Once upon a time, the Earth was a barren wasteland. Creatures known as the Grimm dominated, leaving mankind at the brink of destruction at any given moment. All hope seemed lost until a band of humans gathered together to call upon the gods for aid. Their prayers were answered, as the Kwamis descended from the heavens above to aid humans in their time of need.

Because they could not exist in the physical world without a tether, jewels were forged to tie the Kwamis to the humans, bestowing extraordinary powers on whoever wielded them. These were... the Miraculous. The humans overcame the Grimm, and throughout history, heroes have used these magic items for the good of mankind.

Of all the Miraculous, two of them were more powerful than the others: the earrings of the Ladybug, which provide the unlimited power of luck and creation, and the ring of the Black Cat, which grants the power of misfortune and destruction. According to legend, whoever controls both these jewels at the same time will be able to achieve absolute power that will grant forth whatever their hearts desire.

…

"I see."

An older woman played around with the brooch in her hand, the fingers on her other hand tapping on her desk. Her lips curved into a cruel smile, one that promised pain towards those who crossed her.

"Then I want that absolute power, Nooroo." She said. "I must have the Miraculous."

An exciting new epic begins here!

A MIRACULOUS TALE OF RUBYBUG AND CAT BLAKE!

Once Upon a Time, Part 1:

Along Came a Ladybug!

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

A tall girl crushed her sibling in a tight bear hug. The elder had blond hair, lilac eyes, a brown jacket, a yellow tank shity underneath and short pants; the younger had grey eyes, black hair with tips were colored red, a white shirt combined with a red hoodie. The bus had taken them far from their home in Patch into Vale, the big city. They were on their way to Beacon University, a college known for producing some of the best in the world. Only the most determined would survive even a year in this school.

"Please… stooooop." Ruby said while gasping for air. "You're embarrassing me in front of everyone!"

Yang chuckled, letting go of her sister. "But I'm so proud of you!

"Really sis," Ruby said low, "it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible!" Yang said bewildered. "Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees' okay?" Ruby said. "I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees. I wanna get through this year without too much trouble."

Yang looked at her a touch sad. "I know things were rough at Signal. Mom, Dad and I were honestly grateful that you got the opportunity because of how miserable you were. But things will be different here! Aren't you excited?

"Of course I'm excited... I just... " Ruby sighed. "I got moved ahead two years. I went from the beginning of high school to college. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

"But you are special, Ruby." Yang pulled her sister into a one-armed hug, gently squeezing her. "Trust me, by the end of the year you're gonna be so happy."

Unknown to the sisters, a blond boy trembled with his hands on his stomach. He hunched over on Yang's foot and vomited all over her.

"What the HELL?!"

"Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!"

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"Get-Get away! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

A while later, the two got off the bus to stare at their future.

Beacon University was a castle in the middle of the city. The first thing one notices is the tower in the middle of the structure, with smaller building surrounding it on all sides, a long entrance to the University welcoming all.

The sisters carried their luggage with them as they looked at the sight of their future with awe.

"Wooow…"

"The pictures have nothing on this, Rubes!" Yang said. "Rubes?"

"Ohmygosh, sis! Everybody looks so pretty!" Ruby said while staring at students walking pass. "I see people frills and… oh a goth too!"

Ruby tried to run off but Yang pulled her by the hood. "Ow! Ooww!"

"Easy there, little sister." Yang said. "We only just got here and you're gushing about everyone's clothes!"

"Sorry it's just… fashion is an extension of ourselves!" Ruby said gushing. "Clothes represent us you know! Oh, they're so cool!"

Yang rolled her eyes, but completely understood. Ever since she was a kid Ruby had been passionate about her dreams.

"Well, I'm gonna do some explorin'! 'Kay, see ya, bye!"

She ran off, leaving Ruby by herself flailing.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Ruby yelled out "Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?"

Ruby looked around the area. All she could see were students passing by, not even noticing her. She sighed.

"I don't know what I'm doing…"

So she decided to just move on ahead. If Ruby remembered correctly there was supposed to be a meeting at the auditorium later so maybe she should just find a way there? Yeah that seemed right. Makes sense. All she has to do is just keep walking and walking, maybe do a skip-

Ruby bumped into a luggage cart, knocking it down and sending the cases to the floor. Someone is standing over her.

"What do you THINK you're doing?!"

Ruby looked up. She saw a young girl, white hair and blue eyes, coldly staring at her. Ruby got up on her hands. "Uh, sorry!"

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?"

"I'm so sorry really I was just…" Ruby looked at the cases. "Huh? Those are-"

"Give me that!" The girl snatched the cases from Ruby. "These are Schnee brand high quality dresses! Very expensive material if I say so myself."

"Wait," Ruby pointed at the girl. "Then you must be-!"

"Does your brain-dead skull at last recognize me?" The girl placed a hand to herself, giving a proud smirk. "Everyone far and wide knows the name of Weiss Schnee! You've probably seen me across billboards, magazines and live contests, winner of several Model of the Year awards! I have studied and trained my whole life to enter this university but you… you seem a bit too young to be here."

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Well, I-I..."

"This isn't your ordinary school." Weiss crossed her arms while scowling. "It's not just sunshines and rainbows in a and of make believe! We're here to climb to the top, so... watch where you're going!"

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Ruby had had just about enough of her. She gripped her luggage to storm off.

"It's heiress, actually."

Upon hearing that, Ruby and Weiss looked to the side. Another girl, tanned skin and the most golden eyes Ruby had ever seen, stood over the two. She had a bow on her head, a book in hand and her bag in the other. She looked profoundly annoyed.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Fashion Company, one of the largest fashion brands in the world."

Weiss smiled smugly. "Finally! Some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

Ruby chuckled at the sight of Weiss immediately dropping her smug demeanor and getting angry. "Wha- How dare- The nerve of... Ugh!"

She placed the last case into the luggage cart before walking off in a huff.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby turned around. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day... So, what's..."

The stranger wasn't there. Ruby moved to see she had been walking off as well.

Ruby sighed. "Welcome to Beacon…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Ruby turned to see the blond guy from the bus giving her a sympathetic look.

"I'm having a pretty bad day too." He raised a hand up. "How about we go to the auditorium together? 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.' like my mom says."

'Oh shoot, he wants to be friends!' Ruby thought. 'Okay you're not screwing this up Ruby, don't screw this up don't screw this up YOU GOT THIS!'

"Ruby." She took his hand and shook it. "You're the vomit boy from the bus!"

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"

Ruby and her new friend walked down the indoors of Beacon. They passed through a window that gave them a view of the garden currently being taken care of by helpers.

"Look, I'm sorry!" Ruby said. "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"How about we don't do that then?" Vomit boy said. "The name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!"

Ruby gave him a skeptical look. "Do they?"

"They will!" He looked to the sides nervously. "Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that... Never mind. Are you majoring in anything?"

The shorter girl giggled. "I am! I plan on becoming a fashion designer. Lemme show you!"

She placed her bag down on the floor. Opening it up, she pulled out a notebook. It read on the spine Volume 1. Ruby had labeled it that after realizing one notebook wouldn't be enough for her creative mind. She's had several notebooks over the years, seven of which she brought with her.

"I've had all these designs and ideas for a long time!" Ruby said. "Here here take a look!"

Jaune took the notebook and started flipping through it. He didn't expect much out of the notebook except some neat doodles. The more he saw, the more his eyes widened.

"My God, these are so complex! It's incredible!" Jaune said, amazed. "You made all these yourself?"

"Yup, sure did!" Ruby smiled. "Been practicing since I was little. I love fashion, it's like a reflection of who we are and what we decide to put out into the world. I wanna bring out the best in everyone. Sorry, that sounds silly right?"

Jaune laughed. "You kidding? That's pretty cool. It's pretty amazing you had this all figured out as a kid. I still haven't figured out what I want. I don't even have a major yet."

"Well Jaune," Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find your way. My mom says that college is a realm of possibilities and we're starting so you'll have all the time in the world to figure it out."

Something sparked in Jaune's eye that Ruby didn't understand. "Thanks Ruby, I really needed that."

"Hmhm." Ruby looked around and stopped. "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know! I was following you." Jaune's eyes widen in fear. "Y-You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark? Is, uh... Is that a 'no'?"

Ruby clutched her head in despair. "OH NO WE'RE GONNA BE LAAATTEEEEEE!"

She grabbed Jaune's arm and they took off as fast as they could.

"Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease PLEASE be close!"

"H-hey I almost dropped my-"

The two saw Yang hanging right outside the door.

"Ruby! Over here!" Yang waved at the two. "Wait why are you hanging out with Vomit Boy?"

"Oh Yang thank God!" Ruby breathed in and out, stopping to catch her breath. "So this is Jaune, he's a friend- I think we're friends- are we friends Jaune? Anyway we're not too late are we?"

"Nah you made it a bit early actually." Yang said. "I guess you can come if you want, eh, Jaune is it?"

If Ruby looked no worse for wear, Jaune was clearly exhausted. He barely let out breaths before he took notice of Yang.

"Yup, that's my name! Jaune Arc," Jaune said. "Rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they do. Let's sit down."

The three went up a few steps and took seats. Jaune sat next to Yang, who sat next to Ruby. The trio noticed that the auditorium was large, potentially fitting over hundreds of students in one place. In the center stood a stage. The teachers sat next to each other while in front of them was the podium. The headmaster was supposed to make a speech, but she hasn't made an appearance yet.

"How's your first day going, little sister?" Yang asked.

"You mean since you ditched me and I made a joke out of myself?"

"Yikes! Meltdown already?"

"No, it's just that earlier after you left I started walking but then I tripped over a crabby girl's luggage, only this crabby girl was actually WEISS SCHNEE the Model of the Year winner and then she yelled at me, and I felt really, really bad, but when I said sorry she just kept yelling at me and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me so I was gonna say something but then this really cool and pretty girl shows up an-!

"You!"

Ruby jumped in fear, almost fleeing into her sister's arms. "Oh no it's her!"

Weiss scowled at the two of them. "You're lucky I decided not to have my team of lawyers come down on your throat and sue your sorry butt into oblivion!"

Yang whistled. "Wow she really is crabby."

"Look Weiss, it was an accident I swear! Ruby moved away from her sister and clasped her hands together. "I promise I won't get in your way okay?"

Weiss said nothing. "As long as you stop talking to me I don't care."

"Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot." Yang said. "Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?

"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Ruby said. She turned to Weiss. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!

Weiss turned to her, enthusiastic. "Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!"

"I'm cute?" Jaune asked, hopeful.

"Wow, really? I mean I don't talk much about boys but-"

"No." Weiss said. She turned back to the stage. "The headmistress is here, so quiet yourself."

All of the students' attention are drawn to the stage. A blond woman wearing a white dress that with violet shadings here and there walked up to the podium. She adjusted the microphone.

"Testing testing… ahem, hello everyone. I am Headmistress Salem, pleasure to meet you all. Now I'm sure you're all eager to get to your dorms and unpack so I'll try to keep this brief. Pinky promise!"

Some of the students laughed which made Salem chuckle.

"Haha, thanks for that. Now, you have all traveled far today. You came in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you are done you plan to dedicate your life to whatever you decide to pursuit. Each of you possess knowledge and passion that have gotten you this far, and the potential to do more. But those are only the first steps. Make no mistake, Beacon will not go easy on any of you. The toughest challenges lie ahead. You may start out rough, stumble around in the middle stretch, but I have the highest confidence that by the end you will come out of this university having improved tremendously and the ability to go beyond expectations. Everyone… Welcome!"

Salem waved everyone off.

"Alright now take the cookies from the tray and uh… eat! Phew, that was easy."

The students dispersed. Ruby took note of one teacher- Glynda Goodwitch she recognized- going up to Salem and arguing with her on something, but Salem continued smiling at her.

"She seems nice." Yang said. "Reminds me of a kindergarten teacher."

"That's how she is." Ruby responded. "She's a nice person, Yang."

Yang corked an eyebrow. "Oh you know her?"

"Yeah, she was the one who invited me to Beacon in the first place."

Ruby and Yang got their ID Cards from a nearby table and parted off their dorms.

Off to the side, Jaune was trying to talk to Weiss.

"I'm a natural blond, you know!" Jaune wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm totally cute enough!"

Weiss placed a hand to her face in exasperation. "Please just go away."

With that she stormed off, never to be seen again. Jaune raised a hand towards her.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune yelled out. However, he knew a lost cause when he saw it. He sighed. "Ah, great. And Ruby's gone too. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"

He walked off, unaware of a red haired woman staring at him with hands on her hips. Her green eyes narrow in mischievous intent.

Ruby let out a sigh as she stood in front of her dorm.

'The first day of the rest of my life.' Ruby thought. 'Okay here we go…'

She swiped the ID card through the handle, and opened the door.

It was a hallway that connected to two rooms. Ruby was thankful that at least she'd have her own room to hang around in. She wasn't sure if she could deal with three roommates that'd snore or bring people over or play loud music or-

"Well let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Ruby started unpacking her bag. "I'll just set everything up and get supplies afterwards. Maybe even get some cookies! Yummy."

As she placed her notebooks on the table, Ruby thought back to when she was first accepted into Beacon.

"You wanted to see me ma'am?"

Ruby closed the door behind her, sitting down to face the one who called her.

"Ruby Rose. Age 16. Class President." Salem said, flipping through the papers. "You've been involved in several school projects designing banners, arranging class activities, setting up parties, etc. By all accounts, you are a remarkable girl."

"Um… thank you." Ruby said, blushing at the kind words.

"At ease, Ruby, you are not being judged here." Salem waved her off. "Instead, I am extending you an… opportunity."

Ruby blinked. "What do you mean?"

Salem placed the papers on the desk, and stared Ruby directly in the eyes.

"Tell me, Ruby… what is it that you want out of life?"

The question threw Ruby off. She questioned whether this was some sort of test or not. If she said something wrong would she be thrown out of a window? Wait no that's murder. Thrown out of Signal? Yeah that made more sense.

"I… I want to become a fashion designer." Ruby said finally. "I want to make dresses and bring smiles to people."

This seemed to please Salem. She smiled at the girl.

"Very well. My name is Salem. I'd like to extend to you an invitation to Beacon University. I hope you survive the experience!"

"She gave me a chance… to start over." Ruby said. "I won't let her down."

She proudly surveyed her room. Posters of rock bands and fashion models, neatly stacked books, a prepared bed and a fantastic work bench for her creativity to flow. Neat and tidy aren't how she usually operates, but when you're trying to come up with ideas for fashion designs it's best to keep things simple in case one day she gets an idea and just has to jot it down.

"Looks like everything's out! Nothing could possibly ruin this."

The door opened, and Ruby felt a chill down her spine.

She turned around to find Weiss Schnee at the doorstep, carrying the stacks of luggage she had knocked over before. The two regarded each other, neither aware of how long they stood there, before Weiss grabbed the door handle.

"No. I am not going to room with you." Weiss simply stated. "I will correct this mistake with the headmaster."

With that she slammed the door shut.

"Figures," Ruby said, placing the hood from her jacket over her head. "Should have kept my mouth shut."

The store where they kept the school supplies was luckily only a few blocks away.

Having spent her whole life in Patch, Ruby could only stare in awe of the city she was in. Lots of places to be, stores to shop and a lot of people up and excited. The falling sun contrasted with the lights slowly popping up everywhere. If nothing else, Ruby knew she was gonna like it here.

Opening the door to the shop, Ruby waved hi at the person in the cash register, an old man who smiled and waved back at her. Luckily there weren't too many people in the store, otherwise Ruby would have had to claw and fight her way around.

"Okay the things I need should be…"

Ruby found them on Aisle 3.

"A ruler for composition, I already have pens and pencils to write notes down but could use more, several notebooks for the end of the year, a pen drive haha of course I need one of those what if there's a project to do!"

At this moment, Ruby forgot that she had a tendency to bite off more than she could chew. In that instance, she forgot that her small noodle arms are not enough to hold a huge stack all together.

"Whoaaaah!" Ruby steadied herself carefully. "Okay okay calm down it's gonna be fine. You can take this to the register and no one's gonna get hurt. Except me. Hopefully not me. I don't wanna pay for breaking anything."

As she almost stumbled over to the register, Ruby saw a tall ginger man in front of the old man at the register. The old man smiled.

"Why hey there sonny what can I do for you?" The old man said to the customer in front of him.

"Well you see, um," the ginger man held a gun in his hand. "I kind of need help with getting all of the money inside this bag. if it's not something that bothers you that is."

"Ah… ah, please don't hurt anyone." The old man sweated. He opened up the "Here, take it! Please leave!"

"Pleasure doing business with you good sir." The ginger man smirked at him, opening up his own bag and pushing the money inside of it.

Ruby stared at all of that. She wanted to move to stop him but… he had a gun. He could shoot her or shoot the old man and then nothing could get done. It was too dangerous to try anything.

The ginger man fastened the tie on his bag before opening the door. For a second, he glanced at Ruby with a frightful glare.

"You didn't see anything kid. Call the cops and I'll find out who you are and kill you."

With those words, he slammed the door shut.

"Thank God he left," the old man said. "Everything seems to be getting worse and nobody's stopping it."

Ruby didn't say anything.

After spending money on her materials, she left the store and turned left.

The reality of the situation startled her. Not even her first day at Beacon and Ruby was at the scene of a crime? She could have died! This truly was the worstday of her life.

Still, Ruby couldn't help but beat herself up over letting that guy go. Even if logically she knew that jumping the guy could have resulted in someone getting shot, Ruby wished that there was something she could have done. It made her so upset.

'If only I had some kind of weapon… like a gun... or a scythe... hmmm a scythe gun… yeah, that would be so cool.'

Either a gun scythe or some clever plan to take that guy out. As it is, there was nothing she could have done. And that made her mad.

Ruby continued walking, before she spotted something from the corner of her eye.

'That old lady is… waitwaitwait WAIT!'

She immediately dropped her bags, rushing forward. An older woman was about to cross the street with a speeding car about to run her over. so her body moved without thinking. Ruby grabbed the older woman by the arms and pulled her away from her deadly fate as the car continued moving.

"Watch where you're going you hag!" yelled out the driver before he sped away from the scene.

"You could have stopped at any time! Jerk!" Ruby blew a raspberry, before turning to the old woman she had just saved.

"Such a rude man that one." said the elder, a short woman with tan skinned and sunglasses, hair tied in buns. "Not like you dearie. Thanks so much for helping me not be roadkill today."

Ruby laughed, "Ha ha, that's just what anyone would do! Just make sure to look both directions next time."

"I wish I could but," The old lady pulled her sunglasses away, revealing peculiar grey eyes. "I don't see the point, you know?"

"Oh… oh you're blind! Wait ohmygosh I'm so sorry I don't mean to be so insensitive!" Ruby flailed her arms around before a cane stabbed at her stomach.

"Now don't give me that. My name is Maria Calavera." The old woman smiled. "I must repay you for saving my life!"

"No no you don't have to it was nothing rea-" Ruby could not say more because she felt something reach her hands.

"This is a box I found the other day. An antique" Maria said. "I want you to keep it with you okay?"

Ruby, not wanting to embarrass herself any further, nodded fiercely. "Yes, yes! I'll cherish it forever and won't let it out of my sight!"

Maria laughed. "That's good! You're a very sweet girl. You deserve the world, I tells ya! Have a lovely evening!"

"Thanks you too!"

With that, Ruby placed the box inside of her bag and ran off.

Weiss was thankfully not in the room by the time she arrived.

Based on the fact that her luggage remained in the hall unpacked, Ruby figured that she was still arguing with Salem over her room arrangements. She might show up at any time.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, deciding she'll just have to get used to her. No way she was gonna throw her chance away because of a crabby girl she only knew for a few minutes.

"Time to see what's inside this box." Ruby said to no one in particular.

She moved the bags on top of the bed, while gazing at the box. The box itself was a peculiar thing. It was utterly black, but neatly crafted and cared for. The top of the box had a symbol that Ruby didn't recognize. It looked Chinese but she didn't want to make any racist assumptions there.

With no other recourse, she opened the box.

Inside were a pair of shiny red and black earrings. The while thing was red but covered in black spots that made it resembles those of a ladybug.

"They're so pretty!" Ruby grinned, wide eyed. "I better put these on!"

And so she did, placing them carefully on her ears.

"I can't wait to show these off to Yang! She's totally gonna freak when I walk around in these babies."

"I'm sure she will! You're so pretty!"

Ruby blinked. She wasn't sure her brain caught up with her ears.

Slowly, she turned around. A bright, glowing red creature with black spots floated next to her. The creature smiled at her.

"Hi!"

Ruby screamed.

"Oh my god what the heck are you please don't hurt me please don't hurt me what the fuck what the-"

"Ruby please calm down! I'm a friend!"

Ruby shook her head. "Nuh uh, I must be crazy. Yes, maybe that robber shot me and I'm dead!"

The creature raised an eyebrow. "If you were dead wouldn't you want to be somewhere that isn't school?"

This made the younger girl stop. She clutched her head as she sat on the floor. "Oh God you're right."

"Okaaaaay so maybe I handled this all wrong."

"NOOOOO really?" Ruby almost yelled, but she breathed in and out. "Sorry… sorry it's just um… who are you- WHAT are you?"

"Oh that I can answer!" The little creature did a dance, making breezy movements in the air. "I am Tikki, the Kwami of Creation and Good Luck! You received the Ladybug Miraculous, a pair of earrings worn across generations of powerful and extraordinary heroes! Since my master gave you the earrings, that must mean that you're meant to be a new hero!"

Ruby let out a tiny laugh. "Me? A hero? I mean, not that I don't like the idea but I'm not at all what you're looking for. You're looking for a brave and inspiring person and I'm… I'm just me. No one special."

"But you are special!" Tikki floated in front of Ruby's face, still smiling. "You dropped everything and rushed just in time to save my master's life. That proves that somewhere inside of you is a heart of a hero."

"Anyone could have done that," Ruby smiled sadly, "If I was brave I would have stopped that robber at the store."

"I don't think you could have done much in that situation Ruby," Tikki said. "You exercised caution and didn't act rashly in a way that got people hurt. You are very smart."

The two sat in silence for a bit. Tikki floated, unsure of what was going on Ruby's head as she kept changing expressions.

"Okay then… assuming this isn't a dream or something," Ruby finally said. "What can you do?"

"Oh!" Tikki smiled again. "There are so many things I can do, given I'm a Kwami of Creation. However, I only manage to exist in this plane of existence because my physical body is tied to the earrings you're using right now. If you say a certain phrase, I merge with you and grant you some of my abilities."

"So I become a magical girl?"

"Yes yes!"

"Wow… wait, you said you were a Kwami? What is that?"

"Kwamis… well, we're basically beings of thoughts and expressions. I am the Kwami of Creation, so I have the ability to create! There's others like me out there, with their own powers and things they represent. For example, my counterpart is Plagg, the Kwami of Destruction. Don't hang around him, he's a huge troublemaker!"

"I can imagine…" Ruby said. "Why do you need to be tied to an object?"

"Because we're beings of thought, we exist outside of the boundaries of linear time and space. We need to be tied to specific objects so we can appear in your reality."

"Wow, you guys must be so old!"

Tikki's eyes bulged in fear.

"Heh heh, yeah…" Tikki nervously chuckled. "uh, do you have any other questions?"

"Your master… she's the old lady from before? Maria right?"

"That's right! She's one of the many Guardians of the Miraculouses!"

"Right…" Ruby got up from the floor. "So I have to find her to return you."

"What?! But Ruby-"

"You're very nice and all Tikki but I just started University.' Ruby said. "I don't want to get into any trouble and there are so many options out here than just me. I'm gonna find Maria and return you to her!"

"Wait! How about this? Use me once. I'll tell you the words, you turn into the ladybug champion and try it out. If you decide it's not cut out for you, then you can return me. Is that okay?"

"I don't know…"

"Please Ruby. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're a good person who'd make a great hero. Just trust me."

Ruby placed fingers on her chin.

"Hmmm… okay. We'll give it a try." Ruby pointed at Tikki. "But if i don't like it then I'm returning you, no questions asked!"

"It's a done deal Ruby!"

Tikki descended to Ruby's eye level. The two of them shook hands, a partnership established. Just then the door opened.

"Oh no Weiss! It's not what you think you're totally fantasizing!"

"Impossible," Weiss said, "my fantasy would have you out of this dorm and outside of my life."

"Wait you don't see-"

Ruby looked up and found that Tikki had disappeared. She felt a pressure coming from her earrings, which answered where she went.

"Oh… eh, heheh!" Ruby chuckled forcibly. "So how did it go with the Headmaster? Are you gonna be moving out… hopefully…?

Weiss slammed the door shut.

"According to the Headmaster all the dorms are full and there will be no others open for months. Which means I'm going to be stuck with you."

"Oh… that's too bad-" Ruby course corrected. "i mean for you I imagine! Haha being stuck with silly old me!"

"Riiight…" Weiss rolled her eyes. "So I'm going to lay down some ground rules. No annoying babbling, don't talk to me, I am not your friend and will most never barge into my room for any reason. We will leave each other alone and that's it. Understood?"

"Hmhm, yeah yeah."

Ruby moved away from Weiss and onto the door.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"Well, uh," Ruby smiled. "I have some errands to run! Gotta see how Yang's doing and all haha! Bye!"

Quickly, she opened the door and shut it. Weiss only let out a sigh.

"That dolt is going to be the death of me."

Alright, so she was going through with the crazy idea of being a magical girl.

Okay. Fine.

Before any of that though, Ruby decided to check up on Yang and see how she was doing. Yang texted the room number which apparently wasn't too far off from Ruby's. Down the hall, take a right.

Ruby went on her tip toes and gently knocked the door. It opened to reveal Yang, who had already taken a shower and switched to her pajamas.

"Ruby! Come in, I gotta show you my roommate's!"

She grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her over.

"Yaaaaaang!" Ruby whined. "Let go!"

Yang laughed. "Sorry it's just exciting to be here isn't it?"

"I guess," Ruby broke away from Yang's hold. "It's a bit weird not knowing anyone."

"What about Jaune? He's…" Yang scratched the back of her head, "Nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!"

"Hmmm… I guess that's true." If Ruby counted Tikki that would be two friends. If, since she wasn't sure how it was gonna go down. "Still, making an enemy out of Weiss Schnee is pretty bad. Worst part is, we're gonna be roommates Yang!"

"Really? Bummer that sucks," Yang said. "How about changing rooms?"

"She tried to but she said that the dorms are full and there won't be any available space for months. I have to live with her Yang!"

"Shit that's bad…" Yang said. "At least you're gonna get more than a few rods out of her! My roomie's been pretty quiet. I tried talking to her but she just wouldn't budge."

"That's probably because you infected your personality her." Ruby smirked. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"Ah ah! Watch it Ruby, or I'll give you a noogie!"

Ruby laughed. For a few moments, she looked at Yang, and considered possibilities. Ruby Rose was just a normal girl, but Yang was incredible. Big, caring and strong. She's nothing less than extraordinary in Ruby's eyes. Maybe she should give the earrings to her? Yeah, Vale could have a Ladybug hero who fit the job description, instead of silly little Ruby. Maybe.

Yang showed her to the beds. Ruby could tell the one on the right was Yang's thanks to the messy state it was it was in, with a couple of beer cans already thrown over the floor and sheets spread. The left side had books stacked to the side and not much else to it. Sitting on the bed was someone Ruby remembered.

"Hey… you're that girl…"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You know her?"

The girl looked up from the book. This girl had changed to her own pajamas, a black and violet yukata. Ruby could noticed one of her hands there was a black ring.

She regarded Ruby closely, her eyes narrowed. "You're that girl that knocked over Weiss' luggage?"

"Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby! But you can just call me... um…" She blushed a little and smiled. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby. I wanna say thank you for saving me earlier today, I don't know if I could stand being yelled at by Weiss all day."

"Oh." The girl nodded. "Don't thank me. It's always a pleasure to rattle a Schnee."

She went back to reading her book, ignoring the two in front of her. Ruby wasn't sure what to do, and Yang's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Rolling her eyes, the elder sibling decided to step up. So she went in front of Ruby and cleared her throat."

"So... What's your name?"

The girl only gave an irritated sigh. "Blake."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!"

"Thanks."

"It goes great with your... pajamas!"

"Right…"

"Nice night, don't you think?"

"Yes, it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book!" Blake turned to the pages of her book. "That I will continue to read."

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause." Yang turned to Ruby, clearly annoyed. "Anything you wanna tell me about your day or-"

Ruby stepped in front of her sister. This time she pointed at the book Blake was reading.

"What's it about?"

Blake looked up. "Huh?"

"Your book. What's it about?"

"Well…" Blake trailed off, seemingly confused by Ruby. No matter. it was just a question. "It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

"That's really cool." Ruby said. "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of princesses, monsters, and the heroes who saved the day… They've been a major inspiration in my life even after I decided I want to be a fashion designer."

Blake laughed a little. She was a touch amused by the girl in front of her. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?

"Well, I'm hoping we all will." Ruby said. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

"That's... very ambitious." For the first time Ruby could see Blake form a tiny smile. It disappeared quickly, turning into a frown. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

"I know that… but it's not hopelessly bleak either." Ruby said, firmer than before. "We're all here for a reason, even if we don't know it yet. The world can be a better place so long as we're kind and help each other out. That's what really matters I think."

Immediately Ruby felt herself being dragged up into the air by a pair of strong arms.

"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" Yang yells while hugging her precious Ruby.

"Cut it out!" Ruby playfully punched Yang. "Yaaaaannng you're embarrassing me in front of her!"

For the first time, the sisters heard a soft laughter. Blake had placed the book down, staring at the two while having a slight blush. She raised a hand up.

"Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to have you."

Ruby reached out and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you too."

The roof of the dorms. Everything changed in this one spot.

Carefully closing the door behind her, Ruby took a glance at Tikki, who did her cute little dance across ways from her. The girl sighed.

"How does it go again?" Ruby asked the tiny creature.

"What happens is," Tikki responds. "You say a command phrase, 'Spots on!", and I fuse with you to become the Ladybug Champion!"

"Right… how does the fusion work exactly?"

Tikki stopped her dance, waving her arms in front of Ruby.

"Well you're you. You're the one in charge. You just gain some new powers too. You have a yoyo that acts as your weapon. You can summon an object that will be instrumental in defeating an enemy. You can alter probability to suit your favor."

"Wait… a yoyo?" Ruby's eyes bulged in shock as she yelled. "Why a yoyo instead of something cool like… I dunno, a scythe gun? That would be way better."

"Well Ruby" Tikki explained. "The yoyo has many uses in the battlefield. With creativity and imagination, Ladybug wielders make do with what they have and use it to their best advantage. A scythe gun, in addition to a rule instated later that Miraculous users can't kill, is an impractical weapon for a crowded city where hundreds of people could be watching you and dangerous since a ricochet can kill someone if you're nor careful. No amount of luck will save every person if you use it."

Ruby backed away slightly. "Okay okay, that makes sense. Right…"

She brushed herself off, breathing in and out as she mentally prepared for the task ahead.

"Okay then… Tikki, SPOTS ON!"

Tikki disappeared from Ruby's line of sight, turning into a bright red beam of light that swirled around her body…

She felt was a nest of insects crawling up her feet.

Everywhere she felt cloth there were things that spread and made herself disappear. First came her shoes, to which her feet felt the ground upon her toes. They continued up her legs, her shirt, her hoodie jacket, the bugs eating away at the material objects that Ruby Rose tethered to the real world. She feared herself when the bugs came to her face.

"Stop it! Stop it…. wait…"

The moment of terror was replaced by a relief she had not felt in ages. She stared at her own hands, no longer seeing the slightest bit of human skin. Instead they were wrapped in a red ultra thin fabric that felt as though it was second skin. She no longer felt her clothes but instead a sense of self she had never known.

"I feel… miraculous…"

Ruby Rose was no more.

With a toothy grin she hadn't had since she came here, Ladybug threw her yoyo out to the sky. It found a pole to cling on, and she took off without haste.

"Oh God… THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!"

Here she was! At last, Ruby Rose, lame first year college student, flew through the air on her yoyo as if she was Spider-Man! Or Spider-Girl. Or Spider-Woman. Or none of them since ladybugs are not arachnids. Probably.

Whatever, swinging through the air felt marvelous. She could feel the winds blow through her, the sounds of crowds below her, shouting and yelling things her ears did not pick up.

Insults? Praise? Who really cares! The night belonged to Ladybug, and no one else.

"WooooooooHOOOOOOOO!"

She couldn't smiling as she yelled. When she found a building too tall to swing through, Ladybug landed on the side of it and began a vertical runn. Ruby remembered the days at Signal where she participated in track. She always came up with high grades there, much to everyone else's annoyance. No one would expect the little rose to be running up buildings and later the rooftops.

Like Spider-Girl. But cooler.

From there Ladybug jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Luck truly was on her side. She was glad that at no point did she not fall down in a clumsy fit or an accident. She was in control all along.

The strangest thing for the girl wasn't the new found confidence in herself she didn't possess before. It wasn't the fact that she didn't tire from running, or the fact that she had greater dexterity using the yoyo to swing across. It was magic, they probably helped her out.

No, the truly strange thing was that none of these things contradicted who she was at the core. All these feelings, these emotions, they came from a place she kept locked away but now embraced with glee. Perhaps this is the true power of the Ladybug Miraculous. The ability to reveal the true self, and set it free.

She stopped right in front of a platform. Her eyes darted to the left.

"Please Roman, no… somebody help!"

"Shut it or I'll kill you, you little bastard. Call it my special brand of mercy."

Her enhanced hearing-no doubt more of the miraculous' power- picked those up right away. Ladybug recognized the voices and knew exactly what she had to do.

With that, she dropped right into an alleyway, forcing the pair to look at her.

"What the- some kind of cosplayer?!"

"Get away from here he's got a gun!"

The robber from before-Roman she recalled- was holding Jaune Arc hostage with his gun. Roman had Jaune's head caught in his shoulder as he pointed the gun at Ladybug.

Jaune, one of Ruby and Ladybug's new friends, could very well die if she made a single slip up.

She won't allow that possibility to happen.

"If you're going shoot at someone, shoot me." Ruby said, in a moment of anger. "If you've got the guts for it."

Roman darkly chuckled. "Guts? I've shot two-bit cosplayers before, the cops won't mind seeing another one in the morgue."

In an instant he lined up a shot to kill Ladybug. No remorse, no hint of emotion. Just the cold blooded murder of a teenage girl as the boy next to him begged and cried.

Or not.

He pressed the handle and nothing came out.

"What? Jammed?!" Roman yelled, shocked at the outcome. "Impossible I had this thing-"

The hand that carried his gun suddenly found itself wrapped in a tight rope. Roman suddenly found himself pulled from his position onto the air.

"You're not gonna get me you damn- UGH!"

Roman could not say more, as Ladybug clocked his face in. He fell to the ground, consciousness lost in the small struggle.

With the danger gone, Ladybug turned her eyesight from the robber to Jaune.

His face belied a string of conflicting emotions: bewilderment, shock, amazement at the event that just transpired.

"Th-thanks!" He let out finally. "I didn't think anyone was gonna save me."

She couldn't help but smirk at the hapless teen. Ladybug saluted him.

"My pleasure. You're lucky I happened to be in the area at the right time. Next time try to keep off the bad side of town."

"I think I'll, uh, do that." Jaune asked. He shook his head. "Sorry I mean no offense really, thank you for saving my life but- who are you and where the heck did you come from?!"

"Sorry. Can't exactly answer that. Girl's gotta keep he secrets after all." The hero struck a pose. "Just call me Ladybug. I'm here to help."

With that Ladybug jumped up into the air, leaving Jaune alone with a knocked out crook.

A safe distance away from the alley, Ruby had detransformed. Tikki appeared in front of her, watching the girl jump up and down so excitedly.

"OHMYGOSH Tikki that was so AWESOME!"

"You see Ruby?" Tikki said. "You really can do it!"

"I could! I could…" Ruby trailed off. She stared at the moon in the sky, smiling at the way it shined tonight on this city. On her.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Tikki asked. "Still want to return me to Maria?"

"Well… I'm still not sure if I'm cut out to be a hero…" Ruby said. "But I'm willing go stick with it for now. I'm sure I'll come across her sooner or later."

"Yes yes!" Tikki flew right into the girl's face, using her tiny arms to hug her. "You're gonna go far Ruby!"

"Not without you Tikki…" Ruby hugged her new friend. "Not without you."

As breakfast time came, Ruby Rose skipped just a bit.

Since last night's adventure she had been feeling great. The exhilaration that came with being Ladybug placed her on cloud nine. Ruby almost didn't hear her name being called out in the crowd.

"Ruby!" Yang waved at her from the table she was sitting, Blake reading at book next to her. "Come sit with us and look at the TV!"

"Coming!" Ruby yelled. Ruby took her seat next to her and Blake. "What's happening?"

"Just watch Rubes, you're not gonna believe this," Yang said.

The younger sister rolled her eyes, only to be shocked at what the TV displayed. It was herself on the screen! Or rather, her Ladybug self. She wore a skintight red suit with black spots and a similar colored domino mask.

'That's such a BORING costume!'Ruby thought in her head. 'It doesn't even have a cape! No way I'm gonna keep wearing that thing. I'm redesigning it after I eat.'

"This is Lisa Lavender from VNN," The lady on the screen said. "Vale seems to have a costumed daredevil on the block. No one knows who she is and where she came from, except for an anonymous tip that identified the girl as Ladybug."

"Holy shit Yang!" Ruby pretended to be surprised. "It's a superhero!"

"A real live one!" Yang looked at Blake. "C'mon aren't you the least bit excited?!"

Blake narrowed her eyes in concentration towards the screen. There seemed to be a manner of recognition in her eyes. "I… I'll wait on her before I say anything."

Almost as soon as she said that, Jaune burst onto the table and slammed his hands near Ruby. "Thank God, guys, you're notgonna believe what happened last night!"

Yang cringed at his presence. "Ew who let Vomit Boy near us?"

"Yaaang!" Ruby pouted. "He's a friend."

"Listen, I was mugged on the street by some weirdo when this girl in a costume showed up and saved my life!"

"You mean that?" Yang pointed at the TV.

Jaune looked up. "Yeah her! She's Ladybug! I hope I didn't embarrass myself too much around her, she was so cool…"

"What seems to be the commotion around her?"

The students turned their heads to find Headmaster Salem staring at them. Yang waved her off.

"Aw nothing Salem," Yang said. "We're talking about Ladybug. See over there?"

Everyone turned towards the TV. They were all so focused on the screen, no one noticed the way Salem's face hardened at the sight of the superhero.

"I see…" Salem said carefully. "We live in very interesting times indeed…"

"I'll say," Ruby said while gently rubbing her earrings. "Maybe things will be better this year… I just gotta keep at it!"

Author's Notes:

Not my best work admittedly, but it got the job done.

Yeah, new crossover fic. This time I can safely tell you that the fic is supposed to be 26 chapters long. I'd say that's decently sized for what I'm aiming for.

Gotta admit, it surprised me no one's made this idea into a full length fic yet. I mean, the ship name is literally Ladybug! Oh well, just means that I get to be one of the first! Hope you enjoyed it.

There'll be more thrills and chills next chapter as we see things from Blake's perspective and fight the first Akuma in:

NEXT TIME: Never let the Chat Noir cross your path!