Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Marinette burst through the door to her home, soaking wet from having to run through the rain. Tears ran down her face as she shivered. Her mother and father rushed to her and looked at her with concerned eyes as Tom wrapped her in a blanket.

"Marinette, honey, what happened!? You're soaking wet!" Sabine exclaimed. 

"I bet it was that damed Lila again." Tom mumbled under his breath. 

Marinette continued to shiver but nodded her head. She slowly explained, through shivers and sobs, how Lila basically made Adrien and the others take back the umbrella that he gave Marinette, and give it to Lila. They knew that Marinette hardly got sick, but Lila had also told them that she gets easily sick in the rain, so they decided that Marinette had to give up her umbrella.

In fact, Adrien was the one who took it out of her hands. That was what broke her heart the most. 

"Come and sit, sweetie, while your father get you something to eat and turn the heat on-"

"No, mom.." Marinette weakly interrupted. "I-I..I don't need to be coddled. I'm just tired and done...I want to be alone and lay down." 

Tears began running down her face again, except this time, her face remained calm. 

Sabine and Tom shared a look and frowned as their daughter slowly made her way to the stairs. 

"But, Mari-"

Marinette quickly turned. "Mom, please! I just need to be alone!"

Sabine's shoulders fell as she watched Marinette climb up the stairs to her room.

"Oh, Tom..." she sighed as she sat beside him on the couch. Her husband wrapped her arm around her and kissed her head. 

"I know, honey. But if she wants to be alone, we have to respect that." he suggested. 

Sabine shut her eyes and clenched her fists. "Just...how can someone be so evil like that? Especially towards Marinette? Marinette wouldn't hurt anyone, let alone do any evil!"

Tom nodded his head. "I can't say I understand why myself, but...we can't do anything else. We've already tried to report her, but that didn't work. We can't go attack her or confront her out of nowhere. We could get in trouble with law."

His wife sighed and leaned into her husband. "I..I know. It's just that I hate seeing my daughter suffer like this for no good reason. She doesn't deserve this, Tom."

Tom stayed silent and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his wife's back.

Marinette wiped her cheeks as she wrote in her diary. No matter what, she always told herself that at the end of the day, she would write. She wanted something that would allow her to let out her emotions and look back at them at the same time.

Before Lila came along, she usually smiled and hummed as she wrote in it, occasionally eating some goods that her parents brought up to her. However, after Lila did what she did, the most recent of her entries were stained with tears. No more smiling and no more humming. It was either silence, sobs, or aggressive writing. Marinette couldn't even remember the last time she smiled as she wrote out the events of the day. To her, it seemed like her life did a complete one-eighty.

More tears came as Marinette wrote out her feelings, until she had to push the book to the side and rest her head in her arms as she let out sobs. The only good thing she had in her life at the moment was her parents and a few of the friends who believed her. Everyone else had turned on her.

Including her crush, Adrien Agreste. 

Him being on Lila's side was what hurt the most. She thought that although many of the others believed Lila, Adrien would see the truth. But the day he walked in on Marinette scolding Lila, who started fake crying when she saw him, it ruined everything. She could only rely on a few others to have back. Oddly enough, Chloe Bourgeois was one of the few who stood by Marinette's side. They still had their disagreement, but them going back and forth was no longer filled with the same hateful tones they carried. It held a more friendly tone and was more light-hearted. 

In actuality, Marinette enjoyed their banter and bickering. It gave her a good laugh and reminded her of the old days where everything was good. 

Everything before Lila Rossi. 

With a small sigh, Marinette closed her diary and climbed up to her bed and wrapped herself up in her covers, still cold from the rain she had to endure. She rested her head against her pillow and drifted off to sleep. 

It was eight-o'-clock in the morning, and Marinette was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Tom and Sabine climbed up the stairs to her room, with Sabine carrying a warm plate of breakfast goods. 

"Princess," Tom called. "I knew you would be feeling sick, so your mother and I called you in sick for the next few days."

The only response Tom got was light snoring. He smiled as he took the plate from his wife's hands and placed it on her desk. The two of them noticed and stared at her diary. 

"Tom, look. Her diary." Sabine acknowledged. 

"Do..Do you think we should look at it?"

Sabine scoffed and looked up at her husband. "Tom!"

He shushed her and motioned up to Marinette, who stirred for a second then went back to snoring.

Sabine leaned in closer. "Are you out of your mind!?" she whispered. "That would be invading her privacy!"

"Yes, but she won't know. 'Bine, think about it. Mari doesn't tell us everything she's truly feeling. I just..." Tom turned to his daughter and sighed, then turned back to his wife. "I just want to help my little girl. That's all."

Sabine scoffed then thought back to yesterday and the other days. She looked back on the pain in her daughter's eyes, seeing waterfalls coming out of her eyes. The pain of not knowing how or being able to help her daughter through the bad days and bullying. 

As much as she wanted to respect her daughter's privacy, Marinette's mental and emotional health came first. She wasn't going to just sit there while her daughter cried her pretty little eyes out every night.

"Fine. But only one or two entries, alright?"

Tom smiled and nodded his head. "Good enough for me. The latest ones would be the best to start, yeah?"

Tom opened the dairy and went to the entry before the last. The two of them frowned at what she wrote and what took place. Tom furrowed his eyebrows as he read more of Lila tormenting his daughter. Sabine frowned at her daughter's description of never-ending loneliness and self-hate. 

They moved on to the last entry and read what Marinette wrote. Sabine put a hand to her mouth and Tom's mouth fell open as tears came to both of their eyes. 

The last entry had suicidal statements. That meant that Marinette, their sweet little girl, had suicidal thoughts. 

Sabine turned around and held back a sob as tears fell down her face. Both she and Tom gave their sleeping daughter one last look before putting the diary away and rushing downstairs. 

The married couple both hugged each other they cried. Who would've ever thought that their treasure would feel the want to die? It was too much a painful thought to bear, let alone experience. 

"Oh Tom...my baby...my sweet baby wants to...to.." she whimpered as she cried. 

"That girl will pay..One way or another..."

"The pain of seeing your child suffer is enough to truly fill one with dread and darken their hearts!"

"Fly away my lovely Akuma, and evilize those heartbroken parents!"

A purple, glowing butterfly slipped through Marinette's window and into her drawer, touching the hidden diary. Downstairs, Tom and Sabine both had the mark of Shadowmoth on their face, and both heard his voice.

"King Father. Queen Mother. I am Shadowmoth. Your daughter is your little queen and she deserves the life of a queen. However, many refuse to recognize her as just that! I give you two the power to give your daughter the life she deserves while punishing those who wronged her. Those like Lila Rossi. In exchange, you will give the miraculous of Mister Bug and DJ Panther."

"Our daughter will have the life she deserves!" Claimed Sabine. 

"It is our will. And those who deny or go against it will face our royal wrath!" Tom growled as they were covered in the purple substance.

When they were uncovered, King Father and Queen mother looked toward Marinette's room and nodded. They both had purple skin with black hair, along with a silver and golden crown. Their sclera (that white part of the eye) was a light lavender and their irises were violet. Their outfits were both similar. Queen Mother, or Sabine, wore a formal dress, and King Father, who was Tom, wore a royal suit. Both of their outfits were covered in dark purple royal robes. Queen Mother had a scepter in her hand while King Father held a white and silver sword. 

Holding hands, they made their way to Marinette's room, where the teenager was finally waking up. She climbed down the stairs to the main part of her room. She saw the plate of goods and was about to grab one when she heard her mother's voice singing to her. 

"Good morning, my sweet~" 

Marinette rubbed her eyes. "Good morning, mam-"

The teenager gasped when she saw the akumatized forms of her parents. The day had just started. What could've caused them such negative emotions?

"W-Who are you?" she shakily asked as she slowly backed away. 

King Father smiled at his daughter. "We are King Father and Queen Mother, my girl."

"But you can still call us 'mama' and 'papa' all you want, sweetie!" Queen Mother added with a giggle. 

Two took a step towards Marinette, who cowered away. Both of them frowned. 

"Marinette, you have no need to fear us. We'll never hurt you. We're here to give you the life you truly deserve."

Marinette was confused. Even though it was most likely the akumas talking, she knew that Akumas showed their true selves and feelings. She wanted to know what exactly they were talking about. 

"'The life I deserve?'"

"Marinette. You are our pride and joy. The most beautiful thing to ever come into our lives. The sight of our sweet baby girl hurting like this brings us nothing but pain. I still remember how when you were almost a year old. You couldn't stop giggling and smiling. At first, we thought something was wrong, but all the doctors told us that you were healthier than a horse. You were just the happiest baby they'd ever seen. We that Marinette to come back. We want to help rid you of pain and bring your beautiful, bright joy back."

"You mother is right, sweetheart. Your whole life, you have been our princess, and now you are growing into a benevolent queen. We say that you deserve the life one, and nothing less." King Father turned to his wife. "My love. You know what to do."

Queen Mother smiled warmly at her daughter and pointed her scepter at her. Marinette jumped back and felt her heart speed up and the air leave her lungs. She had no idea what powers the Akumas had and she really wasn't keen on finding out. 

"No, wait! What are you doing!?" she yelled out. 

A white, ball of light began to grow of the tip of Queen Mother's scepter and slowly headed towards Marinette. 

"It's alright, my dear. There's no need to panic. This is our gift to you." Queen Mother calmly explained. 

As the ball of light got bigger and bigger, Marinette scooted back and bumped into the wall, whimpering and looking at the ball with pure fear. 

King Father spoke. "Know this, princess. No matter what form we take, your mother and I love you above all else. We do, we have, and we always will."

Marinette let out a loud scream as the ball consumed her.

In an instant, she was gone. 

Queen Mother sighed lovingly. "Our little girl in perfect, isn't she?" 

King Father smiled and kissed his wife's hand. "She always has been. Now, we need to make a stop at the school..shall we, my love?"

"We shall..Lila Rossi and those other fake friends of Marinette will wish they never crossed us."

Chapter Text

Even though Adrien was paying attention to the teacher's words, he still couldn't help but shift his focus to Marinette. He occasionally looked at the door to the classroom and her spot behind him, wondering when, or if, she would show up. 

Then he bit his fingernail as guilt hit him. There was a chance that she was sick. After all, he and a few others basically forced her to give the umbrella to Lila, who claimed that she easily got sick. He still remembered the look on her face as he took the umbrella out of her hands. He had no intention of making her feel bad. He just wanted to make sure that Lila could home without getting sick. 

"Adrien? Dude, you there?" 

The young model was brought out of these thoughts by his close friend, Nino. He looked at Nino, then to his teacher, who was expecting an answer from him.

"Um...here?"

Ms. Bustier chuckled. "Good to know you're here, Mr. Agreste." she joked. "But I was asking if you knew where Ms. Dupain-Cheng was?"

"Oh..um..Sorry, but I don't know.." he turned back Alya, Nino's ex-girlfriend and Marinette's loyal best friend, and frowned at the deadly glare he received from her. 

"What are you looking at, Agreste? She's probably down with some sickness since you made her run through the rain. And no, I didn't hear anything from her." she fumed. 

Before anyone could say anything else, The door burst open, and both King Father and Queen Mother flew in with hateful glares. 

"Where is Lila Rossi!?" Queen Mother yelled. 

The entire class stayed silent as they cowered behind the desk. 

"Wait...Mr. Dupain? Ms. Dupain-Cheng!?" Alya exclaimed from behind her desk. 

"No. We are Queen Mother and King Father. We are here to distribute the rightful punishments to those who wronged our beloved daughter!" King Father announced. He pointed his sword to Ivan and Mylene. He nodded his head to Queen Mother who, with her scepter, commanded the class to stand up straight and stay still.

"You two." he growled as the outline of the couple's bodies glowed white, "Bring Lila Rossi out. We know she's in here!"

With blank stares, Ivan and Mylene bowed and went to the back of the classroom. They reached down and pulled up a struggling Lila and dragged her right to the akumatized couple. 

Queen Mother leaned down and harshly gripped her chin. "We are going to give you one chance and one chance only, little girl. Confess your sins, especially the ones you committed against my Marinette, and we will let you go."

Lila looked at the two fear. "W-What sins? I would never hurt Marinette! It's just-"

Before the young liar could continue, Queen Mother harshly slapped her. "Tell. The. Truth!"

Tears started to leak out of Lila's eyes, but she didn't speak. The couple glared down at her, the looked at each other with a mutual understanding. King Father pointed his sword at Lila, who jumped and tried scooting away but was stopped by Ivan and Mylene.

The outline of Lila's body glowed as was frozen in place. 

"Lila Rossi. What are you?"

"I'm.. I'm a liar." she answered. She was still conscious but had no control of what out of her mouth.

"What do you lie about?" King Father asked.

"Everything. And I lie all the time."

"Like Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Did you lie about her?"

"Y-Yes." 

Queen mother looked up at the students, who watched Lila's confession with shock and betrayal. She grinned wickedly as she directed her eyes back to Lila, who was still on the ground. 

King Father continued. "How much have you lied about our daughter?"

"Everything. It's all lies."

King Father gritted his teeth. "Final question. What did you lie about and why did you lie about her? She was willing to forgive you if you owned up and took responsibility for what you did."

Was? Something about that told Adrien that Marinette was in danger and that he needed to transform into Mister Bug ASAP. 

"All the horrible things she did and said. I lied about that! Marinette never once touched me, and she barely spoke to me! I was just jealous and didn't like her. She had everything I could ever want. Everyone loved her, and I didn't like how positive she was about everything. I wanted to destroy her happiness, the same way mine was destroyed!"

The frozen class gasped as tears continued to spill out of Lila's eyes. All her hard work, undone by a couple of crazed bakers. 

Max, Kim, Alex, Chloe, Sabrina, and Alya were barely shocked since they knew better, but the rest of the class felt betrayed. They destroyed their friendship with Marinette over lies and deceit. 

Chloe, who was still frozen, scoffed. "Well, It's about time you all figured out the truth. Dupain-Cheng may be ridiculous, but everyone believing Lila is just utterly ridiculous."

"I agree with Chloe. In fact, there was 0.0000005% chance that whatever Lila came up with was true." Max added.

"I agree. Most of you knew Marinette way longer than Lila, and the fact that you would believe some girl who just showed up instead of someone we all trust just shows where your loyalty lies." Alya stated. She glared at Nino and Adrien in front of her. "Especially you two. You two should've been the first to stand with Marinette, but you just believed this little liar because she was kinda pretty."

"Those who stood by our daughter should not worry. We know who you are. You will not be punished. However, as soon as we're done with Mister Bug and Dj Panther, we'll deliver the rightful punishments to those who deserve it." King Father announced. 

Queen Mother smirked and wiggled her fingers at the frozen class. "Tooddles." 

Hand in Hand, the two strutted out of class to wherever they were headed. Shortly after, Queen Mother's influence dissipated and the class was freed. As they usually would during an Akuma, the students of the high school ran straight home, but Adrien, Nino, and Alya hid in the locker room. Alya hid in a different part away from the duo, though. 

A determined look appeared on Adrien's face as Tikki and Plagg flew out of his and Nino's bags.

"That was Mr. Dupain and Ms. Dupain-Cheng! That could mean that Marinette could be in danger!"

"And that we totally owe her one huge apology, bro."

Adrien frowned and nodded. "You're right, Nino. But we need to save her and de-evilize her parents."

"Ehh, just mail her some nice cheese. That always makes me feel better, no matter the situation!"

Adrien and Nino rolled their eyes, "Nasty-smelling cheese isn't gonna make up for something like this, Plagg." Nino said. 

Plagg shrugged. "Her loss."

Nino and Adrien both called out their transformation phrases. Adrien turned into Mister Bug, while Nino turned into Dj Panther. He had his black mask, with green eyes. Over his suit, he wore a black jacket, in which the hood had cat ears on the top, and wore the hood on top of his head. They both nodded at each other and ran out of the school. Their first stop was Marinette's house. 

Trixx flew out of Ayla's fanny pack. "Aren't you going to join them?"

Alya sighed. "Yeah, but I can't help but be mad at them. They threw Marinette, one of their closest friends to the side!"

"But it's like Tikki said: 'You can't let emotions get in the way of your duties!"

"You're right, Trixx..."

Ayla transformed into Rena Rouge and caught up with Mister Bug and Dj panter, who both stood on top of a building that was right across from Marinette's balcony.

"Those akumas are pretty powerful. Should we call in someone else?" she asked as she kneeled down to their level. 

"Not yet at least. We look for Marinette first and see if she's okay.."

Alya rolled her eyes. "As if you actually care about her."

Adrien heard her and felt himself getting angry. "You know what Alya? I do! I do care about Marinette! You think that I don't feel like utter shit!? I hurt the girl I love, and now she's probably in danger and her parents have been akumatized! I didn't stand by her when she needed me the most and now she might be hurt."

Alya couldn't really say anything before Adrien swung over to Marinette's balcony and jumped down into her room. She felt herself feeling a little guilty at attacking her friend like that, but the other parts of her said that he deserved it. He and the others deserved to feel just as bad as Marinette did. 

Plus, they were lucky that Shadowmoth or the Akumas weren't anywhere nearby to hear him yell out her real name. 

Dj Panther and Rena Rouge followed Mister Bug into Marinette's room. He stood in the middle of her room, spinning his yo-yo in case of a surprise attack. 

"Marinette?" He called out. "It's Mister Bug, Dj Panther and Rena Rouge."

There was no response. 

"Marinette! Can you hear us? If you can, tell us where you are." Rena Rouge said. 

"Dudes, do you think she's hiding?" Dj Panther whispered. 

"If she is, I hope she's safe where she is. Still, we should search the place for her. Dj, you've got the bakery. Rena, you've got Mari's room and the balcony. If you see nothing, help me search the rest of the place." 

Rena Rouge and Dj Panther nodded their heads. 

Adrien and Nino headed downstairs while Ayla studied the room she was in. 

"Where could you be, Mari?" she muttered to herself as worry overcame her. She jumped onto her bed, then onto her balcony. She scanned the place and the surrounding areas, but no sign of her close friend. She then jumped back down and searched all the possible places where Marinette would fit, but there was luck on her end. The only thing she noticed were the burn marks below her window and on her floor, but Rena assumed that they were from some of Marinette's shenanigans. 

After a while, the trio came back together and reported on what they found. Which was...

"Nothing." Adrien muttered as he lowered his head.

"I mean, all I could really find were some burn marks, but who knows where that came from?"

Adrien's head and eyebrows lifted up as he looked toward his teammate. "Burn marks?"

Rena shrugged. "Yeah, but...."

"We still should look, Rena."

In an instant, Mister Bug rushed up the stairs and up to Marinette's room. With a quick turn of his head, his eyes landed on the burn marks. He pushed away her chaise lounger and kneeled down to study the burn marks. Dj Panter and Rena joined him and stood by him, glancing at each other. 

"Find anything?" Nino asked. 

Adrien touched some of the burn marks and jumped back with a yelp as his finger burned. Then, a revelation hit him.

"G-Guys...these marks are still hot. That means they're new..."

"And that something could've happened to Mari..." Panther noted. 

Adrien had a frightened look on his face. "We need to de-evilize her parents, or at least find out what they did to her! Now!" 

The three of them hurried out of Marinette's home and sped across the rooftops of Paris, searching for the baker couple or their daughter.

a white flew past them and stopped them in their tracks, nearly blowing them away. They turned back and saw King Father and Queen Mother staring down at them. 

"Well, well, well...if it isn't the mighty heroes of Paris. Where were you when our daughter was getting bullied?" Queen Mother taunted. 

"We're sorry we didn't help your daughter. We just didn't-"

"Silence!" Commanded King Father. "It doesn't matter, now. Our beloved Marinette will finally live the life of a queen, as she should!"

"What?" wondered Mister Bug, "What is that supposed to mean!? Where is Marinette!?"

Queen Mother laughed. "Even if you tried, you couldn't find her! We sent her somewhere far, far away from here. No one will be able to find her, therefore no one would be able to take away her from her new life!"

Mister Bug glared at them intensely and clenched his fist. 

Shadowmoth's mark appeared on their faces. 

"Mister Bug's emotions are getting the best of him! Quickly, now! Take his Miraculous!"

The two of them grinned and lunged at him with their scepter and sword. However, Mister Bug's quick reflexes allowed him to jumped back and take out his yo-yo. In a fit of anger, charged and swung at the two of them, taking them on his own. 

"Tell me where Marinette is! Now!" 

King Father and Queen Mother swung their weapons as they laughed. 

"Try all you want, little bug! You'll never be able to reach her!" King Father yelled as he battled Mister Bug. 

Rena Rouge and Dj Panther hurried to Mister Bug's side and forcefully kicked the akumatized couple away, allowing the three of them to escape to another part of Paris. 

Once they were safe, Nino glared at Adrien. "Dude! What was that? You totally lost your cool there!"

Adrien's shoulders fell as he looked away. "I...I'm sorry. I don't know what got over me."

"You're worried about Marinette. We all are, but we need to keep our cool."

Adrien nodded and decided to call his Lucky Charm. A tagged key landed in his hands, which made him raise his eyebrow. They read the tag. 

"Marinette's diary? Why would your Lucky Charm give you a key to that?"

Mister Bug closed his eyes. He formulated a plan, which involved Rena's mirage, a mirror, and that key led to Marinette's diary.

"I got a plan."

King Father and Queen Mother flew throughout Paris, scanning and searching for the heroes. They stopped when they saw a blur of orange and brown.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a complete loser and no akuma can make me think otherwise!"

Their heads snapped at the sound of Lila's voice and sneered when they saw her smirking at them. 

"Awww! Did I make you upset? I'll apologize...if you catch me first."

Lila took off running and was followed by the Akumas. 

Rena followed behind them and touched the earpiece. "They're on the move. Panther, you ready?"

"Ready." Dj Panther answered. 

Rena continued following after them after they chased Lila until they ended up in front of their bakery. 

"Nowhere to run now, little girl." Queen Mother mocked. 

King Father pointed his sword at Lila. "Rats like you need to be caged." 

The tip of his shot out a white beam, but before it could hit Lila, she dissipated into thin air, and the beam was met with a Dj Panther holding a mirror. Queen Mother and King Father gasped and widened their eyes in shock as the beam bounced off the mirror and hit them, trapping them in the cage instead of the false Lila. 

Dj Panther and Rena both approached the caged couple and destroyed their weapons, rendering them powerless. 

"Bug, we broke the weapons, but no Akuma came out." Rena spoke. 

"That's because the Akuma's not there. It's somewhere completely different. I have an idea where, though." Mister Bug explained as he searched the drawers and cabinets for a pink, or a dark purple, book.

He pulled open the drawer by Marinette's computer and smiled triumphantly as he picked up the dark purple book. 

"Found it."

Adrien ripped the book in half and watched as the Akuma flew out. He quickly de-evilized the Akuma and watched the white butterfly out and into the sky. 

"Miraculous Ladybug!" he yelled as he threw his lucky charm into the air and watched as the ladybugs flew throughout Paris and fixed everything. 

Well..almost everything. 

Mister Bug saw that the burn marks were no longer there, and saw Nino and Alya explaining things to a confused Sabine and Tom. 

But there was no Marinette. Mister Bug searched the room, including the bed, and then the entire building, but there was still no Marinette. 

Adrien was now worried. "Marinette? Marinette!? Where are you?" he called out. He exited the bakery, and instead of joining the fistbump, he looked around, hoping to see the aspiring fashionista. 

"Something wrong? You look worried." Rena asked. 

"I...I can't find Marinette.."

"What!? What do you mean you can't find her!? She should be up in her room, shouldn't she?"

"Yes! She should, Rena but she's not! The ladybugs fixed and brought back everything! Everything except her..." he yelled, turning away at the last part. Misterbug ran a hand through his hair. "I don't understand...they fix everything. They were supposed to bring her back."

Dj Panther frowned. "So that means...."

"Marinette is gone. Stuck somewhere...."

Sabine caught on to what was going on and looked up at Tom with teary eyes. "Tom...what have we done?"

Mister Bug turned back and went over to put a hand on Sabine's shoulder. "Hey..it's not your fault. The only person at fault is Shadowmoth. You too were distressed and he took advantage of that. But trust me when I say this. We will bring Marinette back home and safely, Mr. Dupain and Ms. Dupain-Cheng, No matter what."

Chapter Text

Marinette's body felt weird and the world around her felt hazy. The last thing she remembered was waking up and seeing her parents akumatized, them telling her how much they loved her..and then a blinding light that surrounded her.

The more she came to, the more things she felt on her body. She felt long hair move across her back, the feeling of a  cool breeze that made her shiver, and some kind of sand-textured substance on her face. 

After a while, Marinette began to realize that was face down in something. Most likely the ground, but she wasn't sure. She slowly lifted her head and wiped the sand from her face. Once she could finally see, her mouth dropped and her eyes widened when she saw exactly where she was. 

If Marinette had to guess, she would say....well, nowhere. All she could see was the lavender sand that went on for miles and the purple sky. She looked around, yet there was nothing or no one insight. 

Another breeze passed her by and she shivered again. She wrapped her arms around herself and tensed up when she didn't feel her pajamas. Marinette looked down at herself and yelped when she saw that the only thing covering her was a silky, lavender fabric that wrapped around he body, only leaving her shoulders and legs out for those to see.

"Okay..No need to panic, Mari. You're just...in the middle of nowhere in nothing but a giant piece of fabric.." she said to herself as she held herself. "Maybe...Just maybe..this is just some fever dream. After all, you did run in the rain. Yeah..that's all this is. Just a dream."

Marinette shivered again and sighed. She really had no clue on what to do or where she was. She didn't even know if it was all real. 

"Wait! Mama and papa were akumatized! Maybe after Mister Bug saves them, I'll be right back in my room!" she exclaimed to herself. Then she lowered her head. "I hope..."

"I see her! Over there!"

Marinette looked around to see where the distant voice came from and saw a group of what looked to be soldiers on horses riding over to her. As they all came closer, she noticed that the one leading seemed to look familiar. She recognized the dark hair, the cold stare, and the straight, perfect posture of the leader. 

"K-Kagami?" 

The group of soldiers stopped when they finally reached her. The one leading them was most definitely Kagami. Besides Alya, Kagami became Marinette's closest friend after Lila ruined her reputation. The girl even tried to fight Lila, but Marinette stopped her in time. They talked and spent so much time together, that Kagami's mother smiled warmly whenever Marinette was around. 

This Kagami, however, looked more poised, calculating, and powerful, yet at the same time, concerned and worried. She and two other soldiers, who were in white and lavender armor, lept off their horses and rushed to her side. She wore a black buttoned shirt with a red color and a long, wide sleeve. There was a black belt over red pants and heeled black boots. She wore a pendant on the left upper corner of her shirt that had three gold chains leading to the back of her. The lining and buttons of her shirt, belt, and boots shined as if they were made with real gold. On her hip was a black and gold Katana with red beads. 

Marinette could tell that Kagami was a powerful person. Even without the outfit, Marinette got powerful vibes just from how Kagami carried herself.

Kagami reached for Marinette but pulled her hand back when Marinette jumped away from her and looked up at her with a little bit of fear. 

Kagami frowned. "Your majesty, it's me. Kagami. Do you recognize me?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. She knew it was Kagami, but what she was confused about was the way Kagami addressed her. Your Majesty? The last time she checked, Marinette wasn't royalty. If she was, Paris sure had a special way of treating her.

"Commander. Are you sure that it's her?" one of the soldiers asked. 

Kagami turned to give that very soldier the coldest glare Marinette had ever seen. Even she had to shiver and it wasn't even directed towards her. 

"I'm sure. I know what I saw. I know what we all saw. She's to be our queen." Kagami answered.

Marinette's eyes widened. Queen? Marinette couldn't even manage herself properly, let alone a kingdom!

"But it looks like she doesn't know where she is or who you are!"

Kagami rolled her eyes. "And were we told that she would? No. We were told that she knew us, we knew her, and that she's our queen who would lead us to prosperity! Unless you'd all like to keep living the way you've been living, I'd suggest you keep your mouths shut and let me do the talking!"

Immediately, the soldiers lowered their heads and shut their mouths, as told. 

'Wow. She's good.' Marinette thought to herself.

Kagami turned back to Marinette. Her glare turning back into the concerned face she had earlier.

"K-Kagami? Is that really you?" Marinette quietly asked, narrowing her eyes at her. 

Kagami nodded and smiled. 

"Where am I? How did you get here? Where are my parents?" 

"Your majesty, All-"

Marinette quickly cut her off. "And why are you calling me 'Your majesty?' My name is Marinette!"

"As I said..I and a few others will explain everything. But you'll have to come with us." Kagami said as she held her hand out for Marinette to take. 

Marinette, still on the ground, thought about it. Even though she knew Kagami, the one she was looking at was different. She had no idea if she could even trust her. But on the other hand, if Marinette was really in the middle of a purple desert, her best chance of survival would be to go with Kagami and suffer whatever hell they put her through. 

'It's either die in the middle of nowhere, or take a chance with these people I don't know.' she thought to herself. 

Hesitantly, Marinette took Kagami's gloved hand and stood up with her help. She held on tightly to the fabric covering as Kagami studied her. 

"Once we're there, we'll get you in actual clothes, your majes- Uh, Marinette."

Kagami helped Marinette onto a horse, then hopped on herself and took off. 

'Where the hell am I..." Marinette thought to herself.

Shortly after, the group finally arrived at a large castle that was surrounded by huts, tents, and makeshift houses. Marinette raised a brow at the location as Kagami rode up to a large gate. Slowly it opened for her and the soldiers. 

When the gate opened, a couple of trumpets were played as Marinette saw at least three hundred people staring at Marinette in awe and bowing as Kagami rode past them. 

"What is this place? And why are people looking at me like that?"

"Home. At least that's what we all call it. We've...never really decided on a name. And people are looking at you 'like that' because they know who you are. They're merely showing respect." Kagami answered. 

The two eventually got off the horse and walked up to the large doors of the Castle. As they opened, Marinette looked back at the crowd, who were still staring at her, and then turned to enter the castle. Just like the desert, it had a purple theme going on. The rugs, table cloths, flowers, curtains, and even the clothes that the people wore were purple. 

"Chloe and Alya will clean and dress you up. Afterward, I'll explain everything to you. Well, if you're not hungry. If you are, I'll have some of the chefs fix you up something nice."

Marinette perked up at the sound of her friends' names. Chloe? Alya? Who was next? Max?

"Wait...As in Chloe Bourgeois and Alya Césaire?" she asked. 

Kagami nodded her head. "Like I said earlier, You're going to see a few familiar faces, your majesty. We were also told that we knew you, but I only really know your name and some things about you."

Marinette sighed as she followed Kagami through the decent-sized castle. She had many more questions, but she would hopefully get her answers in a bit.

"It's about time you arrived! It's been, what, two days? Do you know how restless everyone got- Wait! Oh my God, is this her?"

Marinette rubbed her arm and shyly smiled as the other version of her best friend, Alya gushed over her and her appearance. 

"She's so beautiful!"

A familiar face studied Marinette up and down then scoffed. "Of course she is, but what's she wearing is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! There's all over her, including her hair. She's wearing nothing under whatever it is she's wearing, so perverts will try to get a peak or take it off of her. And for Pete's sake, she's not wearing anything on her feet!" Chloe crossed her arms. "You could've at least given her something to wear!"

Kagami kept her stone-cold face on as she faced the blonde. "Unless we were going to stuff her in some armor, the only things we had were the clothes on our backs, Chloe. We should be thankful that there was something covering her up in general."

Chloe let out a 'hmph.' "Fine. But we need to clean her up ASAP. No queen of mine will claim her throne looking like this."

She and Alya grabbed Marinette's hands and brought her into a large room with an empty, giant bath. 

The two other girls left Marinette where she was to run the bath and get things ready for her. While she stood there and waited, Marinette saw a mirror and froze in place when she saw her reflection. 

Her body had..matured in a way. She had grown a bit taller and her hair had grown longer. Her hips had expanded some and so had her breasts, giving her a more defined hourglass shape. And her face looked as if she had aged up about two-to-three years. It was still beautiful and youthful, but she looked like was twenty-one, not seventeen. 

Although she was confused, Marinette was also a little happy. She hated admitting it, but she was considered a late bloomer. Lila never hesitated to tell her that behind closed doors, and she occasionally heard her friends and parents talk about it too. Seeing her new body made her smile for the first time in weeks. 

"Okay, Your majesty! Your bath's ready! Let's get that fabric off of you!"

"Hey, wait!"

Adrien, in his room, sorrowfully stared at a picture of Marinette on his phone. The entirety of his room was so silent, that he could hear the sound of Tikki flying over to him. She sat on his shoulder and looked at his sad face, then looked at his phone. 

"I'm sure she'll turn up, Adrien. There's nothing the Miraculous Ladybug doesn't fix!" she said, trying to lift his spirits.

Adrien sighed and placed his phone down. "You say that Tikki, but it didn't bring Marinette back. But where could she be?"

"Maybe on your next patrol, you can go look for her." Tikki suggested. 

"I guess..but first, you should go and munch on something. I don't want you getting overexhausted on me, 'kay?" 

Tikki smiled and flew away, shortly returning to Adrien's shoulder and snacking on a cookie.

As she chewed on the cookie, Adrien walked over to his large window and stared out at the city of Paris. As beautiful as the view was, Adrien could only focus on Marinette and wherever she was. 

"Dude!"

Adrien turned his head and saw Nino, as Dj Panther, come in through his window. He detransformed and fed Plagg some camembert that Adrien had stashed away.

"Nino? What are you doing here?"

"Well I hadn't used my Cataclysm yet, so I decided to do a small patrol."

Adrien and Nino sat on Adrien's white sofa as Tikki and Plagg ate their snacks. 

"So? Did you find anything about Marinette?"

Nino looked down and frowned. He shook his head. "Sorry bro, but no sign of Marinette. But, there's a possible chance that we might have to fight an Akuma or two soon."

The blonde model raised an eyebrow but let Nino continue. 

"So basically, after Lila was exposed, everyone went batshit crazy! Like, all the girls who took her side almost beat her into a coma, the guys who took her side just yelled at her and watched, while Chloe, Sabrina, Alix, Max, and Kim all just stood by and watched it all happen!"

Adrien held up his hands. "Wait! I thought everyone went home? When did all of this take place?"

"At the park. Mylene and Ivan found Lila hiding there, called the others, and the rest is history. But then, they dragged her all way the school, and by her fuckin' hair, and threw her into Mr. Damocles's office. Her mom was there too, by the way. All I heard was yelling, then Mr. Damocles saying that Lila was expelled and would be reported to the police if her mom did nothing."

"Her mom did something alright!" Plagg added, finishing his camembert.

"She dragged Lila out, yelling and whatnot, but long story short, the bitch is getting thrown into some facility in America. Or board school. Either way, we won't see her for a long time."

Adrien sucked in his teeth. "Wow..so..what happened with the others?"

"That's the part we need to worry about. Like, right now, they're all surrounding the bakery, yelling, screaming, and begging Marinette to forgive them. Rena and I got her parents to safety and boarded up the bakery, but we need to do something. Stat." Nino finished.

Adrien sighed and held his temple. "What has this city come to?"

Nino could only shrug as they transformed and leaped out the window.

Mister Bug and Dj Panther ran across the roofs of Paris, reaching the park where Marinette's friends were standing around. Including Kagami. 

They hopped down and ran over to the group. 

"Mister Bug? Dj Panther? What are you guys doing here?" Kim asked as they all turned to the duo. 

"We heard there was some commotion. Do you know everything about it?" Mister Bug asked although he knew everything. 

Chloe scoffed. "It's all utterly ridiculous."

"Those idiots went fuckin' insane when they finally realized that Lila was a no-good bitch. Now they're all at Marinette's place begging for forgiveness like a bunch of escaped mental patients." Alix angrily explained. 

"I do hope that her parents are safe!" Sabrina said from beside Chloe. Adrien still found it pretty odd that Chloe and Sabrina were now good friends with Marinette. He still remembered all the times they bickered and went at it.

"It's honestly sad. They can't accept the fact that people can lie or that some things aren't forgivable." Max commented, cleaning his glasses. "We originally came here to see what was going on here but stayed after they left. We couldn't go back to school for the day and we didn't want to go home just yet, so we just decided to stay here. Plus, it's safer here. We don't know what those crazed fiends will do, with their current state of mind."

"It's worse than sad. It's Pathetic. Although I'll never side or agree with Shadowmoth or an Akuma, Marinette's parents had a right going after them. Especially Lila." Kagami stated. 

Adrien and Nino nodded. "We'll see what we can do."

Before they could head off, Adrien's arm was held back by Kagami grabbing his arm. 

"Mister Bug, one more thing."

He turned around and directed his attention to her. 

"We heard what the akumas said. How they sent her away...I...We just want to know. Is she safe? You did that thing where you fix everything. She should be back in her room, right?"

Adrien felt a pang of guilt as he looked at all of the concerned and worried faces of Marinette's friends. He turned to Dj Panther, stared down at the ground, and had a sorrowful look on his face. Adrien turned back and bit his lip. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't exactly lie to them. 

"In all honestly...We...I don't know." Mister Bug admitted. He shut his eyes, knowing that he couldn't face the looks the group would give him. 

"Wait, what? What the hell do you mean you don't know? Is she safe or not!?"

Adrien let out a breath. "It means I don't know. When they were akumatized, Mr. Dupain and Ms. Dupain-Cheng said they sent Marinette away somewhere. She was supposed to be brought back, but when everything got fixed, she wasn't.."

"So what you're saying is, is that Marinette is gone?" Kagami questioned, placing her fist over her chest. 

Mister Bug shook his head. "No! I still have hope that she's out there. I know that she's somewhere." He stared directly at the group and gave them a determined look. "As I told Mr. Dupain and Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I and the other heroes of Paris will stop at nothing to bring her back."

"Yeah! As usual, you can count on us!" Dj Panther added. 

Kagami gained a determined look on her face, too. Marinette was a good friend to her and would be there for her when no one else would. She took a step closer to the duo. "If that's the case, Mister Bug, then I'd like to help."

Adrien was shocked at this. "Really?"

Kagami nodded. "Not only is Marinette one of my closest friends, but you still have to worry about Shadowmoth. You'll need people working on this while you're unavailable. My family has resources that will help, so I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

Max pushed up his glasses. "And I could help with my scientific skills and technology. I'm sure to invent something that would help find Marinette."

"Alix and I can go all through Paris, putting up papers and asking questions!" Kim added. 

"And I'll have use the police and whatever else he has to help." 

The group looked at Chloe in shock. She glared at them and put her hands on her hips. 

"What? I might be a bitch at times, but if my friend's missing, I'm not gonna sit back and do nothing!"

Mister Bug and Dj Panther smiled. They were thankful that they didn't have to go through the investigation alone and that Marinette still had such close and loyal friends.

"And I'll broadcast and post blogs about it."

Everyone turned to see Alya approaching them. 

"I couldn't help but overhear this little plan that was happening, so of course I wanted to join in, seeing how Mari is my best friend." she said, crossing her arms. 

Adrien nodded his head. 

"I guess it's settled then." he acknowledged. He stuck his hand out. "To finding Marinette and bringing her home?"

The other put their hands on top of his then they threw them up in the air. 

"To finding Marinette!"

Chapter Text

"Ah! Your Majesty! Come, sit." Kagami offered. She stood up out of her seat and motioned to another chair for Marinette to sit in. 

Marinette slowly walked into the small, but cozy room. After being bathed and fixed by Chloe and Alya, they put Marinette in a simple white lace dress that reached to her feet and put her hair in one big braid with her usual bang.

"Is there anything we could get you, your majesty?" the commander offered.

Marinette sat down and shook her head. "N-No, I'm good. And you should just call me 'Marinette.' I'm a girl who just knows how to bake and make clothes, not royalty."

"Not for long. In fact, you might as well get used to it. Everyone here is already referring to you as 'Queen Marinette.' However, I understand that you have questions, and I will do everything in my power to answer them."

"I.." Marinette paused mid-sentence to think about her first question. She had so many, but she had to ask one at a time. Furrowing her eyebrows, she spoke again. "Where exactly am I? One minute I was in my room with my akumatized parents, next, I'm in some weird purple desert."

"That's just the thing. This place has had no name for years. We've all collectively just decided to call it 'home' or 'here.' It's been prophesied that we would have a queen that would make our desolate world into a paradise, so the people have left the honor of naming this world to you. But here, is like you said: purple desert. There's hardly any water or ways to plant food here, and so far, this castle is all that's here. But, like I said, our queen will transform this-"

Marinette waved her hand frantically, "Wait, wait, wait." she interrupted. "You keep talking about this ‘Prophesied Queen.’ Who exactly prophesied it to you?” 

“Well,” Kagami started, “It wasn’t exactly a ‘who,’ but a ‘what.’ See, one of our soldiers found an odd piece of technology outside the castle. Max, who’s basically the smartest guy you’ll meet here, found a way to start it up. It played a message and showed a video of our planet and our people, in the future. It told us how our desolate world flourish and we would live in eternal paradise, and it would be all thanks to our queen. Then it showed you, as our queen. It told us all about you, how you would come here and come to be our queen, and make us prosper. Ever since we saw that message, we’ve been having dreams of our home as a great and wonderful land with, again, you as our beautiful queen.” 

Max's here too?

Marinette sighed. "How do you even know that this is all true? Where I'm from, you can't exactly trust everything you see, especially on the internet."

Kagami nodded. "That may be, but we've put our full trust in this, your majesty."

"Why?"

The commander smiled. "Well, everything that was prophesied so far has come true."

Marinette stayed quiet as she furrowed her eyebrows at Kagami, who decided to further explain.

"We were told that we would find you in an area with not much on. That you would be confused and question everything. I would add more, but I'm sure you get my point, right?"

Marinette couldn't help but nod. Even though she still had doubts and was wary of everything, Kagami did have a good point, and she was never one to make up such outrageous things. The raven-headed girl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"So, what you're saying is that some 'prophecy' told you that I'm to be your queen and I'm supposed to sweep in and save the day?" 

Kagami nodded her head again. "Correct, but it's more complicated than that. These people need a queen. One who can help them not starve or be dehydrated. One that can give them homes with heat and space to live in. One that can bring health, peace, and prosperity to this place. One that can lead us. However, if you truly feel as if you can't lead, then I understand. But know this, your majesty: You wouldn't have been chosen for this role if you weren't fit for it."

Marinette bit her lip. There was way too much to take in, even if Kagami was explaining everything to her. It was too real to be a fever dream, and at the same time, it was too odd and out of this world. Being former class president? Sure, she could handle a few French kids. Being queen? That meant having to watch over and cater to thousands of people. Hell, even a million. 

But, at the same time, she thought back to how those people she walked by looked. How they were all sickly but weren't able to be treated. How they and their children were desperately searching for food, or how their clothes were so tattered and rugged, it looked like they were all wearing old bedsheets. Marinette then thought back to how they all looked at her when they all saw her. Their seemingly lifeless eyes twinkled with hope. Each and every one of them looked at her as if she was their savior. Their goddess. Their queen.  

The hero and class president inside Marinette made her want to step up and fulfill those hopes. Those people needed her, if not, a leader, and she was going to step up and fill that role. 

"I..."

Marinette hesitated to get the words out. The words she wanted to say weren't long and there weren't many to say, but the weight and impact of them, alone, made her have trouble getting them out.

Adjusting her posture to sit up straight and putting on a straight and focused face, she let out a deep breath and then looked directly into Kagami's eyes. 

"I'll do it. I'll be your queen."

"Hello! Welcome to- Oh."

Adrien winced at the cold gazes of Tom and Sabine. It was a complete one-eighty to how they looked at Mister Bug, but it was understandable.

"H-Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. I heard about what happened with Marinette, and I-"

Sabine scoffed. "You what? You were going to blame the victims in the situations? You were going to tell us that we 'shouldn't feel negative emotions?'"

"No! Nothing like that! I came to see if I can offer any help. I..I at least wanted to try to help and make up for how I treated Marinette." Adrien corrected. He looked down at his feet, knowing that he couldn't meet and look at how Marinette's parents were looking at him. Even without looking up at them, he could feel their glares. 

Tom and Sabine both had angry looks on their faces and looked at each other, then looked at Adrien, who looked like some little small fry who was ashamed of himself. 

"We don't need your help. Not you, or any of those stupid and foolish classmates that easily turned on Marinette. None of this would've happened if you or someone else grew a pair and stood up, but no, your head is too far up your ass to realize that not everything can be solved by 'taking the high road!'"

"And here I thought that Chloe was the spoiled brat. I mean, she's been a better friend than you and she bullied Marinette for years! How could you force Marinette to run through the rain and expect to be forgiven so easily!?" Sabine exclaimed, practically slamming her roller down. Adrien didn't notice, but tears were brimming her eyes as anger and heartbreak washed over her like waves. Her daughter was put through so much and the perpetrators were continuously begging them for forgiveness. 

Tom came and put and his large hand around his wife and onto her shoulder.

"Because of you and those other kids, our daughter is God knows where! You want forgiveness? Until our Marinette is back home, safe and in our arms, you nor anyone else will find it here! I think it's best that you leave and don't return here until then, Mr. Agreste."

Adrien opened his mouth to try and say something, but looking at the anger and heartbreak on the baker couple's faces, he shut his mouth and nodded his head. He turned and walked out the door, head lowered. Once he was out, he let out a sigh. 

"Something tells me it didn't go too well, dude."

Adrien looked up and saw Nino, transformed into Dj Panther, sitting on a street light. 

"Didn't go well? It was terrible! They fucking hate me, but I don't blame them. They were right. I should've listened to Marinette. This whole thing is partially my fault, anyway."

"Hey!" Dj Panther jumped down from the street lamp and put both hands on Adrien's shoulders. "We're all to blame, here. But we can't sulk around hoping that her parents have a sudden change of heart. We need to work as hard as we can to find Marinette and bring her back home! Not only do we owe it to her parents, but we owe it to Marinette herself."

Adrien sighed again. "You're right. Maybe I should hit up Kagami and the others to see if any progress has been made. As Mister Bug of course. I'm pretty sure they have a little grudge against me as well."

Dj Panther nodded his head. "I'll hit up Alya, too. Meet up the park?"

"We'll meet up at the park."

Marinette paced back and forth, rubbing her arms up and down while trying to calm herself. She did look beautiful, however. Chloe and Alya had put her hair in a low, yet formal bun. They did her makeup, which included eyeliner, light white eyeshadow, and red lipstick. Her dress, simple but elegant. The majority of it was white, but the ends of her sleeves, the bottom of her dress, and the neckline of her dress were a lavender purple. To finish the look off, she was adorned in jewelry. There was a white circlet wrapped around her head, two white earrings that both had a single lavender gem hang in the middle, on her ears, a white choker, and a white necklace that both had lavender gems in them.

She looked like a queen, and that was what drove her up the wall. 

Sure, she may have agreed to it and all, but that decision was practically made out of pity for the people of the nameless planet she found herself on. It wasn't until that moment did the magnitude of her decision come to her realization. She was going to be a queen in a few minutes.

"Okay, Marinette. Deep breaths, deep breaths."

She followed her own advice and tried to slow her breathing, but no matter how hard she tried, her breathing was still going fast. Her soon-to-be ladies-in-waiting scurried up to her once they saw her current state. 

"Hey! Your majesty, is everything okay?" Alya asked, staring at Marinette with a concerned look. 

Chloe scoffed. "Does it look like everything's okay? It looks like she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown."

The two girls glared at each other, but nonetheless, they helped Marinette over to a chair and sat her down in it. 

"I'm going to go something for her to drink. Don't do or say anything stupid, Alya."

Alya rolled her eyes. "Oh please! At least it won't be as stupid as that dress you're wearing!" she shouted back over her shoulder. 

"You're wearing the same dress as me, bitch!" Chloe's voice echoed through the halls as she continued to walk away from the two. 

Alya, even though Chloe obviously couldn't see it, flipped her hair and had a smug look on her face. "Yeah, but I still wear it better!"

Chloe's scoff could be heard even though she was no longer in sight. Marinette didn't realize it, but she was chuckling at the duo. It was like she was back home, on Earth, and would simply watch as Chloe and Alya had their daily verbal battles. 

Alya smiled softly at Marinette, kneeled down, and put her hand on top of hers. "Are you feeling any better? I can get a physician in here if you need."

Marinette waved her free hand, dismissing the thought. "No, no, I'm fine now. It's just that..I'm really nervous about all of this. Especially becoming queen. I mean, just about a day or two ago, I was some random girl in Paris who was being bullied, and now.."

"Hey, I get it. Well, Not entirely, but I get the feeling. It's okay to feel like this. You're human. And besides, we'd never drop the entire responsibility of this place on your shoulders alone. We'll be here, every single step of the way, and if you ever need a break, I can promise you that we'll handle things until you feel better. You're not alone and you won't ever be your majesty."

The soon-to-be queen smiled, and before she knew it, she embraced Alya in a warm hug. 

"Thank you." she quietly said. "You don't know how much that means to me."

Alya giggled and hugged Marinette warmly. "Of course, your majesty! If you're best friends with the Earth version of me, who says you can't be best friends with this version?"

Marinette pulled back and chuckled. "Hey, I'm not queen yet. You don't have to call me 'your majesty.'"

"But-"

"I brought some water, your majesty. Alya didn't do anything...Alya-like, did she?" Chloe said as she walked to the two ladies, carrying a decent-sized glass of water. 

Marinette laughed. "Thank you, and no, Alya's been great."

The dark-haired girl took the water and drank some of it down, finally soothing her dry throat. Chloe sat on the arm of the chair as she watched Marinette drink the cool water, feeling a bit relieved that she wasn't in a panicked state. 

"It seems like you're feeling better, your majesty."

"I am, and it's thanks to you two," Marinette answered with a smile. She looked down at the half-full glass of water in her hand. Her smile fell a little as she reminisced to her life and her home, Paris. "Y'know," she started. "The Earth versions of you would do the same thing. Whenever I would like..this..they'd stop in their tracks and try to make me feel better. And yet, I never really had the chance to tell them how grateful I was. And when I first got here, I was scared out of my mind. But since I have you two here by my side, I'm not scared anymore."

"Your Majesty.."

Marinette shot up out of her seat and set her water down, nearly knocking Alya back. "Thanks to you and the others, I don't need to be scared or nervous, anymore. I'm not nervous about being queen." 

Alya and Chloe both stood up, adjusted themselves, and made their way to Marinette's sides. They were a little confused, but they brushed it off as 'I'm-about-to-be-queen-jitters.'

Marinette when over to the grand and giant doors and blew out some hair. She dusted off her dress and straightened up her back to make herself look and feel regal. 

Alya fixed her jewelry and Chloe straightened out her dress a little. She smiled at the two girls and then turned back to the pair of doors, wearing a triumphant and determined look on her face. 

"I'm ready. Let's do this."

Two armored men nodded their heads in unison and, with their strength, pushed open the doors, revealing a large room with a carpet laid for her, filled by a large crowd and a few familiar faces. The minute the doors opened, it seemed like all eyes were on her, and the world went quiet. Taking one last deep breath, Marinette slowly but surely took one step forward, then another. Another step, and another one, until she was walking towards the throne that would soon be hers.

Her heart pounded in her chest, to the point where she could hear it over the small orchestra that was playing in the background. The faces and figures of the subjects became nothing but one big blur to her, as she kept her eyes on the group ahead of her, mainly Kagami, and the crown that she held in her hands. 

Kagami, looking as regal as ever, gave an encouraging smile. Marinette gave a smile back, even though it barely reached her ears. 

Once Marinette finally reached the tiny set of stairs, she turned to look back at Chloe and Alya, who were watching with glee and pride. They gave the same smile Kagami did and nodded their heads, encouraging her to continue. She smiled back and nodded her head, then turned to walk up to the four nobles. Kagami, Alix, Kim, and Max. All dressed to the nines, watching their future queen with attentive and hopeful eyes.

Face-to-Face with Kagami, Marinette was instructed to turn around and face the large crowd. Kagami stood by her side and put on a calm face. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen. People of this name-less world. Today is a momentous occasion that will be one of the greatest moments in our history. Thousands and thousands of years ago, the last person to rule over this land disappeared from here, and left us to fend for ourselves. Our once glorious and lively planet, over time, was reduced to this one castle, where we could barely rise or take care of ourselves." 

Marinette tried to tune in and pay attention to Kagami telling the history of the place, but she couldn't help but focus her attention on the people who looked at her like she was their last hope. It reminded her of back home. Mainly the people from her school. They all pleaded with her to do mountains worth of tasks and called her a 'lifesaver' or a 'great friend.' After that, they'd forget all about how hard she worked to do it. The minute she complained about the number of tasks and how they weren't grateful, they'd turn on her. To make things worse, Lila came along and made them outright drop her and paint her as a no-good bully. 

Sure, not having the weight of so many people on her shoulders was relieving, but she didn't want to be ostracized. 

That also gave her reason to worry. Once she helped the people get back on their feet, would they complain and say that she should be more helpful and grateful herself? Would she be left to handle the problems and fights that others have caused? 

Would they throw her to the side, as if she was nothing, after all she'd done for them?

"But today is a new day. Today, we have been blessed with the honor of finally crowing a new queen, after all of this time!"

The loud claps and cheers of the crowd broke Marinette out of her intrusive thoughts. She shouldn't have been thinking back to those moments anyway. That was the past, and she was in the present, far away from those people. 

Kagami and Marinette turned to each other. Alix approached and carefully handed the commander a purple scepter, much like the one her akumatized mother held. 

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng of Earth, by taking this scepter in your hand, do up swear to lead your subjects, to be our guiding light, and to protect us as our queen?"

Marinette swallowed down the lump in her throat and spoke loud and clear. "I do." 

The scepter was placed into her hand. She gripped it tightly. Her heart was pounding and her hands were subtly shaking and sweating, so she wanted to make sure she wouldn't drop it and make a fool of herself as usual. 

Alix stood back, and Max stepped up, presenting a lavender orb on a pillow. Kagami took in her gloved hands and held it tightly. 

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng of Earth, by taking this orb in your hand, do you swear to bring everlasting peace? To unify our people, heal us, and bring us prosperity for eternity?"

A more shaky breath was let out, but her voice came out as clear as day. 

"I do." she answered. 

Kagami placed the orb into Marinette's left hand and smiled. Kagami could tell that she was nervous, but yet, she was doing extremely well at keeping her composer. 

Max stepped back and Kim stepped up, presenting a lavender crown. It seemed a little less extravagant than what Marinette expected, but from what she heard, this was their first coronation in years. 

While still holding the scepter and orb, Marinette faced the crowd again. 

"By wearing this crown on you head, you swear to carry the weight of the kingdom on your head and use your new power to restore us to our former glory. With this crown, you become our queen."

Carefully, the crown was placed on Marinette's head. She closed her eyes, and let out a breath. 

When she opened her eyes, Marinette expected to still be in the same exact spot as before. She expected to see her ladies-in-waiting and the people of the planet all watching the ceremony. 

However, what she saw was not what she expected. 

After she opened her eyes, Marinette let out a loud gasp. The world around her..well, there was no world around her. The only thing that surrounded her was the countless stars. Looking around and down at herself, Marinette noticed that her clothes had changed. Her long hair was free and flowing, and her jewelry was gone, save for a circlet around her head. Her dress was similar to the one she was put in when she talked to Kagami about being queen. 

Did she faint? Was she dreaming? She had no clue as to what was going on, and had no clue on how to get answers. No matter which direction she looked in, all she could see were the bright and shining stars. 

"So, it's true."

Marinette turned around, her hair and dress gracefully following her movements. She gasped. A large figure was looking down at her. It was..her! The figure looked just like her, but instead of having different colors like her, the figure was all purple. 

"A new ruler has finally graced the place that we once called home."

Even though the figure looked just like her, the voice was loud, powerful, and regal. It had sounded like that of one who has ruled before. 

"W-Wha..Who-Who are you?"

"We are the souls of those who have ruled before the Great Fall." it spoke. 

"'Great Fall?"..Nevermind. Can you tell me what the hell is going on? Where am I?"

"That we can, successor, but we do not have much time now. This is part of the ceremony, or coronation, if you will. Here, you will, just as previous rulers, be gifted your powers that will help you have a successful rule."

"Wha-Powers!? No one told me about this! Please, I need to know more!" Marinette begged, praying in her mind that the being would be able to answer her questions. 

"That is because those who live have no idea. The records that dated back the time before Great Fall have either been lost or withered away. Now, We understand you have many questions, successor, but now, it is time to gift you your power. You have been declared as worthy of being the queen of the land, and these powers must come with it. Do you swear to only use your authority and influence as queen for the greater good of our people?"

Marinette's hope for an answer was quickly crushed, but she recovered quickly. It wasn't her first time being dismissed and not getting answers at the same time. She'd just have to either ask another time or find them herself. 

"I..I do."

"Do you swear to only use your new found and given powers to help not only those around you, but each and everyone of your subjects. Do you understand that if you use your powers for evil and to cause harm to innocent people, both your powers and you right as queen will be taken away?"

"I do. I know what it's like to have someone use their power or authority against you. I wouldn't want to put anyone through that. But what if I hurt someone unintentionally?" she answered.

"Then we will know, successor."

The being, still taking the appearance of Marinette, held up their large finger, brought it down to right by her forehead. 

"Long may you reign, our dear successor." 

The moment the being's finger touch her forehead, Marinette felt a heavyweight on her eyelids, forcing her to close them. As she did, she felt something powerful spark within her and eventually take over her whole body.

Finally, she opened her eyes again, and she was back in the room. The room of the ceremony. However, instead of feeling nervous and shaking in her shoes, she felt powerful. She felt calm and relaxed, and just a little regal. She felt the crown on her head, glanced at the scepter and orb in her hands, and straightened her back up like she did before. Her face, looking as regal and poised as ever. 

Kagami smiled at her, then turned back to the subjects. Her subjects. 

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is my greatest honor to say that for the first time in many years, we have a new queen!"

Queen Marinette....It had a nice ring to it.

MARINETTE'S CORONATION OUTFIT

Chapter Text

Marinette tiredly fell back onto her brand new bed and let out a tired and relieved sigh as she closed her eyes. Sure, her old bed in her old room was pretty comfy, but the bed that she was lying in felt like the softest and most comfortable cloud in the sky. It felt like her aching limbs and exhausted body felt a little relieved and less tired the more she laid back in it. 

She pulled her crown off let it fall off the bed, and kicked her shoes off. She pulled her hair out of the low bun and let it all loose and free. She knew she needed to take off her make-up and the rest of her jewelry, but she felt drained once more and couldn't bring herself to move and do it. Grabbing a pillow placing it under her head, her eyelids closed themselves and she allowed slumber to take over. 

Marinette opened her eyes and saw that she was in the same place that she went to during her coronation. She looked around, looking for the giant being that decided to refer to her as "Successor."

"We meet again."

The young queen jumped and hastily turned around. There was the figure, staring down at her as they did once before. 

"Now that we have more time, We are able to give you more answers to your questions. Ask, and with our combined knowledge and memories, we shall answer to the best of our ability." 

Marinette knew she needed to think about it, but she simply asked the first question that came to her mind. She thought back to her coronation when they said that she'd been gifted with powers to help aid in her rule. She wasn't able to ask more about that since she was practically kicked out of wherever she was. Since she had been crowned queen of the unnamed planet, she needed to know about anything and everything that would be of use to her. 

"Earlier. You..all..said I had powers. That they would help me rule. Elaborate on that."

The figure nodded. "At the coronations, those who were being crowned were sent to the same place and were in the same position as you, Successor. It is here, where we were blessed with our powers, and where we blessed the new rulers with their powers. Though, this is only the second time we have gifted a new ruler your powers."

"My powers? Are you saying I'm a special case?"

"Indeed. Our world, our home, was once a paradise. Grand, rich, prosperous, and beautiful. Everyone had a bed to sleep in, and no one ever worried about food or their safety. To see its current state..pains us beyond description. We knew that super strength, speed, mind-reading, or even healing would not help. You cannot heal what is dead. But..you can birth and create to replace what is dead. Which is why we have blessed you with the power..of creation."

Creation? That was Mister Bug's thing, right? I don't hold the Ladybug Miraculous. In fact, I don't even hold one at all.. Marinette thought to herself. But..I'm not on Earth. Not anymore. 

"We sense your confusion, successor. We're sure you have seen the state of things. Sand, everywhere, and all the inhabitants reduced and forced to live in the once-glorious castle we resided in. People are getting sick. Food is diminishing day by day, and there are hardly enough materials to supply and maintain one family, let alone, an entire kingdom. We have given you the all-powerful gift of creation, because of this. With a single thought, successor, you can save your people. Our people. Do you understand?"

"Well, shit. If that isn't a lot to take in, then I don't know what is," she mumbled to herself. She looked back up at the figure. "So basically, I have the power to create anything I want, and I need to use it to restore this place? Right?" 

"Correct. With a single thought, you can create what is needed to restore this world." 

Marinette nodded her head. Even if everything had happened in a matter of about two to three days, she quickly understood her new duty. She had to carry an entire kingdom until it learned how to walk on its own, like a child, and yet, it seemed less stressful than preparing for something back on Earth. Especially preparing for something that had to do with her class. With being queen, she knew the responsibility fell to her, and it wasn't being thrust onto her because someone else didn't want to do it. People would also be appreciative. No annoyed or hateful glares. No gaslighting or telling her that she needed to be a better friend and person. 

That raised another question. She had accepted the fact that she was queen, but she still didn't understand why she was chosen to become queen. What was so special about a bullied girl that had a couple of friends and lived in a bakery with her parents, while also making outfits in her room?

"I...Why me? Out of over seven billion people on Earth, and about a thousand on this planet, why did you choose me?"

The figure stared down at her, then softly smiled, something that Marinette most definitely wasn't expecting to see.

"You were the best choice. You were most eligible."

Marinette scoffed. "Really? You couldn't just give me a straight answer like you were just doing!? What is that even supposed to mean!?"

The figure didn't seem phased at all and continued to speak in a calm manner. "That will be revealed later on. Now, it is time you wake up and start your first day as queen. You have a lot of work to do successor."

"Wait-"

Marinette slowly opened her eyes. She winced at the light shining through her large windows. She turned her head away nd rubbed her eyes. A blurry figure stood vertically in her horizontal vision. The short figure had a feminine build, short dark hair, wore a simple short sleeves lavender dress with an apron on top. It reminded Marinette of...

"...Mom..?" she quietly called out. For a moment, she had believed that she had made her way home, and was being woken up by her mother. 

However, reality disappointed her by clearing up her vision and revealing that it was only a young, flustered maid and not Sabine. 

"I-I..I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I'm just a lowly servant." the maid replied, looking down and not feeling worthy of looking at her queen.

Marinette rolled back onto her back and sighed. Of course, she wouldn't be back home. She had no actual way of getting back unless Shadowmoth would akumatize them and give them powers to bring her back, but of course, she didn't want her parents to go through that again. And besides, Marinette knew that whenever she got her hopes up, she'd be pretty disappointed. 

"Lady Alya and Lady Chloe sent me in their place to wake you up as they prepare your bath, Your Majesty. Of course, in the future, we will have more and lower servants to ready your baths in the future." the maid explained. 

Marinette, however, still felt a little tired. She yawned and stretched, then rubbed her eyes and nodded her head. She was trying her hardest to listen to the maid, but all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. Not only was she exhausted, but she wanted to the figure. She needed to give a name to the being so she could stop constantly referring it, or them, as "The figure."

But she'd worry about that later. 

"Shall I have some tea prepared, Your Majesty? I know the perfect recipe to wake someone up!"

"..Sure." the young queen pushed out. 

The maid bowed her head and walked off, exiting her large room. Marinette watched her with one half-open eye and sighed once more once she was out the room. She sprawled out on her bed and closed her eyes. If only she had a bed like the one she was laying on back home. Even with a class like hers, sleeping on such a comfortable bed at night would've probably been worth all the troubles. Probably. 

..No. No bed would make dealing with little shits like her classmates or those little kids that act-as-if-there's-cocaine-in-their-food. Not even a bed made for gods. 

God, she really took on a lot. Especially during the past three years. At the age of seventeen, she should be worried about the latest fashion trends or who's the hottest celeb, not worrying if some old guy is gonna turn her into a monster or if some liar is gonna spread more lies about her and ruin her reputation. 

Marinette rolled her eyes and scoffed. Thinking about the causes of her neverending stress seemed to help wake her up. She sighed and sat up, and held her head with one of her hands. 

"You're not on Earth anymore, Marinette. Get your shit together and stop focusing on them." she mumbled to herself. 

A knock on her large doors caught her attention and broke her out of her thoughts. Without saying anything, she simply stared as the maid came in, rolling an elegant yet simple tea set on a small cart. 

"Hm. That was fast." Marinette commented. 

The maid smiled. "Oh, it's a quick and simple brew, Your Majesty. It's pretty common among our people. It's like that beverage your people on Earth use. It's made out of dark beans."

Marinette watched as she poured the warm tea into a cup. "Coffee." she simply answered. Of course, the young queen didn't mean to come off as short and rude, but she either needed a pick-me-up or to go back to sleep. 

"Yes! But, as I was saying before, everyone uses this! I'm sure Commander Tsurugi uses this as well."

Being handed the teacup, Marinette looked down at it. It was warm, and the color of it looked like liquid caramel. The only person who really loved tea was her mother. Sure, Marinette drank some every blue moon, but she wasn't big on it like Sabine. 

She sipped the tea and let out an involuntary 'Hm' as she did. Turns out it was caramel. She could also taste a hint of vanilla in there as well. It was sweet with just the right amount of sugar and cream in it. Just enough to please one's taste buds. When she finished, she could feel herself perking up and gaining energy. She blinked a couple of times and straightened herself up, finally getting out of that first stage of waking up. 

"Better, Your Majesty?"

Marinette smiled softly and nodded. "Much better. Thank you," she replied. She climbed out of bed, still in her dress from yesterday, and stood up. She looked down at her wrinkled dress. Marinette knew it was a bad idea to go straight to bed in her coronation dress, but she was seconds away from collapsing in exhaustion. 

"Your bath should be ready by now, Your Majesty. This way, if you'll follow me." 

Marinette let out a sigh of relief as she stepped back into her room, followed by Chloe and Alya. Alya giggled. 

"Something tells me that that bath was really needed," she commented. Marinette nodded her head as she sat on a dark purple chaise. Alya sat down on the rug next to her, and Chloe sat down on the edge of the chaise. "But...I really hate to burst your bubble, Your Majesty, but you have a busy day ahead of you. As nice as it would be to just lounge around, we gotta get you dressed up and ready for the day."

Marinette quietly groaned. "I know, I know. 'Heavy is the head the wears the crown.'"

Both Alya and Chloe looked confused at Marinette's words. She looked at both of them and realized that they probably had no idea what she was talking about. 

"It means that whoever wears the crown..you know what? Nevermind."

"Well, Alya's right. For once." Chloe said, glancing at Alya and then rolling her eyes. "We do have to get you ready. So! What color would you like to wear?" 

Both Marinette and Alya watched as Chloe walked off and came back with a rack of royal dresses, all of different colors and styles. Before she could even take a good look at them, Chloe began to ramble about all of them and her opinions. One dress was a perfect lavender but too frilly. Another dress would compliment Marinette and her figure but the color was just utterly ridiculous!

However, a simple green and lime-colored dress was what caught her attention. It looked like something she would wear on a regular day, but she still liked it. The majority of the dress was green, but the trimmings of it was lime colored. It looked like it would fit her well and yet give her some legroom. As far as sleeves went, the sparkling sleeves were very short and see-through, only stooping at just a little bit below her shoulder. 

Somehow, it all came together and made it work.

"That one." 

Chloe turned to Marinette. She raised her eyebrow and held up a red one with a large and puffed-up skirt. 

The queen shook her head. "The one next to it. The..green one."

Chloe pulled it off the rack and walked over to Marinette, holding up. "This one?"

Marinette studied the dress. She nodded her head as she picked the skirt part up and studied the fabric. Whoever made the dresses knew what they were doing and it showed. "This one for sure. It's perfect for a day like this."

The blonde lady-in-waiting faltered. She didn't exactly approve of the dress (since she had no love for green dresses) but didn't want to offend her queen. However, Marinette noticed her face and knew instantly what was on Chloe's mind. She most definitely remembered how the Chloe on her Earth would tear into anyone that dared to wear mostly green around her. Before and after they became friends. 

"Chloe, I can tell that you don't like it." 

Chloe looked down at the dress, then back to Marinette. "Well..it's just..wouldn't you like to wear something..nicer, Your Majesty? With all due respect, it looks like something-"

Marinette held up a hand and stopped Chloe. "I get what you mean. But until the people of this kingdom, my kingdom, are able to wear nice and fancy clothes, I won't wear any. My main concern is making sure that these people are able to live their lives without worrying if they're gonna be able to have dinner, okay?"

While she was dismayed at the fact that Marinette chose that dress to wear, Chloe couldn't help but smile at her determining queen. "Yes, Your Majesty. Now. If you're really gonna wear this dress, we're gonna have to give you a look that goes with it. Alya!" she called, turning to Alya, who was standing up. "Get the curling iron and the natural makeup palette!"

Alya groaned and rolled her eyes. "Isn't Her Majesty the queen here? And don't we have the same exact position? Why are you barking orders at me?"

"Keep it up and I will not hesitate to inform the others that you were the reason Her Majesty was late!"

Alya glared at Chloe but cooperated. Not without mumbling and cursing under her breath. Chloe quickly ushered Marinette into a chair in front of a wide vanity. 

"Now, I've got the perfect set of jewelry to go with this!"

"Oh! Your Majesty! Good morning. Did you sleep well?" 

Kagami, Max, Kim, and Alix all stood up from their chairs and bowed as Marinette entered the well-sized council room. While everyone else sat in regular, yet comfortable chairs at the large, round table, it was obvious that Marinette sat in the grand and decorated chair that almost looked like a throne itself. While the majority of the chair was gold and white, the cushions of it were a royal purple color.

"To be honest, last night was the best I've ever slept in my life," Marinette answered. 

And it was the first time in months that I didn't cry myself to sleep. Is what she wanted to add. 

"That's wonderful, Your Majesty. Would you like anything before we begin?"

Marinette shook her head as Chloe pulled out the chair for her to sit in. "No thanks. A maid provided me with some tea this morning when I first woke up. It was..actually pretty good."

Kim smiled. "That 'wake-up' blend? Yeah, everyone here drinks that stuff. It's just about the only thing here that we're not low on, but the people here don't wanna chew on dry, gross leaves, amirite? Besides, that thing is a miracle worker. Without it, everyone around her would be all bitchy and snappy all the time, and we're already struggling." 

Max elbowed Kim. "Watch your mouth, you big oaf! Show some decency in front of the queen!" he hissed, glaring at Kim. He turned to Marinette and gave a quick but respectful bow. "Forgive him, Your Majesty. It seems all of that rough-housing has gotten to his head."

Kim scoffed and turned his head towards Max. "Hey! It's not rough-housing, it's training. I thought that the Great and Intelligent Sir Max would know the difference."

"Why you-"

"Boys! It's fine." Marinette said, giggling in her seat. "But we have to get on with the meeting."

Kagami gave a harsher glare to the two. "Her Majesty is right. You two can bicker back and forth later on. We have more important matters to deal with. Like making sure the people don't starve or freeze to death?"

Mac and Kim grew silent and hurriedly sat in their seats. Alix rolled her eyes and sat down. Kagami turned to Marinette as well and did the same as Max, before sitting down. 

"Forgive us, Your Majesty. As you can see there is some disorder between the four of us."

Marinette dismissed it with a light laugh. "It's fine. It's just another thing to add to the list things fix. Speaking of..food. That's our top priority right now, right?"

Kagami nodded her head. "Correct. We're not completely void of food, but the people here only eat at meal times, and even those are even rationed. Alix has her scouts out looking for other sources of food or even life, but so far, nothing has been turning up. "

"Hm..That explains the surprisingly small feast at the coronation." she mumbled to herself. She glanced at Max, then came up with another idea in her head. He was the smart one. Well, he was supposed to be the smart one. Maybe if the two of them actually discussed something and or put their heads together, a situation could be reached. 

"Max?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"You're the scientist here, right? Have you been experimenting or studying the plants or food here to see if anything could be done?"

"I..I'm sorry to say, but no, I haven't been able to. As Commander Kagami stated, the amount of food here is so depleted that I wouldn't dare touch the food unless it was truly needed. What would happen if something went wrong or I failed? I couldn't possibly grab some more of the food when it can go to someone's table instead. Not only that, but I'm sure nothing grows here. All the Flora that was once here has died out. Our grandparents tried to plant seeds, but they all went waste."

Well, there goes her idea. He had a point. A lot of scientists' experiments fail. And she was sure that even if Max had the capability to build a sentient robot, who knows how long and how many tries it took? The same would most likely be the same with food or seeds. 

"Alix? Kim? Is there anything you can add? Has there been any progress on your side?"

Kim shook his head and shamefully lowered it. Alix twiddled her thumbs. 

"I would try to be optimistic and say that my scouts are out there looking all over the planet for any thing that can help, but the truth is...this is the 4th team I've sent out, and all previous three have come back with nothing. Not even a single plant or small pond." 

"..Nothing? Really?" Marinette quietly said. She was in awe. No matter how hard they tried, the people of this world couldn't find or do anything to help themselves out. It was like they stuck in a downwards spiral. A seemingly endless well with no ladder to help them climb out. 

Although there seemed like there was nothing to be done, Marinette knew better. It wasn't the first time she had been stuck in a seemingly hopeless situation, only to find the solution in something she never expected. 

But what could be their solution? 

"We..Forgive us for our incompetence, my queen." 

Marinette rested her chin on her fingers and lost herself in her thoughts. She searched her head like a librarian searching for a missing book. She felt in her soul that something could be done, but the even bigger question was what could be done. 

With a single thought, you can create what is needed to restore this world.

"Huh..?" 

With a single thought, successor, you can save our people.

"Your Majesty..?" Kagami called. "Is something wrong?"

Marinette shook her head. She could've sworn she'd heard the being's voice, but they were nowhere to be seen. She looked back to Alya and Chloe to see if they were playing a trick on her, then to the four others in the room, but they were all just looking at her with concerned faces. 

You hold the power of creation.

The power of creation? A single thought..?

A gasp left Marinette's mouth as she lit up. "Of course!" she exclaimed.

She was told that she was blessed with powers. The power to create anything! That meant that she could create..well...anything!

Marinette looked around the room with a smile, then looked down at her palms. She clasped them together, then looked back up at everyone in the room. 

"I..I think I have a solution." she said. 

Closing her eyes, Marinette could feel something stir within her. The blackness of her closed eyelids turned into a nebula that consisted of dark blue, purple, just a little bit of pink, and millions of stars. She felt herself floating in the middle of it, as if she was never in the council room, surrounded by the faces of her friends. 

Marinette saw a star coming towards her, but instead of cowering away and fearing it, she stretches out her arms and opened her hands, welcoming it and allowing it to rest in her hands. Using one of her hands, she poked it and jumped as she watched turn into a macaroon, a notebook, a pencil, then some string before reverting back into a star. 

Immediately, as if she'd done this before, she knew what to do. She knew what could be done to help her dear subjects. 

Marinette imagined a long river turning into a lake. Its water, glistening and tasting as refreshing and cold as the water she drank on earth. The image of animals, big and small, predator and prey, drinking from it played next in her head. Each and every one of them could be used for meat or covers and blankets.

"What next?" she asked herself. She felt the images in her mind come to life and the world around her change. It felt as if she were the planet itself, feeling every step a person took, or a shift as the land split apart or sprouted up plants. She pushed herself to do more and focus. "I know there's something next.."

Trees. Bare trees with lavender-colored bark sprouted out of the ground. More and more kept sprouting until there was an endless sea of trees sticking out. Immediately, round glowing fruit grew out of the trees and hung on the many branches, creating another source of food and wine. 

Marinette sighed to herself as she felt all the energy in her body leave. The star in her hands multiplied itself into six stars and flew away and left her to her own. She may have felt completely drained but seeing, feeling, and knowing what she had done made it worth it. She had just basically given the planet life again. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was more than enough for the people of..well.. she didn't have a name for the planet yet, but she would soon. 

"You've done well."

The giant figure's voice sounded in her ears. She couldn't tell where it came from but she couldn't be bothered to look around. She simply allowed herself to just float.  

"But you have over-exerted yourself. It is time you rest, successor."

Her eyelids felt heavy. The world around her began to shift. Marinette closed her eyes and felt the feeling of her body touching the floor and someone holding her In her arms. She could hear voices. Loud and frantic voices. 

"...fainted!"

"Get...doctor immedi..tly!"

"...Stars above!..A miracle! A Mirac..racle!"

An imaginary lightbulb lit up above Marinette's limp head. She had finally figured out the name for her kingdom and her planet. 

Barely moving her lips, she weakly mumbled. 

"Planet...Mirac..."