Chapter Text
Dragonus could feel all of the power coursing through his veins. He was a god in that moment, omnipotent and unconquerable. A thousand ideas played through his head. What he could do with such power. If he absolutely wanted, he could permanently turn Ladybug, Cat Noir and all their friends evil and subservient to his will. He could remake the minds of every Parisian to obey him, to worship him as a god. He pushed the ideas aside; he had to focus on his plan. A smirk played across his face under his mouthplate. The dominoes were falling into place.
"Princess Justice was not akumatized," Dragonus said, subconsciously noticing that his voice was a few octaves deeper and fluctuating in pitch. It sounded alien to his ears. "None of the events leading up to her akumatization took place. Instead, Sabine Cheng was akumatized into Verity Queen. Her threat was so great that Ladybug and Cat Noir had to call upon all their available allies. She had been de-akumatized and the Miraculous Cure used, but Hawk Moth and Mayura leapt in and a fight was about to begin. No one's secret identity was revealed to anyone, nor were any lies exposed. Ladybug and Cat Noir did not swap Miraculouses, and Dragonus did not aid any heroes. Understood?"
"Understood," hundreds of thousands, if not millions of voices replied robotically, heroes and villains and kwamis included. Dragonus smirked and flew to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Oblivion is extremely powerful, Dragonus thought. What if I… Dragonus flexed his fingers, and on the juvenile wielders, their timers started ticking down, even though their powers hadn't even been used. Then the Peacock Miraculous was removed from Shadow Moth and given to Nathalie, who changed into Mayura. Dragonus smirked again. A cruel idea struck him. He added another thing specific to the main hero duo, and then finally decided to let the people go.
"Proceed with your lives," he said, and from his perch on top of the Tower, he jumped down and shifted to dragon mode as the standoff between the heroes and adult villains began again.
Ladybug heard her earrings tick down to the two-minute mark. Most, if not all, of the other heroes also had only three or two minutes left. Hawk Moth and Mayura stood a few feet from them, looking smug and superior. "You cannot defeat us, Ladybug," Hawk Moth said. "Your powers are used up, and I only need to wait a few minutes until I can get your Miraculous." Ladybug growled a little. Then she glanced behind her, noticing her entire team. A smirk played across her face. "Ever heard of strength in numbers, Hawk Moth?"
The two villains stepped back. Hawk Moth knew even though he and Mayura could easily defeat a few of them, the rest would still swarm. He hadn't intended for his career in villainy to end on this day. Quickly, he assessed the situation. Ten heroes, two villains. If Mayura could create a sentimonster in time, he might be able to wear them down and catch them when they transformed.
Hawk Moth made his decision and drew his sword from the cane. "Attack, Ladybug," he sneered. The two villains lunged… and were caught in Dragonus's dragon mode claws. The Dark Dragon flew the two villains into the sky and through a portal he created. Hawk Moth found himself and Mayura in the courtyard of the mansion, Dragonus standing in front of them, tapping his foot. Hawk Moth could almost see the smirk Dragonus gave him. "Now, Hawk Moth," Dragonus began, his accent becoming far more clear and pronounced. "Let's talk."
The heroes stood in an awkward silence for a moment after Dragonus took the villains, until a beeping from someone's Miraculous pulled Ladybug out of her stupor. She told everyone to go to separate hiding spots and wait there until she or Cat Noir came to collect their Miraculous. Each hero nodded and ran off to different places. Ladybug herself ran into an elevator while Cat Noir took refuge in the sewers.
"Well, crisis averted," Marinette said. Tikki frowned as she munched on a cookie. "I don't know, Marinette," she replied. "Something seems… off. I don't know why, but I can't quite remember what led up to your mom being akumatized." Marinette shrugged. "We were at school. I don't think we would've been able to find out, anyway." After Tikki fueled up, Marinette transformed and left the elevator.
"Something doesn't feel right, Plagg," Adrien said. "I have this weird headache when I try to focus on what happened this morning. I know I had a photoshoot, but anything afterwards seems fuzzy." Plagg shrugged. "What do you want me to say? You're right and you have some kind of villain effect on you? I try to live in the present. Makes life easier, don't you think?" Adrien nodded bitterly. "Yeah," he replied. He transformed and exited the sewer, meeting up with Ladybug.
"Okay," Ladybug began. "I'll get the Fox, Turtle, Bee and Monkey. You get the Snake, Horse, Rabbit and Dragon, then give them to me." Cat Noir nodded. "I always wondered if I could be a delivery boy," he quipped with a wink. Inside, he felt like part of his heart was aching, and he didn't know why.
The two separated, and Ladybug went to one of the other elevators, where Alya and Nino handed over their Miraculouses. "We're always ready if you need us," Alya said. Ladybug nodded and smiled. "Thanks. I'll be sure to ask you if I need help again." The couple left their elevator and began sneaking away.
Amber gave Ladybug the Bee Miraculous right when the spotted heroine opened the door. "I hope I was useful," she said. Ladybug nodded, trying to conceal the fact she didn't exactly remember what Vesperia did. "Thanks for your help." Amber nodded as she slipped away in the direction of the Grand Paris hotel.
Ladybug took the Monkey Miraculous back from Kim. "Verity Queen didn't stand a chance against my Uproar," he said confidently. Ladybug chuckled a little. "She sure didn't." Kim tiptoed away from the elevator and bolted into a sprint once he got to the bridge.
Once he leapt back to her side, Cat Noir handed the other four Miraculous to Ladybug. "I gotta go," he said. "Late for a nap. I miss you already, Bugaboo!" With that, he vaulted away. And strangely, Ladybug didn't feel annoyed when he called her Bugaboo. She quickly slipped the eight jewels into her portal to the Miracle Box, then swung back towards the bakery.
"Today was so crazy," Marinette muttered as she plopped down on her lounge. "Let's hope Dragonus and Hawk Moth wear each other out for a while so we can get some rest."
Tikki flew up to her head. "I don't understand, though. Why would Dragonus take Hawk Moth and Mayura away? And why hasn't he done anything like that to us?" Marinette yawned. "I don't know, Tikki. I think I'll get started on my-" she gasped. "My bag is still at school!"
Marinette raced down the stairs and out the door, so fast she didn't notice that Tikki didn't join her. The kwami looked out the bedroom window. "Just what is your owner planning, Vorath?" she asked, even though she knew perfectly well that they would find out sooner rather than later.
Hawk Moth and Mayura tensed, ready for any surprise attack Dragonus would attempt. The draconian villain just clicked his tongue. "Now, now," he chided. "Can't we talk like civilized supervillains?" The other two didn't move. "What do you want, Dragonus?" Hawk Moth asked. He sensed Dragonus's emotions, but they didn't quite make sense. The younger villain seemed… bored, almost. No, tired. Like he had used a great deal of power…
Dragonus smirked. "An alliance," he said. "It has taken me quite some time to realize that in this conflict, not counting my kwami, I am alone. You two have each other, and the heroes have each other and all their little friends. I'm the third wheel… and while our goals do not align properly, we both still need a common catalyst," he gave Mayura a smirk, even though she couldn't see it.
"The Miraculouses," Hawk Moth finished. Dragonus nodded. "Exactly," he replied as he glanced around. "Perhaps we can move to your lair. I don't know how long it will be until that brute of a bodyguard comes back." He opened a portal and stepped through, Hawk Moth and Mayura following him after a moment's hesitation.
"What exactly does this alliance entail?" Mayura asked. Dragonus chuckled. "You want their trinkets, I want them, too. We will launch a joint strike on Paris, perhaps cripple the heroes and either force them to surrender or take control of them. After we have them, you can use them however you want, and I can use them to do what I want. Then we can go our separate ways and never need to interact again."
Hawk Moth thought for a moment. The plan sounded too good to be true. Dragonus had to be leaving something out. "How can we be certain you won't take the Miraculouses for yourself after - if - we succeed?"
Dragonus chuckled. "You can't. The same I can't be certain you won't take the Miraculous for yourself." Mayura stepped forward. "What exactly do you want?" she asked. Dragonus paused for a moment.
"That's for me to know, and for you to eventually find out," he replied. "Emphasis on eventually." He held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?" he asked. The adult villains looked at each other, considering their options. Either we do this and possibly lose the Miraculouses, Hawk Moth thought. Or we don't and lose our best chance.
"Yes," Hawk Moth replied as he took Dragonus's hand and shook it, sealing the bargain. "When do we begin this plan?" he asked. The adults could almost see the evil smile Dragonus was giving them.
"Heroes' Day isn't that far away, right?"
"I don't get it, Plagg," Adrien said. "The day doesn't make sense. I know we fought Marinette's mom and her army, but… any specifics are just out of reach. I can't remember when the other heroes came to help. I can't remember what made Hawk Moth show up, I can't remember if I called Ladybug m'lady or not. What's going on?" Plagg belched. "You know, I think you should be more concerned that you keep track of how many times you say 'm'lady'. That seems a little unhealthy."
Adrien sighed. "I don't even know why I bother talking to you about love." Plagg huffed indignantly. "I try to give you advice, but you brush it aside," he said. The kwami paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, I can't remember much, either. I just know I've had a lot more Camembert than normal," Plagg said. Adrien chuckled. "Look at the pet calling the cat-tle black," he quipped.
Adrien pulled out his homework from his school bag. A paragraph on foreign literature and questions related to it. Adrien's forehead wrinkled. Did we actually do this? A small part of him said no, but a bigger part seemed to shush the rebellious thought, not answer his question. He just shrugged and started working on it. Maybe it had gotten put in the bags before Verity Queen struck.
Plagg paid his wielder no attention as he looked out over Paris. "Something doesn't feel right," he muttered to himself. "I know something strange happened." He took a deep breath, smelling the air. The scent of the Miraculous Cure just barely caught his nose, but it seemed more bitter than usual. Almost like it wasn't Ladybug who cast it. Plagg immediately knew something was off.
"What's your plan, Vorath?" he muttered quietly.
"Can we trust him?" Nathalie asked. Gabriel shook his head. "He seemed too eager, too ready. Like he planned this from the beginning." Nathalie handed him a tablet with several pictures, videos and voice recordings, all of Dragonus. It even had places Dragonus seemed to frequent or where he had been spotted multiple times. A small pile of notes on possible weak points and weaknesses was stacked haphazardly on the office's desk.
Gabriel paced the floor of his office, Nathalie standing by the portrait. "He is a powerful ally, and if he is putting himself at our command…" she said. Gabriel held up a hand. "He made it perfectly clear he intends this… team-up to be a partnership, rather than me being the leader and he's second in command. He has no intention of bowing to anyone other than himself."
Nathalie pursed her lips. She knew enough from working with Gabriel and business school that if anyone wanted to share power, they had a motive to do so. That motive, she knew, could evolve into coveting all of the power. That destroyed many partnerships and left someone powerless and destitute.
"If we could force him into a situation where he would end up being powerless," Nathalie began slowly. "Such as, I would empower the both of you, I could remove his powers and you could subject him."
Gabriel smirked evilly. "Yes," he replied. "That could work. As long as we do not make that inherently obvious, of course." Nooroo popped out of his coat. "Master, I know my words will do nothing to dissuade you, but don't enter the partnership. The Dark Miraculouses and their wielders are not to be trusted. They're backstabbers and ready to destroy anyone they consider a threat or insult."
Gabriel paused for a moment. He knew Nooroo was right, but still. Dragonus was powerful, and he needed powerful allies to awaken Emilie. He knew she didn't have much time left. A year, at most. His eyes hardened. "I'm going through with it," he said.
Nooroo sighed. He knew his master would continue, and he also knew that one way or another, the next Heroes' Day will be the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Who would be in control of the era, Nooroo could not say.
Gabriel and Nathalie looked out the window. The sun had set only moments ago and the sky was painted in pinks and blues, slowly fading to black. An evil smile tugged at Gabriel's mouth. Dragonus will fall, he assured himself. Even if I have to rip his Dark Miraculous from his dead body.
"You know they're going to betray you," Vorath said. Dragonus had returned to his mansion after making the plans with Hawk Moth and Mayura. He had almost collapsed after transforming back into his civilian self. Oblivion used a lot of power and he hadn't done himself any favors by using the Horse's power or staying in villain form for so long. He shook off the fatigue and made himself a cup of tea, the caffeine and sugar helping bring some strength back.
His father had returned about twenty minutes later, and because he was outside city limits during the akuma attack, had no knowledge of the fight and was out of Oblivion's range. "Hey, bud," he had said as he embraced his son in a warm hug. "Have a good birthday?"
Andrew contained his smirk. "Yeah, Dad. Just a little tired," the boy had replied. Everett Hendrol smiled. "Well, I hope you're not too tired for cake!" he had said. Dinner had been nice enough, his favorite cake being the highlight of the meal, which was then superseded by presents and a call from his friends.
"Oh, I know," Andrew replied to his kwami. "In fact, let's pretend for a moment that they won't betray me. If we succeed and we do get the heroes' Miraculouses, I'll let Old Man Flutterby do his thing and wake up Sleeping Beauty. But of course, since the universe must be balanced, he will lose someone important in return, maybe remake some part of the universe. Be it himself, Feathers, or Litter Box. Of course, my plans - our plans - can't allow that. We need all of them, or months of planning and manipulation will be wasted because of his grief."
"That doesn't answer my question, though," Vorath replied. Andrew chuckled. "We know they'll betray us," he said. "So, we put them in a position where a betrayal will also result in their downfall. They won't want to risk a defeat brought about by their own petty jealousy."
Vorath nodded. "The fact that you two agreed to hold off on akumatizations and draconizations until Heroes' Day is going to give them time to mull over their plans. They have many flaws, but they aren't complete fools." He yawned. "I'm going to turn in. Oblivion takes a lot out of me, too, boss. Happy birthday." Andrew smiled at his kwami. "Good night, buddy. Sweet dreams. And thanks for the yearly upgrade." Vorath fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Andrew turned towards the window, hands behind his back, looking out over the Parisian skyline. It helped him feel like he fit better into the role as a supervillain. The sky was changing to night, the stars beginning to show on the dark canvas. Andrew thought of the enormous amount of power he had unleashed. It was a little painful, a little terrifying… and exhilarating. So much power at his command, the feeling he could do anything he wanted… he wanted more of that feeling. He could understand why anyone elevated to a god's position would feel like they could rule the world.
"There's a storm brewing on the horizon," Andrew said softly, so as not to wake up Vorath. "A storm of such magnitude, such power… only the strongest can hope to tame it." He raised his right hand, inspecting the Dark Miraculous adorning his finger. "And to think, I would have once been satisfied with their powers. That my ambitions never rose above remaking the world." He gave a soft yet sinister chuckle as he thought of what he could do with the kind of power he had while using Oblivion.
"Well, no longer," he decided. "Because I have been given… no, given myself a taste of true power. Real power. And that power… every last drop of that power, will be mine." He went over the plan he had made with Hawk Moth in his head, every step, every move planned out from start to finish. So the Dark Miraculouses would come out on top. "Tread lightly, Hawk Moth and Ladybug," Andrew said sinisterly. "Because today, a dark king has realized his rightful place. Your reign… both of your reigns, will come to an end. Whose reign ends first has yet to be decided."
Adrien tossed and turned in his sleep. He knew the scene he was in was a dream, but it seemed so real.
An akuma fluttering closer and closer to a weeping Ladybug. The cursed insect infected her yoyo, enveloping her as she screamed for Cat Noir to help her. The smoke receded and revealed Ladybug in a new, black suit and scepter. A cruel smirk twisted her face as she pointed the scepter at Cat Noir and fired off green blasts, once, twice. Cat Noir fell, and he felt the akumatized Ladybug rip the ring off his finger. His transformation broke, and he saw the sheer horror in Ladybug's eyes. But the smirk was still present, and she fired off one last blast to finish off the broken boy in front of her.
Adrien bolted upright, feeling himself for wounds. He exhaled gratefully; it had just been a nightmare. He checked his clock. One in the morning. Plagg snuffled. "You know," he said. "Fresh air is always helpful against nightmares."
Adrien nodded. "Plagg, Claws Out," he said, still a little shaken from his nightmare. A few seconds later, Cat Noir raced along the rooftops. Running from the monsters.
Marinette paced her bedroom floor, trying to get the images out of her head. Her nightmare had been too vivid, almost like it was more of a memory.
She had been put down by Lila, ran away, and then akumatized. A trail of destruction followed her and her faceless hordes. Cat Noir tried to reason with her, but she had brushed him off, when she had been screaming for release, pounding on the walls of her mental prison. She had found Hawk Moth and been empowered further, creating a castle. She had ordered them to be tried and then destroyed utterly. And when Cat Noir burst in with her captives, she had ordered her servants to crush Lila when she was helpless. The inner, true part had screamed for the evil part not to, but Lila had somehow escaped harm. She had forced herself to deakumatize, but the sheer fear in everyone's eyes from that fight had almost caused her to run if Cat Noir hadn't tried to console her.
"Tikki, I need…" Marinette's voice trailed off. Tikki nodded, and Marinette immediately transformed and swung off into the night.
Ladybug spotted Cat Noir sitting at the top of the Arc and wondered what he was doing out this late at night. Quietly, she swung up there and landed behind him. "Hey, kitty," she said softly. Cat Noir glanced back. "Oh. Hi, Bugaboo. Couldn't sleep, either?" Ladybug sat next to her partner and nodded. "More like I had a bad nightmare, really," she replied. "I dreamt I had been akumatized and was going after people for no good reason." Well, maybe one or two had good reasons.
Cat Noir sighed. "I had a nightmare, too. You were akumatized, and there was nothing I could do to save you, and you…" he paused, afraid to say more. Ladybug gasped as the meaning sunk in.
"Kitty, you know I never would do that," she said, trying to comfort Cat Noir. He sighed. "I know, but still, it's… really terrifying, you know? The fact that someone can be turned that cruel and vicious in a matter of seconds. I don't think I'd be able to talk about my nightmare to anyone else, really. My father doesn't really understand, and my mother-" Cat Noir stopped as Ladybug put an arm around his shoulder.
"You'll always have me," she whispered in his ear. "If you need to talk about anything - anything - I'll be here for you." The two sat there for a few moments, enjoying each others' company and warmth. It was a little chilly out, and while the both of them had discovered that while their suits were good at protecting against extremely frigid temperatures, it was only when they were moving and fighting. It didn't do much against the frigid breezes licking their scalps and faces.
"I know it's probably a terrible time to ask this," Cat Noir said softly. Ladybug looked up. "Go on," she urged. Cat Noir sighed.
"When can we learn our secret identities?" he asked. Ladybug almost groaned. "Kitty, we went over this. When Hawk Moth is defeated." Cat Noir looked into her eyes. Ladybug saw the pain and hurt in them, and for some reason, it made her heart ache.
"But what about the future? We both remember Timetagger, and how the future Hawk Moth sent him. Maybe the future Hawk Moth is a direct successor to the current one." He paused for a moment, catching his breath. "And what about Dragonus? He knows who we are. Probably the only thing stopping him from attacking us at our homes is his 'thrill of the hunt' feeling."
Ladybug paused for a moment. Cat Noir made some good points. "It's still too risky," she said. "I know it's getting harder and harder, but we can't. Not yet. Not to Paris." Cat Noir sighed. "I never said to Paris. Just to each other." He looked out over the skyline. "Remember when we fought Syren for the first time?" he asked. Ladybug nodded.
Cat Noir looked down. "I almost gave up being Cat Noir because I felt left in the dark. Like you didn't trust me. If Master Fu didn't show up when he did, I would've left the ring there and walked away from it all. I had figured that since you didn't trust me, you would have to find someone you did." His voice cracked. "My father doesn't say much, and I'm afraid he doesn't trust me, either. I just want to know that the people I love can count on me like I count on them."
Ladybug stared at her partner. "Oh, kitty," she said softly, wrapping him in a hug. "I'm sorry I hurt you like that. I'm sorry about all of it." Cat Noir returned the hug, and a few moments later, they broke apart. Ladybug exhaled. "Tell you what," she began. "I'll think about it, but for now, let's say we can reveal our identities to each other at midnight on Heroes' Day. Okay?"
Cat Noir beamed. "Thank you, Ladybug!" he exclaimed as he caught her in a bearhug. Ladybug giggled. "Silly kitty," she replied as she tapped him on the nose. She stood and yawned. "I need to get back home. Bug out!" She swung off into the night. Cat Noir sighed. "I love that girl." Getting up and stretching himself, he vaulted back towards the mansion, ready for a now fitful night's sleep.