Broken Hearts

Chapter 20

Marinette's POV

We charged towards Hawkmoth and were stopped. Adrien seemed to have an idea as to why. Hitting the barrier again, I heard a grunt. It seemed to come from someone in here, not Hawkmoth. Looking around, I used Chat's night vision ability to see where another person could be. 

"Ladybug, watch out." Queen Bee spoke, and I cleared away. She then yelled, "Swarm!"

Her weapon changed into a giant hammer, one she could wield easily. It was huge, but I don't think it's weight changed. Queen Bee charged the barrier, flying instead of running. It broke after a few hits and grunts. 

Summoning a lasso, I tied up Hawkmoth, but it turned into butterflies. Oh dear, but I kinda thought that it wasn't him. Looking to everyone, we divided into two groups. Me and Chat then Queen Bee and Volpina. This room seemed bigger than before. This night vision was getting annoying, so I turned it off. 

"This is bigger than last time. But I haven't heard any construction." Chat sighed, his shield in one hand and a spear in the other. 

"I was thinking the same thing. I don't know if there's a time limit on my transformation. Tikki and Plagg are really quiet right now and have been for a few minutes." I made my lasso disappear after responding.

"I don't think so. It would make no sense if it did so. Hey, I saw something move over there."

I turned on night vision and saw a woman. Was that the person who harassed me? Looking to Chat, I ran, almost charging, towards her. She pulled out a fan and feathers flew past me, none actually hitting me. Almost like a movie. Hitting her, she was quick to hit back my other attacks.

"Chat!" I yelled, and he threw his spear at her.

As I pressed attacks, she didn't notice the spear until she was hit. Peon fell onto her back and I quickly went over her to limit her actions. Looking, I saw Chat grab her miraculous. It was a blue peacock brooch. I thought that someone with real status would wear something like this. 

When the blue transformation cleared, I heard Chat silently gasp. Off in the distance, I heard screams from out comrades. With one last glance, we ran to our friends to assist them. The Peon was Natalie, Gabriel's assistant when he wasn't transformed and Adrien's advisor, also when he wasn't transformed. 

"Hey, you alright?" I asked, looking to Chat, who looking really sad and almost bearing betrayal. 

"Everyone around me is a bad person. Everyone but you. I'm sorry for being disappointed and unfair to you when I found out that you were you. I just was expecting someone else, someone from dreams. I bet you were as well." Chat stopped running, confessing his feelings and thoughts. 

"It was unexpected, yes. But to be honest, I was more upset at myself at you. To you, it may not seem that way, but it is the truth. I knew that beneath the mask, you wouldn't approve who I was. In the beginning of all this, I knew that came to be true. I felt that I was a disappointment to you and myself."

"At yourself?"

"Yeah. Myself. I'm ridiculed when I'm not transformed and praised when I am. What would I do if the public were to find out that beneath Ladybug's mask, a girl who is deemed unstoppable and strong, was a weak girl who is bullied and dreams of being a fashion designer."

"I see. I suppose it would kinda be the same for me. When they see my real self, pretty much every girl dreams to date or marry me. When they see Chat, they just see Ladybug's partner."

"It could be worse, where one of us is really strong and the other is weak and is unable to do anything."

"I suppose."

I started to run off and hit Hawkmoth in the side, making him move slightly. More sturdy, I guess. Chat hit him in his side again with his shield, only resulting in a bent knee. Is he much stronger and durable with his upgraded miraculous? He had to be, not a single person could withstand something like that.

Hearing a beep, I noticed Queen Bee start to panic. Shoving her, I only had to nod to get her to go. The battle was getting harder as we got more tired. Running and summoning a pile of bricks, I tried to disorient him. But it didn't seem to work. 

"Ladybug! You are useless against me." Hawkmoth sneered and jeered, some cackling after the comment.

"And you are nothing but a greedy and cowardly human being. You want to change the world to your own image. All because you lost the thing you love most because of yourself; your wife." I replied, shining brighter than before.

"Not true."

"Then prove it." There it was, a giant ball of light that blinded him but not my friends.

They began to search for the miraculous while I stood and kept him blind. Chat found it and removed it from him. Right as he detransformed, Queen Bee returned. She stopped next to me, looking at Hawkmoth turning into Gabriel Agreste.

"So he's Hawkmoth, huh?" Queen Bee asked, and I only nodded. He laid on the ground, still blind and his hands trying to cover his eyes. 

When the light faded, he started to blink, lower his arm, and look around. Not soon after, Natalie came around. Both looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but they stopped eventually. So what to do now? Chat had both miraculouses, with their kwamis flying around and chasing each other. 

"So what now?" Volpina asked, stepping a bit forward.

"We return the miraculouses to the Guardian." I say, looking to Chat, "Only the ones we saved, so the pin and brooch. I have a feeling that this won't be the last we see of villains with miraculouses. Or villains in general."

"What about identities? Should we tell or show?" Queen Bee asked, glancing at us all.

"Let's have a group vote before any one of us detransform. I say yes." Chat spoke, finally entering the conversation.

"Yes." I spoke.

"Yes." Bee, after some time thinking, replied. 

"I don't see why not." Volpina shrugged. 

"On the count of three, we will detransform. Okay?" Chat spoke, getting nods as a response, "1...2...3...Claws in!"