"Princess Justice, I am Shadow Moth. Your friends have abandoned you for—"

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Shadow Moth? I really don't need this right now. Can you not butt in?" Marinette asked, tossing her phone aside and refocusing on her sewing project in an attempt to take her mind off the horrible texts she'd just received.

"Wha—But I can help you show those disloyal friends of yours the error of their ways and let you teach that horrible girl a lesson," he enticed.

"Yeah, as great as that sounds, I have way too much to do and not enough time to do it. Actually, wait! Can you give me time powers? Or like, the power to make clones?"

"…This has never happened before, I'm so confused." Shadow Moth whispered, mostly to himself.

"You know, since I have you here and you don't seem to be going anywhere any time soon, why are you doing all this? It's starting to get really old and we're all getting tired of it."

He, of course, immediately grew hostile. "That is none of your business, little girl! You will get me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous—"

"Dude, you're an old man bullying children. Do you have any sense of shame? How about this: I'll help you if you tell me why you're doing this, yeah? I'm not the type to blindly follow orders."

Marinette had no idea where any of this was coming from. She would normally be fighting to break Shadow Moth's hold on her right now, worrying about the consequences of giving in to her negative emotions, yet here she was, cleverly trying to get him to reveal his motive. Maybe her Ladybug persona was taking over, since Marinette wasn't exactly stable at the moment? Who knows.

Finishing up the stitches on one of the sleeves of her dress, Marinette decided to take a short break to deal with this clown.

"…Even if you knew, nothing would change."

"Exactly, so what harm can it do? I'm just an ordinary girl, what could I possibly do to hurt you or your plans?" Marinette had always been really good at getting people to open up. If she could figure out why he was doing all this, she might be able to find a way to take out one of the biggest stressors in her life.

"Fine. You want to know why I want Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous? It's because, when used together, they grant the power to fulfill any one wish. Even if it alters reality as we know it." Shadow Moth explained.

Of course, Marinette already knew that, but she needed to know what kind of wish he wanted to make. If it was something cliché like world domination, she might actually start pulling her hair out.

"So, what kind of wish is worth tormenting an entire city and fighting children, possibly even traumatizing them for?" she asked, standing from her desk.

She needed some tea. Maybe after Shadow Moth left, she'd be able to sleep easier. Marinette was honestly surprised at how nonchalant she was feeling about this whole situation. She knew she tended to be a little bit neurotic, so it was strange that she wasn't freaking out more. That could've been just because she'd been too exhausted to care lately, though. The whole Lila situation had really benumbed her.

"…I want my wife back."

Marinette sighed.

"What happened to her?"

"All I'm going to say is that there isn't a doctor alive that can cure her. Her condition is magical in nature."

"Okay, I'm going to be real honest, because it's not like it matters anymore. It's probably not a good idea to tell the literal villain, but I've been permanently retired anyway. I blew my chance," she emphasized, hoping against hope that this didn't backfire on her.

"I used to be a Miraculous holder, too. I had the Mouse Miraculous and I helped Ladybug and Chat Noir during Kwami Buster. I may not be super knowledgeable about magic, but I know more than normal people. Please, explain more."

This was a very risky play. If things didn't go well, she could wind up putting herself, her family, and her city in great danger if she were ever targeted. But as mentioned before, Marinette was not really in a good state of mind. The potential benefits of this plan working out, she felt, slightly outweighed the consequences of it failing. And even if it didn't work, in the end, it didn't change what she needed to do. Fight Shadow Moth. She'd just have to be a little more careful.

Shadow Moth didn't speak for a while, seemingly contemplating whether he really wanted to reveal his motivations to an unknown girl he'd just tried to have akumatized. After about five minutes, during which Marinette was able to finish making her tea, Shadow Moth responded.

"…She had the Peacock Miraculous, before Mayura. We didn't know it was broken when we first used it, but the Peacock kwami told us afterward. It seems the minute she first transformed, the wounds on the Miraculous started to replicate themselves on her body. It started with dizzy spells, waking up confused, zoning out, and escalated into fainting spells, scars appearing on her skin, and excruciating pain… Eventually, she fainted one day and never woke up again. She's now in a magical coma and hasn't woken up for years. I've been keeping her alive with machines ever since." Marinette frowned, her disdain for the villain slowly blooming into pity. She could tell he really cared about her.

"That's horrible. I'm really sorry you had to deal with that. Listen, I'm going to suggest something that may sound crazy, but I really think it might help you." Marinette paused as she braced herself for a hostile response.

"Why don't you ask Ladybug for help? One of her powers obviously involves healing, since anyone injured during an akuma attack gets immediately restored after she casts the Cure. And we know she's getting better at using her power since she's able to create anti-akuma charms now!"

Shadow Moth scoffed as Marinette stirred her tea.

"Ladybug would never agree to help me. Especially after everything I've done."

Marinette sighed again, moving to scour the kitchen for any sweets she could eat along with her tea.

"You know as well as I do that Ladybug loves helping people, even people she doesn't like. Look at Chloé Bourgeois or Lila Rossi! Especially Lila Rossi."

"…Even so, how can I trust a child with my wife's life?" he argued.

"Shadow Moth, let me ask you a question. Do you know the consequences of making a wish like that?"

The villain scoffed again. "No price is too high if I could bring her back to me. I would let this world burn if it meant I could see her smile one more time."

"No, listen to me. Ladybug and Chat Noir's entire thing is balance. Creation balances Destruction, seriousness balances silliness, caution balances impulsivity. Everything they embody is the perfect opposite of their partner, and they work so well together because they each make up for the other's shortcomings. Keeping that in mind, it is therefore safe to assume that the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction also follow the same principles. Do you have any other family?"

Shadow Moth took a while to respond to that. He'd obviously revealed much more than he had initially intended to, but this young woman was rather gifted in the art of pulling information from people. A frightening woman, indeed. Well, as long as he didn't name names, it should be fine.

"A son."

"If you ever succeeded in getting Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous and made a wish to bring back your wife, logically, the most equivalent exchange for that would be trading your son for your wife."

Shadow Moth grew deathly silent at that thought, a conflicted bundle of emotions coming through their telepathic bond and allowing Marinette to feel the impact her statement had on him. It was profound. He had truly never thought something so horrifying could be the price of his wish. It made so much sense when he thought about it that it was hard to believe he'd never considered it. He could end up trading his son for his wife.

Marinette, for the most part, allowed her enemy to reflect on her words in silence. With his thoughts no longer focused on her or their connection, she could feel his every emotion as they stirred within him with perfect clarity. After a short while, she could feel him on the brink and decided to try to give him a little push.

"Would losing your son be worth regaining your wife?"

Silence.

Marinette continued.

"If you want to have both, your best bet is to ask Ladybug for help. If she can cure your wife, there will be no need to make such a risky wish. I can help you get in contact with her, if you want? My best friend does run the Ladyblog."

"…You know, I've never met a girl quite like you in all my years. How could such a kind, intelligent, young lady ever make an enemy of anyone, let alone one as nasty as Lila Rossi," Shadow Moth wondered, his tone a bit wistful.

"This may be out of line to admit, but you remind me so much of my wife. She, too, was a kind, compassionate, and intelligent soul, full of many surprises, just like you. Quite frankly, you both terrify me. I would love to introduce you to my son one day."

Marinette smiled a little and shrugged, even though he couldn't see it.

"Sorry, I've already got my eye on someone else," she admitted, finally bringing her cup up to her lips and taking a sip of the most satisfying tea she'd ever had.

"Oh? And who might that be, if I may ask?" He had no idea why he wanted to know, but it felt appropriate, considering the conversation they just had.

"Adrien Agreste," she declared without a moment's hesitation.

Shadow Moth failed to suppress a chuckle, which Marinette took to mean he was making fun of her.

"What? You think I like him because of his looks, don't you? Everyone always thinks that I like him just because he's pretty and he's rich, but I go to school with him, you know!"

"Oh, do you?" he asked, amusement coloring his tone.

"Yes, I do! He's in my class and he's very sweet, and kind, and gentle and he never fails to help anyone who needs it!" she defended.

"Relax, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I don't think you're that superficial. I mean, here you are, in the dead of night on a school night, giving advice to Paris' Most Wanted Villain after he tried to turn you into a justice seeking monster. If that doesn't show the depth of your character, then maybe I really should give up this Miraculous," he praised.

Marinette was surprised to hear such genuine sounding praise coming from her most bitter enemy, but found it actually meant a lot to hear that someone still saw her like that. Maybe he wasn't so bad, either.

"I really appreciate you saying that. Now, do you want me to set up a meeting with the heroes?" she said, steering the conversation back on track.

Shadow Moth sighed heavily.

"I suppose. At the very least, I should exhaust every possible option before I consider taking such a deal in regards to the Wish. If Ladybug fails and it still comes down to making the Wish anyway, I have an idea of how to keep both my wife and my son safe."

"Okay, what date and time?"

Shadow Moth and Marinette worked out a date and a time and they each wished the other a good night, the akuma popping out of her good luck charm, and squeezing through a window back out into the night sky of Paris. Marinette took another sip of her tea before she made her way back up to her room. The minute she did so, Tikki whizzed over to her and started flying all around Marinette's body frantically, seemingly looking for the akuma. She could only watch in amusement.

"Tikki, it's gone. Shadow Moth released the akuma on his own and now he's, thankfully, going back to sleep."

Tikki froze in shock before floating back up to Marinette's face. Her tiny features were scrunched up in confusion and she narrowed her eyes at her Chosen as if she'd be able to see the truth in her eyes.

"Come again?" she asked.

Marinette just walked right past her and returned to her desk, plopping down on her computer chair. "Yeah, Shadow Moth and I came to a little agreement. Ladybug is going to try to save his wife, and if I can do that, he'll give up his Miraculous forever."

"He knows you're Ladybug?!" Tikki yelled.

"No," Marinette reassured. "But he knows that I was Multimouse. I was the one who revealed that to him and it's what allowed me to ask him more about why he was doing all this."

"Do you really believe he won't still try to take your Miraculous?" Tikki worried. "You don't think this is a trap?"

Marinette shook her head. "No, he won't do that. I told him that if he used the Wish, the price would probably end up taking a different family member. I remembered you telling me about how both your Miraculous and Chat's Miraculous were all about balance, so it made sense that for him to get one family member back, he'd have to give up another," she explained.

Tikki could only stare at her Chosen in shock and awe, her expression both so utterly confused, yet immensely proud.

"…Honestly, Marinette, I think you may just be the best Ladybug I've ever had. I knew you were amazing, but to think you'd be able to fight off akumatization and talk Shadow Moth down… I've never been more proud to be a Ladybug's partner."

Marinette blushed a little and shrugged, trying to hide her face behind her shoulders. "I was honestly just trying to make him forget about akumatizing me. I'm too busy and too tired to go out destroying a city right now."

Tikki laughed at that and Marinette chuckled, turning her face back to her project to hide the tears she felt gathering in her eyes. She was really grateful she had a partner as sweet and supportive as Tikki.

There will be an epilogue, so don't worry!