Marinette arrived back at the village with her basket in hand; and just in time, too. The party was going to start in two hours.

"Here are the goods!" Marinette smiled, handing them over to Alya. Around her, the pub was being decorated with streamers and candles.

"Took you long enough," Alya replied playfully. "Go and check on Mylene in the back. She might need some help."

"Okay," Marinette nodded. She skipped into the back room where Mylene was preparing various baked goods.

"How do they look?" the girl asked, presenting a few of the cakes to Marinette.

"They look great," Marinette replied with a smile.

"Is your friend Arnold coming?" Mylene then asked.

"Who? OH yeah! He's coming," Marinette replied nervously. "I just have to get ready and then come back."

"You better hurry up," Mylene said nervously. She already had on her best attire; a white gown with little to no dirt stains or holes. In this village, most people couldn't afford bread, let alone fancy gowns.

"Okay," Marinette said with a smile. "You look nice by the way."

"Thanks. Now go!" Mylene laughed.

Marinette nodded quickly and then left the pub. She raced into her house and slammed the door shut. After that, she sighed with relief and slid down the wall.

"Hey," a voice then said.

Marinette jumped in shock and looked up. Adrien was standing there with his arms folded. He was already dressed up, wearing an extravagant outfit-- an outfit a Prince would wear. She had almost forgotten that Adrien was a royal.

Marinette blushed slightly. "U-Uh, I don't mean to sound rude but, I don't think that outfit is a good choice."

Adrien glanced down at his attire and frowned. "Oh, that's right. Your friends would know who I am."

"I have something you could wear," Marinette suggested quietly.

She rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of tan trousers, a tan vest, and a white shirt. She shyly handed them to Adrien.

"Sorry that it's so boring and plain. I know this doesn't fit a Prince's standards at all," Marinette mumbled.

Adrien grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "No need for an apology," he said softly. "Thank you."

Marinette nodded before exiting the house with her party attire in hand. "I-I'm just gonna go to my friend Alya's house to change," she stuttered, peeking her head out from behind the door.

Adrien nodded and smiled.

Marinette slowly closed the door and then walked over to Alya's house.

Inside, Marinette laid the light pink gown she made herself on a stool and started getting undressed. Once she was dressed, she admired herself in her friends old, dusty mirror.

"How do I look, Tikki?" Marinette asked, standing in different poses.

Tikki flew out of Marinette's pocket and nodded with contentment. "You look great!" she smiled.

Marinette smiled, twirling around. She felt like a Princess. All she needed now was her Prince...

Marinette frowned at herself in the mirror. Stop that, she thought. People need your help. They don't need you fantasizing over a dream life.

"Marinette? What's wrong?" Tikki asked curiously.

"Nothing," Marinette replied. "Just losing sight of what my objective is."

Tikki flew up to Marinette's face and grabbed her cheeks. "Hey. It's okay to have fun once in a while," she said. "Then afterwards, you can set out to achieve your goal. You'll march right up to the Kingdom and wish for peace."

"I know but..."

"No but's," Tikki interrupted. "This village is always working. It's time to have fun!"

Marinette smiled slightly and gently rubbed her kwami's head. "Okay. I'll try."

After one more glance in the mirror and some last minute fixes, Marinette left Alya's house. She stopped by her house and knocked on the door to make sure Adrien was ready.

The door opened and Adrien stood there with his glasses set firmly on his nose. He admired Marinette in her gown.

"You look great," he smiled.

Marinette nervously twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "T-Thanks. Great you look too. UH, I mean, you look great too!"

Adrien laughed and offered an arm. "Shall we?"

Marinette shakily wrapped her arm around his and smiled. "We shall."

The pair awkwardly walked to the pub. People stopped and stared at the two, whispering and pointing. Marinette gulped nervously.

As they walked in, Alya's eyes lit up. She quickly jogged over to Adrien and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Make one wrong move, and you're outta here," Alya whispered to him.

Adrien gulped and nodded.

"Alya," Marinette laughed, grabbing her friend by the shoulder. "He isn't going to hurt anyone."

"I don't wanna be so sure," Alya said.

"Looking good you two!" Nino exclaimed, walking over. He held out a hand to Adrien.

"What's up man? I'm Nino. And you're Arnold, right?" he asked.

Adrien took the boys' hand and shook it firmly. "Yes."

"I've seen you around here with Marinette and you look like a chill dude," Nino nodded approvingly.

"Uh, thanks," Adrien replied with a smile.

Nino patted Adrien's back before walking off to talk to Kim. Alya faced Adrien and crossed her arms. She shot darts into him.

Adrien laughed nervously. He jabbed a thumb at the snack table. "I'm going to go eat something, if you don't mind."

Alya growled as she watched him walk away. Marinette sighed heavily.

"Alya, please,"she mumbled. "He isn't like his father. You don't need to be so hostile."

"I don't know. It seems like he's hiding something."

"Aren't we all?" Marinette asked with a laugh. Her superhero alter ego flashed through her mind then and she stopped laughing.

Alya sighed and pinched her nose. She laughed. "You know what? I don't even know why I'm worried about this guy anyways. Ladybug can handle any trouble. I saw her fighting a guy that could control the weather!"

"You did?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't think anyone had seen the event unfold.

Alya nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It was so amazing! And I saw another dude in a black cat costume! I think his name is Chat Noir."

Marinette smiled sheepishly. "Right."

"So yeah, go ahead and stay with Adrien. If anything goes wrong, Ladybug will be able to handle it."

Adrien came back then, holding two cups of water in his hand. He handed one to Marinette.

"Thanks," she replied graciously, taking a long sip. The water traveled down her throat, cooling her nerves.

Just then, Marinette felt her throat constrict. Air wasn't passing through anymore. She clutched her throat and gasped for air. Alya screamed in shock.

"Marinette!" Adrien yelled.

Marinette felt her legs wobble. Then, she was falling to the ground. Adrien swooped in underneath her and held her upright. He stared down at her in horror.

"Girl!" Alya yelled, kneeling down beside Marinette. She lightly slapped her friends cheek. "Stay with me!"

Marinette's lungs burned as they desperately tried to fill with air. Her vision dimmed as she stared helplessly at the ceiling. People gathered around her and stared in shock.

Nearby, Chloe grinned sinisterly. "That'll teach that peasant to mess with my Adrien," she whispered to herself.

"Medic! We need a medic!" Alya yelled. She faced her friend that was on the brink of unconsciousness. "Stay with me, girl!"

Marinette glanced at the far corner of the room and saw Chloe smirking with victory. She did this.

Adrien looked down at Marinette, a tear forming in his eye. "Hang in there," he whispered fretfully. "Please."

Marinette's lip tugged upwards into a smile before her vision faded to black.

*

"Marinette," a hush voiced said.

The girl opened her eyes and in front of her was an older man with a grey goatee. She tilted her head. "Who are you?"

"You're the chosen one," the man whispered. "Don't give up on them now."

"What are you talking about?" Marinette asked.

"You're their hero. This is your destiny."

"I'm not a hero," Marinette replied sadly. "I nearly died. Wait, am I dead?"

"You are Ladybug," the man continued, ignoring her comment. "And everyone will realize that very soon."

*

Marinette's eyes snapped open and she inhaled deeply. She looked around her surroundings. Alya was sitting besides her.

"Girl!" the brunette exclaimed. She jumped to her feet and squeezed her friend.

"Woah," Marinette laughed, wincing under the strain of the hug. "I don't want to feel like I'm suffocating again."

Alya smiled sheepishly and backed away. "Sorry."

Marinette looked around the room for Adrien, but he wasn't there. She tilted her head. "Where's Adrien?" she asked.

Alya frowned. "Oh, uh... he's gone," she whispered.

Those words slapped Marinette in the face. Adrien left? The boy that gave her joy. The boy she was in love with. Gone? Her heart stung with pain.

"What? Why?" she asked frantically.

"He said he felt responsible for what happened to you," she replied. "So he went back to the Kingdom."

"He didn't do it! I saw Chloe. She did it!"

Alya raised an eyebrow. "Who's Chloe?"

"A royal who was jealous of me for being with Adrien," Marinette mumbled. "She must've slipped poison into my drink."

"So she recognized 'Arnold' AND tried to poison my friend!" Alya exclaimed. "That witch!"

Marinette frowned. "What if she tells the guards what happened? Adrien will get punished for sure."

Marinette started to get out of bed when Alya held her back.

"What are you doing?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm going after him!" Marinette replied.

"No! You need to rest," Alya said.

Marinette looked her friend right in the eye. "Alya, I love him."

Alya eyes widened and she slowly brought down her hand. She nodded. "Go get him, girl."

Marinette quickly fled the room and emerged outside. She hid behind a cottage. Tikki flew out of her pocket.

"Marinette, are you crazy?" the red kwami exclaimed.

"I guess I am," Marinette replied. "We need to find Adrien. He will surely get hurt."

Tikki sighed. "Fine. But be careful!"

Marinette nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug left the cottage and emerged out into the village streets. People stopped in their tracks and pointed at the hero. They whispered in shock.

"There's Ladybug!" one woman yelled.

"Our hero!" another person exclaimed.

"Thank you! But I have something to do!" Ladybug replied, waving.

Just then, a loud crash was heard and Ladybug swiveled around. She gasped as she gazed upon a man in a colorful suit. He had a giant wand in his hand.

"Stupid adults!" the villain screeched. He flicked his wand into the air and summoned giant bubbles. Ladybug gasped as she watched the bubbles capture the adults residing in the village. The people screamed as they floated into the sky.

"Ladybug, help us!" a woman captured in the bubble screamed.

Ladybug furrowed her brows and clenched her fists. Adrien would have to wait. She had a lot of people to save, and she was ready to do it.