Let's Take It From The Top, Chapter 21: And To All A Good Night

Ladybug stared long and hard at her approaching boyfriend, caught up in a runaway Cataclysm wave that swirled and pulsed around him, and for one painful moment she was simply frozen as hope left her.

Part of me is screaming to just curl up in a ball on the ground and let everything happen, she thought. It might be quick, it might be painless. I have more than earned a full-on nervous breakdown and no one is going to take that away from me.

But that passed quickly.

Who am I kidding? she thought, her jaw clenching in determination. Everything about this situation is worth fighting for. It's why I'm here; it's why I got these powers to begin with. My country, my city, my friends, my family, all those innocent people, THAT BOY. As many of them as we can, until we win, or until we fall over.

Tears are for later... if we have one.

"Mari- Ladybug, I'm following your lead here," Blue Ox said, quietly. "You know far more about what's going on than I do. Do we have a game plan?"

He watched his daughter close her eyes briefly and concentrate, thinking as hard and as fast as she could. "...We do," Ladybug confirmed. "Or at least most of one. I'm making this up as I go, Papillon, so help me."

Standing by her side, Papillon nodded.

"Okay. Step one is to get the two main Miraculous together. That means getting the ring away from Chat. Either by talking him into it... or however we have to," began Ladybug. "And I don't know what that means, either... but, Papillon, if you have a great idea for a butterfly that's capable of that, I'm all ears."

"I am thinking, though I am drawing a blank at the moment. And there is one more consideration to that. You know how much worse off Nathalie has been than Adrien; if he relinquishes his Miraculous..." noted Papillon.

"...he no longer has Plagg helping to keep it under control. Good thinking. That means that if we do get it away from him, we might have minutes to act at most. His energy cocoon may expand dramatically, and he may start making a beeline straight for where he feels Nathalie is." Ladybug shook her head, sadly. "That's going to be a really, really dangerous situation."

"Do we have an alternative?" asked Papillon. "From how Fu described it, the wish is our only remedy."

"Yeah, it is. I'm just working out how we can possibly do this," worried Ladybug. "I have an idea... and when the time comes, Papillon, your help will be essential to it. You too, Dad. But the first part of it is talking Chat down. Follow me... but not too close."

She stepped forward, willpower overcoming common sense, and approached the blonde-haired harbinger of doom.

Master Fu attempted to regain what were left of his senses, as his unexpected transportation agent screeched to a stop in front of his studio.

"Your destination, Sir. That'll be nine and a half Euros, please," quipped Rabbit Transit.

Fu looked around him and realized just how far he was from the showdown in progress, and slumped down to the ground. "Sure. Take anything you like," he muttered. "Soon, none of it may matter."

Rabbit stared at him, silently, as he looked up at her with sad eyes. "I understand why Ladybug did what she just did... but she may have just doomed us all," he told her.

"Okay, I've only been part of this for, like, an hour," Rabbit replied. "But from what she told me, something big is about to happen. And if you tried to do it yourself right now, the strain would kill you before you got halfway through. Right?"

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Very likely so. But I had to try for all our sakes!", he replied, angrily.

"Great! So instead of someone who might be able to actually cast a wish, we'd have an old dead guy and then someone else would get a turn. That's a lot more helpful, right?"

Master Fu looked Rabbit over, gauging her intent. "Your flippancy is not helpful," he chided her. "Though... your logic may be."

"Do you trust her - them - or don't you?" demanded Rabbit. "I mean, if I have to, I can haul you right back there..."

"NO!" he shouted quickly, then calmed himself. "I'll be queasy for a week from that trip."

"Is there something I can tell them, then, that can help? I'll be your voice," she replied. "I can be back there in, like, three minutes."

"I am thinking," Fu said. "As much as I can think while my stomach is up around my shoulders. Stay with me, please. I have... one remaining card to play, at the right moment, and I will need your help to do so."

As Ladybug got within clear sight of Chat, as much as she could make out of him within the energy ball, she saw his eyes widen and his face grow tense. Good, she reasoned, there's some of him left in there. He's fighting this.

"Chat..." she began. "It's me, Ladybug. Marinette. Are you hearing me?"

"Y-yeah," Chat replied, haltingly. She could see his legs grow stiff, as his brain tried to force them not to advance. "Don't g-get close to m-me. C-can't hurt you."

"Chat, I need to talk to you, right now. Can you stop and do that for me?" Ladybug asked.

A tiny stutter-step followed. "No. I m-mean, I'm trying, but it's not working. I'll hold it off as l-long as I c-can," he apologized. "I can feel N-Nathalie. She's too close."

"Never mind about her, okay? Focus on me. Only on me," soothed Ladybug. "I'm right here. Nothing's going to happen to either of us."

"If I turn the energ-gy inwards..." Chat began.

"NO. You're not going to do that," snapped Ladybug, keeping her voice steady only through monumental effort. "You're not going to sacrifice yourself! It might not even work, and we'd still have Nathalie to deal with. That could overwhelm her and melt everything around her on the spot! We're going to try another way."

"What's th-hat?" he asked.

"You're going to concentrate for me," she half-whispered. "You're going to stop walking. You're going to pull that energy back under control. You're going to put yourself back together, just for a couple of minutes. Will you do that?"

"I have no idea h-how," wailed Chat. "The pull is so strong-"

"THAT doesn't matter. Because you are so strong. I've learned that about you from all of this," Ladybug answered. "You and I are so strong together. And I'm here with you, Adrien. You're part of me now. I won't let you go. And I'm not moving."

"You h-have to!" he cried out. "I can't stop myself." Two short steps followed, then a longer one.

"You will," Ladybug insisted, quietly. "Listen to my voice. Look at me. Do this with me."

She saw his eyes close in frustration, and another step followed. An energy whip began to form on the cocoon, preparing to arc out towards her.

"Marinette-!" her father gasped, only for Papillon to step forward and prevent him from charging at her.

"She knows what she's doing," assured Papillon, hoping that he was right about that.

She had better, he thought. So much is on the line here...

"I c-can't hurt you, Marinette. That would destroy me," Chat said, in a voice of purest anguish.

"You won't. And I'll prove it."

To the surprise of both Chat and Papillon, Ladybug took two steps back, threw her hand upwards and called out, "LUCKY... CHARM!"

What is she DOING? wondered Papillon, with great alarm. Without the power of Ladybug, all is lost!

The scarlet energy coalesced above Ladybug's outstretched hand, forming an object that dropped down into her arms...

With a grin, she saw that it was precisely what she'd expected it to be in that moment. "Spots off," she smiled.

Chat looked on in horror; without her powers, she's completely vulnerable!, he gasped.

In a white flash, Ladybug was replaced by Marinette Dupain-Cheng, with shining eyes, holding a red cookie rose in her outstretched hands.

"Th-hat..." gasped Chat, astounded.

"You know what this is, Adrien," soothed Marinette. "You know exactly what this meant to us. Remember the moment that you gave it to me. What began right then and there. The look in my eyes when I realized just how deeply you felt about me."

"Look in my eyes now, Adrien. Do you see that look again?" she added. "Focus on that. Focus on us. I trust you completely, Adrien. You would never hurt me."

His legs stuttered forwards again, ever so slightly - one quarter-step, then another, then another - as Chat's face softened, then became a look of complete determination and will.

"Do it," she whispered.

She watched, fighting the urge to step backwards, as Chat forced himself to stop and crumpled into a ball. He screamed, an incoherent shout of rage and pain and defiance...

Chat willed himself to open his eyes, praying that he wouldn't see a pile of dust where his love had been standing.

He heard a tiny whisper of a voice:

"...Thank you."

As he opened them, Chat felt something he did not expect in the slightest... two soft hands against his shoulders.

"You DID IT!" squealed Marinette, wrapping her arms around him as carefully as she could. "You did that for me! I'm so proud of you..."

He winced in pain, then looked down at his right arm; it was pulsing up to the elbow with black energy as before, but the rest of the cocoon had retreated from around him.

"I had to. That was so ridiculously brave of you," Chat said, softly. "I love you, Marinette."

"And I love you, Adrien," she replied, and for one brief moment, nothing else existed.

A twinge in his arm brought Chat back to reality. "But that's as far as I can take the energy back," he said. "I can't reverse it all."

"That's all I needed right this minute, honey! We need to buy a little time, and that did it." Quickly, without taking her arms off of Chat, she started barking out orders. "Tikki! Find something to eat, now! I don't have my purse on me! We will need your power very soon, and everything depends on it."

The Kwami looked around, frantically. "I know!" she called back. "But I don't know this neighborhood..." Tikki darted around, looking at building after building, then yelled in triumph. "THERE!" she exclaimed. "A bakery!"

Blue Ox sniffed with some disdain. "The Bouviers' bakery? Hmmph. Too many artificial ingredients. They can't come close to-"

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE TERRITORIAL, DAD!" shouted Marinette, as Tikki darted inside. "Any snack in a storm! And I need you right now. We need to put some distance between Adrien and Nathalie, and you can carry him far faster than he can walk right now. Adrien, can you transform back for me?"

"Sure. Claws in," said Chat, reverting to Adrien.

"I'll fill you in on what we've figured out on the way, okay?" Marinette told Adrien, as her father scooped him up. "Dad, be careful with him, and not just because I don't want him broken! Watch his arm, and if that cocoon starts flickering back to full strength, put him down, drop him if you have to! Don't get zapped yourself! Plagg... your turn. Are you okay?"

Plagg looked at her as if she was crazy. "What do YOU think?" he snarled. "I'm holding on by a thread."

"That'll have to do," she replied. "Papillon, Dad, let's move... that way!"

"Where are we going?" Blue Ox asked, breaking into a steady trot.

"I don't know! But away from HER! She's getting close, from what Adrien said. Let's buy some time and figure out our last stand."

Not far away, a couple of the newly deputized heroes were still hard at work, trying to clear innocents from Nathalie's path.

"She just doesn't stop, does she?" moaned Scurry, as she darted from house to house. "Where is everybody else?"

"Don't know," muttered Slither, straining under the weight of a heavy man. "Voice... in our heads... shut off."

Up on a nearby rooftop, Vixen yelled, "Let me try something... MIRAGE!"

She blew on her flute and gestured, and on a street perpendicular to Nathalie's current path, an image appeared. The heroes saw what looked to be a second energy cocoon, with a dark, cat-like figure inside it.

Nathalie looked... hesitated for a moment... then resumed her original course.

"Damn!" Vixen snapped, disappointed. "Why isn't she believing it?"

"Maybe it's something more... primal to her. Like, it looks right but it isn't pulling at her like the real thing is," surmised Scurry. "It was a good try!"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can do..." said Vixen. "That was my big power."

"Help us move people until your jewelry starts beeping, then get out of the way and take cover. Stay safe," consoled Scurry. "Slither, what are we going to do?"

"Keep trying to save people. Until she gets to where she's going... or until we drop," grunted Slither. "And hope that we get some more help."

"I hate to say it... but I think we've hit the end of the line for running."

Ladybug heard Blue Ox and agreed, grimly, as the group reached the edges of the Seine river. "There are bridges, but if we move side-to-side, she'll gain ground on us and that'll make it that much harder for Adrien to resist." She racked her brain, quickly. "What should we do?" she worried.

"...Blue?" said Adrien, quietly. "Put me down, please." He walked over to Ladybug, stopping a few feet away. "I think I know what we have to do. What I have to do."

"...And that is?" asked Ladybug, with a worried expression.

"You need this Miraculous to save everyone. I don't, any more," replied Adrien, simply. "You need the two of them for the wish, and I'm way too loopy right now to try it. Not to mention what I did when I tried it the first time."

"WAIT!" called Papillon, desperately. "Adrien, think before you do that! As soon as you do, you'll go that much more out of control, like Nathalie is. We may only have minutes, maybe less once that happens! We need a plan first, and fast."

"Right now, you are my plan, Papillon," sighed Ladybug. "You're charged up, right? If Adrien gives me his Miraculous, I need you to think up something protective to try and hold Adrien back. Send out a butterfly to whoever is available and hope for the best, and I'll... do my best."

"You know very well what that wish might do to you," frowned Papillon.

"Who else, then? Adrien can't do it. Fu can't. I wouldn't ask you or anyone else to make that sacrifice," Ladybug replied. "These powers come with responsibilities! I knew that when I accepted this Miraculous. And if I'm strong enough, if I focus hard enough, it might not be so bad."

She turned to Adrien. "But we have to do this now, before Nathalie gets any closer. Do you understand?"

With tears in his eyes, Adrien nodded.

"Papillon, are you ready?" she called, not taking her eyes off of his.

"I am," he said, in a resigned voice.

"All right, then," said Ladybug. "Let's take a chance. Whatever luck the Ladybug has left, don't fail us now..."

She took a few steps back and watched as Adrien slipped the Black Cat ring off of his finger. "Goodbye, Plagg," he said, sadly. "You were a great friend."

The tiny cat tried to respond, then vanished as the ring was renounced... just as a huge plume of black energy puffed into existence around Adrien.

"Get BACK!" called Papillon, as he and Blue Ox looked on in horror.

"Adrien... th-throw it to me, please!" sobbed Ladybug, seeing his expression dim and his eyes glaze over... and she realized that he might not have the strength of will left to do that.

We'll have to knock it out of his hands... somehow... she calculated, though I have no idea what can penetrate that energy! Maybe if-

With a mighty grunt, Adrien focused one last time. His arm moved forward, and the ring skittered to a stop a few feet away from Ladybug. It, too, glowed with an ominous black energy.

"That doesn't look safe for you to touch, Marinette," called Blue Ox. "Be careful!"

"I agree. Let's try this first..." Ladybug shot her yo-yo out and snagged it, as if capturing an Akuma, and immediately felt a burning sensation run up the string and into her. Gritting her teeth, she focused on purifying it... and, slowly, the burning ceased.

She yanked the yo-yo back to her hand and opened it, and saw the Black Cat ring, seemingly unscathed by its ordeal.

"Okay! Papillon, you know what to do!" Ladybug called, watching Adrien like a hawk. She grimaced as she saw him begin to stagger in what was presumably Nathalie's direction, surrounded by his swirling cocoon. "Send out the butterfly, now!"

"I already have," she heard him say.

Abruptly, Ladybug felt a very strange sensation, and an energy signature snapped into place before her eyes...

NO!

"Papillon, are you INSANE?" Ladybug shrieked. "I can't be Ladybug and invoke the ring and be one of your hosts at the same time!"

"I'm counting on that," said Papillon, simply. "Because I can't let you make that sacrifice, Marinette."

She stared at him, the words not coming to her mouth, in complete disbelief.

"This city is going to need you for decades. This world will. It won't miss me. And this entire crisis is my fault; I brought the Cat and Moth here in the first place. If anyone's going to assume that risk, I want it to be me." He pointed at Adrien, adding, "He will need you. And right now he needs you more than ever."

Ladybug gaped at Papillon, stunned, seeing the resolute expression on his face. Her father was slack-jawed, paralyzed by surprise and emotion. She turned her head and saw Adrien, slowly staggering away... and at the end of the long street they were on, some distance away, she saw a second energy cocoon turn a corner and come into view.

And, seeing her, Adrien started moving faster.

"...Spots off."

"What in the WORLD?"

Rabbit Transit looked on, worriedly, as she saw Master Fu react to something unseen and appear terrified. "Sir, what is it?"

"They didn't... she didn't...!" he gasped, then flew into motion.

"What happened?" begged Rabbit.

"I don't know for sure!" called Master Fu, as he dashed into the back room and began digging for something. "I don't know if Ladybug was... double-crossed... or if she's trying something desperate. But BOTH the Cat and the Ladybug have been relinquished! Even without Wayzz here, I can feel that."

"Okay..." Rabbit replied, as she saw Master Fu emerge with a black box in his hand. "So what do we do now?"

"That last card for me to play? This is it," Fu said, handing it to her. "Take it to where and whom I tell you to. Have her use it, get close to the scene, and watch carefully. Our heroes may need this one last ace-in-the-hole."

Rabbit listened to the name and address Fu rattled off, and nodded. "I know where that is. I know her. What else can I do?"

Master Fu looked at her, with sad eyes. "Pray?" he said. "And run!"

In a *whoooooosh!*, she was gone.

"This is absolute insanity," muttered Marinette. "But I'm going to have to trust you. We all have no choice now."

Papillon's voice echoed in her head, both through the energy signature and from his mouth, a few meters away. "This was not a snap decision on my part. You have the Turtle in your hand, and its shell may help protect you. Now, focus with me. Focus on protecting Adrien above all else."

Marinette closed her eyes, and concentrated...

"Chrysalis... FORM!" she heard, and felt the transformation surround her. When she burst free, she found herself in a familiar costume.

"I'm Firefly again?" she gasped, with some surprise.

"It seemed appropriate. Tell me... what's the one direction where Nathalie can't follow?" asked Papillon.

"...Up! Good thinking!" Firefly smiled. "And when I add in this..." she added, slipping on the green bracelet. "Wayzz, shell on!"

In a white flash, her costume took on a more greenish aspect, and her domino mask became goggles... but her wings remained.

"I made a little tweak to your hidden power, as well. Or, rather, I can sense that you did, by what you thought of as you transformed. Instead of Lightning Crash... you'll know it when the time is right," assured Papillon. "Now, go! Please get Adrien away from her. I suspect that I will need some time to do this right."

Firefly took a deep breath... then flew over to her father and hugged him, tightly. "I'll be as careful as I can," she whispered.

"I know you will," he said, with a catch in his voice. "I'll do whatever I can down here. Come back to me, Marinette."

Impulsively, she flew over and hugged Papillon, as well. "I don't know what to say," she said, in a small voice, dropping the pair of Miraculous into his hand. "It's 'spots on' and 'claws out,' by the way."

"As I suspected," Papillon replied. "Good luck."

Watching Firefly fly away in Adrien's direction, Papillon turned his attention to the tiny totems of power in his hand.

Well, we meet at last. And is it not a remarkable thing? Papillon thought, wistfully. I chased the two of you across the globe. It cost me my wife, it may have cost me my son, it may cost millions of lives if I am weak now. All for you. All for this moment. Because of a young woman's trust... and her astounding gifts... here we are, finally together.

Was it all worth it, Gabriel? he mused.

He snapped himself back to reality and slipped on the ring. My ears are not pierced, thought Papillon, but I doubt that will matter. He pinned them onto his clothing, just underneath Nooroo's brooch. Nooroo, my little friend, I hope you are up for this! I am about to harness the forces of creation and destruction, and you are coming along for the ride.

Will _I_ be up for this? he pondered, suddenly. I did not contemplate what hosting THREE Miraculous at once might do to me... but I cannot back down now.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Blue Ox, a short distance away.

"Should Nathalie approach... I do not know what you could do. But if you can find a way to keep her off of me if she does, I would appreciate it," Papillon replied.

"Got it. And, just so you know... if you happen to be pulling a fast one on my daughter right now... the last thing that I do on this earth will be to remove your head," continued Blue Ox.

Despite himself, Papillon laughed. "I assure you, Tom, that if I was, I would have all of five minutes to enjoy it."

Blue Ox chuckled as well, at the absurdity of the situation.

"You have a remarkable daughter, by the way. And I have not yet thanked you properly for taking such excellent care of my son," added Papillon.

"The pleasure was mine," replied Blue Ox. "He's a fine young man, and they are adorable together. Dinner's at my place once this is all over." He paused, and added, "...You can save them?"

"...I must try."

"Then I promise you this," Blue Ox answered, cracking his knuckles and assuming a defensive stance, "...no one will touch you."

Firefly flew out in front of Adrien, hoping beyond hope that he would recognize her and regain some control... but not expecting it.

"Adrien? If you can hear me, give me a sign." She looked behind her and saw Nathalie approaching slowly, but not quite as slowly as before.

Inside the cocoon, Adrien's face was blank and emotionless.

Here goes nothing, she thought.

"SHELLTER!" she called out...

A bright green, coruscating force field surrounded her, and for a moment she stopped to marvel at it. Tentatively, she took a step forward; as she'd hoped, it moved with her. She took another step forward, and allowed it to contact the outside of Adrien's energy cocoon; there were sparks and crackling where the two met, but for at least that instant, the field held steady.

Looking in at Adrien, Firefly called, "Honey... you're about to go for a ride! For the next five minutes, at least."

Taking a deep breath, she propelled herself forward and tackled Adrien. She felt jolts all around her as she made contact, as if she was being hit by static electricity everywhere at once, but the costume helped insulate her slightly from that. Smoothly, she lifted him off his feet and began a diagonal ascension up over the Seine, just as hard and as fast as she could fly.

Papillon watched as Firefly and Adrien ascended... then looked down and saw Nathalie, still approaching, still heading straight for their position. I was hoping she wouldn't do that, he thought, but I shouldn't be surprised. Perhaps she can sense the Cat ring as well as the fractured power... and the ring is closer.

"It's time," he said, quietly. "CLAWS OUT!"

In a flash of white, Papillon found himself transformed yet again... his familiar costume as Papillon updated with accents of black, a black tail, black ears, and other cat-like accessories. Interesting, he thought. It's as if it recognizes that I'm more familiar with being Papillon, and made that the dominant element.

But there's no time to waste...

"SPOTS ON!" he cried, loudly.

Blue Ox covered his eyes and stepped away in fear, because the white flash that followed was blinding... and most of it didn't fade away.

Across town, a person watched the news by herself, anxiously. I know that the news crews can't get very close to any of this, she thought, but I'd feel so much better if I had more of an idea of what is actually going ON out there! What if-

Her thought was interrupted by a loud rush of wind - What the HECK? The windows are all closed! she thought - and the appearance of a young costumed woman next to her.

"Hi there," panted the girl, dressed as an oversized rabbit. "I'm sorry to distract you like this, but this is unbelievably urgent. This is for you."

She held out her hand, and in it a black box, roughly hexagonal. "If you don't know what this is, it's one of..." Rabbit Transit began.

"Oh, I know."

Firefly clenched her teeth as she flew Adrien up and over the Seine, praying that her impromptu shield would hold up. So far, so good... but this HURTS, she grimaced, and it's not getting better; it's getting worse.

But I HAVE TO HANG ON...

She looked down and saw that she was already at a fairly impressive altitude, and leveled out slightly. Think this out, Marinette, she thought. If Papillon casts the wish and it works... whatever it does... if it cures Adrien, I can fly him back down to earth with what's left of my strength.

If it doesn't work... well... I guess it won't matter then, will it? But I'll have to find somewhere to put him. Definitely on the other side of the river; that should at least delay them a little bit from meeting.

I don't want to just drop him on top of a skyscraper or something like that... he might walk right off the edge in his state! And I don't know what that would do to him without his costume.

Auugh! That really stings! NOW what...

She realized, with considerable alarm, that the jolts around her were increasing steadily in intensity. AAAAAGH! she screamed, in her mind. This shield is BREAKING UP!

Papillon - well, I suppose that I'm not exactly Papillon any more, am I? he thought, with what capacity for rational thought he still possessed.

The glowing being lit up the intersection like a newborn star. The luminance lessened slightly after a few moments, but remained bright enough to be painful for Blue Ox to look at.

His mind reeled with his newfound awareness of the world around him. I can see... everything! he gasped. Molecules and energy waves and air currents and ley lines and beams of light all around me. This is... this is the godlike power of legend.

I could bring Emilie back with a thought, he smirked. I could play God for a day. I could build... smash... create... destroy...

Stop.

Stop right there, Gabriel. You know precisely why you have this power and what you must use it for, he ordered himself. Remember what you were told; it's like making a wish with the trickiest genie ever. You must be clear, precise and forceful, and leave no room for misinterpretation.

He closed his eyes, in an attempt to minimize distraction, and focused his consciousness inward.

Let us begin.

No no no no no no no no NO! panicked Firefly. It has been NOWHERE NEAR five minutes!

She wavered in her flight as she worked it out in her head. It's not that the shield lasts five minutes... it's that I have five minutes before I change back once I've used it, she deduced. Just like Lucky Charm. And it's not going to last another minute, if that!

And then-

Okay, Marinette, think this through. Do I have another option? Maybe. Papillon said my hidden power was different now...

Firefly concentrated for a moment, letting herself attune more closely to the butterfly empowering her... and she let herself smile, just a little.

That just might be what I need.

Taking a deep breath, feeling the last vestiges of Shellter breaking away, she called out...

"FIREFLY'S GLOW!"

I am Gabriel Agreste, he projected outwards, thinking a chant-like mantra at the power surrounding him. I am Papillon. And I am Ladybug. And I am Chat Noir. I am Creation and I am Destruction. I wield this power now of my own free will.

I wish to end the crisis that I feel all around me.

I wish to return the power of Cataclysm to its rightful home, the Black Cat Miraculous and its Kwami, Plagg.

I wish to return Nathalie Sancoeur and Adrien Agreste to their normal states of health, to free them of the burdens that they currently bear.

I wish for no man or woman or animal to suffer as a result of returning this energy and restoring this balance.

I wish for my son and for my friend.

I wish to put the Black Cat Miraculous right, and send its corruption away.

I wish...

Firefly opened her eyes... and saw herself surrounded by a golden glow, a thick aura extending for perhaps a foot around her in all directions. She could see through it, and breathe, and felt no pain.

She looked at Adrien, and saw that the aura was extending itself to him as well. Probably because I'm touching him, she reasoned. And to her astonishment...

...he opened his eyes.

"Wh... wha... what did... FIREFLY?" he gasped, as he returned to relative consciousness.

"Shhh," she whispered. "I don't know how long this will last."

The two looked around them, and saw that the energy cocoon was still intact; they were merely tucked away in a golden cocoon of their own at its center, like the liquid filling in a piece of hard candy.

"What did you do, Marinette?" Adrien asked, with considerable wonder on his face.

"It's a long story. Your father is trying to put things right, using Master Fu's guidance. I'm getting you away from Nathalie the best way that I can. It HAS to work," she replied.

"Yeah. But... what if it doesn't?" he asked.

"...Then we're up here, away from anyone we could hurt. I'll figure out a place to put us down if I feel this aura breaking up. I only have a few minutes, anyway; it's a butterfly power."

They looked down, together, and Adrien whistled. "Yeah, we are pretty high up, aren't we?" he laughed.

"Best view in town," Firefly smiled, looking at Adrien's face. "And I don't mean the scenery."

They kissed, briefly, while they still could.

Blue Ox stared down the woman who was slowly walking his way, carrying death all around her.

Behind him, he heard Papillon continuing to chant, his tone slowly growing in intensity. He's not done yet, thought Tom... and she's nearly on us.

Time to see what this magical doodad can REALLY do...

He got up in a running stance, facing Nathalie, and called out...

"BULL'S CHARGE!"

As he began to run, he felt energy building all around him and saw a glowing aura surrounding him. He wasn't the fastest person to begin with, but as he rumbled towards her, he felt himself and everything around him pick up speed. He felt like a comet, rushing along the ground, building up momentum and energy and force like a hurled fist of the gods.

Whether or not this aura would protect him never even crossed his mind...

Papillon felt a massive weight pressing down against him, and he wasn't sure whether it was literal or mystical in origin. The strain of the incantation was excruciating. He heard a massive crashing sound nearby, but it barely registered in his consciousness; everything centered on the wish now.

I wish for no man or woman or animal to suffer as a result of returning this energy and restoring this balance.

I wish for my son and for my friend.

I wish to put the Black Cat Miraculous right, and send its corruption away.

I wish...

I WISH...

Tom Dupain opened his eyes, amazed that he still had that capability. Seeing the sky above him, he rolled over onto his stomach and surveyed what he'd just done.

There was no question that Paris's finest would have their hands full repairing the road, if in fact there would be a road left to repair once this whole thing was decided. The site of impact was a crater, from which both he and Nathalie had been blasted tens of meters.

Did I get her? he wondered. I didn't want to hurt her, but I really had no choice...

He looked up over the rubble and saw the energy cocoon some distance away. To his dismay, he watched Nathalie stand up, very slowly... and resume walking on her original course.

Damn. And, from what I understand, I can only do that once without recharging, he thought. As if on cue, his transformation expired, and he found his Blue Ox costume replaced by his normal bakery wear. A tiny grayish-blue ox Kwami popped into existence next to him, whistling in appreciation.

"Not bad... not bad at all for your first time," Stompp told him. "I don't suppose that, um, you have a bag of hay or something on hand so that I can recharge, do you?"

"Fresh out," muttered Tom.

"Ah. Then, in that case... maybe we ought to move over there somewhere, out of the way, because that looks like..." the Kwami stammered.

Tom stood up, brushed himself off, and resumed his stance in the middle of the road.

"You do know that you don't have my power any more, right?" asked Stompp.

"She will not touch him," replied Tom, simply. "My daughter's life and many more depend on that."

"Okay! Well, um... it was nice working with you," said Stompp, nervously.

Firefly felt the aura around her begin to crackle, and knew what would soon follow.

"You need to put me down right now, Marinette," worried Adrien. "That shield is starting to..."

"I know it is. I'll try for that building over there... but I don't know if I'll make it," she gasped, pushing them in that direction.

"THROW me, if you have to. DROP me," he ordered her, his eyes welling up. "It's not worth-"

"I'm not leaving you."

Papillon felt as if standing on a precipice, on the verge of losing himself forever in the wild surge of power surrounding him. One slip, and he'd be gone without a trace.

It's now or never, he thought.

I wish to return the full power of Cataclysm to its rightful home, the Black Cat Miraculous and its Kwami, Plagg.

I wish for no man or woman or animal to suffer as a result of returning this energy and restoring this balance.

I wish for my son and for my friend.

I wish to put the Black Cat Miraculous right, and send its corruption away.

Let this pandemonium CEASE!

A burst of pure white light exploded out from Papillon, as if the newborn star he'd become had just gone nova.

Around the globe, national security teams scrambled for updated imaging and situation reports. Stand-down orders were issued swiftly, once it became clear that, no, a nuclear device had not just exploded in the heart of downtown Paris. In the weeks to come, France would be flooded by intelligence agencies from all over the world, all scrambling to determine an answer to an extremely important question:

"What the HELL WAS THAT?"

But that was all in the future.

Nathalie Sancoeur opened her eyes.

"G-Gabriel?" she muttered, still not sure where she was. "D-did we just have an earthquake, or something? Where are..."

She pushed down against the ground for support, raising herself up to one knee... then stared at her hands in disbelief.

MY... hands!

With no energy around them!

I... feel like MYSELF again! Not all charged up, not hungry, but ME!

"...It's a MIRACLE!" she gasped, starting to look all around her. The crater in front of her drew her attention quickly. Um... did I do that? she wondered.

"Are you all right, Ms. Sancoeur?" called a voice, and she turned to see the baker who was Adrien's new girlfriend's father standing there.

"I... think so?" she replied, and watched as he sank to his knees in relief. "You're Mr. Dupain, aren't you?" she asked.

"I am. Whatever Gabriel was doing must've worked," replied Tom.

"Whatever Gabriel was..." Nathalie looked behind Tom, and broke into as much of a dead run as she could manage... which, in her state, wasn't much. Tom ran to her and helped support her, and the two hurried to the middle of the intersection, in which a tall, thin man laid motionless.

Tikki shook her tiny head, regaining her senses. WHOA! she thought. Let's not do THAT again for another few millennia!

She looked over and saw Plagg, in a similarly dazed state. Quickly, she flew over and grabbed him by his shoulders. "PLAGG!" she shouted. "Did it work? Are you whole again?"

He smiled at her, slowly... which quickly turned into a toothy grin. "I'm BACK, Sugarcube," he smirked.

The two hugged, with Tikki nearly screaming for joy in his arms. "I can't believe that WORKED!", she cried out.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened in that wish; it'll take Master Fu to help figure that out," Plagg replied. "But I feel complete again! Whatever was stuck in Nathalie and Adrien is back in me. We're saved."

They looked over and saw Nathalie and Tom attending to Gabriel Agreste, and the two flew over to check on him as well. No point in being secretive now! thought Tikki.

To their relief, they saw that while Gabriel was still unconscious, he was breathing steadily, and there were no obvious injuries on him. "Call an ambulance! Let's get him some help," Tikki told Nathalie, and once she got used to the idea of a four-inch crimson pixie popping up and ordering her around, she did exactly that.

Flying in a wobbly path, Nooroo floated over to where Tikki and Plagg were hovering. "Did anyone g-get the number of that truck?" he chattered. "What a rush!"

"That's right, you'd never been part of a wish before," mused Plagg. "Welcome to the big leagues, kid! How do you feel?"

"Like I need a nap for about another hundred years," replied Nooroo. "How do you two do that?"

"We try not to," said Tikki. She looked down at Gabriel again, and an alarming thought crossed her mind. "WAIT!" she exclaimed. "Nooroo... you're out with us, and Gabriel is Gabriel. So that means..."

She and Plagg looked at each other. "...What happened to FIREFLY?" they gasped as one.

"Faster, Marinette..." begged Adrien, growing more nervous by the second. "If that aura breaks, you're going to DIE!"

"You don't know that," muttered Firefly, straining as hard as she could to reach the nearest building roof, a nearby skyscraper.

"I DO!" he insisted, doing everything short of flapping his arms for added lift.

She felt the jolts of pain returning and knew that cracks were starting to form again. I'm not going to make it. I'm going to dissolve in his arms, thought Firefly.

Firefly looked up at the terrified Adrien and began, "I love you, Adr... WHOA!"

A white wave of blinding light came rushing at them, soaring over the whole of Paris... leaving the two of them wondering what had just happened.

Once their sight returned, Firefly's eyes began to focus... and at first she thought the blinding white light was still present. She realized, quickly, that the reason for the added light was that the darkness all around them was gone!

"ADRIEN!" she gasped. "Do you think that was - are you -"

He threw his arms around her tightly, and she could hear him crying. For a moment, she feared the worst.

"It- it- it's - it WORKED!" he burbled, overwhelmed. "The energy is gone!"

Firefly's "YES!" nearly deafened him. Still wrapped up in a tight hug, she shot straight upwards in a spiral, twirling them over the city of Paris. "I can't believe it!" she beamed.

She relaxed, slightly, and the remnants of the golden aura faded out. Gotta save SOME energy, she grinned to herself. We're pretty high up!

"I was s-so scared, Marinette... that I was about to lose you..." stammered Adrien.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Mister," Firefly laughed. "Now... let's get you back to your father and see how he is..."

"My father?" wondered Adrien.

"He's the one that cast the wish," explained Firefly, throwing something of a damper on the mood. "I was going to, but he kind of... made sure I couldn't. And then we-"

Abruptly, in a crackle of energy... Firefly reverted to Marinette in mid-air!

"WHAT THE HECK?" yelled Marinette. "Papillon, what did you just DO?"

Their upward momentum was still carrying them away from the ground, but that was only going to last for another couple of seconds...

"Do you have another Miraculous?" asked Adrien, panicking.

"Only the Turtle! And turtles don't fly! And it's used up anyway!" she shouted. "I had plenty of energy left! Papillon must've just... we're in big trouble!"

As the pair began to fall, Adrien held her even closer. "Close your eyes, Marinette. Hold on tight. I love you so much."

"I love you, Adrien," she answered, closed her eyes tight and held on tighter.

The wind began roaring around them, louder and louder.

At least it'll be quick-

...WHAT just happened?

Marinette felt something grab her... and instead of falling straight down, she felt like she was flying!

My powers are gone - my wings are gone - how am I doing this?

She opened her eyes...

She was still holding on tight to Adrien, who looked just as confused. They turned their heads, simultaneously, and saw a humanoid figure holding onto them. The woman wore a red dragon costume, with elaborate wings on her back, and a gigantic smile on her face.

"By all means, you two... keep being cute," the woman grinned, in a quite familiar voice.

"MOM!" cried Marinette. "How... what... THANK YOU! Where did YOU get a Miraculous from?"

"Your... rabbit friend? She showed up at the last minute with it and gave me a crash course on how to use it. Apparently Mr. Wang had held onto one last one, just in case," Sabine replied. "His instructions were to get to the site and look for anyone who needed my help. I got here just in the nick of time!"

"I'll say," sighed Adrien. "A few more seconds..."

"Wow," Marinette gasped. "Now I've been saved by BOTH my parents today."

"You've seen your father? Is he all right?" asked Sabine, with visible concern.

"Last I saw him, he was with Gabriel, over where we ran to. Over there," Marinette pointed. "Let's make sure that they're all right..."

"Thank you both for coming," beamed Master Fu, beckoning Marinette and Adrien to seats at his kitchen table. "Just about to pour the tea..."

"Glad to be here," replied Adrien, pushing Marinette's chair in for her. "Glad to be anywhere after that whole ordeal. How are you feeling?"

"Some days better than others," he smiled. "I believe I've performed my last transformation, though. This old lower back just can't handle that any more. Not since I turned a hundred and sixty."

Adrien gave that an appreciative laugh... then looked puzzled, as Marinette gave him an I-don't-think-he's-kidding look back.

"So, first," said the old man, "a toast. To the bravery of all my new friends... and certain ones in particular."

Their teacups clinked together, with large smiles all around.

"I could not be more pleased with the two of you," he continued, "and I strongly encourage you to continue as Ladybug and Chat Noir. You will grow into quite the partnership over time... in many ways, I suspect."

"We're, um, really hoping so," blushed Marinette, squeezing Adrien's hand. "We're a little young yet, but I think we're well on our way."

"Paris will need its protectors in the months ahead, I fear. It will not be all fun and games. When I emptied the Miraculous box to aid you last week, I had little opportunity to test and choose who received them. Some, like your friend Alix, more than earned the right to hang onto theirs. If not for her speed, we wouldn't all be sitting here now," continued Master Fu. "Most of the others returned theirs when asked. Some, we may approach again in time; others said that once in a lifetime was enough for them. But, for now, we have five Miraculous that remain missing."

"Which ones?" asked Adrien. "And who had them in the first place?"

"In order..." Fu began.

"The Horse went to a businessman from the north side of Paris, someone I suspect you had never met. He claims to have sold it to someone else, and to whom he would not say. Suffice it to say that someone calling himself the Warhorse has been spotted committing robberies in that end of town, and it may be that man or it may not."

"The Dog went to a young man attending university. He's called himself the Pitbull, and when I asked for it back, he declared 'Come and take it.' I suspect he may not be an outright criminal like Warhorse, but he may prove to be a thorn in our side in other ways."

"The Tiger was left at a home on the east side, intended for the youngest daughter. There are six people living there; three girls, a boy and their parents. I do not know which of them used it as Tigresse, or if they are trading it between themselves. I do know that Tigresse has been causing mischievous havoc all over town, and that her claws can cut through anything. Best approached with caution, if at all."

"The Monkey... well, he tried to help, in his own peculiar way, but he is unstable at best. He was an odd man, someone I knew through my connections in Chinatown, and he has simply disappeared."

"And the Peacock. That one is most concerning to me, as it is obscenely powerful if used properly. A woman in Montmartre received it; when I visited her again, she claimed no knowledge of it ever turning up. Whether she has it, or someone else found it and took it during the chaos, I do not know. It never surfaced during the recent chaos, and we must watch for signs of it in the future."

"So... knowing that, how do we handle them?" asked Marinette.

"If we can recover them, so much the better. That does not mean 'show up at their houses and beat it out of them,' obviously. But we must watch for sightings of them in public, consider when and where and how to confront them, and follow our best instincts," Fu replied.

"Ah." Adrien sipped his tea.

"Which leaves only your two, which have been more than earned. My Turtle, and I can attest that Wayzz will keep me from trying that again any time soon..." smiled Fu.

"You can say that again!" shouted a tiny voice from the next room.

"...and Gabriel's Moth," Fu continued. "Your father continues to recover well?"

"So far, yes," replied Adrien. "The first couple of days were touch-and-go, but between the hospital's care and the herbal treatments you've been giving him on the side, he's been getting stronger by the day. I knew he was getting back to his old self when he got cranky about 'Why is my hair white now?'"

"He's lucky that it stayed in at all. Or didn't catch on fire," sighed Fu. "Had I known that he was going to attempt the wish with three Miraculous active... Running three at once alone probably took five years off his lifespan."

"Dad's a tough old buzzard at heart. He might surprise you," counseled Adrien. "I've gotten him out of the house a few times so far; we did dinner at the Dupain-Chengs' last night."

"Which was really nice to see; everyone got along great!" grinned Marinette. "We were happy to have the company."

"Nathalie is also doing well?" asked Fu. "No prolonged after-effects?"

"She looked fine to me last night," said Marinette. "Adrien?"

"As far as I know, she's much better. Once the Cataclysm energy left her, she felt exhausted for the next couple of days... but so was I, so that's not surprising. She and Dad are... I don't want to say 'bonding' more and more, but they're closer than ever," confirmed Adrien. "Helping each other through this."

"Good. Then we're at least close to putting a lid on this whole affair. However... there is one more loose end. Plagg, could you come in here, please?" Master Fu called out to the next room.

"Coming!" Plagg floated over, followed by Tikki and Wayzz, settling in next to their respective hosts.

"What can I do for you, Master?" asked Plagg.

"I am... troubled by one last aspect of last week's crisis... the wish itself. You confirmed to me that the Cataclysm energy is back with you in full, so that much is right with the world," mused Master Fu. "But the power of the wish is rarely so benevolent, and demands balance. Either Gabriel was the most clever man that ever existed in how he phrased his wish..."

"...or the negative side of it manifested somewhere else, in some way that we don't know about," finished Tikki. "I had that worry, too."

"He did pretty well, I think," Plagg replied. "He didn't leave a lot of wiggle room in what he said."

Plagg and Tikki ran through the phrasing that Gabriel had used, to most of which Master Fu nodded and smiled. "He was clever," replied Fu. "And he listened to what I told him, and that's really all I could ask of him. But he did slip up in two places, and we will need to watch very carefully for signs of either manifesting."

"'I wish to put the Black Cat Miraculous right, and send its corruption away,' he said," continued Fu. "Send it away... where, exactly?"

"Oooh. That's not good," muttered Plagg.

"How could that manifest itself?" asked Marinette.

"A good question for which I do not yet have an answer," replied Fu. "The other part that bothers me is this... 'I wish for no man or woman or animal to suffer as a result of returning this energy and restoring this balance.'"

"That sounds pretty clear, doesn't it? Basically saying 'please don't mess up any other living creature while fixing these two,'" pondered Adrien.

Fu was silent for a moment. When he spoke, it was in something of a hushed voice...

"Not all living creatures are man or woman or... Let us hope that I am wrong."

In his bedroom, Gabriel Agreste stretched out, exhausted but happy.

The events of the past few weeks had strained him to his breaking point and beyond, it was true. But he had his son back; he had his assistant back, and neither were far worse for wear for the ordeal. His folly in collecting the Miraculous had bit him as hard as it could, and he had squirmed free in the end. Even casting the wish, as harrowing an experience as it was, gave him a sense of both accomplishment and newfound humility. He had looked the universe dead in the eyes, and it had stared back at him... and he had lived to tell the tale, somehow.

The rest is simple, he smiled; put as much of this behind me as I can, renew my bond with my son, heal my body and spirit, and learn to live again.

So simple. I wonder why everyone doesn't use this method? he laughed.

A tiny buzzing of wings told Gabriel that Nooroo had entered his room. "Hello, Nooroo, my little friend!" he called to him. "It's good to see you. I haven't seen much of you around while I've been healing."

"Oh, I've been around, watching over you. I'm definitely glad that you're feeling better," grinned Nooroo. "I'll need you to have your strength back."

"Is there anything that I can do for you?" asked Gabriel. "You went through an ordeal, being part of that wish, just like I did. It can't have been easy on you."

"It was... different," Nooroo confirmed. "It opened my eyes to... a lot of things. A lot of possibilities in this world."

"Like what?" Gabriel continued. "I suspect we will have a long time to discuss such things together, now that I am... forswearing any thoughts of collecting the Miraculous again. I suppose that I am lucky that Fu Wang let me keep you."

"One Miraculous should be more than enough... when it is used correctly," replied Nooroo, with a strange edge to his voice. "And there is indeed one thing you can do for me, Gabriel."

Nooroo floated in front of Gabriel's face, and Gabriel noted with alarm that Nooroo's eyes were full of dark, swirling energy... like nothing he'd ever seen on the Kwami before. "In fact, I must insist upon it," said Nooroo, more menacingly. "Something that I need you to repeat out loud for me... right now."

Feeling helpless, caught up in Nooroo's hypnotic gaze, Gabriel managed, "...And what is that?"

"DARKWINGS... RISE!"

THE BEGINNING...?

* * * AUTHOR'S NOTES, MEANING THAT IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR, YOU CAN SAFELY GO HOME NOW * * *

Okay! So... welcome, all, to the end of our long and wayward saga. There are a lot fewer of you at the finish line this time around, but that's fine; those of you who have read this story have been quite complimentary of it, and that's my goal. To entertain. Maybe it'll find a wider audience down the road, maybe it won't, but I'm not losing sleep over it and I'm just glad to have reached the conclusion that I'd originally had in mind.

My apologies to those who were following it and suffered through my two-month-or-so hiatus. A lot of things cropped up on the home front, including a change of employment, election season and assorted stresses, and my brain simply was not in the right place to be creative at all. If you kept the faith, bless you for that.

This story sort of spilled out of one of my Idea Bin concepts, "Keep Your Enemies Closer," a story idea in which Adrien was hit and disabled and Hawkmoth and Ladybug had to work together to find him, both super-wary of each other the whole time. I still might write that at some point and keep it closer to canon. But the more I thought about that at the time, the more this concept jumped out at me instead... I wanted an AU with recognizable characters and settings, tons of callbacks to canon, but where a couple of small changes had huge ripple effects.

Obviously, the two changes at the beginning were:

* Gabriel finds and brings home the Cat from Tibet, not the Peacock.

* Gabriel actually _listens_ to Nooroo at the beginning, and doesn't dive straight into supervillainy.

I wanted to use Nice Gabriel (and, wow, so many of you were completely into Nice Gabriel!) as a pretext to drop new costumed identities on our cast, and not just Marinette. Nightingale was my favorite, needless to say, but all of my 'alternates' had their charms. As for the new heroes in the climax, don't go crazy trying to match every one of them up with established characters. Many of them were left ambiguous on purpose, either because they were meant to be people Marinette didn't know or because they just weren't going to be used substantially.

A couple of them were obvious - Alix was revealed as Rabbit Transit, Anarka Couffaine was obviously Buzzbomb, I actually don't remember who I meant to be Baconator. (I think I imagined Roger as Hornhead, actually, but I didn't put effort into developing that.) Sabine as the Dragon was something I slipped in to see if anyone would catch, initially; Ladybug gasped, "FOURTEEN new heroes?" Well, four others were known to her, so where was #19?

Alya... well, she wasn't Vixen. We'll keep that under wraps in case of the very unlikely event that I ever return to this mini-universe. With other stories that I have in the pipeline, and the relative 'ehh' response from my fanbase compared to The Marinette Project and Tyger, Tyger... never say never, but I really doubt it. If some crazy person wanted to pick up the loose ends and the "hunt down the five rogue Miraculouses AND oh hell, Hawkmoth is out there now too" sequel hook, they'd have my blessing.

Poor Gabe. He did everything right, and his reward is to get brainwashed by a psychotic, corrupted Kwami. Ah, well, that's the breaks! (It does leave open the possibility for him to be freed / redeemed, if there's ever a sequel, yadda yadda very unlikely event.)

Anyway... if you've been reading this, bless you and thank you for sticking with it. My profile has its share of other stories to explore, ranging from long balls of fluff to alternative-episodes to crackfics. My new story-in-progress is "Someone To Watch Over Me," based on a wonderful comic by buggachat on Tumblr.

Bug me in the reviews / PMs if you feel so inclined. I'm always up for feedback.

- DFC