Once upon a time, in the vibrant city of Paris, a girl named Marinette found herself finally free from the tangled web of struggles that had consumed her life for far too long. By the constant presence of Chat Noir, a fellow superhero and her partner in the ongoing battle against evil. Chat Noir had harboured romantic feelings for his can-do-no-wrong Ladybug, and his advances had increased.
But no more. After years of enduring Chat Noir's advances and his misguided attempts at courtship, she had finally lost her patience and had revoke his rights as her partner. She had grown tired of his relentless pursuit and his inability to understand her boundaries.
It all began when Ladybug refused to go out on a date with Chat Noir, believing that their focus should remain on protecting the city from the nefarious Shadowmoth and his army of akumatized villains. Chat Noir, however, took offense at her rejection and decided to stop showing up for battles, leaving Ladybug to face the threats alone.
Little did Chat Noir know, she had always suspected his true identity. She had seen through his mask and recognized him as Adrien Agreste, a wealthy and privileged prat from her school. Their partnership as Ladybug and Chat Noir had been a complicated dance, with Adrien's dual personas intertwining and causing a myriad of emotional turmoil for Ladybug.
It wasn't long before a new threat emerged in the form of Lila, a conniving classmate who began spreading lies about Marinette, painting her as a bully. To her dismay, Adrien did not stand up for her, proving his spine was indeed made of rubber. This betrayal only fueled her frustration and solidified her decision to sever ties with Chat Noir.
As the battles against Shadowmoth continued, she found herself surprisingly capable of defeating him without Chat Noir's presence. Her intuition and strategic thinking allowed her to outsmart the villain, and with each victory, her confidence grew. She realized that she didn't need Chat Noir to validate her skills as a hero; she had the strength and determination to protect her city on her own.
Marinette's triumph over Shadowmoth not only proved her capabilities but also unveiled a newfound sense of freedom and liberation. She was no longer bound by the constraints of Chat Noir's advances and emotional control. She could finally focus on her own growth and happiness.
At the age of 15, Marinette had been battling Hawkmoth, now Shadowmoth, for three long years. As the guardian of 17 magical gods, she was constantly under immense stress. However, everything changed in her life nine months into her guardianship, and it all began with an encounter involving Lila and a near akumatization.
One day, Marinette entered the classroom after lunch, just as the bell rang. Surprisingly, her classmates had taken their seats and weren't surrounding Lila for once. Yet, a terrible feeling welled up inside her as she made her way to her seat at the back of the room. As she arrived, she discovered her sketchbook torn into shreds, scattered across her desk. In that moment, Marinette was consumed by a fierce and uncontrolled anger, thinking, "How could they?"
The entire class erupted in laughter, taunting her mercilessly.
"That'll teach her a lesson!"
"That's what you get for bullying Lila!"
"Oh, look, the little baby's about to cry!"
Amidst the chorus of jeers, Marinette tried to block out their hurtful words, attempting to regain control of her emotions. However, it was too late. She spotted the butterfly landing on her bag, signaling the presence of Shadowmoth.
"Princess Justice..." the villain began, but Marinette was already reaching for her bag.
"Not today, Hawkbitch! You will not transform me into one of your fashion disasters. I am nothing like those whiny, childish brats in this class that you akumatize on a near-weekly basis. I am Marinette fucking Dupain-Cheng, and you are not welcome here! Now, get the hell out of my head. You better pray to whatever god you believe in that you can control me, because if you give me even an ounce of power, I will hunt you down and tear you limb by limb!" Marinette screamed, her lungs burning with the intensity of her outburst.
Just as the akuma was about to fly away, she swiftly grabbed it from the air, squishing it. She turned around to face her shocked classmates, noticing Alya with her phone out, presumably recording the whole incident, including the destruction of her sketchbook. Feeling a wave of anger and betrayal, she hastily gathered her belongings and headed home.
Upon reaching the side door of the bakery, Marinette made her way to her room. Lila had managed to manipulateTom and Sabine, causing them to give her the cold shoulder and treat her as a disappointment. Marinette couldn't help but find humour in their accusations, considering they hadn't been actively involved in her upbringing at all, wonder what Bruce would do if he found out? Yeah she'll think 'bout that later. Their devotion to the bakery had always taken precedence over their relationship with her. Although Marinette had loved them dearly, everything changed when she discovered something disturbing while going through the bakery's accounts records.
As she examined the records, Marinette noticed a regular monthly money transfer of 20,000 euros that started around four months after she began school. What puzzled her was the lack of a reference for the transfer, as her hosts were meticulous in keeping detailed records. The date of the first transfer coincided with the time she started experiencing a familiar feeling, a warning of impending danger she had learned not to ignore after becoming the Guardian. This feeling had led her to become cautious, and she decided not to confront her parents about the mysterious transfers.
Instead, Marinette hatched a plan. Knowing that her parents never deleted their emails, she logged into the bakery's business email account. After scrolling for a while, she finally found the emails she was looking for. As she read through them, the shocking truth hit her like a ton of bricks, causing her to rush to the bathroom, feeling nauseated.
The monthly transfers were bribes they had been accepting bribes from the mayor. They had essentially sold her out to protect Chloe and ensure that Marinette would serve as Chloe's punching bag. If Marinette fought back, they would punish her and ensure she remained passive in the face of bullying. They would not report Chloe to the school or the school board, and in return, the mayor would provide them with a monthly stipend, promote their business, and use their bakery for city functions. Everything suddenly started to make sense to Marinette.
Marinette's perception of them shattered that day. She realised they had only spent time with her when it was convenient for them, always prioritising the bakery over her. They guilt-tripped her into doing things like babysitting and helping others without compensation, forcing her to work long hours in the bakery even when she had homework to complete. They had conditioned her to be the class "example" and punished her if she didn't conform. The realisation dawned on her that they had orchestrated her suffering, allowing Chloe's bullying to continue unchecked.
Feeling betrayed and hurt, Marinette considered the option of emancipation. She forwarded the emails to herself as evidence for later use. She had stripped her room of pictures of her classmates, including Adrien a long time ago, replacing them with images of her true friends, Kagami and Luka. Her crush on Adrien had slowly died when he failed to see the harm in Lila's lies and the danger they posed. He only took action when his own friends were affected, and Marinette realised he no longer needed her as a connection to the rest of the class.
Recalling a conversation she overheard between Adrien and Nino, where Adrien admitted knowing about her crush and using it to manipulate her, Marinette buried
her feelings for him once and for all. She also stopped trying to salvage her friendships with her classmates.
Exhausted and emotionally drained, Marinette collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep, reminding herself that she had scanned her designs weekly and had only lost a maximum of two days' worth of work. Unbeknownst to her, Tikki, after ensuring Marinette was asleep, informed the other Kwamis about the day's events and their guardian's state of mind. They unanimously agreed that it was time to intervene and help their guardian escape the toxic environment she had been trapped in.
As Marinette slept, unaware of the impending changes, her Ladybug instincts signalled a significant shift on the horizon.
Marinette awoke staring up at the skylight, eyes meeting the full moon. Looking over at her clock it read 22:00, ooh she'd missed dinner. Shaking herself out of the sleepiness she decided to go for a run
"Tikki, let's go out for a bit and pick up take out on the way back"
"Of course marinette " replied the kwami shooting over from her little bed marinette had made for her on the nearest shelf.
Ladybug swung across Paris skyline remembering the day's events, stopping at a little shop that did the best chips, cheese and donner she had tried. It was one of the better new foods she tried since Tom and Sabine put locks on the kitchen cabinets so she couldn't make anything for herself. Sitting on a random building she watched the stars, deciding that it was time for both her civilian and hero life to change.
Meanwhile in Gotham City, New Jersey, U.S.A., North America
Hood- What do you mean you sent her away?!
Batman- I had to after what happened with you and Joker it was not safe for her
Hood- You at least explained to her right?
Batman-...
Hood- You are making it really hard for me to not tear you apart.
Nightwing- That's what I said
Hood- You are serious?! Bruce!!!
Batman- I HAD TO! You think I enjoy seeing my children being killed?!
Nightwing- BUT WHAT YOU DID WAS WRONG!
Batman- I HAVE DONE ENOUGH WRONGS TO LAST ME 3 LIFETIMES! I KNOW!
Hood- You are going to regret this old man, u can't keep her away forever.
Back in Paris, France, Europe
Marinette returned to her bedroom just after 1 am, fueled by a mission. She swiftly opened her wardrobe and threw a suitcase onto her bed. With determination, she began emptying her drawers, carefully selecting her favourite outfits. In just an hour, the suitcase was filled to the brim. Pausing briefly, she reached for her diary box, initiating her transformation. Then, she moved to her desk and opened the last drawer, removing sewing supplies and books. A pen in hand, she tapped the back left corner of the drawer, causing a hidden compartment to reveal itself with a subtle clinking sound. Marinette retrieved potions, herbs, completed power-ups, and a translated version of the grimoire. She had painstakingly translated over half of the book using Master Fu's notes and teachings, unravelling most of the riddles regarding ingredients. Placing everything securely into her YoYo's sub-space storage, she felt ready.
On her computer, she accessed her email and opened the draft titled "Emancipation." Her hand hesitated over the send button as she pondered the revelations she had uncovered in recent months and how she had been treated. Gathering her resolve, she pressed send without hesitation. The confirmation beep echoed, and Marinette accessed the computer settings, selecting "restore to factory settings". As a precaution, she had stored all miraculous and Hawk Moth-related information on a ghost drive, along with a copy of the regular drive, in case her parents or anyone else went snooping. After double-checking that she had everything, she pressed the restore button.