Miraculous Equestria Girls
Chapter 6
The Bubbler
A couple of weeks later, after that first big mission and when she and her best friends took on the heroic responsibilities of the Ladybug, Twilight was fast asleep on her bed, with the little Kwami Tikki snoozing on top of her stomach. On the subject of the Ladybug responsibilities, Twilight had on the earrings that can transform her into Princess Ladybug.
They had already decided that every week, with each of their Black Cat partners, they would make their weekly shifts with their Miraculouses, so that each duo would be working with their respective partner, whether they were doing patrol or fighting a new supervillain.
The alarm on Twilight's phone suddenly went off, startling both of them wide awake. Twilight smiled brightly as she threw off her covers and went over to her computer desk. She turned it and it showed a background of her and her friends: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Sunset Shimmer.
She then went to her yearbook that was on her desk and opened it to the section where the picture of Flash Sentry was. Hearts started popping around the girl's head. "Happy birthday, Flash." She swooned with a blissful grin. Tikki only shook her head with a smile.
Meanwhile, over at his own house in the heart of the city, in one of the more wealthy districts, the birthday boy in question was already dressed in his usual clothes, just finishing brushing his teeth.
"Happy birthday, Flash!" Plagg came up to him, holding a small chunk of Camembert in his paws. The smelly cheese had a tiny red ribbon wrapped around it.
Flash turned up his nose at the stench. "Aw, Plagg!" He exclaimed, holding his nose. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but please get that filthy piece of Camembert out of my face!"
Plagg shrugged, and ate the cheese, ribbon and all, in one bite. Flash rolled his eyes, but had a tiny smile on his face, knowing that the sarcastic and cheese-loving Kwami does have a soft spot for him and his best friends that share his responsibilities of the Black Cat.
A few minutes later, back at Twilight's house, with Tikki hiding in one of the side pouches of her backpack, Twilight was quietly sneaking down the stairs with a small flat box in her hands. It was wrapped in blue paper with a yellow ribbon and bow tied around it. Yesterday, Twilight had finished her present for Flash: a handmade compass with his signature shield and lightning bolt in the center of it. However, it was worn on the wrist like a watch, and with a push of a button on the side, it can change into a digital watch.
The reason why she was trying to sneak downstairs was because she wanted to avoid her parents' relentless teasing and coddling of her. She loved them, but when they discovered that their baby girl had her first real crush, Flash Sentry, they would always find a chance to tease her about it. Shining Armor, her older brother by blood, however, wasn't that excited that his baby sister was growing up, but didn't interfere, because he himself was married to his true love and just recently had a little girl that he now has to take care of.
Also, Spike would try to tell her that she has to be confident in trying to get closer to Flash, like she was going to give a demonstration in chemistry class. However, when she would be in close range to him, all of what she would say would fly out the window, and she would become a stuttering mess in front of him.
"Morning, Twilight!" Spike greeted his foster sister cheerfully. Twilight slightly flinched that she got caught. Well, at least being caught by Spike was better than her parents.
"Morning, Spike." Twilight greeted back.
Spike then saw the present that she was hiding behind her back. "Hey, is that the present you were working on for Flash?" He asked.
Twilight froze for a second, then sighed in defeat, removing it from behind her and showing it to him. "Do you think he would like it?"
"Are you kidding me?" Spike asked. "Of course he would like it! You're one of the smartest kids in school. Seeing that you made it yourself, he would be crazy to not like it."
Twilight slightly smiled. "How is it that you almost always know exactly what to say?" She asked her foster brother.
Spike grinned. "It's a gift." He answered with a proud smile. "Come on. We're going to be late for school." With that, the two of them left their home.
Upon arriving, Twilight made a beeline for her friends, the Rainbooms, by the school steps, while Spike met his own group of friends over by the curb to wait for Flash. Tikki was hiding in one of her backpack pouches.
"Morning, girls." Twilight greeted her friends.
"Howdy there, Twilight." Applejack returned the greeting.
Fluttershy then saw the small wrapped present hiding behind Twilight's back. "Is that your present for Flash?" She asked, pointing to it.
Twilight blushed. "Um... no?" She said, trying to hide it better. But her friends saw right through her act.
"Oooh!" Rarity squealed. "That is adorable!" She exclaimed. That only made Twilight blush even more.
Soon, Flash's car drove in the student parking lot. The birthday boy then came out, carrying his backpack on his back and his guitar case in his right hand. Plagg was hiding inside his jacket. His friends came over to him, giving him greetings and wishing him a happy birthday.
"Well, now's your chance, Juliet." Sunset teased, elbowing Twilight in the ribs.
Twilight blushed a deeper red, glaring at her. Then, she took a deep breath, expelling the redness from her face. With a confident gaze, she began making her way to the guys.
"Come on!" Timber Spruce whined. "You're sure that your uncle won't allow a party?"
Flash sadly nodded his head. "My ideas are never the same as his." He said.
Soarin' placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, dude."
Flash gave him a sad smile.
"Um... Flash?" A female voice asked shyly. The guys turned around and saw Twilight coming up to them, holding something behind her back.
"Oh. Hey, Twilight." Flash said, smiling at her. Spike gave his foster sister a sly glance. Twilight glared at him before turning back to Flash nervously.
"Uh, Spike told me that it's your birthday today, and uh, I, um..." She held out the present to him. "I made something for you."
Flash eyed the present with surprised eyes, but smiled. "Thanks, Twilight." He took the present, his fingers brushing against Twilight's for a brief moment, making her blush a darker shade of pink. "I'll open it when I get the chance." He then placed the present under his arm and walked off with his friends.
Timber wrapped an arm around Flash's shoulder. "Well, after school, I'm gonna have a word with your uncle."
Flash sighed. "Don't bother, Timber." He said. "He's not gonna change his mind."
Twilight stood there for a good five seconds, holding her hand that Flash had touched to her chest. "He touched my hand." She whispered.
"Well, that went better than I thought it could go." Sunset said, coming up to the lovestruck girl with the rest of the Rainbooms. "You stuttered a lot less than normal."
Twilight got out of her reverie and glared at Sunset. "Very funny." She said. Her annoyed look only made the other Rainbooms giggle.
Hours later, Timber Spruce was outside the gate that guarded Tirek's mansion, Flash's uncle. Flash was out for lunch, so now was the perfect time to execute his plan. He pressed the button for the intercom. Once he did, a camera revealed itself.
"State your business." An automated voice said.
Timber looked up at the camera. "Hello." He said. "I'm a friend of Flash Sentry's, and I wish to speak to his uncle, please."
The camera retracted, and the wrought iron gates opened. Timber breathed out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. So far, so good.
A couple of minutes later, Timber was inside the mansion, waiting in the main foyer with a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Tirek's assistant, Stellar Flare. She had dark orange skin, dark red hair in a bob cut, and light green eyes. She wore a red and cream beige pantsuit with a light orange tie and black shoes.
Then, at the top of the stairs, Tirek appeared. He had red skin, yellow eyes, and white hair with a matching beard. He wore a black suit with a fire-red tie. His gaze was frightening, but Timber remained firm in his place.
"Sir, this is Timber Spruce." Stellar introduced the young boy to her boss. "He's a friend of Flash's."
Timber took a step closer towards the stairs. "Sir, I want to do something for your nephew's birthday." He began. Tirek didn't say anything. "I want to let him have a party."
Tirek's gaze hardened. "I'm sorry, but that is out of the question."
Timber felt indignant. "But sir-"
"Uncle Tirek?" A voice called out. Flash came into the foyer. He then saw Timber. "What are you doing here, Timber?"
"Hey, I got your back, man." Timber said. "Always."
Flash smiled. But when he looked up at his uncle, his smile disappeared. "Uncle, can I please have a-"
"I already gave you my answer, Flash." Tirek said. "And that was no."
Timber looked down at the floor, feeling searing anger silently build up. "But Uncle-" Flash began to protest.
"End of discussion." Tirek said. Then, he turned around and headed back up to his office.
Stellar gently placed her hand on Timber's shoulder. "I can escort you out, young man." She offered.
"That's okay, ma'am." Timber said, trying to maintain his dignity and his cool. "I'll see myself out." With that, he started out of the house.
"Timber." Flash called after his friend, but he was already gone. Flash felt terrible, and his shoulders slumped. Stellar placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Flash." She said softly.
Flash didn't say anything as he headed up to his room.
In the park, Timber was blowing some bubbles to help cool off his building up anger. But it did little to help. Everywhere he looked, he saw adults lecturing their kids and the little ones wailing and complaining about not having the freedom that they want.
"Adults ruin everything all the time." He muttered under his breath. He knew that wasn't entirely true, but he was just too infuriated about his best friend not having his own freedom because of his scary and stern uncle that he didn't care at the moment.
The round window spiraled open, and the glowing butterflies fluttered to life, flying around the room. Hawkmoth sensed the anger rapidly building up inside of Timber.
"Desperate to help his friend, but feeling powerless." Hawkmoth observed with intrigue. "How frustrating! And it won't be long before frustration turns to anger."
Hawkmoth opened the palm of his hand, and a pure white butterfly gently landed on it. The villain then covered it with his other hand, allowing his dark magic to seep into the insect. The white butterfly then turned into an Akuma, with the telltale black wings with dark neon purple stripes.
"Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilize him!" Hawkmoth ordered as the Akuma fluttered out the window and into the city of Canterlot.
The Akuma soon found its way over to Timber, who was still angrily blowing bubbles. Once he had placed the wand back inside of its container, the Akuma landed on the wand, turning it and the whole container dark purple. Timber's head jerked up, his eyes blazing with anger, and a neon purple butterfly symbol appeared over his face.
"Hawkmoth is my name, and now, the Bubbler is yours." Hawkmoth said from his lair, the same glowing symbol appearing over his own face as he began communicating to Timber. "I will help you get rid of these horrid adults, and then, you will have to do something for me. In return for my assistance, bring my the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses."
"Yes, Hawkmoth." Timber agreed, a sinister smile on his face. As soon as he agreed to it, black ooze and bubbles appeared from the dark bubble container and enveloped Timber in it.
Then, in one quick second, the newly akumatized Bubbler appeared on a roof. His skin turned blue, and he wore a red jumpsuit with large bubbles on them. He also had a large yellow bubble sword on his back.
"No adults means total freedom!" The Bubbler cheered. He then waved his sword as he jumped from roof to roof. A trail of large purple bubbles began floating down towards the people of Canterlot. When a bubble had an adult trapped inside of it, it turned a bright green and began floating back up towards the sky. Kids began crying as their parents floated away from them, and teenagers began trying to assure them.
From his lair, Hawkmoth watched as the Bubbler unleashed his wrath. "Perfect." He smirked.
Meanwhile, Twilight was back at home, eating some dinner. Her parents were done eating already, and Spike was already over at Flash's place to see if Timber managed to convince his uncle to throw a party.
She arranged her peas in the shape of a heart on her plate as thoughts of Flash entered her mind. "I really hope Flash likes his present." She whispered to herself.
"What was that, honey?" Her mother, Twilight Velvet asked her. Twilight froze as she turned to face her mother. Velvet had purple and ivory locks in a bob cut, ash gray skin and amethyst purple eyes that her daughter inherited from her. Twilight quickly thought of something before her mother would tease her again about her crush.
"I was saying that, I, I really hope my teacher likes my work." She said, pasting a nervous smile on her face, hoping that her mother would buy it. She hated lying to her family, whether it be about her love life or her superhero life as Princess Ladybug. But she would rather lie than be embarrassed or have her family in danger.
Luckily for Twilight, her mother seemed to believe her. "It's alright, sweetie." She said. "I'm sure you'll get a good grade, just like all of your other assignments."
Twilight smiled and turned back around to finish her dinner. However, neither of them noticed a large purple bubble floating towards Velvet from the window.
Suddenly, her mother screamed out in terror, causing Twilight to quickly spin back around, just in time to see her float away. She ran towards the window to try and grab her, but she was already too far out of reach as she entered the sky.
"Mom! MOM!" Twilight screamed. Just then, another green bubble floated up besides Velvet's, this one containing her father, Night Light. "Dad? Dad!"
Tikki quickly flew out of her hiding spot from inside one of Twilight's skirt pockets. "Oh, no! Your parents!" She exclaimed. "Hawkmoth must have released another Akuma! He has been pretty quiet for the past couple of weeks."
Twilight didn't have time to think about why Hawkmoth would release an Akuma right then. "I've got to find his newest villain! ASAP!"
Twilight immediately ran into her room with Tikki zipping behind her. Once she had sure that no one was watching, she got ready. She fingered her left earring, feeling the magical energy beginning to surge.
"Tikki, spots on!" She exclaimed.
Once the words were said, Tikki was pulled into the earring, transforming it and its other half red with black spots in a quintal pattern. Twilight swiped her hands across her face, and the familiar red domino mask with five black spots in a symmetrical pattern appeared. Pink sparkles then flowed down her hair, pulling it up into a crown-high ponytail, and her normal pink and purple highlights turned red and black. Two long red ribbons then tied her hair and formed a wreath-like crown around the top of her head. The sparkles next went down her whole body, transforming her normal clothes into the telltale red spandex bodysuit with black spots all over, with her arms completely black like opera gloves. Finally, a matching red yo-yo with black spots appeared at her hip, completing the entire look. Twilight Sparkle had become Princess Ladybug.
Princess Ladybug leaped out the balcony window and started swinging around town, trying to find the source of the bubbles. Soon, after a couple of minutes of leaping and running across the rooftops, she stopped when she saw some kids all alone without their parents. Then, there were some purple bubbles floating around, displaying from the Bubbler.
"Today is your lucky day, little guys." The villain said. "The adults have taken the day off, so make the most of it. No chores, no homework, no more nagging, just fun, fun, fun, fun. This is the Bubbler's gift to you."
Princess Ladybug came down to the kids, who were terrified of the sight of their parents floating away. "Don't worry, your parents will come back. I'll see to it." She promised, and then turned to the oldest kid of the bunch. "You take care of them in the meantime." With that, she zipped away with her yo-yo, the kids cheering for her.
At Tirek's mansion, Flash was eating a quiet lunch. When he finished, he stood up, a bored expression on his face. "Wow. That was a birthday lunch break to remember. Yay!" He said sarcastically.
He left the dining room and came into the foyer. Then, he noticed that everything was just a little too quiet.
"Stellar?" He asked, his voice echoing. "Uncle Tirek?" When there was no answer, he just looked down, sighing sadly, and made his way to the front door.
However, when he got out to the courtyard, he was surprised to see that his class was there, and the place was decorated with balloons and streamers.
"Happy Birthday!" They all cheered. Flash was taken aback by what he saw. But then, a voice began talking from above.
"Hey, birthday boy." A colorful figure on top of a green bubble came floating down. "Guess what? Unk's gone. While the cat's away, the mice will play."
Flash looked at the clown-like person with confusion with a few seconds, but then his eyes widened in horror when he recognized that voice.
"Timber?!" He asked, his jaw agape.
"The Bubbler's brought all of you together for one single-sole purpose, to ce-le-brate!" The Bubbler said. Everyone began cheering again as Bubbler jumped down into a DJ booth where Vinyl Scratch was. "Let's get this party started!" Everyone begins cheering again as music started to play.
Flash started to feel queasy from the number of surprises he was getting, including that one of his best friends was akumatized. He quickly went back inside the mansion when the Bubbler wasn't looking.
"Come on, everybody, I brought you here to party!" The Bubbler ordered to the teens, who were now looking unenthusiastic as they began dancing. "So dance or you'll join the adults up in the sky!" He added with a cackle as fireworks appeared in the sky.
Watching from in his lair was Hawkmoth. "It won't be long before a Ladybug and Black Cat duo show up to meet their doom!" He laughed evilly.
Flash was back in his room, wondering what he was supposed to do now. He stared at the silver ring on his finger as Plagg floated next to him.
"What's your problem?" He asked. "Relax! You're getting the party you've always wanted."
"But Timber's been akumatized!" Flash exclaimed with worry. "I've gotta help him!"
"You may never get this chance again!" Plagg continued to persuade. "C'mon, let's have a little fun while your uncle's away! During that, you can talk with the other guys and come up with a plan while you wait for Princess Ladybug. Then we'll save Timber, trap his akuma, and all will be good."
Flash looked out the window, pondering what his Kwami friend had said. Even if it was to plan what to do when Princess Ladybug gets to his house, he might actually have some fun.
"Okay, you're right." He complied. "This might be the first day in a long time that I actually get to do what I want for once."
Meanwhile, the Ladybug in question was arriving at Tirek's mansion, following the fireworks. "It's you and me, Bubbler." She said.
In the courtyard, everyone was dancing, but it looked like Flash was the only one enjoying himself. He managed to dance his way over to the rest of his friends, who actually made up the rest of the Black Cat team. They looked at him, wondering what he was doing, not transformed into Black Knight.
"What are you doing?" Discord hissed. "Aren't you going to transform?"
"Since I'm the guest of honor, I'm just being here until Princess Ladybug gets here." Flash explained. "Besides, I might actually have some fun."
The guys still looked at him like he had lost his marbles, but just shrugged, hoping that he knew what he is doing.
Meanwhile, the Dazzlings were coming up to the DJ booth. Vinyl looked at them with a sour glare hidden behind her purple shades.
"We would like to do a song." Sonata requested. Vinyl slightly blocked her record set with her spare arm. And even as the Bubbler, Timber knew that the Dazzlings just sing for attention, particularly from some of his friends.
"I don't know." He said. "It seems a little too early for that."
The Dazzlings narrowed their eyes, and just turned off the music and came up to the microphones. Then they started to sing. Everyone looked at them with annoyed eyes and stared at them. While they sang, they slowly came off the stage and walked to three specific guys, Adagio to Flash, Aria to Discord and Sonata to Cheese.
However, no one noticed that Princess Ladybug had arrived at the scene. Behind red and black spots, Twilight growled at the sight of Adagio getting too close to Flash for his liking.
"There is no way this is happening." She gritted through her teeth. She then tossed her yo-yo up into the air.
"Lucky Charm!" The magic swarm of ladybugs came out of her yo-yo and began spiraling up into the air. After they came back together in a flash of white light, a single record with a ladybug in the center came down into her hands.
"A record?" She asked herself. Sometimes, the Lucky Charm can be pretty random. Princess Ladybug looked around. Her vision had become monochrome, and one by one, things were highlighted in red and black spots. A ledge on the building, the volume modifier, and then the DJ mixer.
"Gotcha." She said to herself. She then threw the record at the ledge with accurate precision. It bounced off it, then the volume modifier, turning it up all the way, and finally landed on an empty spot on the DJ mixer. Loud dancing music began playing, cutting off the Dazzlings' song, and everyone started to dance wildly. Filled with relief, Flash, Discord and Cheese moved away from the Dazzlings.
"Hey, what happened?" The Bubbler asked, looking around. Vinyl held up her hands, saying that it wasn't her.
Princess Ladybug was pressed up against the roof where she was hiding from the Bubbler. "Yours truly hijacked your mix." She whispered saucily.
Just then, an alarm beeped from her earrings, initiating the detransformation countdown. "Better bug out quick before I change back to normal."
She then jumped off the roof and out near the front gate of the mansion, performing a few flips. "Spots off." She said.
In a flash of pink light and sparkles traveling up her body, Princess Ladybug transformed back into Twilight Sparkle. She was back in her normal clothes, her hair was down and loose again and had its original pink and purple highlights. Tikki appeared from out of her left earring and landed in Twilight's hands, slightly exhausted.
"Twilight!" The little Kwami began admonishing.
"It was an emergency." Twilight said bashfully, knowing her rashness.
"Yeah, if by emergency, you mean jealousy." Tikki corrected sternly. "You know what happens once you use your Lucky Charm. You only have minutes before-"
"I turn back, I know." Twilight finished. "But I figured, the Bubbler, he's not going anywhere, we have time to get you some food to get your energy back up. Then, we'll get right back out there, I promise."
Twilight put Tikki in one of her skirt pockets, since she forgot to bring her little purse for her when she transformed. She quietly entered the party and began looking around for food for her Kwami.
Eventually, she found the buffet table. She then slipped two cookies into her pocket for Tikki. "I've got to find a place where I can transform, fast." She whispered to herself.
"Twilight?" Five familiar voices chorused at the same time. Twilight froze for a second, but when she turned to face the people, she relaxed.
"Hey, girls." She said, waving to her friends that share the responsibilities of the Ladybug with her.
"What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked her, keeping her voice down.
"You're supposed to be working to free Timber from his Akuma." Applejack added.
"Tikki needs to recharge." Twilight explained.
"You wouldn't have anything to do with the music change, did you?" Rarity asked her.
Twilight grinned nervously. "Uh, guilty?" She admitted.
Her friends gave her looks, but then erased them. "Not what the Lucky Charm is for, but at least you helped the guys from receiving unnecessary attention." Fluttershy said.
"Besides, I can use a cookie break myself." Pinkie Pie added, grabbing a cookie and started munching on it.
Just then, Sunset Shimmer appeared. "Where have you been, girl?" She asked Twilight. "I was so scared something had happened to you."
"So was I!" Twilight said, relieved that her other friend was safe as well.
"I'm sure one of the Ladybug and Black Cat duos will show up in a minute to save us all." Sunset assured her. "They never failed us."
Twilight glanced nervously at her skirt pocket, hoping that Tikki was eating as fast as she can. "Yeah." She answered, hoping that her anxiety wasn't noticeable.
Meanwhile, the Bubbler noticed that Bulk Biceps wasn't dancing anymore. He jumped over to him, bubbles popping from under his feet.
"Hey, you. Why aren't you having fun?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at the much bigger teenager.
"None of your business." Bulk said grumpily. He wasn't happy that a classmate got akumatized, his mother was floating up in the sky, and that he was forced to party. True, it was for Flash, but it did little to brighten his mood.
The Bubbler had a scary smirk coming on his bright blue face. "Then I'm going to make it my business." He chuckled darkly and pulled out his bubble sword.
"How about you go see if Flash opened your present?" Sunset asked Twilight.
Twilight blushed and froze in her steps. She glanced down at the skirt pocket where Tikki was hiding. As much as she would like to attempt a casual conversation with her crush, there was an Akuma that needed to be stopped.
"Maybe later." She said, catching her other friends' eyes. They nodded in comprehension.
"Come on, Sunset." Rainbow said, pulling the red and yellow-haired girl away. "Let's go get some drinks."
"You girls go ahead!" Twilight said as her friends headed over to the refreshments. "I'll catch up." Once they were out of earshot, she breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived when she saw Bulk Biceps floating away into the sky in a green bubble.
"NO!" She gasped, and then she ran into the mansion. Once she entered the foyer, Tikki zipped out of her pocket. "I think this party has gone on for too long." She said to the Kwami, determination gleaming in her eyes, her fist clenching.
Back outside, the Bubbler was on the stage. "Hey, birthday boy!" He called out to Flash. "You want to say something to everyone here?"
Flash froze where he was, and everyone's eyes landed on him. Knowing that unless he wanted to be the next victim, he complied and slowly made his way up to the stage. But once he was up on it, there was a loud thump on the roof.
Everyone looked up and gasped when they saw Princess Ladybug standing on the roof, her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face.
"Princess Ladybug?" Flash asked, feeling his heart beginning to swell at the sight of the beautiful superheroine.
Princess Ladybug threw her yo-yo down at the stage. The ladybug printed compact hit the power strip and all of the mics and music went mute. Then she retracted her weapon back to her.
"Sorry, Bubbler, but the party's over." Princess Ladybug said.
The Bubbler growled. "Why do you have to be like that?" He demanded.
"You made all the adults disappear, that's why!" Princess Ladybug answered. "And now you're imprisoning anyone who isn't having fun." During the exchange, no one noticed that Flash went back inside the mansion, except his friends.
"You are not going to rain on my parade!" The Bubbler shouted. He took out his bubble sword again and cast two red bubbles at Princess Ladybug. She quickly deflected them by spinning her yo-yo. Seeing that a battle was beginning to get underway, the crowd started to scatter.
Flash made it back inside his room. Plagg flew out of his jacket, still dancing to imaginary music. The blue-haired guitarist narrowed his eyes at his Kwami. "Okay, I think that's enough fun for now." Flash said.
"Plagg, claws out!" Flash thrust out his right fist, and the silver ring on his ring finger turned black like obsidian. In a black swirl, Plagg was sucked into it, and a neon green paw print appeared at the center of the ring.
Flash swiped two of his fingers across his face, and the familiar black mask appeared on it, transforming his eyes into cat eyes; his pupils slit-like, and his sclera becoming a light blue. Green lightning then flowed up to his hair, making it more wild and untamed with two black cat ears appearing on top, along with a thick black stripe appearing in his wild sapphire locks. The lightning next went down his whole body, transforming his normal clothes into the black catsuit that he started to love to wear, with his gloves having the appearance of claws and his boots having silver toes on it, looking like cat paws. Finally, a matching long black leather belt tail appeared from behind his waist, and a silver baton appeared on his hip like a sword, completing the look. Flash Sentry had become Black Knight.
Back outside, the Bubbler and Princess Ladybug were still fighting. The lead Ladybug threw her yo-yo at him, but the villain had a bubble formed in front of him, and the yo-yo bounced off it and back towards its owner. It was coming too fast for her to dodge, but before she could brace herself for getting wrapped up in her own string again, Black Knight had arrived on the scene, baton in hand. He hit the yo-yo, sending up in the air, then he twirled the seven-foot pole around his body with expert skill.
"Looks like I made it just in time." He said to Princess Ladybug, getting into a battle ready and heroic pose, a confident smirk on his face.
Princess Ladybug resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but decided to play along."I had it under control." She said as her yo-yo landed on her Black Cat's head and bounced back into her hand. "But thanks."
The telltale of the neon purple butterfly mask appeared over the Bubbler's face. "Get the Miraculouses. I want those powers, NOW!" Hawkmoth ordered.
The Bubbler threw streams of small red bubbles at the two superheroes. Performing spectacular flips and twirls of their weapons, the lead Ladybug and Black Cat duo fought them off. When all of the bubbles were out of the way, they both shifted into battle-ready poses. But the Bubbler just smirked and snapped his fingers. The red bubbles that were pushed above the heroes turned green and started to circle them rapidly. They tried to fight back, but some of the bubbles started to stick to them.
Finally, all of the bubbles had formed into one giant bubble, trapping the two superheroes. The lead Ladybug began to try and push against it, attempting to pop it. But her efforts were futile as the Bubbler began laughing evilly.
"Give me your Miraculouses before you run out of air." He ordered, holding out his palm.
Princess Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "Dream on, Bubbler." She denied.
The Bubbler growled as he withdrew his hand. "Total party poopers, just like adults." He scowled.
"Kids need adults." Princess Ladybug tried to reason with him.
"False!" The Bubbler yelled. "Kids need freedom, fun, let loose. Adults are just controlling and bossy all the time."
"But adults keep children safe and protected." Princess Ladybug said. She knew that Timber would never think like that, but his anger that got him akumatized were clouding his judgement. "They care for their kids, they love them!"
"Most adults do anyhow." Black Knight muttered to himself, under his breath. His Uncle Tirek didn't seem to care about what he wants. He's been like that ever since he can remember. "You must bring the adults back!" He then said loudly, maintaining his superhero image.
"Never!" The Bubbler yelled. "Know what, since you care so much about these adults, why don't you go float with them for a while?"
The villain ran over to the bubbler that the Ladybug and Black Cat duo were trapped in and kicked it hard. They began screaming as the bubble shot straight up into the sky, the crowd watching them disappear in horror.
From his lair, Hawkmoth clenched his teeth. This wasn't what he had planned. "What do you think you're doing Bubbler?!" He demanded. "You're supposed to seize their Miraculouses!"
As the bubble continued to skyrocket up, Princess Ladybug and Black Knight were trying to pop it, from punching it to kicking it, yet the green liquid air pocket proved to be pretty much indestructible. The word got the lead Ladybug thinking.
"Use your Cataclysm!" She suggested to her partner.
"Couldn't you have said that five hundred feet ago?" Black Knight asked her with an annoyed look, his voice dripping with the same emotion.
"We can't stay stuck in this bubble together forever." She retorted back. But her comment only made the lead Black Cat erase his previous irritation and smirk at her flirtatiously, and she just huffed in annoyance, along with a facepalm.
Seeing that Her Royal Highness, which is his personal nickname for the lovely superheroine, wasn't in the mood for jokes, Black Knight turned his focus back to the situation. "Cataclysm!" He shouted. His special power began forming in his right hand, covering it with bubbling black specks. He then placed his palm on the surface of the bubble, and it finally popped. But now, the duo were falling fast back down to Earth.
"Should we see if you land on your feet this time?" Princess Ladybug asked him.
"No, thanks!" Black Knight refused, not wanting to test out a cat myth that could possibly kill him.
The two superheroes then began scanning up and down and all around them for a solution that can somewhat soften their landing. Finally, Princess Ladybug saw a nook in between two buildings that is big enough to stick a pole in.
She turned to Black Knight. "Your staff, there!" She ordered, pointing to the spot.
"Got it!" He said, and he threw it towards the cranny, and it got jammed in between the two buildings. Princess Ladybug then took his hand.
"Hang on!" She shouted, and then threw her yo-yo towards it. The string tangled itself around the silver staff, causing them to swing back up to a much better height for them to regain their balance. They eventually came down to a skidding halt down on the ground on their feet.
"Good thing cats aren't afraid of heights." Black Knight quipped as his partner tugged on her yo-yo and pulled his staff back down to him.
"We've got to get to his bubble sword." Princess Ladybug said. "That's got to be where the akuma is."
Suddenly, there was a beeping noise coming from Knight's ring. He looked at it and saw that one of the pads was going, initiating his countdown before he would transform back.
"Better hurry." He said. Princess Ladybug nodded, understanding the situation, and they both headed back to Tirek's mansion.
Meanwhile, at that destination, the Bubbler was looking around the empty courtyard. "Where is everybody?" He asked, getting angry that everyone was gone. "Get out here and party!"
Just then, there were two loud thumps on the front gate. The villain turned in that direction and saw Princess Ladybug and Black Knight on the gate's fence, standing tall and proud.
"Sorry to burst your bubble." The lead Ladybug quipped with a confident smirk on her face.
From her hiding spot, Sunset's eyes lit up. "Princess Ladybug! And Black Knight!" Out of the six duos, this one was her favorite. Standing up, she and a few others began cheering for the heroes.
Trying to not pay attention to the cheers, Princess Ladybug addressed the Akuma. "No one wants to party with you anymore, Bubbler."
The Bubbler gritted his teeth. "What's wrong with all you guys!?" He shouted. "Why do you have to be such haters!?" Out of frustration, he took out his bubble sword, and threw purple bubbles at the teens.
"NOOO!" The Ladybug and Black Cat duo screamed out as the teens began floating up into the sky, encased in green bubbles. Subtly, they each scanned the courtyard for their teammates. They both breathed out a sigh of relief when they both caught all of them inside the mansion, watching from the foyer.
"Outer space is the next stop for your precious civilians, and they're never coming back!" The Bubbler cackled.
The villain then began jumping from roof to roof, with Princess Ladybug and Black Knight in hot pursuit. Eventually, they arrived at the capitol building, and the Bubbler flew all the way to the top. The superhero duo began to scale up it while he threw explosive green bubbles at them. When they reached the top of the building, they continued to dodge the bubbles, until Black Knight's ring beeped again, with three pads remaining.
"I'm gonna switch back soon." He informed his partner. "Hurry!"
Princess Ladybug nodded at him and decided to use her special power. "Lucky Charm!" She shouted, tossing her yo-yo in the air. In a spiral of magical ladybugs, a large wrench with a ladybug pattern dropped into her arms.
"Your... plumbing skill is gonna help us out?" Black Knight asked her. Sometimes, her power can be really random.
Princess Ladybug only shrugged at her partner. The Bubbler then began firing more explosive bubbles at Black Knight. He dodged each one with flips and slides, until he finally jumped onto a large beam to dodge one.
"Could use a little work!" He taunted. "Is that all you got?"
Princess Ladybug quickly looked around her surroundings, her vision now black and white. One by one, things were highlights in red with black spots; a vent, a nearby vent pipe, the screw that connected them, and the wrench in her hands.
"Got it!" She exclaimed, and ran towards the pipe while her partner continued to escape from being blasted by a bubble. She loosened the screw with the wrench, and the pipe came off, directing strong blasts of air up to where Black Knight was. "Black Knight, cover me!" She ordered.
Her Black Cat took the pipe from her. "Go on!" He challenged the Akuma. The Bubbler threw more bubbles at him, but the air blasts from the pipe deflected them all. The Bubbler growled and once more tried to fire more bubbles, but Princess Ladybug threw her yo-yo at his sword and tugged it away from him. She then snaps the sword in half across her knee.
"Get out of there, you nasty bug." She said as the Akuma was squeezed out of the broken sword and started to fly away. "No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma." Princess Ladybug slid her finger over the surface of her yo-yo, opening it to the magical pink inside. She then began twirling it around. "Time to de-evilize!" She exclaimed, and swung it at the Akuma, capturing it and bringing it back to her.
"Gotcha!" Princess Ladybug then opened her yo-yo again, and a pure white butterfly flew out of the compact. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." She said, and then got her wrench.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted, and tossed it up into the air. The wrench dissipated into swarms of magical ladybugs were released throughout the city, returning all the captured adults and the people who wouldn't cooperate back to safety.
The now-powerless Bubbler fell to his knees, feeling weak. A cloud of purple ooze went over his body, and Timber Spruce was back to normal.
"Whoa, what happened?" He asked himself, rubbing his head and looking around him, trying to recognize where he was.
Princess Ladybug and Black Knight faced each other and bumped their fists together. "Pound it!" They exclaimed happily at a job well done.
From in his lair, Hawkmoth clenched his teeth. "You can't run forever Princess Ladybug, and when I catch you and your team, I will crush you!" He vowed angrily. "I will DESTROY YOU ALL!"
His window then slowly closed, waiting for another opportunity to strike again.
Now that things were back to normal, Flash was back to his normal self and eating a quiet dinner by himself. Stellar Flare then came up to him.
"Are you alright, Flash?" She asked him.
Flash only gave a sad nod of his head, his eyes looking down at his plate, which contained little amounts of gourmet food. He doesn't understand why, though. He's not a model like Fancy Pants, though his Uncle Tirek had decided to push him in that career soon. And all of the crime-fighting as Black Knight would certainly let him lose a few pounds if he ate more than usual.
Stellar looked at the young charge sadly. This day wasn't what he had hoped it would be. But then, she remembered what she had brought for him. She placed a red wrapped box with a yellow ribbon on the table, catching Flash's attention. Then, she placed Twilight's gift next to it.
"Your presents." She said with a soft smile. "Happy birthday, Flash." She said.
Flash looked at the presents with wide eyes. Then he beamed up at her. "Thank you, Stellar." When she disappeared out of the dining hall, he reached for the red box. He opened it with eager hands and saw that it was a new cleaning kit for his guitar, along with an autographed photo of Princess Ladybug and Black Knight.
Flash then turned his attention to the present that Twilight had given to him earlier. In all of the craziness that happened, he almost forgot about it. With careful hands this time, he opened the light blue box. He gasped in wonder when he saw the gift.
The next morning, the Rainbooms and Flash Drives were waiting for Flash to arrive. However, one girl in particular was almost bouncing from foot to foot in nervousness.
"Oh, I hoped he liked his present." Twilight fretted, tugging on a strand of her hair.
"Chill, Twilight." Sunset assured her. "Of course he would like it."
"Hey guys!" A familiar voice called out, getting everyone's attention. Flash stepped out of the fancy silver limousine that brought him to school every other day. What caught Twilight's attention was the compass watch that was on his left wrist.
Spike recognized it and gave a glance over at Twilight. His suspicions were confirmed when his adoptive sister had a look of joy on her face.
"Cool watch." Soarin' said as he and the rest of the guys came over to their friend.
Flash laughed. "Well, it's not just a watch." He said. He pushed a tiny button on the side of it, and the watch digitized to show the virtual markings of a compass.
"Whoa." The guys all breathed in amazement.
The Rainbooms all looked at their lead singer with knowing looks. Twilight began to feel her face turn bright red from all of the attention.
"Nice one, Twilight." Applejack teased. Then she gently gave her a shove towards the guys. However, the move was so sudden that Twilight almost tripped over her own feet. Luckily, she managed to regain her balance.
Flash caught her in his sights. "Hey, Twilight." He greeted, making the indigo-haired girl slightly blush. "I want to thank you for your present." He held out the compass watch to show it to her. "It was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever gotten."
Twilight now knew that her whole face was as red as a cherry. "Um, uh, y-you're welcome." She stammered, playing with a strand of her hair.
Flash only chuckled and turned over to Timber. "Hey, Timber, about what happened yesterday-"
"Hey, it's okay." Timber assured him. "I wasn't at my best, and some creep took advantage of that. At least no one got serious hurt, right?"
Flash smiled. "Right." He said. "And the seven of us are always going to be best friends, right?"
"Right." The others replied.
As the Flash Drives disappeared inside the school, Twilight finally felt her legs starting to cave in. She almost swooned and fell onto her back if Sunset hadn't caught her by the arms.
"Geez, Twi." She teased her with a smile as the others came over. "You gotta control your induced freak-outs."
"This is the greatest day of my life!" Twilight said. She suddenly had a burst of energy and jumped up into the air with air, pumping her fist.
The Rainbooms all rolled their eyes playfully. "Okay, are you done?" Rainbow Dash asked her. "We have class." Right as the words left her mouth, the bell rang.
"Come on, y'all." Applejack said, and they all headed towards the front doors.
Twilight still looked like she was on cloud nine, until Sunset poked her with her elbow. "That's a good first step." She said. "But don't go all out on him so soon. Just keep being yourself, and one day, he'll start to see you as the amazing friend you are."
Twilight smiled at her friend's advice. "Sure thing." She said.