The Puppeteer

Marinette was sat in her room with two handmade dolls of Ladybug and Cat Noir, entertaining Manon. With a deeper voice, she mimicked Cat Noir as he entered the scene they were playing. "Here I am, M'lady." She smiled as Manon's face scrounged up with disgust. "Glad to see you, Cat Noir!" she replied as Ladybug. The little girl gathered up the dolls Marinette had made of some of the villains she fought recently, preparing to fight the doll heroes. "Of course you are! I'm the cat's meow!" Marinette acted, recalling a conversation they had that went exactly this way. Manon yelled angrily as Marinette giggled, "He shouldn't say that!" No? Marinette shook her head and complied with the little girl's wishes. They were just playing, after all. She didn't need to be accurate. "This is no time to be goofing around, Cat Noir! We gotta capture the baddies' akumas before they..." Marinette paused, looking at the dolls then asked the little girl, "Actually, what do the baddies want?" Manon thought for a moment before answering, thrusting the villain dolls forward, "We wanna win!" This didn't satisfy Marinette, who sat back and asked, "Yeah, but win what?" Manon looked up at her with huge eyes. "I don't know. What do they usually want?" she asked. Marinette shrugged. "Depends," she said, pointing to each doll in turn, "Lady Wifi wanted to reveal Ladybug's true identity and Evillustrator wanted to get revenge on a girl for making fun of him! Then there was Rogercop, who wanted to keep everyone safe but took over the city to do it." She looked around the room for dramatic effect, seeing Manon was invested in the story. She whispered, "But the evil Hawk Moth, who makes them bad, wants to take Ladybug's and Cat Noir's jewels from them! Their Miraculouses!" Manon tilted her head and asked, "And what would happen if he did get them?" Marinette simply didn't know. She wasn't even sure why he wanted them and not the other Miraculouses out there. Still, she had to tell Manon something. With a playful smirk, she answered, "The bad guys would win," knowing that was all Manon needed to hear. Manon jumped up with the villain dolls and yelled, "I know! I know what the bad guys want! We want the Miraculous! Then we'll win! Forever and ever! I'm gonna get your Miraculous, Ladybug and Cat Noir! You-you goody two-shoeses!" Marinette jumped to her feet and the two made the dolls fight until Marinette, as always, won. As Marinette was celebrating, Manon threw the dolls on the floor and started to cry. "You always win!" she complained. Marinette knelt down and gently said to the child, "Ladybug and Cat Noir always win," she emphasized, "and the bad guys always lose." This just made Manon cry louder. "But you never let me play with Ladybug and Cat Noir!" Marinette held the dolls out for the girl, saying just to please her, "Oh, don't cry! Of course, you can play with Ladybug and Cat Noir! I'll even let you borrow one of them if you want." At that point, a head popped out of the trap door, and Manon snatched the Ladybug doll then ran to it. "I'm back Manon, have you been a good girl?" Nadja asked. Manon hugged her mum and whined, "Mommy! Marinette didn't let me win! She didn't play fair and square!" Marinette smiled sheepishly, expecting to have to explain her side but Nadja told her daughter, slightly exasperated, "Oh, Manon, you can't expect to always win." Nadja picked up Manon and wiped her nose as Marinette began to tidy up. She would never be able to calm Manon down like her mum did. "Ladybug and Cat Noir always win!" the girl pointed out. "Well, you're right there! But they're superheroes," Nadja explained. Marinette chimed in, hoping to help soothe the girl, "You can win next time." She handed Nadja Manon's bag as the woman put her down. "Now give back the doll," she ordered. Manon stomped her foot and yelled, "No! I wanna keep it!" Nadja grew more stern, making Marinette more uncomfortable. "She can if she wants, I told her she could borrow it," Marinette offered. "And that's sweet of you Marinette, but Manon already has so many toys at home. I wouldn't even know where to put it," Nadja said. Manon yelled some more. Nadja, losing her patience, grabbed the doll and a tug of war was initiated. Marinette looked at her doll form with pity. Good thing the real Ladybug was stronger than the doll. She could already see the seams coming undone. Predictably, the doll's arm tore off and Nadja was quick to chastise her daughter. "I'm sorry, Marinette," the woman said, taking the doll and handing it back. Marinette forced a smile and assured them, "It's okay. I can fix it no problem!" Nadja picked up a crying Manon and said, "Oh, thank goodness! Come on Manon, we're leaving. Say goodbye." The child quietly did as she was told and was carried down the stairs. Marinette sighed. She brought the doll to her desk and opened up the sewing kit. Maybe she should make more of these for Manon. Alya would certainly like a Ladybug doll too. Footsteps were coming up the stairs. Marinette turned and saw the little girl walking towards her. "I left my bag," she said, grabbing it from Marinette's bed. She made her way slowly back to the stairs, staring at the Ladybug doll the whole time. "Can I have Ladybug?" she asked. Marinette shook her head. "I need to fix her up," Marinette explained. Manon pouted, her huge eyes staring deep into Marinette's heart. How could she say no? Well, Nadja never said she couldn't borrow another doll. "You can borrow Lady Wifi," she suggested. The little girl laughed and grabbed the doll, hiding it in her bag. She was gone so fast Marinette barely had time to change her mind. She returned her attention to fixing her doll. It's a good thing villains weren't as cute. She would never win!

Adrian removed his fencing mask in the locker room and sat down, catching his breath from the day's practice. It was empty, like always. His father only allowed private lessons. He took out his phone and saw Nino had sent a text. "Wanna go 2 cinema" Adrian smiled to himself. It quickly became a frown when he realized he had to ask his father. Pre-emptively, he typed "I can't," then searched through his phone until he had his father's contact information up. He pressed the call button. It rang out. He tried again with the same result. Hopelessly, he pressed the call button one final time and his father picked. up. "Yes, what is it?" he snapped. Meekly, he answered, "Hello, Father. It's me, Adrian. I was wondering if I could, um, go to the cinema wi-" Before he could finish he had his answer. "No. You are to return home immediately and continue your studies." He lowered his head and said, "But father-" He was met with a dead tone. His father had hung up. He put his phone down and began to change. Why did his father insist on keeping him at home alone? It's not like he is there to hang out with anyways. Some days they don't even see each other. He would only know his father isn't home if...There's an idea. He could just sneak away and his father would be none the wiser. He threw his fencing outfit in his bag and poked his head out the door. There was no other way out of the school. He snuck out of the locker room and waited by the entrance. His bodyguard was there. Urgh! Why was he always being watched? With luck, however, Sabrina's dad walked over to him, likely reprimanding him for parking in front of the school. Adrian wasted no time in sneaking away whilst his bodyguard was distracted. If he got on the train, he could get to the cinema in time.

Alya clapped sarcastically as Marinette arrived on time for a change. She grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her to the train platform. "The movie starts in thirty minutes. Or, we could buy your book first and go to the next showing," Marinette said, phone in hand. Alya shrugged. "Either way girl," she said casually, tone changing to excitement, "Nine o'clock!" Marinette scrolled through the times on her phone, unsure why her friend's mood changed so drastically. What could she be planning? Did she remember a book signing or did Majestia make another announcement? "No," Marinette responded, "there's no nine o'clock showing." She looked up at Alya who placed her arm around her and whispered, "Not that nine o'clock! This nine o'clock!" Marinette looked to where she pointed. Adrian! Getting on the carriage next to them! Marinette grabbed Alya and pulled her on the train before she could call him over. She was not ready for that! She looked through the window at him. "I wonder what station he's getting off at," Marinette said to Alya, "Oh, maybe he's going to the same movie!" Alya pulled out her phone. "Why don't we ask him to come with?" she asked. "No!" Marinette yelled, smiling sheepishly when everyone stared, "He might think we're following him! Like stalkers!" Alya laughed and waved. "Why are you..." Marinette began, slowly following her friend's gaze. Reflexively, her hand sprung up and began to awkwardly wave at Adrian. "Yeah," she whispered, "We should invite him."

Adrian looked up from his phone, ignoring the plethora of angry texts and calls from his father. He sighed, knowing he would be grounded for at least a month when he got home. Adrian looked up and through the window, he spotted Alya and Marinette in the next carriage. He smiled and waved, becoming the slightest bit happier. Maybe they were going to the movie too. Nino must've invited them when he bailed. His phone began to ring loudly again. As he was about to decline it, he realized it was Alya. "Hey," he answered, watching her through the glass. Suddenly, she began to transform. "What- what's going on?" he heard through the phone. Adrian pressed his hands on the glass, wanting to do something to help her! He could only watch helplessly as Lady Wifi stood before Marinette, panic rippling through the train. "Marinette! Give me those Ladybug and Cat Noir dolls!" Lady Wifi demanded. "Lady Wifi?" Marinette asked, not the least bit scared. Adrian refused to leave her there. There was something off, though. There was no butterfly. Why did she sound like a little kid? As soon as the train stops, he needed to transform. "I'm Puppeteer! And IwantthosedollsNOW!" Lady Wifi corrected. The train slowly crept to a stop. Everyone ran out, including Adrian. He went straight to the front of the train. "The dolls? I don't-I don't have them. They're at home! Why-why do you want them?" Marinette asked. Adrian looked down at his phone. Hold on, Marinette. "Because you said I could have them! So give 'em to me now! Or you'll be super duper sorry!" Adrian screeched to a stop and stared at the driver for a moment. "Excuse me, sir, there's a...uh...cat loose on the train," he lied. The driver nodded and ran to stop the obstruction. Inside the driver's box, Adrian transformed into Cat Noir. He ran back out and found Marinette on the platform. Wasting no time, he ran over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Marinette jumped up and slapped his hand away. "Sorry! Hey, that was Lady Wifi, right? Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" he asked. Marinette relaxed a little. "I'm...fine," she said, sounding a little confused. He understood perfectly. He would be shocked and overwhelmed if he were in her position. "Uh, I'm not sure if that is really Lady Wifi, though. I mean, it was her, but her voice belonged to a little girl I babysit. It's as if she was controlling my friend, Alya-I mean, Lady Wifi-from a distance..." Marinette tried to rationalize, groaning to herself, "This is so weird." Cat Noir nodded in agreement. "I'll help your friend. I just have one more question. What was this talk about dolls?" he asked. "I've got some dolls she likes to play with. They are in my room," she answered. "Thank you, Marinette. You hide in case she comes back," he told her. Cat Noir ran to the street, turning before he made it to the top and waving at a worried Marinette. Maybe when this was over, he could ask Nino if he could invite Marinette too. And Alya, of course!

Marinette waited for Cat Noir to leave before finally finding a place to transform. She shuddered. The thought of anyone, especially Cat Noir, rummaging around her room was uncomfortable. She rushed home, making it just in time to see Cat Noir running to the bakery. She landed on the balcony and yelled down to him, "Hey, Kitty, up here!" He leapt up and together they entered her room. Lady Wifi was stood at her desk, searching her drawer where she kept the dolls. "Breaking and entering are grounds for a serious time-out," Cat Noir said. Ladybug took out her yoyo, ready for a fight. "Soon I'll get your Miraculouses, you goody two-shoeses!" Puppeteer declared through Lady Wifi. "There's only one goody two-shoes around here and I'm not her!" Cat Noir retorted. Ladybug wasn't a goody two-shoes. She didn't think so, anyways. She was a hero. Heroes weren't goody two-shoes...kinda. She shook her head. "Freeze!" Lady Wifi ordered, throwing a pause icon at them. Cat Noir deflected it with his staff. The icon hit a poster of Adrian, causing Ladybug to realize how big a mistake this was. Now Cat Noir knew she liked Adrian. Well, Marinette liked Adrian. Her face grew redder and redder. "Remember how we defeated Lady Wifi the first time?" Ladybug asked, more desperate to stop her. Cat Noir nodded. "Got it," he said, making his way to the router. Ladybug threw her yoyo at Lady Wifi's bag, knocking the dolls out. She only just managed to grab hers when she was hit with a pause icon. She was frozen. Lady Wifi picked up the dolls then confidently walked towards her. Hurry Kitty! Hurry! Her hands reached towards the earings. Just in time, Ladybug unfroze and tossed the villain over her shoulder, snatching her phone away. "Looks like you've just lost your signal, Wifi!" Ladybug announced. She dropped the phone and stomped on it but no butterfly came out. "W-where's the...?" Ladybug asked in confusion. Lady Wifi buttoned up the bag with the dolls then jumped out the window. Ladybug followed her but as soon as she was outside, Lady Wifi was gone. "Did you capture her akuma?" Cat Noir asked, using his staff to lower him down. "She didn't have one...Of course! She's controlled by Puppeteer. She must have the butterfly," Ladybug realized. "Right, Lady Wifi's a puppet!" Cat Noir said, face dropping from excitement to concern, "Please tell me you got the Cat Noir doll!" Ladybug looked down. "Sorry," she said guiltily, showing the Ladybug doll, "I only this one." Cat Noir gulped. "We'd better find her fast before she takes control of the other dolls! And me!" he said. A loud beep interrupted the two. "Cat Noir, your ring. You're about to transform back!" Ladybug warned. Cat Noir looked up at the roof. "Don't let her make me a puppet! You know I like to be in command," he joked, trying to hide his fear. "You mean second in command. Transform in the room so no one sees you," Ladybug told him. She left before he could respond. There was no time to waste! Puppeteer could take control of Cat Noir at any moment.

Cat Noir made it into Marinette's room just in time. He detransformed. As Adrian, he fed cheese to the ring. It was weird being in Marinette's room without her. He blushed when he spotted the posters of him. There were fashion sketches beside them, too, but no other models. He needed to go! He shouldn't be here alone without Marinette knowing. "Claws out," Adrian muttered. As he transformed, something caught his eye. Adrian moved closer to her desk. There were sketches spread out all over it. A smile grew on his face. Alya. The posters made more sense. She was designing superhero costumes for the class at Alya's request. Class photos were spread out everywhere with all the costumes labelled and Alya's notes pinned on top. Only, he wasn't in any of the photos. Cat Noir sighed. It never really hit him until now - how everyone knew each other before that year. Alya was the only exception but she fit in so well. A ringing pulled him out of his thoughts. He opened his staff and answered Lafybug's call, "Just finishing up. Have you located her?" He climbed o to the balcony and jumped onto the nearest rooftop. "Inside the KIDZ+ TV building. Hurry. I'll get everyone out," Ladybug answered. He hung up and looked around until he fou d the general direction he needed to go. Cat Noir was still in control. That was a good sign...right?

Ladybug stood inside the now empty TV station. She checked the security camera to be sure which room Manon was in - a lesson she learned from the Stormy Weather incident. There she was, using her want to take control of the Evilstrator and RodgerCop. What did Manon want, though? She had the dolls. Was that it? "Did you find her?" Cat Noir suddenly asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Ladybug turned and pushed him away instinctively, quickly catching him before he fell when she realized it was him. "I'm OK, not a puppet yet! But I'd love to find the akuma before that changes," Cat Noir explained, holding his hands up. All Ladybug could respond with was, "Sorry." Twice. She had done that to him twice today. With the duo together again, they rushed to the studio. At the doors, Ladybug stopped them. "On three," she told her partner. Manon was just a little girl. They just needed to surprise her and she would stop. She was a good kid. She would do the right thing. Ladybug counted down, promising herself they wouldn't need to fight. When they burst through the doors, however, it became glaringly obvious how wrong she was. "Cat Noir, come to life!" The Cat Noir doll hung in the air as the real-life counterpart lunged to catch it. They landed on the ground together in the same action pose. "Cat Noir! Kitty!" Ladybug cried out. Slowly, he stood up. A purple butterfly outline appeared on Manon's face. Simultaneously, Cat Noir and Puppeteer demanded, "Gimme that Ladybug doll! I'm gonna get your Miraculous!" Ladybug froze. Okay, just a villain and her partner she had to beat. No problem. She has handled worse. Not really but...She could do this! Her eyes narrowed on Manon's wand. It had to be in there. It was usually in their weapons. She threw her yoyo, letting it wrap around the beam, and swung herself over the villains. She landed on the other side and immediately tossed her yoyo at the wand. Don't worry, Kitty. Ladybug smirked confidently. Her eyes widened. The Cat Noir doll sprung up and floated before Puppeteer, the real-life counterpart following suit. The yoyo whacked him, sending him into Lady Wifi and the yoyo back at Ladybug. She winced for him. Ladybug had to be careful not to hurt him! The door burst open. Evilstrator and Rodgercop entered, awaiting instructions. Ladybug froze. Four against one with one being her best friend and the other her heroing partner! She gulped. She couldn't do this. She needed Cat Noir! "The Ladybug doll, get it!" Puppeteer ordered. The Evilstrator drew a phone and handed it to Lady Wifi. Ladybug went cold. Tape. There was tape. She had an idea. Ladybug looked at her doll counterpart. This could go so wrong. She took a breath then ran right towards the villains, sliding past them and grabbing the tape. The hero ran out of the studio and climbed the stairs to the roof, all too aware of her beating heart. She hid behind a spotlight and thought through the plan whilst she waited for everyone to catch up. This was a job for Cat Noir. It was their only chance. "Where'd she go?" Puppeteer asked through Lady Wifi. "Please work," she whispered to herself. Ladybug turned the spotlight on, blinding the group. With the tape, she tied Rodgercop and Evilstrator together. Before she could deal with Lady Wifi and Cat Noir, the latter used his staff to break the spotlight. She thought she would be able to tie Lady Wifi up too. She threw the doll as hard as she could at the Eiffel Tower. "You're gonna lose, Ladybug!" Puppeteer said through Cat Noir. He leapt off the building to retrieve the doll, leaving just Ladybug and Lady Wifi. The hero narrowed her eyes. Her yoyo swung at her side. A pause icon was thrown at her. She dodged. That was how she could get rid of Lady Wifi. Ladybug dodged several pause icons until there was finally an opening. Her yoyo wrapped around the villain's wrist. With all her might Ladybug pulled, causing Lady Wifi to fall into her own attack. She was paralyzed, stuck in place by the large icon. Ladybug sighed. Just Puppeteer left.

Cat Noir made his way back to Puppeteer with the Ladybug doll. He knew in his mind he needed to stop but he wasn't in control of his body. Where was Ladybug? He found himself heading to the studio lobby rather than the studio like before. Cat Noir was forced to kneel before Puppeteer. He fought as much as he could but his arms held the doll out. It was over. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't even look away. Just as Cat Noir was losing hope, Ladybug flew into the room. She tried to use her yoyo to get the doll back but, like before, Puppeteer used him as a shield. He braced himself for impact. His eyes closed. He could close his eyes? "You've lost, Ladybug!" Puppeteer shouted. Cat Noir fell to the ground and opened his eyes. Ladybug threw the Cat Noir doll as far as she could before bowing. he looked back at Puppeteer who didn't seem to notice he was free. Ladybug sacrifice herself for him? He looked up at Puppeteer. "You've lost, Ladybug!" she yelled, laughing excitedly. Her wand. "Yes, Hawkmoth. Give me your Miraculouses!" Puppeteer demanded. "Not a chance," Cat Noir declared. The girl jumped back, surprised. "Where is the doll? No fair! You cheated!" she cried, "Ladybug, get him!" The yoyo came flying towards him yet again but this time, he was able to do something about it. Cat Noir grabbed his partner's weapon and darted around her until she was tangled up. "Sorry, M'lady. Looks like your wrapped up in something," he quipped. "Stop!" Puppeteer whined. He ignored the little girl and jumped up at the villain, snatching the wand out of her hands. As soon as he landed, he snapped the toy in two. The little butterfly flew out. What now? Ladybug was always the one to capture it and set everything back to normal! He-He couldn't clean the butterfly like she could! But he could try to destroy it. "Cataclysm!" he yelled. For Ladybug. He chased the butterfly across the room. It always managed to stay out of reach. Closer and closer it got to the window. His fingers just barely brushed against it before it made it to freedom. He watched as it fluttered away. Why did he think that would work? Stupid! Only Ladybug could capture the butterflies. Only she could save the day. "Kitty?" Cat Noir looked up. She was...back to normal? He glanced out of the window and saw the black crumble off the butterfly, turning it back to pure white. "I did it!" he said, voice filled with disbelief. "You did it, Cat Noir!" Ladybug congratulated, "I knew you would." She held her fist out like usual. "Of course you did," he said, fist-bumping her, "I'm the cat's meow." She burst out laughing but he didn't know why. It was infectious regardless. "Hey, M'Lady. I'm sorry for, um, fighting you," he apologized. Ladybug placed her hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to apologize. You were being controlled. I hit you so much...Most of which might've been before she got your doll? I'm sorry." He hoped she couldn't hear his heart beating so loudly. "Hey, um, when I was a puppet..." he nervously began. Ladybug smiled softly. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything foolish," she answered. He nodded. A flirtatious smirk grew across his face. "Good. And Ladybug, FYI, you can pull my heartstrings any day!" He winked, causing her to giggle. "You're so silly." His ring beeped, alerting him to his imminent transformation. Ladybug looked at his miraculous. "Still not changed your mind on the whole "not even we can know" thing?" he asked. She shook her head. "Sorry, Kitty. This is safer. Maybe when we stop Hawkmoth we can reveal our identities to each other," she suggested. He nodded, ignoring his ring beeping again. "Have you made any progress?" he asked. She looked at his jewellery with concern. "You need to go," she warned. Cat Noir only repeated his question, adding, "I don't really have anything new." Ladybug fidgeted uncomfortably. Eventually, she said, "No. I feel like I'm so close to figuring out who gave us out miraculouses. It's like something is missing..." she said, getting lost in thought. "Maybe...Maybe if we knew how we got out Miraculouses?" Cat noir suggested. His ring beeped yet again. Ladybug frowned. She lifted up the little girl who had attached herself to her leg. "Okay. How about we write down what happened, removing any personal details, and swap it next time we see each other," she suggested. "Should we swap notes too? If you took any. I have notes," Cat Noir asked. Ladybug nodded, "Yes! I'll leave them at the tower base near where Mr Pigeon feeds his birds." The ring beeped a final time and Cat Noir dashed away.

Marinette had just finished sewing the Ladybug doll the following day when Nadja and Manon arrived. Quickly, she put the doll in her drawer and ran down to meet them. Manon ran around the room like yesterday never happened. Marinette edged towards Nadja. "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday, Mrs. Chamack. I shouldn't have given her the doll after you told her no," Marinette said. She lowered her head, sure she was about to be chewed out. "Manon can be pretty persuasive sometimes," Nadja shrugged off. Marinette looked up, adding, "Yeah, with her..." Nadja smiled and nodded, handing Marinette her daughter's bag, "Baby doll eyes? Yes, I know. Don't worry. You do a great job with her. Everyone's gotta slip up sometimes." She leaned down and held her arms out for Manon, saying, "See you later then. Kiss, Manon!" The girl kissed her mum then went back to running around. As soon as Nadja left, Manon said, "I wanna play with Ladybug and Cat Noir!" Marinette stiffened. She chuckled nervously. Did she forget what happened yesterday? "I have a better idea. Why don't we go to the zoo today?" she suggested. Manon began to pout again. "Don't even try it, Manon," Marinette asserted. The girl stared at her for a moment. When she didn't budge, she said, "I love the zoo! I'm ready!" Marinette took her hand. "Did you know Ladybug and Cat Noir fought a villain here?"