PA2: This would normally be where we'd start with the jokes, but today, we have something more important to talk about.

MP: Earlier this year, the city of Paris suffered a terrible tragedy when a beloved landmark caught fire. Though no lives were lost, large portions were destroyed. The good news is, various billionaires chipped in to give it speedy repairs (though this seems to prove that if the one percent actually cared about the world's problems, they'd be solved very quickly).

PA2: Let's leave the social commentary alone for now; God knows we're hardly qualified. The point we're trying to get at is that the damage done to Notre Dame was a tremendous loss not just for Paris, but for the entire world. And the reason we bring this up is because part of our chapter will be taking place in the famed cathedral.

MP: To our credit, we never meant to offend if that's what you get. We planned this story before the disaster, and certain things couldn't be changed. The story itself did undergo notable changes - for example, Chloe would've been the main reason for Huiqing's akumatization, making her think she was cursed because she was jealous of the new girl spending time with Adrien.

PA2: That plot point was dropped due to Chloe's character development throughout Season 2, which made that scenario seem like more of a stretch than it did when we first started planning. But the cathedral fight scene was too tightly woven into the plot for us to remove entirely. Again, our actions were not meant to offend, and we're probably making a big deal out of something minor. But knowing that our story will feature Notre Dame receiving damage and how important and tragic that the disaster earlier this year was, we felt it best to give this disclaimer here.

MP: Yes. No churches were harmed in the making of this story. One pagan shrine was, but you'll never know which one.

PA2: I said no social commentary! I'm like ten seconds away from going on a tangent about the issues with monocentrism as it pertains to invaliding other belief structures.

MP: That wasn't commentary. I drove my car into a shrine. Don't proofread and drive.

PA2: ...Good advice. Anyway, on with the story.

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Chapter Three

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"Paris is all atwitter about its newest hero on the scene!" exclaimed Nadja Chamack. The purple-haired reporter, dressed in her usual smart navy pantsuit, was seated at her usual position against the newsroom backdrop, along with a screencap of the bat-themed girl. "She calls herself 'Fu Fu', which I'm told translates to 'Bat Luck', and like echolocation, rumors are bouncing all over the city! Word has it that whenever misfortune falls, Fu Fu arrives on the scene to fix it with her signature 'lucky dust'. And eyewitnesses are raving!"

The reporter disappeared, replaced by a clip of a young man on the sidewalk. "She swooped down and prevented a five-car pileup!" he raved.

The image switched to an old woman in a park, holding a toy poodle. "Pierre here's leash broke, and she magically repaired it!"

The image changed again, this time to a dark-skinned woman in a white chef's uniform. "A fire broke out in the kitchen, and when she was done, it was like it never happened!"

The scene went back to the reporter, still smiling at the camera. "Fu Fu's exploits are the talk of the town, but she leaves as quickly as she comes. On a possibly related note, Ladybug and Cat Noir sightings are next to nonexistent today. Have they passed on the torch? And just what might the insidious Hawk Moth think of all of this? Whatever the case, this is Nadja Chamack saying, don't be bemused; it's-!"

The report was abruptly stopped by the screen going black, Nino having just pressed the OFF switch on the remote. Looking over at his girlfriend, he said, "Sorry about that. Your mom doesn't know what she's talking about."

"It's nothing I haven't heard all day,", Alya groaned, rubbing her temples as stared up at the ceiling. The report was bad enough, but did her own mother have to fall for it too? Looking back at her phone, she paged through the responses that had been bombarding her ever since her last Ladyblog entry. Fu Fu had only been around for a short time, but she was quick to amass fans. Ever since her first rescue, Fu Fu supporters had been harassing Alya for pre-judging their new "hero". Videos of Fu Fu's exploits had been sent to her, their senders eager to prove their point, but mostly it was just rude comments.

"Anything you can use?" Nino asked, scooching closer to her. "New sightings, suspicious behavior, something useful?"

"Just more hate mail. Ugh, seriously?" Alya groaned as she looked over another message, one which prominently featured the term "h8r". "Look, I get that you're trying to be 'cool', but just spell out the dang word!"

"I always hated that, too," said a familiar voice outside her window. Alya smiled and walked over, allowing Ladybug entry, Nino moving back to the other side of the couch. "I had a feeling if anybody saw Fu Fu for what she was, it'd be you two," she continued. "You noticed the akuma in her pendant, right?"

Alya shrugged. "Honestly, we were just lucky enough to catch her as she was akumatized," she replied. "Otherwise, even I might've been fooled. She puts on a good show."

"Yeah, and she's planning a grand finale that could wipe out all of Paris," Ladybug said grimly. "Which is why I'm here. Alya, Nino, feel like giving me a hand?" she asked as she held up the miniature Miracle Boxes.

Alya smiled as she reached out her hand. "You don't have to ask twice," she said as Ladybug placed the box in her outstretched palm.

"What she said," Nino added as he reached for his own box. "Gotta say, surprised you're okay with us knowing each other both ways."

"Better than all of Paris knowing it," Ladybug said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, it makes handing these out a lot easier."

Chuckling, Alya quickly pulled the box in and opened it, releasing a flash of light. As the foxtail necklace came into view, so too did a bright orange little creature with big pointed ears, complete with antennae at the top. It shook its furry tail and opened its big purple eyes, smiling with delight when it saw Alya's face. "Hey again, Alya!" the vulpine kwami chirped, flitting over to her shoulder. "I'd ask how it's going, but if I'm here, well…anyway, you know what to do!"

Alya laughed and, tossing her phone aside, slipped the necklace on with a practiced ease. "You got it! Trixx, let's pounce!"

Trixx's smile grew even bigger as she flew directly into the pendant. The pendant let loose a bright light, and Alya ran her hands over her face, conjuring an orange and white domino mask. Next, she raised her arms and spun, and her clothes were transformed into a similarly colored skintight suit. A flute materialized on her back. She flicked her hands over her forehead, and decorative fox ears appeared. Finally, she waved her hands behind her back, and a train shaped like a fox's tail billowed out behind her. She twirled and took a martial arts pose, proudly displaying her transformation.

"I love doing that!" Alya, now Rena Rouge, laughed.

"It's pretty fun," Nino agreed. "But now, it's my turn." As he opened his own box, another flash of light emerged, revealing not just the jade bracelet, but also the small form of Wayzz.

"A pleasure to see you again, my friend," Wayzz said with a bow of his head.

Nino smiled and pulled the bracelet over his wrist, then adjusted his hat. "Wayzz, shell on!" he announced.

Wayzz flew into the bracelet, changing its color to iridescent green, and an emerald mesh fabric spread down Nino's arm and over his body. He threw himself back-first on the floor and spun as a turtle shell-themed shield materialized over his back, then popped back up and ran his hands over his head, creating a hood and goggles over it. He ended by standing up with his arms crossed in a heroic pose of his own. "So cool!" he laughed.

"I'm afraid you don't have much time to revel," Ladybug said seriously. "We need to find Fu Fu and stop her before her stored-up bad luck gets out of hand."

At those words, Ladybug's yo-yo let out a beep. Ladybug flipped it open into cell phone mode, and found a text from Cat Noir.

"Perfect timing," she said. "Cat Noir's found her." Taking Rena Rouge and Carapace's hands, Ladybug leapt out the window and began leaping across the rooftops.

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Built in a time of ramshackle houses and wooden bridges, Notre Dame de Paris, of the 4th Arrondisement, was a testament to the faith of the Catholic church, a towering monument to God, and possibly one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, famous for its massive bronze bells, enormous rose windows, and elaborately sculpted gargoyles. Following his hunch, Cat Noir made his way to the famous church and slowly scoped it out. After a few minutes, he sighed and entered a high tower, then took a seat beside the largest bell, the bourdon nicknamed Emmanuel.

Looking up, he chuckled and announced upward, "You can come out now. It's just me."

With absolute silence, Fu Fu dropped down from her upside-down perch within the bell, spread her wings for a soft landing at the last moment and rolled out from underneath. "What, not even going to make a belfry joke?" she asked as she landed, not quite meeting his eye.

"Didn't occur to me, actually," Cat Noir chuckled. "So, I see you've been busy."

"There's a lot of bad luck in this city," Fu Fu replied, staring down at the streets. The people looked like ants, scurrying in every direction. "A hero's work is never done, I suppose."

"Very true," Cat Noir said. "So you figured you'd head for a particularly unlucky address?"

"Fours are bad news," Fu Fu agreed. "Besides, needed to clear my head. It really is quite beautiful here."

"We can talk about it after the crisis. So, what's the issue? Tornado? Car crash?" Cat Noir asked.

"It's not that specific," Fu Fu chuckled. "I just have a feeling that something's about to happen here. I know it's not much to go on, but I haven't been wrong yet."

"Yeah, you've had a pretty good track record, and that's just today," Cat Noir said, reaching for his staff. "Just let me call Ladybug so she can help-"

"No!" Fu Fu shouted, before clamping her mouth shut. She still couldn't bring herself to make eye contact. "I-I mean...not yet. Not right now. Let's just...be alone. Together."

As Cat Noir watched, he saw Fu Fu's hands start to tremble and winced. Hawk Moth must not be happy about that, he thought, glancing at the light purple glow coming from underneath her mask.

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"What are you doing, Fu Fu?" Hawk Moth demanded. "He's right in front of you! Take his Miraculous!"

As the akumatized girl continued to hesitate, though, he grew ever more frustrated. The melodramatic emotions of teenagers were easy prey for his akumas, but their pitiful crushes were nothing short of annoying. Such foolish children, thinking that a little infatuation was the same as real, true love. If only they knew…

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"Well, okay," Cat Noir said slowly. "I'm guessing there's something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes," Fu Fu said, her voice also hesitant. "But it's a secret."

"Don't worry, I won't tell," Cat Noir replied, giving what he thought was a warm smile. It is really hard to act like this with someone who's not Ladybug!, he thought. Still, Fu Fu didn't seem to notice.

"Really?" she asked, moving closer. "Not even Ladybug?"

"Y-Yeah," Cat Noir stammered, gulping audibly. "B-but, if you want to be purrfectly safe, you could...whisper it…"

Fu Fu's cheeks turned bright red as she basically leapt to Cat Noir's side. "Y-yeah," she murmured, her lips drawing close to Cat Noir's ear. "That would be...nice."

Cat Noir tried to control his breathing as he felt Fu Fu's breath closer and closer, until at last, when she was basically pressed up against him, her lips pursed, and her eyes now, finally, staring directly into his, he reached out to pull her closer. Specifically, he moved his hand slowly up her back, all the while whispering, as quiet as he could, "Cataclysm..."

Just before he could reach the clasp of her necklace, he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, causing his hand to instead grasp empty air. As he tried to rub the grit off of his face, he was stopped cold by a sharp pain in his stomach, knocking the air out of him. As he doubled over, he saw Fu Fu's left foot planted firmly in his solar plexus. She kicked upward and sent him flying. Eyes frantic, Cat Noir pulled in his right hand, now surrounded by the dark aura of his special ability, and clung to a flying buttress with his left.

He gulped as he stared down at Fu Fu, who was glaring back up at him with eyes that promised nothing short of outright murder. Even worse, he'd dropped his staff when she'd kicked him, leaving it laying on the ground right where Fu Fu was standing. Her right hand was still tucked into her pouch.

"Guess you Parisians are right," Fu Fu snarled. "Black cats are bad luck."

"What…?" Cat Noir wheezed as he clung desperately to the support, trying to catch his breath.

"You overplayed your hand, Cat Noir," Fu Fu continued, grabbing the superhero's staff off the ground. "Everybody knows you only have eyes for Ladybug! And you expect me to believe I won you over in less than a minute? I'm not an idiot!"

Furious, she pressed the button on the staff, extending it up, and slammed it into Cat Noir's ribs. He flew into the body of Emmanuel, desperately trying to cling to it with his one unpowered hand. As he slammed into the giant bell, his claws left noticeable scratches in the bronze.

"Besides, my lucky sense is a bit more precise than I let on," she went on, twirling the staff in her off hand. "I could tell something was about to happen, and I was ready to counteract it. Such a shame it had to be you, though."

With a flap of her wings, Fu Fu took to the air, keeping her distance from Cat Noir and his still Cataclysm-charged hand. She swung his staff, but in that moment, he saw an opening and lunged, ready to strike her bag of lucky dust. She was just as fast, though, and threw a handful of the dust directly in his face. Out of nowhere, a pigeon swooped between them, directly intercepting Cat Noir's face. The poor bird landed right across his eyes, and Fu Fu aimed a kick at his groin, catapulting the hero upward.

As he reached the arc of is ascent, he blindly grabbed the closest thing, one of the thick ropes holding up Emmanuel, for support, halting his fall. Unfortunately, however, he had grabbed it with his right hand. In a matter of moments, the tightly woven rope was reduced to black dust, leaving the superhero suspended in midair. Worse, bereft of one of its supports, the bell dropped noticeably, producing a powerful ringing. Cat Noir, so very close to the source of the sound, was nearly knocked out by the force of the chime, made even worse by his subsequent slamming into the floor of the cathedral.

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"Excellent work, Fu Fu!" Hawk Moth complemented, his mood rising considerably. Perhaps teenagers weren't quite as hopeless as he'd thought. "Now take his Miraculous! The ring!"

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"With pleasure," Fu Fu said as she walked over to the downed hero, currently embedded in the wood flooring and trying to recover his wits. As she reached down to grab his ring, however, she was suddenly stopped by a long cord wrapping around her arm, at the end of which lay a red- and black-spotted yo-yo.

"You've got more than a few bats in your belfry if you think it'll be that easy!" Ladybug shouted, standing on the tower's ledge.

"Oh, even I avoided that joke!" Cat Noir groaned, trying to pry himself loose.

Ignoring him, Ladybug planted her feet and gave her yo-yo a solid yank. Fu Fu found herself pulled off-balance, but dug her claws deep into the wood grain beneath her and pitched forward, dragging the cord along with her. The newly-arrived hero behind her was thrown forward, directly into the giant bell. Unlike Cat Noir, though, Ladybug was ready for it, and landed feet-first, bouncing off and swinging down to kick Fu Fu in the chest. The akumatized girl was caught by surprise, but recovered her senses and took to the air, raking her razor-sharp claws at Ladybug from above.

Stuck in the tiny room, Ladybug was forced onto the defensive, spinning her yo-yo to act as a shield. Seizing her chance (and Ladybug), Fu Fu burst free of the string, then grabbed the superhero by one shoulder and prepared to fling her upward, only to be stopped by a sharp pain as a green shield struck the back of her head.

"Sorry to interrupt!" shouted Carapace as he descended from the rafters. "You know us turtles - always late to the party!" As he fell to the ground, he maneuvered around the still-dazed villain and grappled her arms and legs, sending them both plummeting. However, before they could land, Fu Fu managed to rake his calves with her claws, loosening his grip just enough for her to free herself. With a quick twist of her wings, Carapace was sent flying into a wall, while she retained altitude.

However, her respite was short-lived, as Ladybug and Cat Noir pounced at the same time to aim simultaneous punches at Fu Fu's solar plexus. The bat-themed villain managed to block them both with Cat Noir's staff, then flitted higher into the tower room, heading for the ceiling. Ladybug and Cat Noir gave chase, while Carapace, still recovering from the impact, covered them from the floor.

"When did you figure out what I really was?" Fu Fu demanded, glaring down at the heroes. "My ruse was perfect!"

The heroes gave no answer, simply scaling higher, trying to corner the bat in her own belfry.

"Must say, I'm flattered that you considered me worthy of extra heroes," Fu Fu laughed, changing tacks as she stared down at the ground-bound Carapace. "And such a perfect choice! The Turtle Miraculous will keep me safe from misfortune forever!"

"But is that really the life you want?" Ladybug demanded. Cat Noir gave her a boost, and she flung herself directly at the villain, only to narrowly miss as Fu Fu lowered herself. Ladybug slammed into a wall, and clung to what little she could hold. Not missing a beat, she tossed her yo-yo behind her, but Fu Fu swung Cat Noir's staff and caught it. "Cowering and hiding, always dreading what misfortune life will bring next? That's no way to live!"

"Better than not living at all!" Fu Fu replied, swooping down at the assembled heroes. With Ladybug's yo-yo still wrapped around the staff, the heroine was left weaponless as Fu Fu came in for a claw swipe. He foot struck solid metal, though, when Carapace tossed his shield in to intercept. It bounced down, and Cat Noir seized it, then jumped and slammed it into Fu Fu's elbow.

The villain writhed in pain and dropped Cat Noir's staff, complete with Ladybug's yo-yo. Cat Noir threw the shield back down to Carapace, then grabbed his own weapon and unwound the yo-yo, allowing Ladybug to retract it. With a simultaneous nod, Ladybug and Cat Noir struck together again, but Fu Fu played them for fools, closing her wings and dropping down as the two collided in midair. Her mirth was short-lived, though, as a blow to her back slammed her into a wall.

"You've been outfoxed!" Rena Rouge laughed, twirling her flute as she joined the other three heroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir having recovered from their collision.

"It's four against one, Fu Fu!" Ladybug cried. "Still feeling lucky?"

Behind her cowl, Fu Fu's pupils dilated. Her gaze flicked rapidly over each one of the four heroes, her breath coming out in hissing wheezes. She beat her wings nervously, retreating to the highest points of the tower.

"You haven't lost yet, Fu Fu!" Hawk Moth's voice hissed in her mind, a mask of light appearing over her face. "Retreat, and mount a counterattack! Succeed and the Turtle Miraculous is yours to keep!"

Fu Fu nodded, unsure, as the mask faded. She flipped upside-down and latched onto the rafters with one foot, then reached into her bag and threw a handful of lucky dust down on the heroes, spinning wildly to spread it around. Ladybug spun her yo-yo like a fan, desperately trying to repel the particles, and Cat Noir and Rena Rouge followed her lead with their own weapons, sending it flying in all directions. However, rather than be frustrated, Fu Fu simply smirked. Exactly as planned, she thought, pulling in all the displaced good luck.

As the dust settled in, the room began to weaken. Floorboards that had lasted ages were suddenly infested by termites, and Emmanuel's ropes began to fray. The tower room creaked and groaned all around the heroes, and all four of them backed up to the walls. In the chaos, Fu Fu shrieked with joy, swooping down and seizing something in her claws before flying out the window. Before the others could follow, the room's floor buckled under their weight, and they were sent crashing down into the church below, right into a group of startled tourists.

"Ugh, sorry about that," Rena Rouge apologized, brushing them off. "Next time we'll take the stairs."

"Uh, Carapace?" Ladybug muttered. She pointed up, and the turtle-themed hero gasped and raised his shield.

"Shell-ter!" he yelled. A green force field erupted from his shield over the heroes and tourists, protecting them just as Emmanuel plummeted. Tourists screamed and ran as the enormous bell crashed down over the field and rolled off, smashing through the pews until it coasted to a stop.

"What was that!?" one particularly vocal tourist demanded as the shield went down. "Has Cat Noir gone insane with that Cataclysm!?"

Ladybug glared back at him, but her eyes went wide as she looked around. "Wait, where is Cat Noir!?"

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High above Paris, Fu Fu climbed higher and higher with the cat-themed superhero dangling upside-down from her claws. There was a loud beep as a claw disappeared from Cat Noir's ring.

"That was too close to comfort," Fu Fu muttered as she ascended. "It seems that my fate continues to chase me."

"Yes, Fate is truly pernicious," Hawk Moth said, the words echoing through her mind. "Even with all the luck you have accumulated, still it creeps ever closer. The question is, what do you intend to do about it?"

"Destroy it before it destroys me," Fu Fu replied firmly.

Cat Noir gasped. "Um, okay, I'm only hearing half this conversation, but what?!" he snapped, his eyes wide.

"It's the only way to be safe! This city has given me nothing but bad luck since I've been here; it needs to be cleansed before it can hurt anyone else!" Fu Fu shouted, adjusting her grip on Cat Noir so that she could reach into her pouch. "Hawk Moth is the butterfly; his luck will protect him while all others crumple! And when the city has fallen, I can retrieve and present the rest of the Miraculouses without issue!"

"Huiqing, please! You can't just wipe a city off the map like this!" Cat Noir begged. "This isn't you!"

"My name is Fu Fu, and you have no idea who I am!" the villainess shouted, a fistful of dust clutched in hand. "Now shut up before I drop you!"

"And why haven't you already?" Cat Noir chuckled weakly. "Still crushing hard?"

"Maybe," Fu Fu said, though her face barely flushed. "But it hardly matters; you're harmless now. Your Cataclysm is gone, and in a few more minutes everything else will be too. Then I'll get to see the pretty face behind that mask. One last dance, then I'll tear it apart and rip off that ring at the same time!"

"What do you mean, 'da-aaaaaannnnnnce?!'" Cat Noir said, only to get the gist as Fu Fu swooped up and down, spinning and swooping and generally making Cat Noir want to blow chunks. Ignoring his screams, Fu Fu began tossing handfuls of lucky dust to the winds, sending it flying all over Paris.

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Back in his tower, Hawk Moth turned to his faithful assistant, Nathalie Sancouer, who was standing next to him holding a tablet. "Are all the preparations in place?"

"Yes," Nathalie said calmly, tapping various images on her screen. "The structural foundations of the house are still stable, the protective chamber is being kept separate from the main power grid, and the automatic defenses are under direct control; no risk of them going off unexpectedly."

"Good, good," Hawk Moth replied as he gazed out the window, seeing a faint glint of red in the distance as Fu Fu made her way over the city. "And my son?"

"Last I checked, Adrien was practicing his Mandarin in his room."

"Good. If Robustus has taught me anything, it is that in this world, it pays to make your own luck."

"Indeed," Nathalie agreed. "Though I should point out, your stocks are up considerably."

"Also excellent, but be wary," Hawk Moth warned. "We have no idea what form the rebalancing will take, so don't put all our eggs in one basket."

"Of course, sir," Nathalie said, turning her attention back to the tablet.

Meanwhile, Hawk Moth continued to stare out his window. "Luck is truly fickle, but perhaps it shall finally favor my endeavors today…"

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"Hey, a euro!"

"Oh, there are my keys!"

"OH MY GOD! I JUST WON THE LOTTERY!"

As Ladybug, Carapace, and Rena Rouge rushed down the street, it seemed that everybody was having a lucky day, from meet-cutes to narrowly avoiding fatal accidents. Lucky dust the green of powdered jade was raining down from the sky, and Parisians were almost drunk on their own happiness.

"The heck is going on?" Carapace asked as the three heroes chased after the quickly disappearing silhouette of Fu Fu. "I know the lucky dust fixed things, but these people are going nuts!"

"It's probably the high concentration!" Rena Rouge replied, deftly leaping over a couple kissing in the middle of the road. "She's been collecting luck all day, and now she's spilling it all out at once! It's driving them mad!"

"And not just that. The actual quality of the luck is increasing rapidly," Ladybug muttered, biting her lip. "At this rate, the entire city will be drenched in good luck in a matter of minutes!"

Carapace stepped out in front of her, giving her a funny look. "You know, you never actually explained why this is a bad thing. I mean, we trust you, but knowing the mechanics would probably be helpful."

Ladybug sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, was in a rush earlier. Basically, the world runs on balance; light and dark, good and evil, good luck and bad luck, things like that. What Fu Fu's doing is destabilizing that balance tremendously, artificially boosting the good luck in Paris while siphoning away the bad. Her plan is to use the bad luck to cause an absolute catastrophe once it reaches critical mass, but at this rate…"

"The balance might outright break before she can even do anything," Rena Rouge concluded grimly. "Having her control the scope of that much bad luck is awful enough, but letting it run rampant?"

"We'd be lucky if Paris was still standing at the end, which means that it definitely won't be!" Carapace gasped.

"And that's assuming it'll stop at Paris. It might go even further than that," Ladybug added. "Still, one thing at a time. Now that you're up to speed-"

A piercing beep interrupted Ladybug, and a segment of Carapace's bracelet changed color.

"-have you got any ideas?" she continued.

"Honestly? We're in crisis mode, so I'd go for the Lucky Charm," Rena Rouge said bluntly.

"What?" Ladybug gasped. "But the balance-"

"Is already falling apart!" Rena Rouge interrupted. "Go for broke, girl!"

"Besides, right now we have no ideas," Carapace added. "With the Lucky Charm, we'll have a starting point!"

Ladybug sighed, but then looked at them and said, "Fair enough. Let's do this!"

With a bright smile on her face, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo high into the air, shouting, "Lucky Charm!" The yo-yo spun in midair, and a red and black object materialized beneath, then fell directly into Ladybug's open hand. It was-

"A picture frame?" Ladybug said, raising an eyebrow. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Seriously?" Carpace said, rolling his eyes. "This is far from the weirdest thing you've summoned!"

"Look, I don't get on your case about your thought process, you leave mine alone!" Ladybug snapped. "Still, you have a point. I can think of some uses for a picture frame…"

"Wait! There's something inside," Rena Rouge pointed out.

Ladybug paused, turned the frame over and gasped. "Yeah," she said with a sly grin, "that might help."

Carapace and Rena Rouge smiled back. "You've got a plan, don't you?" Carapace asked.

"I'm getting there," Ladybug replied. "But we still need to find Fu Fu."

Just then, a familiar news van drove by.

"Hurry up, Jean!" the familiar voice of Nadja Chamack cried from within. "Reports are flooding in of Fu Fu and Cat Noir at the Eiffel Tower! This is ratings gold!"

The three heroes just looked at each other and shrugged. "Well, the balance isn't broken yet; might as well take advantage while we can," Rena Rouge mused as they took off running.

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Free as a bird, Fu Fu flitted around the most famous landmark in all of Paris, dragging Cat Noir beneath her as she siphoned ribbons of glowing bad luck from the entire city. She could feel the power swelling within her, more than she could have ever dreamed. So much bad luck weaponized, there was no limit to what she could do!

"Say goodbye to your precious city, Cat Noir!" she cried, swooping and twirling to keep him off-balance.

"You can't do this, Fu Fu!" Cat Noir shouted back. It seemed that most of his good luck was in not yet throwing up.

"Nobody but Hawk Moth tells me what I can and can't do! He is the embodiment of luck! He will protect me!" Fu Fu chanted, her voice the lilting sing-song of a child.

Okay, she's gone off the deep end, but keep her talking!, Cat Noir thought, even as another toe print vanished from his ring. "Protect you from what?" he asked aloud.

Surprisingly, this actually had an effect on Fu Fu; her eyes widened, her lips trembled, and she pulled Cat Noir in close, pressing him against her like a stuffed animal. "From death...from bad luck," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "They're coming...they killed my father...they chased me down here...they're always there, waiting for the one mistake, the one missed omen…"

"Um, okay, but may-" Cat Noir began, only to be interrupted as Fu Fu squeezed him tighter.

"But not after today!" she shouted, cackling maniacally. "After today, luck shall follow my orders, obey my will! And in the name of the Butterfly and the Bat, I will spread good luck throughout the world! And all those who fail to accept Hawk Moth's rule shall be torn apart by the power I possess! Just as your beloved Paris is about to be!"

Okay, seriously, what the heck is going on here?! Cat Noir thought. This is too unstable, even for an akuma! There's gotta be something I'm missing…

Just then, Cat Noir noticed something odd about Fu Fu's pouch of lucky dust. It was flickering green and black, and was moving around as though it contained live snakes. Turning his head up, his jaw dropped as he saw flecks of the same light in Fu Fu's eyes.

It's all the luck! It's tearing her mind apart! Cat Noir thought, utterly horrified. If we don't stop her soon, there might not even be a Huiqing left after all this!

Now desperate, Cat Noir did his best to gather both his wits and his balance. Without a better plan, he swung his staff and nailed the villain directly in the shin. She shrieked and dropped him, sending him tumbling hundreds of feet. Desperately, he reached out for the only nearby structure - the famed tower of Gustave Eiffel. At his current velocity, he skidded and slid as he desperately tried to catch the metal with his claws, but without ripping off his fingers, but the tower was so smooth, and he was so dizzy, it seemed that he was doomed to roll and fall straight to the street below. Worse, Fu Fu had dived after him, and it was all he could do to dodge her grasping claws. The only thing slowing her down was that she was still harvesting every bit of bad luck in the city.

Suddenly, Cat Noir found himself enveloped in a deep softness, halting his fall abruptly. The sudden stop knocked the wind out of his lungs, but the soft surface made that the worst of the damage. As he turned his head, he saw that he was lying atop a large pile of mattresses, with Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Carapace standing near the base.

"Well, if it isn't the lady of my dreams," Cat Noir wheezed, staring down at Ladybug.

"Told you those mattresses would come in handy!" Rena Rouge said proudly.

"You would have said that about anything we found in that truck," Carapace sighed. "Still can't believe we got them over here so quickly."

"Look, the balance is going haywire, so let's just not question it," Ladybug answered. "Anyway, look alive, people! We've got incoming akuma!" she added, pointing up at the now furiously descending Fu Fu.

"You got a plan, Bugaboo?" Cat Noir asked, staring at the red and black picture frame in Ladybug's hand.

"Not yet, but I'm about to," she replied. She started looking around, taking everything in as her senses went into overdrive. The Eiffel Tower. Rena Rouge. Cat Noir's staff. Carapace's shield. Dinghy attached to a houseboat floating on the Seine. She gave special attention to the photo in her hand, examining its displayed scene.

"Okay, got it!" she shouted, casting her eyes skyward. "Cat Noir, I need your staff."

Cat Noir stared back, but shrugged and handed over his weapon. "Whatever you say, Milady," he said.

"Great, now stand over there and wait for my signal!" Ladybug ordered, before turning to Rena Rouge and handing her the picture frame. "In a couple seconds, I want you to use Mirage to show her this, then join him," she continued, nodding to Carapace as she handed him Cat Noir's staff, "on the Couffaines' houseboat. Use the staff and your shield to-" She whispered the rest in Carapace's ear, and he smiled.

"And I'm guessing you'll be fighting her off while we get set up?" Carapace said, rolling his eyes. "Always gotta nab the spotlight."

"Hey, it's-" Ladybug started, only to be interrupted by a loud beeping coming from her earrings as one of the four remaining dots vanished. "No time, just get in position!" She turned to Cat Noir, who was standing nearby, and shook her head. "No, wrong spot! A little to your left! Hurry!"

With that, Ladybug quickly jumped on top of the mattress tower and, using the momentum, shot up to Fu Fu's level, spinning her yo-yo. "It's over, Fu Fu! You can't handle all four of us, can you?"

"I have all the luck at Paris at my disposal! Even the number of death cannot touch me now!" Fu Fu snarled, adjusting her position to swoop towards Ladybug. However, she was interrupted by the sound of flute music. She tried to turn her head, but Ladybug distracted her with a yo-yo to the face, sending her looping through the air.

Meanwhile, on the houseboat, Rena Rouge's flute began to glow. A ball of light appeared at its end, and with a whisper of "Mirage!", the ball was sent flying over to Cat Noir, who had adjusted his position and was sitting down. In a flash, several new shapes appeared from the void, shining as if under a spotlight.

Back up above, Fu Fu was shaking her head to clear it while Ladybug kept bouncing atop the mattress tower. After a few seconds, Fu Fu turned her glare toward the heroine. "That's it! I've had it with this!" the akuma shouted, sparks of green and black lightning shooting from her eyes. With one hand, she reached into her pouch, which began squirming even more fiercely. "It all ends here! This city, my fear, all of it! I don't know how it will end: Flood, storm, riot, meteor, but it'll be right here and now!"

"Wait!" Ladybug shouted, leaping at the villain and latching on to her. "Are you sure there's nothing here worth saving? Nothing at all?"

"What are you talking ab-" Fu Fu started to say before her eyes lowered to the ground, and her train of thought abruptly crashed to a halt. She stared at the scene before her; a happy young Chinese couple was lounging on a blanket, sharing a picnic with Cat Noir. He plucked a piece of illusory dim sum and mimed eating, smiling at the couple. "M-Mom? Dad?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Ladybug smiled. "Yes, they're here. They're waiting for-" she started to say, only to stop as she felt Fu Fu's body start to tremble. "...Huiqing? Are you alright?"

"Huli jing…" Fu Fu muttered, her eyes hidden by her cowl.

"Huh?" was all Ladybug had time to say before she was suddenly blown off of Fu Fu's body by a tremendous burst of wind.

"HULI JING!" Fu Fu screamed, her eyes now completely filled with green and black, her pouch on the verge of bursting from how much it was moving. "How dare you...how dare you! Taking my memories? Casting your spells? ONCE I FINISH WITH THIS CAT, I WILL TEAR YOU APART!" she continued, before folding her wings and diving at Cat Noir, who was looking up at her with a terrified expression.

Okay, this is bad! Ladybug thought as she started to fall. Still, at least she's heading down there! "Rena Rouge, Carapace, now! Flip the dinghy!" she shouted as she started twirling her body, trying to reduce her momentum.

To their credit, the two horrified heroes only took a second before leaping into action, with Rena Rouge planting Cat Noir's thankfully extended staff underneath the dingy and over the fulcrum of Carapace's shield, and both of them flipping off of the houseboat's deck. As she landed on the staff, the end bent under their weight, lifting the dinghy up slightly, only for the boat to go flying when Ladybug landed atop Rena Rouge's shoulders.

Cat Noir, still staring at the mad-with-rage akuma, managed to catch a glimpse of the flying vehicle and leapt out of the way. Fu Fu, however, was blind to anything but her target, and so took the full force of the boat on her back, knocking her to the ground amid a large plume of dust.

Right in front of the dinghy, Cat Noir was panting as Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Carapace rushed over to him. "Did...did we get her?" Carapace asked, trying to peer through the dust cloud, a third segment disappearing from his bracelet.

"Let's hope so," Rena Rouge said, one segment disappearing from her necklace. "Because I don't think we've got anything left."

As the dust cleared, the dinghy was fully revealed, as was Fu Fu, who seemed as furious as before. Fortunately, though, it didn't matter; the dinghy had managed to land across the center of her back, pinning her wings, and therefore her arms, to the ground. She was trapped.

The defeated villain stared up in tears as the four heroes gathered around her. She tried in vain to shift the weight of the boat on her back, but the damage to her back had been too great. She could only glare and weep as Ladybug grabbed her necklace, yanked it off, and dropped it on the ground. "I think the moral here is that we make our own success," she said simply before bringing her foot down.

The bat pendant broke in two under the weight of the superhero's foot, and a black butterfly flew out. Smiling, Ladybug twirled her yo-yo. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma," she chuckled, tossing the weapon, which had opened on one side. "Time to de-evilize!"

The yo-yo snapped shut when it reached the butterfly, trapping the insect within, and with a flick of the wrist Ladybug returned her weapon to her hand. She pressed the side of the yo-yo and it opened back up. The butterfly, now pure white and harmless, flew out.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," she said, waving the butterfly away before taking the picture frame from Rena Rouge's hand. With a single deft motion, she tossed it into the air, shouting, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The picture frame stopped in midair, glowing with a bright white light, before it suddenly burst apart into a wave of shimmering ladybugs, which proceeded to fly throughout the entire city of Paris. Wherever they passed, citizens recovered from their lucky dust induced frenzy, coming to themselves with a brief start. The ladybugs swarmed around Notre Dame, repairing the flooring and restoring Emmanuel to its rightful place. Thankfully, apart from the cathedral, the actual damage to the city was minor, so it wasn't long before the ladybugs reconvened at the Eiffel Tower, pausing only to move the dinghy off of Fu Fu and into the water before vanishing.

"Pound it!" all four heroes cried in unison, bumping their fists together.

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Back in his tower, Hawk Moth seethed with rage. "You may have been fortunate this time, Ladybug!" he snarled as his window started to close, "but soon enough my lucky day will come!"

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"Well, at least that was an easy cleanup," Cat Noir said, turning to look at the city. Meanwhile, a black mist surrounded Fu Fu for a moment, then quickly faded, leaving the prone form of Huiqing, still in tears, but now looking both distressed and very confused.

"(Wha-what happened?)" she asked in Mandarin, slowly pushing herself up to a seated position and looking around. "(Last thing I remember I…)," she trailed off before gasping. "(Did-did I…?)"

"Get akumatized?" Cat Noir finished. In all the exhaustion, nobody noticed that he had understood Mandarin. "Yeah, but it happens to the best of us. Here, let me help."

The hero walked over to Huiqing and extended a hand, which the Chinese girl used to pull herself to her feet. "...Thank you," she said quietly, switching to French. She had a slight blush on her cheeks, but seemed otherwise downcast.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Carapace asked, tilting his head. "Like he said, akumatization's not that big a deal. Heck, you didn't actually hurt anyone, so I'd say that's a plus."

"Besides, even if we did, Ladybug fixed everything up, just like she always does," Rena Rouge chuckled, only to stop when she saw tears forming in Huiqing's eyes.

"...Not everything," Huiqing said, softly beginning to cry. "She...didn't fix me."

"Huiqing-" Ladybug started, only for the girl to interrupt her.

"I thought that she would fix me, that she would wave her hand and make fears vanish," Huiqing choked out, her accent getting stronger. "But I still feel this weight on my chest, still feel scared. It's taking everything I have not to run from the four of you. I want to cover this whole park in lucky dust and fly away. Nothing's changed."

"Well, maybe not nothing," Rena Rouge said, quietly. "I mean, you're not running, right?"

"No…" Huiqing sniffled.

"Then that's progress." Carapace said firmly. "There's no magic solution to getting over stuff like this; believe us, we know. But right here, right now? You just took a step forward. And that's huge."

"You can do this, Huiqing," Cat Noir added with a smile. "It'll be hard, and it'll take time, but you're stronger than this fear, 100% purr-cent."

In spite of herself, Huiqing giggled, blushing slightly.

"Here, maybe this will help too," Ladybug said, smiling. Gently, carefully, she walked over and opened up her yo-yo, showing Huiqing an image within. It was the same picture that her Lucky Charm had created; of Huiqing, only a couple years ago, on a picnic with her parents. Her father, a short, balding man, was playfully feeding her mother a dumpling. All three of them were smiling together, possibly for the last time. "Things might be bad now, but they weren't always. And they're bound to be better again. Your mother loves you, and I'm sure that wherever he is, your father does too. They'll always be looking out for you, helping you as you move past this fear. That's something that no bad luck can ever take away."

Finally smiling, Huiqing wiped the tears away and reached for the yo-yo. When Ladybug didn't pull away, she brought the picture in for a closer look. "I'd almost forgotten that day," she said softly. "Thank you," she continued, looking at each of the heroes. If her gaze lingered a few seconds longer on Cat Noir's face, no one brought it up. "Thank you all. You really are...Paris' good luck charms."

Turning away from them, the girl started to dash across the river, only to pause, look back, and consciously slow down her pace, walking back in the direction of the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.

There was a moment of silence between the four, finally interrupted by the beeping of their Miraculous.

"Guess I'd better get going," Cat Noir sighed. "Good seeing all of you - especially you, Bugaboo."

With that, he pounced onto a low beam of the Eiffel Tower, then off onto a rooftop and kept leaping until he was out of sight.

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One final bit of good luck awaited Cat Noir when he arrived home; his bedroom window was slightly ajar, enough that he could open it and pull himself in. As he moved from the window to the rock-climbing wall, his ring gave a final beep as his transformation faded, leaving behind only Adrien Agreste, Plagg resting in his jacket pocket.

Before he could climb down, though, he heard his door open. "Adrien? How are your-?" Nathalie asked as she walked in, halting at the sight of Adrien. She sighed, breaking her emotionless facade for the first time all day. "Adrien, I understand that your Mandarin lessons can feel repetitive, but your schedule has been structured this way for a reason. If you continue to show a lack of focus, I'm afraid I will have to inform your father."

Adrien opened his mouth, then paused. "...You know what, Nathalie? I think I'll just tell him myself," he said, leaping off the wall and walking past her. He made his way to his father's chamber and opened the door, revealing a tall, slender, pale, and elegant man wearing a white suit, seated behind a desk.

"Adrien?" Gabriel Agreste asked, getting up from his seat and walking over to his son. "Is everything alright?"

Without a word, Adrien hugged his father. Gabriel, cold, collected, and so very, very intimidating, froze for a moment before relaxing and returning the hug.

"What brought this on?" Gabriel asked.

"Just...just glad you're here," Adrien replied.

No more words were said as the two shared in the warmth of their embrace.

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"It seems that the Ladyblog was correct in their assertion that our new hero Fu Fu was, in fact, an akuma," Nadja Chamack reported, her face staring out into the Dupain-Cheng family's living room. "And unfortunately, she had an influence that even the Miraculous Ladybug couldn't fix. All around town, the people helped by Fu Fu have been experiencing a wave of bad luck. Empty gas tanks, skinned knees, holes in pockets, and more have been reported. In addition, while a record half a million winning lottery tickets were issued over the course of the day, the sheer volume means they are now only worth a total of twelve Euros each. Don't be too upset, though, viewers; Ladybug herself posted an announcement on the Ladyblog, promising that there should be no inherent danger. What's more, the run of misfortune should end within twenty-four hours. All told, a very good result for an akuma attack. This is Nadja Chamack saying, cancel those wagers, people, and don't be bemused, it's only the news."

Sabine laughed as she clicked off the television. "I'm guessing she didn't notice the cracked camera lens," she said, prompting Tom to join in.

"Or the sweat stains on her jacket," he chuckled, before turning to face Huifang, who was sitting next to them on the couch. "So, how are you feeling?"

"How should I be feeling?" she asked ruefully. "My daughter just told me exactly what she's been feeling these past few months, after those same feelings turned her into a supervillain. It's hard to hear that what I thought was helping was just making things worse."

"You're only human, Huifang," Sabine said, placing a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "And you were grieving too. It only makes sense that you'd want to move on."

"Moving on is one thing. Ignoring and downplaying my daughter's feelings because they were inconvenient is quite another," Huifang sighed.

"Don't be that harsh on yourself," Tom said. "Huiqing didn't seem mad; she seemed relieved to be telling you."

"She's a strong girl and a good one," Sabine agreed. "And I can tell she loves you. It'll be hard, but I know you two can get through this."

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"So you're feeling a little better?" Marinette asked, sitting at her desk. Huiqing, laying on Marinette's bed, nodded.

"Yeah, a little," she said, idly stroking Tikki, who was staying as still as possible. Marinette suppressed a wince.

Sorry Tikki, but I couldn't really say no!, she thought. "And what about the restaurant?" she asked, cautiously. "You said something about, 'reinterpreting the omens'?"

Huiqing nodded. "Yes. The fish part was obvious; I came to near the water, and there was a boat nearby. Ladybug probably had to tip it over to beat Fu Fu."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Marinette agreed. "But what about the others?"

"The death omens? Well, they were right, in a way. In multiple ways, actually. When I became Fu Fu, I became someone completely different. It's not a stretch to say that while I was her, I was technically dead."

"That's...incredibly morbid," Marinette said, blanching. "You did say there were multiple ways, right?"

Huiqing chuckled. "Yes, and this way is much cheerier. Today, small as it may seem, I took some steps forward. I traveled around Paris, I spent time with friends; I even was around four of Paris's heroes for a few minutes. My old self, the self that was bound to her superstitions, is gone. Now, I'm moving forward; slowly, perhaps, but surely. Similar to the Death in Tarot."

"If you say so," Marinette giggled. "You're way more versed in that stuff than I am."

Suddenly, there came a knock on Marinette's door. The door swung out, and Sabine poked her head into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but I figured you might be hungry after your long day," she said, lifting up a plate holding a sandwich.

"Mom, please don't climb up here one-handed," Marinette said as she walked over to take the plate. "Especially after all this."

"Oh, I'm not worried. I have my good luck charms right here, after all," Sabine replied, smiling brightly as she climbed down the ladder, shutting the door behind her.

Marinette, blushing, walked over to Huiqing and held out the plate. "Here. You need it more than I do."

"Thanks," Huiqing said, reaching out before halting. The sandwich was cut into quarters. Reflexively, she reached for her lucky dust, but then stopped. After a moment, she sighed, shrugged her shoulders, and picked up a segment.

Seeing this, Marinette smiled. It really is a new beginning for you, she thought as Huiqing took a bite. And you'll definitely get through it. You've got luck on your side. And, more importantly, you've got family.

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PA2: And that'll do it, folks! I know this was more traditional than our last project, but after the insanity that was Frau Marchen, we figured a return to form would be a good way to transition.

MP: Frau Marchen wasn't that much of a deviation. It was just longer.

PA2: And structured like an epic. I consider it a fairly notable deviation.

MP: Anyway, that's it for this story. We hope you enjoyed it, and we curse you with intestinal distress if you didn't. We're already working on a new Ladybug fic, too. It's called Mr. Director. So, if you haven't already got me on author alert, you should consider it. Oh, and don't forget to fave and review this story, too!

PA2: And if you liked Huiqing, don't worry. She's too good a character to let languish in one fic for the rest of time. We'll be making use of her again at some point, so look forward to that!

MP: TTFN! Ta-ta for now!~