Chapter Text
"What?!" Ladybug yelped. She wasn't entirely sure she had heard them right, and even if she did, she didn't want to believe it. Dracorend snarled savagely, his teeth bared behind his mouthplate. "You heard me. Hand. Over. Your. Miraculous. I will not tell you again."
Ladybug was almost sure this was a ploy to get her earrings away from her. She hadn't trusted Dragonus Prime to begin with, she certainly didn't trust Dravenge or any of the others, and now they proved her theory right.
Bunnyx stepped forward, her face a mixture of determination and horror. "You can't do that, Dracorend!" she yelled. "She'll go insane without her powers, her kwami, or at the very least her earrings! We both know what the conditions of your time prisons are like!"
Goldragon snarled as well. "Bunnyx, do not make me charge you as well! You are this close to losing your Miraculous, too!"
In the back of the room, Dragonus tsked disapprovingly to himself. "Goldie, Goldie, Goldie. Always with the anger management issues. I'm glad I'm the Prime in the future." He smirked as he remembered his first time meeting his alternate incarnations. They were all dedicated to protecting the multiverse, yes, but they were all somewhat prideful and arrogant. "Live long enough to see yourself become the villain," he whispered quietly. "Poor Dravenge."
Bunnyx took a deep breath. "May I at least speak with her for a moment? Perhaps help her find a worthy candidate to fill her shoes?" she asked. The blue-eyed female Dragonus nodded once. About six others nodded as well. Dragonus Prime sighed. "Very well. But make it quick." Dracorend stood slowly. "Wait a minute…" he began, but a glare from Dragonus Prime silenced him as the judge retook his seat.
Bunnyx took Ladybug to the back of the room. "This isn't over yet," she whispered quickly. "There is one way for you to still win this." Ladybug wrinkled her nose in confusion. "How? They already made their verdict." Bunnyx smirked. "There's a trial by combat option. Usually it's the defendant versus the prosecutor, but sometimes it might be against an alternate incarnation. The judges never get involved in a fight. This is our only chance, Minibug. Not all of them are spiteful, but Dravenge, Goldragon and Dracorend all have been wounded by other incarnations of you. For them, it's personal."
Ladybug glanced over to the prosecutor. It seemed so hard to believe he could have escaped a disaster strong enough to destroy Paris and cripple the rest of the world. "I- I don't know. I need to think for a minute," she said after the longest silence. Bunnyx hung her head in silence, then they both headed back to the table.
"Have you made your choice?" Dragonus Prime asked. "You are aware there is an option to duel Dravenge if you believe this verdict was… unfair." Ladybug's eyes flitted up and down the elder Dragon's form, recognizing every similarity he had with his younger self. This could all just be a ploy to get my Miraculous, she thought. If I were him, I'd do the exact same thing. Even if it isn't, it's too big of a risk.
"I want to fight Dravenge," she answered. Dragonus Prime turned to his fellow judges. "Does anyone wish to allow it? Anyone?"
The blue-eyed female Dragonus stood. "I give her my blessing, Prime. She has suffered in her life enough without time in prison. She deserves another chance." Dragonus Prime nodded. "Of course, Lady Draqueen. In fact, I agree. Ladybug, you will duel Dravenge, in the Pit of Dragons!"
The benches, the tables, and the gates disappeared as Dragonus and Bunnyx were teleported to bleacher stands that had appeared from the walls. Ladybug quickly glanced around her. It seemed like the judges' bench was rising. Then she looked around the room again, realizing the floor was moving downward.
Where there was once a formal and beautifully made courtroom was now a gladiatorial pit. Intricately carved columns and arches ringed the battlefield, statues of Dark Dragon Miraculous wielders, Ladybug holders, Cat wielders, and even a Thunderbird and Phoenix in each arch. The floor became coated with sand and dirt. Even with all of the ancient setting, Ladybug could still slightly hear the whir of hydraulics and the creak of machinery. It seemed as if Dragonus Prime had intended for a copy of the Colosseum, right down to its inner workings.
Dragonus Prime stood and gazed down at the two combatants. "The rules are simple. Whoever loses their weapon and is pinned by the other fighter for five seconds loses the fight, and the case. You may use any resources you have available to yourselves, including powers. Good luck, and may your power protect you."
Dravenge drew his sword, the energy in the blades glowing a blazing white. Twirling the ornate weapon in his right hand, he smirked at his opponent. "I may not be as strong as the incarnation you fight, but I assure you, I am no pushover." Ladybug twirled her yoyo. "We'll see about that," she replied, determination hard in her voice.
Dravenge growled and lunged right at her, his speed only matched by his fiery temper. She leapt over the raging dragon and tried to snag his wing with her yoyo. Dravenge dove for the dirt, causing the yoyo to miss its target and hit a statue. Whirling around, Dravenge threw his double-ended sword at her, but Ladybug jumped before the weapon could cut her in half. Another statue was destroyed by the blade.
"You are quick and light on your feet, I will grant you that," Dravenge said to Ladybug. "But you are also not fighting with the fury and grief of everyone you loved lost in an instant!" he yelled as he threw his sword again. Ladybug dodged. "Had I known this would have happened, I never would have done it. Believe me, please!" she replied. Dravenge snarled. "I'm beyond forgiveness now. I'm beyond caring about all of this!" His sword returned to his hand and he slashed at empty air again. "All I wanted was justice for my world. My family. My friends. Her." His voice cracked in despair. "Everyone. No one deserved any of it, but because of your selfish actions, I have to suffer!" Ladybug swung her yoyo around and grabbed the sword by the handle, ripping it from Dravenge's grip and pulling it into her own, the white blades powering off.
"I know," she replied quietly. "I feel the same pain you do. I saw what had happened to that world's version of me." She dodged a wild punch from Dravenge. "I watched her - me, really - crumble to dust. I still have some nightmares." Ladybug dropped Dravenge's sword, which immediately returned to his hand, the energy reigniting. He snarled again, but this one seemed less intense. Less angry.
"If there was a way I could repair your world, I would," Ladybug continued, her voice almost comforting. "I wish I knew how, but I don't. All I can ask is if you could ever see fit to let go. Let go of the past, the anguish. Or it won't let you go."
Dravenge took a shuddering breath. "It hasn't." He rushed Ladybug, who just barely dodged the attack. Dravenge threw his sword again, and Ladybug dodged the savage slash. I have to end this soon, she thought to herself as she began to grow more and more fatigued, as if being close to Dravenge was enough to drain her energy. I can't lose.
"Why doesn't he use his other powers?" Bunnyx asked, perplexed.
"He doesn't have them," Dragonus replied simply as he slid next to her. "Since I didn't come to Paris until after you and Bugaboo resolved the whole "Kitty Blanc" nonsense, he wouldn't have, either. And I only got the ability to use my powers multiple times after I attacked Shadow - well, Hawk - Moth in his own lair. Getting his powers was necessary for the plan I had come up with after I had left his little hideout. So was draconizing you when you were younger."
Bunnyx turned to the draconian supervillain. "'Bugaboo?'" she asked. Dragonus rolled his eyes behind his visor. "After all I said, the only comment you have is my nickname for her?" Bunnyx nodded. Dragonus sighed. "I stole their powers, I can steal their nicknames, Fluffy Tail."
She smacked him with her umbrella. "Don't call me Fluffy Tail," she replied angrily.
The fight continued to rage on as the judges began to get bored. Goldragon turned to Dragonus Prime. "Perhaps we can spice things up a little?" he asked. Silverstreak, the Dark Dragon to Dragonus Prime's right, nodded. "I agree with Goldragon. This is becoming a little boring." A few more councilors agreed with the previous two, a few disagreed. The vote was seven to five.
"Very well," Dragonus Prime stated. "We'll start the countdown." He pushed a button in front of his chair. A large clock dropped down and started to count down from five minutes.
"Fighters!" Dragonus Prime boomed. "You have five minutes to resolve this duel. If you do not, the previously established punishment will be declared final!"
Then I gotta work fast, Ladybug thought to herself. Dodging another attack from Dravenge, she wrapped him in her yoyo string, making sure it looped around his arm. Then she pulled it back quickly, spinning Dravenge and hopefully making him dizzy for a moment.
"Lucky Charm!" she called out. The energy condensed into a set of toy replicas of each previously activated hero's tools. The box… Dravenge… Bingo. Ladybug smirked as she opened the box. True, the shield was a little small and the sword wasn't sharp, but she needed all of them.
Dravenge got up and saw Ladybug, eleven extra weapons strapped to her. "Where did you get those?" he sneered. "The Halloween store?" He lunged at Ladybug with his sword, but she parried it with the Cat Noir staff and Ryuko sword. Snarling angrily, he knocked the two weapons out of her hand, only to have his next attack deflected by the King Monkey staff and the Bunnyx umbrella. Now extremely angry, he sliced the toys in half and pressed on. Quickly, Ladybug threw the Pegasus boomerang at Dravenge, hitting him in the side of the head, then struck him in the chest with the Carapace shield.
"STOP IT!" Dravenge roared. He threw his sword again, but Ladybug batted it aside with the flute and tangled the handle in the lyre. Moving faster, she snagged his left hand in the top and his right hand in the replica yoyo, then, using both, threw him to the ground and tied up his legs with the jump rope. As he struggled to get up, Ladybug rose and planted a foot on him, pinning him.
"Dravenge has been pinned! Ladybug is the victor!" Dragonus Prime declared. Ladybug nodded once, and picked up all of the toy weapons. "Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried out as she threw the pieces into the air, the magic repairing the damages caused by the fight and returned the courtroom to its normal state.
"Way to go, Minibug!" Bunnyx yelled from the stands. Dragonus allowed himself the tiniest of smirks. He always had the feeling she would win if he was weaker. Dravenge proved that theory.
As the thirteen judges came down from their benches, Dragonus Prime helped Dravenge up. "I failed, Prime," Dravenge said hoarsely. "I failed." Dragonus Prime looked into Dravenge's eyes. "The only way you fail is if you continue to hold onto your hate," he replied kindly. "Ladybug is right, old friend. Let the past go. No use in keeping something if it's spoiled." Dravenge nodded. "I will try, Prime. I will try."
Dracorend and Goldragon flew down from their perches, the latter looking somewhat abashed, the former being completely unreadable. "I suppose we should… apologize," Goldragon said, a slight grimace on his face. "Even though you're not the one from my universe, I let my… judgment be clouded. I understand you aren't like the Bla- never mind."
"You aren't like mine, either. Not yet, at least," Dracorend muttered, keeping his masked face away as if he didn't want to meet her eyes. "She turned bitter. Don't be like her."
"Okay, then…" Ladybug replied as she glanced over at Goldragon. "I hope the version of me you're dealing with isn't too bad." Goldragon's face curled into a grin. "Oh, don't worry about it. She's not a problem anymore."
"Right," Ladybug said slowly, trying not to dwell on the implications, as she gently excused herself and moved towards the Dark Dragon she wanted to meet the most. The one Dragonus Prime called Draqueen.
The raven-haired Dark Dragon turned to face Ladybug, her own blue irises twinkling playfully through her gold sclera. "I bet you're wondering why I sided with you, Marinette," she said. Ladybug blinked rapidly; she wasn't surprised an alternate Dark Dragon knew her name, but how Draqueen's voice sounded so similar to Ladybug's own. Draqueen giggled a little. "Dragonus Prime told us pretty much everything. And, if you're anything like me, you're brave, confident, hard-working, and you've got a huge crush on Adrien." Now Ladybug was a little scared. "Who are you, exactly?" she asked. Draqueen smirked. "Vorath, Dragon Down."
A flash of gold light later, and an adult Marinette stood in Draqueen's place, the Dark Dragon Miraculous on her finger and Vorath resting on her shoulder. Ladybug stepped back, shocked. "What? I'm a villain in another timeline?" she asked in horror. Marinette smiled. "Not at all. Or not in my world, at least. I'm a part of Scarabella and Cat Noir's team, usually the one they call on when they've really screwed up."
Ladybug relaxed a little. "Who's Scarabella?" she asked, curious to know about alternate incarnations. Marinette smirked. "Alya. She was picked to be Scarabella by Master Fu." Ladybug was stunned. Marinette shrugged. "True, I had to come in and save their butts every now and again, but they usually get the job done."
"Wait, who got the Fox Miraculous?"
Marinette sighed. "I heard about your world from Bunnyx, and I have to say, I really couldn't believe Lila would be so cruel. Chloé, certainly. But Lila never seemed that way." Ladybug wasn't sure if she could be more shocked. "Lila?! But- but she's a liar!" Marinette shook her head. "Not in my world. In mine, she's an average student who always looks out for the bullied kids because she was bullied back home. That's what makes her a great superhero; Volpina always tries to help comfort the victims. And she doesn't even have a crush on my Adrien!"
Ladybug looked at Bunnyx, who nodded. "She's right," Bunnyx said. "Her world's Lila is an angel compared to ours." Ladybug looked back at her older self. "So that's why you wanted me to fight? So I wouldn't have to be burdened with anything more?"
Marinette nodded. "Yep." She got down on one knee and put her hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "Don't get too overwhelmed. You're still young and have your whole life ahead of you. Enjoy it. Because once you get adulthood, everything changes. Luckily, Vorath's always been a great help when I'm feeling down. I think your Tikki will help even more." Marinette stood and transformed back into Draqueen.
Dragonus Prime, flanked by Dravenge and Dragonus, walked over to Ladybug. "I think it's time for you to head back to your world. We've already used too much of your time."
Dravenge stepped forward to Ladybug. "I… want to apologize for how I treated you. I see that you've suffered as much as I have. Maybe worse, since you don't have as many people to talk to. You're right; I need to let my past go. Lay it to rest. I wish you luck," he said, then he stepped behind Dragonus Prime. "Bunnyx, if you would."
Bunnyx nodded and opened a portal back to the Alpha universe. "After you two," she said. Ladybug and Dragonus stepped through, back to their own time.
"Yeah, we're gonna make you wish you didn't go bad!" Cat Noir added to Ladybug's statement. Dragonus turned to look at them. "I'll see you both later," he said, sounding somewhat overburdened. He flew off into the distance.
"Oh well, guess we'll get him next time, m'lady," Cat Noir said. Ladybug didn't respond; she was thinking about the courtroom. How close she was to losing her Miraculous.
"M'lady?" Cat Noir asked. Ladybug snapped back to reality. "Oh. Sorry, kitty. Just something on my mind. I gotta go. Bug out!" she swung off into the distance. Cat Noir watched his partner swing off. What happened? he asked himself. What could have happened? He checked the time, and groaned. Late for fencing practice. He vaulted off towards the school, hoping he wasn't too late.
"I don't get it, Tikki!" Marinette moaned. She had returned home from the Tower bridge and was trying to figure out her strongest opponent. "Dragonus just seems so… hypocritical! He's beaten us up, then out of the blue he decides to help us against Antibug and then DJ Doomsday!" She laid flat on her bed. "And even then, it's only when I'm in direct danger! The swords, the missile, the shockwave. What's next? Is he going to attack us again or something?" She curled up. "Why does it make me feel so helpless?"
Tikki looked at her chosen bearer, a look of concern in her eyes. "In the past, when the Dark Dragon was being used for good, the wielder would often try to help out the Ladybug wielder. Maybe he might care enough to see you're safe. At least, from others." She floated over to Marinette. "You saw Dragonus Prime. Maybe there's some good in him."
Marinette looked up at her skylight. The sun was beginning to set in the distance. "I need some fresh air," she decided, pulling herself out onto the balcony. The cool early evening air was pleasantly chilly against her skin, helping to partially relieve the headache she'd given herself.
"Hey, princess," an accented voice said from behind. Whirling around, Marinette saw Dragonus perched on the chimney above her balcony. "Before you scream, hear me out. I'm not here to fight. I just need someone to talk to, and right now, you're the best one."
Marinette hesitated, then made up her mind, motioning for him to come down. "How hasn't anyone seen you?" she asked. The draconian supervillain chuckled slightly. "Just the power of illusion from your foxy little friend. The only one people will see up here is you."
"Could you maybe take off the helmet?" Marinette asked. "It's a little unsettling not seeing your face." Dragonus shrugged. "Sure." He undid some latches on the sides of the helmet, and pulled it off. Underneath the visor and mouth-plated helmet was a simple golden domino mask with a scale pattern. A small crest of spikes stuck out the back of his short dark brown hair. Marinette caught her breath a little. She didn't expect him to be that good-looking. He perched himself on the railing, one leg hanging off the edge, the other locking onto the top of the railing.
"My older self said I was a hero. That's true," he began. "I was a hero for about four or five years before coming to Paris. I had heard… rumors about you two being here, but I didn't really believe them. Then I saw you two fight Mr. Pigeon a while back. And I knew you were both powerful." Marinette looked Dragonus right in the eyes, hoping to get a glimpse of something, someone, familiar. "'Why did you turn evil when you came here?"
Dragonus chuckled slightly. "I don't like thinking in terms of 'good' and 'evil'. That limits your view. Perhaps 'light' and 'dark' are slightly better terms. Shadow Moth, for example, is using jewels of 'light' for 'dark' purposes. I have a goal that I would believe is 'light', but I'm using 'dark' methods."
"Why not use the light?"
"Because people, as I've learned, respond to the darkness more," Dragonus said. He sounded incredibly weary. "Being a powerful hero isn't all it's cracked up to be. You save the city, you get some hoorahs, a medal if you're lucky. People listen to you and your advice for a moment, but then dismiss it. Then you're expected to save the city again. At least, that's how it was with me." He looked out into the twilight sky. "My friends back home understand my reasoning. I miss them dearly. But I at least know they can see the same twilight I do. I tried to talk to the government, but they never listened to me. I wanted to save the world. And I did. From villains who became evil because they wanted to have it all. Because they had lost their worlds and wanted them back, or because they just wanted people to listen." A tear rolled down his face.
"Eventually, it gets to you. Feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, because you're trying to help everyone. I wanted a break from all that," Dragonus said, then chuckled. "That's why I turned to the dark. And besides, I'm the Dark Dragon. 'Dark' is already in the name."
Sympathy started to well in Marinette's chest, something she'd never suspect she'd have for this enemy. "I understand. Believe me, I do. Even when I'm myself. But I keep persevering. I'm not doubting your abilities at all. But you seem to have lost the one thing people never should lose. Hope."
Dragonus smiled. "You're a nice girl, princess. If you and I weren't enemies, maybe we could have had something." He rose. "I'm not giving up on my goal just yet. I still have some hope you might give me your Miraculous someday." He smirked one last time and put his helmet back on. "Good night, princess. I'll see you tomorrow on the battlefield." He flew back off to wherever he lived.
Marinette moved back into her room, not quite sure what she should be feeling. Tikki floated over. "Looks like Dragonus isn't as bad as you thought." Marinette nodded. "No. I don't think he is. Who knows, maybe he might join up with us someday?" She changed into her pajamas and got ready for bed. Marinette fell asleep, her dreams containing a future where everything seemed to work out. Even for Dragonus.