Archive of Our Own

Azura took a deep breath as she and her family stepped out of the portal, she could hardly believe where they were. “Ya know, having a portal of our own is really great for travel,” she said, “we don’t have to spend a cent on tickets, tollways, or hotels.”

“Ah, Paris, the city of lights and love,” Amity said, “home of fine dining, and even finer art.”

“And superheroes,” Zephyr insisted enthusiastically, “don’t forget about all the superheroes.”

“Alright, everyone, let’s head to the set,” Luz said, “we don’t wanna keep your uncle Ed waiting.”

Amity’s brother, Edric had been cast in a big movie in France, and he had invited them to visit the set. The kids were especially excited, they had never been to France before. There was so much they wanted to see, but first, they had to check in with Ed.

The family took note of all the sights as they made their way to the set; The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and even the Arc de Triomphe. After about a few minutes, they finally reached the film set in Place des Vosges. They looked around, scanning over all the gaffers and crew, finally managing to spot Edric.

“Hey, Uncle Ed,” Zephyr called out, getting the witch actor’s attention.

“Hey, guys,” Edric greeted with a wave as he walked over, “glad you could make it.”

As he made his way over, the family took notice of Edric’s appearance. Something was different about him, more specifically his hair. It was a brilliant shade of golden blonde, and it was much longer than usual.

“Ed, what is up with your hair,” Amity asked.

“Oh, this,” Edric said, motioning to his head, “this is for my role in the movie.”

“What’s the movie,” Luz asked.

“It’s called ‘Agreste,’ a biopic about a male model with a rather… ‘interesting’ life.”

“Oh, come on, how interesting of a movie could that be,” Amity scoffed.

“You remember how mom and dad were when we were young,” Edric asked.

Amity inhaled through her teeth, “That bad, huh?”

“Oh, much worse,” the witch actor said. “Honestly, I’m kinda surprised I got the lead role, I mean this is a pretty big production, and they chose me of all people.”

Amity crossed her arms. “Edric, you are a great actor, and I don’t want to hear anymore of you doubting yourself. Got it?”

As Amity and Edric began to discuss, something caught Luz’s attention: a man and a woman carrying what looked like some heavy boxes. The man was tall, with long blonde hair, while the woman had dark blue hair and was about a head shorter than the man. Luz watched as the woman took a wrong step and started to trip.

Acting quickly, Luz raced over and grabbed the other side of the boxes, stopping the woman from falling. “You okay?”

The woman sighed in relief, “Thank you, I don’t know how far production would’ve been set back if these costumes were damaged.”

Luz and the woman carried the boxes over to a nearby table. The man followed suit and set his boxes down with the others. “Sorry I couldn’t help, m’lady.”

“It’s alright, dear,” the woman said to the man, “your hands were full too.”

Edric, Amity, and the kids walked over. “I see you’ve met the designer/model couple behind the movie,” Ed said as he walked over to the couple. “Marinette, Adrien, this is my little sister and her family.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Marinette introduced as she held out her hand, “I’m Marinette Agreste, and this is my husband, Adrien.”

“Welcome to Paris,” Adrien said courteously.

“Thanks,” Amity replied. “wait, ‘Agreste,’ like the title of the movie?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “Yeah, the movie’s about me.”

“I thought you two looked familiar,” Azura commented, “my girlfriend back home is a big fan of your work.”

Adrien put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Yep, M’lady’s the best of the best, people from all around hire her for design work.”

“Didn’t you make a mural for the superhero museum,” Zephyr asked.

Marinette nodded, “I take it you’re a big fan of the superheroes.”

Zephyr nodded enthusiastically, “I really wanna check out the superhero museum while we’re here.”

“Well, if that’s the case, you might wanna hurry,” Adrian said, “it closes early today.”

With that revelation, his mission became much more urgent. He was about to sprint off, but Azura quickly grabbed him by the shirt, keeping him in place. “Slow down there, Jethro. Do you even know where it is?”

Zephyr stopped and turned back to his sister, shaking his head. Azura pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I think I know someone who can help,” Adrien suggested before turning away. “Emma!”

Just then, a young woman, probably about Azura’s age, approached the group. She had blue hair like Marinette, but with blonde highlights. She wore a blue dress shirt under a dark grey jacket, blue Jean shorts, and brown slip-ons.

“Yes, dad,” she greeted Adrien.

“This is our daughter, Emma, she knows the city like the back of her hand,” the model said proudly before turning to his daughter. “Honey, do you think you can show our young friends here the way to the superhero museum?”

“Sure, it’s nice to meet you,” Emma smiled, “follow me.”

The trio of youths walked off the set, following the young girl to their destination: the Superhero Museum.

“Have fun,” Luz called out, “be safe!”

“We will, mamá,” Azura shot back.

***

A few moments later, the young trio were walking down the streets of Paris to the Superhero museum. As they walked, Azura caught Emma staring at her a couple of times. It wasn’t in a sort of admiring way, more of a curious, inspecting kind of way. Her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her, she decided it was time to ask what was going on.

“Is… is something wrong?”

“Oh, sorry, it’s nothing,” Emma replied, “it’s just that… you look kind of familiar. What did you say your last name was?”

“Noceda,” Azura answered cautiously.

Emma snapped her fingers, as if she had just had a eureka moment. “Now I recognize you guys! Your moms are the authors of ‘Witches’ Awakening!’”

“I take it you’re a fan of their work,” Azura inferred.

“Oh definitely,” Emma answered. “I should’ve gotten their autographs, they’re a huge inspiration to me!”

“You’re a writer,” Azura asked.

Emma rubbed the back of her neck embarrassingly, “Mostly poems and short stories, I’m hoping I can become an author.”

Before more could be said, the pair heard a low growling sound. They looked around before finally locating the source: Zeph’s stomach.

The young witch put his hands over his stomach and chuckled nervously. “Sorry, I think I might be a bit peckish.”

Looking around, Emma made a suggestion. “We’re right by my grandparents bakery, if you want, we can stop by and get something.”

“Sweet,” the witch boy exclaimed, “lead the way!”

“What happened to ‘seeing the superhero museum,’” Azura asked.

Zephyr looked back at her, dead serious. “Sweets take priority over everything.”

The pair of siblings followed the young Parisian girl, soon arriving at a quaint little bakery with a sign that read “Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.” The trio walked in and were greeted by the sight of a friendly old Chinese woman at the counter.

She smiled when she saw the youths. “Hello, Emma,” she greeted with a doting voice.

“Nǐ hǎo, nǎinai,” Emma replied, “can we get a box of macarons to go, please.”

“Of course, dear,” the elder said before turning to the kitchen. “Tom, a box of macarons, please.”

A big burly French man then stepped out from the kitchen, holding a small pink box in his massive hands. “Here you go, dear,” he said as he handed the box to Emma, “enough for you and your friends.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Emma said as she and the witch siblings walked out of the bakery.

With macarons in hand, the trio made continued their trek to the superhero museum.

***

Back at the film set, Luz, Amity, Marinette, and Adrien, watched as they finished filming a scene for the film.

Edric, dressed in his blonde wig and a wedding tuxedo, stood in front of a woman in a dark blue wig, dressed in a bridal gown. The set around them was set to look like a wedding chapel. Numerous other actors playing wedding patrons sat before them.

“Do you, Adrian Agreste, take Marinette Dupain-Cheng as your lawfully wedded wife,” an actor dressed as an officiant said.

“I do,” Ed replied, his voice sounding as ‘in love’ as humanly possible.

“And do you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, take this man to be your husband?”

“I do,” the actress said, mirroring Ed’s tone.

“Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the fake officiant said, “you may kiss the bride.”

Ed and the Actress kissed, causing the other the other actors and actresses to give a standing ovation.

“And cut,” the director, Nino Lahiffe, called out in a megaphone. “Take five everyone.”

The actors dispersed, Luz, Amity, and the Agrestes made their way over to the pair playing the newly weds. Edric and the Actress playing Marinette removed their wigs, revealing his dark green hair and her bright blonde hair.

“Great job, Zoe,” Ed complimented.

“You too, Ed,” she replied before walking off.

“You were great out there,” Amity complimented her older brother.

Before he could reply, the group heard a loud sniff. They turned to see Adrien with tears in his eyes.

“Are you okay, dear,” Marinette asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Adrien sniffed, “it’s just… this scene brought back some really happy memories.” He then wiped the tears out of his eyes. “You’re an amazing actor, Edric.”

Just then, Edric saw the director, Nino, talking with the primary financial backer of the film, Chloe Bourgeois. She was a very rich and very beautiful woman, the daughter of a famous fashion critic and a former mayor of Paris. She provided capital for the film as a favor to some old friends, on the condition that she got a producer credit of course. If there was anyone that Edric wanted to impress, it was her, she could make his career go far.

“I’ll be right back guys,” Edric said, “I have to talk to Nino about something.”

The witch actor quickly rushed over to the director and producer. He was hoping to get their input on his performance. However, he stopped once he heard what they were saying.

“What do you mean you don’t think he’s good enough,” Nino asked incredulously.

Edric listened closely, hoping they weren’t talking about him. “Look, Edric is a fine actor,” Chloe said, “but I don’t think he has enough presence for the lead role. I mean, take the wedding scene we just shot for example, it may be nepotism on my part, but Zoe acted circles around him.”

“But we’re already too far into production to do reshoots,” Nino complained, “we probably won’t even be able to find a replacement.”

Chloe just shrugged. “I’m sorry, Nino, I just don’t think this movie’s going to be all that good with Edric as the lead.”

Edric let out a hurt gasp. He had always had some doubts about his skill as an actor, but this only seemed to prove them right. He may be good for things like commercials, but a movie, he could never carry that. He was wasting his time. The dejected actor then trudged to his dressing room, he was sure that was the only thing he couldn’t mess up.

***

Elsewhere, in a large dark room, a massive window with a butterfly pattern opened, filling the once dark space with light. As the room was graced by the sun, numerous butterflies fluttered about, and a lone figure with a cane stood in the center.

The figure smiled maliciously. “I sense the doubt of a talent who has been belittled for their skill.”

A lone butterfly flew into the figure’s open palm. The cupped their other hand over the insect, a dark aura enveloping it. The figure removed their other hand, revealing the once gentle, white butterfly had been turned into a force of darkness and chaos.

The now dark butterfly flew out the window and into Paris. “Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilize him!”

***

Back with the kids, they were nearing the superhero museum, and they had just finished off the box of Macarons.

Zephyr shoved the last macaron into his gullet. “Mm, these are the best macarons I’ve ever head,” he commented before swallowing the confectionery. “We’ve gotta get another box before we leave.”

“Yeah, because you ate most of them,” Azura snidely remarked.

“You should’ve been faster,” the witch boy dismissed.

Azura’s ire had been raised by her brother’s gluttony. The pair started to argue as they walked along. Emma stepped in.

“Hey, guys,” she said, interrupting the sibling’s bickering, “we’re here.”

The pair looked past the Parisian girl and beheld their destination: the Superhero Museum of Paris. It was a massive building, decorated with murals and pictures of the colorful, costumed guardians of the city. Additionally, right in front of the building stood a statue of the superhero duo who started it all, Ladybug and Chat Noir.

A big grin spread across Zephyr’s face, he looked back at his sister and Emma. “Well, what are we waiting for, let’s go!”

The young witch raced into the building, leaving the pair of teens in the dust. Azura quickly ran after him. “Zeph! Wait up!” Emma followed suit, not wanting to be left behind.

The youngsters stood in the museum’s foyer, it was massive, they could see so many different exhibits. “Miraculous History,” “The Rogue’s, Gallery” and “Sinister Sentimonsters” were but a few of the exhibits on display. Zephyr was on cloud nine. I’d say he was like a kid in a candy store, but he moved at the speed of light in those.

“So, where to first,” Azura asked.

Zephyr scanned his surroundings as he stroked his chin. “The Hall of Heroes,” he exclaimed, pointing to the exhibit.

The young witch darted off into the exhibit. “Oh, come on! Not again!,” Azura called out as she and Emma ran after the speeding twerp.

The three came to a stop when they reached the Hall of Heroes, an exhibit filled with wax statues of the many heroes of Paris, namely their greatest heroes: Ladybug and Chat Noir. They had every hero in Paris, and even a few from Ladybug and Chat Noir’s international exploits, like when they went to New York, China, and Africa. It was everything Zephyr could have ever dreamed of.

Emma chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm. “So, Zephyr, who’s your favorite hero?”

Joy immediately sparked in the young witch’s eyes. “There are so many cool heroes, it’s hard to choose.” The trio began walking through the exhibit. “I mean there’s Ladybug and Chat Noir, Ryuko, Viperion, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Monkey King…”

“What about Miraculous,” Emma interrupted.

“Who,” Azura asked.

“Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir’s sidekick,” Zephyr explained.

He led the trio over to three statues. One was of a woman with short dark hair dressed in a red and black jumpsuit with black polka dots on it, another was a tall man with long blonde hair in a black catsuit with cat ears on his head. The third statue was of a teenage girl, probably about Azura’s age. She wore a jumpsuit that seemed to be a mix of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s; it was mostly black with little patches of red with black dots, a belt that acted like a tail, a black mask with red polka dots, and black cat ears that rested on top of her blonde head.

“She showed up about a year ago, but she’s already made a name for herself as their sidekick, and an even bigger pain in Hawkmoth’s side,” Zephyr explained.

“Okay, I have no idea who any of these people are,” Azura said, “so just assume I know nothing, like at all.”

The trio walked through the exhibit, soon finding themselves in the neighboring exhibit, “The Rogue’s Gallery,” a hall filled with the numerous villains that have plagued Paris over the years. As they walked into the exhibit, Emma noticed a pair of statues that caught her attention. She stopped dead in her tracks, focusing solely on the statues. She got closer to them, looking at them with an unsure look on her face.

Azura and Zephyr noticed and went over to check on their new friend. “Hey, Emma, you okay,” Azura asked. She then looked over at the statues.

One was of a very tall and muscular man whose skin tone was fair with a rosy tint, he had pale, light grayish cerulean eyes and combed-back grey hair. He was dressed in black-framed silver glasses, a white high collar dress shirt underneath a medium gray stripped vest with red buttons and a very pale yellow dress jacket, without buttons, along with a red-and-white striped ascot tie, red dress pants and white shoes, with black soles, and red laces.

Next to it was statue of a man dressed in a high dark purple suit without a collar, over which it had a darker purple jacket with a black butterfly-shaped lapel, a silver mask over most of it’s face, black gloves and shoes, and a purple gem in the center of it’s chest. It also held a cane in it’s hand and wore a malicious grin.

The statues grin unnerved Azura a bit. “Ugh, who’s the creep?”

“That’s Gabriel Agreste, the first Hawkmoth,” Zephyr explained.

“He’s also my grandfather,” Emma expressed, sounding depressed.

“Okay, what’s a ‘Hawkmoth,’” Azura asked.

Zephyr pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed by his sister’s ignorance. “Hawkmoth was Ladybug and Chat Noir’s greatest enemy. He had the butterfly miraculous, and with it the power to turn ordinary people into supervillains. He tried to use them to get the source of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s powers: The Miraculous.”

“Why did he want that?”

“Because Ladybug and Chat Noir have the powers of creation and destruction, respectively,” Emma explained, “if someone has both, they get the power to rewrite reality as they see fit.”

“Ah, so he wanted to rewrite the universe with himself on top,” Azura asked.

“No,” Emma answered, “his wife, my grandmother, was very sick, stuck in a coma, so he wanted to use their power to save her. One day, he managed to succeed, but when grandma saw what he did to save her, she was shocked and terrified. She took the miraculous from him and undid his wish, giving them back to Ladybug and Chat Noir before she went back under. Ladybug and Char Noir were expecting him to fight back, but he just… gave up. He handed over his miraculous and turned himself in.”

Azura sucked on her teeth. “Wow, that is rough.”

“If you wanna know the truth, I’ve never met him,” Emma revealed.

This statement seemed to grab Azura and Zephyr’s full, undivided attention. “You’ve never met him?”

“No,” the French teen answered, “when my dad found out the truth, he was so angry and ashamed of my grandfather that he cut all ties with him.” Emma looked down at her feet, “I know what he did was terrible, but his motives weren’t all bad, and he does seem to be genuinely sorry.”

“How do you know,” Zephyr asked.

“He’s been sending letters to my dad for years, but they’re never opened.” Emma looked back up at the statue, “I just don’t know how to feel about him.”

Azura placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Ya know, it wasn’t until recently that me and my brother met our grandparents.”

Emma looked up the witch, “Really?”

“Yeah, our mom and her parents didn’t have the best relationship, so she cut all ties with them when she moved out. For our whole lives, we were just told about all the bad things they did, like they were irredeemable monsters, but when we met them, they were nice, they even apologized to mom for everything they did. Losing contact with mom changed them, made them look back on how they treated her, and they realized they were in the wrong.”

“Then what happened,” Emma asked.

“We’re spending the weekend with them next week,” Zephyr replied confidently.

Emma chuckled. “My point is, sometimes people make mistakes and they hurt others, sometimes they’re sorry and sometimes they aren’t,” Azura explained, “people will always tell you how you should feel, but you’re the only one who can decide how you feel.”

Emma smiled. “Thank you.”

***

Back on the set, Ed sat in his dressing room, still hurt by the words of Chloe Bourgeois. Everyone said he was a great actor, but did they really mean it, was he really good? To say his confidence was shaken was a gross understatement. He was questioning his vary career, he was sensitive like that.

Unbeknownst to the actor, the Akuma had made it’s way into the room. The dark butterfly fluttered over to him silently, not ever alerting him to his presence. The creature finally touched down on his blonde wig, sinking into it. Ed looked up, an angry glare on his face and a butterfly-shaped beam of light formed over his eyes.

“Criticsizer, I am Hawkmoth,” a voice in his head said, “your talents have gone under-appreciated for far too long. I will grant you the power to make those who doubt you pay, in return, all I ask is that you bring me the source of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s powers.”

“I’m on it,” Edric agreed, standing up.

The witch’s body was consumed by a dark aura. The darkness surrounding him soon disappeared, and he was transformed into a heinous supervillain. His blonde wig rested atop his head, a long scarf was draped around his neck, he wore a black domino mask, and a solid black jumpsuit with a crying theater mask in the center of the chest.

Edric, now turned into Criticsizer, kicked the door to his dressing room down and looked around the set. He spotted an unsuspecting grip with frizzy red hair. The villain grinned maliciously.

“Hey, you,” he called, “is that your hair, or did an orangutan die on your head?!”

The grip gasped, not just in shock at the sight of the villain, but also in offense to his harsh criticism. Criticsizer laughed evilly as he grew bigger by a whole foot. Frightened, the grip ran away screaming as the villain marched onto the set.

***

Luz, Amity, Marinette, and Adrien heard the commotion and looked over to see a group of grips, gaffers, and extras running away, screaming in terror.

“Run, it’s a villain,” one of them shrieked.

“And he’s really mean,” another said.

Criticsizer stepped out into the open, an evil smile plastering his face. He had grown to be about 18 feet tall. Luz and Amity gasped.

“Is that… EDRIC,” Amity exclaimed.

“Oh no, he’s been akumatized,” Marinette said.

“We need to get to safety,” Adrien said as he and Marinette tried to lead the Noceda matrons away, but the witches stood in place.

“What are you doing,” Marinette asked worriedly.

“That’s my brother over there,” Amity said as she and Luz summoned their staffs. “I have to snap him out of this.”

The pair of witches ran off to face the villain, leaving the Agrestes alone. The pair looked over to each other and nodded. They made a beeline for a nearby closet. Once inside, they locked the door and opened their pockets. Out of their pockets flew two small creatures: one resembling a ladybug, and another resembling a black cat.

“Aww man, and I thought we’d get a break today,” the black cat whined.

“Sorry, Plagg, but you know Hawkmoth,” Adrien said.

“They’re vindictive and cruel,” the ladybug creature finished.

“That’s right, Tikki,” Marinette commented, “now let’s hurry up and transform so we can prevent anyone from getting hurt.” Adrien and the creatures nodded in agreement, a look of determination on their faces.

“TIKKI, SPOTS ON,” Marinette called out.

“PLAGG, CLAWS OUT,” Adrien shouted, mirroring his wife’s cadence.

Tikki and Plagg flew into Marinette’s earrings and Adrien’s ring respectively. The pair were transformed into the superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir. The dynamic duo busted out of the closet and sprang into action.

***

Back at the superhero museum, Emma and the Noceda siblings walked out of the building, with Zephyr hauling a bag of souvenirs from the gift shop. Additionally, the siblings were wearing Ladybug and Chat Noir masks. Zephyr was wearing a Ladybug mask while Azura wore a Chat Noir mask and ears.

“Man, I didn’t know Paris had so many superheroes.”

Zephyr scoffed, “They’re not all from Paris, Zuri.” He then pulled out his phone and brought up the pictures he took inside the exhibit. The first was of a pair of statues consisting of a woman dressed as an eagle and an android woman with three eyes.

“That’s Eagle and Uncanny Valley, Ladybug and Chat Noir met them when they went to New York years ago.”

Next was a trio of heroes dressed as green, pink, and blue ghosts. “And that’s the Ghostforce, they teamed up with Ladybug and Chat Noir a long time ago too.”

And finally, he pulled up a picture of a woman with long red hair in a red and yellow reptilian jumpsuit. “And that’s Lady Dragon, she’s stationed in China.”

Azura crossed her arms at the boy. “You know all this, but you can’t fully remember your multiplications table?”

“I’m eight, superheroes take priority over everything else for me,” he defended himself, “besides… eights are hard to remember.”

Emma chuckled at the siblings’ banter. The duo’s bickering was interrupted by a noise emanating from Emma’s pocket. She pulled out her phone and opened it, it was a news alert. Azura and Zephyr walked over to see what the commotion was.

“This is Alya Lahiffe, and this just in, a supervillain has been spotted wreaking havoc at Place des Vosges,” the reporter said, “authorities advise to avoid the area until Ladybug and Chat Noir can stop the villain.”

The newscast switched to live footage of the giant villain causing havoc. Azura and Zephyr gasped. “Is that… Uncle Ed?!”

“Oh no, he’s been akumatized,” Emma worried.

“We gotta get down there,” Azura said as she and her brother put away their souvenirs, “maybe we can talk him out of it.”

Zephyr nodded, and the pair started to make their way back to the set. “Wait,” Emma called out, causing them to stop. “It could be dangerous, you could get hurt!”

“He’s family, we have to help,” Azura replied with unflinching resolve. The pair of siblings raced back to the set, leaving Emma behind.

The Parisian girl quickly dove into an alleyway. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear. “Those two are gonna get themselves hurt, but they’ve got the right idea.” She then grabbed her pendant. “TIME TO MIRACULIZE!!!”

Emma’s body was washed in a mix of pink and black energy. Her clothes changed to a black jumpsuit with patches of red with black polka dots, a belt for a tail, leather cat ears, a black domino mask with red dots, and her pendant now was red with five black dots, and rested inside the central dot was a lime green cat paw print. Additionally, her hair’s colors had inverted, becoming blonde with blue highlights. She had transformed into the young heroine, Miraculous.

Miraculous leapt to the rooftops, staring off into the direction of Place des Vosges. “Hold on, you guys, I’m on my way!” She then pulled out a yo-yo, and started using it to swing from building to building.

***

Criticsizer laughed as he stomped around Paris. “If you wanna run faster, here’s a tip: PUT DOWN THE FORK,” he shouted at one of the civilians. He grew another few feet.

“EDRIC! STOP,” he heard a familiar voice call out.

He turned to see Luz and Amity flying over to him on their staffs. “Ed, this isn’t you, you’re not this angry hateful person,” Amity called out.

Criticsizer stopped for a moment, it looked like Amity’s words got through to him. A purple, butterfly-shaped beam of light reappeared over his eyes, and he grew angry.

“Stay out of this, mittens,” he roared as he swatted the pair away.

Luz and Amity flew through the air. They were about to hit the side of a building, but were saved by Paris’ dynamic duo, Ladybug and Chat Noir. The superheroes landed on a nearby rooftop and set the couple down.

“Are you two alright,” Ladybug asked.

Luz rubbed her aching head. “Yeah, thanks for the—,” She then got a look at her rescuer. “Wait, MARINETTE?!”

Ladybug’s eyes grew wide. “WHAT?! NO! I’m not Marinette. She’s way too clumsy to do what I do!”

Luz looked at her with a raised brow and crossed arms, she wasn’t fooling anybody. Ladybug stood there, frozen, unable to think of any way out of this. She slumped forward, “Alright, ya got me.”

“M’LADY,” Chat Noir said in shock.

Amity crossed her arms at the feline superhero. “And I guess that makes you Adrien Agreste.”

Chat Noir gulped, “How did you two figure it out?”

“It wasn’t that difficult, all we had to do was imagine you two in domino masks,” Amity explained.

“Plus, you’re not even trying to disguise your voices,” Luz added.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were flabbergasted. For years, no one was able to figure out their secret identities. Then all of a sudden, these two show up, and they’re able to figure it out in a matter of seconds. What were they gonna do, only a select few were allowed to have knowledge of their secret identities.

A loud scream cut through the air, calling the superheroes out of their thoughts. Criticsizer had cornered Chloe. He looked down at her with a malicious grin.

“So, do I have enough screen presence now?!”

Chloe whimpered before the villain’s intimidating size. He chuckled evilly as he reached down to grab the producer.

“Uncle Ed! STOP,” he heard a voice call out from behind, causing him to stop.

Criticsizer turned around to see his niece and nephew. All his bravado and malice melted away, replaced by dread and self doubt. Chloe saw a chance, and quickly slipped away while he was distracted.

“Uncle Ed, please,” Azura pleaded, “you’re not a violent person!”

“You’re being controlled,” Zephyr added, “but you can fight it, I know you can!”

He looked unsure, he didn’t know what to do or how to react. The butterfly-shaped beat reappeared over his eyes, Hawkmoth was about to give more orders.

“Kill them.”

Criticsizer gasped, “I can’t do that, they’re my family! I—“

“DON’T TALK BACK TO ME, SLAVE,” Hawkmoth roared, “I made you what you are now, and you will do as I say! Destroy them!!!”

Criticsizer grabbed the sides of his head in pain. He was trying to resist, but Hawkmoth’s control proved too powerful. He raised his fist, about to slam it down on the kids.

He looked down at them with tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry!”

The villain brought his fist down. He would have crushed his niece and nephew, had it not been for the timely intervention of a young hero in black and red.

Miraculous, the sidekick of Ladybug and Chat Noir, quickly grabbed the sister and brother and zipped to safety. Criticsizer looked at the crater he created, he had crushed nothing but pavement. The villain breathed a sigh of relief before going back on his search for that heinous woman, Chloe.

In a nearby alley, Miraculous gently set the Noceda siblings down. “Are you guys alright?”

“Yeah, we—“ Azura said before getting a better look at the young heroine. “EMMA?!”

Miraculous nearly fell over in shock. “WHAAATT?! No! I’m Miraculous, not Emma Agreste!”

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, “She didn’t say you were Emma Agreste.”

Miraculous started to panic. “Well… I… that is… you see..” She slumped over in defeat, “How’d you figure it out?”

“You’re not even disguising your voice,” Azura said, standing up. “Now what just happened? Uncle Ed wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone us!”

Miraculous regained her composure, “Your Uncle’s being controlled by Hawkmoth, and unlike my grandfather, the current Hawkmoth has no problem with hurting innocent bystanders to get their way.”

“I can see that,” Azura snapped back. “How do we make him stop though?”

“Hawkmoth uses butterflies filled with dark energy called ‘Akumas’ to make supervillains, and they hide in an object of the victim’s.” Miraculous gently stroked her chin, “if we find where the Akuma’s hiding, we can break it, and Ladybug can de-evilize it, and fix all the damage.”

“So we just need to find your mom,” Zephyr asked.

Miraculously put her hands on her hips, “What makes you think Ladybug’s my mom?”

The pair of siblings looked at her, each with a brow raised, giving her a face that said “Really?”

The teen superhero one pinched the bridge of her nose. “You people are too smart.”

***

From a nearby rooftop, the Nocedas, Ladybug, and Chat Noir observed Criticsizer. The citizens heeded the warnings of the news and hid inside. With the streets cleared, the villain was struggling to find further fuel for his powers.

“So, my brother is being controlled by some butterfly-themed psychopath,” Amity inferred.

“Yes, and we have to find where the akuma is so we can free him,” Ladybug explained.

Luz studied Criticsizer, looking for anything out of the ordinary on him… well, more out of the ordinary than his current appearance. A lightbulb then went off in her head. “I think it might be in his wig!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other. “Makes sense to me,” the feline hero commented, “that bright blonde really stands out against that black jumpsuit.”

Ladybug put her hands on her hips and cracked a smug smile. “Well, isn’t that the cat calling the kettle black.”

“What can I say, I make it work.”

Amity groaned. “If you two are done flirting like high schoolers, my own flesh and blood is being forced to commit acts of wanton destruction. WE NEED A PLAN!”

Just then, they heard six feet land near them. They looked over to see Azura, Zephyr, and Miraculous. Luz and Amity wasted no time in embracing their children.

“KIDS,” Amity exclaimed as she and Luz rushed over, pulling their kids in tight hugs. “We’re so glad you’re okay!”

Ladybug put her hands on her hips confidently. “Good work on getting these kids to safety, Miraculous.”

“You can drop the alter egos, Mrs. Agreste, we know it’s you,” Azura said.

“What the,” Chat Noir stuttered, “Emma, you told them?!”

“Of course not,” Emma defended, “they figured it out themselves!”

Chat Noir turned to the Nocedas. “Okay, seriously how did you—“

“YOU’RE NOT EVEN DISGUISING YOUR VOICES,” the witch family answered in unison.

Chat Noir sighed in mild frustration. “M’lady, can you please use your lucky charm so we can stop Criticsizer?”

“I’m on it, Kitty,” she said as she tossed her yo-yo into the air. “LUCKY CHARM!”

Out of the yo-yo flew a swarm of ladybugs. The swarm flew up into the air and coalesced into something new: a small box. The box fell into Ladybug’s hand. She opened it and immediately found herself perplexed by the contents.

“Earplugs,” she said incredulously as she pulled out a pair.

“How are those gonna help us stop an overly critical giant,” Azura asked.

Ladybug looked around. She saw the group before her, then she saw Criticsizer, furiously looking for victims. She smirked, her plan was coming together. “Alright, everyone, take a pair,” she said, passing the box around, “here’s what we’re gonna do…”

***

Criticsizer desperately searched the streets of Paris. He needed to find someone to criticize, he needed to get bigger. How else was he going to make that overgrown Barbie doll pay? “WHERE IS EVERYONE?!”

“Well, I can’t speak for everyone,” Criticsizer heard a voice call out from his left. He looked up to see Chat Noir looking down at him with crossed arms and a confident smirk. “But I’m right here!”

“Ah, would you look at that, everyone’s favorite BDSM cat has joined the party,” Criticsizer commented rudely.

Chat Noir just stood there, looking completely unfazed and unoffended. Criticsizer became irate.

“I SAID, THAT OUTFIT MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE FURRY GIMP!!!”

Chat Noir was completely unaffected. Criticsizer growled, but his anger soon turned to confusion as he shrank a few feet. Hawkmoth contacted him again.

“He’s blocking your criticism out somehow! Focus on getting his miraculous before you shrink more!”

Criticsizer followed the maniacal monarch’s orders, reaching for Chat Noir. However, he was stopped by a pair of yo-yos wrapping around his wrist. He looked over to see Ladybug and Miraculous had grappled his arm and were holding it back.

Criticsizer growled. “Looks like someone just got up from their nap, judging by those pajamas!”

Ladybug and Miraculous were unaffected, Criticsizer shrank more. He was still big enough, he could crush them and take the miraculous from the resulting piles of mush. He raised his his other hand, but it was also being held back, this time by reigns comprised entirely of magic.

He looked over to see Luz and Azura, holding the reigns. “YOUR EYES ARE WEIRD,” he shouted at Azura desperately.

She was unaffected, and he shrank even more. His strength was starting wain, his best chance now was to run and bring these jokers along for the ride. He tried to take a step, but he couldn’t move his legs. He looked down to see his legs were entirely wrapped in abomination matter. Amity and Zephyr had summoned it.

“YOUR ROOTS ARE SHOWING, MITTENS,” he screamed, even more desperate than before.

She was unaffected, and he shrank even more, until he was about forty feet tall. Seeing an opportunity, Ladybug nodded at her partner, it was go time.

Chat Noir nodded back before raising his right hand in the air. “CATACLYSM!!!”

The feline hero’s hand became shrouded in a black energy. He quickly leapt onto the villain’s head and grabbed a lock of hair from the wig. The black energy spread through the wig, turning it into dust.

The akuma emerged from the dust, attempting to fly away. Ladybug wasn’t about to let it go, she recalled her yo-yo, opening it.

“No more evil doing for you, little akuma,” she said as she twirled her weapon around. “TIME TO DE-EVILIZE!!!”

She then swung the yo-yo and caught the akuma within it. “Gotcha,” she said as she pulled the yo-yo back. She then opened it up, and a pure white butterfly flew out. “Bye bye, little butterfly.”

The spotted heroine threw the box that the earplugs came in into the air. “MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!!!”

The box split into a massive swarm of ladybugs that flew all around Paris, repairing any and all damage, as well as moving the heroes safely to the ground. It was like there was no supervillain attack in the first place.

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Miraculous held out their fists. The Noceda women were confused, but Zephyr knew exactly what this was about. He motioned his family to follow his lead. The family of witches extended their fists, meeting with the superhero family’s.

“Pound it,” the heroes and Zephyr all exclaimed

Criticsizer shrank down back to his original size, covered in a dark aura. The aura dissipated, revealing that he had been turned back into Edric. The actor held his aching head.

“What happened?”

“You were turned into a supervillain by a butterfly loving sicko,” Luz said as she and Amity helped him up. “You also said a lot of really mean things.”

“Oh Titan,” Edric groaned, “I have a lot of apologizing ahead of me.”

The actor stood up and made his way back to the set. Chat Noir crossed his arms, “Now that just leaves us to figure out what to do about you.”

The heroes turned back to their civilian identities, the Agreste family. Marinette stepped forward, “only a select few are allowed to know our identities.”

“What do you do to people who figure it out on their own,” Zephyr asked nervously.

“We don’t know,” Emma said, “this has never happened before.”

The Nocedas tilted their heads in surprise, “Really?”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about us,” Luz said, “we can keep your secret for you.”

“Plus, we live in a different dimension entirely,” Zephyr pointed out, “there really isn’t much of a risk of us spilling the beans to your enemies.”

Marinette and Adrien stepped away to discuss what to do. “What do you think,” Adrien asked.

“Well, he has a valid point,” Marinette pondered, “Hawkmoth doesn’t know know they know, and with them living in another realm, it looks like it’s gonna stay that way. Plus, we don’t have a way to erase memories.”

The couple rejoined the others. “Alright, we don’t see any danger in letting you know our identities,” Marinette explained, “but you have to promise not to tell anyone, alright?”

The Nocedas smiled confidently. “Our lips are sealed,” Luz replied.

The two families smiled, happy to have reached an understanding. They then made their way back to the film set.

***

Back in Hawkmoth’s chamber, the villain fumed at their failure. “You may have blocked out my plan this time, Ladybug, but I’ll be back with a plan that’s impossible to ignore!”

The window of their chamber closed, and Hawkmoth stepped onto the hidden elevator behind them. “Dark wings fall,” they said as they sank into the floor.

Hawkmoth’s villain guise disappeared, revealing their true self. They were an Italian woman with long auburn hair, dressed in a reddish-orange suit, and with pale green eyes. Floating next to her was the source of the butterfly miraculous’ powers, Nooroo.

“Um, mistress?”

“What is it, Nooroo,” the woman asked irritably.

“You’ve never told me, why do you want the ladybug and cat miraculous anyway?”

The woman scoffed. “I suppose I can tell you, it’s not like you can refuse me anyway.” The elevator stopped, and the woman and kwami stepped out of the shaft and into her office through a secret door. “I want the miraculous so I can get rid of the ones I despise the most: The Agreste Family!”

Nooroo gasped as the woman sat down at her desk. “Ms. Rossi, the mayor is waiting for you,” a voice said over her intercom stated.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” she answered, “I was just busy making donations to various charities.”

“You’re such a giving person, Ms. Rossi,” the voice said. Ms. Rossi smiled maliciously, pleased that her gullible assistant fell for yet another of her lies.

Nooru flew over to her. “But why would you want to erase the Agreste family from existence?”

“It’s simple, Nooroo. Marinette Agreste ousted me as a liar to everyone, ruining my youth, Adrien Agreste refused my affection, and Gabriel Agreste used me as nothing more than a tool to further his own plans.” She slammed her fist on the desk, “Nobody uses Lila Rossi!” She then chuckled softly. “I suppose it’s somewhat ironic that I’m using Gabriel’s old house as my base of operations though.”

“But what about the girl, Emma Agreste,” the timid kwami asked, “she hasn’t done anything to you.”

Lila grit her teeth. “SHE’S THE ONE I HATE THE MOST!!! Her very existence is a reminder of the life that was destined to be mine, the life that was stolen from me!”

Lila stood up and walked over to the door, leaving Nooroo all alone. The small butterfly creature shuddered at his mistress’ cruelty. Even his previous master, Gabriel Agreste, was not as cruel. He prayed for the day where he would be rescued from his torment, and prayed that it would happen soon.

***

That evening, as the vibrant orange sun started to vanish behind the horizon, filming had finally wrapped up for the day. The crew and actors gathered their things, removing almost every trace of production from the park.

Before everyone left, Edric stood before the crew. “Everyone, I just want to say how sorry I am about what happened earlier today.”

Adrien put a hand on his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, Ed. Hawkmoth takes advantage of everyone.” He then looked out to the film crew, “Raise your hand if you’ve been turned into a villain in the past!”

An surprisingly large number of crew members raised their hands. “See, it wasn’t your fault,” Marinette said, joining the conversation.

“Besides, you managed to prove me wrong,” they all heard a familiar voice call out. They turned to see Chloe walking over with a determined smile on her face.

“Ms. Bourgeois,” Edric said in surprise.

“Please, call me Chloe, and you my friend are going to be one of the biggest names in French cinema,” Chloe praised. “When you were akumatized, you showed passion and charisma that I rarely see in actors these days. If you can tap into that, then I’m going to take you straight to the top of the charts!”

The other crew members and the Nocedas all gave a rousing round of applause. He deserved this, after all his hard work, he was finally being appreciated for his efforts. Edric looked around, a proud smile on his face. “Thank you all.”

***

Later, the Nocedas had set up their portal and were about to head home. The Agrestes had decided to see them off.

“Thanks for helping my brother today,” Amity said.

“It’s no problem,” Adrien replied, “thank you for agreeing to keep our secret.”

Emma walked over to Azura and Zephyr. “It was nice meeting you guys,” she then looked down at her notebook, “and thanks for getting your moms to autograph my journal.”

“No problem,” Azura replied, “thanks for showing us around.”

“And for getting us more macarons,” Zephyr said as he shoved one of the deserts into his mouth.

Azura and Emma chuckled at the child. “Oh, and don’t forget what we talked about,” Azura said with a wink.

Emma nodded. The two families bid each other farewell, with the Nocedas walking through their portal. “If you’re ever in the Isles, don’t be afraid to stop by,” Luz said before disappearing. The magical door then vanished.

***

Sometime later, in a dim and dank prison cell, an elderly man with glasses in an orange prison jumpsuit sat on his bed. He just sat there, staring off into distance. He had been dealt the ultimate defeat, there was nothing he could do to bring himself joy. His melancholy sloth was soon interrupted by a prison guard.

“Agreste, you’ve got a visitor!”

The man looked up at the guard, more surprised than anything. “A visitor? I never get visitors.”

“Yeah, surprised me too,” the guard commented as he opened the cell doors, “now come on.”

***

Emma sat there in the prison’s small visitation room, nervous. What if he was just as mean as everyone said? She then took a calming breath and remembered what Azura said about coming to your own conclusions.

The door behind her opened. She turned around to see her grandfather, Gabriel Agreste, being escorted into the room by the security guard. He looked sad, like he hadn’t seen anything that sparked joy in his for years. He never looked up from the ground beneath his feet, like he was in an almost permanent case of sulking.

The guard sat Gabriel down across from the young girl before moving over to the wall behind him. It was his job to guard over the prisoner and make sure nothing happened, to either the visitor or the prisoner.

Gabriel, managed to pry his eyes away from his shoes and looked up at the young lady before him. Something about her seemed awfully familiar.

“And who might you be,” he asked in genuine curiosity.

Emma took a deep breath in. “My name is Emma Agreste, I’m your granddaughter.”

Gabriel looked surprised by this revelation. “I… I have a granddaughter?” Emma nodded. “You’ll have to forgive me, I don’t know much about what’s happened outside of these walls, and I haven’t heard from Adrien in years.”

The convict then looked at the girl, “How is Adrien?”

“He’s fine,” Emma replied.

“I assume he doesn’t know you’re here, given the last words your father ever said to me.”

“No, he and mom don’t know anything about this.”

Gabriel sighed in defeat, “I see, he still thinks so lowly of me.” He then looked back up at his granddaughter. “So then why are you here? I’m sure you’ve heard many horrible things about me.”

Emma nodded again, “Yes, I have, but a friend of mine told me that sometimes I need to ignore what others say and come to my own conclusions about others.” She looked at him dead in the eyes. “What you did was awful, but your motivations weren’t entirely selfish, so maybe you’re not all bad.”

Gabriel was caught off guard, she was really giving him the benefit of the doubt. Everyone else was so quick to write him off as an irredeemable monster, but this girl was willing to give him a second chance. He then felt something, something that he hadn’t felt in years: joy.

Gabriel smiled warmly at the girl, “So, Emma, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

Emma replied with a smile of her own, and then started to talk about he life and her hobbies. To her, it may have just seemed like small talk, but to Gabriel, it was like finally reconnecting with a part of himself he felt was long gone.