The Price of One || Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

Chapter Three: A Slight Dilemma

Marinette had been paying attention to Emma’s every move since she first met her in the courtyard of Françoise Dupont High. There was something about Emma that Marinette couldn’t put her finger on. A familiarity that she had seen before, but couldn’t for the life of her recognize.

Adrien, however, did.

While his spring green eyes were focusing on his schoolwork, his mind was elsewhere - trying to figure out why Emma reminded him so much of his mother. Down to the way Emma walked with a lightness in her step, the way she kept her weight on her front foot, as if she were a bluebird perched upon her own feet.

Adrien had always wondered why his mother moved in such a unique way, but now he was grateful for it, because it caused him to remember Emilie a certain way. Seeing Emma, it was like his mother was back, standing across from him in that classroom.

Though he knew it was impossible for his mother to be raised back from the dead, he smiled at the idea of what Emma’s arrival could mean, and counted it as one of the ladybugs(aka blessings) in his life.  

Suddenly, a large ‘boom’ interrupted his train of thought, causing cracks to form in the drywall of the ceiling, dust raining down on the entire class as everyone began to panic. “Please remain calm!” Miss. Bustier exclaimed as Sabrina ran to the classroom door, but she struggled to pull it open.

“It’s stuck!” She exclaimed as everyone in the class gasped in horror. “Don’t worry - Ladybug will be here to save us!” Alya said confidently. Chloe scoffed. “That bug can’t do anything - we’re going to die! And even worse - my hair!” She shrieked. Marinette chuckled nervously, having similar thoughts as she ducked underneath her desk to talk with Tikki.

“How can Ladybug save us if Ladybug is also trapped?” She whispered urgently. Tikki looked back at Marinette with worried eyes. “You can’t let anyone else know your secret!” She warned as Marinette nodded. “You’re right. Let’s hope that alley cat gets here soon.”

Meanwhile, Adrien’s head was also ducked underneath his own desk, having a similar conversation with his kwami. “Plagg, what do we do? I can’t transform here!” He hissed as Plagg yawned. “Relax, kid. Ladybug will save us.” He said lazily, assuming it had been Marinette who had asked to use the restroom earlier.

As the minutes passed, Marinette was beginning to realize that Cat Noir wasn’t coming, or wasn’t going to be there in time, and it was going to be up to them to save themselves. She put on her brave-face - her inner-Ladybug coming out.

“Everyone! Get under your desks! They can protect us better if the ceiling comes down!” She exclaimed as the class nodded, scrambling to get themselves underneath the furniture when the door suddenly came off its hinges, revealing a super heroine that no one recognized.

She had baby pink hair tied back into space buns and she wore a black skin tight suit with a long piece of iridescent charcoal fabric that flowed to her waist, hung by a thick vermillion choker and a black mask to conceal her identity.

“Go! Now!” She exclaimed, ushering everyone out the door just in time. Just as the class had exited the building, the school crumbled down behind them, making everyone feel uneasy about how close of a call it had been.

The pink-haired heroine sighed in relief, turning back to ask if everyone was alright when a phone was shoved into her face, the arm connected to it belonging to none other than Alya Cesaire. “Who are you? What kind of miraculous do you have? Are you Ladybug and Cat Noir’s new partner?” Everyone was equally curious.

Cygnet’s face settled into a smile, and her bluebell eyes twinkled in amusement. “You can call me Cygnet. As for who I am...let’s just say I’m an old friend of Ladybug and Cat Noir’s.” And with a wink and a flip, she was gone.

“Whoa.” Nino said - still in shock. “Did...that just happen?” Marinette inhaled sharply. “Yep.” She squeaked. Ladybug definitely had more problems to deal with than just an akuma today.

- - -

“Pound it?” Ladybug asked, holding out a fist to do their traditional fist-bump after a job well done. Cat Noir didn’t smile, raising an eyebrow as he leaned against a lamp post - recently reconstructed by the miraculous ladybugs.

“Were you ever going to tell me that you gave out another miraculous?” He asked with a sigh. “I thought we agreed that we were going to decide on giving out the miraculouses together - as a team?”

“You heard about Cygnet?” She asked sheepishly as Cat Noir nodded, pushing himself off the pole as he stood up straight. “You know, you’re supposed to trust me. And I get that you’re not comfortable with us sharing our identities because Master Fu had always told us not to, but can you at least trust me with the non-identity related stuff?”

Ladybug frowned at the gathering crowd, gesturing for Cat Noir to follow her to a rooftop, where no cameras would follow them. “I didn’t give her a miraculous.” Ladybug admitted quietly once they were out of earshot.

“What?!” Cat Noir’s shock was instantaneous. “But I thought you were the guardian of the miraculouses.” Ladybug nodded. “I am. But the Black Swan miraculous wasn’t one of the ones Master Fu passed on to me. It was lost with the Butterfly and the Peacock.”

“Are you saying Cygnet is working for Hawk Moth?” Cat Noir asked as Ladybug shrugged. “Honestly? The Black Swan miraculous has always been a mystery to me. Master Fu never told me much about it, other than it was created by forces of evil - unlike ours. The Black Swan miraculous only choses holders it deems worthy, or it’ll kill them.”

“So an evil miraculous is in charge of picking its own holder?” Cat Noir checked. He shook his head. “Okay, is Cygnet a superhero or a supervillain? Didn’t she save that class at that school?” He asked, hoping it didn’t sound like he went to that school.

“She also lied about being an old friend.” Ladybug countered, raising an eyebrow at her partner. “Unless you’re familiar with her?”

Cat Noir raised his hands in defense. “I have no idea who she is. I’m just saying - can she really be that bad?”

Ladybug scoffed. “The Black Swan miraculous judges a person by their memories and inner thoughts and soul. It determines if he or she has been through dark enough events in their lifetime to be deemed worthy of wielding the Black Swan choker.” Her eyes darkened. “This person could be a crazed maniac, Cat Noir. We don’t know anything.”

“Exactly my point: we don’t know anything.” His eyes were pleading. “Look. Cygnet hasn’t done anything to prove that she isn’t on our side. My suggestion: we talk to her. See if she’s on our side.”

Ladybug frowned. “I don’t like this. She could be another Volpina.” Her face wrinkled in distaste. Lila Rossi was a permanent dot on Ladybug and Cat Noir’s radar after she had made it known that she was willing to do anything to get rid of Ladybug for good. So far, she had been quiet, but Ladybug knew it was only a matter of time before she striked again.

She looked back at Cat Noir. “Do you think Cygnet is Volpina? Another ploy of Lila’s?” Cat Noir shook his head. “Lila was in the class that Cygnet saved - two people can’t be in the same place.” He reasoned. Ladybug frowned. “Then who exactly is she?”