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Chapter Text

Marinette was in her room, making final preparations for their upcoming clash.

She put on the fox, turtle, snake, horse, bee and, last but not least, the mouse miraculous. While she was putting on the miraculous, the kwamis of the respective miraculous appeared.

"What about my miraculous?" asks Plagg, who is lying on a small pillow and eating a piece of Camembert.

Marinette looks at the ring in her hand. She took the ring some months ago from Chat Noir after he lost the ring to an akuma in front of her and all of Paris when he was fooling around too much instead of fighting the akuma.

When she saw who he really was, she was overcome by all kinds of emotions, but one in particular, disgust.

When she found out that Chat Noir was actually Adrien Agreste, it was as if someone had removed a veil from her eyes. She hadn't had a good connection with him for a long time, neither as Chat Noir nor as Adrien. She could no longer tolerate Chat Noir's unbearable behavior and if he hadn't lost the ring to the Akuma, she would have taken it away from him very soon. And as for her feelings for Adrien, his revelation made her lose the last romantic feelings she had for him.

She could still remember the day very well, but she didn't want to remember it right now, because the next few minutes and hours would be very crucial for her and Paris.

She put the ring on and tried to concentrate on the matter in front of her.

"Are you ready, Marinette?" asks Tikki, worried.

Marinette takes a deep breath before saying confidently, "Definitely, Tikki. If everything goes according to plan, Hawkmoth will fall today."

"When does it start, master?" asks Wayzz respectfully.

"Right now," says Marinette before calling out "Mullo get squeaky!"

After she has transformed into Multimous, she calls out "Multitude!" and multiplies into eight clones of the same size. Since she became the Guardian of the Mother Box, she has been able to understand the miraculous much better. One of the things she learned was how to use the abilities multiple times without a time limit, another is how to use the abilities like the mouse miraculous without shrinking.

When six multi mice were in the room, the original Multimous gave each one a miraculous, after which each one united with a second miraculous except one.

"Mullo, Tikki unify!"

"Mullo, Plagg unify!"

"Mullo, Wayzz unify!"

"Mullo, Kaalki unify!"

"Mullo, Sass unify!"

"Mullo, Trixx unify!"

"Mullo, Pollen unify!"

Multi-Fox immediately casts "Mirage!", making everyone look like they are eight different heroes carrying their respective miraculouses.

Now there were Ladybug, Lady Noir, Multimous, Multi-Bee, Multi-Snake, Multi-Horse, Multi-Turtle and Multi-Fox.

Ladybug asks her one-woman team, "Are you ready?"

When everyone is ready, Multi-Snake activates her ability, "Second Chance." Multi-Horse then extends her right hand and calls out, "Voyage!"

Ladybug looks purposefully at the portal and steps through, followed by her clones.

———————————————————————
A few minutes earlier in the Watchtower.

The Justice League conference room had a concentrated, almost routine atmosphere. The seven founding members sat around the oval table, while the constant view of the holographic Earth in the middle of the room kept their focus on new threats. Batman sat with his hands folded on the table in front of him, his eyes hidden behind the mask, but fully alert.

Superman leaned back slightly, his arms relaxed, but his face revealed that he did not underestimate the seriousness of the meeting "The situation in Metropolis seems to be stabilizing," he began, his calm voice carrying through the room "Lex Luthor hasn't been seen for weeks."

Wonder Woman sat upright, her armor gleaming in the light of the room. "A deceptive calm. Luthor always plans in secret," she said, resting her hands on the table.

Green Lantern, who was sitting next to Flash, shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's already plotting one of his plans again. We have to stay alert."

Flash, a little impatient as always, drummed his fingers on the table. "But hey, at least there are no global threats at the moment. That's something, isn't it?"

"At least not yet," Martian Manhunter interjected in his calm, deep voice. "There are always forces that work in secret."

Aquaman, who was sitting in his place, nodded in agreement "There are enough signs of unrest beneath the surface of the ocean. We mustn't be fooled by the calm on land."

Batman, who had only been listening so far, raised his head slightly and let his gaze wander over the members "We've seen too often that the calm is the storm. Be prepared."

Just as Batman had spoken his last sentence, a black portal suddenly appeared near the door.

Before anyone could react, Ladybug stepped out of the portal. Everyone stared at her, but Ladybug didn't care. She walked to the large monitor in the room as if she owned the place and said without even looking at the heroes, "I need your computer for a minute. You better not stop me."

Green Lantern was the first to stand up. As he walked in Ladybug's direction, Ladybug turned to him. If Green Lantern had noticed her hateful and angry look directed at him, he might have taken the situation a little more seriously.

He says in a condescending tone, "Listen, missy, you can't- Urgh!"

He was cut off as Ladybug kicked him between the legs, but that alone wasn't enough for her, she hit him so hard in the face that his nose was broken. When he was on the ground, he wanted to use his ring, but before he could use it, Lady Noir appeared out of nowhere and stomped on his hand, making him unable to concentrate.

Ladybug kneeled down next to Green Lantern and said to him in a dark tone, "Am I still a joke to you? Is Paris still a joke to you? Now we're not so funny, are we?"

The other heroes couldn't bear the sight any longer and were about to get up and help him when suddenly they all felt a prick almost at the same time and could no longer move. Even Superman and Wonder Woman couldn't move their bodies. They could only move their eyes.

Superman tried to help Green Lantern and wanted to use his heat vision. Just as he was about to use it, someone shouted "Shelter!", whereupon a green protective shield formed around Superman's head whereupon he hit himself with his heat vision. He grunted inwardly. He didn't know what had happened.

The founding members saw some kind of illusion disappear and suddenly six more girls appeared before their eyes. They could only watch helplessly what they were doing.

Multi-Bee says "That was easier than I thought."

Multi-Fox says while she and Multimouse take the golden lasso from Wonder Woman and go to Ladybug "I was actually expecting a heated fight."

Multi-Snake says as she takes the belt from Batman and throws it aside "Believe me when I say that we already had that. And more than once.”

“How many is ‘more than once’?” asks Multi-Horse as she takes the trident from Aquaman and throws it against a wall.

Multi-Snake replies as she walks towards Ladybug “188 times.”

Multi-Fox whistles in awe “It looks like these heroes aren’t as useless as I thought.”

As her clones gather around Ladybug, Multimouse asks “Shall we continue?”

Ladybug nods “Since all the ‘heroes’ have been incapacitated, it’s time to do what we came here for.”

Green Lantern gritted his teeth‘s “Don’t forget me you bi-ARGH!”

He was cut of when Lady Noir kicked him in the face and made tsk noises “That’s not fitting for a hero. Although I wouldn't call you or any of the other members of the Justice League that."

Green Lantern was so angry that he couldn't think straight. He stood up abruptly and wanted to use his ring, but before he even had the chance, Ladybug created a red spray can with polka dots and sprayed Green Lantern's ring with yellow paint, rendering the ring ineffective.

Before he even understood what had happened, Multi-Snake kicked him in his right shin, followed by Multi-Fox who punched him in the stomach, followed by Multi-Horse who gave him a painful kick to his left thigh, followed by Multi-Turtle who pushed him towards Ladybug with her shield, and finally he received a round house kick to the face from Ladybug, causing him to fall to the ground.

If it weren't for the pain he was feeling, Green Lantern would surely have passed out. He tries to get up, but is prevented from doing so when Multi-Bee puts her boot on his chest and pins him to the ground.

Ladybug kneels down and says to him "You've deserved this for a long time."

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" snapped Green Lantern "What have I ever done to you?!"

"A lot." Ladybug replies in a calm but serious voice. With a quick tug, she removed Green Lantern's ring from his hand, transforming him back into Hal Jordan.

Before Hal could demand his ring back, Multi-Horse and Multi-Bee each grabbed one of his arms and held him upright. He tries to free himself, but the two girls holding him were stronger than him.

Hal was about to scream something, but Lady Noire prevented him by stuffing a cloth into his mouth. All that could be heard from his mouth were musty noises.

Lady Noire sighs in delight "This is music to my ears."

Ladybug says while cleaning the ring "I just can't believe that someone like you was chosen for this ring, but it's not the first time that someone unsuitable for a ring has been chosen." she glares at Hal Jordan as she says "Let's undo the mistake.

She placed her right hand on Hal Jordan's chest, over his heart, and said something in an unknown language. When she finished speaking, the spot where she touched him glowed red. When the light went out, she stepped away from him. She says while staring at her hand "I really have to remember to bathe today to get rid of the dirt.

Hal was offended, but he wanted to demand what she just did, but he couldn't say a word because of the cloth in his mouth.

As if Ladybug heard his question, she explains while putting the ring in her Jo-Jo "I cursed you. You will never be able to wear the ring again."

Hal tries to kick at Ladybug, but she easily steps back.

Ladybug holds out her hand, and Multi-Fox hands her Wonder Woman's lasso.

Hal wondered what she was planning to do with the lasso, doubting she would use it to get him to talk.

Before he could think about it further, she grabbed him in one quick, fluid motion and wrapped the lasso around his wrists, pulling it tight and deftly passing it behind his back, forcing his arms back. He tried to fight back, but the lasso held him tight as if it had a life of its own. Hal gasped, unable to move his arms.

Ladybug, in a calm, almost methodical mood manner, continued to pass the lasso around his legs, binding his ankles tightly together, then pulling the rope up his back until she secured it to his wrists with a firm tug. The pressure caused his knees to pull towards his chest while his hands remained firmly connected to his legs, he was now completely bound in a hogtie fashion.

Hal‘s eyes flashed with anger, but he couldn't move a muscle. Ladybug looked down at him calmly. Her hand wandered over the lasso. Her voice cold and cutting "That is the consequence of your arrogance and your conceit."

The other heroes in the room could only watch silently, unable to intervene, while Ladybug had put Hal Jordan firmly and definitively out of action.

Lady Noire says enthusiastically "That was fun. Can we do it again?"

Multi-Snake deadpanned "No."

"Don't forget why we're here." says Ladybug.

Her clones nod in agreement, whereupon everyone gathers around the large monitor.

The founding members of the Justice League weren't worried at first, as they were sure that these unknown eight girls had no chance of hacking into their system. That changed, however, when Ladybug connected her yo-yo to the monitor and had no problem accessing their system.

The founding members could only watch helplessly as the intruders used their monitor.

Ladybug didn't waste a second, she clicked on the keyboards, whereupon she received a satellite image of Paris. She clicked more keyboards, whereupon some lines appeared on the satellite image. One spot in particular seemed to be of importance to the eight intruders. One spot on the image was circled. Several hundred, if not thousands, of lines emerged from the circle, spread out around the whole of Paris.

Ladybug slammed her fist against the console, partially breaking the console. She yells full of hatred and anger, "I knew it! That bastard!"

Multimouse put a hand on Ladybug's shoulder and said compassionately, "It doesn't help to mourn over spilled milk, but the realization helps."

Ladybug nodded, "You're right." She looked at her clones as she said, "We know where he is now. Let's not waste any time."

"But before we go..." Lady Noire began. She places her right hand on the monitor and calls out "Cataclym!" The entire monitor and console then begins to rust and crumbles into pieces."

Multi-Horse holds out her hand and calls out "Voyage!" A new portal opens.

The founding members could only watch in shock as the intruders first destroyed their monitor and then disappeared through the portal, while they themselves could not even take a step.

They all thought the same thing, who were these intruders, what did they want here and, above all, when would they be able to move again.

———————————————————————
Meanwhile.

After Ladybug and her Miracle Clones, as she started calling them, left the Watchtower, they teleported directly to an alley near the Agreste Mansion.

They made a plan before they started.

Multi-Fox used "Mirage" to make everyone invisible again, then Multi-Snake activated "Second Chance" and finally Multi-Horse used "Voyage" to open another portal into the Agreste Mansion.

They all ended up in Gabriel's empty office. All of the clones started filming everything with their weapons because they need proof that Gabriel Agreste is actually Hawkmoth.

As they were about to step out of the office to look for Gabriel, the door opened. The Miracle Clones spread out in the office.

They saw Gabriel walk in with none other than Lila Rossi.

The Miracle Clones were expecting Gabriel, but not Lila. They all wondered what this liar was doing here. They decided to wait and see what was going on before they started to arrest Gabriel.

Gabriel stopped in front of the portrait of his wife as he said "I assume you know why I called you here, Ms. Rossi."

Lila said with a sly smile "I can well imagine why. Don't worry, Marinette is almost ready to be akumatized."

The Miracle Clones couldn't believe what they heard. They all muttered quietly "What?"

Lila explained "My plan to portray Marinette as a bully turned out to be more difficult than I thought, because apart from my teacher and principal, the sheep at my school can't believe that Marinette is bullying me." She took out her phone and showed some badly drawn pictures "I have the idea that we'll use a sentimonster to portray Marinette as a bully."

Lila started to show the drawings. The drawings show a poorly drawn Marinette teasing little children, stealing things from her classmates, damaging sports equipment, throwing things at the teachers and finally where she loudly insults and annoys Lila in front of the whole class by damaging her things and threaten her.

Gabriel looks at the pictures thoughtfully. He asks with interest, "How do you imagine that?"

Lila explains with a dark smile, "We just need a big event sponsored by non other than Gabriel Agreste, where we use the bakery of Maribrat's pathetic parents as catering. We're going to give them such a big order that they'll need all the help they can get. In other words, we're going to make sure Maribrat helps with catering while Amok-nette causes chaos."

The Miracle Clones couldn't believe what the two were planning. They planned to akumatize Marinette by accusing her to be a monster, but above all they couldn't believe that Lila would voluntarily work with a terrorist.

Before the Miracle Clones could even do anything, Gabriel pressed some hidden buttons in the painting, whereupon he and Lila went down in a hidden elevator.

The Miracle Clones wasted no time and ran after them. They all stopped in front of the portrait. When Ladybug pressed the hidden buttons, they also went down in the hidden elevator.

When they got downstairs, they arrived in time to see Gabriel transform into Hawkmoth. What came next was something they never expected. Hawkmoth holds out the peacock miraculous and says, "I'm willing to give you the peacock miraculous if you do whatever it takes to destroy Ladybug in return."

Lila says with a scowl, "I'd even want to destroy her if you didn't give me a miraculous, and Maribrat on top of that."

Hawkmoth grins devilishly and hands Lila the peacock miraculous. The moment Lila puts it on, she calls out the transformation phrase and transforms.

She wore a dark blue suit with a skin-tight cut and purple details. Peacock eyes are worked into the shoulders and arms, highlighted with purple and blue hues. The cape, which is attached to the back, is very reminiscent of peacock feathers in shape and design, with curved patterns and purple accents that run across the fabric in light shimmers. The mask is slim and matches the color of the rest of the suit, while the gloves and boots are also dark blue, with purple trim around the edges.

Lila smiles devilishly as she says, "From now on, call me Pavo Venefica."

Lady Noir rolls her eyes "The name suits her, after all, she is just as toxic as her lies," she whispers.

Multimouse whispers to the others, "Have we seen enough?"

"You can bet on it." Ladybug replies.

———————————————————————

Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica now stood ready, in all their glory and anticipation of an impending triumph. But before they could plan a single step further, there was a crash behind them.

"Surprise!" multiple voices called out from the shadows.

Hawkmoth turned around hastily, only to see Ladybug and seven other heroes he didn't know "How did you find me?!" he asked in shock, as he scanned the room in disbelief. The illusion of Multi-Fox that surrounded them all dissolved in that moment, revealing them completely.

"It wasn’t easy. Cowards are always hard to find." Ladybug said coolly before ordering the attack. She threw her yo-yo in the air and shouted "Lucky Charm!" A first edition of a comic appeared. Even though the comic is useless, Ladybug knew immediately what it meant.

She holds up the comic and calls out "Guys!"

Just like Ladybug, the Miracle Clones understood what the comic meant and jumped on the offensive.

The fight broke out in a matter of seconds. Lady Noire was the first to rush forward at lightning speed and gave Hawkmoth a painful shove with her staff before he could even react. Pavo Venefica quickly used her fan and created a glowing Sentimonster that headed towards the Miracle Clones. The Sentimonster looks like a giant fox with shimmering wings. But Multi-Turtle was there immediately. "Shelter!" she called out, and a massive green shield protected the Miracle Clones from the attack.

"That won't be enough." growled Pavo Venefica and sent her Sentimonster out again. But Multi-Snake smiled coldly and activated "Second Chance", turning back time. When Pavo tried again, the Miracle Clones strategy was already perfectly coordinated. They skillfully dodged the attacks and countered.

Hawkmoth, who was clearly overwhelmed, tried to concentrate his strength. "This is impossible!" he exclaimed, while Multi-Horse opened a portal right under his feet with a well-aimed "Voyage!" Hawkmoth staggered and disappeared through the portal, which hurled him with full force onto the cobbled floor of a busy square in Paris.

It was the Champ de Mars, one of the busiest places in the city and beyond, near the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug made a promise to Paris two years ago to defeat Hawkmoth and take his miraculous. The passers-by nearby, including some of Marinette's friends like Alya and Nino, stopped abruptly when they saw the Miracle Clones and villains rushing out of the portal into the middle of the square. Some screamed, others like Alya pulled out their phones to film the spectacle.

"What's going on here?!" someone shouted from the crowd, while a ring of onlookers formed around the battle.

Pavo Venefica, who was also pushed through the portal, stood up with an angry look "You will pay for this!" she shouted and let her Sentimonster sweep across the square. But Multi-Bee was ready "Venom!" she shouted, and stabbed the Sentimonster with it. The Sentimonster immediately stopped paralyzed.

Hawkmoth, now bruised and out of breath, stared at the Miracle Clones in horror. "How... how is this possible?" he whispered, his eyes wide open. He had expected Ladybug, but not multiple of heroines who effortlessly overwhelmed him and his ally.

"You thought you could hide from us in your lair forever," said Ladybug, who was now standing right in front of him. "But today your terror ends."

With a precise blow, she disarmed Hawkmoth and destroyed his cane, while Lady Noire destroyed Pavo Venefica's fan with her "Cataclysm", causing her Sentimonster to disappear.

Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica stood in the middle of the Champ de Mars, disarmed and weakened by the Miracle Clones relentless attacks. Pavo Venefica, angry and frustrated, wanted to charge at Ladybug, but Lady Noire was faster. She made Pavo Venefica stumble by throwing her staff at her feet.

Ladybug and her clones took the opportunity to continue attacking the two villains. While Ladybug and Multimouse skillfully danced around Hawkmoth, hitting him with quick, precise blows, Lady Noire focused on neutralizing Pavo Venefica.

Pavo Venefica desperately tried to escape, but Multi-Turtle had already activated her shield to prevent her from escaping. With a skillful maneuver, Multi-Horse threw her horseshoe and hit Pavo Venefica with full force in the stomach, sending her flying into a nearby tree.

"That's the end!" Lady Noire shouted determinedly as she approached Pavo Venefica, who was already on the ground, her face twisted in pain and despair in her eyes. Pavo Venefica, surrounded by two more Miracle Clones, desperately tried to get up, but Lady Noire stepped right in front of her and struck her with a precise blow between her eyes.

"How does it feel to lose, Lila?" Lady Noire asked with a mixture of disdain and determination as she pinned Pavo to the ground with another well-aimed blow.

"Let us end it here." said Multi-Bee. She stepped forward and positioned herself strategically, ready for her final attack.

Multi-Bee drew out her stinger and aimed precisely at Pavo Venefica, who could no longer move. With a well-aimed stab, she used her ability "Venom," which immediately paralyzed Pavo Venefica and forced her into an embarrassing, curled-up pose, unable to move or even speak.

Hawkmoth, who had watched the entire scene with growing panic, tried desperately to flee, but Multi-Snake and Multimouse blocked all escape routes, as if they knew where he wanted to flee.

When Hawkmoth realized that escape was hopeless, Ladybug approached him. He tried to defend himself with his last strength, but she threw herself at him and pushed him against the ground. With a powerful tug, she ripped the Miraculous from his neck, while Lady Noire also took the Miraculous from Pavo Venefica.

The crowd around them gasped as they saw who was behind the mask of Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica.

"This is the end for both of you," Ladybug said triumphantly as she leaned over the defeated villain "Paris will finally be free of both of your terrors."

The crowd on the Champ de Mars began to cheer as the two villains finally fell to the ground. "It's over," Ladybug said quietly, her eyes fixed on Gabriel.

"Not... like that..." he gasped, but his strength was fading. The fight was over, and the Miracle Clones had triumphed.

Gabriel and Lila, now without their Miraculous and completely exhausted, lay on the ground, unable to move or do anything about their current situation.

Gabriel could only watch helplessly as Ladybug put his two miraculous into her yo-yo.

He thought that he could make one last attempt to get Ladybug to hand over her miraculous voluntarily before the police showed up.

Gabriel sat up, he struggled to get up, his clothes wrinkled and dirty, but his eyes still filled with icy determination. He was a master of manipulation, and he knew that with the right words he might be able to turn the situation in his favor. After all, he had been able to manipulate people for years to do his bidding. Slowly he raised his shaking hand and began to speak, his voice shaking slightly, but he tried to bring the usual authority back into his tone.

"Ladybug..." he began with a deep sigh, "I only did all this because I had no other choice. Life made me a monster. All I ever wanted was to protect my family, my son... and bring back the love of my life." His voice broke at this point, and he lowered his head dramatically "Can't you understand that? Wouldn't you do the same for someone you love?"

Ladybug crossed her arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow "Do you really think I'm going to buy that?" She shook her head "You've terrorized Paris for years, put innocent people in danger, and manipulated anyone who got in your way. This has nothing to do with love."

Gabriel raised his hands pleadingly "But I had no choice! I was desperate! Ladybug, you don't understand..."

Multi-Bee, who was standing behind Ladybug, rolled her eyes and stepped forward "Man, he's really going through with it." she muttered before pulling out her stinger again.

Gabriel continued his plaintive tirade without noticing her "You could forgive me... There's always a way back, a way to right the wrong. If only you could understand me-"

"Venom!" Shouts Multi-Bee.

With a quick, precise stab, she used her ability and Gabriel stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened for a moment before his whole body froze and he stood in an awkward pose, his mouth half open, his hands still raised in supplication.

Ladybug smiled coolly "Thank you, Multi-Bee. I've had enough of his show."

"You're welcome," Multi-Bee said with a grin as she put her stinger away. "He's actually trying to persuade us with a tragedy."

Lady Noire stepped next to Ladybug and looked disparagingly at the frozen Gabriel. "What a pathetic attempt. He probably didn't expect us not to fall for such a cheap trick."

"He never had a chance," Ladybug agreed. "No matter how many crocodile tears he would have shed, he will have to answer for his actions."

As Gabriel stood there motionless, he heard her words, unable to make another argument. Any hope he may have had vanished in the reality that now enfolded him. His time was up.

Multimouse says to her team "I think there is one more thing to do."

Everyone smiled widely and looked at Ladybug, who threw her Lucky Charm into the air and shouted "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Many thousands of Ladybugs flew around the area. Aside from a few small fragments in the street, there was no damage to repair. After the magical Ladybugs in Paris undid everything, they flew towards the sky.

Then the Miracle Clones fist bumped and all exclaims "Pound it!"

The heroes had barely completed their victory ritual when the sirens of the arriving police cars blared across the Champ de Mars. Blue lights flashed as several emergency vehicles stopped and police officers in bulletproof vests jumped out. Lieutenant Roger led the squad.

"Ladybug!" he shouted as he fought his way through the crowd of onlookers. "You did it again!"

Ladybug nodded at him, but her eyes remained watchful on Gabriel and Lila, who were still lying on the ground, paralyzed by Multi-Bee's Venom. "Yes, I would never have made it without my team, lieutenant."

Two police officers stepped forward and handcuffed Gabriel while roughly pulling him up. Although he could not defend himself, his eyes still flashed with suppressed anger. Lila, who still was paralyzed, was also lifted up and led away by the officers, her eyes wide with anger, fear and shame.

"Gabriel Agreste, Lila Rossi," Lieutenant Roger announced loudly and clearly for all to hear. "You are hereby arrested for multiple serious crimes, including terrorism, kidnapping, endangerment, tampering, destruction and countless cases of murder, albeit temporary thanks to Ladybug. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in court."

The crowd that had gathered around the final battle burst into loud cheers. It was the relief of the citizens who had suffered for so long under the threat of Hawkmoth and his Akumas. Cameras flashed and reporters pushed through, holding up their microphones while the police escorted Gabriel and Lila into the police cars.

But before Ladybug and her comrades could even take a moment to breathe, the reporters were already swarming towards them. A tight semicircle of cameras and microphones formed around the Miracle Clones.

"Ladybug, how do you feel after this success?"

"What will happen to Gabriel Agreste and Lila Rossi now?"

"Will Paris be safe now?"

Questions rained down on her, but Ladybug calmly raised her hand to silence the crowd. She waited a moment until the excitement subsided a little, and then she spoke, in the calm, firm voice that had often calmed the citizens of Paris.

"Paris is finally safe from Hawkmoth’s terror.“ she began, looking around briefly so that no one would have any doubts. "Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica have been defeated and the Miraculous are in safe hands again. I would like to emphasize that this victory is not only thanks to me or my team, but to all the people in this city. Their courage and steadfastness have helped us to stand here today."

The crowd applauded again, and Ladybug let them do so for a moment before she continued "Gabriel Agreste and Lila Rossi will have to answer for their crimes in court. But let's not talk about their trial today. Let's talk about the future instead, about a Paris that can live without to suppress their emotions any longer and the constant threat of Akumas. We've been through a lot, but we've shown that we as a community are stronger than any threat."

A new wave of applause erupted. Lady Noire stepped forward and put a hand on Ladybug's shoulder with a smile. "Well said, Bug. Now we can finally enjoy some peace.”

Ladybug nodded, smiled slightly and added, “And whatever happens, we will be there to protect Paris.”

The reporters pushed forward again, but this time Ladybug was faster. She threw her yo-yo into the air and swung away with the Miracle Clones before any more questions could be asked.

The cheers of the crowd and the flashes of the cameras echoed after them as Paris felt free for the first time in years.

Chapter Text

In the Watchtower, shortly before Ladybug defeated Hawkmoth.

Six of the founding members were still paralyzed, while Hal Jordan was hogtied on the floor.

They didn't know what to do, they couldn't even call for help because they couldn't even speak.

Some of them were about to lose all hope when suddenly thousands of ladybugs appeared, flew around the heroes and the destroyed monitor and disappeared.

When the magical ladybugs disappeared, the six paralyzed heroes were able to move again and the destroyed monitor was whole again. Only Hal was still tied up on the floor.

"What on earth happened?" Flash asks, confused.

Hal lets out angry, grumpy noises.

"We can talk about that later. For now, we have to untie Hal." says Superman.

While five of the heroes go to Hal, Batman goes to the monitor and examines what the intruders were looking for earlier.

Flash took the cloth out of Hal's mouth and asks "Are you okay?"

The lasso began to glow gold. "I was beat up, tied up, gagged and humiliated, how do you think I am?!" replies Hal snippily.

"Yes, you're right. Stupid question." says Flash, embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I'll free you right away." says Superman as he bends down to free him from the lasso. However, when he touches the lasso, the lasso glowed red and he suffered some kind of magical electric shock.

The pain was so unbearable for Superman that he had to let go of the lasso immediately.

"What was that?" asks Aquaman.

Wonder Woman was surprised why her lasso reacted like that. When she touches it, the same thing happened as with Superman. She rubs her chin "That's very strange. My lasso has never done anything like that before."

"Maybe it was enchanted." says Aquaman.

Wonder Woman taps her chin "That would actually be impossible. My lasso resists all magic except..." she trails off as she realizes something. She gasps as she shouts out in delight "She's a Ladybug!"

"Excuse me?" asks Superman, confused.

"She's a Ladybug!" exclaims Wonder Woman happily, at the questioning looks of her friends she explains "The wearer of the Ladybug miraculous! The most powerful jewels that ever existed!" she gasps in delight as she realizes "They were all miraculous wearers!"

Flash scratches his head "I still don't understand anything."

"Stop talking about it and untie me!" snapped Hal.

"We can't do that." says Wonder Woman. As all eyes turn to her, she explains, "There is no magic in the entire universe that can compete with miraculous magic. Not even Zatanna, Constantine or Dr. Fate could break that kind of magic."

"How do you know so much about miraculous magic?" asks Martian Manhunter.

"My mother was once a Ladybug and used the power of the miraculous to free the women and create Themyscira. She told me many stories about the miraculous and how they are used to protect humanity."

"That's all well and good, but how does it help me?!" snapped Hal.

Wonder Woman narrows her eyes at Hal "It helps us in that way, that I can say with certainty that the girls had to have a good reason to break in here."

"What reason would there be to break into the Watchtower, stun you all and tie me up?!" asks Hal angrily.

"Guys," Flash says uncertainly, "I think this might be a clue." He turns over the cloth he had removed from Hal's mouth. There was something written on it, followed by a date from two years ago.

Superman reads "The truth will set him free." He thinks for a moment before Hal asks, "Is it possible that you have met her before?"

Hal was about to say that he has never seen her, but when the lasso glows, out of his mouth came "Two years ago, she tried to play a prank on me."

Hal didn’t remember her, but the lasso let him remember the things he forgot.

Aquaman raised a brow "A prank?"

"Yeah," Hal replies as the lasso glows again, "She told a lie about Paris being attacked."

Flash asks in surprise, "What makes you think it was a lie?"

Hal rolls with his eyes "Because she said that Paris is being terrorized by a Butterflyman."

Wonder Woman rubs her chin "Butterfly-" Her eyes widened in shock "Are you saying that someone attacked Paris with the Butterfly miraculous?"

Hal wanted to reply that he had no idea what she was saying, but the lasso glowed, and he replied "Now that you mention it, she mentioned something like that in her first message."

"First message?" Martian Manhunter repeated "How many messages did she send us?"

Hal would rather not answer that, but the lasso made him "I don't know, I forwarded Paris messages to the spam folder after the second message."

"You did what?!" everyone shouted at the same time.

Everyone stared at Hal in disbelief.

Hal rolls with his eyes "Oh come on, you would have done the same thing."

Instead of replying, Batman, who has been listening to everything so far and has been looking at the satellite images of Paris, opened the spam folder where all the messages from Paris are, starting from the date that was written on the cloth.

Everyone stares at the messages in shock before looking back at Hal.

"How could you forward Paris to the spam folder?!" asks Superman, stunned.

Hal replies "Just look at the messages yourself, then you'll see how ridiculous it is."

He has never seen the other messages in the spam folder, but he is pretty sure that the others will think the messages are a prank too.

Batman started opening the messages from the time they were sent.

They were video messages, it seems. When Batman opens the first video, they can see the same girl who kicked their asses a few hours ago.

In the video, Ladybug looked visibly nervous. She stood in front of a camera, holding her yo-yo in her hands as if she had to hold onto it at all times to feel safe. Her eyes darted away from the camera and then back again as she carefully chose her words.

"Uh... hello, Justice League," she began uncertainly, forcing a slight smile that soon disappeared. "My name is Ladybug... and I don't know if you've heard of me or if you even know what's going on in Paris, but we have a huge problem here." She paused briefly, her breathing quickened slightly, and she looked to the side as if searching for the right words. "I... well, we... we need your help."

Ladybug swallowed nervously and continued, "There's someone in Paris... he calls himself Hawkmoth. He uses a... a magical trinket called Miraculous to manipulate the people with negative emotions here with magical butterflies and turn them into supervillains. We call them Akumas. It's... worse than it sounds. I know you're dealing with bigger threats, but..." She paused and closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to sort out her thoughts.

"I know you're probably bombarded with requests like this every day," she then continued, her voice a little firmer, but still uncertain. "And I understand if you don't think it's a real threat... but this isn't an ordinary threat. I... I can't handle everything alone. We've been trying for so long, but Hawkmoth is getting stronger and I'm afraid that at some point..." She paused again, her voice shaking slightly. "That at some point we'll lose and he'll get our miraculous."

She took a deep breath and looked straight into the camera again, her eyes pleading. "Please... if you can, help us. I don't know where else to turn. Paris needs you. We need you."

Then she stared at the camera for a moment, as if she had forgotten how to end the video, before hastily saying "Thanks... for your time. And, uh... I hope you're watching this." She quickly pressed a button and the image faded.

The founding members stared at the monitor in disbelief. They couldn't believe that Hal would think such a message was a prank.

However, Batman, unlike the others, noticed one thing "She just started as superhero."

It was Flash who broke the silence when he said to Hal "How could you not take that seriously?!"

Hal forgot why he didn't take it seriously, but when the lasso glowed he said "Because I was looking at the message disinterestedly and just skimming it."

Everyone was taken aback and more than dumbstrucked about Hal’s answer. Before anyone could say anything, Batman immediately played the next video messages.

Every video was like the first, except that every now and then it showed an actual Akuma attack.

The umpteenth video began, and Ladybug looked less nervous but definitely exhausted. Her hair was messy, and dark circles were surely decorating her eyes under her mask. The camera shook slightly, as if she barely had time to position it correctly. In the background, the noise of a fight could be heard, punches and explosions, while Ladybug spoke in the midst of the action.

"Justice League," she began without further ado, "It's me again... Ladybug. Paris still needs your help. Hawkmoth is getting stronger and more merciless, and I'm honestly at the end of my rope." She suddenly ducked as something flew past her head, probably an attack from an Akuma. Without taking her eyes off the camera, she swung her yo-yo and intercepted the attacker.

"This is our everyday life," she said, her voice now more resigned than hopeful. "We fight against Akumas, which are created by Hawkmoth's butterflies, and each time they become more powerful. I know that probably sounds ridiculous compared to what you're dealing with, but... it gets worse. Much worse."

Wonder Woman looked at the screen sympathetically. "She fights every day... alone," she murmured quietly as Flash shook slowly his head.

"I don't understand how she can go through all this at her age," Flash added, visibly moved by what he saw. "So much responsibility... for a girl."

The next video followed immediately afterward. Ladybug looked even more tired, her eyes half-lidded as she turned to the camera. Her movements were slower, almost mechanical as she spoke.

"I've... I've tried to find a solution. We've tried everything. But... there's no way to find Hawkmoth without your help. I know I've said this before, but..." She paused as she fought another akuma, her movements sluggish but precise. "I hope you see this... before it's too late."

Superman narrowed his eyes, compassion written all over his face. "She keeps fighting, despite being inexperienced and alone."

The next video was even more distressing. Ladybug didn't even stand still this time. The camera shook heavily as she simultaneously spoke and dodged an angry akuma chasing her through the streets. Blood was plastered to her forehead and her breathing was labored.

"It's not going to get any better," she said, running hastily down a destroyed street. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up. We need backup... we need... you."

Batman watched the footage stone faced, but his eyes behind his mask showed a rare hint of concern. "She won't last long," he said curtly.

The heroes were silent as the last video, sent six months ago, began. Ladybug now looked completely burned out. She stood in the middle of a destroyed square in Paris and she spoke quietly, almost mechanically.

"I've sent you so many messages," she began, her voice emotionless "I don't know if you got them or if you even cared. But this will be my last message."

She looked away briefly, and they could see that her hands were shaking. "I will never ask you for help again. If you don't want to help us, then so be it. I can handle this on my own."

The video ended abruptly, and a heavy silence fell over the room.

"We just abandoned them like that." Flash whispered in disbelief.

Hal opened his mouth to say something, but he knew that no statement, no apology could change the fact that he had ignored all those cries for help.

When the last video ended, the lasso suddenly came loose and Hal was free, but still lying on the ground.

Everyone, except Batman, who was typing something into the console, stared at Hal in shock and anger. Wonder Woman's look in particular was full of anger. She grabbed Hal by the collar and lifted him up to eye level "You idiot! No wonder she's so angry at the Justice League! You deserve everything she did to you!"

Hal wanted to say that it wasn't his fault, but he now knows that it's a lie, even without the lasso.

Wonder Woman wanted to punch him, but that wouldn't undo what they unknowingly did to Ladybug. She let go of him, causing him to fall on his butt.

There was an awkward silence in the room that Flash broke when he asked, "If it's true that these Akumas destroy Paris every day, how come Paris is still standing?"

Wonder Woman explains, "The Ladybug miraculous is the most powerful of the miraculous. One of its abilities is that it can restore everything, including bringing the dead back to life."

Everyone was speechless to learn what the miraculous can do. They even thought how it would help them by restoring the life’s and the broken buildings if one of their super villains attacked their cities.

"It doesn't matter how powerful it is," begins Superman. "We absolutely have to go to Paris immediately and help Ladybug stop Hawkmoth."

When everyone wanted to agree, Batman says, "It might be too late."

Everyone stares at him questioningly.

Aquaman asks, "What do you mean by that?"

Batman shows the satellite image of Paris on the monitor and explains, "At first it was a mystery to me why these girls came here specifically to look at a satellite image of Paris. At least until we watched all the video messages." He clicks a few keys on the keyboard, whereupon the same lines appear on Paris as before.

"What do these lines mean?" asks Martian Manhunter.

"This is the flight path that all the butterflies have taken in Paris over the last three years," explains Batman. He zooms in on the spot that had particularly interested Ladybug earlier. "All these lines indicate that the butterflies had to be sent from this place." A few more clicks on the keyboard showed a Manson „Hawkmoth surely send his butterflies from this place.“

Superman says determinedly as he floats a few meters into the air "Then let's not waste any time!"

"Yeah!" agreed Aquaman as he picked up his trident "Let's finish off this Hawkmoth."

"It's already too late for that." says Batman.

Before anyone could say anything, Batman clicked a button and the live news from Paris appeared.

The monitor was showing a live news broadcast with Nadja Chamack. Under her picture, it‘s written "Hawkmoth defeated: Paris celebrates!"

The camera cut to Nadja Chamack standing in front of the Champ de Mars, where Ladybug defeated Hawkmoth hours earlier. People cheered and celebrated in the streets while the lights of the Eiffel Tower sparkled in the background. Nadja's face was beaming, her eyes shining with excitement, but her voice remained as professional and composed as ever.

"Good evening, Paris! I'm Nadja Chamack, and today we have every reason to celebrate. The nightmare that has haunted our city for years is finally over. Hawkmoth, the villain who has tried countless times to subjugate us, has been defeated!"

The camera showed footage of the cheering crowds lining the streets of Paris. The atmosphere was exuberant, with people of all ages hugging and dancing for joy. Children played with Ladybug figures while some adults hugged each other with tears in their eyes.

"And we owe this victory to none other than our tireless protector Ladybug! But this time she had powerful support at her side!"

A video clip faded in showing Ladybug and the Miracle Clones fighting in perfect harmony during the battle against Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica. The audience could see how the Miracle Clones acted with breathtaking precision, as if they had coordinated without a word.

"Ladybug and her team together overpowered and disarmed the most dangerous adversary Paris has ever faced."

A short clip showed the decisive moment when Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica were surrounded by the Miracle Clones and how Ladybug finally took the butterfly Miraculous from him. An emotional moment that captivated the audience.

"This victory marks the end of an era of fear and threat, and it is the result of Ladybug's courage, skill and determination, as well as the incredible support of her team. The Final Battle proved that Ladybug's strength knows no bounds!"

The camera zoomed in on the cheering crowd, who kept chanting "Ladybug! Ladybug!" Flags with Ladybug's colors waved in the wind, and children wore costumes reminiscent of their heroine.

"The streets of Paris are filled with joy and relief, and the celebrations are far from over. But we should take a moment to recognize the incredible sacrifice and dedication shown by Ladybug and her team. They protected us, gave us hope, and did not abandon us in our darkest hour."

The camera now showed a quiet scene, Ladybug, exhausted but smiling, sitting high on a rooftop, looking down on the cheering city. The Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous were in her hand.

"Ladybug has proven to us once again that true heroes always find a way to defeat evil, even when the challenges are greater than ever before. Today is a day of triumph, a day when Paris rejoices because our heroine has saved us once again."

Nadja smiled at the camera, her eyes sparkling. "Celebrate, Paris! This is a day we will never forget. Ladybug has proven to us once again that as long as she is by our side, we never have to give up. Thank you, Ladybug, and thank you to your team for your courage, your dedication, and your victory over evil!" Nadja's last words sounded in a celebratory tone, "Today and forever, Merci, Ladybug!"

The camera faded back to the cheering crowd in the streets, where people were singing and dancing, as the image slowly faded.

The founding members can only stare at the monitor with their eyes open. They realized while they were paralyzed, Ladybug used their system to finally find out who and where Hawkmoth was and confronted him directly.

It was Superman who said "We have to go to Paris immediately and apologize to Ladybug and the people of Paris for letting them down."

Before anyone could respond, Batman said "That won't work." He opened some emails from the spam folder that weren't from Ladybug. The emails were all from either the mayor of Paris or the president of France.

Batman explained what the emails said "Basically, the emails say that the Justice League has ignored their calls for help several times, that they will no longer sponsor the Justice League, and that we are banned from entering the whole of France."

Flash gasped when he heard it "Don't they know how dangerous it is to ban us from entering their country, what if something were to happen, it would be-" he interrupted himself when he realized how stupid his comments were.

Flash sighs "They are right to ban us from entering the country. We let them down when they needed us the most."

Wonder Woman puts a hand on his shoulder as she says "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault," she glares in Hal's direction as she adds "It's his."

Hal slumps, he couldn't object.

There was an awkward silence in the room. It was so quiet that they could hear Batman clicking on the keyboards.

After what felt like an eternity, Aquaman asks "What do we do now?"

When no one said an answer Batman "I'll do some research, until then we'll leave both Ladybug and Paris alone."

Wonder Woman was about to say that she absolutely has to talk to Ladybug but Batman was faster "I know you want to talk to Ladybug, especially since your mother was also a Ladybug. But we can't afford to make a mistake now. Especially since Ladybug's opinion of us isn't the best right now. Give me some time and I'll try to find out everything I can about Ladybug and her team. In the meantime, you should go to your mother and talk to her about Ladybug and the Miraculous. Maybe you'll learn something new."

Wonder Woman thought it made a lot of sense and accepted it.

Batman looked at the rest of the founding members as he spoke "As for the rest of you, stay away from Paris even if it's hard. At least until we know more."

The founding members weren't happy, but thought it was the best idea for the time being.

Hal asks "What about me?" he holds up his hand "She stole my ring."

Wonder Woman looked at Hal with a look that showed no mercy. She crossed her arms and stepped closer menacingly. "You're asking if it was fair that Ladybug stole your ring?" Her voice was cutting, and Hal could practically feel the anger boiling inside her.

"Um... yes," Hal muttered, barely able to look her in the eyes. "It's my ring. Without it, I am..."

"Without it, you are exactly what you deserve, a nobody!" Wonder Woman's voice rose, her eyes flashing with anger. nobody dared to contradict. "Ladybug didn't just take the ring from you, she took the only power you had. And she had every right to do so! You abandoned her and Paris, Hal!"

Hal stared at her, stunned. "But..."

"No 'buts'!" Wonder Woman was now right in front of him, so close he could feel her breath. "You failed not only Paris, but Ladybug too. You ignored your duties and didn't even half-heartedly do your job when this city needed our help the most. You failed the people who trusted us, that is unforgivable."

Hal could feel her anger, but what hit him most was the shame he felt right now. He swallowed hard "I... I understand."

"Good, because there will from now on no second chances." Wonder Woman took a step back, her voice more controlled now, but still ice cold. "You will not have the opportunity to redeem yourself with Ladybug. She wants nothing to do with you. And honestly, you have only yourself to blame for that."

Hal opened his mouth to protest, but Wonder Woman raised a hand to stop him. "You deserve punishment. A punishment that you deserve, and I will personally make sure that you never act so irresponsibly again."

Hal stared at her, eyes wide. "What... what does that mean?"

A cold smile crossed Wonder Woman's face. "You will spend the rest of your time serving humanity in a manner befitting your current position, without any superpowers."

Hal held his breath, afraid to ask, "And... what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Oh, simple," she said, letting the words drip like poison. "You will perform menial, humiliating tasks until we think that you learned your lesson. You will scrub the Watchtower, every corner, every surface. You will empty every trash can, clean every bathroom, and take care of all the jobs no other hero wants to do."

Hal gasped. "You can't be serious! I... I'm Green Lantern!"

"Was Green Lantern," she corrected. "Now you're just Hal Jordan. And as long as you bear that name, you will perform menial, boring tasks. You will clean the toilets. You will make coffee. And when we're on a mission, you'll make sure everything is spotless. Understood?"

Hal stared at her, stunned. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, I can," she said coolly. "And that's not all. You'll write reports, meticulous, detailed reports of every battle you missed. You'll have to spend hours thinking about every detail you ignored, documenting it all. Page by page."

Hal paled. "Writing… reports?"

"Yes. And not only that," Wonder Woman added. "You'll also be assigned to every patrol in the Watchtower. While the other heroes are out saving the world, you'll stay in the watchtower, watching monitors. No action. No fighting. Just you and the screens, while time slowly ticks away."

Hal's face was a picture of horror. "That... that's inhumane!"

"Maybe," she said quietly, but with an implacable tone. "But it's fair. You won't make another mistake, Hal. And maybe, just maybe, through these humiliating tasks, you'll finally learn what it means to take responsibility."

Hal sank to his knees, his hands buried in his hair. "I... I can't do this..."

"Yes, you can," Wonder Woman said harshly. "And you will. If one day you can prove yourself worthy again, then we can talk about your ring with Ladybug. Until then, welcome to your new reality."

Chapter Text

A whole month has passed since Marinette defeated both Hawkmoth and Lila and dissed the Justice League. Now she was lying on her chaise in her room and relaxes.

The last month was the most relaxing month she had since becoming Ladybug.

Marinette had to think about everything that had happened in the past month. In particular, the trial against Gabriel and Lila, which took place just a week after their arrest.

During the trial, many things about Gabriel and Lila came to light.

Gabriel's crimes were terrorism, kidnapping, emotional terror, destruction of Paris and mass murder, even though all of them were undone thanks to Ladybug, they were still serious cases.

Lila's crimes, on the other hand, were more numerous. She willingly helped a terrorist and lied about everything and everyone. Her lying didn't sound so bad at first until the authorities looked into her life more closely. Before she came to Paris, she told numerous lies, which ruined the lives of many of her former classmates. Thanks to her, a boy was arrested as she claimed that he wanted to rape her. She ruined another boy's relationship by sending his girlfriend photos of him allegedly trying to kiss her, when it was the other way around. With her lies, she managed to get an entire class to bully a girl just because she tried to expose Lila's lies. She paralyzed another boy by pushing him down the stairs. Then there was a girl who committed suicide after she could no longer stand the bullying from Lila and the rest of the school. A few days after this incident, Lila moved to Paris.

Instead of learning from her mistakes in Italy, she started her lies all over again in Paris. She lied about having hundreds of illnesses and injuries. She lied about saving Jagged Stone's cat from a plane and then he wrote a song about her. Then she lied about organizing several charities, the most notable being the alleged charity about air pollution that she organized with Prince Ali. Then came the lies that Clara Nightingale stole her dance moves. Then came all the lies she told her classmates to steal from them and exploit them, especially as she tried to portray Marinette as a bully, which didn't work because her friends never believed these kinds of lies.

It was precisely this court case that caused the school board to investigate the Francois Dupont school more closely, and what they discovered really left them speechless.

They found out that the class teacher from the Akuma class Mme. Bustier is completely unsuitable as a teacher. Not only does she protect the bullies and punish the victims, it also turns out that she lets the class representative Marinette Dupain-Cheng do 95 percent of her work. Among other things, she organizes class trips and school excursions, organizes school charities, corrects school work, ensures the right class atmosphere, acts as a mediator, and, what makes the school board particularly angry, handles the class teacher's paperwork.

After investigating the classroom, they investigated the rest of the school. The other classes and teachers were clean, unlike Mme. Bustier, except for the school's principal Damocles.

They were able to find plenty of evidence that Damocles lets the kids with powerful parents like Chloe Bourgeoise and Lila Rossi get away with everything. Then it emerged that Mr. Damocles had embezzled funds, ironically he used a part of the stolen money for his superhero lair.

During their investigation, they were able to secure video footage that they submitted to the court for Gabriel and Lila's trial.

At the end of the investigation, Mme. Bustier was both fired and blacklisted from teaching ever again. Then she had to pay a compensation to Marinette for taking on the tasks that Bustier was supposed to do.

Damocles on the other hand was arrested for embezzling funds. His trial will be held soon.

As for the trial against Gabriel and Lila, Gabriel's defense attorney tried to portray him as a hero who terrorized the city just to save his wife. And Lila, he tried to portray her as an innocent naive girl who wanted to help a desperate man. But none of those present, neither the judge, nor the lawyers, nor the jury members, nor the spectators believed a word.

Even if all the people in the courtroom believed Gabriel and Lila's defense attorney, the evidence presented would convince everyone otherwise.

Aside from witness statements, surveillance footage, and all the deposed interviews Alya presented that she did of Lila. There was even some footage of Lila voluntarily reaching for akumas to be akumatized. Then there was the video evidence from none other than Ladybug showing from eight different angles how Gabriel turns into Hawkmoth and how Lila accepts the peacock miraculous from Hawkmoth and turns into Pavo Venefica. The evidence presented by Ladybug alone was enough to lock them both away.

Marinette will never forget the verdict that the judge passed at the end of the trial.

Gabriel Agreste received a life sentence in a maximum security prison for his crimes. If the death penalty still existed in France, he would certainly have received it.

Lila Rossi, on the other hand, will be sentenced to a youth prison until she turns 18, then she will also be sent to a maximum security prison where she will receive a sentence of 30 years. Unlike Gabriel, she will at least have the opportunity for therapy. But even with the prospect of rehabilitation, it was clear that her lies had destroyed lives, and she would pay for every single one of them.

As for Nathalie and Adrien, it could not be proven that they helped Hawkmoth. Then there was the fact that Adrien was Chat Noire, even though he has changed a lot over time and has become more and more possessive towards Ladybug, the Parisians could not rule out that he fought Hawkmoth's Akumas, even though he has now failed as a superhero.

Adrien currently lives in the Agreste Mansion with Nathalie and his bodyguard, at least until he finishes school. Then he will live with his aunt and cousin, and the Agreste mansion will be foreclosed.

However, as far as Adrien's school life is concerned, it has become drastically worse, as his friends and classmates have found out that he knew about Lila's lies from the beginning and let her continue to lie.

He never thought that his friends and classmates would react so negatively after finding out the truth. He tried to explain it to them like he explained it to Marinette once with the "High Road" but none of them wanted to hear anything about it and turned their backs on him. Nobody wanted anything to do with him anymore.

Even when he tried to find Marinette, but like all the time since he lost his ring, she didn't want to hear from him, not even when he practically begged her on his hands and knees. She left him to fend for himself, much like he did to her all the time since Lila showed up.

Marinette rubs the bridge between her eyes as she doesn't want to think about Adrien anymore, even though it's very hard. Not only was she in love with him until recently, he was also her former partner, even though she couldn't call him that for a long time.

She looks at her kwamis, who are currently all circling around Duusu and Nooroo, happy that their friends have returned. She lay on her back as she picked up the black cat ring and looked at it.

She could still remember the day she learned Chat Noir's true identity very well.

———————————————————————
Four months ago.

“Chat Noir, concentrate!” Ladybug shouted as she fended off an attack from the akuma. But he had only laughed and continued to joke and flirt with her. A fatal mistake.

The akuma named Pictomater, a disgruntled artist with the ability to bring anything he painted to life, took advantage of Chat Noir's inattention. A massive bird made of color and light swooped in and ripped the ring from his finger before Chat Noir could even react. Ladybug instinctively swung her yo-yo after him and hit the bird, causing it to drop the ring. Ladybug had watched with bated breath as the ring flew through the air in slow motion and finally fell towards her. She had reflexively reached out and caught it.

In that moment, it was as if time had stopped. She had looked over at Chat Noir, and the look on his face had been priceless, a mixture of shock and fear. And then, with a soft glow, the transformation had dissolved, and standing before her was no longer Chat Noir, but Adrien Agreste.

Her heart had skipped a beat. Adrien, the boy she had fallen in love with. The boy she had thought was perfect. But in that moment, as the truth unfolded before her, she felt nothing but deep disappointment. All this time, he had been the one who had gotten her into trouble so often, who could never be serious when it mattered. And now he was standing there, helpless and disarmed.

The disgust she felt was hard to describe. But since the Akuma and many passersby, including Alya, who films everything for her blog, had seen Chat Noir transform back, she had no choice but to grab him and bring him to safety.

When she dropped him off in an alley near his house, he said without wasting a second "Quick, give me the ring so I can turn back into Chat Noir."

He expected Ladybug to give him the ring back immediately, but what Ladybug said instead left him speechless "No."

Adrien was flabbergasted "No?"

Ladybug turns to him in a flash and says full of disgust and anger "No! I will not give you the ring back! Everyone knows you are Chat Noir now! How do you think it will work?!"

"I could change my outfit and name." Adrien suggests, not realizing how disgusted Ladybug is with him.

"Forget it," Ladybug replied without even thinking about his suggestion. "As long as I'm the Guardian, you'll never wear a miraculous again."

Adrien glares "We'll see about that." He jumped forward and wanted to rip the ring out of Ladybug's hands, but she seized his momentum and threw him to the ground with a painful shoulder throw. Then she turned him onto his stomach and crossed his arms behind his back and tied his hands with a cable tie.

"Argh! What's going on?! Let me go!" Adrien screamed, full of pain, shame, anger and confusion.

Ladybug stood in front of his head and looked down at him with disgust and disappointment.

She said in a serious tone, "You know, I've wanted to take the ring from you for a long time. You are lazy, self-centered, sexist, and I wish you would take an Akuma half as seriously as when you fool around or tell stupid jokes.” Adrien looked as if he wanted to say something, but Ladybug didn’t give him the chance. “I stopped myself, though, because I respected Master Fu’s decision, and I still wanted to see you as my old partner, but you haven’t been that partner for a long time.

“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Adrien shouted. “We are partners! We are meant for each other! We are soulmates!”

Ladybug spoke as if she hadn’t heard what Adrien said. “Since you lost the miraculous in front of everyone thanks to your own stupidity, that is more than good reason for me to take the miraculous away from you.”

Adrien seemed to shout something loudly, but Ladybug didn’t hear it because her mind was somewhere else. She thought of all the times she made a fool of herself as Marinette just to get Adrien's attention, or all the times Adrien stood her and her friends up just to wait for Ladybug, who always turned down his date invitations. Now at least she understood why he never showed up for their agreed meetings.

When she looks down at Adrien, who is still shouting nonsense, she loses her last feelings for him. She couldn't believe that the "Sunshine Boy" she had a crush on since he gave her his umbrella was the immature, sexually harassing, Chat Noir.

She feels sick just thinking about her past days of stalking him. All the days she acted like a stalker. All the days she made him gifts, baked goods and postponed her own projects just to support him.

But most of all, she feels sick at the thought of letting both Chloe and Lila get away with everything because of him.

She couldn't stand Adrien's enabling behavior anymore. Especially when it comes at her expense.

Chloe has been bullying her for years and Adrien has never cared, only once when Chloe made the whole class do a detention for setting off the fire alarm. If only Marinette were affected, he certainly wouldn't have been interested.

Even if Chloe bullies her, Lila was the bigger problem. Every word that comes out of her mouth is a dirty lie. She lies to her classmates and everyone around her in order to manipulate them. She makes promises that she can't keep and puts others in danger with her lies. On top of that, she has her sights set on Marinette just because she saw through her lies.

In retrospect, Marinette regrets that she didn’t exposed Lila’s lies from the start. If she hadn't listened to Adrien and his "high road," bullshit everything would have turned out differently.

Ladybug stood still for a moment, her hands tightly wrapped around the ring, while Adrien was still lying on the floor, his anger and despair breaking over him uncontrollably. She had turned her back to him, determined not to hear another word. Whatever it had once been, their friendship, their partnership, even the feelings she had once had for him, all of that was now irrevocably shattered.

"It's over, Adrien," she finally said quietly, but with a determination that was unmistakable. "We are no longer partners. We haven't been for a long time."

She left him behind and with an elegant swing of her yo-yo, jumped onto the rooftops of Paris Instances toward the Akuma, leaving Adrien with the zip ties on his wrists, confused and broken. He couldn't believe the words Ladybug had spoken.

It wasn't until Ladybug defeated the Akuma and used her "Miraculous Ladybug" that Adrien was freed from the zip ties.

———————————————————————
Present.

Back in the present, in her room, Marinette took a deep breath and put the ring back in the miraculous box, where apart from her earrings all miraculous are in. She had lost not only a partner, but also a friend, although she doubts that they were ever friends at all. It hurt, but it was necessary. For too long she had taken responsibility for the behavior of others, sacrificing herself for things that shouldn't have been her burden.

Suddenly there was a knock on her trapdoor "Marinette?"

The kwamis hid quickly. When they were all hidden, the trapdoor opened. It was her mother, who looked up at her daughter with concern "Is everything OK?"

Marinette sat up straight and forced a small smile "Yes, Maman. It's just... a lot has happened."

Sabine smiles gently "That's understandable. Hawkmoth is finally behind bars and the horrible girl who told lies about you has been deported.”

Marinette smiles “Yeah, that was an interesting month.”

Sabine sat down on the chaise next to Marinette and looked at her daughter thoughtfully “You know, Marinette,” she finally said, “you look much more rested lately. It probably helps that you finally have that new teacher, right? And of course that Hawkmoth is no longer terrorizing Paris.”

Marinette smiled gently and nodded “Yes, I become much more relaxed. And I can finally sleep through the nights again.”

Sabine smiled back “I believe you immediately. And without that girl who is constantly telling lies, the school must be quieter too, right?”

“Oh yes, definitely,” Marinette replied, and Sabine could see how relieved she was.

Sabine stood up, patted her daughter lightly on the shoulder and said "I'm glad you're feeling better." She was just about to leave the room when she remembered something "Speaking of which, someone is waiting for you downstairs."

Marinette blinked in surprise "I'm not expecting anyone today. Who is it?"

Her mother shrugged "I don't know, it's a well dressed woman who said she had an appointment with you."

"Do you mean Penny?" asks Marinette "We were just talking about the latest job for Jagged yesterday."

Sabine shook her head "It's not Penny. I've never seen her before, but if you ask me, she could easily pass as a model."

Marinette didn't know who it could be, since she wasn't actually expecting anyone today.

Marinette stood up and followed her mother down to the bakery, curious to see who might be visiting her. When she entered the bakery, her eyes immediately fell on the woman who was standing in front of the counter and Tom was filling one bag after another with pastries. Although she was dressed in civilian clothes, a simple white blouse, black jeans, and sunglasses on her head, Marinette recognized her immediately. Her presence was unmistakable, even without the iconic costume. It was Wonder Woman.

Marinette heard her father calling her "Diana Prince." She watched as the Amazon picked out another chocolate croissant that Tom put in her bag.

"Oh, they all look so delicious," Diana said to Sabine as she placed another batch of freshly baked madeleines on the counter. "I'll have half a dozen of those too."

Sabine, who had no idea who she was serving, smiled kindly. "Of course. Do you want to try anything else?"

Marinette stepped closer, her eyes fixed on Diana. She couldn't believe that Wonder Woman was standing in her bakery and buying pastries.

Diana finally noticed Marinette and gave her a gentle, knowing smile. "You must be Marinette," she said, her voice calm but piercing, as if it filled every fiber of the room.

"Uh, yes. I... um..." Marinette stammered before she pulled herself together "What... what brings you here?"

Sabine looked back and forth between the two in surprise, not sure if she had missed something "You know each other?" she asked.

"In a way," Diana answered evasively. "But Marinette and I need to have a private conversation, if that's okay."

Sabine nodded and waved to them. "Of course, go upstairs if you want."

Marinette just nodded silently and led Diana up the stairs, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. But she knew she had to pull herself together, after all, she expected one of the Justice League to visit her in the near future. When she led Diana into her room and closed the door behind her, she found herself facing Diana. The room was filled with a quiet tension.

Diana sat down on Marinette's chaise and looked at her calmly, her bags full of pastries placed on the floor next to her.

Diana looked around the room briefly, her eyes catching on the little creative touches that Marinette had left everywhere. Designs of dresses, sketches, small fabric samples, and even a cool leather jacket that is still in progress. She smiled slightly as she finally looked directly at Marinette.

Before Diana had a chance to say anything, Marinette asked in a matter-of-fact tone, "Why are you here, Wonder Woman?"

Chapter Text

Diana was stunned, she stared at Marinette for what felt like an eternity. She couldn't believe that this young girl in front of her recognized her as Wonder Woman so quickly.

Before Diana could deny it, Marinette said, "Before you start denying it, you have to know that I know exactly why you're here, and I won't talk to you until I hear from your mouth why you're here. And I ask you to stick to the truth."

Diana didn't know how to react to that. Not only did Marinette see through her as Wonder Woman very quickly, but she could clearly see that Marinette had the same analytical look as Batman.

Diana actually came here to question Marinette unnoticed, since Batman found out that she is most likely the heroine Multimouse.

———————————————————————
Three days earlier, in the Watchtower.

The founding members, apart from Hal, who is currently doing the work Wonder Woman gave him as punishment, sat at the conference table and listened to what Batman had found out.

Batman began "I used all the resources at my disposal for a month and with the information Wonder Woman provided me, my research has revealed the following..." he pressed a few buttons, whereupon a hologram image of Ladybug appeared in the middle of the table "Three years ago, Ladybug appeared for the first time with her former partner Chat Noir."

As he spoke, the first appearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting Stoneheart for the first time appears.

As the founding members watched the fight, they could clearly see that the two were inexperienced.

Then the next clip came straight away, showing Stoneheart destroying Paris with a stone monster army. Then they saw Hawkmoth appear as a giant head made of thousands of black butterflies and demand the miraculous, but Ladybug was unimpressed and made a promise to all of Paris that she would defeat Hawkmoth and take his miraculous from him before she and Chat Noir defeated Stoneheart again.

Batman spoke "After this Akuma, as people called them, the two of them fought many more Akumas, every day. As you probably noticed, both were very inexperienced in their first fight."

Everyone joined in.

Batman shows a hologram image of Chat Noir as he continues "As you can see, she had a partner at the beginning."

"Yeah," says Flash "But how come he wasn't there when Ladybug and her team broke into our base?"

"See for yourself." Batman taps a few keys and all the Akuma incidents that Ladybug and Chat Noir fought are displayed.

The founding members watch the incidents carefully. They saw how the two Paris heroes initially worked together as a great team and defeated all the Akumas. But after a while, they got more and more temporary heroes to help them. As they saw, they were always chosen by Ladybug. At first, Chat Noir seemed to be okay with it, but after a while, he became more and more annoyed when a new hero joined.

They watched as a blonde girl named Chloe, who was responsible for most of the Akumatized victims, was akumatized into Miracle Queen and used her ability to summon the temporary heroes and use them to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir, but they could not defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir.

At one particular scene, Wonder Woman's eyes widened and she shouted "Stop it now!" which Batman did. The recording paused on an old man who had transformed into the turtle miraculous, sitting in a protective shield with a box while Hawkmoth and Mayura attacked him.

Superman asks "Do you know him?"

Wonder Woman shakes her head "No, but he's definitely the Guardian of the miraculous box." She quickly explains what the Guardians are all about.

After explaining, Flash asks "That's all well and good, but what does that have to do with us or the Parisian heroes?"

Wonder Woman says while looking angrily at the Guardian's image "That means it was that guy who chose two inexperienced children without preparing them." She clenched her fist as she said "If I get my hands on that guy..."

She couldn't complete her threat as Batman let the recording continue. Then they saw the Guardian declare Ladybug the next Guardian, and he lost his title and his memory.

"Forget it..." mutters Wonder Woman.

They looked at the rest of the footage. From that point on, everything seemed to change, especially Chat Noir. Chat Noir's playful behavior got worse and he tried to flirt with Ladybug more and more aggressively. He often distracted Ladybug, where she almost defeated the Akumas, which took then longer to defeat thanks to Chat Noir. He often caused more chaos than the Akumas, which not only put him but also the innocent people of Paris in danger. More than once he was even caught by the Akuma, either by sacrificing himself senselessly or by being so distracted by his games that he didn't see the Akuma, which meant that Ladybug often had to fight the Akuma alone.

Chat Noir's behavior disgusted the founding members, especially Wonder Woman. However, one particular incident made her smile. The incident where Ladybug couldn't take it anymore and threw Chat Noir in the trash can before defeating the Akuma Glaciator on her own in just a few minutes.

After this incident, Chat Noir often came very late or didn't come to the Akuma incidents at all. Even when he did show up, it was only to tell bad jokes or to harass Ladybug even more than he already did.

During these sexual harassment scenes, Wonder Woman would like to grab the cat and castrate him herself. That's why it was so satisfying to see Chat Noir lose his ring. As Batman explained, he was even the son of Hawkmoth Adrien Agreste.

This realization didn't surprise the founding members as much as they had expected. When they saw Adrien's behavior, it was more surprising to them why he wasn't in youth prison for his actions towards Ladybug.

The next shots show how Ladybug, who was appointed Guardian, seemed increasingly tired, slow and ailing. The fact that she had to fight the Akumas alone from the moment she was appointed Guardian also bothered her more and more.

Then came the last shot. The shot in which Ladybug and her team defeated Hawkmoth and Pavo Venefica after breaking into the Watchtower. When Ladybug used her "Miraculous Ladybug" at the end, those who hadn't yet understood it from the founding members like Flash and Hal understood how they were able to move again.

The shot ended with a frozen image of the Parisian heroes fist bumping.

Wonder Woman was the first to say with a fond smile "I have to give Ladybug one thing. She kept her promise and defeated Hawkmoth."

Flash sighs "It would have been nice if she didn't have to do it alone. Especially at such a young age."

The mood in the room was somber, and everyone knew what Flash was thinking. Diana, still angry at Hal Jordan, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The thought that Ladybug had fought alone for so long when she could have been helped weighed heavily on her. But her anger at Hal did not bring back the time when Ladybug had been abandoned.

"She has proven herself more than enough," Diana said finally, her voice calm but determined. "She defeated Hawkmoth despite calling for help for nearly two years to no avail. She is stronger than we ever expected."

"She never stopped fighting," Superman murmured. "Even when she gave up asking us, she kept going. She won the war alone."

"But she shouldn't have to," Flash interjected. "No one should take on so much responsibility, especially not so young."

Diana nodded slowly "That's what makes me so angry. Ladybug should have had our help from the beginning. But now that the dangers are over and she has collected all the Miraculous, she no longer needs us." She paused and looked around "We let her down, and yet she protected her city."

Aquaman folded his arms and added thoughtfully "It's remarkable. A hero like her belongs in the Justice League, but I don't think she will ever trust us."

Batman finally spoke "She has shown that she is at a level both strategically and combatively that many heroes do not reach. That cannot be overlooked. But as Diana said, she does not need us. The question is rather, would we deserve her?"

Wonder Woman looked at the holograms and reviewed the last images of Ladybug's fights before her eyes. She wanted to talk to her. If only because her mother was the former Ladybug and she would also like to speak to the new Ladybug.

It was Martian Manhunter who broke the silence "I'm sure we all think the same thing. We all want to meet and talk to Ladybug. The question is, how do we do it?"

Martian Manhunter's question hung heavy in the air and the founders of the Justice League looked at each other thoughtfully. It was one thing to admit that they had failed, quite another to know how to make up for that mistake. Ladybug had made it clear that she no longer needed the Justice League. She had won the battles she had to win without their support.

Wonder Woman let her gaze wander around the room until it rested on Batman. "We must approach her with respect. She is no longer just a girl calling for help. She is a hero, a guardian of the Miraculous. She deserves to be treated as an equal.”

Batman nodded slowly. “There is one problem, though. If she distrusts us as much as we suspect, she probably won’t listen to us even if we meet her in person. She will analyze our every move, weigh our every word.”

“That’s someone speaking from experience.” Flash joked to lighten the mood.

"Indeed," Batman replied curtly, ignoring Flash's joke. "And that's exactly why we need to use someone who already has contact with her."

"Who do you mean?" asked Superman.

Batman tapped a few more keys and the hologram of Ladybug was replaced with a new recording. The hologram shows, the last few minutes of an akuma battle played out. A woman with purple hair, holding some kind of machine that looked too reminiscent of a vacuum, stood on the rooftop of the TVi Studio. She was shooting a whipping laser beam around, trying to catch something that clearly wasn't showing up on camera. Suddenly, a burst of magic destroyed the back of the machine out of nowhere, causing the woman to detransform into the teacher mlle. Mendeleiev, and releasing an akuma. A “Lucky Charm“ was called out of nowhere, and they watched a red and black bowl drop down to capture the akuma, trapping it as Ladybug zipped in. Ladybug knelt down by the bowl and there was something small there, and she began to thank it. After Ladybug casted her "Miraculous Ladybug", an army of tiny beings gathered together, forming together Multimouse. "We came, we saw, we kicked her hat," they heard her say. She took off her Miraculous, revealing her identity "Now I gotta give you this back, right?"

From there the recording froze.

"This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Batman explained, zooming in on the image. "One of the temporary heroes Ladybug chose during her battles. There is a connection between her and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a young girl from Paris."

"Marinette?" Wonder Woman repeated. "What does this girl have to do with Ladybug?"

"Everything," Batman replied. "Marinette is Multimouse. She was chosen by Ladybug when she needed to be and helped in the final battle against Hawkmoth. If you all remember, she broke in with Ladybug."

"So you want to find this Marinette girl?" Aquaman asked skeptically. "How is that going to help us? She's a temporary hero. She's unlikely to know where Ladybug is."

"Maybe not," Batman admitted. "But she has a direct connection to Ladybug. If we can convince Marinette to talk to us, she might be able to pass on a message."

Wonder Woman folded her arms and thought loud "That could work. But how do you convince a girl who probably distrusts us as much as Ladybug herself?"

"It won't be easy," Batman admitted "But we have to try. Marinette could be the key to reaching Ladybug."

Wonder Woman thought of the girl she had never met in person and wondered what kind of person Marinette would have to be to gain Ladybug's trust. If Marinette was a hero, she had to be smart and strong, perhaps stronger than she seemed at first glance.

"We'll find out," she finally said. "We have to find Marinette and convince her to talk to us. I'll talk to her myself."

The decision was made. The Justice League would find Marinette and hope she was willing to help them bridge the gap to Ladybug.

———————————————————————
Present.

Back in the present, Diana was still facing Marinette, who was looking at her with piercing eyes.

"So?" Marinette asked again. "Why are you here?"

Diana took a deep breath. She knew she had to tell the truth to reach this girl "I'm here because we need your help," she said honestly "We need to reach out to Ladybug, and we think you can help us."

"What makes you think I can help you?"

Diana looks her straight in the eyes as she says, "Because we know you're Multimouse."

"Was." Marinette corrects without denying it, "I was Multimouse. Not anymore. As you can see, I no longer have the mouse miraculous, there I retired.“

Marinette had known from the beginning, even before she broke into the Watchtower, that they would be looking for her afterwards. Therefore, she made sure that one of her Miracle Clones would look like Multimouse, even though it wasn't actually necessary. She had only taken precautions in case the Justice League was looking for Ladybug. Which, it seems, is the case.

This decision to pose as Multimouse in the final battle also brought her some inconveniences. Inconveniences in the form of Adrien Agreste. When he saw that Multimouse was fighting in the final battle, he tried everything to convince her to contact Ladybug so that he could get his ring back.

With all her rejections, he went so far that he harassed her at school and at home. In one incident where he tried to break into her room, it went so far that her parents banned him from the house and issued a restraining order that he could no longer approach Marinette, up to 6 meters away.

Diana was more than surprised that Marinette didn't even try to deny it. She asks, "Then you certainly know why we want to talk to Ladybug."

Marinette raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms "And why should I help you?"

Diana didn't hesitate. "Because we made mistakes. Mistakes that we can't undo, but we want to give Ladybug the support she deserves. We know that she doesn't trust us, and I understand that. But we want to make it right."

Marinette looked at her skeptically, "And what are you doing differently this time? You ignored Paris when Paris and Ladybug needed you. What should change now?"

Diana looked the girl straight in the eyes and said calmly, "We've learned. It was a mistake to leave Ladybug alone, and I personally deeply regret that. I want to apologize to her. We all want that. But we need your help for that."

Marinette was silent for a moment, her eyes sharp and searching. Finally, she sighed and said quietly, "I'll think about it. But if I see that you are letting Ladybug down again, she will never give you another chance."

Diana nodded gratefully "That is all we ask."

Marinette looked at her for a long time before turning away "I will inform her. But don't expect her to answer immediately."

Diana could only agree and hope that Ladybug was at least willing to listen to them.

Chapter Text

Two weeks have passed since Diana spoke to Marinette. Since then, the founding members of the Justice League have been waiting for a response from Ladybug.

All except Wonder Woman are of the opinion that Marinette will not pass the message on to Ladybug. But Wonder Woman was firmly convinced that Marinette would. At least to her, it didn't look like Marinette was lying.

They were in the conference room, where Hal wanted to discuss a topic again "How long does this have to go on?!"

Wonder Woman replied matter-of-factly "Have you learned your lesson?"

Before he could reply, a voice spoke "I doubt he'll ever learn anything."

All eyes turned to a black portal, from which Ladybug emerged, followed by Lady Noire, Multi-Turtle, Multi-Snake, Multi-Fox, Multi Bee and Multi-Horse, only Multimouse was not with them, so that the Justice League couldn’t take advantages of the knowledge that she is Marinette, even though everyone of the Miracle Clones is Marinette.

Before anyone could react, Multi-Turtle shouts "Shelter!", creating a protective shield around a small area around her team.

Ladybug explained without being asked, "Small precaution on our part."

The Justice League members stared in surprise at the suddenly appeared group before their astonishment turned into mixed reactions. Batman gave Wonder Woman a meaningful look while Superman watched the scene with his arms crossed, slightly skeptical.

Wonder Woman, on the other hand, smiled calmly, as if she had expected exactly that.

Batman, always controlled and serious, raised an eyebrow "You just showed up without warning."

Ladybug crossed her arms, "Oh, I would have notified you. But I was pretty sure you would either ignore the message or it would end up in the spam folder."

Flash couldn't help but laugh quietly while Superman and Batman looked at each other briefly, obviously unsure how to react.

"You've kept us waiting for a long time." Hal said sharply, his eyes filled with anger.

"I can say the same to you, except that none of you came to Paris." Ladybug replied matter-of-factly.

Hal grumbled, he wanted to say something, but Wonder Woman's look stopped him.

Ladybug approached the table and created a red chair with polka dots. She sat down. Her gaze wandered to each of the founding members. The determination in her eyes was unmistakable.

The tension in the room was palpable as Ladybug surveyed the room with calm composure, her presence unmistakable. Wonder Woman nodded at her respectfully, while the rest of the Justice League radiated a mixture of suspicion, surprise and, in Hal's case, undisguised anger.

Ladybug leaned back in her chair as if she had full control of the situation, and in a way she did “So,” she began, her voice sharp, “what do you want?”

There was a brief silence before Martian Manhunter spoke “First of all, we would like to apologize,” he began, his voice neutral but still serious “It was a mistake to abandon you and Paris. We should have dealt with the calls for help sooner.”

Wonder Woman nodded in agreement while Superman added, "The one responsible for the failure..." her eyes briefly glanced at Hal Jordan, "has been held accountable. He now has disciplinary tasks that befit his role as a hero."

Hal grumbled under his breath, but turned his head away as Ladybug gave him a piercing look. "Disciplinary tasks? Hopefully something that befits his lack of responsibility." she said coolly.

Superman, always careful to keep his composure, spoke, "We wanted to talk to you, Ladybug. Your skills are impressive, and we think that you and your team..."

"Wait, stop." Ladybug raised a hand and interrupted him. "Before you go on - impressive? Yes, I have saved Paris from destruction several times, while all of you, the mighty heroes of the world, have never shown up. It's almost as if Paris doesn't exist for you."

The founding members exchanged glances, but no one seemed to have an immediate reply. Wonder Woman remained silent, watching the conversation with raised eyebrows, knowing that Ladybug needed to let out her anger.

"That was not our intention," Batman tried to remain matter-of-fact, "but we were dealing with global threats."

"Ah yes, global threats," Ladybug repeated dryly, pointing to the window where the Earth is visible "You know, Paris is part of the world, right? Maybe you forgot that when you were taking care of other matters, like forwarding our messages to the spam folder."

Hal, barely able to contain his frustration, pressed his lips together "You have no idea how complicated our work is. You're just a kid who happened to get some superhero powers."

Ladybug laughed, a hard, cold laugh "And you're a grown man who loses his ring and then cries because he no longer has any powers. So what are you trying to tell me?"

Flash, who had remained calm until now, couldn't suppress a short giggle before he pulled himself together again. Batman shook his head imperceptibly while Wonder Woman looked at Hal warningly to signal him not to push it any further.

Ladybug sighed and leaned forward, her gaze fixed on the group "I'm only here so that you don't visit Marinette again. There is no excuse for showing up at her home without having even the tiniest bit of respect for her life." Her tone grew colder. "And just to be clear. From now on, you will adhere to the travel ban to Paris that applies to all members of the Justice League. Understood?"

The tension grew, and it was clear that none of the Justice founding members had expected to be reprimanded so directly.

Hal finally jumped up. He slammed his hands on the table as he yells "And what about my ring?!" His anger boiled over. "You have no right to take it from me! Give it back to me!"

Ladybug looked at him, her eyes flashing dangerously "Oh, your ring?" She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Even if I gave it back to you, which I won't, by the way, you wouldn't be able to use it. Because I cursed you."

The silence in the room was suddenly oppressive. Hal stared at her with his mouth open, unable to comprehend what she had just said.

"Cursed?" he asked in a horrified voice.

"Exactly. You can't use it again until either two years have passed, the same amount of time I've spent trying to get your attention, or until you learn your lesson and understand what it means to be a true hero." she shrugged "I actually wanted to curse you so that you would never be able to wear the ring ever again, but I changed my mind.“

Hal opened and closed his mouth, unable to respond.

Wonder Woman shook her head slowly when she saw the resigned look on Hal's face.

Superman, wanting to steer the conversation in a more productive direction, spoke up again. "Ladybug, I understand your frustration. But with our help, you could have tracked down Hawk Moth long ago."

Ladybug snorted derisively and crossed her arms. She looked at Superman as if he had just said something particularly stupid "You're right," she looks at Hal with a piercing look, "but a certain someone forwarded my messages to the spam folder. So I had to track him down on my own.“

Superman didn't reply, his brow furrowed as he considered her words.

"But to be fair," Flash said, "you broke into our base and were only able to find Hawkmoth because you used our system."

Ladybug replied as if it were obvious, "In case you haven't noticed, I don't have the privilege of having billions of dollars worth of equipment to spy on every corner of the world like you do. I don't have a satellite network or supercomputers that do everything for me. I did everything I could with very little to protect Paris. Maybe it's not as glamorous as your methods, but it works."

Flash was taken aback. He feels a little stupid for having said something like that. And if he's honest with himself, Ladybug was right to break in here and use their system.

Batman spoke in a calm but firm voice "Ladybug, you should trust us more. We are here to help, not to harm you or your team."

Ladybug slowly turned to him, her eyes narrowed, and a mocking smile played around her lips "Trust?" She laughed quietly and shook her head "You, of all people, Mr. Paranoia, are talking about trust? You probably already have ten plans in mind in case this meeting goes wrong."

Batman said nothing, his expression remained impassive as always, but the slight tension in his shoulders was unmistakable.

"What we're trying to say," Wonder Woman began again, this time more gently, "is that we respect your abilities, Ladybug. Paris is lucky to have you. But we could... work together."

Ladybug gave her a sharp look "Working together? Are you serious?" She shook her head. "Why would I work with a group that has ignored my team, my city and me for years? Where were you when Hawkmoth destroyed my city several times? Or when all of Paris was flooded and several hundred thousand people drowned? Or when I lost my original team?“

Superman cleared his throat, but before he could say anything, Ladybug continued. "Let me guess, you were too busy to deal with a local problem, right?"

"It's not that simple," Superman tried to explain calmly, "we didn't see your cries for help. We have duties all over the world..."

"And that's the point," Ladybug cut him off. "Paris wasn't important enough for you. You overlooked it. Redirected it to your spam folder. And now, after everything we've been through, you want me to join your hero club?"

Batman started to interject, but Ladybug was quicker. "You know what's really ironic? I wanted to admire you. When I started, I thought the Justice League were the ultimate heroes. Heroes who would stand by Paris and me when we called for you. But now, after all this? You're nothing more than a group of adults who think they know everything better. Spoiler, you don't."

Hal couldn't take it anymore. "That's enough!" His voice rose, his anger seething. "You may have succeeded in Paris, but you're not infallible, Ladybug. You could learn a lot from us."

Ladybug looked at him with an icy smile. "Oh really? What exactly should I learn from you? How to ignore cries for help? How to forward messages to the spam folder? How to neglect my duties? Or wallowing in self-pity instead of taking responsibility? Sorry, but no thanks."

Each word struck Hal like a knife in the heart. He opened his mouth, but Wonder Woman put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Ladybug," she said calmly, "we know you've been through a lot. But you have to admit that the Justice League is powerful. You and your team could make a big difference if you were with us."

Ladybug stood up and moved closer to the table, her eyes on Wonder Woman. "I appreciate your respect, Wonder Woman. But here's the thing, I've seen Earth's Mightiest Heroes not be enough. Power alone isn't enough to save a city or a world. It's about responsibility, about commitment. And what you don't understand is that my team and I have been doing this for years, without you."

She let her words sink in before continuing. "You may be the Justice League, but you didn't save Paris, we did. We saved ourselves. And we'll keep doing that, without the Justice League."

Batman, Superman and Flash looked at each other briefly as Wonder Woman made one last attempt "Are you sure you don't want to join? We could accomplish so much more, together."

Ladybug smiled gently, but it was a distant, determined smile "I'm sure. You don't really want me on your team, you want control over me and my team. And I'm not going to give you that."

With that, she turned and waved to her team "Time to go."

"You sure you don't want to join?" Flash asked, still hopeful.

Lady Noire grinned widely and winked "We'll be fine, Flashhead."

With one last look around, Ladybug disappeared through the new black portal that Multi-Horse opened, followed by her team. Wonder Woman stared at the empty space that disappeared as the portal closed, along with the green shield that had surrounded Ladybug and her team a short while ago, while Hal just clenched his fists.

"She's completely dumped us." Flash muttered.

Wonder Woman smiled slightly, "She knows what she's doing."

"And now what?" asked Superman.

"Now," Wonder Woman said calmly, "we'll leave her alone. Just like she wanted."

The room was quiet, the weight of Ladybug’s words still lingering. Hal opened his mouth as if to argue, but quickly closed it when he caught Wonder Woman’s steady gaze.

Martian Manhunter shifted, glancing at the spot where the portal had closed. His voice was low. "She didn’t just leave us. She shut us out."

"Maybe," Flash added quietly, "but we never gave her a good reason to trust us."

No one responded. For the first time, there was nothing left to say.