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Marinette stared at the ladybug and cat miraculous in her hand. She had holed herself into a closet of the Agreste mansion as she stared at the destruction before her. Tikki and Plagg floated next to her as she stared at the rings that Monarch had forged from the other miraculous.
“Marinette, we won.” Tikki said hopefully, tugging on her jacket. “Let’s save the others!”
She didn’t budge her mind drifting from the kwamis talking to her as her mind was swallowed by a swarm of her own thoughts. She was exhausted as the weight of the months she spent as a hero crushed her chest. She had failed as Ladybug, she couldn’t defeat Hawkmoth, and now she was having to pick up the rubble.
She failed Adrien, she failed Alya, she failed all her friends, her family, Paris, the world; and now she was the only one that remembered the old world. The world she failed to save. Tears poured down her face and stung the scratches on her cheeks. Her body throbbed in pain as she slumped to the ground, her feet underneath her. Her heart banged against her rib cage, like a wild animal trying to escape a trap. Breaths came out in choked sobs and she pulled her hair, the pain dotted her scalp as she did so.
She didn’t know how long she sat there, crying and trying to find the strength to get up and fix her mistakes, but her mind kept circling back to one thing- making a wish.
Gabriel had done it so easily, just wished all his problems away, why couldn’t she? She had suffered so much; she had lost her crush, lost her friends, lost everything she cared about. She had done her best to be good, and look where that got her.
“Plagg, Tikki, reveal yourselves.” She said, not looking at kwamis as they transformed.
“Marinette, please-” Tikki cried, but she ignored her.
“Gimmi, reveal yourself.”
The world shifted as everything around her, and when she looked up, Gimmi floated before her, their eyes full of concern. “I am Gimmi.”
“I know.” Marinette said, her hands shaking. “I wish that me and Cat Noir were never given the miraculous’ of the black cat or the ladybug.”
Gimmi paused. “Are you sure of this? You have done well as the Guardian and holder-”
“I failed!” Marinette snapped. “I wish that me and Cat Noir never got our miraculous’ and that someone worthy will wield them and I don’t care what you have to do to make them worthy holders.”
“You made mistakes, everyone does.”
“And my mistakes have only caused me more pain! I don’t want pain, I want a life without that, and if I had never been given that stupid miraculous I wouldn’t be here! I wish I never had the miraculous and someone else was Ladybug and Cat Noir!”
“Are you sure you truly want this?”
Marinette wiped her face. “I don’t care what will happen, I just want a world where I don’t have to worry about being a hero unless I want to be one. I don’t want to be thrust into the role of holder unless I choose too and someone else to take over as Ladybug! I am miserable! Let someone else suffer my pain!”
Gimmi closed their eyes. “Very well.” Light glowed around them and for once in a long while, Marinette felt relief.
Marinette woke up, a soft alarm greeting her as she looked around. She wasn’t in her old room, instead in Chloe’s room. She turned the alarm clock on her bedside off and got up, slipping on soft, pink slippers. Her pajamas were pink and made of silk and she walked around the large room. Everything was… familiar. Her sewing machine was on a desk, both brand new and in perfect shape. Mannequins stood next to them, covered in dresses made of silk and other expensive fabrics that she would have never gotten her hands on. She walked into her bathroom, finding a small pink candle on the sink as everything in the bathroom was white or pink.
She looked at the pink clock on the wall, the gold hands showing it was barely five am, but she didn’t feel tired, she felt relaxed. She slid her pajamas off and started a bath, pouring bubbles in and took her time washing her body in the rose scented water.
Once she was done, she put on a soft, pink bathrobe and put her slippers back on before walking to her closet. It was massive, larger than the old room she had once had. She pulled a white tanktop off a hanger, the fabric smooth like butter against her skin. She put a black jacket with pink roses embroidered on it over the tank top and pulled on a pair of pink pants and black shoes. She walked to her vanity mirror and sat down, brushing her hair and pulling it back into a bun before putting in pink diamond earrings.
Suddenly there was a knock on her door. “Come in!” She shouted, staring at herself, almost confused on how normal this all felt.
“Good morning mademoiselle.” The butler said, a smile on his face. “I have brought you breakfast.” He said, pushing in a golden cart covered with a white table cloth and a gold dish sitting on top. “Eggs Benedict with fruit bowl and a cup of milk.”
“Thank you, you may go.” She said, no emotion in her voice. He didn’t look concerned, simply nodding and walking out, closing the door behind him.
Marinette grabbed the dish and sat down at the small coffee table facing the tv. She turned the tv on and slowly ate.
“Good morning Paris! We have some developments with Mayor Dupain-Cheng taking the lead as he discusses plans to deal with criminal activity in the area, and later we will discuss the new expansions to our great city, all designed by Mrs. Dupain-Cheng and will be great additions to our great parks.”
Marinette sighed as she tuned out the tv, her mind whispering. She had done it, she had fixed the greatest mistake in her life and when she looked up at the date on the tv, she couldn’t help but smile when she realized it was the day she was supposed to get the ladybug miraculous. She finished her breakfast and stood up to grab her pink backpack, rose gold accents making it look perfect. She didn’t say anything as she walked out of her room, she didn’t have to, it was perfect.
Waiting downstairs in the lobby was Alya, who looked different than before. Her mole was covered up with makeup and she wore a black skirt with an orange and white striped sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a braid and she stared at her phone, her eyes narrowed from her lack of glasses, but her eyes returned to normal when she looked up at Marinette. “What’s up girl! You would not believe the tea I have!” She smiled as the two walked outside to a limo. “You remember how Adrien was going on about how he wants to come to school with us?”
“Of course, how could I forget?” She replied, sitting in the limo as Alya sat next to her.
“Well, I was looking at the bugs that we planted in his house, and he and his father have been fighting~! Adrien really wants to come and he’s sneaking out today!” Alya smiled, and Marinette felt her heart flip.
She remembered visiting Adrien’s home, planting the bug in his room so she could track him. It was nice to know what he was thinking as it made her anxiety relax, and made it easier to understand what was going on in his life. “Floor it driver! We need to be there before Adrien.” She turned to Alya. “Where is he now?”
“He’s about twenty minutes to school and he’s on foot.” Alya replied. “Smart to put a tracker on his phone.”
“I know, I’m glad you were able to get it secured. It’s been so helpful lately.”
Alya nodded. “And I have his schedule for you, and if we time it right this afternoon we can see him between his 4:30 photoshoot and his dinner at 7:00.”
Marinette nodded, the car pulling up to the school. “Good, get Jaun-Luke to schedule me around that.” She said, stepping onto the concrete and looking around. She froze, her eyes spotting Chloe.
Chloe had a yellow t-shirt on, a pair of white ripped jeans and her blonde hair was pulled back into a braid. She had a yellow and white bandana around her head, and small bags had formed under her eyes. An apron was tied around her waist and she had a coffee in her hand, before she seemed to trip over her own feet and spill the coffee all over herself and the ground.
“Looks like someone had a shift at that crappy cafe.” Alya sneered.
“Yeah.” Marinette scoffed, eyeing her enemy down. Know she could make her pay for the years of hell she had put her through. When they walked by Chloe, Marinette chuckled. “Watch it Coffee Girl, don’t spill anything on my outfit, its designer, something you can’t afford.”
Chloe didn’t say anything, and Marinette and Alya walked off. She couldn’t help but look back, spotting Master Fu across the street. She snapped her attention back to ahead of her and walked into the classroom.
She sat down behind Nino and where Adrien would be, he had to be. “Make sure his bodyguard doesn’t get to him.” She whispered to Alya, who quickly nodded and began tapping away on her phone.
The classroom wasn’t much different, noticing everyone in their spot, except Sabrina, who sheepishly walked in, saw Marinette and walked to her usual spot. Good. Chloe walked in a few minutes later, stains and all, and sat down next to Sabrina, smiling and starting up a conversation.
Then Adrien walked in.
“Adrein!” Marinette called, waving him over.
He smiled. “Morning Marinette! How are you doing?”
“Perfect, just perfect!” She smiled, waving him to sit by Nino, who seemed to shrink slightly. “What about you? How have you been?”
“Great actually! I managed to get here without my bodyguard or Natalie catching me. I’m really glad I could make it.”
“Everyone is.” She smiled, words sticking to her tongue. “I can show you around.”
“That’d be great, thanks.” He said, his eyes full of joy, joy that Marinette had missed seeing in his eyes.
It was later that day when Stoneheart appeared. Frankly she couldn’t remember what caused his akumatization, but as she sat in her home with Alya beside her, she watched the television intently, waiting for the new ladybug to swoop in.
“Is Adrien ok?” She asked, and Alya nodded.
“Yes, he’s at home, girl. Your man is safe.”
“Good.” She replied.
Alya looked up from her phone. “Are you really that invested in this villain?”
“How could I not? How are you so sucked into your phone?” Marinette snapped back, and Alya sunk into herself. She didn’t reply and Marinette continued. “Besides, it's not going to affect us, we’re safe here, and my dad will make sure of it. Might as well see what this guy is up to.”
Suddenly a red yoyo came across the screen and this world’s ladybug appeared on screen. She landed on a nearby building and the camera moved to keep up with her. Her red hair was in a braid and she wore a black jacket over a red jumpsuit with black spots. She had black ripped jeans over her legs with black combat boots and a mask that looked like Marinette's old one. Then came the Cat Noir, a girl dressed in baggy black clothes with a hood obscuring her face, but her bright green eyes can be seen no matter what.
They quickly fight Stoneheart, taking the akumatized object, breaking it, and deevilizing it. It was clean, effective, and easy. “Wow, they’re really good.” Alya said, and Marinette grumbled. How could they be so good at a job she struggled to do? It had to be a fluke, a flaw, a simple good luck for the first round.
It wasn’t.
Months after, again and again, akuma after akuma, Shadow Cat and Lady Red won battle after battle against Chrylias. Marinette had even caused some on purpose, hoping that they would do something to stop them, but it failed.
“Hey Marinette.” Adrein said, pulling her from her thoughts as they sat at the park. Adrien had requested they meet there and she could see his bodyguard standing by the entrance as Alya pretending to read a magazine just a few benches away from the two.
“Sorry, just got distracted, you were saying?” She smiled. She was so close, he kept inviting her to more things, she had been so careful to akumatize people so no one but her and Alya would know who caused it.
“I was saying that we should do something to help bring positivity to the people, so there are less people to akumatize.” He suggested. “We could do a group activity and spend time as a class together.”
Anger boiled in her gut, no, this would make Adrien find more friends, more friends mean he could find another girl, another girl meant he would lose interest in her. But she wasn’t going to say that. “It’s a great idea, but what would we do?”
Adrien frowned. “I hadn’t thought that far, I thought maybe you could help?”
Marinette patted his shoulder. “Of course, we can brainstorm together. Maybe we could host a night where you invite the guys in our class to a sleepover and I invite the girls. That would create a united front with the two groups and we can start using that as an excuse to host big parties.”
“That’s a great idea!”
“Of course it is, but you have to play your part.” She replied. “I can get Alya to help with invites.” A plan was bubbling her mind and all she had to do was wait.
Adrien was hosting guys' night at his house, while Marinette had strategically invited the others. And of course she invited Lila. Lila, the girl who had ruined her life in her old world, would secure her place in Adrien’s heart. She had set everything up and now she was fake crying in the bathroom after a truth or dare gone wrong.
Or that’s what everyone thought.
Of course Chloe had a crush on Adrien and then Marinette brought out the small lie, that Chloe had said that she was mean to her, well it wasn’t a lie, but she certainly didn’t stop Lila from lying that Chloe had copied her homework. In fact she had added that she had seen her copying from everyone.
Chloe called Lila out.
Lila stormed out.
Chloe left.
Everyone else had split between fighting amongst themselves or leaving. It was what she had wanted to happen. Arguing echoed in the room behind her as she continued to sob, a smile on her face the whole time. Adrien would be hers, no matter what, Adrien would be hers. Chloe deserved it, she did, she had caused so much pain to her so much pain to everyone before-
Before she wished for that to be erased.
Marinette looked at her hands. This world’s Chloe had never done any of that. This world’s Chloe was innocent, just like she was in her old world. Right?
The world suddenly crumpled around her into a white light and when she looked up she saw Gimmi.
“What was that!” She demanded standing up to look at the god.
“A test.” They replied. “I thought you were wrong, but I saw you were right.”
“What?!” Marinette snapped. “You can’t do this! I want to undo my wish! I’m not the bad guy!”
Gimmi stared blankly at her. “You stalked Adrein even before, you manipulated people to get what you want, and yet Tikki gave you the benefit of the doubt, and tried to help you make amends. Yet, when given the chance to make changes, to learn, you do it all again.”
“I’m traumatized! I’m the victim! I am!” Marinette screamed, tears falling down her face. “I was a kid!”
“So was everyone else.” Gimmi replied. “You caused so much pain in both worlds, and when given a restart, you choose to make the same mistakes. You were a victim, but that does not excuse your actions. I think it’s best if the wish becomes permanent.”
“NO!” She shouted, but in a flash of light, she was back in her bathroom crying as arguing continued. She looked up, seeing a dark purple butterfly flapping in front of her. She pulled a stylus from her pocket and held it out to the akuma. “Come on, let’s make a deal.”
She would be the maker of her destiny, she would make this world her. Gimmi would not stop her, and she would make the world burn. She would never be forsaken again, and when she kicked open the door with her pink boots, she watched them all scream.
She pointed her stylus at Rose, making her body freeze in a pink light and posing her to have a smile and made her start clapping. “Welcome girls to the Marionette’s show!” She shouted, trapping the rest of the girls in the room, making them cheer for her. She looked at herself in the mirror, her face painted to look like a marionette and her soft pink dress covered in lace and ribbons.
If this was what Gimmi wanted, then this would be what they got. There would be no more Ladybug or Red Lady, no Cat Noir or Shadow Cat. She would rewrite the world, a world where she would never suffer again.