Miraculous: Firefly and Athena

By MiraculousMongoose and Dragonsandmeerkats

Prologue

Nathalie Sancouer

"Sir, this is getting too dangerous." Nathalie told Gabriel Agreste. "Adrien has been involved in more and more attacks. If Ladybug and Cat Noir fail, and he's in the middle, it could be disastrous."

“You’re right, Nathalie. We must increase Adrien’s security."

"That's not what I meant, sir. You should stop this, or at least tell him."

"I can't Nathalie. They have to coach those new heroes, making themselves more vulnerable. Now is the best time!"

"But sir! Does it occur to you that they are the same age as Adrien? For all you know, every akumatized person could be attacking some of his closest friends. It would shatter him if something were to happen to someone he cares for." Nathalie argued.

Gabriel sighed. “I suppose I will consider this, Nathalie. Thank you for your concerns.” He got up and walked out of the room.

Nathalie watched him, concerned. *I’m worried about you as well, not just Adrien…* she thought. Then Nathalie got up and went to the kitchen to make herself some tea. She sat down on a chair and sighed, feeling very worn out.

“Are you alright, Ms. Nathalie?” Duusu asked with a twinge of worry in her voice.

“I-I feel much better. Thank you for asking, Duusu.”

Duusu immediately brightened.“No problem! What do you want to do? We could watch a movie, eat snacks, go on a trip-”

“Not now, Duusu. And you know Gabriel wouldn’t allow you to go outside this house, anyway.” Nathalie said, cutting Duusu off. Duusu drooped.

“I understand. I’ll just go now, then.”

“Wait.”

Duusu turned around.

“When- when all of this is over, I promise I will take you on a trip, Duusu, no matter how long that will take, alright?” Nathalie said.

“Yay! Thank you so much! I can’t wait! I should start packing!” Duusu said excitedly. Nathalie smiled and watched her go. No matter how all over the place Duusu was, she was a true friend.

Chapter 1

Fern Eastwood

Fern shouldered her backpack and headed off to her first day at Collège Françoise Dupont.

“Are you excited?” Fliicker asked.

"Definitely no. I’m really nervous. The upside, though, is that my friends are in my class."

They reached the school. Then Fern accidentally walked into a pole.

A brown haired girl with teal tips flew by, tripped on a rock, and face planted right next to Fern.

"Not again!" The girl groaned as she picked herself up.

“Are you okay?” Fern asked, rubbing her knee.

"You're talking to the girl that face plants nearly every day. I get used to it."

Fern smiled.

"I'm Lillian." The girl said. "Lillian Hope Montgomery." She extended her hand.

“I’m Fern Eastwood.” Fern said as she shook Lillian’s hand.

“Hey, what class are you in?”

"Ms. Bustier's. You?"

“Same!”

"I take it you're new here? I've never seen you around."

“I’m from Chicago. I moved here this summer.” Fern said.

"I used to live in Montgomery, Alabama. I moved here last fall." Lillian said. "I can show you the way to Ms. Bustier's." She offered.

“Really? Thanks!” Fern replied. “I didn’t get a tour because I had to help my dad fix a busted sink in our neighbor’s apartment.”

"Well, follow me!" Lillian did a silly march off.

Chapter 2

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian led Fern through the school. "Ms. Bustier is really nice. I had her last year." She told Fern.

Fern nodded.

"Pretty much everyone is nice, just keep an eye out for Chloé Bourgeois. She's a real nasty, or as my friend would say 'A real poopy head!'"

Fern laughed. “Hey, isn’t Chloé the mayor’s daughter?” She asked.

"Yup. She is spoiled, but she'd already been rotten." Lillian snickered.

"Hey, Lillian." Nathaniel approached her. "Did you get Ms. Bustier?"

Lillian cheeks immediately flushed. "Uh, yeah! I have her. This is Burn, I mean Fern!"

Fern smiled. “Hi, I’m Fern Eastwood.”

"Nice to meet you, Fern. I'm Nathaniel Kurtzburg."

Fern looked at Lillian questioningly.

"Uh, let's go Fern!" Lillian practically dragged Fern with her.

“Ow! And why did you call me Burn? I’ve never done anything to get a nickname like that. But you can call me Ms. Smacks into poles if you want.”

"Sorry, it's just that sometimes when I'm around him I start to babble and sound like Marinette." She said, somewhat absentmindedly.

“Yeah, with her big crush on Adrien.”

"You know Marinette?"

“Yeah! I met her during the summer. I live right next door. She even made me a swimsuit once, because I couldn’t find mine. She’s a really kind person.”

"Did she tell you that she and Adrien were dating?" Lillian asked mischievously.

“Yeah. I still have no idea why she still keeps all those pictures of Adrien, though.”

"Well, she has a reason now, and she doesn't need to hide them."

“I guess. Hey, by the way-” Fern was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of a girl with blond hair in a ponytail with sunglasses, followed by another girl with red hair and glasses.

"That's Chloé. I hate her." Lillian said simply.

“Well, well, look who’s here. Lillian and her stupid friend.” Chloé sneered.

"Amazing! You finally learned my first name! I'm so proud of you! Also, sorry to disappoint you, but I have no drawings you can rip up."

Fern snickered.

"Now listen here, *I'm* the mayor's daughter *and* the superheroine Queen Bee, so you should be bowing down to me, Montgomery."

“Oh, of course, your majesty,” Fern said sarcastically. “I heard from Ladybug and Cat Noir that you can’t be Queen Bee anymore because you used your miraculous irresponsibly.”

"And I can one-up you Chloé. *I'm* Kitsune." Lillian put her hands on her hips.

Fern stood quietly behind her friend.

"I helped Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Athena to defeat Reverser. I'm a close personal friend of Tropic Storm. And what's your greatest feat? Deakumatizing your daddykins?"

“Lillian, we should go now…” Fern said, not wanting to cause a fight.

"Fine, but listen to me, Chloé. No one, and I repeat no one, calls my friends stupid and gets away with it." Lillian spun around and walked off.

Chloé stood there, stunned and red faced.

Chapter 3

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette sat down in her usual seat when two girls entered. One had a jokingly furious expression on her face, and the other had an exasperated look on her face. Marinette recognized them both, Lillian and Fern.

"I still hate her, no matter what." Lillian was telling Fern. Then, being Lillian, she face planted. "Oh come on!"

Marinette hurried out of her seat to help Lillian.

"Thanks, Marinette." Lillian took her seat next to Nathaniel.

Marinette noticed Fern standing in the middle of the room, not sure where to sit. Then her friend walked over to an empty spot next to Lila and sat down. Marinette gasped.

“What’s wrong, girl?” Alya asked.

"Fern's sitting next to Lila." Marinette said with gritted teeth.

“Pfft, how bad could that be? Lila’s a nice person.” Alya replied.

"Don't you remember the Hecate incident?"

“Marinette, people can change. Lila seems a lot nicer than before. Stop judging people by their covers.”

Lillian leaned over. "I think that's books, Alya."

“Well, you get my point.” Alya said.

Marinette looked over to Lila again, and this time, Lila faced Marinette and stuck her tongue out at her.

"You had to see that!" She gestured towards Lila, who was acting like a perfect little angel. Alya didn’t seem to bother to look over.

“Marinette, stop overreacting. By the way, when do you think Adrien and Nino will get here? They usually aren’t this late.”

As if summoned, the boys burst into the room. "Sorry we're late." Nino wheezed.

Marinette nodded. Apparently, she was the only one who knew why Adrien and Nino were late today. Last night, the boys had been helping her save Paris, again. Athena had been missing once more.

Chapter 4

Lillian Montgomery

That night Athena was out on patrol. She occasionally passed Ladybug and Cat Noir, but there wasn't much to see, but it still felt good to be back.

A metal clang reached her ears. “Ow!” A blue, black and gold figure had run into a pole.

"Guess that must be Fern's twin." Athena remarked to herself and went to investigate.

The person was wearing a dark blue and black suit with golden stars and stripes all over with a mask, braid, and a pair of… Insect wings?

"Who are you?" Athena asked, puzzled.

“Oh! Um, hi? My name’s Firefly,” The girl said, startled.

"I've never seen you before. I'm Athena." She helped Firefly up.

“Thanks. I’m kinda new to this, I guess. Well, not that new. I’ve been doing this for a few months. How come I’ve never seen you before either? I mean, I know who you are, but never met you in person.”

"Owls work in mysterious ways."

“You mean go on vacation?” Firefly said skeptically.

"No! I just changed cities for a little while."

“Yeah, you definitely went on vacation.”

"Do you call saving a speeding train in Montgomery, Alabama vacation?" She demanded.

“Well, if in any ways you get a break from the naughty kitty, then yes.”

"Wow. You soooo haven't met me. I'm the only one who can out-pun him, and my kwami's the only one who can out-eat his. You wouldn't believe the amount of candy she eats."

“Well, then I suppose it was more a vacation for Ladybug and Cat Noir, then.”

She raised an eyebrow. "I never said I crack puns 24/7, I just said I'm the only one who can out-pun him."

Firefly grinned. “Both sound pretty similar to me.” Then she flew off.

Athena pressed a button on her middle tail feather and light blue bird wings popped up from her shoulders. She flew after Firefly.

Firefly quickly zipped through an alley, past a pole without smashing into it, then landed at the top of the Eiffel Tower with Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Athena did the same set of maneuvers and landed next to Firefly.

“Athena!” Cat Noir called, “It’s nice to see you again!”

"Hey, CN, wuzzup?"

“So, anything suspicious to report?” Ladybug asked.

"Other than Firefly ramming into a pole, nada." Athena said.

Cat Noir snickered. “You’re still doing that?”

Firefly rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am. Do you still use the litter box?”

"For your information, I am an outdoor cat."

“Well-” Firefly began, but Ladybug cut her off.

“We can continue to discuss things later. Anything else?”

"Nope." Athena replied.

Both Cat Noir and Firefly shook their heads.

“Okay. We can go back to our houses now and go to sleep. Or stay out here if you want. I gotta go or else I’ll be late for school tomorrow. Good night!” Ladybug waved then swung off.

"Yeah, I should go, too." Athena leapt off the tower and soared down.

Chapter 5

Lila Rossi

Lila walked to school, lugging her heavy bag.

“Hi, Lila!” Rose said as she walked into the classroom.

"Good morning, Rose! It's so lovely to see you! Would you mind carrying my bag for me? It's so heavy and I have very weak muscles due to an illness I have." Lila lied.

"Sure thing!" Rose helped Lila with her bag and set it down at her seat.

"There you go!"

Lila thanked Rose and sat down. The new girl, Fern, came into the classroom.

“Hi, Fern! It was nice meeting you yesterday. I’m so sorry I had to leave early, I had to help the mayor at a charity event. If you want, I can tell you who to avoid so that you won’t be bullied this year.” Lila said.

“Um, okay.”

“Well, first of all, you *definitely* want to avoid Marinette over there. She-”

“Lila, Marinette’s my friend and she’s a kind person. Why should I avoid her?” Fern asked.

Lillian walked over. "Lila, I'm friends with Marinette, too. She is not a bad person, at all. The worst thing she's ever done was act all kooky around Adrien."

Alya heard the conversation and also walked over. “Lila, what are you doing? Why are you telling Fern to avoid Marinette?”

“Um, I-” This time, Lila was interrupted by the other students in her class, also asking why she had said Marinette was not a nice person.

"Oh, I agree with you, Marinette stinks, but even I don't think even she deserves such harsh treatment." Chloé said.

Lila struggled to come up with a lie to cover up what she had done. Suddenly, Ms. Bustier walked into the room.

“Students! What on Earth is happening back there? Go back to your seats and give Lila and Fern some personal space.”

The students dispersed. Lila wanted to sink under her seat and disappear. All of this had happened because of Marinette! It was her fault! The rage stayed with her throughout the day.

Chapter 6

Fern Eastwood

Fern trudged back to her house with Marinette and Lillian. It was tiring just sitting next to Lila. She hadn’t known that the girl was a liar.

“Finally! Everyone knows that Lila is a fraud!” Marinette exclaimed.

Lillian fingered with her necklace. "Something bothers me about this, but I don't know what it is." She said.

Fern looked up at the sky, and then she saw a purple-black butterfly fluttering its way through Paris. “Guys, look! It’s an akuma!” Fern exclaimed.

Lillian looked up and saw it. "I- uh, gotta go!" She dashed off.

Marinette looked up, also made a lame excuse, then ran off. Fern shrugged and walked into a nearby alley.

“Fern, it’s time to transform!” Fliicker said.

“Yep! Who knows what person will get akumatized today. Fliicker, lights on!” Firefly flew off in search of the akuma.

Athena joined her, using her rope to swing by.

“Hey! You saw the akuma too?” Firefly asked.

"No, I saw an owl and wanted to get up close." She said sarcastically.

Firefly rolled her eyes. “C’mon, let’s just get to the akuma before it akumatizes anyone. With luck, I could confuse it so it doesn’t harm anyone.”

"Good idea!" She activated her wings. "Whooooooo!"

Firefly looked at Athena, confused.

"Flying is awesome!" She cried.

Firefly grinned. “Yeah, it is. Let’s fly faster to find that evil butterfly.”

Athena 'whooped' off.

Chapter 7

Lillian Montgomery

Athena tracked the butterfly in the sky, blocking its path whenever she got the chance. Firefly flew beside her.

“Mystify!” Firefly yelled, summoning her special power. She grabbed the glowing ball that had appeared in the middle of her hula hoop, then tried to throw it at the akuma but missed. An unfortunate pigeon flying nearby got hit by the ball of light and began flying around crazily.

“What did you do?” Athena asked.

“Just accidentally confused a poor pigeon with my special power, that’s all. Now I only have five minutes until I detransform. Great.” Firefly grumbled. The pigeon squawked.

"So, what are we going to do?"

“I have no idea.”

"Where is Ladybug? She could help."

“Or the kitty cat.”

Just then, as if called, Cat Noir popped up from behind the girls.

“Hello, ladies! Anyone call me?”

"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me!" Athena exclaimed.

“Um, guys?” Firefly said, “My pendant is flashing… I’ll have to find somewhere to detransform and feed my kwami. If Ladybug doesn’t come by then, tell her-”

“Hey guys! After the akuma too?” Ladybug asked, swinging in on her yoyo.

"Yup, but Firefly's about to detransform." Athena said.

Firefly nodded. “Be right back!” she said, then leaped away, disappearing from Athena’s view.

"So… Hi?" Athena said awkwardly.

“Should we wait for Firefly to come back or continue chasing the akuma?” Cat Noir asked.

“How about Athena and I go after the akuma and you wait for Firefly?” Ladybug suggested.

“Fine by me, Bugaboo.”

"Don't call me Bugaboo!"

Athena and Ladybug left.

Chapter 8

Fern Eastwood

Firefly quickly dove into an alley and detransformed.

“Whew, that was a bit hectic.” Fern said.

“Mmhm…” Fliicker said weakly.

“Oh! Sorry!” Fern said, then pulled out a bag of dried mango for her kwami. “Here, you deserve this,” She said, handing Fliicker an especially large piece, who immediately scarfed it down.

“Thanks!” Fliicker said, sounding much better.

“No problem! But we’d better go and help the others catch that akuma.” Fern re-transformed into Firefly, then flew up to the spot she was at when meeting up with the other heroes.

“Ah, so the Lightning Bug has finally come back,” Cat Noir said, smiling.

“Not now with the nicknames, Cat Noir. Where are Ladybug and Athena, anyway?” Firefly asked.

“Oh, I let Bugaboo go after the akuma, but I got hungry and ate the owl.” he said airily.

“Yeah, right, and I'm Rena Rouge.” Firefly said, rolling her eyes. Then she heard a scream. Cat Noir jumped.

“What was that?” he asked.

Firefly just shrugged.

“It sounded bad. Let’s go.” Cat Noir said, his voice serious.

Firefly nodded and the two of them leaped toward the scene to inspect what had happened.

Chapter 9

Adrien Agreste

Cat Noir leaped to the area where he heard the sound, his cat ears twitching.

“Do you see anything?” Firefly asked.

“Nope. Do you?” He asked from his higher viewpoint.

"Watch out!" Athena came spiraling in, one of her wings bent awkwardly. She face planted next to Cat Noir.

“Ah, hello there, Ms. Owl. How did you end up like that?” he asked, bending down to help Athena up.

"Thanks."

Firefly fluttered over and examined Athena’s wing. “Hmm,” She said thoughtfully. Just then, Ladybug swooped in.

“Hi Bugaboo. Nice to see you. What’s the situation here?” Cat Noir asked.

"We couldn't catch the akuma." Ladybug said. "It got to a girl, and it's Lila Rossi. *Again*."

Firefly and Cat Noir groaned.

“Not again! In total during the whole summer, she was akumatized 29 times,” Firefly said groaning, “She should see a therapist or something.”

"I think she just hates everyone. And if you add the three times she was akumatized into Volpina, when she was Chameleon, when I first fought her when she was Hecate, and now, that's a total of 35 times." Athena said, trying to put her wings back.

“Wow! She definitely broke the record! Not to mention the other 12 akumatizations last year. That girl definitely will blow Mr. Pigeon out of the water in a month or so.” Cat Noir said.

Firefly poked at Athena’s broken wing, then yanked at it, restoring it to its proper shape.

“There!” She said, sounding satisfied. Cat Noir looked over at Ladybug, who looked exhausted.

“Are you alright, M’lady?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Kitty,” she said, then leaned on Cat Noir. “Other than being tired, I’m alright.”

"What do we do now?" Athena looked at Ladybug.

Ladybug got back up and steadied herself. "First, we get the civilians who are the closest to the villain to a safer area. We can split up to do that. Then we’ll meet back to re-group and work together to defeat the villain.” she said.

"Where is a good spot?" Cat Noir asked.

“How about the Louvre?” Firefly suggested.

“Sounds good.” Ladybug replied. “Now let’s go and get Lila back to normal before she causes any major damage.”

"Agreed!" All three said in unison.

Chapter 10

Lillian Montgomery

The four heroes ran to where Athena and Ladybug had seen Lila. In her place was a supervillain in a suit that seemed to be constantly changing colors, shape and design. At one point she seemed to have the hair of Stormy Weather, the next her outfit resembled Riposte's.

All around her, Parisians and tourists were running and screaming in terror. Among them were some members of Ms. Bustier's class, who were trying to help.

“Come on, let’s split up and help these civilians move! I’ll take that side, Cat Noir, you take the area over there, Athena, you go to the area closest to the Eiffel Tower, and Firefly, help the stragglers.” Ladybug said, pointing to the different areas.

"Got it." Athena activated her wings and flew off.

Cat Noir and Firefly nodded and made their way to their spots to help.

Athena used her rope to block off Lila's path and began to swoop down and carry off the civilians. At one point, a rude old man she picked up started hollering about how stupid vulture superheroes could never mind their own business. Now, that definitely got her a few stares.

"You'll be safe here." She told the old man, who huffed and stomped off grumpily. *I hope the others are having more luck than I am...* She thought.

Athena flew off and helped more people. At one point when she looked over, Lila seemed almost a perfect replica of Hecate.

"I am Omnia!" Lila shouted. "I have power over everything and everyone!"

Athena stumbled. Those words were the same ones that Hecate had said. Firefly swooped over.

“Are you alright? I saw you stumble. You didn’t hurt yourself, right?” Firefly asked, then yelped as a Sapotis clone jumped onto her back. “Eek!” Firefly pulled out her hula hoop and tightened it around the monster’s arms, then pulled off the cap. The Sapoti clone disappeared with a *poof*.

Athena was frozen. She remembered the fear she had felt when Hecate was standing over Marinette. The feeling of despair when she and Cat Noir were the only heroes left.

“Athena? Hello? We have to hurry! There are still a few people left!” Firefly said urgently, but was again attacked by a swarm of Sapotis clones.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Athena grabbed her rope and freed Firefly from the Sapotis.

“Thanks! I think we’d better go help Ladybug and Cat Noir, though. They cleared off the rest of the people and it looks like Omnia is giving them a tough time.” Firefly said, gesturing at the akumatized villain.

"I think she has *every* power. Every time she changes, she resembles someone past akumatized."

Firefly nodded. “Even Mr. Pigeon. Although I don’t really see much of a power with talking to pigeons except to make Cat Noir sneeze. Oh! We should go now.” Firefly picked up her hula hoop which had fallen on the ground, then flew towards the other superheroes.

Athena followed.

Chapter 11

Fern Eastwood

“Ow!” Unfortunately, Firefly had slammed into another pole on her way to help.

"You know, I have a friend with a similar problem." Athena remarked. "She's always running into poles."

Firefly shrugged. “I figured when I transformed, I wouldn’t be as clumsy as I am as a civilian and stop doing dumb things, but I feel that sometimes that transforming makes me worse. I’m sorta used to it now, though.”

"I know how you feel. The entire team met me when I face planted in front of them."

“Well, I tripped over a bench on my first day.” Firefly landed near Omnia, rubbing her forehead, then pulled out her hula hoop, assessing the situation.

"Shouldn't we be helping Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

“Yeah, any ideas? Right now they’re just yelling at each other.”

"Stop calling us a couple! People can't know we're dating!" Ladybug yelled at Cat Noir.

Omnia floated behind the two, clearly amused. "Maybe you wouldn't bicker so much if you forgot why!" She morphed into a copy of Oblivo.

Firefly and Athena acted at the same time. Athena leapt at Omnia and Firefly pushed the two heroes out of the way.

“You guys okay?” Firefly asked her friends. Ladybug and Cat Noir nodded.

“I’m sorry I said that earlier, Kitty. I just wanted to keep you safe.” Ladybug said apologetically.

Cat Noir sighed. Firefly could tell that he seemed tired too.

“I-I understand M’lady. I suppose I would have done the same thing as well if I was in your position.”

Ladybug smiled slightly, then leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. Cat Noir turned as red as a strawberry.

"A little help, guys?" Athena called. "Woah!" Omnia threw her off and she face planted into a wall.

Firefly fluttered over. “You seem to do that a lot.”

"When you're like me, you have to get used to it." Athena said, picking herself up. Firefly looked at Ladybug.

“What should we do now?” Firefly asked.

“Like we planned. We retreat back to the Louvre and figure out what to do.” Ladybug replied. The four superheroes quickly retreated.

“Ah, so you’re afraid of me now? Go and run all you want, but you can’t hide!"

"Try us!" Athena told her as she flew off.

Firefly started to run, but tripped on a bench. Again. “How is this possible? I-ugh!” She said aloud in frustration.

"Let's just go already!"

Chapter 12

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug entered the Louvre, where dozens of Parisians were roaming about. One old man saw them and began to rant about vulture superheroes.

"Oh no, not him again!" Athena groaned.

Ladybug didn't bother to ask. In the weird world they lived in, the old man seemed downright normal.

The group walked through the building and after a little while, they found an empty room. Ladybug closed the doors almost all the way. Then she heard a boy’s voice that sounded similar to Kim’s.

“Come on, I saw them come this way!”

"Shhh! They'll hear us!" A girl's voice hissed. She sounded like Alya.

“Let’s just open the door already!” Another girl said impatiently. This one sounded like Alix.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a small crowd of teens toppled in. Ladybug realized it was the rest of her class. Well, everyone excluding Lila, Lillian, Fern, Adrien, Chloé and herself. What were they doing here?

Athena looked like she was trying not to laugh.

Alya got up, then helped the rest of the class get to their feet. “Ladybug! I thought you would be here! I have a few questions. First, is it confirmed that you and Cat Noir are dating? What powers does the supervillain you’re facing currently have? And…” Alya continued to list questions that seemed to never end.

Ladybug and Cat Noir's faces reddened beyond belief.

"Uh, Alya, we don't have time to do an interview. This villain might be the most powerful one we've faced yet, and we need a plan." Ladybug said hastily.

The class turned around to leave. In the back was Alix.

"Ladybug, wouldn't someone with time powers be helpful with our situation?" Cat Noir asked, looking at Alix.

"Do you think it's time?" Ladybug inquired, catching his drift.

"She's the only one whose identity isn't known by Hawk Moth. Extra help would be beneficial as well."

"Alright. I'll get the box. You make sure Omnia doesn't get in." Ladybug told her partner and crept out of the Louvre.

Chapter 13

Adrien Agreste

Cat Noir walked silently on the roof of the Louvre. He didn't see any sign of Omnia, which both relieved and concerned him. She had to be planning something if she hadn't shown up to attack.

After a little while, Ladybug showed up with the Miracle Box tucked under her arm.

“Any sign of Omnia?” Ladybug asked Cat Noir.

"No, there's absolutely no sign. It can't be good."

Ladybug nodded grimly. “Let’s go.” She said.

They entered the empty room where Athena was lying face down on a padded bench, snoring softly. Firefly was sitting next to her, trying not to burst out laughing.

"Aren't owls nocturnal? Because last time I checked, it was nighttime." Cat Noir joked.

Ladybug giggled.

Cat Noir grinned triumphantly. "I knew you were just pretending not to like my puns!"

Athena continued to snore. Ladybug leaned over and gently poked Athena.

"What is it, Unna? I don't have candy…" Athena muttered sleepily. She rolled over and fell off her bench with a thud.

"Huh? Wing it! Whirlwind!" Athena jolted awake. "Oops." She muttered realizing what had happened.

“That’s not good. You should probably find a place to recharge.” Cat Noir suggested.

"Good idea." Athena dashed out of the room. She turned a corner and out of sight. Cat Noir heard her say "Nest time.".

"Are we with the Poopy Head?" A higher pitched voice asked. Cat Noir recognized it as Unna's.

"First off, no, and second, I've told you to stop calling Storm a poopy head. Besides, you should know she's still in Alabama. Just eat your candy so I can transform."

A few munching sounds later, an "Unna, wing it!" was heard. Athena rejoined the group.

Chapter 14

Alix Kubdel

Alix roamed around the Louvre on her roller skates. At one point she bumped into Nathaniel.

“Oh! Hi Alix.” Nathaniel said, looking up from his drawing.

“What are you drawing?” Alix asked.

“Oh-um, nothing.” Nathaniel said. He hid the paper behind his back.

“Let me see!” Alix said, then picked up the sketchbook. On the paper was a half-drawn picture of Lillian. “You’re drawing her again?” Alix asked, smirking.

Nathaniel turned red as a tomato. “Uh, yeah.”

“You should do something other than doodling Lillian. You could come with me and we could look around the Louvre. I’m pretty sure my dad won’t mind.”

"In my defense, I also draw Brushstroke." He said, still red.

“Pfft, same person. Come on! Let’s see if Ladybug and Cat Noir are still in that room!” Alix grabbed Nathaniel’s arm and dragged him over. She cracked the door open.

“Hello? Anyone in here?” her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and noticed the superheroes standing next to the bench near the wall, quietly discussing something.

"How are we going to get her in here without anyone noticing?" Ladybug asked quietly.

“Hi!” Alix said, louder this time.

"Speaking of the devil…" Athena muttered, noticing Alix.

"Were you guys talking about me?"Alix asked.

Ladybug looked up, surprised. “Actually, yes. We may need your help. Although we will have to discuss this in private.”

"Why can't Nathaniel come?" Alix asked.

“Um, I’ll tell you later. Athena, can you take Nathaniel somewhere safe?” Ladybug asked.

“S-sure, Ladybug.” Athena said, her face red like a cherry. She got up and walked over to Nathaniel.

“Um-uh-h-hi,” she stammered.

Alix walked in the room while Athena escorted Nathaniel out. "What do you want me for?" She noticed a red spherical box with black spots on the bench.

Ladybug opened her palm, revealing a blue and white pocket watch. “Alix Kubdel, here is the Miraculous of the Rabbit which grants the power of Evolution. You will use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?”

Alix gasped. “Of course you can, Ladybug. You can count on me.” She took the watch, which immediately became identical to hers. A white ball of light appeared.

"Hi there! Who are you? I'm Fluff! Is it yesterday yet? Is tomorrow lunch?" The rabbit kwami pondered. “Oh, wait! I know you! You’re Elvis Presly! No? Umm, Queen Elizabeth? Cleopatra? Plato? Oh! I know! Alexander Hamilton!”

Alix laughed. "No, I'm Alix!" She remembered when she met her future self, and what she'd said to transform. "Fluff, clockwise!"

Chapter 15

Lillian Montgomery

"So, um, I've seen your drawings." Athena sat next to Nathaniel, still red faced. "Th-they're really good. I've seen some of me. They're really, um, accurate."

Nathaniel smiled. "Thanks, but the true artist is my friend, Lillian." He blushed slightly.

“Oh, um, wh-who’s Lillian again?”

"You should know her. She helped you, Ladybug, and Cat Noir defeat Reverser as Kitsune."

"Ohhhhh *that* Lillian." Athena said nervously. *I'm overdoing this.* She thought.

Nathaniel looked at her quizzically but didn’t say anything else.

"Athena! You can come in now!" Cat Noir poked his head out.

Athena ran off, relieved to be out of the awkward situation.

Inside the room, there was a new superhero. “Alix?” Athena asked.

“Well, technically, yes, but just call me Bunnix.”

"I've heard of you, but two people don't like to share." She said playfully, wagging her finger between Ladybug and Cat Noir. Firefly stood in the corner, rolling her eyes and smiling.

“We should go now. Everyone else left and went back to their own houses. Who knows where-” Ladybug was interrupted by someone's footsteps. “Shh!” she said, putting her finger to her lips. The door creaked open.

As if on cue, Athena's cheeks flushed once more as Nathaniel peaked inside. "Bunnix, hide!" She hissed.

Bunnix jumped up in surprise a little too hard and hit her head on the ceiling. “Ouch!”

“You guys are still in here?” Nathaniel asked, clicking on the light. “Hey, is that a new superhero? And where’s Alix?”

“Oh, um, she uh, went back home?” Firefly suggested feebly.

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "The Louvre *is* her home. Also, it’s very suspicious that a new superhero shows up in the same exact place that Alix was just a few minutes ago."

Chapter 16

Alix Kubdel

Bunnix shielded her face with her umbrella, praying Nathaniel wouldn't recognize her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way out.

"Err, um, she's somewhere else, I think she said she was headed towards the Mona Lisa." Athena tried to cover, though her face was beet red.

“Wow, Alix, you’re so good at lying,” Nathaniel said teasingly, “I know it’s you. I promise I won’t tell anyone, so please don’t whack me with your umbrella.”

Cat Noir chuckled. Bunnix just sighed.

“Look, if you ever talk to me in public, call me Bunnix, okay? To keep my identity a secret.”

Nathaniel nodded.

“Um guys?” Ladybug said, “I think I hear someone coming.”

Bunnix strained her ears, and heard ominous footsteps in the hall. “Ladybug’s right. What do we do?”

"Use Burrow to get us out of here?" Cat Noir suggested.

“But then I would detransform, and some of you might see stuff that you’re not supposed to.” Bunnix replied.

“I have an idea, I’ll be right back!” Firefly said, quickly moving towards the door.

“What are you doing?!” Ladybug asked.

“You’ll see.”

Two minutes later, Firefly came back into the room. “Omnia’s gone now, we can go.” she said huffing.

Ladybug nodded, then opened the door. Then Bunnix heard a beeping sound coming from Firefly. “What’s that?” She asked.

“Oh, um, I’m about to detransform in 3 minutes.” Firefly said.

“So you used your superpower again?” Cat Noir asked.

Firefly shrugged. “It worked. I confused Omnia so that she thought we were outside. She should be at the Eiffel Tower by now.”

“Let’s go,” Athena said, “There’s no time to waste!”

Chapter 17

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

“Um, quick question?” Nathaniel said as they ran out of the museum, “How am I supposed to keep up with you guys?”

“How about Athena carries you?” Cat Noir suggested slyly.

Athena turned as red as a raspberry, but she agreed to carry Nathaniel.

“So, what’s the plan, Bugaboo?” Cat Noir asked Ladybug.

“Let’s see, Omnia has all the powers of past akumatized villains. We can use the knowledge that we have of defeating those villains to defeat Omnia.”

"But how will we get ahold of her? She could just change into Troublemaker or Animan or Style Queen and escape." Athena asked.

“We could-” Ladybug's thought process was interrupted by Firefly’s urgently beeping bracelet.

“Sorry! I only have 2 minutes left, which is how much time my confusion power will last on Omnia. If I detransform now to recharge, then she’ll easily come and get you guys.”

"What was that 'Burrow' thing Cat Noir mentioned?" Nathaniel asked. "It might help."

"We need to act now! I only have a minute left!" Firefly told the group.

"Alright. Burrow!" Bunnix summoned a portal. "Nobody look at anything!"

Everyone dashed in but Athena. "I’ll hold Omnia off, you guys go!" She told them, her blue eyes full of determination.

“Good luck, Athena!” Nathaniel told her with all earnestness.

Athena blushed deeply, her cheeks cherry red, but she quickly turned around and activated her wings. "Thank you." She said as she flew off.

Chapter 18

Fern Eastwood

Firefly stepped into the portal and closed her eyes. Then she heard a beep coming from her bracelet. “Shoot! I de-transformed!”

"Our eyes are closed." She heard Ladybug say.

“Okay, I’ll try to feed my kwami now. If they can stay quiet.” Fern rummaged in her pocket and came up with a crinkly sounding object.

“Hey! I don’t eat candy wrappers! And why are your eyes closed?” Fliicker asked.

“Well, if you want something proper to eat, then you should look in my pocket for yourself.” Fern replied.

Fliicker shrugged, then managed to pull out a large marshmallow. “Um, Why do you have a marshmallow in your pocket?”

“Wait, what? Oh, actually, that might have been from yesterday when we were eating s’mores.”

Fliicker quickly ate the marshmallow. “I’m ready!”

Fern nodded then transformed into Firefly again.

"What about Athena?" Nathaniel asked. "Shouldn't we get her?"

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. Athena can handle pretty much anything. After all, she came up with the plan to defeat Hecate.” Cat Noir said.

Firefly blindly stepped forward and bumped into someone.

“Huh?” They said.

She realized that it was Bunnix.

"Oh, this is bad…" Bunnix murmured.

"What is?"

"Athena is failing!"

"What!? Let me see!" Firefly exclaimed. The entire group crowded around the window that Bunnix was at.

Athena was indeed struggling. Omnia attacked her as Oblivio. While Athena hadn't been hit, she was coming dangerously close to. She couldn't fly off because one of her wings had rebroken.

"We have to help her!" Ladybug said. "Bunnix, can you let us through?"

"Sure thing." Bunnix placed her hand on the window, transforming it into a portal. The superheroes stepped through and emerged next to Athena.

"What the-!?" She exclaimed.

“Hi, we thought you might need some assistance,” Cat Noir said.

Omnia took their distraction as a chance to get close. "Say goodbye to your memories." She transformed into Oblivio and lifted her arm to blast the heroes. Before she could reach them, the portal reopened and someone pulled them in, but not quickly enough before they all got blasted.

Firefly's last thought was *Dang it!*

Chapter 19

Adrien Agreste

Beeping. That was the first sound that came to him. As he opened his eyes he discovered he was in a white spherical… thing. Scattered around him were five other people. Four were girls and one was a boy. The girls were all dressed in odd costumes.

One girl with bluebell eyes and blackish-blue hair had a scarlet outfit with evenly spaced black spots all around it, with a matching mask. Another with short brown hair and dark blue eyes had a bird-like theme with white and various shades of blue. A third had a dark blue and black outfit with golden stars and stripes, and the fourth girl was clearly going for a rabbit theme.

He looked down at himself and found he was completely clad in black. He was also wearing a black ring with a green paw print, which was flashing.

"Where am I? And who are you guys?" He asked.

"I'm…" The bird-girl started to answer, but then gasped. "I don't know who I am!"

The beeping noise intensified. He realized it was coming from everyone but the other boy. A final beep sounded and a green light started at his feet and traveled up him, removing the costume and replacing it with normal clothes. The same thing happened to the girls, but the one in red had a pink light, the bird-girl had a silvery blue, the rabbit girl had white, and the black, blue, and gold girl had a golden light.

Little things also appeared with the light. They appeared to be versions of animals. In front of him was a cat, the red girl had a ladybug, bird-girl's was an owl, rabbit girl got a, well, rabbit, and the dark girl's was a firefly.

"What's going on?" The other boy asked, clearly panicking.

The no-longer-bird-girl reached into a pocket and brought out a phone. After unlocking it with a fingerprint, she went to her contacts. "I'm… Lillian Hope Montgomery." She said. "You are Alix Kubdel," She pointed to the no-longer-rabbit-girl. "You're Adrien Agreste," She pointed to him. "You are Marinette Dupain-Cheng," She pointed to the black and blue haired girl. "Your name is Nathaniel Kurtzberg," She pointed to the other boy. "And you are Fern Eastwood!" Lillian said triumphantly, pointing at the final girl.

Marinette must've just realized that the little animal things were there, as she screamed, "Giant bugs! Mice! Bug Mice!" She jumped into the nearest person's arms, which happened to be Adrien.

"Oof!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry," She mumbled as she picked herself up.

"Oh, jeez." Lillian muttered.

"What?" Adrien asked.

"I think he's my boyfriend." She motioned at Nathaniel, and they both promptly bushed.

"What makes you think that?" Marinette asked.

Lillian turned her phone to them, revealing a photo gallery full of pictures of Nathaniel.

Alix and Nathaniel had also accessed their phones. "I think Lillian's right." Nathaniel said, showing the group his phone, which had just as many pictures of Lillian.

"We still need to figure out what's going on here, though." Adrien said.

"Uh, guys?" Fern called. "Those animal thingies are gone."

Chapter 20

Lillian Montgomey

The 'thingies', as Fern had called them, were indeed missing. Lillian looked around to see if she could spot them, but got distracted by the windows around the place they were in.

One showed a bunch of dinosaurs roaming about before a dark cloud of what looked like ash covered the sky. Another featured Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech. A third was of a giant stone monster fighting two figures; one in red and one in black, with a third person watching.

As Lillian approached a fourth window she heard the sound of muffled giggling. She whirled around to see the owl thingy with a mouth full of candy.

"Hey guys! I found one!"

The rest of her friends rushed over.

“Where did the others go?” Marinette asked.

Lillian shrugged and quickly grabbed the little owl, who protested annoyedly. The group continued to make their way through the strange void. Lillian saw the little black cat creature drooling over a window that showed a man making cheese.

“C-camembert…” It said.

“Come on, you,” Adrien said, who accordingly dragged away the little creature, who moaned and complained about starving.

Lillian noticed Alix chasing after the rabbit creature who was zooming around with a large carrot from who knows where. Marinette was still cautiously approaching her ladybug creature as if it would explode any minute, and Fern seemed to be trying to prevent the firefly one from eating a suspiciously moldy looking berry it had found somewhere.

“Don’t eat that!”

“But I’m hungry!”

Nathaniel walked over to Lillian. “Looks like their ‘thingies’ are causing some trouble,” He remarked, chuckling.

Lillian nodded mutely. Her owl happily munched on its candy, no longer concerned by being dragged away by Lillian again.

"So what and who are you and why were you in my necklace?" Lillian asked the thingy.

"I'm…" The owl thingy hesitated. "I don't know who I am!"

"Just great. Everybody has memory loss." She muttered. Something then popped into her head. She walked over to the window with the stone monster and stared at the figures it was fighting.

At one point she got a close up of the figures, and she gasped. It was Marinette and Adrien. They had the outfits she'd first seen, the ones they had before the thingies had appeared.

Lillian raced to other windows. She saw herself picking up an octagonal wooden box with a red insignia on the lid, then later opening it to reveal a silvery-blue ball of light that contained the owl creature.

Another one showed Fern and an older boy that bore a striking resemblance to her. He gave her some sort of bracelet, and the firefly creature flew out from a hiding spot.

A third had Alix being handed a box like the one she had, and the rabbit thingy flying out. Bug-Marinette was giving it to her with Cat-Adrien and Firefly-Fern watching.

The last was of a woman reporting the news. "Don't be bemused, it's just the news! I'm Nadja Chamack." She said. "The supervillain Omnia is still raging across Paris, but our guardian heroes are nowhere to be found! The last Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Firefly were seen was at the Louvre, and Athena was last spotted battling Omnia on the Eiffel Tower. Even more disturbing is that six young teenagers seem to have disappeared along with them. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Fern Eastwood, and Lillian Montgomery never arrived home after school, model of the Gabriel brand, Adrien Agreste, disappeared from his room, and Alix Kubdel and her friend Nathaniel Kurtzberg soon vanished from the Louvre after the heroes went reportedly missing."

The background began to show pictures of the people Nadja Chamack had mentioned. The first was of Bug-Marinette and Cat-Adrien.

*Ladybug and Cat Noir.* Lillian thought.

The duo were sitting on a bench. Cat Noir was trying to give Ladybug bunny ears and Ladybug was playfully swatting him away.

The second showed Firefly-Fern.

*Firefly.* She thought.

Firefly was suspended upside down in the air, making a silly face. Insect wings sprouted from her back, which must've been what was keeping her from falling.

The next was of… her. She was swinging on a rope, but was using her feet to hang on. She was making a 'peace' sign and was winking.

The final picture showed the six of them hanging out in a park. Alix was chasing them on a pair of skates, Adrien and Marinette were in the front, Nathaniel was between the two and Alix, Fern had apparently run into a pole, and Lillian was peeling herself off the ground.

"Guys?" She called. "I think I know what's going on!"

Chapter 21

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

The group gathered around Lillian.

"So, I think the reason we don't remember anything is because there's a supervillain who erased our memories. There is some good news though. There are superheroes who deal with this kind of thing. But the bad news is: I think *we're* those heroes." Lillian said.

"How are we superheroes?" Adrien asked.

"I think those little thingies give us our powers. Remember how they appeared when our costumes disappeared?"

"So, you're saying that the ladybug thing turns me into a superhero, or at least gives me that red suit with the black spots on it?" Marinette asked.

Almost immediately, the ladybug thing was sucked into her earrings. The pink light surrounded her, and when it fell, Marinette was in the red and black outfit.

"What in the world!?" She exclaimed.

"It seems that a specific phrase is needed to transform…" Lillian mused.

“Maybe my phrase is ‘Cat creature, smell like stinky cheese!’” Adrien suggested.

The black cat creature glared at Adrien. “Excuse you! You don’t know how to appreciate the delicacy of Camembert!”

Marinette giggled. Adrien caught her eye and she blushed.

“I wonder what this is?” She asked, picking up a small circle shaped object attached to her waist by a string. Marinette pulled it off, and realized it was a yoyo. “Hmm,”

Fern walked over and looked at the yoyo. “Cool! How does it work?” Fern gingerly picked up the yoyo, but accidentally dropped it, causing it to slide open like a slide phone.

Marinette bent over to pick it up. On the yoyo was a touch screen with a sort of manual on it. Curiously, she pressed a button with a wrench on it. It popped up and there were different instructions. “Hey guys, I found something!” Everyone crowded over. Marinette showed them what she had found. After a few minutes of randomly pressing buttons, she found an icon shaped like a red circular box with black spots on it, and it read 'Miraculouses'.  Marinette clicked it, and an array of different accessories appeared. She pressed on the one that looked like Adrien’s ring, and a different screen with information on the miraculous came up.

“Look! It has my transformation phrase!” Adrien exclaimed. “It’s 'Plagg, claws out!'" The little black cat swished into his ring, yelping, and Adrien transformed back into the cat superhero. “Cool!”

Eventually, Marinette managed to find Alix’s phrase.

“Fluff, clockwise!”

Unfortunately, Marinette couldn’t find Fern’s or Lillian’s. “Sorry, I can’t find either yours. I looked at all the miraculouses but none like yours showed up.”

“It’s okay, I can stay with Nathaniel while you battle the villain.” Fern said.

“I can too!” Lillian added.

“Wait!” Alix exclaimed. She was standing by a window. “Come and look.”

Marinette and Fern walked over. The window showed Fern transforming.

“Fliicker, lights on!”

“That must be your transformation phrase,” Lillian said from behind the two girls.

Marinette jumped, and Fern let out a squeak.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Lillian apologized.

“It’s fine,” Marinette replied.

Lillian wandered off, running window to window.

Fern transformed and also wandered off.

Marinette stood quietly in the same spot, thinking about how they could defeat a villain they knew almost nothing about.

Adrien came up to Marinette. "What should we do?" He asked.

Before she could answer, Lillian came running up. "I think you should see this." She told Marinette.

She led her to a window that showed a spherical red box with black spots, just like the icon on her yoyo. As they watched, a girl with long brown hair with white tips, green eyes, orange lips, and a fox ensemble came and took it, laughing evilly.

"That can't be good." Marinette murmured.

Chapter 22

Alya Césaire

Alya tried calling Marinette for the 10th time, but as usual, only got her voicemail. "What is going on?" She asked aloud.

Nino sat next to her. "I dunno. Adrien's not picking up either. And I'm not sure how much longer I can keep your sisters from giving me a makeover."

After all four heroes had vanished, the city was put on lockdown, and Nino had been with her when it happened, so he was trapped in her apartment.

"Juleka, Rose, and Myléne can't seem to reach the girls as well. I hope nothing bad has happened." Alya said.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. It was Kim. She answered it.

"Alya! I snuck out to the Louvre, and look what I found!" Kim moved his phone to reveal three items. One was a red spherical box with black spots, another was a half-drawn picture, and the third was a silver watch.

"The drawing is Nathaniel's and this is clearly Alix's watch!" He said. "I found these in the room the heroes were in."

Alya and Nino looked at each other. Alix was very protective of her watch, as was Nathaniel with his drawings. Something major must've happened if they had left those behind.

Kim pressed a spot on the box, revealing an orange compartment. "Hey! Check it out! It's Rena Rouge's necklace!"

Alya's jaw dropped.

Kim continued pushing on buttons. When he had found three miraculouses, he froze. "Someone's coming!" He dove out of sight.

As Alya and Nino watched, Omnia entered the room as Volpina, and strode over to the Miracle Box and took it. After she had left, Kim sprung out of his hiding spot and ran after Omia, dropping two of the miraculouses he had found. They were the fox and turtle.

"I have an idea." Alya told Nino. "Trixx? Wayzz? It's Alya and Nino, a.k.a. Rena Rouge and Carapace. Can you hear me?"

They couldn't see anything, but a pencil floated into the air and wrote something on the back of Nathaniel's drawing. It turned to the phone, showing the word 'yes'.

"Good. Can you bring our miraculouses to us?"

Again, the paper showed 'yes'.

"Great! I'll give you directions!"

A little while later, Alya heard a tapping at her window. She opened it and Trixx and Wayzz flew in.

"Great idea, Alya!" Nino said as he slipped on the bracelet. "Wayzz, shell on!"

Alya took the necklace from Trixx. "That's what I'm good at. Trixx, let's pounce!"

Chapter 23

Fern Eastwood

Fern quickly transformed using her bracelet and the transformation words that she learned from the window. "So, what do we do now?" She asked Marinette.

"I'm not sure." Marinette said.

“Run to the villain and start bonking them on the head with my paw-some baton?” Adrien suggested, grinning.

Marinette giggled. "I don't think that'll work."

Adrien shrugged. “It could be worth a try,” He said.

Alix seemed transfixed to a window. Fern walked up to her. "Whatcha looking at?" She asked.

“There’s something… I feel like it’s important…” Alix said.

"What’s happening in the window?" Lillian asked, walking over.

"That person who took the box. She can't seem to get away."

The girls watched the window. Suddenly, a flash of orange passed over the screen, which was soon followed by a flash of green.

“What was that?” Nathaniel asked, pointing to the flashes.

Fern leaned closer, squinting. “I have no idea,” She admitted. Fern looked over at Marinette. Her friend had a strange look on her face like she remembered something but didn’t quite fully recall what it was.

"Marinette?" She asked gently. "Are you alright?"

“It’s-I-I’m fine,” Marinette replied.

"Okay…"

"Lemme get a closer look!" Lillian pushed through. "Sorry." She muttered soon after.

She pressed her hand onto the window, trying to get a clearer view. The window melted into a white light and Lillian stumbled through.

Fern dove and caught Lillian's foot before she went all the way through, but she began to slip as well. "Help me!" She called.

Alix ran forward, as did Marinette, Adrien, and Nathaniel, but it wasn't enough. They all tumbled through.

Fern looked up to see three people she had no memory of seeing before. One was in a fox costume, another was a turtle, and the third was a monkey.

"Hi there." She murmured before blacking out.

Chapter 24

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian opened her eyes to find herself in a room she didn't recognize. "Where am I?" She asked.

"I don't know. The doors are locked." Nathaniel said from the other side of the room.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Like I said, the doors are locked. If I had to guess, they're in some other room."

"I think I could help!" The owl creature piped up. She flew through the door.

Lillian tried the handle and found that the owl had managed to unlock it. "Let's go." She said to Nathaniel. Together they crept out.

Lillian peered around, and figured the coast was clear. She continued to walk down the hall, then looked behind herself to check if the owl creature was still there. Lillian took another step forward and crashed into someone. “Eek!” she yelped, surprised. The owl flew behind her back.

Nathaniel giggled.

Lillian turned around and realized she had bumped into the person who had the turtle costume on. “Oh, uh, hi?”

"Lillian!" The turtle-boy's face brightened. "Just who I was looking for!"

"Do I know you?" She asked, confused and nervous.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve met before. Well, my memory could be a little fuzzy, I suppose. I’m Carapace, one of Ladybug and Cat Noir’s friends. We were looking for our other friends Marinette, Adrien, Alix, you two, and Fern. They disappeared a few hours ago. Any chance you’ve seen them?”

"Uh no. I haven seen any of those other people. We've been in this weird thingamajig until recently."

"Oh, well, I'll let Rena and King Monkey know that you guys are awake." Carapace turned and left.

"Why didn't you tell him that Marinette, Adrien, Alix, and Fern were with us?" Nathaniel asked.

"Because they're superheroes. I'd endanger their identities. Plus I still need to figure out how to transform."

"Good point."

"What do you mean 'you don't know what happened'!? This is my best friend we're talking about! Take me to her!" A new voice yelled.

Lillian and Nathaniel looked at each other. Whoever was yelling didn't sound happy.

Lillian peeked around the corner to see not only the fox-girl and monkey-boy, but also a girl in pink and gold, who was the source of the yelling. The fox-girl was trying to calm her down.

"Look, Carapace hasn't returned, and they were all out cold. Ladybug and Cat Noir haven't woken up yet, and five others, including Athena, haven't been found yet." She was saying.

“Who’s that?” Nathaniel asked.

“I have no idea. Should we go back or go over there and ask what’s happened?” Lillian asked.

"I don't know… I wonder who the pink girl is yelling about…" He said.

“Hey! Guys!” Somebody hissed from behind them.

Lillian and Nathaniel turned around, and discovered that Alix and Marinette were behind them.

"Where are Adrien and Fern?" Lillian asked them.

“Back at another room, waiting for us. I think they’re getting impatient and might come here soon, though.”

"Why were we even separated in the first place?" Nathaniel wondered aloud.

“I’m not really sure,” Marinette admitted. "How'd you guys get out? Our door was locked, so I guess yours was too."

“My owl thingie unlocked the door,” Lillian replied. “How about you?”

“Adrien destroyed the door.” Alix said casually, as though things like that happened everyday.

"I guess that's not the weirdest thing I've ever heard." Lillian muttered. "Can you take us there?"

Chapter 25

Adrien Agreste

Adrien yawned. He was pretty bored waiting for Alix and Marinette to come back, so he began playing with his staff.

“Are you gonna take a cat nap?” Fern said, smirking.

“Nah, I’m good. When will they get back?”

“I dunno. Good thing you managed to- Oh! Your ring’s beeping!”

He looked at the paw print on his ring. "It beeped before, when we woke up the first time." He recalled.

"And then you transformed back, the same time as the rest of us." Fern said.

The beeping intensified, and the green light emitted from his ring. It travelled up his body, replacing the catsuit with his normal clothes.

"I wonder what triggered it…" Fern mused.

Before they could ponder it any further, Alix poked her head in. "Found 'em!" She announced.

“Great! Where are they?” Adrien asked.

“Hi!” Lillian popped her head in the doorway with Nathaniel right behind her.

“You’re back!” Fern said happily.

“Where were you guys?” Adrien asked.

“We were in another locked room. Lillian’s owl thingie busted us out, so we went out into the hallway, where we met a turtle guy.” Nathaniel said.

“A turtle guy?” Fern asked.

“Yeah. He was wearing a turtle suit with a shell on his back. Oh, and there was also a fox girl, a monkey boy, and another girl in pink and gold.” Lillian added. "Said his name was Carapace."

"Hmmm, odd." Was Fern's only comment.

Adrien noticed that Marinette was furrowing her brow and slightly wobbling again.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

“I-I’m fine. It’s just-” Marinette let out a groan and stumbled.

“You’re definitely not okay,” Adrien replied, catching her,

“My head hurts… I feel like I should know those people…” Marinette trailed off.

“Hey, are you okay?” Nathaniel asked, walking over.

Lillian, Fern and Alix hurried over.

“Whoa, what happened to her? Did she eat some moldy cheese? Because if she did, can I have some?” Adrien’s cat creature asked, appearing from one of his pockets.

“Oh, be quiet.”

“Not until I get cheese!”

Adrien groaned. “Can you not?”

The cat crossed its arms. "No!"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I'm all out of cheese. Anyone got anything?"

Lillian reached in her pocket and pulled out some candy, Fern found some dried fruit, and Alix and Nathaniel didn't have anything.

The cat sniffed at a suspiciously moldy berry Fern held, then gobbled it up.

"*Now* will you be quiet?"

"Fine."

“Hey, did you save some candy for me?” Lillian’s owl creature asked.

"Help yourself." Lillian sighed as the owl snacked on the candy. "I still need to transform, but I have no clue what I need to say."

"Guess we'll have to wing it until you figure it out." Adrien said.

Lillian's eyes lit up. "I think I remember! It's… Unna, wing it!"

The owl creature was sucked into her necklace, and the bird costume reappeared.

"Looks like you figured it out." Adrien remarked.

Chapter 26

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

When the others were distracted by Lillian's discovery, Nathaniel had slipped out. He figured he could try and figure out where they were, and that he'd raise the least amount of suspicion.

Looking through a window, he spotted a glass pyramid. "We must be at the Louvre." He muttered. “I wonder where the supervillain might be…”

Just then, as if on cue, a man swooped by the Louvre on a flock of pigeons. “Where are you, Ladybug and Cat Noir? Come out, you cowards!” He shouted. When he didn’t get a reply, the supervillain flew off.

Nathaniel frowned for a second, as he didn't recognize the names. "Ladybug and Cat Noir?" He wondered aloud. He snapped his fingers. "That must be Marinette and Adrien!"

Nathaniel ran off to find his friends, though he was still confused about why the pigeon man didn't look like the fox girl in the window they had seen.

He found the others back in the room. “Guys,” he panted from his running, “There was a weird pigeon man that was calling for Ladybug and Cat Noir. I think he was talking about you two.” He pointed at Marinette and Adrien.

"Did he mention anything about Athena or Firefly?" Lillian asked.

“Not that I heard of,” Nathaniel said. "Why?"

"Because that's me and Fern."

"What about Alix?"

“I don’t think he knows about Alix yet. He probably would have mentioned her if he knew, I think.”

"Well, he would know about me and Fern too, right?" Lillan asked. "I figured it out by seeing a news report. It mentioned the six of us, but only 4 heroes. Ladybug, Cat Noir, Firefly, and Athena. No Alix."

Nathaniel couldn't help but feel a bit in awe at Lillian. She had an aura of confidence and certainty around her.

Lillian turned around, and Nathaniel quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"I don't care! I need to see her now!" Lillian and Nathaniel looked at each other. It was the pink and gold girl's voice.

"Tropic Storm! Please!" The fox girl's voice cried.

"Why do I think we need to hide?" Lillian asked quietly.

“Um, because she sounds very angry? And might suffocate us with some of Adrien’s stinky cheese?” Fern suggested.

Adrien shot her a dirty look.

"But how will we get out of here without being seen?" Marinette asked. "The door's destroyed, so we have even less time."

“A destroyed door would make a nice landmark,” Alix commented randomly.

Nathaniel looked around. "There!" He pointed to a large air duct in the back of the room.

"We're going to need more time!" Adrien cried as they tried to get the vent loose.

Alix walked over and stuck the pointy end of her umbrella in a gap under the vent cover and pried it up. "Go!" She told them.

They scrambled in. Nathaniel slid the vent closed behind them.

"We're safe." Marinette said, clearly relieved.

Alix was the one who voiced what they were all thinking. "But what now?"

Chapter 27

Alix Kubdel

"Jeez, it's cramped in here." Alix muttered as they crawled through the air ducts.

"We still don't know what to do, so being cramped is the least of our worries." Marinette said from behind her.

"I wish I knew how to get our memories back. Because then we'd know what's going on with those people, especially the pink and gold girl." Lillian grumbled.

"Not to mention the pigeon man and the other fox girl." Fern called from the back.

"Yeah, that too."

“Are there any other people who want to get us?” Adrien asked.

"I bet Alix has a gazillion after her." Lillian said. You could almost hear her smirk.

"Hey!" Alix poked her with her umbrella. “I bet Adrien has more! He’s the one who smells like cheese!”

"Not my fault Plagg eats so much!"

“Does he get indigestion or something?” Marinette asked.

"How am I supposed to know?"

“Well, I’m pretty sure cats can get indigestion,” Alix replied.

“My I'm pretty sure he isn't a cat. I think he just looks like one."

"Has anyone considered watching where we're going?" Nathaniel asked.

“No?” Fern supplied.

"How will we know where we are if we can't see a thing?" Lillian wondered.

“Wait, I think I know,” Fern said, then there were some scuffling noises. Suddenly, there was a soft *click*, and the air duct was filled with light from Fern’s hula hoop.

"Nice." Alix remarked.

Fern shrugged. “I just remembered it. I don’t know how, though.”

"Maybe the effect is wearing off?" Nathaniel said.

“Hmm, how long does the memory loss even last?” Alix wondered out loud.

"Are we even supposed to know each other's identities? And how come I never had a costume or animal thing?" Nathaniel asked.

“Well, I guess knowing each other’s identities could be bad. I mean, if a villain found out, like the pigeon guy or the pink and gold girl, they could use that as leverage against us. But it could also be good. We could help each other out when we’re not superheroes.” Marinette said.

"Come to think of it, what if they found us in here? Adrien isn't transformed and I am. They'd be able to put two and two together and figure out that Adrien is Cat Noir and I'm Athena." Lillian remarked.

“Yeah. That would be really bad.”

"The problem is, I don't know how to detransform. We don't even know what triggered it the first time."

“Well, Adrien triggered his by using his special power and destroying the door.” Fern said.

"Then what's mine?" Lillian accessed her rope feather. "Nest time?"

Her necklace emitted a silvery blue light and her costume fell. The owl creature, Unna, flew out. Lillian caught her in her hands.

“Oh, come on! You just transformed for absolutely no reason!” Unna complained after eating some candy.

"I didn't mean to! I just read it aloud."

"Poopy head!"

Adrien snorted. "I guess I should transform too. Plagg, claws out!"

“Wha-?” Plagg began, but it was too late, and he was sucked into Adrien’s ring.

"That's one problem solved, but what now?" Alix asked.

Chapter 28

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

"There has to be a safe place somewhere." Marinette said.

The six of them had gotten out of the Louvre and were hiding in the shadows.

"Maybe one of our homes?" Lillian suggested. "That is, if we even knew where we lived."

"That's not actually a bad idea." Marinette mused. "Maybe your's and Nathaniel's phones can give us a clue?"

"Come to think about it, wouldn't people get suspicious if we were all transformed?" Fern asked.

"She has a point." Adrien said. "Although Plagg would be seriously annoyed if I detransformed."

Marinette laughed. "I guess we'll have to take the risk." She accessed her yoyo screen. "Adrien, you need to say 'Claws in', Alix, you need to say 'Counterclockwise', and I have to say… Spots off?"

The pink light reappeared, and within seconds, the red suit had disappeared, with her normal clothes in its place.

They all turned to Fern. “Well, I’m pretty sure it’s lights off-” There was a flash of golden light and her costume disappeared. “Huh. It worked.”

"My phone isn't giving any useful information." Lillian announced. "Any luck for you guys?"

"I think I've got something." Marinette said. "The Dupain-Cheng bakery."

"Do they have cheese?"

Everyone gave the cat creature a dirty look.

“What? I’m hungry!” Plagg complained.

"You're always hungry! You only think with your stomach!" Tikki exclaimed. "Wait, how did I know that?"

“Do they have fruit?” Fliicker asked.

"Candy?" Unna wondered.

"Carrots?"

"Cookies?"

"Cheese?"

"Look, I don't know, okay! I'm trying to find directions!" Marinette exclaimed with irritation.

“Aw, man. I wanted fruit.”

“And I wanted candy!”

“And-”

“Alright, alright, I get it. But right now we’re busy so- Ah ha! Guys, I found the directions!” Marinette exclaimed. The others crowded around her.

“Hey, is that cheese?” Plagg asked, hovering over Marinette’s phone. There was an image of two people, most likely Marinette’s parents, holding a large cake with a slice of cheese on top.

"Plagg!" Tikki scolded.

"Well, this is probably our best bet if we want to get away from the pink and gold girl." Lillian said.

“Yeah, she sounded scary,” Alix added.

"Should we go then?" Nathaniel asked.

“Yeah, this seems safe. Come on, let’s get out of here.”