Sometimes a little sweetness goes a long way to temper the vinegar within.
Join the AU of Miraculous Ladybug, A tale of how Chloé’s many false starts in life were just the beginning to a real redemption of heart and hero; of a different path followed where Chloé struggles with the reality of her place in the world and her own internal battle of self discovery and change.
augh AUGH thinking about how in chat blanc and ephemeral when adrien got akumatized, despite being shown the horrors™ he was capable of breaking free from the akuma attempt but since gabriel has his amok and demands him to fall into it, he has no choice
Rena Furtive watches over the city, perched atop a tall building, and places a call over her flute to Catwalker.
Catwalker (over comm): Hello?
Rena Furtive: Hey, Catwalker? Sorry I didn't get in touch before with… well, everything. Did you still want me to check detransformation spots for you?
Catwalker (over comm): I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Rena.
Cut to Catwalker leaping across buildings.
Rena Furtive (over comm): The chimney a few buildings to your right looks all clear.
Catwalker: Got it. Are you helping Ladybug find a good spot too?
Rena Furtive (over comm): She probably doesn't need it, but let's see where she—what?
Catwalker: What is it?
Cut back to Rena looking frantic over what she’s seen in her flute telescope, and taps at her phone screen to add a new person to the call.
Rena Furtive: How is Ladybug talking to Chat Noir right now?
Catwalker (over comm): What??
Rena Furtive: I know! Hold on, I'm going to make this a 3-way call…
Cut to Ladybug witnessing Chat Noir (?!) stepping towards her from the alleyway.
Ladybug: What are you doing here? How are you here? Catwalker still has the cat miraculous. And you're supposed to still be in hiding.
Chat Noir dramatically places one hand against his forehead and the other on his heart.
Chat Noir: It is quite simple: I'm a time traveler! I've come back to the past to get your help. It's a matter of life and death. And I can't save her without your powers.
Ladybug touches her own heart in sympathy as her yo-yo’s phone starts to ring.
Ladybug: Oh Chat, I—Hold on, I should answer this...
Ladybug answers her bugphone.
Rena Furtive (over comm): What's the deal with—?
Ladybug: Time travel.
Catwalker (over comm): Are you sure?
Ladybug: Catwalker, why are you on the phone?
Future Chat Noir leans in towards Ladybug’s bugphone and projects his voice.
Future Chat Noir: Are you talking to my replacement? Yoo-hoo, Greenie! Good news! You're now superfluous! My Bugaboo and I will handle this without you.
Cut to an annoyed Catwalker pointing at his baton’s phone screen.
Catwalker: Don't call her 'Bugaboo.' She doesn't like being called that. Someone calling himself 'Chat Noir' should know better.
Cut back to Ladybug waving her hand dismissingly with a big smile.
Ladybug: It's fine! I don't think I'm minding so much! In the future, I mean!
Future Chat Noir: She's right! The future has brought all sorts of changes!
Ladybug listens to her phone and holds up a finger.
Catwalker (over comm): Well, did 'the future' bring anything useful with it? Like, maybe, a lucky charm?
Ladybug: Good question. Chat, did you get a Lucky Charm?
Future Chat Noir holds up a hand and touches his heart regretfully.
Future Chat Noir: Alas, there wasn't time for you to give me one before I came back to the past. I did have a lucky charm from Marinette Dupain Cheng, once. But that's hardly as miraculous as one of yours, Bugaboo.
Ladybug looks away with a lingering sadness over Marinette’s inferiority to Ladybug in Chat’s eyes.
Ladybug: I mean, Marinette told me about that! When I helped her hang up her 'Missing Adrien' flyers!
Future Chat Noir holds out a hand reminiscingly.
Future Chat Noir: Oh yes! I remember the 'Adrien' manhunt like it was yesterday! He wasn't nearly as 'lost' as everyone believed he was.
Close-up of Future Chat Noir pointing at his face juxtaposed with Shadowmoth holding up Adrien’s ID card—an amok.
Future Chat Noir, blending into the voice Shadowmoth feeding lines to his sentimonster: Why, Ladybug, if you come with me… I'm sure I can show you 'Adrien Agreste'…
Cut back to Future Chat Noir Sentinoir holding up his hand in request.
Future Chat Noir Sentinoir: I must request, however, that you view him without an audience...
Ladybug: Right. Thanks for your help, Catwalker—
Catwalker (over comm): But he—
Ladybug: —but I'm going to hang up now. Bug out!
Cut to Catwalker looking at his baton phone as Ladybug hangs up and Rena is still on the line.
Catwalker: I don't like this.
Rena Furtive (over comm): What, finding Adrien?
Catwalker: It's not that. I can't prove anything, but 'Chat Noir' seems... off.
Cut to Rena holding her flute phone, trying not to say too much about Ladybug’s relationship with Adrien.
Rena Furtive: Yeah, I admit this whole thing is weird, but Ladybug wants to handle it without us. She probably has her reasons for going along with him.
Catwalker extends his baton and starts to leap into motion, all the while his ring begins to beep.
Rena Furtive (over comm): Besides, you're about to turn into a pumpkin.
Catwalker: I've still got a minute before I change back. I'm going to get a closer look…
Cut back to Ladybug shutting her yo-yo and Sentinoir taking her by the hand.
Ladybug: Sorry about that. I haven't told Catwalker your identity, so unless you told him...?
Sentinoir: There's no need. All I need is you.
Ladybug playfully points at Sentinoir, while he vainly points at his own face.
Ladybug: Still trying to charm me, I see? I suppose you have a very pretty face...
Sentinoir: Oh, do you mean this pretty face?
Sentinoir moves behind Ladybug, changing to Adrien in a flash, and gives her a model smile. Ladybug is blushing too hard to notice that Sentinoir is moving his hand towards her earring.
Sentinoir: Or maybe you're more of a fan of this pretty face?
Ladybug: You! Pretty—hot! I mean!
Shadowmoth (through amok): Yes! Yes! Seduce her, Sentinoir! Lower her guard and create an opening to steal her miraculous!
Cut to Shadowmoth hiding behind a Find Adrien poster, peeking from behind to see Catwalker dashing across the rooftops.
Shadowmoth: And while you do that... I will take Chat Noir's pathetic replacement off of the board…
Cut to Catwalker as he hides behind a wall and spies on Ladybug and Sentinoir, still talking to Rena.
Catwalker: I've got a visual on the guy claiming to be Chat Noir. He just detransformed.
Rena Furtive (over comm): Don't tell me who he is, I'm not peeking. But Ladybug knows who he is, right? She should recognize if he's not Chat.
Catwalker tries to correct Rena. Shadowmoth drops in from behind, raising his cane to attack.
Catwalker: Mayura knows his identity too. She could still be behind all this.
Rena Furtive (over comm): Yeah, that kinda puts a damper on—LOOK OUT!
Shadowmoth brings Catwalker to the ground. Catwalker tries to escape from the position by pushing back on Shadowmoth’s cane, but is backed up against the wall.
Shadowmoth: Poor Catwalker. Never the one Ladybug wanted for her partner. Tossed aside the moment Chat Noir reappeared.
Catwalker: Is that supposed to make me feel jealous?
Shadowmoth smiles as he and Catwalker grapple with his cane.
Shadowmoth: Oh, so you believe you are better than Chat Noir? Well, maybe you could see what he missed: The way to end our conflict painlessly.
Catwalker: Let me guess: by giving up our miraculous?
A close-up of Shadowmoth with a prideful smile.
Shadowmoth: It's not as unthinkable as you might assume. Chat Noir never realized that my goals have noble ends. With the miraculous, why, I could even bring back his mother. Join me and we can create a perfect world, one Chat Noir never dared to dream of.
Catwalker pushes the cane upwards with a retort.
Catwalker: A world created from people's suffering could never be truly 'perfect'!
Shadowmoth: Then you bring this suffering upon yourself...
Shadowmoth presses down on the cane with all of his strength towards Catwalker’s neck. Catwalker clenches his eyes shut as his miraculous begins to beep frantically.
Catwalker (internally): No!
The ring continues beeping as Catwalker tries to stop the transformation from traveling any further down his hand.
Catwalker (internally): Not again!
Shadowmoth lets out an ‘OOF!’ as Rena Furtive leaps in, kicking him in the head and off Catwalker.
Rena Furtive: Hi-YAH!
Shadowmoth pulls his head up in a daze from being face-planted.
Shadowmoth: Rena… Rouge?
A close-up of Rena’s boots, while in the background, Adrien pulls the shirt Rolland lent him over his head and dashes behind the wall.
