Archive of Our Own

"Once again, the damage caused by the recent Akuma has been repaired by our very own Ladybug." News reporter Nadja Chamack explains to the camera as a clip from the recent battle is playing on her right side.

It shows Ladybug and her partner, Cat Noir, facing off against an Akuma that can spread a void-like substance from itself. The pair avoids touching the ground while looking for objects unaffected by the Akuma's ability.

Any living being experiencing strong emotions causes the substance to spread at a fast pace before consuming the person entirely, using its victims to spread further throughout Paris.

"Though, this battle didn't come without several snags in the road, as despite attempts from costumed civilians to 'play hero,' all it did was cause the akuma to grow stronger." she motions with her right to the next video that was playing.

A civilian recorded the chaos on their cell phone as the substance began to creep along the ground, consuming everything in sight.

A plea for help came to the person's right. They then moved their phone to the scene of a fearful Parisian standing atop a table, and it slowly began to sink into the darkness below.

Suddenly, several chairs are thrown from outside the frame near the trapped Parisian. The camera moves to show an adolescent girl in a ladybug costume; she shouts, "Hang on!" before beginning to hop through the slowly sinking chairs.

In just a few agonizing minutes, she reaches the last chair, steps onto the slanted table, and sticks out her hand to the stuck person. She attempts to say something before the table tips completely over, sending the two into the Akuma's void.

Panic ensues as the two of them are consumed right in front of the camera person's eyes.

Nadja takes a moment to exhale before continuing with her report, "Though this example was truly from a worst-case scenario, actions from most costumed individuals have had a negative effect on how the people at Paris view heroism, enough that the mayor has decreed a total ban on costumed activities."

"Only time will tell whether this ban on cosplay will do more harm than good."

Pen_Pen: OOC: (Thank you for indulging me in this non-canon session while I pass the time on the Locomotive, Owlet.)   (｀Θ') 

KnightOwlFan1984: OOC: (it really is no problem at all! I needed to quell my anxiety somehow, and revising these papers wasn't helping me in the slightest…)

Pen_Pen: Please do not tell me that you have been neglecting your duties as principal in favor of playtime again.

KnightOwlFan1984: Well... I haven't done it this time.

Pen_Pen: I do not understand, please explain.

KnightOwlFan1984: It's honestly the strangest thing, P2; give me a moment to recall what happened today…

It was the morning after the recent Akuma. Principal Damoclès stood in front of the school's open doors, welcoming the student body for another day of learning.

Some waved goodbye to their parents, and others walked at a snail's pace as they conversed with their peers. But they all had a positive look on their faces, tired as they may be.

That is, until they made eye contact with their owl-faced principal, in which case their faces shifted to an uncomfortable expression as they walked to their lockers.

"How odd," Denis thought to himself; "I haven't been wearing my costume to work again, have I?"

He looked up as best he could as he tapped his head for his handmade owl mask. "Nothing but male-pattern baldness here. Hoo-Hoo…"

Still, whatever his students felt, he should keep on smiling. If they couldn't talk about it, they should know that they're safe here…for the most part.

Shockingly, as he grinned, his students felt even more uncomfortable.

Pen-Pen: I had assumed children had an adverse reaction to education. Is that not the case, Owlet?

OwletFan1984: To be honest…most of the time, they don't want to be there, but I don't think it was the school they were uncomfortable about; I think it was me.

Pen-Pen: I honestly cannot think of a reason why anybody would be uncomfortable around you. You are someone I enjoy spending time with.

KnightOwlFan1984: I appreciate your kind words, P2. 

KnightOwlFan1984: but that wasn't the end of it today; I have been given special treatment by my staff, as well as more respect than usual by the student body. Even the mayor's daughter was silenced the moment I came over and saw her arguing with Dupain-Cheng's student again.

KnightOwlFan1984: Though, it was more because the Agreste boy stepped in and stopped her.

Pen-Pen: I assume these people you are referring to are students. You're not censoring their names whenever you gossip about work; this has gotten under your skin.

KnightOwlFan1984: Consarn it.

KnightOwlFan1984: I trust you enough, anyway. When we meet later today, we may run into them.

Pen-Pen: Understood; I will hold off on telling them every embarrassing moment from our friendship thus far.

KnightOwlFan1984: My face turns red with embarrassment; I must be going, for it is the hour of the Owl!

Pen-Pen: The locomotive has arrived at the station. I must be off. Before I depart, I wave to you.

Pen-Pen: See you soon, Owlet

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is just a normal girl with a normal life.

Like all girls her age, she's spending time with her best friend, Alya Césaire, at the park. The two girls sit down on a classic checkerboard red and black picnic blanket as they enjoy baked goods from Marinette's family bakery, the wicker basket she brought with her overflowing with a heavenly aroma.

As Alya sneaks another macaron into her mouth, she watches as her friend pulls out a pair of binoculars from her bag, intently staring at a blond teenager posing for a cameraman in front of the fountain at the center of the park.

She thought it was odd that they sat near the edge, cornering the two walls, but seeing her friend up to her old schemes made her think, "Yeah, it's just Marinette being Marinette."

Marinette put her binoculars down. Her eyes were still fixated on the blond teenage model's now slightly blurry poses. "Oh, Adrien…" she said wistfully, resting her chin on her hands, "you're always just out of reach."

"You know," Alya teased, "you could just... talk to him?"

"It's easy for you to say!" Marinette explained, "I can't help it; whenever he's involved, I get all twisted up inside…"

The bluenette then picked up what she thought were her binoculars and stared intently at the object's apparently golden, flaky surface.

One quiet snicker from her BFF would tell her everything she needed to know as she took a bite into her croissant, defeated by comedic incompetence.

Suddenly, Alya stops laughing and points at something in the distance, "Girl, what is that ?"

Marinette pans the binoculars view to where her friend is pointing, and there she sees something way more interesting than Adrien (shockingly.)

In the binocular's field of vision, she saw a giant Rockhopper Penguin with blue feathers, red eyes, and yellow eyebrows. They wore a flannel shirt and suspenders on their body, as well as a thick golden bangle on their wrist.

Despite their out-of-place appearance, they had no problem talking to the other park-goers. The only other person, save for the currently flabbergasted Marinette, who had any issue with them was Adrien, who, upon seeing such a strange sight, fell into the fountain.

"Do you think they're protesting that new law?" Alya asked her friend. "Their costumes look so expensive!"

Marinette's only answer was to drop her binoculars, unable to utter any response to her reporter friend.

A thousand different answers to the existence of that penguin raced inside her head.

"It's an Akumatized villain, but why are they just talking to people? That's not how Hawk Moth's villains usually behave…"

"Could they be like the giant butterfly that attacked us on Heroes Day? Were they created to do something?"

"it can't just be someone's costume; they look too lifelike!"

"I've got to investigate as ladybug, whatever they are, it's clearly something magical-"

"Earth to Marinette!" Alya called out, shocking the baker girl out of her spiraling state. "Didn't you hear me girl? I wanna talk to that guy, and I need somebody to be my temporary camerawoman!"

"O-oh! Sorry, it's just that costume looks so real." Marinette stammered, trying (and failing) to subtly point at the penguin,

"You've got a good eye for fashion. Why don't you help me ask the more technical questions? Come on, girl!" The reporter added as she began dragging her friend by her hands over to the penguin.

As Marinette argued with her friend about not approaching suspicious-looking penguins, the man-bird-thing of the hour heard their bickering.

Tossing her phone to her BFF (who almost dropped it out of her hands), Alya whipped out a microphone from her bag and pointed it at the confused penguin, "Mister…" 

“Pen-Pen, but you may refer to me as P2, because P2 can be typed faster than Pen-Pen.” P2 said,

"So, P2, what do you have to say about what you're currently wearing right now?" Alya, now in reporting mode, asked,

P2 looked down at his flannel shirt, scratching off some dried ketchup. "I could've probably worn something less stained, but I do not have many clothing options."

"Oh, nonsense. You look fine!" Alya reassured, dismissively waving her hand, "In any case, what's your reason for coming here, P2?"

"My purpose in coming here is to meet with an online friend. His name is Denis Damoclès. Have you seen him?"

Both Alya and Marinette looked shocked at the causal name drop, "that's…our principal."

"Yes, that's his job," P2 said. We planned to meet today for the first of many playdates."

"Playdates?" The two girls said quizzically,

"Yes, yes," P2 nods, "he has told me many things about his exploits as The Owl. And I wish to play with him 'IRL,' as they say."

P2 looks around, "but I have not seen him yet, so if you'll excuse me, I'll wait for him without being accompanied by children."

He bows to the girls as he walks away.

"What a waste; he didn't even answer my question!" Alya huffed,

"Why would he be meeting Principal Damoclès looking like that?" Marinette asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ignoring the fact he looks like a giant penguin, don't you think it'll upset Mr. Damoclès more if he sees someone dressed up like that?"

"Girl, you're right; let's keep an eye on him."

The two girls ran back to their picnic blanket as they began their impromptu stakeout.

Marinette would be in charge of spying on P2 and relaying every word said. Her friend, on the other hand, would record everything.

Alya presses record on her phone as she and Marinette begin their investigation.

Pen-Pen waits as he sits down on a bench, reviewing the last message he sent to his friend.

Damoclès' status is still 'offline' according to the grey dot next to his profile picture.

It had been many years since he had felt this kind of dreadful anticipation, though his stoic expression would never show it.

Glancing at his tablet-sized mobile device, he sees that his friend is online and is currently typing.

Now, that causes P2 to experience a visual shock comparable to a cartoon. The penguin's eyes bulge out as he looks around the entire park for his friend.

"Not at the center with the gorilla-looking bodyguard drying the blond boy off."

"Not with the strange children staring right at me."

"Nowhere near the entrance."

Before he could think of another solution to where his owl friend was, his phone vibrated.

KnightOwlFan1984: I approach from behind, as sneaky as an owl can be.

Twisting his body at an inhuman speed, he looks behind him.

It was a slightly balding older man wearing a brown suit who jumped back somewhat from the surprise of P2's movement.

"Owlet?" The penguin would ask,

“P2?” The older man would respond,

The two of them stared at each other, practically analyzing each other's bodies from top to bottom. Damoclès attempts to raise his hand but hesitates for a moment, thinking that the illusion will break if he makes contact with his penguin partner.

But it was the newcomer, P2, who would break this silence as he quietly wrapped his feathery arms around his online friend—sighing as he felt a wave of relief wash over him. 

Damoclès would respond in kind, squeezing his roleplaying partner as much as he could while practically brushing his face against his friend's cheek, eliciting a soft squeaking noise from his feathery friend.

The two of them stayed this way, as neither of them wanted to break away.

Eventually, their affection for one another caused them to become flustered as they parted for the time being.

"Girl, what are they saying?" Alya asked, excitedly shaking her friend. The revelation that P2 and Damoclès had such a strong connection ignited her fangirl instinct.

"Hold on, hold on," Marinette said, focusing on her principal's lips moving, "I'm better at reading lips than beaks, you know!"

"Let's see..' it really is good to see you, P2.'" 

[I am the same; knowing you exist physically has me tied in knots.]

"'Oh, don't say that, I'm only human!'"

[It's because you're human that has me excited. I can't wait to play with you. Did you remember to wear what I sent you?]

“‘of course P2, it fits like a’-- huh!?"

Marinette recoils back in shock. She couldn't understand P2's beak movements well, but it seemed to be implying something…less than PG-13.

Alya reacted the same way, clearing her throat to speak up, "I guess that's what he meant by 'play,' huh, Marinette?"

The bluenette let out a resounding "bleh!" as she involuntarily imagined a Yaoi manga-style fantasy involving her principal and P2.

It was as terrible and unflattering as the accompanying art style.

"Well…" Marinette sighed, "At least we know why he's happy despite the ban."

"Girl, look!"

Marinette turned her head to see the two of them tear off their clothes—they were wearing costumes underneath! (She silently thanked God it wasn't something inappropriate.)

The baker girl could easily recognize Damoclès as The Owl, but with P2, it took her a moment to realize it was the penguin's interpretation of Sparrow, albeit a much older incarnation of the sidekick.

The two "heroes" took a moment to clean up the mess they made before they both set off, hooting as they did so.

Not before the two actual heroes began to follow them again.

A lone kitten meows from atop a tree as a young child is being consoled by their mother. 

"We really need to stop bringing him outside," the mother sighs, pulling out her cell phone.

As she turns on her phone, she suddenly hears the sounds of…hooting? 

She turns her head to the sound of that familiar voice, with a look of confusion on her face.

"Hoo-Hoo!" The Owl says, posing in front of a perplexed Parisian as his sidekick, Hopper, performs his unique trademark gesture behind The Owl.

"The Owl? But I thought they—who's that?" the mother asks, pointing at the giant penguin behind The Owl.

"The Owl has a new addition, meet Hopper, my sidekick!"

Hopper stops posing to wave at the mother and child, "Greetings. It appears your domestic animal is up in a tree; no worries; I shall fetch it for you."

Before Hopper could walk over, The Owl stopped him in his tracks, "Oh, no need to worry. The fire department is better suited for this job; it's not safe!"

Hopper looked at him, confused, "But we're heroes; this is what we usually do when we play."

"Yes, true." The Owl clears his throat, "But we can't really perform stunts like that in real life; we aren't superhuman."

His companion stared at him, bewildered, before glancing back at the tree. "You're wrong; I'm, as they put it online, built differently."

Hopper crouched down momentarily before jumping up to a different branch, the tree shaking slightly as he balanced himself. The kitten and everyone on the ground dropped their jaws in shock.

"There there, I am not a threat, so please don't try and--" Hopper began, as the kitten, seeing the strange bird as a threat, arched his back and hissed before leaping at the sidekick as it landed numerous scratches on the penguin's face.

Hopper, opposite from his grand entrance, clumsily fell off the tree, landing on his back as the kitten landed safely on his pudgy stomach.

"Ow," Hopper said blankly as the child of the mother scooped the kitten up, happy about his pet being reunited with him but at the same time worried for the well-being of The Owl's sidekick.

"Goodness, are you okay?" The Owl said, crouching down as he tried (and failed) to lift his partner back up.

While he got back up, Hopper reassured his friend, "I am fine. I am a hero, after all. Such injuries cannot force me into retirement that easily."

The Owl sighed as the mother and child both thanked (and apologized) Hopper before leaving.

"You've got to be more careful, P2." The Owl, now out of character, whispered to his friend, "You don't want to spend your time here in a hospital."

"But I told you, I cannot be injured that easily." Hopper reminded him, 

His friend sighed, "You're quite the method actor, P2." 

"Because it is the truth, Owlet."

Damoclès thought for a moment before coming up with an idea: "Do you remember that online charity event we helped with?"

P2 nods, "We were teaching people how to turn everyday trash into props and costumes."

"It's like that; a couple of wonderful heroes taught me I didn't need any powers to help my community!" Damoclès explained, "That's what I do when I dress up as The Owl."

P2 nods again, piecing together what his friend is saying, "So we are doing community service like prisoners?"

"No, no, not like prisoners, we haven't done anything wrong!"

"I'd say you did," a voice said behind them. Turning around, they saw a large police officer with the name tag "R. Raincomprix" writing something on a clipboard: "The law is the law, and the law says: 'cosplaying is illegal'!"

"Illegal!? That's preposterous! I haven't endangered myself while in costume anymore!" Damoclès said, frustrated,

"I did," P2 stated without hesitation, raising his hand,

"See, it's costumed fools like Mr. Penguin over here that ruin it for everybody," Raincomprix said, pointing at P2 with his pen with an accusatory glare. 

He writes them citations, "The next time I see you two in costume, you'll be making your getaway in my car."

He walks off, leaving the two speechless.

Dejected, Damoclès sighs as he slumps against the tree and sits down on the ground, "Well, I guess that's the end of it, then." 

P2 doesn't respond as he sits next to him.

"I really wanted us to have fun. It's your first day here, and it's already ruined."

"But that is not your fault!" P2 explains, his feathers standing up, his body language becoming more animated, "You couldn't have known, I couldn't have known; it isn't fair that they have to do this to you!"

"It's all right, Pen-Pen," Damoclès says, resting his hand on his upset friend's bangle, "I don't put on a costume to be famous; I do it because I want to be a hero, and I can still do those things even without my costume."

"But it's not alright! you love doing this!" P2 shouted, standing up, Damoclès letting go of the bangle as P2's anger grew,

"You've always talked about how you wanted to be a hero just like KnightOwl. You designed your original character and everything!"

P2 growled, "Humans are so…so… frustrating! They pretend to be good, but all they do is make things worse!"

In a lair obscured by darkness, the shades of a large circular window move away like the lens of a camera as white butterflies scatter in the closed room.

"What powerful negative emotions." a voice mutters to nobody but himself, "this anger is perfect for my Akuma."

He extends a hand into the air as a butterfly lands on it. Clapping his hands, he infuses the insect with his dark energy before letting go. The Akuma begins to fly away, and the now-opened window helps it escape into the sunny skies of Paris.

"Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilize them!"

Back at the park, P2's anger can be felt by the Akuma as it flutters near him, with Damoclès noticing the familiar insect first as he backs away, "What the—" 

However, P2, stuck by his negative emotions, ignores his friend as the Akuma touches the bangle and is absorbed into it.

"Role-Player." a voice echoes in P2's head,

"The Butterfly Miraculous? But—that's impossible, the temple was destroyed; how did you—"

"I'll explain my lore to you in due time, my friend."

"You'll explain it now before I--" P2, fueled by more anger, looks and sees his bangle a dark shade of purple. 

"Oh no." was all he could muster as panic began to spread all over him.

"Oh? This is new," Hawkmoth said, surprised. If you know that much about the Miraculous, you must be someone special."

"No, no, no!" P2 shouted, pulling at his feathers, "Get out of my head!"

Silence filled the penguin's head for only a few short seconds as Hawkmoth began to think. There was a chance he stumbled upon the guardian, but there was something else: the way his emotions shifted from anger to fear the instant he realized the Akuma was in his bracelet.

"If he was a guardian," Hawkmoth thought to himself, "he wouldn't hesitate to break the object the Akuma was hiding in."

It was then that he remembered something so important, something so obvious, the Miraculous of the Peacock.

Its power was recently used, albeit without his permission, to assist in his escape during Heroes Day.

The Peacock can create life using a feather (an Amok) that latches onto an object, giving birth to a being created by emotions. It was similar to how the Butterfly's Akumas attached to objects, transforming people into his pawns.

The pieces fell into place inside Hawkmoth's head one by one, and his laugh began to echo inside P2's mind. "You're not an ordinary Parisian, are you? You're a  sentimonster ! It all makes sense now! That bangle is where your Amok is hiding; you can't destroy it, or else you'll disappear!"

"Shut up, shut up!" P2 screamed, "Leave me alone! You can't order me to be your pawn; I'm in control of my fate!"

"But now you have no choice. I 'm forcing y ou  to have the power to change the roles of people you shoot at. If you want to be free again…well, I don't need to tell you what I want."

"Someone as evil as you would want the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous," P2 said, completely dejected. 

"Good, you're going to be an amazing Akuma."

"I'm sorry, Damoclès, I'm so weak." P2 mumbles, tears pouring out from his eyes as he becomes enveloped in the violet haze of the Akuma.

Damoclès backs away even further as what appears before him is something familiar yet wholly unrecognizable.

The P2 who stood in front of him before wore a form-fitting black suit, his golden bangle left unchanged from the transformation. Over his shoulders, large, decorated plates were situated under his cape.

Staring back at him, the Akumatized P2 had a gas mask covering his beak.

This awful excuse of a costume design was something Damoclès was familiar with; it was P2's first original character.

"Devilizer?" Damoclès mumbled,

His friend laughed…joyfully?

"OOC: close! But it's been redesigned; you can call me Role-Player, Owlet!" Role-Player said, "Now we can really have fun once I rewrite a few characters!"

He pulls Damoclès into a tight hug before sprinting away.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," Damoclès mumbled to himself as he began to sprint as fast as he could to wherever Role-Player went.

Meanwhile, Marinette and Alya were hiding behind a tree not far behind, and they witnessed the entire thing right before their very eyes.

"what was all that talk about a temple?" Alya asked, putting her phone away as her friend's eyes bulged out in shock,

"It's probably nothing!" she replied to her friend. "I'll go back and…gather our picnic stuff! So that the new villain doesn't steal it."

Her reporter friend only dismissively waved her off, "Yeah, yeah, sure, I have to make sure this footage doesn't get destroyed."

As Marinette makes a beeline for a different tree, she pulls her purse open as her Kwami, Tikki, flies out in front of her.

"Tikki, I need to ask if you remember seeing a penguin when the temple was still around."

Marinette's Kwami frowned. "I'm sorry, Marinette. We were always kept in the miracle box, but maybe Master Fu knows something!"

"Thank you. We're going to have to visit him. I just hope P2 doesn't cause too much damage while we're gone. Tikki, Spots on!" Marinette quickly transforms into Ladybug, throwing her yo-yo at a nearby chimney and swinging away.

Across town, at the mayor's office, André Bourgeois was hard at work. Signing papers and rewriting legal documents couldn't be done by themselves!

At this point, everything has started to blend into a mess of technical jargon. He sighs and rubs his eyes for a moment before a sudden smashing of his door frightens him into waking up.

"Goodness! Who ordered you to destroy private property like that!?" André scolded to the unknown figure,

"No one! It's a part of my character to break things!" Role-Player said, laughing maniacally, "Now, I heard that you're the one that upset my Owlet by banning cosplay! You're going to pay for this!" 

André could only cower behind his monitor, stammering, "W-well, uhm…you see."

"OOC:" Role-Player said, loudly whispering, "Aren't you supposed to be the evil mayor? Why aren't you making a snide remark about how cosplay is childish?"

André kept on stumbling over his words.

Role-Player sighed, "IC: Oh well, I can always make you a bad guy." He pointed a finger at the mayor as the bracelet in front of him began to glow purple. "From now on, you're the evil Maledictator!" A beam fires from out of his finger as the mayor's eyes begin to gloss over.

A glowing mask appeared over Role-Player's face as Hawkmoth's voice echoed inside his mind: "You do realize that all your power does is brainwash people. Your Malediktator will just be the mayor in a stupid costume!"

"OOC:" Role-Player huffed, "I'm not trying to god-mod; I'm trying to come up with a fun story for us to play!" he pointed with his other finger at the mayor, who was currently running around the room, folding a paper hat before he tears a piece of the curtain to throw around his shoulder as a makeshift sash.

"See? Now he looks just like Maledictator!" Role-Player said, pleased with his latest character, "Besides, why are you spelling his name like that."

“His name is Malediktator.” Hawkmoth grumbled.

"See? You're doing it again; it's Maledictator, not Malediktator."

"We aren't even typing; we're talking; quit breaking the 4th wall and find Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help it, IC!" Role-Player said as he left the room.

As 'Maledictator' put on the finishing piece for his costume, he saw that he was alone in his office. He was disappointed that no one wanted to play with him; he had worked so hard on his costume!

He shrugged, "Oh well! I bet there'll be plenty of people in the lobby who'll want to play!"

He leaves the office as well, excited to put his acting skills to the test.

In a different part of Paris, an old Chinese man was enjoying his cup of tea as his Kwami was watching the news on his holder's tablet.

"It's your friendly neighborhood reporter, Anchorwoman, here with breaking news!" Nadja Chamack (wearing a sheet of chroma key fabric as a cape) said, outside the broadcasting room and out on the streets of Paris, "A brand new Akuma is out turning everybody into heroes!"

Her cameraperson points to a group of brainwashed civilians arguing, "although they seem to be causing more harm than good as they can't seem to agree on their 'lore'"

She seems to notice Alya, who is wearing a ridiculous costume, as the younger girl appears to be reporting her own story at the same time.

"Oh, that's just perfect," 'Anchorwoman' cursed, "I worked so hard on this costume only for a copycat to upstage me; get over here!"

Alya sees someone shouting in her general direction, noticing Anchorwoman before becoming upset as well.

"Seriously!?" Alya shouts. "You think just because you're a news reporter IRL means you can steal my idea!?"

The rest of the broadcast devolves into an argument between the two over "copyright infringement" as a knock on the door is heard before Ladybug comes in, 

"Master Fu?" she says, peering through the door,

“Ah, Marinette, what a surprise.” Fu says, "This Akuma doesn't seem that difficult; what brings you here?

"It's not about the villain; I wanted to ask about the person who became the villain." Marinette explained, "I think this person might be connected to you in some way."

"What did this person look like?" Fu said, slightly apprehensive,

"Well, he looked…not like a human? If that makes any sense, he gave me the same feeling as the butterfly that appeared during Heroes' Day."

"Did it happen to look like a frog?" Fu asked, worried,

"A frog? No, he looked like a giant penguin." Marinette clarified,

"Oh…I see." Master Fu sighed, relieved, "I was almost worried for a moment there."

"About what?"

Silence filled the room for a moment before Fu spoke up, "Nothing at all."

He took another sip of his tea, "You see, Marinette, the power of the Peacock is not to be underestimated. You experienced the strength of a sentimonster, but that is not all the Peacock can create."

He stands up and rummages around the room, pulling out an old sheet of paper from a book. Then, he passes it to Marinette.

Marinette's body eyes widened as she saw a detailed drawing of P2 and a much younger Fu. The latter's signature near the corner of the paper reads "Champion."

"He's a sentimonster?" Marinette asked as her master nodded,

"The sentimonster you saw was created a very long time ago—even before I was introduced to the Order—by a Celestial Guardian as a proof of concept for a companion to us guardians wandering the world," Fu explained, "though it was much easier to create a sentimonster that had power, Champion, was created to learn as any child would."

"Why wasn't he with you?" Marinette asked.

"When a sentimonster is created, the object his Amok resides in would always be in the hands of the user who made him so that it could be controlled. But his creator believed his growth would be stunted if he was treated like a tool, and so he was given his Amok, a bangle. It meant that he was in control of himself, and so one day, he made a choice to leave the temple after a century and a half of learning."

"I feel like I know less about him now," Marinette sighed, trying to process the amount of lore being told by her all at once. 

Master Fu smiled as he poured her a cup of tea, "Champion was the only friend I had at the temple; it's a shame that he's fallen victim to Hawkmoth."

Marinette took a slow sip of the hot tea, "Since I don't know where the Akuma is, it could even be in the bangle, which means…"

Master Fu frowned, "Destroying it would destroy him." 

Marinette looked down at her cup of tea, its ripples slightly obscuring her face, "I definitely don't want to try using the magic ladybugs after breaking the bangle, but I don't know how else to defeat him without risking his existence."

"I am sure you'll be able to find the answer you're looking for," Master Fu smiled, "the fact that you want to save Paris and Champion means you are on the right track."

Marinette took a moment to finish her tea before smiling back, "Thank you."

She places the empty cup down on the table as she leaves, ready to save the day once again.

Back at the park, Role-Player continued to assign new roles to everybody he saw, "OOC: I think that's enough; I'm starting to run out of names to give people…"

He took a moment to look at his latest creation, The Gorilla, as he recreated an iconic cinematic scene by climbing atop the fountain, roaring, and holding a small cat noir figure in his hand, right on cue, the real Cat Noir landed in front of him, the first half of the Parisian duo twirling his staff into a combative stance. 

"Nice costume, can't say the same for everybody else, though." He teased,

"That's not a nice thing to say; Hawkmoth made this with magic, and so did your Kwami!" Role-Player retorts, pointing a finger at his opponent.

Cat Noir looks at Role-Player confused, "huh? How do you-"

"IC: Go on, grab the Real Cat Noir!" Role Player commands the Gorilla, the bodyguard grunting as he hops down the fountain and takes a running start as he pounces at Cat Noir.

He hops back a few feet as he watches the brainwashed bodyguard faceplant into the ground, groaning in pain before stumbling back up as he repeats the process several times.

"Man, Hawkmoth gave you the short end of the stick; these guys don't even have any powers!" Cat Noir remarks as he sends The Gorilla flying out of the park with his staff.

Ladybug lands next to her partner and twirls her yo-yo into a defensive shield. "Careful, kitty, this one's special."

"Is it because he spent thousands on that fursuit?"

"It's because he's a sentimonster; we don't know what kind of power he has on top of his Akumatization!"

"Well, aside from being perceived as human, I don't really have that many powers," Role-Player answered. "I can sense magic, but aside from having superhuman agility, that's about it."

A glowing mask appears over Role-Player's face, "What do you think you're doing!? Don't reveal your secrets just like that!"

"It wouldn't be fair for our fight if they didn't know that my bangle is the source of the Akuma!" Role-Player answered, confusing Ladybug and Cat Noir,

"You're supposed to defeat them, not help them! Need I remind you that you're still under my control?"

A surge of pain seizes Role-Player momentarily as he falls to the ground, groaning in pain, "Fine, fine! I'll go back into character; you don't have to god-mod my actions, jeez!"

Role-Player gets back up, swiping the dirt off his costume. "IC: Well, you know the deal by now. Hand over your miraculous!"

"Like that'll ever happen, ever heard of the status quo?" Cat Noir shouts, rushing in as his staff extends to swipe at Role-Player, causing the villain to be launched out into the streets of Paris.

Role-Player gets back up before noticing a familiar black figure in the sky getting closer to him; he jumps back as Cat Noir lands on his feet, using his staff in an attempt to land a direct hit on the Akumatized bangle.

Panic creeps in for Role-Player as he pulls his hand upward before the staff is supposed to make contact, throwing it back down, fingers wrapped around the pole as he yanks it out from Cat Noir's grip.

"OOC: don't break my bangle!" he shrieks as he swivels Cat Noir's staff back before slamming it into the hero's side, propelling him and his staff into a wall, the structure creating a large indent from the impact.

Ladybug swings over and lands next to her now slightly disoriented partner,

"I definitely don't want to roleplay with him after this." Cat Noir groaned,

"I think we shouldn't break that bangle," Ladybug says, pulling her partner out of the wall. It won't just get rid of the Akuma; it'll get rid of that sentimonster as well!"

"It's not like they can break out on their own. Got any ideas?" Cat Noir asked,

Ladybug shook her head, a look of worry written on her face, "I don't."

"You don't? You're not pulling my tail, are you?" Cat Noir said, puzzled, "Well, in that case, maybe it's up to your oh-so-special Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug glances at her partner, nodding with newfound confidence as she grips her yo-yo in her hand.

"IC: Don't count on that lucky charm saving you this time because I'm going to turn you two into normal children with normal lives!" Role-Player shouts as a glowing mask appears before him,

"Just shoot her while she's summoning her lucky charm!"

"OOC: What, no, I refuse to do that! She has to perform her action before I can-" Role-Player is interrupted by a surging pain before he continues with his previous stance,

Ladybug tosses her yo-yo into the air as she calls out, "Lucky Charm!"

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry-" Role-Player repeats, his bangle charging another shot before firing at Ladybug as her Lucky Charm is summoned.

Cat Noir watches as his lady's eyes gloss over for a moment as the Lucky Charm, an owl mask, falls on her head, "isn't that—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ladybug kneels over in pain, "Tee-khh! What's going on? Tee-eek!"

"IC: this is your character, Normal Girl; you're not a superhero, you're just a normal girl. And when you're out of character, it hurts you." Role-Player explains, "And I definitely don't feel guilty for interrupting you; no, I'm evil."

"I need to-Tiki! Spo-gah!" Ladybug cringes as another surge of pain hits her, "I need to leave, I need to leave!"

"I'll cover you, M'lady. I trust you know what to do with that mask!" Cat Noir subtly reminds his partner, grabbing his staff and pointing it at the villain, "I know you'll save everyone, even him!"

Ladybug grabs the mask on her head as she groans in pain once more; she makes a beeline for a nearby alleyway as Role-Player laughs, 

"Just try and hide; once I get rid of that cat-boy, I'll come looking for you!"

All she could do was run, each step causing jolts of pain to surge throughout her body, the words to detransform caught in her throat as she covered her mouth in a last-ditch effort to prevent Role-Player's power from taking over.

Looming ahead of her was a recycling bin, faded from use. Without a second thought, she yanked the lid open and threw herself inside, slamming it back down as she took one last look at the Lucky Charm.

It was an owl-shaped mask with two large triangles, the feathers of which should be at the top. The mask was covered by the usual red and black dots her Lucky Charm always came with.

With the object fully memorized, she finally allowed herself to detransform.

As the glow of her Miraculous power fades, her exhausted Kwami is spat out before being fed a macaron from her equally as exhausted holder.

"Oh, Tikki! What am I going to do?" Normal Girl exclaimed, "I can't be a superhero, right-right—" she winced. "...anymore, and the Lucky Charm gave me an owl mask to work with, but I can't use it because I'm absolutely not a hero."

Her Kwami quickly scarfed down the macaron she had been given. "Maybe you need the help of another hero?"

Normal Girl's eyes widened as she realized what she had to do, "yeah… yeah! You're right; what if I just gave you to someone who actually was a hero? But who…"

She hears the sound of somebody panting from outside of her hiding place, "Pen-Pen, come back! You can't force everyone to play just because we can't!"

"Bingo." Normal Girl whispered to herself before clearing her throat, "Excuse me, uh…is that The Owl I hear?"

Damoclès hummed to himself, surprised at the sudden, muffled voice.

"Ladybug? But where are you?"

"I used to be Ladybug, but now I'm Normal Girl."

"Oh, P2 got to you?" it took a minute for Damoclès to realize what that meant, "P2 got to you!?"

"I'm going to need the help of a real hero. Please, take these, and you'll know what to do!"

While Damoclès looked around for Ladybug, Normal Girl removed her earrings, opened the lid slightly, and dropped them onto the floor, "I'm counting on you."

The owl-faced soon-to-be hero turned back as he heard the soft clink of earrings and picked them up.

"Oh dear," he mumbled quietly to himself as a ball of light began to appear from out of the earrings before Tikki's physical form took shape in front of Damoclès,

"Hi there!" the floating red thing chirped, "I'm Tikki, and I'm your Kwami!"

"Why, aren't you a cute little thing!" Damoclès chuckled, poking the small Kwami softly, "So this is how she gets her powers?"

Tikki nods, "Sure is; all you need to do is say my name, and then spots on or off!"

Damoclès smiles, “I won’t let ladybug-”

"Normal Girl!" Normal Girl corrects,

"Normal Girl, down!" he laughs, putting on the earrings. He is quietly amazed that they transform into clip-on earrings right in his hand.

He takes a minute to compose himself. He has a vague memory of his time as the Dark Owl, but this time, he'll be working on the side of good.

"Hang on, Pen-Pen," Damoclès mutters to himself, "Tikki, Spots on!"

As a feeling of power and a bright pink light washed over Damoclès, all he could think, aside from how cool his transformation dance would look to anybody watching, was his online friend, who was hurting because of some utterly ridiculous law.

Something about P2 made every interaction with him special: the way he urged this old man to follow his dream of becoming a hero and the blunt manner of his speech, which chastised him from role-playing at work.

He wasn't a perfect man, a perfect principal, or even a perfect friend, but P2 made him want to try.

He opens his eyes as the bright light fades away to himself in his new costume. Looking at himself without a mirror, it almost looked like a one-to-one recreation of the handmade costume he wore previously, only with a bigger budget and less-than-ideal color scheme.

He took the yo-yo from his belt and quietly prayed that the magic ladybugs would repair the possible self-inflicted injuries from swinging himself through the air. He threw the yo-yo up at a chimney, and it sent him flying.

"Go on, grab his Miraculous! I'll give whoever nabs it a better character!" Role-Player shouts as a horde of 'heroes' begins to swarm Cat Noir from every angle.

The blond hero keeps pushing everyone back with a swing of his staff, but no matter how hard he hits, they always come back up.

Even as some of them limp their way to Cat Noir, the pain of being unable to follow their role compels them to pursue their target.

"Can't we just-" Cat Noir says, as a brainwashed Parisian tries to grab his ring from behind before being sent flying into an incoming swarm of 'heroes,' "handwave to the part where you give up already?"

"Handwave? Hanwave!?" Role-Player barks back, "You think I can just skip now when the fun's just getting started?!"

Cat Noir jams his staff onto the ground as it extends up into the air, giving him enough height to escape the oncoming group of civilians before landing in front of Role-Player, "well, at least you can't say I didn't ask."

They continue their brawl as Role-Player commands his small army not to interfere. (Because it wouldn't be fair) And Cat Noir holsters his staff to his back (so they could fight fair.)

Both had a goal in mind: the ring or the bangle. The winner would be whoever could grab it.

Cat Noir lunges forward, closing the gap between them as Role-Player grabs Cat Noir by the arm and throws him down to the ground.

Thinking quickly as Role-Player's fist comes crashing down, Cat Noir rolls out and positions himself back up.

"OOC: I really don't want to Meta-Game, but I'm going to have to use my ancient martial arts skills to take that ring from you; I'm sorry, this hurts me more than it'll hurt you." Role-Player frowns as he steadies himself into a proper position.

Role-Player takes a deep breath: "IC: Champion's order number 5: the lawless holder will be brought in by the feathers of justice."

He bends his legs down, exhaling as he launches forward with a single push of his foot.

At the same time, a blurry red figure flails in the air as Role-Player accidentally headbutts the mysterious person toward Cat Noir, sending both of them flying back several feet.

Cat Noir carefully pushes the red and black polka-dotted man out of the way, standing up and taking a look at what saved him.

"Hoot…" the man groaned,  "I'm fine…. I just need to get used to this."

As the man stands up, it's none other than…a ladybug-themed Owl.

"So… you're the new Lady…Owl…Bug?" Cat Noir says, apprehensive, "I really hope she knows what she's doing."

"To be completely honest, I hope so too." Mr Damoclès says, equally as worried.

"OOC: Owlet?" Role-Player says excitedly, "Oh my goodness! It's you! That's amazing! You beat Ladybug and took her earrings!"

Mr Damoclès shakes his head vehemently as Cat Noir stares at him, "N-no! Of course not! She gave me them to stop you! Honest!"

"Oh, aw man, I don't wanna hurt you."

"I don't want to hurt you either, Pen-Pen," Damoclès said, worried,

Cat Noir nods, "Well, I really hope you've got a plan, er…"

Damoclès thinks for a moment, snapping his fingers, "Owlbug." 

"Owlbug, man, you sound familiar!"

"Is there anything you found out about…him?" Owlbug asked,

"Well, he's a stickler for rules; his minions are forced to play their roles, or else they'll get hurt, and the Akuma is in his bangle, which he probably won't let you touch."

Owlbug thought for a moment before he was reminded of something as he absentmindedly squeezed the yo-yo, "Cover me, Cat Noir."

Without missing a beat, he began to twirl his staff rapidly as Role-Player started to fire at the two heroes.

"Lucky Charm!" Owlbug shouts as he tosses the Yo-yo into the air. With a bright flash of light, something large and heavy almost falls on top of him.

The weapon was intricate, resembling something straight out of an action anime.

"A sword?" Owlbug says, confused, "Shouldn't I get something like a spoon?"

"Maybe it's telling you to go ahead and attack!" Cat Noir says, slowing down his speed as he readies a combative stance with his staff,

"That's stupid, you're stupid, Cat Noir!" Role-Player shouts, "Everybody knows the Lucky charm gives you one piece of the entire puzzle!"

"Hey! I'm not stupid!" 

As Role-Player and Cat Noir argue about the lore of the Lucky Charm, Owlbug surveys the area.

A crowd of brainwashed civilians surrounds them from all sides. "Nothing here."

Cat Noir is calling his opponent a "bird brain" as Role-Player retorts by calling him an "anime reject." "I should scold him for being rude to P2 later."

"P2…"

"That's it!" Owlbug exclaims, pulling the sword from the ground and resting it on his shoulder, "Cat Noir, let me handle my friend."

"After you, good sir." Cat Noir says, shuffling to the side as he gestures with his arms over to the villain.

"Alright, Role-Player, you want a fight, you've got one ."

Owlbug then lifts the sword into the air and back down, pointing at his roleplaying partner.

"OOC: Woah woah, Owlet, that's not how you use the Ladybug Miraculous!" Role-Player says nervously, "You're supposed to use that as, like, I don't know, a shield or a platform or something!"

Owlbug chuckles, swinging the sword around in different positions, "Oh? But what if I just attacked you with it?"

Role-Player cringes at Owlbug's sword pose. "That's fine. I love you, Owlet. If you want to play like that, then we'll do whatever you want!"

"Really?" Owlbug says, blushing at the sudden confession before shaking those thoughts away, "I mean, of course! You'll give me your bangle, won't you?"

As Owlbug rushes forward, wildly swatting his sword in front of Role-Player without even touching him, the villain begins backing up as he "dodges" each attack.

With the Role-Player now occupied by his friend, Cat Noir pulled his arm back and grabbed the Akumatized bangle.

Cat Noir wears it on his wrist. It was much too big for him, "Gotcha!" 

Instead of attacking, Role-Player fell to his knees, defeated emotionally.

"Well, this is it." The villain mumbled, "Go on, destroy it."

Cat Noir looks concerned, and Owlbug appears to be confused about why the villain gave up so quickly.

"Hawkmoth's Akuma is in that bangle, but so is Pen-Pen's Amok. I'm just a character, so I don't even know why I'm breaking the fourth wall right now, but please consider what you're about to do before you kill us."

"Cat Noir, what's he talking about?" Owlbug asked, a look of worry spreading across his face, "Will he be okay once we destroy the bangle?"

"He's right, Pen-Pen is a sentimonster." Cat Noir replied, "If we break this, he'll disappear."

Owlbug drops his sword as he covers his mouth, "Oh dear."

He looks back at his friend, who was on his knees and ultimately gave up. "And if we don't destroy it, that means Hawkmoth… won't free him?"

"That coward put us in a stalemate!" Cat Noir shouts, "as if he couldn't get any more cruel."

A mask appears over Role-Player as he chuckles to himself, "OO—whatever, he says he'll set me free if you'll give him your Miraculous."

Owlbug looked back at Cat Noir, which felt like looking into a mirror as they both had the same disappointed expression.

"I know you don't want to." Role-Player says, "At least I know you're worthy of being a hero, Owlet."

Cat Noir took a long look at the bangle and back at Role-Player.

With hesitation, Cat Noir said out loud, "If you're a sentimonster, and this is your amok, then I can control you."

"What good will that do? It's hopeless." Role-Player mumbled,

"No, it's not hopeless; if you can accept that power, you can reject it. I'm ordering you not to give in to Hawkmoth's power!"

"Don't you dare listen to what that brat has to say, Amok or not, get back up and fight."

A wave of pain surges through Role-Player's body; he grips his head tightly as Hawkmoth's voice fills his mind.

"I…I don't want to play anymore!" Role-Player cries out, "It hurts so much, please, just let me go already!"

Owlbug runs over to Cat Noir, holding the bangle in his hand, "Please, P2, you have to fight it! If you can't do it for us, then do it for yourself!"

"I know you can hear me, Butterfly user." Role-Player slowly stands up, his body trembling despite the pain. "I said I don't want to play anymore!"

The glowing mask began to burn bright purple, and cracks started to appear over it, causing the role-player to scream in agony.

The mask shatters completely, fading to nothingness as the Role-Player drops to the floor. The familiar purple miasma envelops him as it begins to dissolve his costume.

P2's costume vanishes, and the Akuma slowly separates from the bangle Cat Noir was holding.

Before it could escape into the sky, a yo-yo captured it and reeled back towards Owlbug.

Grasping the yo-yo in his hand, Owlbug taps the exposed side of his weapon as it slides open, revealing a now purified butterfly as it flutters away.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Back in Hawkmoth's butterfly room, he feels a surge of pain as the connection between him and his Akuma shatters; he stumbles back, clutching his head in his hand.

"But that's Impossible," he growled.

Cat Noir passed the bangle to Owlbug as he rushed over to his friend, "Pen-Pen!" He cried out as he laid his hand over his friend's head.

Pen-Pen groaned as he opened his eyes; looking up, he saw the face of someone he loved the most.

"D-Denis…?" The penguin mumbled,

"I knew it was him!" Cat Noir cheered in the distance as Owlbug chuckled, wiping a tear from his mask,

"It's me, I'm here." He reassured his friend as he gave P2 his bangle back before pulling him into a tight hug,

"I…I don't know what happened; I was so upset that everything just faded to black."

"You were Akumatized, but you'll be okay; I just need to set things right again."

Owlbug helped P2 back up as the two of them walked over to the giant sword he had left behind.

"I've always wanted to say this." Owlbug chuckled, gripping the sword handle tightly,

He throws the sword high up into the sky, "Miraculous Owlbug!" 

A flurry of ladybugs burst out from the sword as they swarmed the entirety of Paris, repairing all the damage caused, both physical and mental.

P2 watched the ladybugs fly wherever there was damage, swarming the crowd of people circling them.

The crowd stumbles slightly before holding their heads as they each wonder what just happened.

"Miraculous," P2 muttered in awe, 

"This sort of thing happens when you're in Paris," Owlbug explained, "but I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for a moment to return these earrings."

P2 nods, "it is quite alright, Owlet."

Owlbug takes off to an alleyway as Cat Noir takes a look at what P2 looks like now that he's back to normal.

"Please do not check me out like that. I am two hundred years old, and I am not interested in minors," P2 stated,

"I've only got my eyes on a certain bug." Cat Noir teased, "Sorry, little birdy."

P2 furrowed his eyebrows, "Stay away from my Owlet, you mangy cat."

Cat Noir places his hands out defensively, "Not Owlbug, LadyBug, La-dy bug!"

The window's shades begin to slide back into place, encasing the room into darkness once again.

"You may have surprised me this time, Ladybug, Owlbug, whoever you are," Hawkmoth said to himself, "but our next session won't be so lucky for you!"

Hours later, Cat Noir stands at their regular spot for when they go on patrol. Usually, the dazzling lights of Paris always brightened (no pun intended) his night; however, he was lost in thought as he failed to hear Ladybug land beside him.

"Something bothering you, kitty?" Ladybug asked, noticing his less-than-playful attitude,

Cat Noir's (real) ears perk at the sound of his lady as he turns around. He tries to smile, but it makes him appear pitiful.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about our feathery friend."

"I heard from…The Owl, after he gave me my earrings back about what you did, I wanted to say... I'm proud of you."

Her partner tilts his head to the side, "proud?"

"I was scared of leaving you out there alone, even more so because I had no control over that situation." Ladybug sighs, sitting down next to her partner, "We truly were lucky that time."

"Hey, now, that's your superpower!" Cat Noir teases, nudging his teammate slightly, "though seeing Mr. Damoclès in skintight magical clothing is something I never want to see again."

Ladybug giggles, "Agreed."

"But…do you think I made the right choice, ordering a sentimonster like that?" 

The city's ambient sound fills the air around them as Ladybug muses for a moment., I think…you did what you could. I probably would've made the same choice as you."

Cat Nor nods, "I know it was for the greater good, but I'm still going to apologize to him if I see him again. Controlling a living being like that made me sick to my stomach."

Ladybug smiles, "I don't think you have to worry about being a bad person if it made you feel this way."

"You're right, thank you." Cat Noir says, smiling softly,

"Oh, I almost forgot! I had a feeling you'd be upset, so I made a couple of sandwiches for…" Ladybug says, turning back to look at the bag of nothing beside her. Oo-oops. Silly me!"

Ladybug giggled nervously as Cat Noir laughed.

"I'll be right back, I promise!" Ladybug shouted as she swung her yo-yo and flew off.

A few minutes go by before she lands on her rooftop deck, looking around for where she left that sandwich bag.

She remembered her parents being curious about why she made two identical sandwiches for herself, but thankfully, "It's that time of the month" was still a valid excuse for most of her shenanigans.

Though she might have forgotten about her late-night snacks this one time, she was sure she didn't leave behind a giant penguin on the chair to her left.

"Good evening, Marinette." P2 said, taking a bite out of her sandwich, "I apologize for robbing you of this meal, but I don't have any money right now."

“I…uh…” Ladybug stammered, trying to come up with an excuse,

"I know you're Marinette, and that's why I came here to talk to you." P2 explained, "Now that I know at least the Chinese miracle box is here in Paris, my century and a half of training can be put to use…probably."

P2 grinned while savoring Marinette's sandwich, though she had missed it earlier; all the vegetables and a few napkins filled with mayonnaise sat neatly arranged on the coffee table beside the penguin.

Marinette Dupain Cheng couldn't decide whether to scold P2 over not eating his vegetables, the fact he was eating her sandwich, or how he somehow managed to figure out her identity.

Somehow, P2, being a picky eater, frustrated her the most.