When morning came around, everyone came down to the kitchen for breakfast. Marinette took Alya aside and quietly told her about the conversations that she had with Twilight. Needless to say, she was not impressed with how Twilight’s friends had treated her, and she too decided to give the girls a piece of her mind at the first available opportunity.
“Just who do these girls think they are, ditching her when she needed them the most?” she viciously started as soon as the others were out of earshot. “If you ask me, their priorities were seriously messed up. Has Twilight sought therapy for this?”
“Well, she is going to Master Fu’s after this,” Marinette told her. “And I do believe that she has tried some therapy.”
“Therapy for what?” Applejack asked, curiously, having overheard what they were talking about. Marinette turned around, hardly believing that she dared ask.
“It’s best you didn’t know,” she answered, rather coolly. Beside her, Alya gave a curt, affirmative nod.
“Okay, then,” Applejack said uneasily. She finished her breakfast and left with the other girls to get dressed for the day.
“There’s one other thing we need to take care of,” Alya continued. “Chloe wants to help out at the dance later today, and given her current status among our peers, it may prove to be difficult. Have any ideas?”
Marinette paused to ponder this. At last, she snapped her fingers. “Alya, I think I know what we’re gonna do today!”
Twilight walked up the front steps to the shop with the address printed on the card. So this is where he can be found, she mused. She took a deep breath, then bravely knocked on the door. It opened, and a small, kindly, grandfatherly old man smiled back at her, accompanied by what Twilight assumed was another kwami, only this one was small, green, and turtle-like.
“Hello,” Twilight started, facing the old man. “I take it that you’re Master Fu?”
The old man smiled. “Yes. Yes I am. Come in, come in. I believe you came to me seeking guidance.”
Twilight blinked. “You do?”
“My dear, he can always sense when someone is in spiritual distress,” the turtle kwami said mysteriously.
“Indeed, Wayzz,” the old master agreed. “You have something on your mind; I can feel it. How about you step into my office?”
They entered the office. Twilight noticed a stack of old papers in front of one of the mats. She picked one of them up. The page depicted two alicorns locking horns over what appeared to be seven jewels. She turned the page, and the page now depicted six ponies who looked suspiciously like her and her friends, fighting off evil forces from every direction.
“These ponies look awfully familiar,” she said at last. “Are they supposed to be me and my friends?”
To her surprise, Master Fu smiled knowingly at her.
“Indeed they are, Twilight Sparkle,” he said at last, motioning for Twilight sat down on the mat. “In fact, I’d say that our dimensions are more connected than you imagine.”
“Really?” Twilight sat down, now curious. “How so?”
“Well,” the kwami called Wayzz started, “it all started many millennia ago, in the era before the ones you refer to as Celestia and Luna. Long ago, there were two alicorn brothers: Gabel, the Great Creator, and his brother, Bane. They were responsible for creating the world that you call Equestria. One day, Gabel had this great idea: with the help of some Equestrian fairies who would later become the kwamis, he and his brother took seven ordinary jewels and infused them with Equestrian magic, and Gable declared that the Miraculouses were to be used to benefit the future inhabitants of the land, and that any attempt to do so otherwise would bring harm to the wearers.
“But his brother, alas, felt that using the Miraculouses for good was a waste of their true potential, but his brother would hear nothing of what Bane had to say, so Bane decided to get his revenge. He spent many hours in his dark celestial workshop creating creatures of evil to undermine him. After many unsuccessful attempts, he finally succeeded in making one: the one you call Discord. He then proceeded to unleash Discord’s chaos throughout the land, causing endless suffering. ”
“So you’re saying,” Twilight was saying, “that Discord was created as a tool of Bane to spite the great creator?”
Master Fu nodded. “It would seem that way. Fortunately, Gabel wised up to his brother’s plans, and, with the fairies’ help, cast a spell on Discord to put him out of commission for a very, very long time. Needless to say, Bane was furious. He immediately engaged his former best friend in a very violent battle that took them across several dimensions, until they finally ended up in a vast plain with a very large rock. Using the limited strength he had left, Gabel fused his brother’s essence into the stone. Realizing that his plans would not be enacted until much later, Bane swore to his brother that there would always be people would misuse the Miraculouses for evil, and that one day, in the distant future, he would be released from his stony prison and take revenge on him. Fearing the worst, Gabel used up whatever strength he had left to banish the Miraculouses to another part of the dimension where he had imprisoned his evil brother, the land which is now referred to as China.”
Twilight paused. “Wow,” she said at last. “I never knew that our worlds were so . . . connected.”
The old master nodded. “Indeed they are. Now, what seems to be the problem?”
And so, Twilight told him everything that was on her mind. Master Fu and Wayzz listened in sympathy. At last, Wayzz said, “We believe that the treatment you are about to undergo will ease some of your pain. It’s kinda like acupuncture, only without the pain. Understood?”
Twilight nodded. She lay down on the mat and closed her eyes as Master Fu waved his hands over her . . .
And before she knew it, she was back at the Royal Wedding, right after she had chased the impostor out crying. Shining Armor was pacing angrily back and forth in front of her, furious over what she had done.
“You want to know why my eyes went all-?” He googled his eyes at her in the exact same manner that she did. “Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines. Cadence hasn't been casting spells on me. She's been using her magic to heal me! And she decided to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so that they could meet Canterlot royalty! And if she hasn't been on her best behavior with your friends, it's because with me being so busy, she's had to make all the decisions about the wedding!"
Twilight opened her mouth, trying to get in a word edgewise against her brother. “I was just trying to-“
But Shining Armor plowed ahead with his tirade, not even bothering to listen to what she had to say. “She's been completely stressed out because it's really important to her that our big day be perfect!” He fixed his sister with an angry glare. “Something that obviously wasn't important to you!”
Twilight flashed him a dumbstruck look. Of course it was important to her! Why did they think she tried to scare “Cadence” off? Did they think she did that out of spite and hatred? But before she could defend herself, Shining Armor cut her off.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride.” He stormed off after his fiancée, but not before turning back to her and saying, an icy tone in his voice, “And you can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t show up to the wedding at all.”
Twilight stared back at him, open-mouthed. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was trying to prevent a disaster from happening, and this was the thanks she was getting? As her brother walked out of the room, she turned to her friends. After all, she could always count on them to stand by her.
How very wrong she was.
Applejack turned to the rest of her friends. “Come on, y’all,” she said in very matter-of-fact tone, “let’s go check on the princess.” And with that, the rest of her friends, Spike included, followed Shining Armor out of the throne room without looking back at her.
Twilight stared at the scene in disbelief. These couldn’t be the ponies who promised that they would always take her concerns seriously, could they? Did they not realize that trouble was brewing right under their very noses? At last, Princess Celestia followed them. This was her last chance to tell Celestia and hopefully set things right. Surely she would listen to common sense.
But then, Celestia said seven words that changed everything.
“You have a lot to think about.”
She might as well have said, “I hate you.” Twilight felt her heart grow as cold as ice, and tears threatened to spill out of her eyes, as she watched her mentor walk out of the empty room and close the door behind her with her magic, not bothering to look back even once.
Twilight stirred a bit in discomfort. Master Fu looked on the scene, looking at her with sympathy.
“Yes,” he said knowingly. “I sense a lot of twisted-up energy inside you, my child. Hurt. Pain. Loss. Betrayal. You really have been through a lot, haven’t you?”
“That isn’t the half of it,” Twilight muttered under her breath, her eyes still closed. “It only got worse from there. Do you mind exploring that part?”
Master Fu and Wayzz looked at each other. At last, the old master instructed, “Take a deep breath.”
Twilight breathed deeply once.
“And relaaaaaaaaax…”
Twilight woke up in a dark room, lit by only the light of her horn. She focused her eyes on her new surroundings. Where was she?
“Hello?” she asked nervously, trying to find an exit. “Is anyone there?” She walked straight into a reflective crystal, while low, menacing laughter echoed all around. “Where am I?”
Then out of nowhere, the green image of the fake Cadence appeared behind her, a sadistic grin on her face. “The caves beneath Canterlot,” she smugly answered. “Once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems that could be found inside”-her image disappeared from the crystal’s surface-“and now, your prison.” She reappeared in front of Twilight on another crystal, the evil grin still intact on her face.
Twilight’s heart began to race. “Help! Help!” she cried.
The impostor’s face disappeared from the crystal as her evil laughter echoed throughout the cavern. “It’s no use,” she declared as her image reappeared on the stones beside her. “No one can hear you and no one will think to look for you either.” Her image moved to another set of crystals. “Most ponies had forgotten these caves even exist, which is why they are the ideal place to keep the ones who try to interfere with my plans.” She laughed maniacally.
“Plans?” Twilight asked, confused. “What plans?”
The impostor looked at her in surprise. “The plans I have for your brother, of course,” she said at last.
Twilight’s horn lit up as her magic grew stronger in her rage. “Don’t you dare do anything to my brother, you…you MONSTER!” she declared.
“Only way to stop me is to catch me,” the impostor taunted. Her image disappeared from the crystal slab, and her laughter echoed all around. Twilight turned around to see that the impostor Cadence had reappeared on a crystal slab behind her. Boiling with rage, she fired a beam of magic at her, who disappeared. The beam ricocheted off the slab and all around the cave, just barely missing her.
“Nope,” the impostor’s image taunted from the cave floor, then teleported behind her, “over here!” She laughed as her image teleported all around the cave. Twilight fired multiple blasts of magic all around, destroying multiple crystals in the process. At last, one of the blasts broke open a section of the cave wall, and next thing she knew, there was the impostor Cadence, albeit more dirty and ragged than she remembered. As the laughter continued, the second Cadence looked on in shock and surprise at Twilight, who glared angrily at her, horn lit.
“NO!” the Cadence screamed, as Twilight rushed her.
Twilight woke with a jolt, breathing heavily. She had been forced to re-experience the time she had almost attacked the real Cadence, mistaking her for the impostor. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She turned to Master Fu. “Can I please take a break from this?” she wearily asked.
“If you insist, my child,” Master Fu said sympathetically. With that, Twilight struggled to get up and went out into the lobby for a drink.
As this was the last day before the dance, the school day was shortened by half. A lot of the students were doing last minute checking, making sure that everything was perfect for the dance tomorrow. Marinette, Adrien, and Alya were in a corner of the school, helping Twilight’s friends inspect the decorations and the food. Alya suddenly elbowed Marinette, then jerked at the entrance door with her thumb without saying a word. There stood Chloe, who was looking visibly uneasy as the entire student body glared at her viciously. Almost immediately, she heard whispers break out like little hissing snakes.
“What is she doing here?”
“Why is she here to begin with?”
“Doesn’t she have anything better to do?”
“She’d better not screw all our hard work up!”
Chloe was getting nervous. She knew that the eyes of the school were watching her, judging her. She felt that it would be best to move to the corner where she would be in the company of people she knew she could trust.
“Don’t worry,” Marinette quietly assured her. “As long as you don’t screw up, they won’t have anything to hold against you.” She, Marinette, got the feeling that a good fraction of the students were now disappointed in her and the others for fraternizing with someone who caused them a great deal of grief in the past.
“I hope so,” Chloe muttered to herself. She leaned back against the wall, impatiently tapping her foot with boredom. Just then, she saw something black and about the size of a tennis ball whiz under one of the tables, eating something.
“Hey!” she hissed. “What do you think you’re doing?” The creature did not answer, but continued chewing on the food it was eating. Chloe tiptoed quietly up to the creature and cupped it with both her hands, only to find that it was . . .
“Plagg?” she whispered, confused. “What are you doing?”
“What do you think?” he asked, smirking a little. “You didn’t think I was up to any mischief, did you?”
Chloe sighed. “Come now, let’s get you back to Adrien.” She got up, unintentionally shifting the table and tipping it over as she did so.
BANG!
The whole table was upended, spilling all of the food onto the floor. Everyone turned toward the source of the commotion. Mrs. Bustier, who had watched the whole thing, was writing something on her clipboard in disapproval. A sea of angry students stared back at Chloe, who stole a glance at the mess she had accidentally created and cringed. She had not meant to do that.
“Now that’s the bad girl we love to hate!” Kim called from the back of the crowd while pointing a finger at Chloe, an extremely smug grin on his face. A roar of approval met his words. Chloe felt her blood boil and her heart race as she shot a hateful look at Kim.
“I knew she was still trouble!” Aurore Boreal screamed.
“The real Chloe Bourgeois is back!” chimed in a third female voice.
Chloe clenched her head, trying to drown out the boos and shouts and headed her way. “No,” she muttered in a sad, defeated tone. “No, she isn’t.” She shuffled into the classroom, the rest of the group following her, as the students started throwing empty soda cans and other bits of trash at her.
When Twilight come back from her drink, she lay down once again on the mat so that she could hopefully overcome her final trial. She took a deep breath, then relaxed, letting her mind wander . . .
Sometime after the reception had ended, the newlyweds, Celestia, and the other Elements, sans Twilight, were in the castle hall, still in a good mood from the success of the wedding. All of a sudden, the door to the Great Hall opened for the third time that day, and in sulked Twilight, who was obviously still bitter over what had happened. The laughter and chattering died down almost instantly upon her arrival. Twilight walked past the group, ignoring them, then stopped in front of Celestia’s throne.
“Twilight,” Celestia started, concern in her voice, “are you okay?”
Twilight turned around, unsure of what to say. “No,” she responded at last. “I mean . . . given everything that had happened …”
Applejack sighed. “Look, Twilight, we git that yah might be sore with us, but the least yah could’ve done is at least gather more that it really was the Changeling Queen posing as Cadence.”
“Could I have though?” Twilight asked. “I mean, given the circumstances, would it have been possible?”
“Twilight,” Cadence asked, “what are you talking?”
Twilight sighed. “You know how I was able to find you a while back, Cadence? Well, the only reason I was able to do that was because the Changeling Queen sent me down here after everyone had gone away.”
“Everypony went away?” Cadence asked, confused. “Why is that?”
Shining Armor sighed. There was no point in hiding it any longer. “Cadence, there’s something I have to tell you. During my dress rehearsal, Twily burst in and started rambling about how you were evil and had done some sort of brainwashing spell to me. That was enough to get your doppelganger crying, and I had no idea what was going on, so I …. kicked her out of the wedding.” He said these last six words as if it had pained him greatly to do so.
Silence. No one said anything. Cadence stared at her husband rather painfully.
“Is this true, Shining?” she asked in a serious voice. “Is it true that you and everypony else abandoned her when she needed you the most?”
“Well . . .” Shining Armor started nervously. How was he supposed to explain to his wife that he had been tricked?
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Cadence continued. “Not one of you bothered to look for her? What did you think would have happened to her if she hadn’t been able to find me?”
“We didn’t want her to die!” Celestia protested. “None of us did!”
“Besides,” Applejack protested, “she wasn’ exactly innocent herself! Yah heard what Shining said about Twilight! She came banging in, hollering and screamin’ as if she had gone loco in the coco! Are yah suggestin’ we should have applauded that kind of behavior?”
"Technically it wasn't his fault…." Rarity added, stepping in for him. "Shining Armor was under a spell at the time, he didn't have any choice in the matter. Not to mention we didn't exactly have a reason not to comfort her…"
“What about the rest of you?” Twilight asked. “You all left without a second thought! Do you know how much that hurt?!”
“So rushing into the throne room screaming “she's evil, she's evil, she's evil!” was the smarter option? Because for the smartest mare out of all of us, that seems like something Pinkie or me would do… ” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, ignoring Pinkie's outcry of “hey!”. “...and the fact that I'm admitting that says a lot… look...” she continued as she landed next to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “We all feel like total idiots for falling for Chrysalis' trick. Even worse than within when Discord turned us against each other, but put yourself in our horseshoes, we didn't have anything to go on a side from your word that she was evil… are you saying we should have just applauded you after you sent her crying out of the throne room?”
“Well, it’s partly our fault as well,” Spike admitted. “After all, didn’t we promise that we would take her concerns seriously a while back?”
The other ponies nodded a little; they knew that Spike was referring to the incident they had so famously dubbed “Lesson Zero”. A few of them even had guilty faces to match.
“I’m disappointed in you, Shining Armor,” Cadence shook her head in disapproval. “In fact, I’m disappointed in all of you! What the hay were you thinking, leaving her like she meant nothing to you? Do you realize that if she hadn’t found me and escaped, we both could have died? How would you have felt then?”
Applejack sighed as she stepped in. “Look, we git that yah might be sore with us, but the least Twilight could’ve done is at least gather more evidence that it really was the Changeling Queen posing as yah.”
“I know that!” Twilight yelled. “I understand that I needed proof, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that I’m your friend; I at least expected that my credibility as such would’ve at least warranted you to take a second look at the false Cadence in addition to the fact that I’ve known her longer than any of you. Come on, Applejack, did I ever foal around when the fate of Equestria was in my hooves?”
Applejack opened her to respond to her question, but then realized that she had a pretty good point. For all the hollering and yelling, Twilight always had the interests of Equestria at heart. And she had to admit that the she and the other ponies didn’t exactly raise awareness about “Cadence’s” attitude toward them, and at the very least could’ve given her the benefit of the doubt.
“Look,” Celestia started wearily, “we’ve all been through a lot. And we’re obviously still on edge from what the Changeling Queen has enacted on us. I suggest we all put this nasty incident behind.”
Twilight snorted. “Good luck with that,” she snarked. She felt that hosting a wedding during a time when national security was at stake was an idiot move on Celestia’s part on so many levels. If that never happened, they wouldn’t even having this discussion to begin with. And look where her mentor’s “wisdom” had gotten her.
Cadence sighed. It was clear that she was now disappointed in these girls for abandoning their friend in her time of need.
“You really do have a lot to think about,” Twilight muttered under her breath, glaring at Celestia.
Later that day, the train ride back to Ponyville was awfully quiet, with neither of the other Elements racking up enough courage to talk to Twilight. As much as they knew that Twilight should have gathered more evidence, they should have at least taken her concerns seriously. They all felt awful that they abandoned her for someone they knew for only a day or so. Indeed, no one was taking this more seriously than Rainbow Dash, because her actions have put her Element in even bigger doubt than any of the others.
The only question now was whether Twilight will eventually forgive them in the end.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes, moaning a little. She had been forced to relive the whole scenario in her mind, and she did not like it one bit. Master Fu looked at her expectantly.
“Well?” he asked. “How do you feel?”
“I feel . . . better,” she told him. This was partly a lie; while she was able to release some of the trauma, the painful memories still lingered in her mind. She got up and turned back to face him. “Thanks for your help . . . I guess.” She made to leave, closing the door as she did so.
“Her troubles aren’t over, are they, master?” Wayzz asked Master Fu uncertainly.
“No, I fear they have only just begun,” Master Fu answered his kwami with an equally worrisome look.
The group entered a secluded classroom to get away from the hostile mob that had congregated outside. Chloe gulped; she knew she was in for it now for screwing up the hard work which they had worked on this past week. Indeed, everyone was staring back at her with murderous looks in their eyes.
“What was that?” Adrien asked, evidently displeased.
“I thought your kwami was up to no good!” Chloe protested. “I-I didn’t know what to do!”
“Let’s think, shall we?” Adrien asked in mock puzzlement. “How about letting me know exactly what was going on with Plagg?”
Chloe opened her mouth, then realized that Adrien had a point. The prudent thing was to have let Adrien know exactly what his kwami was up to. Besides, it turned out that Plagg really wasn’t doing anything suspicious, which meant that she had embarrassed herself and the others all for nothing.
“I can’t believe that they’re mad at us just for being her vicinity,” Fluttershy lamented.
“That’s what you guys get for associating yourself with the school’s bad seed,” drawled a new, female voice. Everyone turned to see that a new girl was standing in the doorway, looking about as smug as Kim did when he publicly ridiculed Chloe. She had tan skin and olive green eyes, with long, chestnut hair in bangs, which were loosely tied on the bottom and had shorter strands on each side of her head with orange bands. She was wearing a red-orange jacket over a dark gray romper that tiny white spots, along with light gray tights and brown high heel boots.
“Like you’re any better, Lila?” Marinette snapped.
“Oh please,” Lila said, getting up way too close in Marinette’s face, “just because you’re a world-famous superhero now doesn’t mean that you have to tell me what I can and can’t do.”
Sweet Celestia, I hate this girl, Sunset thought to herself. I hope I wasn’t this awful.
“So what?” Rainbow Dash was practically yelling. “You’re not even giving her a chance to prove herself! Anypony can change, they just need to be given a chance to do so!”
Lila gave a mocking laugh. “Have you even heard of what this girl has done? From what I’ve gathered, she’s responsible for the majority of akuma attacks that have happened in Paris! It’s amazing she and her father didn’t get run out of town on a rail yet!”
Chloe seethed at Lila. If that brat said one more word against her . . .
“Really,” Marinette shot back. “At least Chloe is trying to make an effort to become better. You, on the other hand? You’re still that obnoxious, sneaky, and deceitful snob who refuses to learn her lesson when the situation calls for it!” Chloe shot Marinette a grateful look.
“My, my, and just when I thought you couldn’t any lower,” Lila flashed Marinette a deceitful smile. “I can assure you, I loved seeing all of you humiliated. I especially loved the part where Chloe Bourgeois, in a fit of boiling rage, toppled over the table with the treats for the dance!”
“IT WASN’T A FIT OF BOILING RAGE!” Chloe shouted, then, rather embarrassed, turned to the others, who were now looking away, looking as though they didn’t want to be caught up in this.
“If you insist,” Lila sarcastically agreed, admiring her nails. “But if you ask me, you’re doing your friend’s reputation a grave disservice by associating with her.”
“Lila,” Adrien growled, “how about you do us a favor and leave us alone before I’m tempted to do something awful to you?”
“All you had to do was ask,” Lila mocking smiled, putting up a fake gesture of surrender. “See ya two freaks around.” She turned and left through the entrance, flipping her hair as she did so.
“Honestly,” Rarity said, looking contemptuously after Lila, “that girl needs to learn some manners!”
Marinette nodded in agreement. It appeared that Lila would taking over Chloe’s role of the resident school bully.
“Now what are we supposed to do?” Tikki asked sadly.
“I don’t know,” Alya said sadly. “I think it’s best that we-“
But she never got to complete her sentence, for a new voice from the doorway interrupted her.
“Care to explain what you girls are doing with her?”
Everyone turned around. There was Sabrina, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed in disapproval, staring coldly back at them. Almost immediately, Marinette started feel guilty. She had spent so much time with Chloe that she had completely forgotten about Sabrina.
“Sabrina, I-” she started, but Sabrina cut her off.
“Don’t try to fool me,” the girl snapped. “I saw both of you hanging out with her earlier. Why would you do something like that when it’s been established that she only thinks of herself?”
“You haven’t been around her much, have you?” Alya asked her. “We have, and we can tell you for certain that isn’t the case anymore! It’s like Dash said, anyone can change, they just need to be given a chance to do so!”
Silence. Nobody said anything at all. At last, Alya spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Sabrina,” she said. “But Chloe’s our friend now.”
Sabrina blinked back at her, her expression now one of cold, restrained fury. “So was I,” she spat, then turned around and disappeared. For some reason, both Marinette and Alya felt terrible about this. After all, didn’t they promise to be Sabrina first real friends? And now, she felt that they were treating just like Chloe did before she came to her senses.
“Let’s go,” Plagg said sadly. “Looks like we’re not wanted here.”
And with that, the group made its way out of the school, heads facing down in sadness, as the students yelled and jeered at them and a few pieces of trash flew their way.
Back at Master Fu’s place, Wayzz suddenly got a chill over him, a cold that was much stronger than the icy sensation he had felt a while back.
“M-master,” he shuddered. “It’s back. The cold. And much stronger than before.”
Master Fu paused in consideration, concerned. It was clear that the danger was closing in, and he knew exactly who was coming back. He turned and collected the remaining Miraculouses from his chest.
“What are you doing?” Wayzz asked curiously.
“Putting the rest of these Miraculouses in safe hands,” Master Fu said simply. “If it is true that he is back, then it is imperative that we keep them out of his reach, especially this one.” He pointed to the purple brooch lying in its section of the chest.
“But master, the only one who is worthy to bear this Miraculous lives on the other side of the world,” Wayzz pointed out. “Not to mention that it’s the dead of night there. What should we do?”
Master Fu paused, in deep contemplation. At last, he came to a decision.
“Call Gabriel Agreste,” Master Fu said at last, eyeing the Peacock Miraculous. “We need to make some important drop-offs.”
Later that day, Master Fu and Wayzz were at the steps of the Agreste mansion, in the process of handing over the Peacock Miraculous to Gabriel.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to take care of this, however much heartache it may have reminded you of,” Wayzz thanked him.
“It is my pleasure,” Gabriel smiled a little. “If my brother has indeed returned, then I’ll do everything I can to stop him or at least slow him down.”
“If indeed it is a false alarm,” Master Fu informed him, “then we’ll be sure to come back to recollect. Have a good day.” As soon as the doors slammed, they turned around and went down the steps and through the front lawn. The old master turned his attention to the purple Miraculous in his hands. Now there was just the matter of making sure that Ladybug kept the Brooch safe for him; if she could take good care of Tikki, then she could certainly do so for Nooroo.
“Master! I-“
But Wayzz never got to complete his sentence, for after uttering these two words, he dropped to the concrete pavement, passed out. Master Fu picked up his kwami and examined him. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a relatively miniature dart sticking out from his neck. His eyes widened in fear; he realized that his worst nightmare was about to come true.
But before he could make a move, a small handkerchief fell and landed in front of him. Master Fu picked up the handkerchief and sniffed it. The smell instantly knocked him out, and he fell to the ground, his head throbbing in pain. The comb and the fox necklace scattered to the ground, but the old master took care to make sure that the brooch was safe at all costs. Just then, a shadow appeared and inched its way closer to him until finally, it stopped right in front of him. At the same time, the master’s eyelids started to droop heavily. He fought to stay awake, but the effort was ultimately futile. The last thing the old man could see weakly as he felt an intense sleep wash over him was the dark silhouette of a man reaching toward the purple Miraculous in his arm. He tried to protect it, but it was useless, as his eyelids slid shut and he lay on the floor, helpless and unable to do anything.
In an isolated tower overlooking the rest of the city, a swarm of butterflies, which had hitherto remained inert, scattered instantly with the accompaniment of the sound a door opening and slamming shut. Amidst the frenzied flying insects, a man with a cold, calm sense of purpose strode through carrying the object which was rightfully his in his right hand. After so long, he was about to fulfill the promise that he had delivered to those wretched teenagers. If only Ludo could see him now . . . he wondered how he was doing.
But there were more important matters to attend to. He could never go back to his old hideout; that place had officially been compromised. Until he found a more suitable arrangement, this would have to do. He glanced down at the small purple brooch that he had recovered. To think this had been the instrument of his downfall two months ago. . . An amused grin curled up on his face. He promised himself that he would have his revenge on the boy for doing this to him . . . but that was a problem for another day. He fastened the Miraculous onto his shirt and spoke the four magic words.
“Nooroo, Dark Wings, rise!”
The swarm rushed him and he felt Nooroo forcibly enter his Miraculous. The jewel glowed, and then the butterflies dispersed. He checked his appearance in a nearby mirror. A man with in a purple-and-black outfit wearing a silver mask stared back at him. A victorious grin appeared on his face.
It felt so good to be back.