"No…? What do you mean 'no'?!" Judy demanded of the fairy.
"I mean 'no' as in I will not be able to return all of you home since the boys were brought here by dark magic which means only the one that brought them here can return where they belong."
The girls gasped to this and ended up scowling with Ladybug stipulating, "Then what was the point of bringing us here if we couldn't bring them home after all?!"
"It was for a greater purpose." she expressed.
The girls and the boys behind them were confused by this.
"Purpose?" Word Girl asked, "What purpose?"
Just then a dark chuckle happened and everyone was shook especially the boys before they scowled, as Chat said, "That voice…"
They turned around and sure enough Damon was there.
Discord immediately lit his hand as he grunted, "This is for weaken my powers, you little twerp!" and threw the fireball at him but instead the fire went through him as the wizard was not really there but as a projection. Making the draconequus go, "Aw come on!"
But Damon ignored him and addressed Cecilia, "So this is what you been up to… You honestly think that these poor creatures will be able to stop me from my destiny?"
"Not stop you. Save you." she stated.
"WHAT?!" the girls and boys shouted out.
Damon chuckled again, "How sweet… after all this time you still care about me…"
"Wait…" Ladybug pointed in bewilderment, "He's the love that's beyond your reach?!"
Cecilia sadly nodded while Damon scoffed, "Love? What do you know of love?! When you have never once supported me in my decisions!"
"Because I know they were wrong to begin with!" she retorted making the girls shocked at seeing Cecilia in such a state like this.
The group had no choice but to watch as the two magical people had it out.
"Ha! Like how wrong it was of you to go away to train with the other fairies and that we never saw each other for a whole year?!"
"You know I never had a choice in that! You honestly think I like this?! Fairies are forbidden to have attachments! But you know as well as I do… that is impossible especially when it comes to us…"
Damon frowned, "And you know that I shut away that part of myself the day you left me all alone… for good…"
"A mistake I have regretted since…" she uttered. "But don't you see? He has you trapped away in that castle! You can't even be here with a physical form! I couldn't stand it any longer!"
Damon's eyes widen and gapped, "It was you… You sent that wind to me so that I could summon them!" he pointed to the boys.
Another shock came over the group as they gasped at the revelation.
Cecilia closed her eyes in sorrow before she faced the girls and the hurt looks on their faces.
She slowly explained, "I was in a moment of desperation… I longed for my best friend to be back on my side… but I realized too late of the consequences… So to right my wrongs I brought you here to help. I know I do not deserve forgiveness in the slightest but I only wish for you to hear me out…"
Nick wrapped his arms around Judy protectively and told off the fairy, "I think you've said enough for one day."
"Indeed…" Discord crossed his arms and went to comfort Fluttershy, "I think it's best if you left now…"
The human boys agreed as they put a hand on their own girls' shoulders.
Damon evilly smiled, "And just like that your plan has failed…" then turns to the group as they frowned at him, "Of course this makes for a difficult choice on your part… Well whatever choice you make," he eyed his once childhood friend, "at least I didn't force you to choose…" and then with a cackle his projection faded.
Cecilia remorsefully looked at the eight people she brought here again before hanging her head in shame then was gone in a flash.
Having not the mood to return to the village, the group of creatures and humans alike had gathered around a campfire to reflect on the past week.
Discord made a pitiful laugh and said, "Guess we were both wrong when we met Damon and Cecilia since they just wanted to use us for their own plans."
Fluttershy sighed, "I understand why she did it I just wish she was more honest with us."
The girls agreed with her.
The draconequus told his best friend, "Well… even if she was wrong to begin with she is your only chance to go back to Equestria."
"Not without you." she firmly replied.
"Flutters, Equestria needs all six of the Elements of Harmony without you they don't stand a chance. You know I'm right…" his eyes were glossed over knowing how hard it was to say that.
"Yes, Equestria needs the Elements… But…" she moved closer to him to whisper, "you need me more…" and smiled at him.
His heart pounded hard to the point it was about to burst from his chest.
"Y-you… you mean that?"
"I do… because…"
Without her seeing the others looked on in eagerness knowing where this was going.
She made a small blush before outright confessing, "I love you."
By then his heart really did burst out and he fainted.
"Discord!" she cried in concern with the others looking worry as well until suddenly the spirit sproinged up and made himself into a rocket jetting up going, "Yahooooo! She loves me! She really loves me!" and he turned into fireworks before he floated down using an umbrella and landed right next to his special somepony and lifted her up in a twirl making her squeal. Then their faces touched in bliss.
Awestruck by the scene Ladybug looked at Chat and he in turn looked at her as they felt happiness for the new couple before he frowned in sadness and he told her, "He is right you know about Cecilia being your only chance of getting back, and since there's no chance of me getting back I have a request… I need you to go to my father and could you tell him I love him…?"
Ladybug fret, "No! We'll find some other way to get you back home!"
"Milady… you know there isn't… and we have to accept that, because Paris needs Ladybug…"
She looked like she about to cry before going, "You're right… I'm so sorry Chaton… I failed my mission."
"Never… At least you know I'm safe and that's what's important." he took her hand and kissed it.
He was about to let go but she held on, confusing him, but then it became clear when she said, "If you truly are stuck here then there's nothing wrong with us finally revealing our identities…"
He gasped and uttered, "Really?"
She nodded, "Uh-ah…"
They had their palms touching together with their gloved fingers brushing against each other.
At that point everyone turned their attention to them and held in their breaths.
Discord teasingly whispered to Fluttershy, "Here it comes…"
Both miraculous superheroes than said, "Claws in/Spots off."
Slowly their transformations dissolved from bottom to top and when their masks dissolved their eyes widen at the sight before them and stood there motionless as they could hardly believe it.
The others didn't say anything and neither did the Kwamis as they let them piece it all together.
Finally Marinette spoke, "Ad-Adrien…?" she sputtered, "You… you are… you are Chat Noir?"
A warm smile played on his lips as he got closer to her face making her deeply blush, "And you're Ladybug…" and in one sudden move he embraced her, shocking her. He whispered in her ear, "I always knew that it would be someone amazing under the mask…"
Marinette was still speechless as she processed the truth of the boy she loved and the partner she fought akumas with were the one and same.
When he stepped away from her he rubbed his neck, "I guess it is a shock knowing that fashion model Adrien Agreste and the equally famous Chat Noir are the same…"
Marinette managed to get out of her daze and started babbling, "Shock, no! I mean it is a shock but it's not that big a shock! What am I saying, of course it is but in a good way!" she kept on going.
"Wow…" Nick uttered then asks Tikki, "Is this really how she acts whenever she's around him in civilian form?"
The Kwami sighed, "All the time."
Judy said, "Now I know why it was important they didn't know."
Discord had popcorn and was sitting in an armchair as he watched the comedy unfold as Fluttershy shook her head, "Oh Discord…"
Adrien admired the way she talking since it was exactly how it was back home and like her he had no clue that the Ladybug he loved was the very girl that sat behind him every day at school.
Marinette was still babbling, "I mean how was it possible to know when you act so differently! Oh! Not that's a bad thing it's just so strange! I mean not strange! Ugh! How is it I couldn't talk to you but around Chat I could?! I even kissed you on Valentine's Day!" she let out a gasp and covered her mouth and stared at him in horror and went, "WHAAAA! I actually kissed you!" and started to feel faint.
He quickly caught her and scooped her in his arms. He contently sighed, "Oh Marinette…" and kissed her cheek.
She squirmed in his arms and dreamily sighed, "Do it again…"
He laughed and happily obligated.
Discord threw his popcorn away and commented, "Okay now it's getting too saccharine for my tastes."
Plagg said, "You said it! I knew they would be hopeless if they ever found out but I didn't think it would be this hopeless!"
The teen furrowed her brows when she realized…
"Wait-a-minute…" Marinette turned to Tikki, "You knew it was Adrien all this time?!"
Her Kwami told her, "I'm sorry Marinette but you know I couldn't tell you."
"Still! You could have given me a hint or something!" she faced Adrien again and told him while caressing his cheek, "Had I known it was you I never would have turned you down like that…"
Adrien's eyes widen, uttering, "It was me? The boy you loved?"
Marinette smiled tenderly and nodded.
This was news he couldn't believe he was hearing but unbridled happiness filled him as he started laughing and twirled her around making her giggle too.
The other duos watched them with joy as they let the young couple enjoy this moment.
When it was done, Nick got serious and said to his partner, "As great as this is for some of us to discover our true feelings to each other, it doesn't change the fact that you should go back home yourself."
The bunny scowled and declared, "And it's like Fluttershy told Discord, I'm not going anyway without you."
Becky said to Tobey, "And that goes for me too."
The boy genius gawked, "But the city, your sidekick! They are counting on you to get back!"
"Tobey, for once in my life I am doing something my heart really wants, maybe that's super selfish of me to do but…" she took his hand, "I know that I can't continue life without you. I would be like Princess Triana without her Prince Vanlandingham…" she smiled knowing he would get the reference.
He was stunned by the comparison since they both loved the Princess Triana book series back in their homeworld and strangely enough both the prince and princess were separated too for some time before being reunited. The prince was under a spell of being an ogre and it was up to Princess Triana to kiss his cheek and break it.
He smiled back at her and questioned, "Are… are you sure?"
She nodded, "Yes, more than anything." and she hugged him.
He hugged her back feeling pure joy.
Then Judy motioned the girls together as she said, "We know we're giving up a lot, our homes, our families, our friends…" then addressed the guys, "but if it's true that we cannot bring you home ourselves then we know in our hearts that we need to stay with you especially if we know that our lives can never be happy without you. If there's one thing Cecilia did right for us it was that she was able to show us how much you all mean to us…"
The other girls agreed.
The boys were deeply touched by this, even though they told them they should go back they knew they were never going to able to live without them not when these girls had been a huge part of their lives. They were the stars to their night sky as they have helped them to escape the roles they once had and now are much better than before. They needed them just as much as their homeworlds did.
They went to each of the girls they loved and tightly embraced them.
Then Discord voiced out, "So… what comes next?"
Everyone else had looks of uncertainty not sure how to answer that.