Hey Everyone! I knew the story was going to be taking a bit of a turn and now that everyone's minds are thoroughly blown let's learn a bit more about what happened to these wayward travelers.

Content warning (a little more serious than usually): Mention of death of children and major character death (sort of)

Chapter 17

What Once Was Mine

What was standing before them was an impossibility. Adrien's mother Emilie and Varian's Dad Quirin were both here in the flesh looking so pleased to see them. They were also Miraculous holders apparently, and they had also just kidnapped them. Some skepticism was justified.

"I know you have a lot of questions." Emilie said as Nooroo hovered around her. Adrien just nodded, torn between running up to her and questioning if he had really gone insane.

"I have a few." Varian said not trusting this wasn't a trick. "How did you get out of the amber and how are you…"

"Alive?" Emilie supplied as Varian nodded. Another Ruddiger settled on Quirin's shoulder as he gave the little creature a scratch behind his ears.

"The answer to both is the wish."

"Wish?" Adrien asked that lingering thought in the back of his mind starting to resurface against his will.

"I don't know if you remember, it was the one made by Shadow Moth, your father." Adrien's eyes widened in horror. The last threads of doubt were shattered by his own mother no less. Adrien sank to the ground, his legs unable to support himself. He shouldn't be surprised. It was something he'd known in the back of his mind but refused to acknowledge. When Varian revealed himself as Tanuki there really shouldn't have been any doubts about who his father really was. This whole secret special project they were working on was also something he never insisted on an answer for even though he should have. But he couldn't deny it any longer.

Gabriel Agreste, his Father, was Shadow Moth.

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Gabriel Agreste had come to sooner than his uninvited guest expected. He had been struggling with the ropes for some time when Nathalie called out to him.

"Gabriel!" she said as she raced to help her boss. She grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk and made short work of the ropes.

"Nathalie, I pulled the panic alarm. How did you get out of your room?" She shrugged.

"Emergency override." She helped him up.

"Thank you. We need to hurry. Two intruders broke in and I think they were after the boys." Nathalie looked at him sadly.

"Gabriel I'm sorry they've already taken them. I couldn't get out in time." A cold chill ran down his spine at her words. It must have been a trick. They showed him an illusion of his wife to lower his defenses.

"We need to get them back." She nodded knowing how he was going to do so.

"I'll check the security for anything that might help." She left the room and he summoned his Kwamis.

"Nooroo, Duusu, Unify!" Shadow Moth immediately went on the hunt searching for his boys who must be scared out of their minds right now. It didn't take long to find them, they weren't that far. When he found Adrien his heart dropped to his stomach after reading the boy's emotions.

"He…he knows."

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Rapunzel gazed nervously at the sky above. Everyone around her was freaking out about the giant crack in the sky and she couldn't deny she was worried too. Her friend the pigeon man was nice but she missed Eugene and her friends.

She was all alone in this strange world and she had no idea how to complete her mission and achieve her destiny. And now there was a crack in the sky. Was this related to the rock or something in this world? She desperately needed help.

"Your majesty? What are you doing here?" Rapunzel turned and blinked in surprise when she saw who it was.

"You!"

"Oh, sorry I keep forgetting you don't like it when friends call you that. But what happened Rapunzel? You get sucked through the crack as well?" She shook her head, because the person standing in front of her couldn't be who she thought.

"Varian?"

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The Knights of the Brotherhood continued their journey to the source of the Moonstone's stolen power. They didn't arrive with the lost prince and the rest of the Sundrop's entourage they landed a pretty far distance away. Likely the wizard who opened the portal was not very happy with them stowing away and sent them as far as possible from their destination out of spite.

The journey wasn't a problem but this new land they were sent to had some very strange fashion and they kept getting stopped by people with weird little boxes in their hands that flashed lights at them. At first they thought they were being attacked but as it turns out they were mistaken for another group called Cosplay. They had no idea what that meant or what D&D was but apparently it meant they weren't enemies of the state so they just rolled with it.

Well, King Edmund and Adira rolled with it (as long as no one got too close) while Hector was sulking about not having his beloved Bearcats or Rhino with him. Sadly they didn't make it into the house in time so he was forced to venture on without them.

The King figured they were less than a day's journey away. They had started seeing the black rocks as they entered the city so they knew they were on the right track. They hadn't given much thought to how they were going to get back but securing the Moonstone's power took priority over everything else. Still he was hoping they'd find Horace since he and the Sundrop were headed to the same place.

"It shouldn't be much further. I'm pretty sure the palace is our destination." It likely was, they could see it in the distance and all the rocks seemed to be spiraling out from it. As much as Hector missed his animals, Adira was missing her trusty black rock sword even more. She was forced to leave it behind to keep the portal to this world open in the House of Yesterday's Tomorrow but she had a sinking feeling she was going to need it.

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The atmosphere in the county jail had gone from a low rumble with most people ready to go to bed to absolutely chaotic the moment the earth shook. People were screaming it was an earthquake, to the rocks moving again to it was just an Akuma attack. Eugene found it almost humorous that an evil wizard turning people into monsters on a regular basis was completely normal for this strange city. Then again they had a spotted knight with the power to fix any and all damage the monsters caused so it couldn't be that bad.

What was bad was when he looked out his window and saw a freaking crack in the sky. Cassandra was shouting at them from the woman's side asking what was going on. Since their windows faced the other direction he had to explain what he saw. She of course thought he was kidding until it was confirmed by multiple sources that apparently the sky was falling. OK maybe not falling but a big freaking crack in the sky was still not a good thing.

It took several hours before people started settling down but he doubted many people would be sleeping well tonight. They had a meeting tomorrow with a lawyer provided to them to help with their legal trouble. Which was nice of them since they didn't know much about the laws of this new France but he would always be suspicious of anything free.

"You hear something?" Lance asked, causing Eugene to perk up. It was the first time Lance had spoken to him all night.

"No I don't-" but then he heard it. "Scratch that, what is that?" It sounded like tiny feet tapping on the walls outside of their jail cell. He put his ear to the wall when suddenly a long thin spike broke through the wall just missing his head. He quickly backed up as more and more of the little spikes appeared. Once eight of them appeared in a circle they started spinning, cutting out a large circle out of the wall. The spikes then gripped the wall pulling out a circular chunk making a hole big enough for them to fit through.

The two ex thieves looked at each other for a moment before they heard the alarms blaring.

"Come on guys!" someone called out as they heard the guards running towards their cell. Taking a chance they raced out of the cell to see a person in blue and purple holding a feathered fan. "We need to leave now! This way!"

They were about to protest leaving Cassandra behind when they saw her rounding the corner of the building coming towards them. Once the group was safe in one of the abandoned buildings their rescuer breathed a sigh of relief. Before they could start to question them however, two metal spider like creatures came in through the window, joined together and made their way to the peacock person. Lance was freaking out hiding behind Eugene when he saw the giant spiders. Cassandra moved to draw her sword but then remembered it was confiscated along with the rest of their belongings.

Which as it turns out, the double spider had. It was a relief to Eugene as well since he still had the scroll of Demanitus. The peacock person took their stuff from the spider and patted it on both its heads. It then twisted its legs up in the air forming a smile with its body since it didn't have a mouth.

"Thank you for your help." He then looked sadly at the creature who had just freed them. "You can rest now. I won't forget you." The others were confused until they saw the creature glow and then fade. Left in its place was an earring shaped like a spider. A blue feather fell out and turned white in the person''s hand. Carefully pocketing the earring they then turned to the group.

"As good as it is to see you guys, I have to ask, how did you get here?" The group looked at each other confused.

"Do we know you?" Eugene asked. The person looked a little embarrassed for a moment.

"Oop, sorry I forgot you can't recognize me in this form. Duusu, Fold My Feathers." The person became shorter as the intense color faded from their form revealing their true identity.

The three looked confused for a moment. Yes they recognized him but he also looked different since they saw him last. Lance was the one who stepped forward trying to determine if this was the same person they had encountered earlier.

"Varian, is that you?"

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Varian looked between their parents and Adrien who looked like he was going to have another panic attack. He couldn't really refute the claim that Gabriel was Shadow Moth but it seems like Adrien was doing the same thing he did when he was trying to deny the fact that Chat Noir was his brother. And reality was hitting him pretty hard today.

Still not fully convinced these people were their real parents he kept a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder and turned to the two Parents/kidnappers.

"OK who are you really?" He said in a harsh tone but neither seemed offended.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember." Quirin said looking like he wanted to get closer but Varian pulled Adrien back with him. Quirin stayed where he was and Varian was trying very hard not to let his disappointed frown affect him.

"Let's start from the beginning." Emilie said getting a little concerned seeing her son in such distress. "You remember when I got sick and passed away right?" Adrien nodded wordlessly.

"And Varian, after I was trapped in the amber you were arrested and a stray portal brought you to this world." Varian nodded, taking note of what this man claiming to be his father knew. "Then Gabriel convinced you to help in his foolish war to obtain the miraculous." Again this was true but they never possessed both.

"Sure but we haven't made a wish yet." and they weren't going to if he could help it. The two looked at each other.

"That must be the point where the world reset." Emilie commented and Varian started to sweat a little. Was…was it possible they had gotten the Miraculous and made a wish? But no, that didn't make any sense. How could they all be here if that was the case. And what did they mean they took back the wish? Seeing the confusion Emilie launched into their tragic tail.

"It was when Ladybug was out of town and gave the earrings to another. Shadow Moth had used the Akuma Robostus to enslave many people, making them hostages. Tanuki threatened their lives and the ruse worked. Cat Noir and Scarabella were forced to surrender their Miraculous to Tanuki who then gave them to his master." Both Varian and Adrien looked at each other dumbfounded. That…that's not how they remembered it.

"And then that man." Quirin said with a scowl. "Found a way for both of them to make their wish." Tears were forming at the edges of Quirin's eyes. Varian couldn't remember seeing his Dad in tears except when his mother passed and he had tried to keep that private.

"Varian you…traded places with me." Seeing the look of devastation on his father's face made Varian realize that he never considered how his Dad would feel if he had made the wish sacrificing himself for his Dad. He was so driven to save him he didn't realize that his Dad chose to push him out of the way. He was willing to give up his life to save him. Knowing his son had done the same…

"My last memory is being engulfed by the amber. The next moment I'm in another world with a tiny version of Ruddiger crying his heart out over a pair of Varian's goggles." Varian frowned again, feeling guilty for not thinking about how Ruddiger would feel after achieving his wish.

"He told me everything." The other Ruddiger who had been silent this whole time gently patted the man's cheek trying to comfort him. "About my son's troubles and how he worked so hard to free me at the cost of his own freedom. I had no way to get back and I had no intention of using that cursed wish. That's when I met Emilie."

At this point Adrien was a little more with it as he took in what Varian's Dad was saying. He didn't remember any of this happening of course but it left some unsettling thought in his head again.

"So Father sacrificed himself to bring back Mom as well." A dark look crossed Emilie's eyes.

"Oh no. That was his intention of course but Gabriel wasn't as careful with the wish as Varian was." The pieces were starting to come together as Varian realized what must have happened.

"Oh lord." Adrien was confused, clearly missing something as his mother continued.

"You see, he wished to bring back the person he loved most. But in order to bring back someone you love you must lose someone you love." Adrien's eyes widened finally understanding what had happened. Emilie's tears now flowed freely.

"And that foolish man lost our son."

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Shadow Moth was getting frantic. Adrien's emotions were running wild. He couldn't see exactly what was going on but he knew he had to get his boys out of their fast.

He felt around for someone close by, unfortunately they were pretty isolated. He had almost given up hope when he felt it. A burst of anger he could use. He sent out the Akuma, willing it to its new host as fast as possible.

"Hold on boys, I'm coming!"

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Evening was setting in and the Knights of the Brotherhood were debating about resting or pushing forward toward their destination. Hector thought they should keep going since they were almost there but was overruled by his sister and the king.

He didn't object but he was silently seething. Everything had gone wrong since the Princess and her entourage started their journey. His home was destroyed, he wasn't fully healed from that battle either. He had to leave his companions behind and he had no way of knowing how they were even going to get back home even if they completed their mission. He was so lost in his own head he failed to notice the dark winged insect against the night's sky. It settled into the dagger on his hip and Shadow Moth took hold.

"Beast Master I am Shadow Moth. You wish to complete your mission and return home, I can give you the power to do so." The reality was his powers were still limited when it came to the black rocks but his victim didn't need to know that. "All I ask is that you rescue two children kidnapped by a witch and a wayward knight."

"Hector what's happening?" Adira asked, noticing the strange marking on her brother's face. The man smiled a wicked smile.

"A fight sounds pretty good right about now. You've got a deal." Edmund had tried to reach for his brother only to back away when a thick dark cloud consumed his body. A moment later and the knight emerger almost twice as big with horns, claws and an oddly yellow skin tone.

He let out a mighty roar as he leapt into the air and went in search of his prey. Edmund and Adira could only race after him hoping they could find a way to free him from whatever curse he was under.

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Ladybug wasn't having much luck that night. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary but then again she wasn't really sure what she was looking for. Just as she was thinking about going back and waiting for Kaalki to give her a better idea of what came through she saw it.

A man was leaping across the abandoned and condemned buildings with a purpose. An Akuma, well at least her night wasn't a total waist. She started after him not knowing she'd be walking into one of the biggest revelations of her entire life.

And it would never be the same after this.

To be continued…

Next time: It's brother against brother as Hector unknowingly battles Quirin. And truths will be revealed whether or not anyone is ready for them.