Actions

Work Header

The Weight of the World

Chapter 15: Day Five: The End

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Returning to the square, dread filled Ladybug and Chat Noir’s being. Despite seeing Lila’s limp body laying on the ground, it was the two figures that stood ahead of them that made their hearts stop: Hawkmoth and Mayura.

It was the early hours of the morning of the fifth day.

“So the baker’s daughter has finally come out to play?” Hawkmoth said evilly. He saw Ladybug’s face flush. “What’s the matter? Or…have you not told them yet?”

“Stop it!” Ladybug roared. Chat Noir put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Ladybug took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

“Better keep your emotions in check, I’m sure your beloved team wouldn’t want their Ladybug akumatized.” Hawkmoth egged on.

“We’re not afraid of you, Hawkmoth!” Rena Rouge called out. Hawkmoth turned to the girl.

“Alya Cesaire…such a spitfire.” Hawkmoth observed. “You’ll all get in the way. Mayura.”

Mayura snapped her fingers and the remainder of the Miraculous sentimonsters appeared in front of her. “We’ll take care of the sentimontsters, Ladybug.” Queen Bee announced. Their team nodded in agreement and collectively, they bounded into the fight.

“It’s two-on-two Hawkmoth.” Chat Noir said fiercely. “This ends today.”

Hawkmoth nodded. “It does.” He replied, before bounding forward in a sprint. Ladybug took off first, meeting Hawkmoth in the center of the square. She crossed her forearms in front of her, blocking the cane that Hawkmoth had tried to strike her down with.

“Why are you doing this?” Ladybug cried out, face to face with Hawkmoth. Chat Noir ran after Mayura.

“I’m doing this to fix everything.” He replied, lifting his knee and ramming it into her stomach. Ladybug cried out as she suddenly became winded. She fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath.

Hawkmoth brought his foot up to Ladybug’s face in attempt to kick it, but the hero moved to the side just in time for it to miss. She gripped onto to his foot, and pulled it forward. Hawkmoth lost balance and fell to the ground.

Ladybug threw her weight onto Hawkmoth, catching his eyes once again. They were silver. She pinned his hands above his head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Stop this, Hawkmoth. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Hawkmoth roared, pushing Ladybug off of himself. “Hurt me? HURT ME?” He laughed, picking himself off the ground. “You’re just a child, Marinette!”

Stopping in her tracks, she gasped. His voice echoed the throughout the square, and for a moment, her teammates turned to her. Queen Bee…Viperion…they didn’t know.

“How could you keep your identity from them?” Hawkmoth snickered, throwing himself at her once more. She was caught off guard, and tumbled.

“Ladybug is…Marinette?” Queen Bee murmured. From across way, Chat Noir pushed Mayura to the ground.

“Focus, Queen Bee!” He snapped, locking eyes with her.

It was Marinette… Marinette Dupain-Cheng who she always despised. She always butted heads with the designer. When she started dating Adrien, nothing else ignited such a fire within her. But it was also Marinette Dupain-Cheng who forgave her… and allowed a second chance.

Queen Bee turned to the sentimonster. “I won’t let you hurt my friend!”

Chat Noir felt his knees give way as Mayura hit out at them. He fell to the ground and felt the weight of her upon him. “Get off of me.” He snapped, swinging out with his fist. Mayura blocked it.

“Please understand, he is doing this for a good cause.” Mayura said almost pleadingly. Chat Noir’s eyes fell upon the brooch on her chest.

“It doesn’t matter what he is doing it for.” Chat Noir replied, trying to wriggle out from beneath her. “He’s an evil and wicked man.”

“He’s doing this for the ones he loves!” Mayura protested. Chat Noir swiped at her chest and managed to push her off. He felt something between his fingers.

“I’m doing this for the ones I love.” He replied, glancing at the brooch now in the palm of his hand. Chat Noir looked up to see the user, completely detransformed. He felt his words get caught in his throat as Nathalie knelled there. “W-What?” He said in shock.

It was too late for him to react, as something rammed him in the side, knocking him over. He grimaced on the ground, clutching at his ribs. Ladybug came to his side. “A-Are you alright?” She asked.

“Get out of here!” Hawkmoth ordered to Nathalie. The woman got back up on her feet and took off.

“I’ll be okay—LOOK OUT!” Chat Noir said, gripping Ladybug and rolling her over his body to miss Hawkmoth’s cane that flew past him.

They tumbled, Ladybug rolling into a lamp post. She groaned in pain. “Chat…”

Chat Noir felt someone grip at his collar, lifting him off the ground. His baton was just out of reach, as he struggled against Hawkmoth’s grip.

With all his strength, Hawkmoth threw Chat Noir up against the wall. With the force behind it, Chat Noir felt pain course throughout his body. As his hand hit the wall, suddenly realization washed over him as his ring flew off.

Plagg was forced to call off the transformation, and in a flurry of green light was Adrien, desperately trying to fight the hand that was gripping at his throat. Adrien’s eyes locked with Hawkmoth’s, and for a second he saw the supervillain falter.

“Oh Adrien. It had to be you.” Hawkmoth said in disappointment.

Adrien continued to fight, even when it was incredibly hard to breath. “Y-You…don’t know…me!” He choked out. Hawkmoth turned to Ladybug, who stood there in shock.

“What are you going to do, Marinette? Give me your Miraculous or watch the love of your life perish?” Hawkmoth said wickedly. Ladybug felt something bump up against her left foot, and saw the ring the Adrien had lost. It rolled all the way over to her.

Even with the dread that was washing over her, she persisted.

This is for Paris.

Ladybug reached to the ground, grabbing the silver ring. “Hand it over to me, Ladybug.” Hawkmoth called.

This is for mom and dad.

“You can’t break me, Hawkmoth.” Ladybug said quietly. Adrien sputtered, gasping for breath as Hawkmoth’s grip grew tighter. “You’ve hurt too many people.”

This is for Master Fu.

“Fight, M-M-Marinette.” Adrien cried. “I l-love you.”

Ladybug stood there for a moment, eyes watching Hawkmoth. “It’s you and me, Hawkmoth.” She paused, wiping the blood that had dripped down the side of her face.

This is for Alya and Nino.

“Give me the miraculous!” Hawkmoth roared. Ladybug looked at the ring in the palm of her hand. The Black Cat Miraculous, which grants the power of destruction.

This is for my friends.

Looking up once again, their eyes locked. It was the light from the fire that illuminated his face. It was eerily familiar—stone cold…reserved…emotionless…silver.

This is for my Miraculous team.

It clicked, and suddenly, she felt ill. “Gabriel Agreste.” She murmured, holding the ring between her right hand’s index finger and thumb. She lined it up with the ring finger on her left hand. “Gabriel Agreste!” She screamed out, tears streaming from her eyes. “How dare you!”

This is for Chat Noir.

Across from her, Hawkmoth suddenly felt small. He released his grip on Adrien, and the boy slid down the wall, barely keeping consciousness. “W-What?” He croaked.

Ladybug slipped the ring onto her finger. “How dare you, attack Paris.” Ladybug seethed. “How dare you hurt thousands of innocent lives for your own selfish needs.”

 “You don’t know what you’re doing!” Hawkmoth said, inching closer to Ladybug. “You don’t kn—”

“Shut up!” Ladybug shrieked, her eyes flashing wide. “Look what you’ve done.” She said quietly, emotionless.

They stood there in silence, the fires crackling around them. Her team, was defeated. They lay scattered across the courtyard, taken down while trying to defeat the sentimonster versions of themselves—just a moment too late as they had disappeared the moment Chat Noir swiped the brooch. Paris was destroyed amidst the battle. Not even her Miraculous Ladybugs could fix it.

Adrien, through the slits of his eyes, watched Ladybug closely. He couldn’t feel much of his body. Every breath he took felt like it burned his throat and lungs. There had to have been a few ribs that were broken.

“You’ve forced me hand.” Ladybug murmured. She intertwined her hands together in front of her. “Tikki…Plagg, unify!”

“NO!” Hawkmoth roared, eyes wide open, scared.

It had been different than before. Every time she had combined a Miraculous, it drained her. She felt physically and mentally tired—it took an incredibly large toll against her. However, the energy that flowed within her now was warm, and it filled her spirit.

Stood before them, was Ladybug—her costume looked different though. Green paw prints appeared on her spots and a small bell hung from her neck. Upon her head little black ears appeared. Around her waist, a black belt was strapped, looking very similar to the one Chat Noir always had.

In a strange turn of events, one of her eyes turned emerald.

“You…you’re just a child! You don’t understand the power you possess.” Hawkmoth spat, taking off into a sprint. The superheroine lifted her hand slowly, and Hawkmoth stopped in his place as if forced by an unknown power. “W-What?”

Her eyes grew fierce. “The power to change reality.” She breathed. “That doesn’t just mean a wish.”

“Give me the Miraculous!” Hawkmoth cried out, stumbling back, released from the invisible force.

“Gabriel Agreste…I wish I could know what you wanted so badly that you would destroy your home, your city…your son.” Ladybug said sadly. “What turned you into such a cold man?”

Hawkmoth gripped onto his cane tightly. “I’m trying to fix everything for my family!” He retorted. Hawkmoth lifted his cane, aiming for Ladybug. “I’ll kill you!” He yelled, hurling it with all his might.

This is for Adrien. This is for me.

Ladybug closed her eyes, before reciting: “Reality!”

For Marinette, everything went white.

Hawkmoth was blown backwards as her body was surrounded by a faint blue light. The girl before him began to hover a few feet off the ground, winds erupting from her and pushing against him. He held up a hand to try to shield him from the force.

“Marinette!” Adrien called from the ground, trying to pick himself up. He watched in horror as suddenly, her eyes glowed white. “What did you do, Bugaboo?”


“What do you want, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

It was a voice, that seemed to echo within her own head. The voice was familiar, and yet she could not place to whom it belonged to.

“What do I want?” Marinette repeated. All she could see was white. What happened? Where was she? “I don’t understand your question.”

“You called upon the ancient power of when the Ladybug Miraculous and the Black Cat Miraculous are combined.” The voice replied. “You called upon the forces that change reality.”

“Oh.” Was all she could reply. “Who are you?”

The voice in her head chuckled. “Dearest, Marinette. You don’t even remember this young Master?”

It clicked in her head. “Master Fu?” She gasped. “Is that really you?”

“Of course it is me.” Master Fu replied.

“I don’t understand. Your memories were erased.” Marinette said suddenly. “How do you know who I am?”

“My memories might have been erased in my physical body, but the spirits and souls of the Guardians of the Miraculous will always live on. Forever, we will reside in between planes of existence. Granting the wish of whoever holds the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous.” Master Fu explained. “As I’ve warned you before, the universe must stay in balance. For every action, there is a reaction.”

“So I ask again, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. What is your wish?”

Marinette thought for a moment. “I wish for happiness…for everyone.”

And the world, both where she was and the world around her, was enveloped in a white light.


When Adrien Agreste woke up, he was kind of annoyed. There was a horrible beep! that went off every few seconds. His eyes fluttered opened, and he was greeted by something that should have been impossible.

“Gabriel, dear, he’s waking up.” A feminine voice gasped. Adrien felt a hand close around his. “Adrien?”

His eyes scanned the face before him. One he hadn’t seen in so, so, so long. “M-Mom?” He said in disbelief. Emilie Agreste smiled, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “Is it really you?”

Emilie smiled. “Of course it is me, silly.” She said, running her hand over her son’s head. “Your father and I were so worried about you.”

Adrien’s eyes wondered over to his father’s. Gabriel was sitting there, worry etched across his face. “My son, I’m so glad you’re alright.” He said, walking over and embracing him. Adrien sat there in shock.

“I don’t understand…what happened?” He asked his parents. Emilie and Gabriel looked at each other.

“Hawkmoth was defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Gabriel replied. Adrien looked down at his hand and noticed that his ring was missing.

What happened?

Adrien searched the depths of his memories. He saw Ladybug standing there, yelling out the identity of Hawkmoth. Yet, every time she said his name, it was muffled and he could not hear it.

He remembered Ladybug combining his Miraculous with hers. And then nothing.

“Marinette!” He yelled out suddenly. “Where is she?” Adrien asked, searching the room. Emilie placed a hand on his leg. “Mother…”

“Your girlfriend is alright.” She soothed. “I can’t believe you two almost became causalities of Hawkmoth fighting Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“I have to see Marinette.” Adrien said, whipping off his blankets. He unhooked himself from the hospital machines.

“Son…you need to rest.” Gabriel said kindly. Tears began to leak from Adrien’s eyes.

“P-Please.” Adrien begged. Gabriel and Emilie looked at each other, before sighing.

“She’s one room over.” His mother said. Adrien swung his legs over the bedside, landing on the cool tile floor. It made him shiver, as he tore out of the room and into the next one over.

There, Marinette sat, a pencil in hand, drawing on a notepad. Tom and Sabine sat in the corner, asleep. Marinette looked up, eyes locking with Adrien. “Marinette.” He breathed, taking a step closer to his best friend. Her eyes were still different colors. The girl smiled.

“We did it, kitty.”

Notes:

Don't you worry, fellow readers. The story isn't over.