hurt.
Marinette sat down in her room, groaning. "I should have left." She muttered. "I should have snuck out the back and transformed as soon as they showed up." What was she THINKING!? There was an akuma attack happening across the city and she was focused on a student rep election…something meaningless in the long run compared to super villains.
"You were helping your class stay safe Marinette." Tikki said. "They needed someone to take charge and you stood up."
"I could've done that as Ladybug… I could've slipped away and protected them as Ladybug." Ladybug would've had the confidence as well as the backbone to back it up, with fists even. "Now there's so much property damage, people got hurt … it's a miracle Hawkmoth didn't try making a second akuma with all that chaos."
"It could've been worse. Chat Noir and Spider-man could've not showed up at all and it would've been too late."
"But they DID show up… they did beat Darkblade, they handled it on their own… they only left so much damage because I wasn't there." She was suppose to be the vital one, the one that made sure Akuma's didn't get out of hand. "When Spider-man….freaking Spider-man does more to stop an Akuma then me…this and he even stayed behind to fix up the damage …" Even he wasn't the most sensible person in the world, Spider-man was a hero…at the very least his heart was in the right place.
She remembered Peter's words … "I need to be more responsible." She couldn't do the best at both her mask and her normal life … one of those would have to pay. This…this would be her burden to bear. A scar to remind her that her responsibility as Ladybug came first above everything else.
Ding
She looked at her phone, and saw a call from Peter. Sighing, she pressed reply. "Hey Marinette, you doing alright? Alya gave me the rundown at what happened at City hall."
"Well It's a lot to suddenly have class rep thrusted upon me without even giving a speech." She answered. "I should've taken the New York example and led everyone out before we got trapped inside."
"Hey, I only did that so early because I got years of experience. Paris is still getting used to this kind of life." Peter said. "Besides, Alya's already given me an earful for not being her cameraman. But if she's still around to give me said earful, then that means you did a pretty good job at keeping her, and the rest of the class safe."
"Yeah … thanks."
"No problem Class Rep … so what's the first big change you wanna do? Lock down Chloe's ability to expel students?"
"Yeah, if she has power above the principal, then I can't do that." Marinette deadpanned. "But she won't have access to our phone contacts anymore… so the first order of business would probably be having everyone get new numbers that Chloe can't follow or hack."
"Yeah that checks. Probably how she got Felicia's address." Peter chuckled. "Oh, as a suggestion…I would love to advocate for Macaroon Mondays if it's at all possible."
"You know people DO have to pay for them eventually." She let out a tiny laugh. "Between the heroes and you guys, my family's gonna go broke."
"You'd be surprised by how much I save up. I'd be more than happy to finance such an endeavor. Pretty sure I can convince Adrien too. I know he loves you baking just as much."
"He does!?" She shouted just a little too loudly. "I mean…he does?"
"Oh yeah, have you seen the dude's diet? I mean he's not starving but give the boy some sweets and baked goods." He snickered. "Just a little mental note for the future, his favorite flavor is passion fruit if you ever need to win him over, hint hint."
"Whaaa, win him over, nah, I'd never…heh…..you'd think he'd like Passion fruit flavored Macaroons?"
"Never hurts to try, right?" She let out a silence as she let him contemplate that. "... It never hurts to try with Adrien. He's oblivious anyway."
"...I mean, if he's still holding out for Chloe being a good person, than maybe a little push is needed." So she would bake a dozen passion fruit macaroons to make it more obvious. "Thank's Peter. This really helped."
"Not a problem Marinette. Just happy to contribute where I can." He really was a good friend.