Chapter Text
The room was cloaked in darkness, the shapes of the structure melting into the black, the only faint light coming from a single radiant tree in the back. A lone standing figure, shrouded in shadow, shuffled towards the front of the room. "Prime, if I may?" the figure asked the man in the chair in front of him. He too was shrouded in shadows, as were the six to his right and six to his left. The one called Prime leaned forward. "Yes?" Prime acknowledged. The figure flexed his fingers as he measured his request.
"I wish for today to be the day the Destroyer gets what she deserves," the figure said, the bite of hate plain in his voice. "My world was annihilated. All because of her selfish actions." Prime leaned back in his chair. "Worlds are created and destroyed, my friend. You and I both know it is the cycle of the universe - of universes - itself."
The person in the chair next to Prime's right coughed into his fist. "She did commit several offenses in the span of a few hours and nearly caused the death of the multiverse," he said. "If she hadn't intervened, this would have never happened. The branch would have been cut before it could infect the whole tree."
"We are the ones who ensure the multiverse's continued existence, Prime," a female figure, five chairs to the left of Prime, added gently. "This would not be any grudge court, we would simply be fulfilling our duties."
"That is exactly why we should not try her," a second female figure, three from the right, replied. "We cannot remove her from the timestream for any length longer than a few minutes. Who knows what could happen?"
"Zh pxvw dw ohdvw fkdujh khu," the figure on the furthest right disagreed in a strange language. "Diwhu wkh Fdw Eodqf lqflghqw, zh qhduob fhdvhg wr halvw!"
"L djuhh zlwk Vfduzlqj. Vkh pxvw eh sxqlvkhg!" the one furthest left replied in the same tongue. The others began to take sides, throwing around reasons for and against calling her to court. Prime snapped his fingers, the sound piercing through the other arguments.
"Councilors, you have made your points," Prime said. "Very well. Today will be the day the Destroyer - as ironic as such an epithet is - is tried."
"Shall I send some enforcers?" the figure in shadow asked, eager to get revenge. Prime held up his hand. "No. I shall be the one to go." Prime rose from his chair. "Stop time across the multiverse, except for the Destroyer and me. I have no desire to be attacked by her pet." The figure in front of the chairs nodded, and moved to the large tree, the light barely illuminating him. He laid his hands on a clock in front of the tree, ticking away. With a push of the clock, it stopped, and the tree, which had been moving slightly as if by some ethereal wind, stopped as well.
"The day the multiverse stood still," the figure said, curling his clawed fingers into fists and punching a picture of the one he called the Destroyer, a raven-haired girl in a spotted suit. "Justice will be swift, Destroyer," he said to himself. "And you shall be punished."
"Ladybug and Cat Noir! You two are gonna lose big-time!" A purple skinned villain in an intricate yellow jumpsuit called out. A black chain with an XY symbol on it flashed in time with the music he fired off from his mobile concert stage.
"You know, this music is really boring!" Cat Noir taunted as he dodged each music bolt. "No wonder Jagged Stone has more fans than you!" The villain snarled. "It won't matter how many fans old man Rockabilly has! DJ Doomsday will end his time and get them all! Starting with you!" He fired off more music, forcing Cat Noir to dodge each note attack.
Ladybug jumped over DJ Doomsday, her yoyo twirling into a red-hot circle. The villain noticed and turned his musical cannon on the heroine. "Try a set up of sixty-fourth notes, full auto!" he yelled. The torrent of music struck Ladybug directly in the torso, sending her flying back fifty feet.
Shadow Moth opened a link with DJ Doomsday. "Excellent work. Now, fulfill your end of the deal." The villainous DJ nodded. "My next big hit. Shadow Moth's victory ballad!"
Right as he was about to fire his next attack at Ladybug, a staff hit him in the back. "Forgot about me?" Cat Noir asked. DJ Doomsday sneered. "Maybe a cat screeching would be a good background track!" He fired off more rapid notes, Cat Noir deflecting them with his staff.
Ladybug got up, shaking some of the dust from the lading off. "Okay, that was not pleasant." She charged the supervillain again, hoping to disorient him with a hit from behind. DJ Doomsday turned around and right as he saw Ladybug charging at him, his musical onslaught against Cat Noir faltered as he slammed the gas pedal on his stage, driving off towards the bridge in front of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug landed in the empty space, the skid marks left by the stage as the only evidence that it had been there.
"How many times has he ran away like that?" Cat Noir asked his partner. Ladybug sighed. "Too many. But this will be the last time." Ladybug swung off in the villain's direction, Cat Noir vaulting after her.
Neither of them realized the shadow of Dragonus loomed over them like some vast, predatory bird as he trailed their fight with DJ Doomsday.
"Boss, this is all one terrible idea," Vorath said. "Why do you even care?" Dragonus sighed in exasperation. "The thrill of the hunt, Vorath. The thrill of the hunt." And with that, the conversation was over.
DJ Doomsday parked right in the middle of the bridge and started messing with some dials. The two heroes landed at the street end of the bridge. "Okay, here's the plan," Ladybug said. "You'll attack head-on while I swing in from the left, then we'll get him in a pincer."
Cat Noir nodded. "Well, m'lady, let's rock his world!" Cat Noir ran straight for DJ Doomsday while Ladybug swung off the bridge and attempted to kick the villain off his stage.
The villain laughed. "Now you learn why I'm called DJ Doomsday!" He slammed a fist into a giant red button, and every speaker blared a bass note at maximum volume, creating a sonic shockwave that pushed Cat Noir back and sent Ladybug flying towards the concrete, her yoyo having been dislodged from her grip.
Dragonus felt the shockwave and saw Ladybug being sent flying. "Gets herself thrown in the air. And because I still have a remnant of a conscience, I gotta save her," he muttered as he caught her out of the air. "Grow some wings. I don't want to keep doing this. Next time I'll drop you." He set Ladybug down and rose back into the air, leaving the spotted heroine confused. What are this guy's motives?
"Hey, Golden Record!" DJ Doomsday said. "You messed up my bass drop! Now you'll get it!" Shadow Moth opened a link quickly. "Don't challenge him! He will not hesitate to fight and dismember you!" DJ Doomsday scoffed. "He doesn't look that tough."
Dragonus had already noticed and landed right in front of the villain on his stage. "So it's a fight you want? Fine. I was getting bored anyways," he said darkly as he cracked his knuckles. DJ Doomsday let off a barrage of sound, but Dragonus dodged it all and threw his sword at the yellow-clad villain, who shrieked and ducked. The weapon boomeranged back to Dragonus's hand.
"Wimp," Dragonus remarked. "You may have a decent sound show." He sheathed his sword. "But what's a sound show without a light show to go with it?" Electricity crackled between his fingers as he shot bolts of lightning at the evil DJ, frying his equipment and setting his overly styled hair on fire. When he ended the storm of pure power, DJ Doomsday slumped over and landed face first in the concrete.
"Now to finish the job," Dragonus said. "Drago Charm!" Golden power channeled into the sky from his sword. A ring similar to his Dark Miraculous dropped into his palm, a clock symbol etched into the top. He shrugged and put it in his pocket. "I already have your little power, DJ Dumbsday," he said as he reached for the necklace. "And another thing. I don't care for your little dubstep. Gimme something with guitars any day." Dragonus crushed the necklace beneath his boot. The akuma fluttered out, flapping quickly almost as if it was afraid of the dragon near it.
"Nice knowing you, little akuma," Dragonus said as he pressed the handle of his sword, which rotated open. "Time to de-evilize!" He threw his sword, which caught the akuma in the open handle and shut. Without wasting a moment, he pressed it open again. "Fly away, butterfly." He threw the ring into the sky. "Dark Miraculous Dragonus!" The ring broke into the repairing scales, the swarm rushing through the damaged streets of Paris.
The purple ether dropped from DJ Doomsday, revealing a very confused XY, who shrieked and ran when he saw Dragonus. "Comes with the territory, I guess… and oh, right! Since I did your job for you, you gotta fight me," Dragonus said as he turned to the heroes. They tensed up, ready to brawl.
"Thanks for the save, but I could've handled myself. I didn't need you to save me. But you might need some backup," Ladybug said as her yoyo twirled. A moment passed without Cat Noir making a remark. "Cat Noir, say something witty," Ladybug said out of the corner of her mouth. She turned to her partner and saw he was completely frozen in place, not even blinking.
Ladybug turned to Dragonus. "What did you do?!" she yelled. Dragonus shrugged. "You tell me. I didn't do this. Look at DJ Blondie over there." He pointed at XY, who was frozen mid sprint, a look of pure horror on his face.
Ladybug looked around. "It's like time stopped. There's no breeze, no sound, no movement." Dragonus looked at her, a grim look visible through the helmet. "Except us." He strolled over. "If it turns out we are the last people on Earth, I wouldn't mind. I always thought you were kind of cute." Ladybug rolled her eyes. "You're just as bad of a flirt as Cat Noir," she snarked back. A golden portal opened where XY had been de-akumatized. Both hero and villain took up a fighting position.
"Who are you?" Ladybug called to the portal. Dragonus scoffed. "If you want to make a point, do it with force!" He threw his sword at the portal. Right as the blade was about to enter the portal, a hand stretched out and caught the double ended weapon. A hand clad in a golden glove, claws at the end of its fingers, a scale pattern along the glove, the wrist covered in a cuff similar to Cat Noir's. The energy blades flickered from sparking red to smooth blue to purple, then faded entirely. The hand dropped the sword.
Dragonus immediately paled, quite literally. The color drained from his scales as he yelped in what Ladybug thought was shock. That visor and faceplate made it hard to discern emotions. Dragonus fell to one knee, muttering apologies and asking for forgiveness. Ladybug was immediately terrified. If this new person made Dragonus, the most powerful - and irreverent - person she had ever fought, grovel, they must be immensely powerful, more so than Dragonus.
"Who are you?" Ladybug asked again. The hand retreated back into the portal, and then, a golden boot stepped through, attached to a golden leg. The full figure stepped through, his golden bodysuit shining against the sunlight, wings spread wide, tail curled menacingly. Her question answered itself.
"Dragonus," Ladybug breathed. And it was, though taller, bulkier, and held an air of regality to himself. He seemed… older. A different chestplate adorned him, this one looking more solid and separate from the suit, triangular shoulderpads pointing off. His helmet displayed a crown-like fixture on the front, with five pieces of gold that curled inwards, runes inlaid in them.
"Forgive me, Great Prime," Dragonus said, his voice slightly panicking. "I didn't know it was you." The older Dragonus nodded once. Present Dragonus rose, brushed some of the dust from his scales and bowed slightly. The older dragon returned the sword to the younger.
"I will admit, I did not expect to see you here," the older Dragonus said, then he chuckled. "Or perhaps I should've? Considering... oh, never mind." He turned to Ladybug. "And yes, I am Dragonus, but from the future. I am the head of a council that oversees all of the multiverse. I am Dragonus Prime."
"You certainly seem to have taught him some manners," Ladybug replied, still distrustful of the elder. Dragonus Prime only chuckled slightly. "Yes, we met a little more than a year ago. An event in the multiverse had caused a few... disasters, and we needed a hero to trust."
Ladybug gasped so hard that she almost choked. "Hero? He's a villain! He's - you've - tried to take my powers!" Dragonus Prime growled a little. "He wasn't. Not always. He is only doing what he believes needs to be done."
"Thank you, Great Prime," Dragonus said. "You grant more credit to me than I deserve." Dragonus Prime only glanced over, staring directly into his younger self's visor. Dragonus gulped. "Right. Not the right time."
"You are not the reason I am here," Dragonus Prime said. He turned back to Ladybug and drew his sword, the energy blades glowing purple. "Ladybug, you are charged with breaking and entering, unauthorized dimensional travel, unauthorized interference with natives of another reality, and the near total and irreversible destruction of the multiverse. Come quietly and I will have no reason to fight you here."
Ladybug gasped again, affronted. "What?! When have I ever-" The one memory she always suppressed came to the surface of her brain. The worst memory. Everything that happened during Cat Blanc. "No, no, wait, I can explain," she began, but Dragonus Prime held up a hand. "You will be tried and you will have your chance to make your case to the most powerful denizens of the Thirteen Great Universes, the Judges of the Multiverse." The older man came forward. "I promise on my honor, the trial will be fair and just. You will have every chance to defend yourself. Please, come. This will make my life and the rest of the judges' lives much easier."
Ladybug hung her head, her sadness and shame betrayed by her expression. She had been nearly useless in the villain fight and now she was being tried for an event that took place nearly six months ago, for the worst day of her life. Dragonus Prime noticed her expression.
"You will have the chance to call on an ally," he replied. "You won't face this alone." Ladybug looked up, forcing herself to look confident. "I'll go." Dragonus Prime nodded and looked at his younger self. "You will come, too," he said. Dragonus hurriedly nodded and fell into step behind his adult self. Then the three stepped through the portal.
"I thought this would happen sometime," Bunnyx sighed as she watched the interaction between Dragonus Prime and Ladybug. "I just need to find the Courtroom. Then I can get in." She started scrolling through the spaces between the universes. "If I can find it," she added grimly.