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Kwami Magi Homura Magica Chapter 1

Welcome to a massive project of mine, one that I’m sure no fan of mine (Crossoverpairinglover for the Archive port) would be surprised to hear be described as ‘lengthy’. However,I’m trying something different with this one where I fully write it out before posting instead of what I usually do, which is write it by chapters in multiple goes. Will see how that turns out. 

Few fun facts and trivia notes for context. 

For Madoka fans, the initial place of divergence would take place a few timelines before the one we see in the original anime. A divergence occurred, creating an alternate path, and as result Homura has surpassed her canon total of time loops by the events of the story. The side materials that explore previous time loops, like Oriko, the Magia Record anime, and Different Story, are among the previous timelines, though no specific placements. Some hints are there for their rough placements though.  

For Miraculous Fans, this takes place in early Season 5, after Multiplication but before ‘Kwami’s Choice’ and Reunion, certainly closer to Multiplication-Destruction than those two. Not a season I really like, I would have preferred they kept the format of Season 4 and had Shadow Moth replaced by ‘Future Hawk Moth’ for Season 5, but it was the best setting for the scenario in question. Interesting for a story with Homura in a major role, this fic entered production around the time ‘Intuition’ aired officially for the first time. 

I am only vaguely aware of certain points in the leaks of Season 5, and I am not seeking out more details. There are only about…two I think, vague references to stuff that are in the leaks, and you would need to know what the leaks are to catch them, otherwise they would be unnoticeable. There is one thing in particular that I don’t elaborate on much in later chapters that would come up in the leaks, that I only know enough about to know it happens but not in the details required to fully cover it, so the resulting scene is a lot vaguer than I might otherwise write it. That scene is not in chapter 1, BTW. 

An inspiration for the base idea comes from the comic Five Years Later, which features neither of the above series but one page of the fan comic in particular, the one where Paradox and Clockwork explain the wider scale of Eon’s campaign , forming the idea’s subconscious backbone. 

"A person becomes naïve if they're too kind. Careless if they're too bold. And no matter how hard you try to protect others, there's no gratitude. Those who can't comprehend such things aren't fit to be magical girls." Homura

It was a storm that always came. Things changed in every iteration she attempted, sometimes by her own direct action. Other times they changed because of the smallest things she did that had unexpected effects. That serial killing magical girl, the one who killed Madoka, was the latter. The times that the other friend of Madoka’s, Hitomi Shizuki, became a magical girl was something she had tried and had happen on her own accord. It was not one of her more enjoyable changes, she hated the idea of more contracts, but maybe if the girl was a magical girl as well, especially if she made Sayaka Miki’s most common wish of restoring that violin player’s hands instead, that it would spare them a dead Sayaka or the witch Oktavia.  That would make Madoka happier, and less likely to make a wish to clean up that mess. The results…were not as she had hoped. She had gotten better results when the girl wished Kyubey to go away and gained teleportation powers, or Homura just killed the violinist to keep Sayaka from wishing his hands fixed and discovering that the boy, while not malicious, had limited social awareness, and that had not gone well at all. That had been the timeline she discovered that Madoka could revive the dead, which then also became something to watch for if things went wrong with Mami or Sayaka. 

What always happened, no matter what she did, was Walpurgisnacht  It was not Oktavia, it was not Candeloro, it was not Ophelia, it was not….the unspeakable outcome. It always happened. Just as surely as she joined Madoka’s class again a week and two days after getting up and shooting Kyubey enough times to make the little monster leave Madoka alone for a bit and clean up other messes, just as surely as that damn Incubator sought out Madoka, just as surely as Sayaka failed her math tests, Walpurgisnacht would come. Kill that thing, and the greatest threat to Madoka would be gone. Death, or the need to contract if she hadn’t already done so to revive Sayaka. Or Mami. Or that cat she really needed to make sure was adopted and kept as an indoor cat. Sometimes her lives-spanning mission would be so much easier if Madoka was selfish, but no, she was sweet and loving and always wanting to help. It was endearing, and frustrating. Oh so frustrating, yet there was a part of her who could never be truly angry at Madoka for damning herself for her friends. 

Madoka had contracted this timeline, and Homura could only blame herself. She had discovered a new avenue to explore, a detail that she had always known to be there since at least her first re-iteration of time, but the true potential of it had not been known to her until a chance discussion Sayaka had that she listened in on piqued her interest. In the faraway country of France lay two jewels with the power to save Madoka. They were called the Miraculous. A ring and a pair of earrings that granted their wearer powers just like a contract with an Incubator, but with the further potential of a grand wish. A wish that could give the user anything. This power was previously only sought after by a villainous man who changed his name over time. First he was Hawk Moth, then Shadow Moth. Now it was Monarch. These were powers she sought as well, though her first trip to France had been less than perfect. She had only a week to devote to her hunt for the Miraculous, she couldn’t bear to leave Madoka unprotected any longer between Kyubey and the things she had to do to protect her, and her travel logistics had not caught that a specific flight she snuck onto being delayed and grounded. She had spent hours of her limited time in a plane cargo hold on a stalled plane somewhere in Central Asia waiting out the weather, and when she had arrived in Paris her methods of finding the heroes were imprecise. She had only one chance to engage the two to try and get their Miraculouses before she had to get back on a plane to Mitakihara. On her flight back she had made notes of what to do differently the next time, and when she got back she cursed when she realized she had missed some things. She thought she had gotten them all in a few days, but she had missed a few of the minor but potentially dangerous ones. She had a heart attack when she heard Sayaka mention Madoka nearly had been hit by that truck she sometimes didn’t remember to disable. By the time she had cleaned that up, Madoka was a magical girl and she had to go into a damage control loop. She had to try her best. Maybe they could defeat Walpurgisnacht without killing Madoka, and afterwards she could find a way to save Madoka from being a Magical Girl, and as a result turning into a witch. She could go back to France, she thought that might be an option. One of those had already failed, but what about the other two?

When Walpurgisnacht came again it was her, Madoka, Mami Tomoe, and Sayaka Miki against it. She’d had worst odds, and she put everything she had learned of the chaotic mess into action to formulate a strategy. It…wasn’t enough, and it was only the previous timelines of seeing Mami fall from the top of a building to her certain death that made her not scream out in terror. When you were in the middle of something that kept you from dying at the time, like blocking a blast of fiery lightning from frying yourself, Madoka, and Sayaka Miki with a purple magic barrier, she found it didn’t do anything but agonize her larynx. 

“MAMI!” It was a lesson that Madoka and Sayaka Miki never learned, and couldn’t learn. However the sound of Mami’s body hitting the broken city streets was not what happened next, unlike what usually happened. What happened next…

WHIRRRLLLLL!!

Was a sound from half a world away as a black string shot out from the ruined city and wrapped around Mami’s waist, a clear careful execution against physics ensuing so that the red suited heroine who appeared out of the darkness and caught Mami before she fell any father didn’t snap Mami’s neck or spine from the whiplash. That would not actually kill Mami, her body wasn’t vital to her existence anymore, but none of them but Homura knew about that part this loop. Facts known or unknown, Mami was safely landed on the ground, Soul Gem unshattered by the impact, as Madoka and Sayaka Miki ran over to Mami’s savior. 

She’d have grumbled about the two being suicidal idiots as a bolt of lightning and wind flew at them, but a single massive staff swipe from another unexpected arrival shattered the blow in a single strike. Homura was going to follow them when the staff’s owner landed in front of her, sitting like a cat in front of her before standing up and looking at Walpurgisnacht. 

“So…that’s why you wanted to take our Miraculouses….” Cat Noir, Paris’s second favorite hero and wielder of half of the world’s most powerful wish, said with a tone that was both serious and joking. The comedy was clearly him trying to hold in his uncertainty about this fight. “...well, this is better than whatever Monarch must want them for, I’ll give you that. But maybe next time, just ask us for help instead of trying to sneak up on us and shooting, okay?” 

His Japanese was pretty good, fluent even, and was better than Ladybug’s. The most beloved heroine of Paris having put Mami back on her two uneasy feet as the other Magical Girls with them all asked what she was doing here. The heroine was a little taken aback by the frantic Japanese, though when Mami asked the same question in Italian, Ladybug was much more confident in responding. The Marvel of Paris apparently was fluent in Italian. A note to remember for any and all next times. 

“What are you two doing here?” But she could speak French fluently. She got bored around the…twenty-fifth time loop and focused on it in class for a few loops. It was one of several languages she learned in the tedium of her repeated school days. 

“Well, saving the day, duh.” Cat Noir assured her. “Afterwards, we are going to talk. All of us. Oh yeah, and don’t try anything stupid like trying to take our Miraculouses, especially not now. ” 

Cat Noir looked at her in pity. Oh, did he know what she was now? Their own Incubators, the ‘Kwami’, clearly told them something. And did they think they could stop her, or was that Bunnyx around somewhere? They didn’t have those two identical Miraculouses they had when they first met, that must have been Bunnyx’s work, whoever it was. But about the other part. 

“I am not that suicidal.” Homura was not going to try and steal the Miraculouses now. She’d save that for after they defeated Walpurgisnacht. And with a combined yell, which she didn’t partake in because she found combined team yells didn’t do anything, the six of them resumed battle with the most dangerous witch. 

….

Walking the streets of Paris as time stood still around her, Homura Akemi remembered the first loop in which she became entangled with the heroes of Paris. That timeline had ended like all the others, though she had felt vindicated when she saw the Lucky Charm that Ladybug created towards the end of that time loop to turn the tide of battle, or so the intention had been. It was a clock whose hands moved backwards. It was as Ladybug, her costume having changed colors for some reason when she used the power, asked what it meant that Homura took her que to go back in time. If the Lucky Charm had the answer to every battle, as she had been told on the internet when she first began looking into the two and saw first hand in her first battle with Ladybug and Cat Noir (or technically LadyBunny and Rabbit Noir), and seen again and again in every time loop she fought them or with them in, it meant that she was the correct answer. The Lucky Charm created a different item everytime she battled the two, and at no point had the same item ever appeared twice, and yet somehow it always ended up being the item that let them drive her off (stun grenades better known as flashbangs, a staple gun, a pogo stick, a jar of jumping beans, a pool noodle, a hockey puck, a Cat Noir figurine, a dancing game dance pad, a stick of licorice, a drink cooler, a cat-eared headband, and one of those giant american cars, the one that sounded like ‘summer’, were just a few of the items she’d seen it create), but everytime they battled Walpurgisnacht the same Lucky Charm appeared. She was the solution. Her path was the right one, and it would save Madoka. 

She’d been to Paris dozens of times since, having grown to master and perfect her time management further so that she’d make the most of her week in this city so far away from home. She’d get there faster, she’d find the heroes faster. She experimented with new ways of trying to get their Miraculous Wish. She had explained to them why she needed to use the Miraculous Wish, she had tried taking the powers from them, each in a variety of different ways. Each time they said no and, if it was the latter or the former where she then defaulted to the latter, defeated her, always aided in either scenario by the mysterious Bunnyx, who she had learned were two individuals. The same person in two different points of her life, Bunnyx was a thorn in her side, both of them. When the two weren’t fighting her in Paris, and they didn’t fight her in Japan anymore after the two got stuck in a Labyrinth for an entire loop, they were interfering to protect Ladybug and Cat Noir’s Miraculouses from her behind the scenes. If not for them, she’d have had her wish already. Their Miraculous, which they always lent to the heroes as soon as she moved to confront them, gave them an edge against her own powers. Just having the Rabbit Miraculous on them let the two react more efficiently to her time powers, which led to a full on fight, again and again and again.

After that, often but not always, the two would find their way to Mitakihara as Walpurgisnacht arrived, joining in the fight against the Witch of nightmares and legends. They were powerful warriors, and she believed that Cat Noir might be able to kill the witch if he could get a good hit on her with his power, Cataclysm, but despite her best efforts finding the spot to make the strike had yet made itself known. But it was a pathway, a chance, that gave Homura a winning strategy. It helped that things seemed to be going better in the last few dozen battles. If she could get everyone to the end alive, which seemed to be more challenging in the last few instances as Charlotte in particular seemed more determined to eat Mami or Sayaka and harder to put down, yet at the same time it almost felt like Mami was hitting harder and Sayaka had more endurance against draining herself hollow to madness and despair, they lasted longer, they got closer. They might just be able to kill the damn thing, even if the differences were just in her head. Though finding Walpurgisnacht’s weak spot and throwing Cat Noir at it was not her only path to ending saving Madoka once and for all.

Her most ideal path was to obtain their Miraculouses and use their wish to protect Madoka not just from Walpurgisnacht but from every Witch, Incubator, and enemy Magical Girl possible. She knew exactly what to wish for, she had refined the idea many loops ago after she had accidentally mentioned it to Madoka and her best friend had told her to take it beyond ‘just saving one person’, much as she had said to her the first time the serial killer came, because just protecting Madoka wouldn’t protect her, she just needed to obtain the two Miraculous to make the wish. She had wondered about the possibility of obtaining the other Miraculous, in both defeating Walpurgisnacht or getting the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses, with her eyes on the ones that Monarch had stolen from Ladybug before the time loop began for knowing what they did, for the most part, and who had them, but the villain lurked in the shadows, more hidden than an Incubator. He didn’t come out, not since, also before the time loop began, that Cat Noir had struck him with his Cataclysm powers. From what she understood, based on limited conversations she had with Kyubey the Incubator (before shooting him), and little things she could get out of the two Parisian heroes, that should put the villain on a timer for a painful and agonizing demise, but before then the villain hoarded Miraculouses and seemed fine with preying on teenagers just like an Incubator. On occasion, though not in every timeline, he had tried to akumatize her. She had barely avoided the fate of being turned into some deranged supervillain in what would probably be a very strange outfit each time, and she didn’t want to consider what that process would do to her. Especially as she was sure that those butterflies would enter her Soul Gem….

But in the last time loop, when she had tried the angle of asking the two heroes for a Miraculous to stop Walpurgisnacht  after she had defeated a akumatized villain first to see if that would earn her a favor, which it did not, she had been told of something interesting. That there were two other Miraculouses that Cat Noir knew of. One was in New York by a hero named Eagle, whose power Homura had encountered and been affected by before and knew how it could be used to her advantage in a clear if indirect capacity, and another in London that was in the possession of a boy named Felix Fathom, who lived in London. They had said they thought it was there, just that they weren’t entirely sure, because they hadn’t seen the Peacock Miraculous on Monarch, and she had also not remembered encountering any creations of the Miraculous in anytime she had previously dealt with Monarch, nor later in that loop, but the thing about time travel is that she knew things they didn’t, like the existence of Argus. 

Argus was a villain she rarely encountered or heard of at all. He usually appeared later, if at all, while she was days away from Walpurgisnacht , though things weren’t always so set in stone and deviations that were hard to explain occurred. The magical girl serial killer was one such example, or that mind controlling one who sometimes came around and was also dealt with immediately and on sight. Felix had apparently once been given the Miraculous of the Dog by Ladybug in the fight against a particularly dangerous Sentimonster, but had betrayed them to Monarch. He was why Monarch had the rest of the Miraculous, and, quite clear with temporal hindsight, why Monarch no longer created Sentimonsters. She had ended up wasting her week in Paris after that as she seemed to keep getting involved in Monarch’s new breed of Miraculous-powered supervillains, too busy helping Ladybug and Cat Noir to make a move against them, before she had to return to Japan. At least, that was what she had thought at the time. 

Madoka, after seeing her transformed later, had called her a ‘hero’, which was nice, it was better when her best friend believed she was a crazed supervillain who was trying to take over France or some outlandish goal like that. The comparisons had been heartening, better than the times Madoka feared her like she was some villain out of a manga. Sayaka was also less likely to try to stab her with a cutlass when she wasn’t ‘part of Ladybug and Cat Noir’s rogues gallery’. But doing what Madoka would do didn’t solve anything in that time loop. The two heroes who she was seen as an ally of by Madoka instead of one of their enemies for once because she had had little time to even ask them about the wish, did come to Japan themselves to return the favor for her assistance later with a few allies who occasionally were present with them, having brought Eagle, a girl who could turn into a talking dragon name Lady Dragon, and a robotic heroine named Uncanny Valley with them to fight Walpurgisnacht. However, before they had even arrived in Japan, they had given her invaluable information about where she could get a Miraculous, information she had gathered in extensive research through the rest of the time loop as she realized it hadn’t been a waste of a trip to Paris at all. Research into who Felix Fathom was, where she could find him, and the best flights she could take to London and then the best way to get to Paris from there. 

Attacking Felix Fathom had been…unexpectedly difficult, even when he wasn’t transformed into Argus, but she managed to defeat him after a long battle that meant she came to Paris a day later than usual. He was unnaturally powerful for a human even without a transformation, he was apparently a human Sentimonster or something that wanted to defend himself and others like him from abuse, and by the time she took him down as Argus she had to restock her arsenal, despite her having already done so before leaving Japan, and she had to use up a grief seed restoring her magic to a safe level. She would be sympathetic to such a plight as that of a human Sentimonster, but she had to save Madoka and he had put Madoka in danger with his actions of making Monarch more powerful. Madoka being harmed in the last timeline was a direct result of her actions in Paris, and while someone like Mami would accept responsibility (perhaps too much in Mami’s case at times) if someone got hurt because of them, Felix did not. And she did not let anything that hurt Madoka stand, if it couldn’t be corrected in some way like dissuading Mami or keeping Sayaka’s head on straight for as long as possible, she got rid of it.  So she used the Peacock Miraculous that had created him to make him tell her everything he knew, never losing the irony of feeling like an Incubator using a Soul Gem to make a point the entire time but going through with it until she knew everything. And she had learned far more than she had expected from Felix Fathom. 

She had expected just to learn about Sentimonsters, like Felix Fathom, and how she could use them to accomplish tasks. The first one she had created, which had taken the form of a lizard attached to her Soul Gem and wrist like a gauntlet, was something she had thought of to solve the problem of her Soul Gem’s level of corruption, as constant fights with Ladybug and Cat Noir across timelines had severely drained her supply of Grief Seeds, let alone when others of their side got involved, allowing her to keep her energy levels at their maximum at all times. As to the possibility of creating them for combat, though that would wait until later, possibly as late as the next timeline if Felix had been correct about limits unless she trusted someone else with their creation. Though she couldn’t think about that just yet. Not when an even bigger prize had been presented her way. Because while she had thought that she might have just learned about where Felix had met Monarch to betray Ladybug, she had found far more than that. She found out where Monarch lived.  

She let time resume around her briefly as she stopped in front of the mansion of the famed fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. The walled mansion was where the world’s fashion heart beated, his designs loved in New York, Paris, Shanghai, Mitakihara, and beyond. She stared at the mansion as she moved her hand up along her Magical Girl outfit towards the brooch that now set on it. It was vaguely in the shape of a peacock, a light purple with darker purple diamonds at the tip of each feather. It looked different on Felix when not in use, and it surely looked different when inactive when in the possession of Gabriel Agreste. 

She didn’t change her expression as she looked at the mansion, but she boiled with fury internally at the name of Monarch and Gabriel Agreste. Monarch, until the last loop, had not been her concern when his butterflies were not coming towards her. He was a rival for a wish, nothing more, nothing less, and someone who the heroes of Paris could deal with. She had her own problems, and at worst maybe after the heroes of Paris helped defeat Walpurgisnacht she could ‘atone’ or something and help defeat him. Madoka would probably say she should atone and would want to help Ladybug and Cat Noir herself out of the goodness of her heart, and Homura would go with Madoka to make sure she didn’t get killed or turned into a supervillain again, Sayaka would do so anyway because she was a ‘hero of justice’ or something whose goal in life was smiting evil with her sword of justice, Mami would probably consider it a debt of honor to help the two Parisians in return for their assistance and also as a way to enjoy french pastries with her juniors, and Kyoko would just want free food and it being french was just a bonus. Beyond the idle thought of some reparations or whatever it would be called, Monarch, for dozens of iterations of time, was not important to her, and if he stayed in Paris she could ignore him. He only occasionally came out to try and fight her after all, and when he did not he was not her problem. Honestly before the last loop it was like if Mami or Sayaka tried to attack her, just that unlike Mami, if in another timeline he offered her cake instead of a gun (or in his case cake instead of trying to kill her), she would have declined. Mami could be an ally, some part of her was still Mami’s friend, and Mami made a good cake. 

Then Monarch came to Mitikahara last loop, probably using the Horse Miraculous, angry at her interference and having apparently caught her saying something to the heroes that let him follow her back to Japan. Once there he started akumatizing people to draw her out, and one of his victims had been Madoka. He was now on her kill list, joining the magical girl serial killer to be removed in every time loop going forward as soon as possible. Perhaps the rest of his Miraculous would be enough to trade for the Miraculous Wish. Perhaps the other Miraculous would allow her to defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir and take their Miraculous Wish. Maybe, if those two somehow defeated her again, but she kept the Miraculous when she escaped and eluded capture from them in Japan, the other Miraculous could let her finally defeat Walpurgisnacht. Whatever the outcome, she had reached a breakthrough. Nothing would be the same after this loop. 

She stopped time and began the break-in. 

…

It was a ruined city, but it wasn’t Paris. 

Paris was an old city, this city was new. Brick was glass, legacy was freshness, and it was all broken. Something hung over the city, half a demented circus forged from a fever dream, the bottom half a wicked doll. To her side three figures jumped at it. One was a red dragon, one was his Lady, and the third was firing a rocket launcher, dark as to blend in with the darkness that engulfed the city. 

“Hey, Fluffles!” 

He turned around to see a bleeding girl in red, whose spear was on the ground. Blood was dripping over her eye, and she looked to be in rough shape, but she was determined. She also was speaking Japanese, which he did understand. 

“Cats land on their feet, right?” She asked in her native tongue. Cat Noir nodded before he jumped on the odd spear she wielded. The girl clearly strained, more from her injuries than his weight, as the odd spear grew in size and started to lift up from the ground. 

“Mami, Sayaka…you died for this city. I’m…I’m going to save it for you two idiots. Maybe...maybe then we’ll be square. Now fly Fluffles, and get rid of that thing!” 

Cat Noir was soon flung, flying faster than his Lady. Faster the Dragon, Lady Dragon’s Dragon form, who was struck with a building. The darkly dressed girl with the weapons had fallen back, and his Lady had to drop too, and was preparing a Lucky Charm. The city would need to be repaired, as would Lady Dragon. Around him lighting and madness shot from the strange enemy, and in the distance he saw a girl stare at him, mouth at her lips, her pink eyes gleaming with both worry for him, and hope he would win. One of them won out. 

“You can do it, Cat Noir!” The girl shouted encouragingly in Japanese. He smiled, perhaps she could see it, as he was nearly at the…whatever the hell it was. Lighting flew right over him, singing the tips of his hair as he ignited his powers. 

“CATACLYSM!” 

Adrien couldn’t explain why he suddenly woke up from that dream, or what it was about, but regardless of why he pushed himself out of bed and looked around. The only son of the Agreste family, sole child of the reclusive and guarded Gabriel Agreste, the former model couldn’t think of what had awoken him in a way that could be described tangibly. It wasn’t even the dream, which felt like it had happened and his body still felt the rush of battle. But that rush hadn’t woken him up.  

Intangibly, he felt like something was happening, something he knew about, but he couldn’t put a finger on what. It wasn’t that fight but…was it related somehow? No, that wouldn’t make any sense. It was just a dream after all.

His first instinct was to go for his phone and look for any messages about supervillains. Even this early in the morning, people would send alerts and share it across local media. But a quick glance showed nothing. Nothing in Paris was amiss, unless a supervillain was being incredibly quiet. And very few of them were. 

Maybe Vanisher was tormenting Chloe again, but why would that wake him up like this? He couldn’t remember anything bad happening with Sabrina yesterday to cause the return of the invisible villain, and even if he had missed something how would he have known? Chloe wasn’t happy with him these days and didn’t complain to him about things as much. Every other akumatized villain, or at least the vast majority of them, lacked that sort of discretion. They would want to be seen, want to make noise, or want the target of their wrath to be known and fear them. There wasn’t any of that. He hadn’t missed a call from Ladybug again, did he? 

“Plagg.” He whispered, wanting to check his calls to make sure he didn’t have fourteen, or so, messages from her again. That…that was not a good mess. He was surprised when Plagg quickly flew over without a grumble or jape. “Quick, transform. I feel like I’m missing something….” 

“And you think you ghosted Ladybug again?” Plagg guessed as Adrien winced. Plagg frowned, but not at him for doing something like that again. “I get what you mean…but that’s not it. That is, if you are feeling like something’s happening.” 

“You…you feel that too?” Adrien whispered as his Kwami nodded. 

“And you can’t tell what it is, except that something’s wrong? Yeah, me too. And the worst part is that it feels like I should know what’s going on. Deja vu much…” Plagg looked around the room a few times. “....Urgh, if your old man wasn’t such a shut-in weirdo I’d go look around more, but I swear he’s always around and in places you don’t expect him. Lurking, like some predatory bird ready to pounce on someone with talons and stuff.”

His father wasn’t a…birds didn’t….ugh, that was his fault. He let Plagg read some comics he borrowed from Nino. Though on the topic of what was bothering them.  

“I don’t think it would be here, maybe it’s in Paris somewhere.” Adrien guessed as he got out of bed, stretching for an impromptu city patrol. “Okay so Princess Fragrance, Dark Cupid, Rogercop, can’t be Timebreaker….Befana, Desperada, Timetagger, Queen Banana….” He stopped mid-stretch as he started listing off random villains. “...Okay, why am I expecting those guys?” 

“I mean, expecting Chloe to go on a rampage at any point isn’t that bad of a guess.” Plagg sounded like he wanted to joke, but couldn’t. He spent his joke on calling his father a predatory bird. “Urgh, this entire thing feels like I’ve got my own tongue.” 

Adrien stared at Plagg. 

“Cat got your tongue.” Plagg clarified. Adrien nodded. Oh yeah, he heard that phrase used before. 

THUMP!

A sound, one that Adrien couldn’t describe any better than being muffled, went through the house. It was just on the faintest edge of his hearing, and if he didn’t see Plagg also react to it, and if both weren’t on edge, they might have ignored it. But they both heard it, and Adrien listened for any further sounds. He and Plagg were careful to stay out of sight of the door to his bedroom, with Plagg only carefully peeking his head through the wall to see if anything was there, before Plagg slowly backed over to Adrien, his expression worried. 

“You see anything?” He asked his Kwami. Plagg shook his head, but he did have something more to say. 

“....I feel like someone is there, but I can’t explain why. It’s like….” 

“Deja vu?” Adrien finished as the Kwami of Destruction looked uneasy. 

“Yeah, Deja Vu. Maybe it’s a Fluff thing….” Plagg seemed to decide it wasn’t a Fluff thing after saying the idea aloud, given his expression and how his tone changed as he said ‘thing’. “Alright, let’s take a quick peak. We’ll use the ultimate sneaking excuse in case it is just the old man.” 

The ‘ultimate sneaking excuse’ was him being thirsty. His father expected him to get a proper amount of sleep, but he also didn’t want his only child drinking tap water, so he’d accept him wandering around to the kitchen at night without further questions. Nino didn’t believe it worked, but it really did.  And so, he slipped out to get himself a glass of water, hoping to find nothing to be worried about. 

He found something to be worried about. 

“Someone’s been in my father’s atelier.” Adrien whispered to Plagg, who floated in the darkness, his green eyes being the only light in the darkness. 

“...Yeah, it’s a few centimeters too open for the jerk, or Nathalie.” Plagg agreed. If it was anyone else, this wouldn’t be a worry, but both were the sort of person who always closed the door a certain amount. Even with the light off, a door being slightly more open than usual was rather amiss. No one seemed to be in there, and when Adrien poked his head in to see for himself, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. No one was hiding, no other doors were open at irregular angles, it was completely normal. But then…why was the door off? 

“I’ll go spy on the old man.” Plagg, seemingly sure that things were safe here, slipped off to peek at his father, who was surely soundly asleep. Adrien, letting his eyes adjust to the nearly non-existent light, looked for anything. But he didn’t see anything. He saw new fashion designs on mannequins as always. The portrait of his mother hung on the wall just as it always did. He saw pictures of himself everywhere. He couldn’t see anything that was missing or disturbed. Could he check the security system? No…his father and Nathalie were the only ones with the password, and he couldn’t call Max or Markov to hack it at this time of night. 

He looked around the orderly room, an expression of both his father’s genius in design and his severe personality, scheduled and arranged precisely by himself and Nathalie, though they weren’t on the same page anymore. It was a sad change of affairs, Adrien admitted. He thought they’d make each other happier. What had happened? 

He wasn’t sure any of his friends could see the changes that meant, but there was a difference since the two had fallen out with each other. There was a certain…disorder, in the affairs and paperwork, one that he wasn’t sure that anyone of his friends could make out. Maybe Marinette, she was a rather interesting reflection of his father and Nathalie in some ways. She was far more chaotic and emotional than they were, you could always tell something from her where his father and Nathalie were guarded, but despite that she was just as good of a creator as his father was. She even kept schedules of everything around her like they did, just instead of being about businesses they covered things that felt more personal. She was a great help when it came to remembering people’s birthdays and finding his friends if he forgot to return something. It was familiar yet different from what he knew all his life…

He was drawn out of his musings about his father, Nathalie, and Marinette by Plagg, who returned from his father’s room….with an expression that made Adrien’s entire body freeze in a way it hadn’t since Monarch had beaten them and taken the rest of the Miraculouses. It was one of grave sadness, Plagg had seen….oh god….

“Plagg…..” Adrien asked his Kwami warily, unsure of what he was going to hear except that it was going to be bad. “Is my…is my father alright?” 

Plagg slowly, very slowly, shook his head. Adrien pulled out his cellphone, ready to call an ambulance, and dropped it when Plagg shook his head again. No……

…

The hardest part about killing Monarch in his sleep is the man only had one pillow under his head, and he didn’t have any others on his person. The man was rich enough to have a mansion, ran a multi-billion dollar global fashion empire, and could afford a private supervillain lair, but he couldn’t be bothered to have an extra pillow on his bed for convenience in silencing the gunshot? She had to go find another pillow in the mansion to use, which took far longer than it should have given that it was a mansion . She’d have to check Adrien’s bedroom to be sure, but Madoka might have more pillows in her own bed than this place had in its entirety.  If Ladybug and Cat Noir and Bunnyx stopped her again, was she going to have to start stocking pillows in her arsenal? 

Speaking of supervillain lairs, Felix had been accurate in how to access the lair. The passage was opened by specific points on the portrait of the man’s late wife, though she hadn’t quite been standing in the right place for the descending platform, she had to jump down it after barely avoiding falling backwards into it. She then found herself in a dark room filled with butterflies, who started as the descending platform turned course and rose upwards into it. She walked forward, startling more butterflies as the wall opened up, revealing a massive window with ornate metalwork that illuminated the lair with the light of the moon. Homura wondered how on earth the man had this thing built without being noticed. Was that the power of wealth? 

“....Oh hey, I’m back! Now if only I wasn’t here because you assaulted Felix, you big meanie.” 

“....Why are you happy to be back here? This place is horrible. You didn’t like it after you got your Miraculous repaired, so why are you being so crazy?” 

One thing she had discovered about these Kwami, was that they weren’t like Kyubey. They actually spoke, and they displayed emotions. 

The one with the Peacock Miraculous, Duusu, was nuts. It talked like a crazy person and was actively angry with her about what happened with Felix. It wasn’t Kyoko though, so it had mostly been calling her things like ‘big meanie’, ‘bad person’, and ‘jerk girl’ the entire trip from London to Paris. Honestly she wondered if she should have kept the Miraculous of the Peacock active so she’d shut it up. 

The one she had taken off the dead Monarch’s body, who inhabited a brooch, was named Nooroo. A purple butterfly-like creature, he spoke with a quivering, nervous voice that reminded her of someone. Someone who was long dead, after she had to put down her best friend. Despite that reminder of that gunshot that was burned into her memory, he was at least willing to help, to an extent. 

“I mean…you need help, don’t you? And you aren’t going to turn anyone into a supervillain like….um….” Nooroo whimpered, skirting around a subject as they walked away from the corpse of Monarch. Nooroo had spent a good portion of its time while time was frozen screaming about murder and death and seeming to be horrified at Monarch’s execution, while she looked over his body for where a Miraculous might be. She had dallied too long away from his neck, and by the time she had found the brooch blood had gotten on it. It was done screaming about the sanctity of life and senseless murder by the time she had washed her hands of the blood and refrozen time. Unlike the first time, where she had brought the Kwami in by chance, she was wearing its Miraculous now, which apparently let it join her in frozen time without direct contact. 

“...Like the Incubators.” She bluntly answered for the simpering creature as she approached the stairs, the entity that acted like a crying weakling winced but nodded. Slowly. 

“...So you know…” He nervously asked, as if it expected her to freak out or might possibly not know the truth. She nodded, not bothering to say anything. “I’m sorry.” 

She stopped mid-step. She didn’t look back, but she could tell it was wincing, as if expecting her to hit it. She waited for it to say something, like ‘well it is your own fault, deal with it.’ That was what the Incubators thought. Su-Han the monk said the same thing but a lot more cruelly once before attacking her. But nothing came. All she got was the words that sounded sincere. The creature was a good actor, unless it was being truthful. But that was a silly thought. She had climbed a few more steps before it spoke up again. 

“Were you looking for the others?” It asked her. “Because if you think they are in the lair, you’re right. Though if you are going to get them, things might be…different than what you are expecting.” 

She stopped at the top of the step. The little creature flinched, but eventually he spoke up. 

“Well you see….” 

“Oh come on, why are you helping her of your own free will? She’s a big meanie!” Duusu, the Kwami of the Peacock, flew between them, still being an annoyance. “She’s much meaner than Gabrie…” 

“Quiet!” She snapped at Duusu, who suddenly started making sounds like its mouth was gagged. Was…was it that easy? Had she endured that creature’s insistent cacophonic whining all day for nothing when she could have just told it to shut up? As Duusu started making furious gagging sounds all over the stilled mansion, she saw the other one float over to look her right in the eye. 

“...You're not that mean, are you?” Nooroo again talked like it was being nice. 

“I’m apathetic.” She bluntly told it. Nooroo winced, but seemed to see something in her. 

“...Gabriel did something bad to you in the future.” Nooroo guessed. “You don’t just stop time, do you? You can travel back in time too.” 

She was going to tell it to stop talking. She did not need a fake apology from it. Nooroo seemed to see her intentions and quickly stammered out something.

“IfyouarestillreallyupsetaboutitletmetellyousomethingIwishIcouldtelleveryoneinParisI’msorry!” 

She felt the faintest of snarls, which to her was a full on Kyoko rage moment, recede just a bit. 

“Repeat that. Slowly.” She told it, who didn’t even seem as forced to do so the way Duusu being silenced was clearly against its will. 

“If you are still really upset about it let me tell you something I wish I could tell everyone in Paris. I’m sorry.” Nooroo said slower. When she didn’t silence it, it continued. “My powers, any Miraculous, aren’t meant to be used for evil, to hurt innocent people. All of the people my power has turned into supervillains, everyone who's ever been hurt by those supervillains, I hate that it's happening to them again and again. I wish…I wish there was something I could have done, I couldn't talk Gabriel out of it. I tried, I begged, but it never worked. He…he shouldn’t have been murdered, there should have been another way, but if…if you just want to take me away as revenge so I can’t be used to hurt people again, I’m fine with that. You don’t want to be like an Incubator, that’s how everyone should be. Honestly, I hate that they are doing what my powers are meant to do, but even worse than Gabriel.”

There it went again, sounding so authentically apologetic that a part of her, a part of her that sounded like Madoka, believed it. But it couldn’t be… wait….

“What is the connection between you and the Incubators?” She demanded it say. Nooroo flinched, but nodded. “Also, no lying, ‘conveniently’ leaving anything out, or half-truths.” She knew what tricks Kyubey liked to pull.  Nooroo nodded, like it wouldn’t even have thought it. 

“You see, Kwami are living creatures like a Human or Incubator, but we are just as different from either as a Human is from an Incubator. We are old as the concepts we embody, and have existed before humans or Incubators evolved. Our powers, which Humans are able to use in a controlled and safe form via the Miraculouses, have always been ours, though before their creation our forms were unseen and unheard, and our use of powers uncontrollable and seen as acts of gods, often in the negative. Plagg…kind of killed the Dinosaurs. And Atlantis.” 

She processed that part as Nooroo continued. 

“The Incubators were involved in Atlantis, which wasn’t actually as Greek as you see in films and stories but that is kind of off topic but you said to not leave anything out, but in Atlantis they…” 

“Stick to how you are related to their sick game.” Homura amended her orders as Nooroo nodded. She did not need or want an extensive history of Atlantis. Just because she had the time didn’t mean she cared to hear it. Also she did not want to hear about the Atlanteans worshiping Kyubey or something. She’d rather do another time loop with only one arm. 

“Of course. I do have to confess something. I…may have given them the idea. I’ve given powers to distant alien races before, using my powers unseen to let them deal with great catastrophes. I’ve saved planets from meteors, supernovas, and unending wars that way. I never did so with the Incubator’s home world, but they had heard of my work and as they researched the ways of the universe and discovered the concept of entropy they were inspired to make a mockery of my blessings with their contracts, though they were already making plans before they heard of my gifts to the native inhabitants of the planets Superbia and Apkil, among other worlds, and got… ergh …inspiration.” 

Homura was caught off guard by that last part. This Kwami, this…thing…..that sounded too Human for an Incubator. Maybe it was really that good of an actor, or maybe….

“What they do to Humans, to all of the races they think are ‘viable’, is disgusting. We didn’t even realize what they were doing until we encountered the first Atlantean Magical girls here on Earth, and the first witches. And some of my brothers and sisters in other Miracle Boxes, like Liiri and Kelpp, found them on other planets that might have been there longer. Their attempts to stop them…didn’t go that well. Mostly because, as I said, our powers without a Miraculous are hard to control. The results from our brothers and sisters on other planets that did drive the Incubators off, but led to unspeakable results like the Shadowed Planet, the Solar System-spanning Hell Jungle, or the Undying Planet. Those were not good outcomes, very not good. The better outcomes, those on the homeworlds of species like the Calliopes, Jotts, Ai'jurrik'kai, Vekoo, Vaskergoros, Kotoss Interdrent, Coronians, Andalites, Butontikos, The Nask, Dockengauts, and Savians, weren’t as catastrophic, but…well the Incubators didn’t go away in the end and on some of them they remained quite open and in open influence, like ranchers and cattle. I think the only planets the Incubators didn’t stay on without us accidentally creating unspeakable nightmares were species that just didn’t have as effective of a, urgh, harvest , for the amount of effort put in, like the Superbians and Apkilians. On Earth, things went better, even if just relatively so.” 

Nooroo floated down to point at her two Miraculous. 

“The Mage who was able to perceive us, unlike any Incubator before or after, also knew about the Incubators and their evil. So he helped us by creating the first Miraculouses which gave us forms that most species can see, though again not the Incubators.  They cannot see Kwami at all. To us, we are just incalculable phenomena, harnessed disasters and miracles that a Human somehow managed to channel via jewels. With those jewels, we could finally properly fight back. There were nineteen of us on or near the Earth at the time who got the first Miraculouses: myself, Duusu, Tikki, Plagg, Trixx, Wayzz, Pollen, Mullo, Stompp, Roarr, Fluff, Longg, Sass, Kaalki, Ziggy, Xuupu, Orikko, Barkk, and Daizii. Together with our first human partners and the wielder of the Prodigious at the time, we partook in the first direct battle between the Incubators and ourselves, the Miraculous users and the Order of the Guardians, the group who were formed to support us…” 

“....I met Su-Han.” Homura told Nooroo cooly, who winced in sympathy. That had only happened once, and the Bunnyx duo were generous enough to not have tried it again. They hadn’t quite realized what a Guardian and a Magical Girl were yet, a lesson she nearly learned with her life. She could…appreciate was not the right word for it, but it was something she would give them credit for. If he never crossed her path again, he wouldn’t join the list. 

“Oh yes…he was probably rather rude and almost certainly violent. My apologies for whatever terrible thing he said about you or any of your friends, especially if they are also victims of the Incubators. He…he didn’t use Magikung-Fu on you, did he?” 

She nodded. If that was the fighting style that really, really hurt when it hit her, seemingly designed to destroy her soul gem and literally punch magic out of her body with every strike, then yes, yes he did. She might have died if Ladybug and Cat Noir hadn’t stepped in to save her life. Nooroo winced in sympathy. 

“Guardians are trained in two special martial art forms: one to take down evil Miraculous users, and the other to destroy Magical Girls. They practice the latter discipline a lot more extensively. It’s the orthodoxy of the Guardians to destroy any Magical Girls on sight, as they are easier to destroy than Witches without putting Miraculous out in the open in active use, which they prefer to minimize. It’s something the Kwami have never approved of, but one thing that we and the order’s founder discovered early on, after the first War and Plagg destroying Atlantis after many years of fighting, is that the Miraculous both gave us more tangible connections to life, and gave us all a lot more limits, and that includes pushing back against policies we really…really disagree with.” 

“Or who uses your power.” Homura admitted despite herself. Maybe…maybe the Kwami were different from the Incubators, or at least Nooroo. Nooroo nodded. 

“Yes, it helped ensure that the Incubators only could work in the shadows and not rule the planet, it was the right idea then and now. Its execution was…not perfect however, though there are ways to work in that system. Several guardians rejected the orthodoxy across their history and were willing to help us find a way to help Magical Girls, and you're in luck. One of the best methods they found was the Ladybug Miraculous, who can purify Soul Gems like an akuma or amok. Tikki told me stories about what that did for Tart and her many battles, with such great power she could best entire armies yet need her Soul Gem replenished each time, though maybe don’t mention her name to Su-Han because another Magical Girl stole it and the Cat Miraculous to give to her and the Guardians are still socially traumatized by that incident. So if you are going to rescue the other Kwami, and you do a big favor first for Ladybug and Cat Noir by restoring their Miraculouses to normal, oh yeah that was what I was going to say before Duusu spoke up. Gabriel altered the Miraculouses into rings, but you should be able to use Orikko’s power to restore them back to normal. I’m sure Ladybug would help you with anything anyway, she’s really nice and surely would want to help you with your condition anyway, but if you are also going to tell her you stopped Monarch and rescued the other Kwami, then there is no doubt she’d help you stay alive and yourself for as long as you wish. She might even help you find bed and board, and maybe will let you become a beloved hero! She’s a Guardian, so she can make that call!” Nooroo almost sounded like Sayaka, as if he was just that thrilled about being part of something good for a change. 

If she just wanted that, that would be true. If she just wanted to live, she could do that. If she just wanted to take Madoka and run away, she could do that. She tried that last one once, but it didn't work. Beyond the fact that taking Madoka away from her friends and family broke her best friend (and she repressed the things Madoka said to her when she was being kidnapped for a reason), Kyubey would never leave her alone. Sayaka wishing Madoka back was just one expression of that relentless pursuit of her friend that Kyubey had. The only way for the wish to work was to keep Madoka in Mitakihara, keep her with her family and friends, and protect her from witches, magical girl contracts, and Kyubey. And there was only one way to do that. 

“Then tell me Nooroo,” she asked him, already suspecting the answer she’d get. “If she’d be willing to help me live, would she be willing to allow me one more wish?” 

“...Um, mistress, er..….” Nooroo asked her as she looked around the lair for anything that looked like other Kwami, sounding like he hadn’t gotten her name yet. She hadn’t offered it to him yet. 

“Homura Akemi.” She told him as he nodded. 

“As much as I’m happy that you did let Duusu speak again after I asked you….I must again beg that you do not make a Wish with the Miraculous. There are other ways to stop the Incubators than to resort to such methods.” Nooroo was willing to help her with anything but the wish with all of his enthusiasm. Well that and her going after Ladybug and Cat Noir, which went hand in hand with the wish. 

“....” 

“In fact, even they know to fear the power of the Cat Miraculous. They may not know Plagg is a true being, the living destruction, but they know that his powers can destroy anything. And against a species like them, linked beyond just a hive mind like the Dockengauts , if even one is stricken with intent to destroy, the entire species will decay like the very entropy they believe only they can stop. A single strike by Cat Noir is all that it will take to wipe them out. I do not want to encourage genocide in general, but please just consider a less extreme plan than a Wish.” 

A wish that, as she got from Nooroo, was apparently an unintentional creation of the Miraculouses. The first and only time the wish had been granted, it was by complete accident when the first unification of the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses was done and the user had an idle thought about what they desired. 

“.... Walpurgisnacht.” Homura said simply as she looked around. 

“Wal…purrrr…..jis….” Nooroo sounded like he was having trouble saying its name. 

“That sounds like a witch. I take it that it’s powerful.” A voice that Homura had never heard before spoke up as the three of them turned around to see…well Homura would call it a cage. It was shaped like a wheel, filled with glass jars, of which all but four held a Kwami. Each looked like an animal in some vague way, with some more apparent than others. The horse and the pig Kwami, for example, looked more clear than the….was that a frog? A turtle? And was that a snake or some sort of lizard? It was the reptile that spoke up again with the same voice. “Yes, hello, I take it from your company and the Miraculous you wear that Monarch is….” 

“He’s dead!” Duusu shouted. “She shot him in his bed!” 

“....Good riddance.” The Dog Kwami grumbled. 

“....Barkk! That’s still a human life you are talking about, even if it was a most evil human.” The frog-turtle named one of its fellow Kwami (she was not quite comfortable with seeing the others as…well not like Kyubey yet, she’d warmed up to Nooroo but Duusu was just annoying so it wasn’t clear which of them was normal and which was abnormal for their kind yet). 

“She also beat up Felix! She shot at him with guns and stabbed him with knives and whacked him on the head with a chair and all sorts of horrible things!” Duusu wailed. 

“...And he sold us out to the jerk. Okay, especially if you drop that Wish thing you are apparently after, you’ve got my help!” Barkk really didn’t seem to like Felix. “Though if you are going to not drop the wish thing…can you at least not be an egomaniac about it? Don’t talk to yourself in the dark about your evil plans please.” 

“...Yes, please don’t do that.” The purple Tiger Kwami also asked. “Like, really, don’t just take the jerk’s place and please drop the Wish thing, but if you just want to give us back to Ladybug or go punch a Witch with Clout, please do. Just no Wishes, and no evil monologues in front of giant windows.” 

“I don’t do those.” Homura told them of the latter.  

“...Er, let’s be sure that she’s on the level before we promise her any help or a good word to Ladybug, and especially not about the Wish interest of yours. I mean I have no problem with working with a Magical Girl, none of us do, but my last partner was pretty awesome and if she wants to take us on a Witch hunt on her own or get in good with Ladybug, she’s got to make a good pitch.” The fox Kwami slyly asked, sounding like it just wanted to get its old partner back quickly. 

“...I killed Monarch, I get his stuff. That’s how it works. I know what I must do.” Homura repeated. She was not going to be talked out of this.  

“Yes, defeat the Witch known as Walpurgisnacht, which you can do without the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous combination wish.” The snake Kwami emphasized in a mixture of telling her to not attempt the wish and earnest agreement about aiding her in defeating the monster. “Our powers will be more than enough to do so without, especially if you recruit our previous partners. While murder is…not an ideal outcome, we must live with this outcome that was going to happen sooner rather than later with his injury and abuse of our powers, and with Monarch dead and Nooroo freed, the heroes of Paris will no longer have anything else to do but prepare for Witches. With the last Guardian residing in Paris for decades, there have been very few Witches or Magical Girls in the area, but I do believe a month is enough to prepare them for what to expect. After all, this isn’t your first fight with the creature, you can give quite extensive advice on the topic to anyone who is willing to help.” 

Homura was surprised to hear that the Kwami knew that. It smiled at her, as hard as it was to tell from the cage glass. “Oh yes, you must be surprised to know. I can tell that you are a time traveler. You loop in time, correct? I have a very similar ability, so I can sense this quite clearly. You’ve… oh dear .”  The Snake Kwami suddenly sounded quite concerned. 

“Sass, is something wrong?” The Bee Kwami worriedly asked as Sass stared at her in a mixture of pity and concern, and not just in the way she saw the Kwami stare at her. Like Nooroo, when they weren’t trying to talk her out of monologues and wishes, they looked at her like her state of being, not her wish and its effects on her, was a personal failing of theirs. 

“My dear….how long have you been attempting to kill that witch and…” 

“Save my best friend….I’ve lost count.” Homura admitted. Sass was staring at her like it could see something else, and was counting that something else. 

“...And, how long have you also sought the Miraculous?” The frog-turtle asked her. 

“I’ve only been after the wish, and for….few dozen….” Homura did some counting. Okay, there was the first time, and the second time, and the third time…they got a bit hazy after that when it came to the order of things. There was the time Bunnyx brought in the Guardian, the two times with Scarabella and Kitty Noir, the last time where Monarch followed her back….

“Sixty-three times, and a previous eighty-four times you did not consider a trip to Paris at all.” Sass eventually clarified, sounding like he was quite scared of something. The other Kwami looked at each other warily, even Nooroo and Duusu. 

“...Duusu, she made that Sentimonster on her Soul Gem while wearing your Miraculous, right?” The horse Kwami asked slowly. Duusu muttered an affirmative. “Did…did you notice how much affinity she has?” 

“More than Shadow Moth, way more…” Duusu muttered in an odd tone as all of the Kwami looked around. So that was a good thing, right? 

“..How much more?” Sass inquired. “It cannot be….oh dear…” 

She looked over to Nooroo, wanting to get a clarification from a Kwami she somewhat trusted and was sure would answer her properly. 

“Why is this a concern?” She asked him, who winced but nodded. 

“You see….people aren’t supposed to even wear a lot of Miraculous at once, let alone have them active and in use. It has terrible side effects for most to even attempt it…” Nooroo began.

“I think it brain damaged Pollen’s first owner this century. She’s really gone downhill since she went evil and stole us all the first time around.” The Fox Kwami muttered, as if he found that fate fitting. That was Queen…Bee wasn’t it? Vesperia was the one who replaced her, so there was a reason she was replaced. Turning evil was as good of a reason as she’d ever heard. 

“...No, that’s not quite how it works.” The frog-turtle Kwami clarified. “It’s physically damaging, destructive to the soul, not mentally ruinous unless you use the Miraculous for evil for a long period of time. See, for example, Gabriel Agreste.” 

Nooroo nodded about that point before continuing. 

“When Mo…Gabriel Agreste used all of the Kwami here, except Duusu but including Fluff, when he used…was it five or six powers I can’t quite recall…but it started to seriously hurt him. If you have even more affinity than that, and or you’ve been rewinding time into a fixed point based on an Incubator wish again and again and compounding upon yourself….well….that….won’t be a problem with you. This affinity, by the way, also attracts the Incubators.”

Well the Incubators bothering her to make a wish was no longer a problem, and the part about the time loops and her affinities was probably not important beyond the fact it would help her, though on the Miraculous part… 

“Oh, so to obtain the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses to wish the Incubators out of ever having existed I could use all of your powers at once.” Homura surmised. 

“Well…you shouldn’t but you could, but you really shouldn’t….” Nooroo admitted nervously. 

“And you really, really should not try to get the Miraculous Wish. Just…just go fight the witch whose name I can’t pronounce with all of us instead!” The Pig Kwami squeaked fearfully. “Take as long as you want to do that, however long (a month), take all month, take a bit more time after that to go on vacation afterwards before giving us all back to Ladybug, anything else but just please, please, please no Wishes!”

“And maybe don’t germinate genocidal dreams within yourself in general.” The Dragon Kwami advised, sounding like what Homura thought she did when she told Madoka to not wish to break up fights, revive cats, make Mami happy, know what to wish for, get Sayaka and Hitomi to stop fighting over the boy, pay off Kyoko’s food bill, save that retirement home, or other things that she should not sell her soul over. Her mission would be so much easier if Madoka could be less willing to wish to help people…

“I mean sure, the Incubators are the only acceptable species to wipe out and not be evil about it…but there are ways to do it without the Wish. Like Kaalki’s Voyage, Barkk’s Fetch, Cataclysm, that’s all you need. They can’t slip away from that. Bam. Done. No need for a wish.” The Ox Kwami emphasized with hand motions the idea of pulling one of the little monsters towards a ring and seeing it dissolve like wet tissue paper, presumably everywhere in the universe at once if they were right about that part. 

“I did see that done once.” Homura admitted. It was…Princess Fragrance, Homura thought that was the villain, who actually used the portal power (Voyage?) to get Cat Noir to hit a Kyubey. Why she did that…well Homura didn’t know who Princess Fragrance was, but in that timeline Cat Noir and Ladybug had come to Paris with a magical girl she didn’t recognize, a blonde, so she could make a guess. However that didn’t solve the problem that Madoka made a wish in that timeline before Princess Fragrance wiped out the Incubators, and it didn’t solve the problem that was Walpurgisnacht. So it was not an acceptable solution. 

“Like killing the Incubators, we’re all on board for that as a single exception to the sanctity of life. That entire thing about preventing Entropy by violating people’s souls and turning them into monsters is completely wrong and …..” The Tiger Kwami explained as a sudden burst of corruption shot out of her Sentimonster filter like a steam whistle, venting the corruption away from her soul as pure rage filled her very being. The Kwami all flinched in fear, her body trembling in fury at what she had just heard, or perhaps more from what they just saw in mutilating darkness given form. She didn’t care really, she was beyond furious .  

“What?! Are you saying that those rats have been killing Madoka again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again a nd again and again and again and again and again and again … ” 

“Um….Miss Homura….” Nooroo cautioned as another burst of corruption shot out of her Sentimonster, and thus Soul Gem, like a steam out of a cracking pipe. Her gem remained at full charge and clarity, she had designed the thing to work after all, but it was probably better to stop that before she really put it to the test. So she calmed down. 

“ ...because of a lie!?” 

Marginally. 

“More like….math with a missing figure that makes the entire equation wrong. That figure being Plagg.” Nooroo explained. 

“Cat Noir?” She said, believing that was the Kwami the male hero had, wondering how Cat Noir made every Madoka death she had failed to prevent, every Mami death, every Sayaka death, every Kyoko death, every death and Witch-out completely pointless. Moments later the door to the hatch she came in from burst open, the top flying away like a blasted man-hole from below, as an ever-extending staff she recognized all too well shot out from it and slammed right into her. Striking her in the chest, she only had time to make a magical barrier behind herself as she was thrust up and back by the strike, her ribs taking the blow hard as she was forced into the open window. She struck the window, the barrier reducing the damage to her body even as the window barrier, surely expensive and made of high quality material, cracked. 

As she slid down the window face, bumping against its ornate metalwork as she did so, a shape burst out of the hole and ran at her, swinging the staff at her in a fury as she was struck this time from above the head. Her barrier magic formed up again, but she was still slammed into the ground hard enough to shake the entire building. Who was attacking her soon identified himself with his voice, though how he was here was not something Homura could explain. 

“ MURDERER !” Snarled Cat Noir, sounding more furious than any time she’d ever attacked him or Ladybug. It was enough to surprise her, though not enough to make it so she couldn’t stop time and avoid him striking her a third time with that staff of his, clearly with the intent of smashing her into the floor like a nail. Rolling out of the way, she got up and moved towards the stilled Cat Noir, drawing a gun…

“Nooo!” 

Nooroo was still able to move and got between her and Cat Noir, getting between her and Cat Noir’s vulnerable neck. 

“He’s trying to kill me.” She reminded Nooroo. Honestly even she thought she sounded too casual about her intent there. She really had been doing this for a long time… 

“I know but….” 

“Murderer! Murderer! Meanie!” Duusu shouted at her, also unfrozen. 

“...the other Kwami will give you a lot of the same if you do.” Nooroo advised .That would be annoying….and she did need them to tell her where Monarch hit the other Miraculous….or more accurately the rings that Monarch had made, according to Nooroo. She also had never used an Alliance Ring, they weren’t really a thing in Japan and were still rolling out worldwide up to the end of her time loops, so having minimal issues in getting the things back to normal, if as much to better negotiate with Ladybug as much as her own ease of use against her, would warrant a different approach than shooting Cat Noir in the neck. 

“....” The problem was that she didn’t have the largest array of non-lethal weapons stored away other than shooting Cat Noir in the neck. She had a few umbrellas but…

“Try using Duusu’s Fan.” Nooroo advised. She nodded, it would be less lethal than her current equipment yet it would also be effective in knocking the enraged hero unconscious. 

“Hey! Hey! I do not con…” 

“Duusu, Spread My Feathers.” 

Duusu was sucked into the Peacock Miraculous, which glowed and changed color into its true appearance as her Magical Girl outfit altered in turn. Her coat grew longer tails, ending in rounded feather-like ends with single purple diamonds for eyes. Her collar grew larger and turned blue. Her hair turned completely purple and grew longer, with two ribbons holding it somewhat in place that resembled the feathers of a peacock. Her skin turned bluish purple while over her eyes appeared a purple mask, darker than her skin. The Fan, the weapon of the Peacock Miraculous user, appeared in her hand opposite her shield, which she put in position to slam into Cat Noir’s neck, which should knock him out. She unfroze time, moving her strike to get him right at the neck…and he grabbed the fan with a backhanded grab. Her eyes widened in shock as he blocked her. 

“You…how did you do that!?” He doesn’t have the Rabbit Miraculous, he shouldn’t be able to react to her that fast, even with honed combat instincts! She let him throw her, sheer raw strength allowing him to fling her, still holding the Fan, overhead, which she used to stop time just as she got in position above his head, shifting her leg mid-flip to put the tip of her heel right in front of his head. Close enough to ensure he couldn’t dodge, but not in direct contact, and then she let time flow again. Her heel struck Cat Noir right in the face, making him drop her as she got back on the ground on her own two feet.  Cat Noir, not deterred by a kick to the face, rushed at her, swinging his staff once more at her. She froze time, stepped to the side of it, fired a gun ,and unfroze time. Immediately after she unfroze time Cat reacted, ducking to the side of the bullet and swinging the staff back her way. She avoided the blow with a quick jump, though seriously how was he reacting so fast?!

She froze time again as she approached Cat Noir, taking aim once more. She noted, without turning around, Nooroo floating towards her. 

“He seems to be able to dodge shots without the Rabbit Miraculous. Let’s see how well.” So she fired, stepped to the side, fired again, and repeated as a storm of looming bullets surrounded Cat Noir on all sides. Stepping well away from the bullets before unfreezing time again, Cat Noir was suddenly blasted with a full three-hundred and sixty degrees of gunfire, which he spun away with his staff instinctively, though not without a wince as two bullets did hit him. No Kwami complained, so it would seem this was acceptable to them. However the two bullets did not take him down. 

“How are you doing that?” She asked again. Were the Kwami only dropping the complaining because he was coming at her with as much lethal force as a gun, if not more so given that he had just taken two bullets and wasn’t stopping? 

“You killed him!” Cat Noir snarled, the pain of being shot twice only making him angrier. So furious he didn’t even seem to be wondering how she’d shot at him so much. 

“....” Why was he so upset that she killed his arch enemy? She barely froze time quickly enough to avoid a staff jab to the face, getting out of reach for an easy, instinctual counter-strike before unfreezing time again to hear more out of him. 

“You killed my father!” Cat Noir….wait he was talking about Monarch, right? 

“Gabriel Agreste?” She repeated, just wanting to be sure they were talking about the same person. Because she only killed one person in Europe in this timeline. She killed a few dangers to Madoka before she left for England, but she never got people after her for that. She wasn’t being framed, was she? 

Cat Noir let out a sound that was somewhere between a roar, a scream, and a cry of pain. His entire body was shaking in absolute fury and despair. It was a state of being she’d seen before…but only in very bad timelines. Timelines like where Kyoko was staring down both Oktavia and Candeloro at once. Kyoko had made a very similar noise to the one Cat Noir made then. 

“I can’t…I already lost…..I’m all….you’ll…..you’ll pay! You’ll pay !”

 She had broken Cat Noir, and she hadn’t even been trying. Also did that make him that male model with the commercial? Adrien Agreste, she thought his name was. Said model was certainly not carefree now as he slammed the staff so hard down where she had been just a time skip ago that it broke the floor. 

“Mr. Noir! Your father was Monarch. Please just…don't give the girl your ring or let her take it from you but please calm down!” The Horse Kwami shouted. Cat Noir didn’t respond as he brushed away a bullet spam from behind himself without looking before smashing the ground with the force of a sledgehammer where she had just been standing. “We all, even yourself once you listen, want to go after the same villain, who isn’t your deceased father, so please calm down and talk about the Incubators and stop fighting!”

“Please Cat Noir, calm down! She’s not evil, she just wants to solve the equivalent of a nuclear holocaust by hitting the earth with a meteor strike!” The Dragon Kwami shouted, trying to break the fight off and to, again, as if she didn’t already hear them, tell her to not attempt the wish. Cat Noir didn’t react to it either, instead reacting to what he seemed to expect was gunfire, as if he could hear, or just feel, when she let time start again, but this time hit a bomb instead of bullets, which detonated upon impact. His entire body shook with the blow, but he didn’t go down or drop his staff. She rushed in at him, using the rather sturdy Fan to block the Staff blow to pull out a small handgun and fire, but he used his leg to sweep at her, which she avoided with a time freeze and got out of the way of him. 

“Cat Noir, your father deserved to die!” Barkk shouted, to the scandalized sounds of the other Kwami for shouting that out loud. Cat Noir didn’t react to that either, instead attacking her again in a storm of jabs and sweeps and smashes to the Kwami’s dejection. “Okay, he’s definitely not hearing us.” 

“Fury deathens him.” The Dragon Kwami said in great concern. “Loss traps him in tunnel vision.” 

The Kwamis reactions did imply that Cat didn’t know his father was Monarch so…did he find the door by chance or something? Though she could think of that more after she was safe from him killing her. 

She froze time seconds before Cat Noir struck her with an intensity that, if not for having the Peacock Miraculous active, might have broken her shoulder. 

“Homura Akemi. We need to get Cat Noir to calm down before you or him kill each other.” 

It wasn’t Nooroo speaking. She and him looked over to the cage, where the Kwami floated motionlessly. All that movement was Sass’s mouth and eyes. 

“You can talk when I freeze time?” Homura said in surprise. 

“Yes. I have similar powers to yourself, and grant them with my Miraculous. As I was saying, while I must implore you to not take his Miraculous…” 

“....” 

Sass frowned. “If you could just…oblige us to consider breaking from your extreme path to save your best friend and considering a far less reckless path, you might be able to get Cat Noir to snap out of his vengeful berserker state if you were to use the Butterfly Miraculous. Not to make a champion, but to make Cat Noir see something that might register that his father was not who he seemed. It might make him stop for a second and you two can resolve this without violence. If nothing else, I would rather not have Cat Noir become a murderer.” 

It didn’t leave a ‘too’ at the end, so she wasn’t getting a lecture. She’d make a note of that, though she was not up to giving Sass a modicum of trust just yet. She turned to Nooroo, who flinched but nodded. 

“Well since you are already using Duusu’s Miraculous, just say ‘Nooroo, Duusu, unify.’ Just do it when time isn’t frozen so Cat Noir can see.” 

She nodded as she unfroze time and said the words, seeing Nooroo glow and fly into the brooch on her costume. Cat Noir glared at her as the Brooch, which was diamond shaped, returned to its natural form and grew wings as her modified costume changed again. Her uniform’s top grew out, as if forming a cape that almost resembled a pair of wings fluttering behind her. Armor grew beneath it over her shoulders, resembling some of the gray-ish material that she had seen in Hawk Moth’s mask in a few scant pictures of the elusive villain’s first form. A staff appeared in her hand, joining her shield as her costume modified further in minute ways. She didn’t catalog all of them, she just let it happen and see if it got anything through….

He swung his staff at her again, breaking more ground in his father’s evil lair. He was still so furious he didn’t even seem to register his father had an evil lair or question why she had the Butterfly Miraculous. He just kept charging at her, attacking her again and again. She fired bullets at him, some of them hit him. He struck her in the shoulder with his staff with enough force that she might have had a broken shoulder even as a Magical Girl, though with two Miraculous it just really, really, really hurt. She struck him in the face with the Cane, which she found to be a much more useful weapon than the Fan. He struck her on the head with enough force to disorient her, letting him slam into her again and again with further blows, at least until she got a gunshot into his leg. Somehow that didn’t make him fall over, or even slow him down as she barely avoided having her head smashed in like a watermelon. Stopping time just long enough to get back on her feet, she needed to do something else to get him to go down. At this point it wasn’t just to get his Miraculous, it was to stay alive and avoid being outright crippled.

In the third timeline, Mami had tried to teach her how to do named, dramatic, finishing attacks. She tried to teach all of her students and proteges to do that, it always happened if she lived long enough to see Madoka, Sayaka, or once up a time Homura, contract. It had only not happened in the second timeline because most of the time had been spent trying to make her powers work properly, it was the third timeline where she had come in with the bombs and later the guns.

 Madoka and Sayaka always went all on the concept, Finitora Freccia and Tempesta Di Spade being two common creations if Mami lived to see both contract in timelines that had good moments like the third did, this only didn’t happen to her anymore because the Homura Akemi that Mami taught was long dead. Mami, who also was always happy to help give them ideas for the attacks, had come up with one idea for her that had gone the farthest from concept to application. The attack was impractical beyond belief then and it was still impractical now, but less so due to her better mastery of creating bombs and greater willingness to steal them. The Goat Miraculous would mitigate the impracticality further after this fight was over, though she had never come up with a name for it, or liked Mami’s name choices. Kyoko had actually given it the closest to an actual name, one that Sayaka had also used for it, and while she never used it then because of how vulgar it was, and she didn’t use it now because she was not going to name her attacks unless she had to, like with the Miraculous powers, it was the time to use it. The attack that Kyoko had dubbed, to Mami’s displeasure, ‘Hellzone Grenade.’ 

She froze time as Cat Noir lunged at her again, moving right up to him and pulling out a bomb from her shield and triggering it. The bomb, which would not detonate until she unfroze time, was put in the air right in front of Cat Noir’s face. She then pulled out more bombs, putting a dozen around him to completely surround him. She got a safe distance away from him before unfreezing time, as over a dozen bombs suddenly detonated around Cat Noir, throwing him up into the air. He was tough, and it was going to be a lot of work to restock them later…if not for the Goat Miraculous. It was going to get a lot of use after this. She froze time again before jumping into the air, leaving a bomb right in front of the blasted Cat Noir once more. She repeated the process a few more times before unfreezing time again, letting Cat Noir be blasted with more bombs. How many did she have left…

She froze time again as Cat Noir was about to course correct before he hit the ground. Cats and their feet and all. Giving herself a moment to check her bomb count, she slid two more bombs under where his feet were going to land, and put the four remaining bombs she had on hand behind his back, stepping away from him to be right in position to hit him after she resumed time. She did, and Cat Noir was promptly blasted again, this time spinning out of control at her like a large, black baseball. With the Cane she swung right at him, striking him right in the face as he was flung into the same window she had been struck through. The window and window face cracked further as he slid down it. Stopping time again, and noticing a wisp of corruption shot out of her gem by the sentimonster, Homura moved towards where Cat Noir was dropping, ready to grab his ring once he surely fell unconscious…

Cat Noir’s flashed open, emerald eyes furious and burning. Oh for the love of…stay down!

“Cataclysm!” 

She froze time again as now she had to get rid of that power, and she was limited in where she could have that thing hit. He was obviously going to try to strike her with it, but she couldn’t have him hit the Mansion with it. She needed something to waste that power on. It was in the seconds, if not minutes, that time paused, that she had an idea. Reaching into her shield and its infinite armory storage, she pulled out a rather ironic item and walked over to the paused Cat Noir. She slipped the pulled item in just near the black sparks of the Cataclysm, where there would be no time for him to avoid grabbing it, and stepped a few ways back. She pulled out the guns and once more initiated the full three-hundred and sixty degrees of gun fire. For an extra method she pulled out a rocket launcher, aimed it so that it would blast Cat Noir at the window, fired the missile, and added it to the incoming storm. She stepped further back to avoid the bullets and missile, and then restarted time. 

Cat Noir immediately gripped the umbrella, not the Umbrella that he used as Rabbit Noir so many times against her, surprise momentarily taking hold over sheer fury as the tool disintegrated. Then the bullets hit him all at once, causing him to let out a cry of pain. The missile then hit him, the tank busting device sending Cat flying, not sending Cat into the window but having him land halfway there in a prone but upright crashed stance. She then got right behind him, time stopped, the Cane hoisted over his head and ready to slam down with all of her strength, boosted by her curse and the two Miraculouses. It was only when she briefly looked over at the Kwami, and saw Sass’s expression, that she hesitated. 

She held her pose for a moment, not moving in the stilled time, before she put the Cane away. She still needed the Kwami’s help to get their Miraculouses, perhaps such a mortal blow was too much. And maybe, just maybe…

“ Don’t worry, everything’s going to be alright! Because I am here!” 

Madoka had followed her out into the fight again. Sayaka and Kyoko were fighting it, and she had nearly gotten herself killed, but in the nick of time the two French Heroes had appeared. Cat Noir holding the bruised up, scared, but still alive Madoka in his arms, grinning like an idiot who was just happy to say that in Japan. Behind him Ladybug was using her Yo-Yo to throw what was once a truck at Walpurgisnacht as Sayaka and Kyoko leapt at it in tandem, like two cogs of the same machine. 

Maybe…she wasn’t as cold as she thought she was. 

She unfroze time…just as she took the Fan and slammed it into Cat Noir’s neck, knocking him to the ground like a dropped puppet. A puppet that was still breathing, but not going to attack her in a blood rage again. 

She was still taking the Miraculous though. 

…

Marinette had the feeling that something was off today, and it wasn't just her. The entire morning, Tikki had been anxious, her partner Kwami, and alas the only one she had in her room these days, had spent the entire morning flickering in and out of the walls, as if looking for something. While Marinette didn't have the same ability to phase through walls, she felt like she was watching for something. Waiting for something to happen. She kept looking around corners, listening for something she didn't know what she was listening for, her fingers constantly twitching like they were ready to grab something. She constantly touched her earrings, as much to see if they were still there as much as readiness to use them at a moment's notice.

She wished she was just forgetting a test, she really wished it was just that. But she had frantically texted her friends, and Mylene, Juleka, and Rose had all confirmed it wasn't the case. She was just panicking like she had a bad dream. It might have been that, if not for Alya's response.

" You too ?" Alya had quickly called her after receiving the text. " And it's not just you and me. Nino's bugged out too ."

At school, she'd noticed Adrien was missing. That was one of two things that were off about this morning, and she was amazed she had managed to not dwell on that at a complete absolute level and missed the other thing. The other thing was that it wasn't just her, Alya, and Nino feeling like something was wrong. Kim was twitching like he was ready to run after something, Max constantly was fidgeting with tech and, per Markov, 'had been agitated all morning', and even Chloe seemed to be bothered by the faintest feeling of agitation, which she took out on Sabrina because she was Chloe.

It was weird that all of the former Miraculous holders who she'd given Miraculouses to under Master Fu were feeling the same way as her. It wasn't affecting Juleka or any of other ones she had given Miraculouses to later, though maybe it was bothering Zoe. She had seen Chloe's better sister briefly and she seemed on edge too, but Marinette wasn't confident that it was truly the same with her just yet to truly call it. She had asked Tikki in a quiet moment about her theory, and Tikki seemed to agree that she wasn't imagining things.

"I t's possible that something's wrong beyond the physical level. It's...hard to explain for a human, but there are layers to reality beyond what you see. There might be something going on there, though I'm having a hard time putting a finger on what it is. Certain Kwami are better at reading this sort of thing than myself, like Sass or Longg. " Tikki had told her. Part of Marinette wanted to ask Juleka if Luka was feeling something, but she was also wondering why it seemed like Zoe was the cut-off. Was it a level of exposure to a Miraculous, or length of exposure? Chloe made it a bit uncertain, as Chloe often did, but Chloe could just be grumpy today for an unrelated reason. Maybe even Adrien being missing was it....oh god she really hadn't been thinking about that too much but Adrien was missing! Was he sick? It couldn't be because of Aspik, if Juleka and Rose and Mylene are fine then he should be too.

It was a few hours later, after which she had slipped out of sight for a bit with Alya, that Tikki had come out after looking all around the school, her expression deeply bothered.

"It's serious, isn't it?" Alya guessed. So serious that Alya hadn't even joked once about Adrien and how it was, and wasn't, registering with her. Tikki nodded.

"It's concerning, but I can't explain why. I think I have a solid theory on what is going on, but I'm not certain. And unless Fluff and Alix come on by, I can't be a hundred percent sure of what is going on. But I can't think of a better explanation."

All of them looked around for any convenient blue rabbits, or as was more accurate ‘blue rabbits that herald bad news’. With none in sight, Tikki continued.

"Just to be sure, Marinette, I need you to transform. Just quickly, for about ten seconds or so. I just need to feel something about you as closely as possible."

Alya discretely moved to the door, blocking it with her body. Marinette quickly said the words, and in a flash Ladybug appeared on school grounds. She counted aloud to ten before saying spots off, letting Tikki back out as the Kwami of Creation looked rather worried.

"....It's worse than I thought."

"What's worse?" Marinette asked worryingly. She wasn't going to die, was she? Were they all going to die? Was this some new Monarch plan?!

"Somehow, your karmic fate has multiplied by several factors, like several timelines are being entangled into yourself and creating extensive concentration of inherent mystical potential and psychic deja-vu."

Marinette and Alya exchanged looks.

"Um, can you please say that again, in French. I'll take English too, heck I'll even take Chinese or Portuguese. Just...say something we actually understand." Alya said it for the both of them. Tikki's expression was unsure.

"I'm unsure of how to explain it simply, but I'll give it my best. Normally someone has a certain level of potential for magical matters, like the Miraculous. Certain people are naturally gifted with the Miraculouses more than others, though with practice and effort anyone can be skilled with the use of one Miraculous. However not everyone can use more than one Miraculous at once."

"So you saying that if Cat tried to..." Marinette remembered how she dealt with Kwamibuster. Tikki nodded.

"Odds are it would have been problematic, just like what happened with Monarch."

Marinette now imagined Cat Noir on the ground in agony as energy burst out of his body like lightning in one of those…what were they called? Some sort of science toy….

"I mean...I did kind of have the right idea with the Mouse Miraculous..." Marinette felt like blushing a bit, she wasn't that special. After all, she had never tried that out with anyone else...

"Still very dangerous, though it did mitigate the risks. That was clever of you to do so. And there is no way to increase your tolerance for multiple Miraculouses. Monarch can't train himself to use all of them in one fight like how you might train to run for longer. Yet somehow Marinette, your already remarkable affinity for Miraculous use has increased, and not by a small amount."

"But you just said..." Marinette repeated as Tikki cut her off.

"Yes Marinette, you aren't supposed to be able to improve on that, but somehow you have. And I wonder...Marinette, please let Alya use our earrings for a moment."

They repeated the process, just with Marinette blocking the doorway so Scarabella could appear for ten seconds, before vanishing as Tikki came back out. Tikki looked a bit tired, and Alya pulled out a shriveled up grape from her bag, looking a bit sad at the sight. It was probably meant to be for Trixx, Marinette couldn't help but think. Tikki thanked Alya as she had the bite, before looking worried.

"It's not as pronounced as with Marinette, but you also feel like your inherent affinity for the Miraculous has also increased. Don't try to do a Kwamibuster like Marinette when we beat Monarch, but you would probably no longer kill yourself if you used....er....four Miraculous at once maybe. Possibly five, but don't try that without supervision please. You could probably do more and not immediately die, but you were told what happened to Monarch and that is best avoided even if your body could probably go past Monarch’s limit by at least one Miraculous now. " 

If that was Alya's potential, what did that mean for her? Could she, after defeating Monarch, use every Miraculous in the Chinese Miracle Box at once? Would she want to?

"...Okay, how did I do that? How did Marinette do that? Heck, how did everyone else do it?" Alya questioned as Tikki frowned.

"I don't know, I just know that it does seem to have more of an effect on someone who has used a Miraculous more frequently. I can't think of any reasons that feel plausible, that aren't also greatly concerning."

"Define 'greatly concerning.'" Alya asked Tikki, wondering what a Kwami considered greatly concerning.

"Well, one cause of it could be Sass repeatedly using his power without his Miraculous, but that certainly is not the case." Tikki said gravely as the two looked at each other. Kwami doing that was never a good thing. “When someone is using Second Chance with the Miraculous, this effect is prevented. It’s not even something that happens when Sass just uses his power on his own. It’s something that, in theory, would only happen if he was trying to break reality.”

Sometimes it was weird remembering the Kwami could break reality if they wanted to.  

"Could Monarch make him do that?" Marinette asked worryingly.

"You'd know if he had." Was all Tikki said of the idea. "And that's just one idea. I might be completely off, as while I'm told you could get this effect with multiple concentrated time loops, I'm not the best at sensing them. And again, Sass can't create the effect via Second Chance.”

"Could he have created a supervillain to do...whatever is going on?" Alya wondered in worry. Parisians tried not to act like going too long without a supervillain was a sign of the apocalypse, that delay after Monarch's debut until Kagami's mother somehow had the powers of the Mouse Miraculous alongside her own akumatized powers had kind of killed that joke dead. But sometimes seeing Mr. Pigeon was reassuring to know that nothing else was wrong at that moment.

"He would need to know that it was possible, or to ask Sass and the others about it. I just don't see how that would happen. It's possible..." but Tikki didn't think it was the case. So what was going on?

A phone beeping in a serious conversation was not a concern. Two phones going off at once was, as it implied a shared message. It could be a group message, or it could be something from the city. Usually that meant an Akuma alert, sometimes it was bad weather. Alya took her phone out to check for her.

"It's the Mayor's office sending a citywide alert. If we're lucky it's just Mr. Pigeon taking over the city again or something sort-of-harmless.."

Mr. Pigeon 68. That was a memory she'd remember forever, if just because of what happened to Chloe and the Mayor.....

It wasn't Mr. Pigeon, thank goodness for that. Just because Shadow Moth had broken her charms defenses didn't mean that poor Mr. Ramier deserved to be turned a seventy-third time. She actually didn't recognize this villain: she looked pretty normal, like an actual school girl. The uniform looked a bit odd for a Parisian school, but maybe the Mayor got overthrown by a regular school girl this time and..

Marinette's blood ran cold as she saw what the girl was wearing as she stared, seemingly through the camera, at her. Her nose had a nose ring that she had once guarded. Her hair had clips she was responsible for keeping out of evil hands. Alya's Miraculous was around her neck, as was the Miraculous of the Mouse, Dog, and Dragon. They....they were all on this girl. She saw all of them. All of the Miraculous that Monarch had stolen. Even the Butterfly and Peacock.

She didn't know who this girl was, but she wasn't Monarch, or Shadow Moth, or Hawk Moth. Her long black hair was not what her nemesis wore. Her purple eyes were like Juleka's, but not filled with shyness. They felt like steel, cold to the touch almost, more severe than Kagami's. Around her arm, partially obscuring a few Miraculous, was a shield that kind of looked like a clock; she believed it was a buckler shield of some sort, and a gem on the wrist that shared an arm with the shield. Though around the Gem, mostly obscuring it, was some sort of creature that Marinette thought was a Sentimonster. It looked like a lizard whose tail was merged with the Gem like some sort of suction cup, the dark lizard glowing a purple light that seemed to almost...filter the gem for lack of a better description. Every so often the lizard sentimonster snorted a black haze out of the gem that entered the room like a smog cloud that quickly disappeared into the air.

"....Either Monarch somehow turned himself into a teenage girl...." Alya didn't finish the sentence, saying a ludicrous scenario that was pretty much impossible to be true, but the idea was clear in agreeing with her. Somehow this girl had gotten all of the Miraculouses back from Monarch, and Marinette had no idea how on earth that was possible. What she did know was that the girl was making it quite clear she had all of the Miraculouses Monarch had, she was not hiding it by having the Miraculous enter camouflage mode. It was easy enough to learn how to do that, but you normally didn’t want to do that. Doing that was inviting someone to rob you. This girl was making a point. 

"....no...." Tikki said to herself, almost inaudibly quiet, but not seemingly about seeing all of her friends in someone's possession or someone being so blatant about having a ton of Miraculouses. It seemed...about the girl herself somehow.

"....Attention Paris, I...um.....this very scary girl would like to send a message....I mean a threat...I mean an ultimatum...." The mayor babbled in the background, sounding terrified.

"Quiet." the girl on the video feed told the mayor, who quickly quieted. Her gaze never left the camera feed, silencing him without looking at him. 

"Ladybug, I have come to make a trade. I know you don't want to accept it, but I ask that you, at least this once, agree to it. I have something you want in turn this time after all. My bargain is as follows. I have killed Monarch, retrieving all of his stolen Miraculouses after killing him in his bed as he slept. I found his secret identity out by chance when I went after the Peacock Miraculous, whose owner I discovered by chance several days from now in an event that will not occur again. In exchange, you will lend me the Ladybug Miraculous to make a wish, upon the granting of which I will return all of the Miraculous to you."

"A wish? Like on a star? Is that what Monarch's..." The mayor spoke up from the background as the girl turned to glare at him, presumably, as he was off camera. Despite being off camera, she could hear the man flinching and whimpering in fear, louder than Mylene ever could, as her gaze returned to the camera, as if looking right at her.

"I know how this goes, so I will ease your worries. I do not want to wish to take over the world. I do not intend to wish for world peace. I do not dream of riches for myself, or to grant myself anything. I wish to save my friend's life and the quality of her life as she spoke of it to me in a conversation she does not remember. My wish will be the eradication of the Incubators from ever having existed in the past, present, and future. Your Kwami will tell you why this is a good thing. She always does, just as Plagg always tells Cat Noir to kill them on sight."

She...alway does?

"Incu...bator? Like the thing you hatched chickens in? She wants to....genocide a farming tool?" Alya was both very confused and quite disturbed at the concept. Tikki's eyes were wide, as if she got what was going on and was horrified, and not just about the genocide wish. She also seemed to have an answer, which...wait....'she always does'! Could this girl. ..

"You never grant me this wish, no matter the offers I make or the truth of my promises to return the Miraculous to you each time I make it. I know more than anyone the dangers of a reckless wish, Tikki and Plagg have explained to you as many dozens of times now, but I also cannot stand seeing her dying any more, not when I have found a solution that will save my friend's life, and everyone else's. Your wish is the solution, and I will possess it. It's a simple, moral wish to end her and mine’s curse, and now it is also your solution to return to you what Monarch and Felix Fathom stole from you. It's a wish that will save the world twice over, not just from Monarch. You are trained and taught to resist the use of the Ultimate Miraculous Power at any cost, but allow me to explain why this resistance is now futile."

The girl adjusted her hand without the gem, shield, and Sentimonster, revealing a Miraculous that Marinette had not seen before, and it was once that made her slip out a scream in terror, in fear of someone immensely important in her life's safety. It was the Cat Miraculous, sitting on the mysterious girl's ring finger where one might put a wedding ring. She eyed the ring casually.

"The power of Destruction. Truly I was not expecting this, just as I was not expecting to discover Monarch's identity, but as chance would have it when I killed Monarch, Cat Noir was...in the area and went to investigate, after which we fought. Bunnyx didn’t save him this time, so I won." The girl seemed to adjust her words as she spoke, almost as if to protect Cat’s secret identity. Come to think of it, she hadn’t said Monarch’s either . "I did not kill him, though he is currently in the hospital. He will recover, your Miraculous transformations are quite durable. When I have made my wish, I will return to him the Cat Miraculous as I will return to you all of the others. While this statement will surely make you angry, allow me to make something clear. Even without the Miraculouses, I possess powers. One of which is the ability to travel back in time to a fixed point. This is not the first time I have come to Paris seeking the Ultimate Miraculous Power, I have in fact been here over sixty times at present count, and each time I learned something more. About Paris, about the Miraculous, and Monarch, about you and Cat Noir and Bunnyx and the other Bunnyx and all others around you. The previous time I came to Paris I learned who had the Peacock Miraculous. In this iteration of time, I learned who Monarch and Cat Noir are. I will remember this, you will not remember anything should you stop me."

The words were said matter of factly, explaining a simple fact of life. But this 'fact of life' was making all of Marinette's blood freeze.

" Do not fight me this time Ladybug. Defeating me will not truly defeat me. I will return in my next time jump, and I will again retrieve all of the other Miraculouses. I will again retrieve the Peacock Miraculous, I will again kill Monarch, and I now know where Cat Noir sleeps. You will not remember this message, as I will not have sent it. Every time I've come to Paris, all of these dozens of times, I have learned more about everyone who becomes entangled in my mission to save my friend's life. I battled you and Cat Noir dozens of times, I battled Monarch a dozen times. I've battled the Bunnyx duo a dozen times. I learn from every battle, and I've learned more about this place each time I’ve come here. If you defeat me, you will only bring me closer to finding out where you sleep. You are the same age as Scarabella, are you not? Perhaps a year older than Kitty Noire?"

Her blood was now beyond frozen. Alya mouthed her other secret identity's name in fear. Tikki didn't ask who Kitty Noire was.

" Don't drag this out. Meet me in an hour at the Eiffel Tower. If there are cameras, I will let you have one of the Miraculous I saved from Monarch first to preserve your secret identity before you give me your earrings. I will make my wish and return to you all of your Miraculouses as well as the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses. It's that simple. Don't make it complicated."

And then the girl vanished. One second she was in the mayor's chair, the next she was gone, like she had never been there. The Mayor's panic was barely registered to the three of them as the situation sunk into the three of them further.

“.....What…..” Alya was the first to speak. Marinette’s mind was still moving too fast, everything she heard and saw struggling to register in the storm of panic and shock that was her head. What…what the hell was even going on!? 

“That Magical Girl, did she…” Tikki wondered aloud, which was enough to get both her and Alya to look at Tikki in disbelief. 

“Wait wait, did you say ‘magical girl?’ Like Sailor Moon, Nanoha, Cardcaptor Sakura, that sort of thing?! Those are real!?” Alya asked, sounding like she was seconds away from asking about time lords, spirit detectives, wizards, and soul reapers. It also interrupted Tikki, who was clearly wondering something specific. 

“Um, yes.” She said, a little taken aback, though sounding like she could get why the word ‘magical girl’ would create that sort of reaction. 

“Since when!?” 

“...Too long.” Tikki said mournfully, a tone that got Alya to not ask about where she could get her own magical wands, mysterious male stalkers, and barrier jackets. At least, Marinette hoped it was only the first and last ones. 

“Tikki, what….what is she, what is going on, and what’s an Incubator.” Marinette got things back on track. Sure, she would not have pegged finding out that Magical Girls existed, heck Jalil had never even babbled the idea out and he had argued about the existence of dozens of insane things straight out of fiction in just the few months he had known her, a few of which were actually true according to Tikki. But they were real, one had apparently killed Monarch and put Cat in the hospital, she’d been apparently fighting Bunnyx, had fought her and Scarabella before, and had just called her out to give up her Miraculous for a wish to wipe something called the Incubators from existence, but with the promise of returning all of the Miraculous afterwards. Tikki, sounding like she was going to talk about something heavy, began. 

“So let’s start this off broadly. Marinette, you know I came from outer space,” Marinette nodded, having been told the origin story of the Miraculouses. “Alya, Trixx told you we came from outer space,” Alya nodded, confirming Tikki’s assumption. “We’re not the only things out there. We didn’t all come to Earth because it was the only place with life on it or anything depressing like that. One of those species out in the universe, the Incubators are the worst we ever encountered. Though in fact that isn’t their actual name. Their culture is, for lack of a better way of putting it, alien to anything  you can imagine. They don’t have emotional attachments to names the way you or I do, and their basically a single mind inhabiting multiple bodies at once, bodies that they all shape at will for whatever task they are pursuing at the time. They take on a title for the species to call itself based on what the species is doing at the time. So they changed their name to Incubators because that is what they decided to dedicate thousands of years towards. Before that they were known as the Ponderous, the Surveyors, the Existing, and the Formed, among other titles.” 

Alya and Marinette exchanged looks. 

“Okay so….why did they decide to make their names into ‘Incubator’ of all things?” Alya asked. 

“Because they were smart enough to discover and calculate the concept that humans would call entropy, or specifically the heat death of the universe.” Tikki began to explain, before noticing that Marinette was going to ask what the heck that was. Tikki seemed to be ready to explain, but let Alya do it instead. 

“Basically it’s this thing involving thermodynamics that comes up in Sci-Fi about how energy eventually runs out and the universe dies. I don’t like thinking about it because I get really dizzy and depressed about something that is incalculably far in the future.” Alya skirted around the topic, clearly of personal preference. 

“If it helps, it’s something that won’t happen as long as Plagg exists. Plagg is the end of all things in living form just as I’m the creation of all things in living form. The universe won’t suffer anything like that as long as Plagg exists and wants the universe to stay going, so the universe will never suffer a heat death as long as Plagg desires for such a thing to never happen.” Tikki assured Alya and Marinette, which was good because thinking about something like ‘the inevitable death of the universe’ made her depressed and kind of dizzy just like Alya described. Though there was something else that she couldn’t help but remember. 

“The simple truth is you don't love me anymore!! So I might as well destroy YOU, ME, OUR MEMORIES... EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!”

Something she never wanted to remember or think about, but haunted her nightmares regardless of her personal wishes. 

 “However, as you are both aware, Kwami can’t be seen by recordings. A.I can’t see us. You have to see us in person unless you trust someone who talks about us.” 

“And I can tell you from moderating the Ladyblog that that’s not guaranteed.” Alya muttered as she caught something. “Let me guess, these Incubators never discovered Plagg exists?” 

Tikki nodded. 

“Even with the Miraculouses, the Incubators can’t see us. It’s like trying to talk to Markov or Uncanny Valley, except unlike those two they don’t accept the idea that we exist. They have their own term for us that doesn’t really translate to a human language well, but basically describes us as unpredictable cosmic variables of destruction and chaos. This is mostly because our first interactions were us trying to stop them with…well it was before the Miraculouses so it didn’t go well.” 

“What were you trying to stop?” Marinette asked, sounding quite worried, but wondering how it connected to magical girls. What did a real life Sailor Scout have to do with the heat death of the universe? 

“The use of human resources, for lack of a better term, to fix a problem that wasn’t even real.” Tikki said gravely. Marinette immediately substituted ‘human’ for any sentient form of life, but she got the impression that it still covered many, many, many humans. “It’s a vile practice. They discovered how to harness emotions into an energy source that they in turn pump into the universe. A process that Plagg and I still aren’t sure what the long term effects of doing is, except that there are long-term effects, and they’ve been doing it for thousands of earth years. The most ‘Effective’ emotion to harvest being that of utter despair, hopelessness, misery, and other negative emotions. They begin the harvest, urgh , with each individual target offered a wish. And like any wish, there is always a backlash to the wish. And they don’t come for any individual, they like specific ones. Ones with a lot of potential, urgh, energy to harvest, ones who might not have a reason to think too much on the wish, ones who can try all they want to think of a safe wish, but never quite do. They can grant a wide variety of wishes: food, power, life, healing, just by verbal agreement. Among humans, their favorite targets are young girls, around your age actually.” 

Marinette couldn’t tell if the horrified thought of something like that getting near her friends came first, or such a thing being near Manon came first. She was simply engulfed with the horrific visions of something sinister, a creature she couldn’t give form to, appearing before any number of her friends. Juleka, Rose, Zoe, Mylene, Alix, Kagami, Manon, heck herself or Alya! Alya’s reaction was a fearful whisper of her younger sister’s names. 

“...They usually go older than your sisters, Alya, but yeah. Fortunately I haven’t sensed any Magical Girls, and yes that is where they come from, around anywhere in Paris. I’ll explain why later, but of course that’s only one half of the problem. You make a wish, achieved by the Incubator’s vast knowledge of the universe that sits on the precipice between science and magic. You can make practically any wish you want come true, except reviving the dead unless you have really high magical potential, and what you get in exchange is an item called a Soul Gem. With it you can transform into a magical girl form a lot like a Miraculous would. You get a weapon, usually, you have a variety of powers based on the wish you made, and you are expected to go after these dark creatures called Witches. They aren’t old people in funny hats, but eldritch monsters not meant to exist, creatures made of curses and regret. They drop these baubles called Grief Seeds when they are destroyed, which let a Magical Girl recover their energy. That Magical Girl you saw had created a Sentimonster that has a similar effect, but with more uses.” Tikki explained slowly, like she was building up from an eerie tale to something far worse. “Of course you are probably asking where Witches come from. They come from Magical Girls. Witches are what Magical Girls turn into if they don’t die first.” 

Marinette could describe the sound that she made at hearing that to be like a hiss, a hiss of horror and shock, dread and disgust. 

“Like…they self-akumatize?” Alya sounded like she was trying to comprehend it as best as she could, but her expression was kin to Marinette’s sounds of disgust. 

“...Not the worst comparison, but it’s not anything like that. For one thing it is irreversible, and another is I would not want to see someone akumatized into something like a witch. I don’t know what sort of human you’d need to recreate that, and I don’t want to meet one. Also while an akumatization creates a form based on a person’s inner persona, their desires, their dreams, their frustrations, and other things that are meant to be their inner visions of good and bad or a form to stand up against what they feel wronged by, what a Witch creates is a mockery and the highest form of cruelty, a twisted form based on their feelings of self-hatred and despair, trapped in a pocket dimension called a Labyrinth designed after what drove them to collapse into themselves. Incubators harvest the bulk of their energy from the transformation of Magical Girl to Witch, and they often help it along. It’s the small things: they make sure the Magical Girl can’t make the best wish, they use their friendly if ‘socially off’ guises to poke them with misery. They set up fights, they aggravate fears, they make the girls suffer emotionally. A tactic they love to do is ‘accidentally’ reveal, or go all in on an accident involving, the truth about a Soul Gem. It’s called that because it holds the soul of the Magical Girl inside.” 

“What?” Alya said in disbelief as a new form of unfathomable horror was revealed. 

“You can take a soul out of a body!?” Marinette whispered in fright. That was just…that was….no!  She knew from some conversations with friends more into adventure stories that doing that was a thing in stories, it was a concept called being a lich Marinette believed, but it was still something she hated thinking about. 

“Yes. The body of a Magical Girl is no longer….alive in a traditional sense. They aren’t what inspired liches, but they are very similar. Without the Soul Gem, it just falls over like a dead body. Though they aren’t conscious when their Soul Gems are separate from their bodies, and when the two are together they still eat, sleep, laugh, cry, and all other things a living body does. They do also age, though I have never seen one live anything like a proper lifespan. The longest I’ve ever heard of one living is….well not ideal, let’s just put it that way. Unrelated, though still on topic, a rather…horrible Guardian once removed the Soul Gems from two dozen Magical Girls and kept them locked in a vault in the Temple for years. The bodies decayed to nothingness, but the girls were trapped in their Soul Gems none the wiser to the loss of their bodies and the passing of over a decade. That was the start of the Seventh Guardian Heresy by the way, along with how the reaction from the Celestial Guardian at the time was to remind the rest of the Guardians, after executing that piece of filth, that Magical Girls were ‘ to be exterminated on sight, not brought back to risk them turning into monsters. Remember Precept 133 .’ 

 Marinette heard that in Su-Han’s voice. Intellectually she knew it wasn’t him saying it, but her heart wanted to hit him now. With a building. A building made of the most dense, painful metal found between Max’s science and Alya’s sci-fi fandoms. 

“Okay so the Incubators are…they are…..that’s just….the Guardians….” Alya was having trouble finishing that sentence, and eventually just devolved into profanities before she got back on track. “Okay so…the Kwami don’t like the Incubators, and the Guardians…is the girl attacking us because of revenge?” Alya eventually got a coherent question out as Tikki shook her head. 

“Unlikely. The Incubators don’t really share things like that with their victims. Most don’t even know what an Incubator is, they just know them as Kyubey. If they saw a Guardian, they usually don’t realize they are dangerous to them unless the Guardian starts attacking them, which they rarely hesitate to do, and while survivors do happen, an unaware Magical Girl is often a dead one. Plus the Guardians were only recently freed from Feast and are still adjusting to the modern world, so they might not have even found any Magical Girls yet. I really hope they haven’t had time to restart the, urgh …..” Tikki muttered a phrase in Chinese that Marinette would normally be happy to have recognized and understood because that meant her Chinese lessons were going well, but not this time. Because the phrase was way, way too close to ‘cleansing the region of wickeds souls’ for her to like to think about what that was referring to. “So revenge isn’t a motive, especially with how long the Guardians were gone for. No, this girl, whose wish I’d have to guess had something to do with ‘redoing something’, seems to have found out about where Witches have come from and wants to save herself…no, not just herself. She mentioned a friend. Maybe she’s also a Magical Girl, maybe she’s a Witch, maybe she time travels before that could happen, I don’t know. She’s trapped, a victim of something beyond the word evil that found what seems to her a way out and has been going after it for who knows how long. What I noticed with you and Alya, and what’s happening with everyone else, would fit with that. Incubator time travel is more foreign to the fabric of the universe than Sass or Fluff’s power, so karmic entanglements into those around her is possible, especially if she’s been at this for a while. Oh dear…actually if she’s starting to affect more than just herself and maybe that friend of hers, she must have been doing this for a long time. A very long time…and I have no idea how that would interfere with a wish that’s already as dangerous as trying to pull the Incubators out of the history of dozens of planets….” 

Marinette couldn’t hear Tikki as she listed planets that various Kwami had seen the Incubators on and what they were doing there, she was too busy thinking. Thinking…no…. panicking .  Her friends, all of those victims across history. Disturbing thoughts of people being manipulated all over the world, all over the universe, by the worst of Monarch’s many vices. It was evil, utter, utter evil, and that evil had created someone so driven to save herself and another from it that she had come to Paris and in what felt like just a day, not the culmination of who knew how many tries, took out not just her mortal enemy, but her most trusted partner, and she knew how to do it again and again and again. It was her job to keep the word for being destroyed by a wish, and someone like that was after her now?! Not only someone who did, and would again, take down Cat Noir and kill Monarch in a single day, but wasn’t actually evil. That was something that Marinette couldn’t shake because it was…unnatural. Someone like Monarch, or that guy from Shanghai who got akumatized before the Prodigious Guardian, they were evil. They couldn’t possibly want anything good. Someone who got swindled by an alien of her very soul who wanted it back and to stop it from happening to other people, especially if it was to save a friend specifically…that wasn’t evil. And somehow, the fact that the person who was after destroying the world wasn’t after power for something evil, but something that Marinette could completely understand, made it worse…

“Marinette, breathe. Marinette, breathe.”  Alya insisted with force as she put two strong arms on Marinette’s shoulders, pulling her out of her own head for a moment. “This is not the end of the world.” 

“How isn’t it!?” Marinette questioned loudly. Cat Noir got his ring stolen and got littered with bullets, his attacker had also gotten Monarch and Felix and now someone with every Miraculous in her Miracle Box but two was going to fight her and was some sort of time traveler. She wanted to make a Wish. That was literally the end of the world! 

“Remember, you taught me this. It’s not the end of the world unless Bunnyx shows up. Because Bunnyx isn’t here, the world’s not going to blow up or something.” 

Marinette blinked as Alya grinned, a bit of a worried grin with a hint of desperate hope, but she grinned regardless in the end.

“Yeah, remember all of those lessons you gave me as your successor. It was one of those anti-panicking pieces of advice you gave me you really could apply to yourself more. Repeat after me. Bunnyx. Is. Not. Here.” 

“Bunnyx is not here.” 

Alya nodded. 

“Because Bunnyx is not here, you will beat the time traveling magical lich gun-nut chick easily. You’ll get all of the Miraculous back, you can have Plagg take his back to Cat Noir in the hospital. There, easy as pie. That’s the great thing about time travel, which is honestly more something I thought of that you didn’t bring up but hear me out on it. Bunnyx is from a future with an entire team of heroes and you and Cat Noir alive and well. You're golden. I mean yeah, not sure why there’s still a Hawk Moth, but I don’t know maybe the worst thing that’ll happen is…wait actually that isn’t the worst thing. If the Magical Girl was the new Hawk Moth, then how would there be a future Cat Noir? See, obviously things are going to be fine.” 

“You're right!” Marinette felt a bit hopeful. Maybe this really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. 

“....Well she technically is, but she forgot the part of time that’s wibbly and wobbly. Good speech though.” 

Marinette and Alya froze up as they turned around, finding the adult Bunnyx standing behind them. 

“Like seriously, that would actually work with stuff like Monarch, and you should make that argument more often for regular turns for the worst, but things have kind of gone beyond just regular bad. In fact, we probably passed the end of the world a while ago. Into the Burrow with the three of you, we have a mess to sort out.” Bunnyx waved her hand behind her as a time portal opened up behind her. “Oh and if it helps…this mess really is on me, and now we’re all in big, big trouble.” 

“A superhero never reveals her secrets. I thought you'd know better. I've got a plan A, plan B, and all the alphabet to Z. Did you really think we'd give you our Miraculous?” Ladybug

END NOTES. 

Now normally in a crossover, I would find a way to blend the two parts of a shared historical event to co-exist. However in at least the case of Jeanne D’Arc, I’m going to be blunt and say it is entirely Tart. There were probably Guardians and Miraculous involved, because everything I have seen of Tart Magica would warrant the attention of the Guardians even if the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses were not stolen. However I really, really, really hate the tropes that go into giving up superpowers for romance and crud, I really really hate the idea of it being one or another and I hated it before the more love-square infested infested episodes of Ladybug (I love a lot in Season 4, but everytime ship drama flares up I can’t watch it, and I actually like the two together. I just hate the drama). For contributing to it, it’s entirely Tart and Liz. Also for the curious, the two Scarabella and Kitty Noire encounters Homura encounters occurred under any other situation than ‘we’re leaving so you can be together’, bleh, and be free to speculate what they were but it was anything but for the romance. Look I get Cat Blanc’s point, and that is certainly valid for Season 5 Gabriel, but I really, really hate that trope. Also as a result ‘Cube’s role is greatly reduced in this version, though he was still involved. 

 Never had a good name for Madoka’s Akumatized form, but I imagine it would be an evil version of her Magical Girl outfit appearance and being similar, if not identical, power-wise. Kind of imagine that her akumatized object being a ribbon and the ribbon forming a counterpart to her bow to fire at her enemies with. Also kind of like the idea of Sayaka having been akumatized too pre contract, but not sure how much effort it would have taken to keep Madoka from wishing Sayaka de-akumatized that wouldn’t then be mirrored when Sayaka herself made a similar wish to save Kyosuke, so I’m uncertain on the subject. Saotome was also certainly akumatized over the boyfriend thing and was probably the first person in Mitakihara to be akumatized. In that (probably most likely) scenario, Homura did not get a chance to introduce to Madoka via the nurse office walk, but probably ran in to fight Saotome or Saotome went out of her way to find her. 

The list of species, bar two, are ones from Takkerfox’s ‘Resonance Days’ and related fics that I had asked for permission to name drop in fic. The two that aren’t are from Ladybug: One being the name of the invaders that we briefly see Bunnyx escape from in Timetagger, and the other is Majestica’s species as Word of God is that she’s an alien and the name of her species and planet come from her original name.

Cat Noir got into the Monarch Lair because Plagg phased around and found where the door was by chance when trying to find any sign of where Gabriel’s killer went off to. Cat would have torn the door open in sheer fury and jumped down to find the killer, not saying a word the entire time. It wasn’t included because I got a lot of good feedback on where I left Cat’s P.O.V and how to follow it up from Homura’s later. 

It was trying to get a grasp on the often agonizing lore of mobile games that I stumbled into the Tokime Clan/Village Kirimine Village/County TV tropes character page. Terms seem a bit funky there…but that was after I had written up the idea that Incubators basically openly existed in Atlantis. It’s a bit of a fun comparison, and hopefully those more familiar with Record would find that group expanding in size and population source from ‘rural Japanese village that operates in the shadows’ to ‘massive island/slash continent that at the minimum is comparable to Texas, and at largest being its own smallest continent ala Australia or something, that would have been the indisputable superpower of its time’ to be something horrific. 

Homura’s ultimatum was the first scene written for the story, along with the preceding bits with Ladybug. 

Chapter Text

"So how about we become monsters together?.. And turn this world upside down? So that... nothing bad... or sad... would remain. Destroy, destroy, destroy it all!" Homura

The Burrow’s interior dimension.  A vast white expanse of existence that didn’t exist. A place without form yet contained structure, filled with windows to other timelines. A sci-fi wonderland that she only entered during the most dire of crises, and some of the most traumatic moments of her life. Cat Blanc, allowing Felix access to her Yo-Yo, Monarch…and now this one. It was something that, seemingly in particular when she was untransformed, made Marinette feel vulnerable. She almost envied Alya, who had immediately stuck her head into one of the portals in amazement and awe and no traumatic experiences here. Though Alya doing that was a no-no! 

She immediately went to get Alya out of there, but Alya thrust her head out of it in shock and horror before she could pull her friend out. 

“Rena Pup!” Bunnyx shouted at her, having only just remembered that Alya would be the type to immediately start looking into the time portals. If she forgot that part, things really were that bad.  “Don’t do that!” 

“....Heroes Day….” Alya muttered in shock. “Volpina….that….Lila…she’s actually….” Wait, what about Lila and Heroes Day? What could she have been doing on Heroes Days besides being akumatized like everyone else unless…wait…did…did Alya just find out that Lila was a terrible person at long last!? And…why did Marinette not care about that at all? This…this entire mess made her not care about vindication on Lila. She hated Lila, she really, really, really did, but compared to everything else, she was the least of her concerns right now. 

“Yeah, Lila’s actually a massive bitch, but we have much, much bigger problems.”

The two of them and Tikki looked further into the portal to see the Alix from their time period, also Bunnyx, looking both empathetic at Alya’s realization and like this was not the time to dwell on that too much. 

She…she and Alya could talk about the Lila thing later. Alya was clearly interested in apologizing, and Marinette was curious what Heroes Day had to do with it. Also maybe she could have handled the entire thing better…but end of the world first. Lila…a third at best, or worst, or whatever the phrasing was. 

“Okay, welcome back Minibug, and hey Rena Pup.” Adult Bunnyx properly greeted, crossing her arms and she leaned against thin air, or at least what looked like it. She looked tired and mentally beat-up “Welcome…welcome to my utterly massive screw up. Left a dripping faucet, and now the entire time stream is on fire.” 

Marinette and Alya exchanged looks. 

“That’s an interesting analogy.” Tikki didn’t get it. 

Adult Bunnyx sighed, sounding like she was stuck in a mess she could only blame herself for. 

“Okay, so here’s the broad of it. I didn’t realize that someone was timelooping with Incubator powers until it got to a point of being unfathomably dangerous. And by that I mean when someone Mini-Me and I didn’t recognize showed up in Paris clearly stalking you and Cat with time powers and pointing guns at you two, and then trying to figure out where she came from…well you realize you let the faucet drip and now everything’s on fire.” Bunnyx looked off into the distant void, muttering about why she hadn’t thought about trying to figure out the girl’s wish immediately. 

“Hey, I was there too, and there at the part where you realized how hard it was to even find her original timeline, let alone get into it.” Young Bunnyx reminded her older self. Briefly Marinette saw a portal that didn’t look like the others briefly flicker into existence, a timeline she saw the girl from the Mayor’s Office saving another girl, one with pink hair, from some…some… something she couldn’t clearly make out with a TV for a head before the time portal vanished again, collapsing into the nothingness like dust or something.  “Trying to get through that portal sprained my wrist because the energies were so intense and the fact that Incubator wishes and natural time don’t mix super well. Jumping into it a few attempts earlier wouldn’t have gone any better. You’d have just lost a limb or something.”  

Alya suddenly was patting her head, as if worried she was going to lose it from poking her head into a portal and might lose it at any second. Their classmate caught her doing it and was quick to assure her that it wasn’t a problem. 

“Relax Alya, your head’s okay. The time portals that go anytime before the wish was made are completely safe. Heck any portal that would go after the time jumps happen is fine, so if you want to go look at Xavier Ramier’s inauguration as Mayor it’s perfectly fine.” 

What? Er, back on track…

“Time…changes sometimes, right? And that’s where the Magical Girl came from I’m guessing” Marinette nervously brought up, remembering what happened with Cat Blanc and connecting that to what was going on here. Adult Bunnyx nodded. 

“Yeah, it’s not always stable, and time is usually fine for it. Something like that akumatized Cat Noir is a rarity, usually it's something minor that can’t destroy the future…and yes Alya, that is why Minibug is the way she is with Cat and love so please stop staring at her.” 

Marinette turned around to see Alya and Tikki and Alix all avoiding looking at her, but expressions on their faces that said ‘that explains so much’. She would groan at them, but it was like Lila being exposed. She couldn’t muster it in her to react to that properly.  That was just a her thing though, as Alya looked rather horrified and had more in her to react to it. 

“Wait wait wait wait, what!? I…wait….I thought you were losing your mind just because of stress! You had to fight some bad future akumatized Cat Noir, who I can only guess probably knew who you were and was saying all sorts of creepy, horrifying nonsense….” 

“And he was.” Adult Bunnyx didn’t seem like she was happy to have this topic come up, but she seemed aware she’d been the one to bring it up so she only had herself to blame for whatever was about to happen. Alya turned to adult Bunnyx, and Marinette was rather worried about the look in Alya’s eye. She wasn’t going to say something stupid, was she? 

“Okay so let me make sure I’m following this correctly. The flow of time changes sometimes, when that happens, even if no one is doing anything about it.” 

“Right.” Bunnyx sounded like she really regretted bringing this topic up. 

“So if, I don’t know, the mayor gets replaced by Mr. Pigeon in an actual election, that doesn’t destroy the future.” 

“It wasn’t Chloe’s dad who he beat, but yeah, sure.” 

“Cat Noir being akumatized because of some horrific turn of events after he and Marinette get together…wait a…”: 

“....Please don’t say it out loud.” Adult Bunnyx groaned as Alya bit her tongue, as if she was swallowing something important. Like, what, did she think that Adrien was Cat Noir or something. Sure Adrien was out of class the day that Cat got severely injured but that was surely a coincidence. Alya, looking like she didn’t really want to avoid saying it, but forced herself to, redirected course. 

“...Okay so Marinette and Cat Noir get together, this leads to him getting akumatized, probably because Hawk Moth is a jerk or something, and that destroys the future. But some Magical Girl going around and around in time killing Monarch and taking Cat Noir’s ring when she isn’t supposed to isn’t destroying the future, somehow!? ” 

Marinette and Tikki looked at Bunnyx. That…that was true. Marinette hadn’t seen a lot of Bunnyx and time falling apart, between fighting Cat Blanc and the bowl on her head she hadn’t seen a lot at all. But she had seen the time portals this time, even if she was specifically trying to not look too closely at them. They weren’t filled with static or anything bad at all. They moved and flowed as normal, even if Marinette had to focus on the ones that were clearly the past, like that past Ladybug user who was dressed like a ninja, to not make more of a problem. 

“So I’m guessing that if, I don’t know, someone got my best friend therapy for the entire ‘akumatized Cat Noir, who probably was calling her by her real name the entire time and saying some really fucked up things while trying to kill her’ thing, time blows up?” 

Alya was on a roll now, and that was not a good thing. 

“This…this isn’t stopping Hitler and blowing up time because of how much World War 2 did for modern history, the good and the sick. This isn’t preventing the Black Death and destroying historical continuity because the human surplus delays European scientific and cultural advancement for all of the good and the bad that caused. This isn’t even stopping Hawk Moth before there is even a need for more heroes because plenty of places outside of America need more heroes, and that includes France now and in the future. This…this is the wellbeing of a friend, and if Cat Noir knowing Marinette’s identity destroys history, if stopping Hawk Moth before he was ever Monarch or Shadow Moth destroys history, then how does a trauma so bad that it makes it harder for Ladybug to trust Cat Noir, that makes her feel like she has to be the sole leader, that probably led to nearly losing her mind and needing to trust someone with her identity before she went insane , not break history!? That wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did and the universe isn’t falling apart. How is my best friend having nightmares all the time okay when…”

“I don’t know.” 

Adult Bunynx’s admission seemed to catch Alya off guard and cut her rambling rant off.

“I don’t know why history changes safely in some ways but not in others. Yeah, the Ladybug in my timeline didn’t have Cat Blanc happen. When I went back afterwards, that part of our history changed. But time didn’t go bonkers. Before, my Ladybug didn’t go through with that bout of borderline madness after she broke up with Luka. Before, my Ladybug didn’t need to have a new confidant to talk to. A bad thing happened and history didn’t destroy itself. A good thing happened and history didn’t destroy itself. I don’t get why that is the way things are. Because stuff changed as a result, even if the big things still stayed the same. Monarch still rises, Monarch still gets hit with a Cataclysm, Monarch still dies. A new Hawk Moth shows up, and no, I can assure you it isn't the Magical Girl who is after you. I found her records over in the future and it isn’t her. She’s not even a Magical Girl in them and is just a regular citizen in Japan who never even left the country, let alone visited France. We’d actually interact more with the ones in Kamihama City later, but that’s a story I hope I don’t want to tell right now because time’s already screwed up enough as is. However Homura became a Magical Girl when she wasn’t meant to, and history didn’t immediately break.” 

Bunnyx had her chin in her hands, clearly frustrated. 

“Alya, I legit don’t know why some things are safe and some things aren’t. All I know is that interfering when things change and time isn’t in danger risks not only killing myself, but also wiping out a future that’s actually pretty good. You time travel enough and you realize how good that is. How hard that is. How rare that is. You don’t want to risk losing a good ending. Yeah I still have a Hawk Moth, okay that’s not actually their name but I am trying to to avoid blowing up the future more, but things are better. Things are going well. People are happy overall, and problems are actually being solved. They fixed the ice caps, they’re figuring out space travel, they even averted the worst of the looming extinction crisis. But even the slightest tweak can break that and send it all crashing down into something far, far worse, and I’ve seen that worse. Cat Blanc was not the first time I saw a good future go bad, and it is never because of what should ruin the future. It wasn’t Timetagger or someone screwing with timelines for kicks who caused Cat Blanc, it was Rose putting her foot down at Marinette to get a boyfriend already because time changed itself ever so slightly. That shouldn’t be what breaks the future, but it is always something like that. Small things, innocent things, things that would on the surface lead to better things in the future. I’m just happy that I’ve never had to put ‘right’ what once went ‘wrong’, like saving Rose from her illness or stopping the Sixteenth Guardian Heresy from ending in the second Fall of the Guardians. So no Alya, I don’t know why the future was fine and helping Marinette’s issues out wasn’t key to saving the universe, I just hope you get why I don’t want to have to choose between seeing one my friends suffer, or helping her and finding out that doing that leads to something unspeakable and having to undo helping her.”  

The air in the Burrow’s pocket dimension, for lack of a better term, felt very awkward and was silent. Kid Bunnyx, after a few minutes of this, coughed. 

“Um, I know we have pretty much as much time as we need, at least in this scenario, to get through the thing with our current mess, but maybe we can just…agree to let this problem lie for a bit. Table it until the time loops are done with.” 

Adult Bunnyx’s expression was that of someone who hated dwelling on this topic and was happy to get away from it, while Alya’s was one that seemed to promise great forms of vengeance in the form of ice cream and girl talk and expecting Marinette to cry her heart out later. Oh boy…..

“Agreed. Now back onto the topic of our friend with the guns now that I opened the door to the unfairness of time travel.” Adult Bunnyx turned and waved her hand, flipping a few portals around towards her for easy viewing. She briefly stopped on a portal that, like the one Marinette had seen earlier, flickered into existence oddly, showing the girl from the Mayor’s office shooting a girl in white and another girl with claw-like weapons from behind before the entire portal faded away. The heroine from the future shook her head and continued on to stopping on one that showed a city somewhere that looked a lot newer than Paris. Bunnyx then had the portal fast forward a bit, revealing a ruined cityscape.

“Now originally, the way that history went, and I did recall hearing about it at the time I returned back originally as Minime and checked the records again back in the future, is that Mitakihara City was struck by a massive disaster. I can’t remember if it was a freak typhoon or an earthquake, but history records it as a violent natural disaster. Two fatalities of the incident were Mami Tomoe and Madoka Kaname, but otherwise the city survived and life continued as normal after it was rebuilt. I didn’t see anything wrong with it because no matter what happened afterwards the city was still wrecked, no matter if the casualties among young girls shifted. And…as much as I hate to say it, again, sometimes the little details are the easiest to miss. They certainly don’t create problems in the timestream that would cause a timeline to completely disintegrate like with Cat Blanc, or as obvious as Minibug getting issues that she never had originally. But one of those little details that I missed was a girl named Homura Akemi.” 

The time portal was wound around again, eventually focusing on a girl about the age range of Marinette and her friends. She kind of looked like the one who had killed Monarch and hurt Cat Noir, but…not at the same time. She had her black hair in pigtails, red glasses, and looked far too timid to be able to even yell at Cat Noir, let alone shoot him or kill Monarch. Her entire bearing was…not like the girl she had seen at all. Honestly she looked like someone had taken the most nervous, confidence lacking, meek traits of herself, Juleka, Nathaniel, Marc, and Mylene and squeezed them out into a human-shaped mold. How…how did a girl like turn into the girl who was in the mayor’s office?

“Homura Akemi. Originally an orphan who just recovered from extensive heart surgeries. About nine days or so after the loops begin, she transfers to Mitakihara Middle School. In theory she’s meant to do so in about…seven days or so. During this time she befriends the aforementioned Madoka Kaname, who alongside her mentor Mami, are Magical Girls. At the end of the month a Witch named Walpurgisnacht arrives in Mitakihara.” 

The time portal was adjusted again, revealing a massive thing in the distance. 

“Mami and Madoka die killing the thing. Distraught, and this is where time changed from its original course, this is where Homura Akemi makes a deal with the devil, or Incubator as they are also known. She wishes to go back and save Madoka, her first and only friend. And she has more than just one attempt.” 

“Oh yeah, she talked about multiple times and….wait….Bunnyx…just how many loops as she been going after Ladybug and Cat Noir?” Alya asked in growing horror, wondering just how right Tikki had gotten it.

“Enough to go from this girl to the one who you saw in the mayor’s office. And the actual answer is…hard to say. Minime and I are still finding more time loops from before she started going after the Miraculous, trying to get as many details as we can before their portals, for lack of a better term, loose connection with reality and fall apart, but she’s well surpassed a hundred of the things.” Bunnyx sounded like there was a lot more to say than just that, but that was a topic for later. “Minime and I haven’t figured out why she started to go after you, Minibug, best guess is she by chance saw some rant by Monarch or Hawk Moth on the internet or something. But really, who knows, and no, Rena Pup, she didn’t read the Ladyblog to get the idea, you never put anything down at the wish.” Bunnyx quickly caught a worry from Alya that she might have said something and swatted it aside. “General pattern has been this. She stows away on some plane to get to Paris after she does some things in and around Mitakihara first, Magical Girls can’t freeze to death after all so she’s just bored the entire ride, she gets out, she usually hunts after you and Cat Noir for a few days, sometimes she just asks, sometimes she asks and then attacks you two, sometimes things go in different directions because of whatever reason, usually involving some supervillain attack or her having to run tail because an akuma gets interested in her Soul Gem and I don’t even want to think about what happens if one of those things gets inside a Soul Gem, me and the mini me regardless lend you and Cat the Rabbit Miraculouses for the week, which makes it hard for her to get you guys. Even without activating them, it lets you guys react quicker to her main combat ability, which is stopping time. Which she supplements with self-made bombs and weapons stolen from the Yakuza, other organized crime groups when she’s away from Japan, and various Military garrisons that she stores in her shield and can carry over from time loop to time loop.” 

She could tell that Alya was thinking ‘and the odd steamroller., despite the situation’ As did the Alix their age, who quickly clarified something that she could also tell that Alya was thinking about.

“No, she’s never tried that.” Who quickly clarified that at no point had the two of them had ever been attacked by a steamroller not controlled by an akumatized supervillain 

“After that, usually, you and Cat Noir end up finding out where she came from and follow her back to Japan. Sometimes you bring friends, depending on what sort of hijinks get you there, though you two are always back to just your regular Miraculouses. You show up to help fight Walpurgisnacht, that thing doesn’t go down for some reason. It’s…hard for me to see why because the mess that is Homura’s time loop makes it hard for me to get a time portal to get a clear visual of the fights, especially recently, and by recently I mean in the last thirty fights, and if I got stuck out there looking around in person when Homura time jumps I’d be wiped out of history. Nearly happened to the two of us really early in this mess when we accidentally got stuck in a Labyrinth, not fun. Oh yeah, and then Homura goes back in time again.” 

“And Marinette and Cat Noir don’t die to that thing ever? Because if they did, there is no way that doesn’t destroy the future. So then, why does Homura go back? Why not just hold out for Miraculous Ladybug?” Alya wondered as Bunnyx winced. 

“...Actually, they might not. After all Rena Pup, you have noticed that Monarch died before he should have yet nothing is going wrong? Trust me, that is not how it should work. You all were due for some real doozies before he died and you got the rest of them back…” 

“Except for…” 

“Yeah, the Butterfly stays lost. Those things not happening should have caused a problem under any other circumstance, but those timeloops are screwing with time itself and keeping it from acting properly, and by that I mean convulsing and doing who knows what to the future. Hopefully a good thing, but probably something terrible” 

“Does this have to relate with the karmic entanglements?” Tikki spoke up as Bunnyx nodded. 

“Yep. And yeah, as much as I don’t like the idea of having to save Monarch’s life because, I don’t know, that somehow makes the future worse in some horrible way that shouldn’t be but it, that is both saving and dooming us all. Incubators, sick freaks they are, can pull a lot of stuff that lets them pretty much warp reality to trick kids, but it doesn’t mix with reality well. It’s not done with an aspect of the universe like the power of a Kwami, it's a separate force forcefully altering reality. Hence why Homura Akemi’s time loops aren’t causing the future to distort itself, her constant time loops are instead funneling everything those timelines could have been back around into what you might call lightning rods in a feedback loop. The first two being Homura Akemi and especially Madoka Kaname themselves, the centers of the wish. Another way you could describe both are the timestream equivalent of nuclear reactors…and that’s just if they had only done so for a little while. As it used to be, back when it was just trying to hit Walpurgisnacht with enough stolen kit while trying to keep Madoka from becoming a magical girl or dying, that would have just led to a witch as dangerous as Walpurgisnacht. Of course as I said that was a lot of time loops ago, and even before she started going around to Paris and really making a mess of things, Madoka went beyond the mystical force of a nuclear reactor. Homura Akemi, trying to save her friend, pushed her potential empowering by the Incubators into a Magical Girl, and any resulting witch, into the realm of a god.” 

 Marinette and Alya both sputtered at that word. God . 

“She…she turned her best friend into a god!?” 

Which of them said that? Did they both say it?

“Only if she wished for, I don’t know, to be a strong person, or something. If she just wishes to save a cat from a tree or a cake or something, nope. Unless this keeps up for a few more time loops, at which point all hail Madoka Kaname, Goddess of Cake, Fluffy Kittens, and Magical Girls. But any Witch that happens because of the worst…we’d all be screwed. However that potential is still there in the unassuming pink-haired girl, and it doesn’t just manifest in what the Incubators might get out of it. For example if you ever wanted to see a human survive wearing entire Miracle Boxes of Miraculouses on themselves, Madoka Kaname can. Honestly, that girl probably is an even greater candidate now for the Miraculouses than even you Minibug, and you could actually wear a ton of the things naturally without killing yourself or screwing yourself beyond your physical well being before Homura Akemi, and after Homura Akemi. Which very few people can do, but Homura’s actions shot her best friend well beyond the rare point one percentage, and her own, to well beyond Monarch’s.” 

“Then how is it affecting….oh no….” Tikki wondered how it was affecting Marinette and Alya if it was centered around Homura’s wish. Her theory sounded confirmed.

“Yeah, Homura and Madoka went past ‘could warp the universe’ ages ago if they turned into Witches, or in Madoka’s case wished for something too big seeing as Homura’s wish is already set in stone, and at some point you could even say they, but especially Madoka, started to leak excess karmic energy that’s been affecting all those around them, and those leaks spread hard and fast. Homura’s really lucky she hasn’t seen the witches Candeloro, Ophelia, or even Oktavia recently, because their original selves are also getting infused with karmic entanglements to make all of them much more dangerous. Probably helps when it comes to avoiding those Witches that the one person of Madoka’s friends who usually ends up a Magical Girl within a time loop has been soaking up more of that excess power than the other two, which alleviates a lot of her common problems, by which I mean she can just outright tank misery longer than she naturally should with a deeper reserve of magic, meaning that what downward spirals that would normally cause her turn into a witch in a few weeks would take a few months instead, which if the time loops were to end is plenty of time for intervention and hugs and stuff to avoid that.

“But of course it isn’t just Mitakihara citizens being affected. It’s affecting the people in Paris too. The more exposure to powers like Miraculouses, the larger the effect. Might be affecting Eagle and Lady Dragon and possibly Uncanny Valley, who get looped into this mess sometimes, but not as sure with them. It’s affecting witches, though at a much slower rate than actual people whose bodies and minds are more…natural for lack of a better term, a use of the term natural that would include Markov and Uncanny Valley as natural life forms by the way. Witches are… urgh …” Bunnyx shuddered, clearly not liking to think about it. “It might be affecting Monarch, though with Homura knowing who he is now and dead set on going after him we might not really get to see a ton of it. It might even be powering up Walpurgisnacht more than the other Witches because Homura and Madoka always run into it unlike, say, Candeloro, Ophelia, or Oktavia von Seckendorff, but I don’t know how to verify that. And honestly….damn we should have tried to figure out if that was powering up akumatized villains, but we’ve been focused on every mess that’s been happening that we haven’t been able to see if that is becoming a problem. Can’t even remember to leave messages anymore…” 

“Every mess? What else is going on?” Tikki wondered aloud. What on top of all of that was happening? The younger Bunnyx grimaced. 

“The Incubators have started coming to Paris.” 

She could tell that Alya felt the same chill that Marinette was feeling. 

“On top of the Homura problem, we’ve also been trying to deal with the Incubators starting to slip into Paris and spread their evil. They were previously wary of being near Master Fu or Su-Han because, I think you know this, Guardians typically kill Magical Girls on sight…” 

“Master Fu…” Marinette said in horror at the idea of her mentor killing people, especially girls who were manipulated and tricked into turning into liches. Su-Han she could see doing that, and did in fact see him do so in a Burrow portal where he shattered a Soul Gem with a single palm strike, but Master Fu…

“Master Fu did not, but they didn’t know that. They try to avoid areas with Guardians in them because it ‘is a waste of energy’ to have Magical Girls get killed by Guardians ‘before they mature into witches for proper energy harvests’, bleh , but with Su-Han’s departure back to the Temple and Homura running around Paris without a Guardian reacting they’ve started trying to act in Paris again. Me and the little me have been running interference, but we had to notice that was a problem at first and…” Adult Bunnyx winced. 

“...Good news is that in that timeline, the one we didn’t have a watch set for yeeting the things into the Siberian Traps for a first hand experience of the aptly named ‘Great Dying’, Rose got her revenge on them for turning her into a lich. She actually got Monarch to give her Voyage after she got herself willingly akumatized, framed a supervillain rampage that coincidentally didn’t hurt anyone but looked quite convincing to get Paris’s heroes to rush over, got Cat Noir to go in with Catacylsm, she used Voyage, and he instead hit one of those white rats she had ‘coincidentally’ restrained with Princess Fragrance’s powers, and bam. They all died everywhere in the universe at once. Then she de-akumatized herself with her own free will….and started crying into your arms because of why she felt the need to do that.” Kid Bunnyx sounded like she didn’t want to say why as she told Marinette the story or think about it anymore , but they could all guess. 

“Oh my god, Juleka….” Alya said it for them all. The most likely explanation was that Juleka probably made a wish to cure Rose’s illness, and whatever it was that Rose wished for after that was immaterial. Because there was only one thing that could make Rose want to kill something...

“Yep.” Adult Bunnyx surmised in one pained word. “She kind of entered your secret identity club after that Minibug, because she couldn’t bear to use Juleka’s Grief Seed, there was a finite supply of the things going forward for all of the Incubator’s other victims, and Tikki’s always been able to purify Soul Gems.” 

Another portal briefly buzzed back into being, unstable, but showing what looked like could only describe as two Magical Girls fighting to the death over a single black bauble. Both of them looked to be in bad shape, and their eyes and moves spoke of clear desperation. The portal vanished before the fight could resolve, though Marinette couldn’t say that either of them would ‘win’. 

“Of course, as much as that timeline just sucked it is also a problem for us now because as sure as I am that the Kwami are going to try to get Homura to consider just doing the same thing Rose did, just without manipulating Monarch and Kitty Noir, she’s not going to consider that as an option. She saw it ‘didn’t work’, even if it would probably be more palpable to her with that Sentimonster of hers and Madoka being unable to contract at all. Her focus is narrow like that, she can’t see how that plan might have worked, just that it failed. No, Homura’s going to be gunning for the bigger, more perfect solution.” Bunnyx surmised.

The bigger solution….Marinette gulped, but steeled herself. 

“She wants my Miraculous. And she won’t stop unless she is made to stop, or wins.” 

“Got it in one Minibug, but this…this is the problem I don’t know how to get out of.” Adult Bunnyx said, sounding stuck like she did at the start. “Because I didn’t catch these time loops quickly enough, both Homura and Madoka could destroy the world if they turned into Witches. Homura is so focused on saving her friend that you have to defeat her without causing her to turn into a Witch. And I don’t know how Miraculous Ladybug mixes with turning into a Witch, or undoing it. It can restore darkened Soul Gems, but if it is gone…” 

“I…I don’t know.” Tikki admitted, sounding like no one had ever tried to see. Presumably because no one would have wanted to try and find out, or had been in a place to desperately try. “No one ever brought my Miraculous to fight a Witch. They usually prefer to use Plagg’s, Taimma’s, Roarr’s, or Waamad’s Miraculouses, for example.” 

“Taimma and Waamad are from the same box as the Eagle Miraculous, the Thunderbird and Rattlesnake.” Alix the younger clarified. Tikki looked confused for a minute. 

“....I should know this. Tart fought plenty of Witches and that…that….I want to vomit but I can’t remember why?” Tikki actually did look nauseous, and still quite confused and worried why her memory was failing her. 

“Um, Tart?” Alya asked. 

“She means Jeanne d’Arc, she was both a Magical Girl and a Miraculous holder. We briefly stopped there to get something from Pernelle, it seemed fine when we were last there.” Alix the younger Bunnyx looked worried, did that mean a Cat Blanc had happened somewhere in the Hundred Years War? Adult Bunnyx looked worried, like a new thing just got added to her to-do list that was incredibly important to get done as soon as possible. 

“Did we miss some new disaster? Okay, extra reason to wrap this up in one go Minibug, me and Minime will have to make a pit stop in Medieval France to make sure that nothing’s gone wrong with Tart and company too that’s screwing with Tikki’s memories. The fact that you still have Tikki means it shouldn’t be too bad…relatively speaking. Though before we check in on her, on top of Homura, we also need to stop a supercharged super Witch, keep Madoka from being in a position to turn into a Witch, and also discharge all of that built up time energy. I compared it to a nuclear reactor not just because of how much power it is, but because that energy won’t be gentle when it hits the timestream. Honestly, not that you’d even think about it, but killing Homura would cause any timestream chaos she’s bottled up to burst out all at once like a flash flood, with every timeline she rewound supercharging any effects she caused to the timeline she happens to die in. That’s Monarch’s death and Cat Noir’s injuries hitting the time stream like a meteor strike, just to keep track.” 

A time portal fizzled into existence in front of Marinette, right in front of her head so she heard what was inside of it despite knowing better than to do so. 

“You….you dared attack me to save….a monster!? ” She heard Su-Han groan on the ground in Paris, while a really beat up and bruised set of herself, Cat Noir, and Homura Akemi stood over him. Homura looked like the only two reasons that she wasn’t shooting Su-Han was because she and Cat wouldn’t let her, and she looked too unsteady on her feet to even hold a gun. She looked the most beat up out of the three of them. “A monster that…never learned its lesson, clearly.” 

“She’s a girl, not an it. And if she’s really what you say she is, then I can’t blame her for wanting help. ” Cat Noir told the wheezing, weakening Su-Han with utter disdain. 

“ Miraculous are supposed to help the world and those who need it. Not kill people who are victims.” The previous timeline version of her added, sounding like she was talking to one of those people who suggested murdering akumatized victims to starve Monarch out. An idea that was very flawed for countless reasons. 

“A Guardian protects humanity from….from monsters. Those who are human, those who were human, and those who were…never human. That is the purpose…of the Miraculous since….Atlantis. Witches must be….destroyed….before they kill innocent….You…you were never a true Guardian, and now you save…evil. You are a heretic Mar….” Su-han wheezed, cutting off him from naming her, though Cat Noir did look at her curiously. “ ....The….the Sixteenth….Heretic…..you will be…wiped away like the rest….enemies of the Order of the…all of you…” 

And then Su-Han died, and the portal didn’t long outlive him as it faded away. The adult Bunnyx winced, while behind her Tikki, Alya, and the young Bunnyx had also seen it. Alya looked like she was putting some details together in her head about something Su-Han said, though how Alya had the spare brain space to catch something in that glimpse into a previous time Marinette didn’t know. 

“Yeah, I never tried that idea again after that. It was a bad one. The guy was just supposed to give you two suggestions but then he went after Homura Akemi before I could even properly explain that the girl was a time bomb, a literal time bomb, running off and not going back in the Burrow no matter how many times I tried to grab him with one. But yeah, I know you don’t want to use lethal force, and that’s an extra incentive. Killing her is too dangerous, especially with what happened with Monarch. We can’t risk her turning into a Witch, we can’t let Madoka turn into a Witch, and even if we could go back to the original flow of time, the one where Mami and Madoka slew Walpurgisnacht, the resulting built-up time energy is still going to be a problem even if just tears us to shreds trying to get into that original iteration of the timeline. Because Rose wiped out the Incubators and it didn’t work out, Homura isn’t going to settle for anything short of getting a Wish, but if she does make a Wish to wipe out the Incubators…well on top of the default problems of a Wish, one of two things will happen. Either the Incubators bring so much misery out there, and undoing it will create enough joy, that the wish balances itself out enough to have only mild effects. Or, and I fear this is most likely, the fact that the damn things got into the histories of so many planets like termites that removing them will create a backlash enough to rip apart the universe even as it is made anew. I hate to toss you into this Minibug, but your brain and instincts might be the only one who can think of a way to get out of that mess.” 

Marinette stared, not at Bunnyx or anyone, or any portal, but into space as the enormity of this situation, of how this had all spiraled out of control and it was only up to her to fix it. Not her and Cat Noir, not the older version of her to whom adding would probably outright break reality because of more time travel, just her. 

“Also, I only just thought of this, but if she can keep guns and stuff between timelines, and there are two Rabbit Miraculous here, and there were two Tikkis and two Ladybug Miraculouses and two akumatized Timebreaker during, well, Timebreaker’s first appearance…if she gets away and redoes time again if Walpurgisnacht doesn't go down, could she could start running around with duplicates of the Miraculouses?” Alya raised a point that made both Bunnyx and Tikki express genuine concern at the possibility. Which was another thing to keep in mind to avoid happening. It was a daunting task, a fight against narrow odds, the fate of the world hung in the balance of every decision she’d make going forward. It was terrifying, and yet, she started to have an idea for how to save the world. If she imagined things like she was preparing a Lucky Charm, she saw Tikki flash, she saw the space beyond time flash, she saw the young Bunnyx flash, and she saw a time portal showing Eagle and Uncanny Valley meeting a Guardian flash. Despite her nerves, despite the stakes, Marinette grinned. She had something. 

“Okay, I think I have something. I’m going to need some practice first. Half-translated texts from chapters of the Grimoire that weren’t really important to read about and things I remember the Kwami saying about their friends in other Miracle Boxes isn’t going to be enough to bet the world on. I’m also going to need some practice with time to get the hang of things. Practice, and a stop in New York City.” 

…

Homura Akemi appeared at the Eiffel Tower, re-entering linear time. She did so with three Miraculous active, and thus her Magical Girl form was altered by the Peacock, Mouse, and Rooster Miraculouses. Her skin and hair was still purple, with a reddish-pink mohawk of hair now standing in the midst of it on the top of her head, but not down farther as her long purple hair trailed behind her. Her black leggings were now thicker, with her heels replaced with golden, bird-like boots. The white parts of her Magical Girls outfit were now silver, with a pink heart on the back of her costume around where Madoka’s would be if she did contract with Kyubey. Honestly, she thought she looked a little ridiculous, but she was wielding the cosmic powers of the universe and was minutes away from rewriting reality all together to finally save Madoka. She wasn’t into fashion before her contract or after it. She could be wearing a banana suit and she wouldn’t care. 

Immediately she was greeted by the sounds of buzzing, and she immediately turned around to where the buzzing came from, drawing a gun out of her shield and ready to fire…

“Smile, you’re on camera!” 

And out of her shield flew Trixx, who smirked in front of her as she found the buzzing was a series of mounted video cameras on flying, circular drones. She lowered the gun, putting it away as she had one question before she got the Kwami back in her shield. 

“Any reason you stopped me?” She asked it. The Kwami were quite happy to work towards eliminating the Incubators and, bar one exception, had not joined Duusu in being absolutely annoying, though Plagg had taken it one step farther than Duusu had in being obnoxious and tried to kill her before she could restrain him as his new Miraculous holder. However while they were still trying to get her to not use the Miraculous Wish, which she ignored (she erased timelines all the time, why was this any different?), she was quite aware they would rather be with Ladybug than her. She could neither begrudge them for it due to their history with the heroine, nor truly trust them as a result. And she had gotten a clear read on Trixx that he liked to screw with people like some clown. So wouldn’t it have been funnier to have her shoot the cameras? 

The Kwami of the Fox was grinning at her, as if whatever was about to happen was his payback for murder, blowing up Cat Noir, and not listening to them about the Wish. 

“Oh, because what’s about to happen is going to mess with you even more. Why come off as trigger happy when you can have a chuckle about it instead? Anyway, I really hope Rena’s going to have a recording for me later.” And so Trixx, making it clear he really did want to return to a different human partner rather than stay with her and thought she was going to lose, slipped back into her shield. And seemingly in tandem with his departure, someone else suddenly spoke up loudly behind her. 

“Don't be bemused, it is just the news. This is Nadja Chamack, and I'm here today with the strange girl who killed Monarch and defeated Cat Noir, who is here to have a final showdown with Ladybug. Can you tell us about yourself?”

Homura turned around, and found herself having a microphone held up to her face as a news reporter who looked about the age of Madoka’s mother, looking interested in interviewing her. Did…did she make a misstep when she hijacked the mayor’s broadcasting authority for an ultimatum? She was supposed to be imposing, in a hope to make this long struggle for Madoka end without having another brutal fight with Ladybug. It wasn’t likely to actually work, but was it really not even working on people who weren’t elected officials? 

“.....I'm surprised you are interviewing me. This seems rather reckless and foolish of you.” She told the woman bluntly. Did this woman always interview supervillains? 

“It hasn't gotten me killed yet.” The woman said confidently, as if she did in fact interview villains regularly. Homura could only look at the woman in disbelief. 

“I'm sure Ladybug's powers make that hard to accomplish.” She said in a tone she usually reserved for Sayaka or Kyoko. This made the woman laugh. 

“Oh, it certainly helps. The ability to take bigger risks has really helped advance my career, which gets me more time to be with my daughter because it increases my profile and thus by bargaining position for what times I’m on the clock. It all works out.” 

…French people were weird. Also she had little space to avoid this woman on top of the Eiffel Tower. Maybe she should have found somewhere else for the final battle. Maybe she should try to scare her away, because she really didn’t feel like having an interview…

“Let me start with some things I was able to dig up on you. I’ll admit professional standards mean I can’t say everything, but you were meant to transfer into Mitakihara Middle School in five days weren’t you?” 

Homura…might have encountered a new sort of challenge. Was it too late to shoot this woman? 

…..

“Um….Mylene, I’m no expert, so what is she avoiding saying aloud?” 

With Paris’s favorite hero set to fight a new mysterious supervillain, many eyes were glued to the televisions and video screens around them to see what would be the outcome. One such group was in the class of one Madam Bustier, and Nino was the one wondering what Paris’s most daring news reporter was skirting around. 

“Medical reasons possible.” Instead of their civic minded classmate, the one who would know about such things, Rose spoke up, sounding like she assumed it was that on instinct and just ‘knowing’. The entire class, bar Rose’s girlfriend, who just had the slightest of flinches, the mayor’s daughter, and Lila Rossi all exchanged nervous looks. None of them…wanted to ask why Rose thought that with the certainty of a lauded social ‘radar’. They might not be treating her like glass anymore about her health issues, but they also wanted to avoid thinking about it too much. Especially the ones who made the mistake of trying to guess what Rose’s condition was and had found a long list of things they really, really didn’t want their friend to be suffering from via the internet. 

“What, the girl’s suffering from Leukemia or something and she’s killing Monarch and beating up Cat Noir? Gah, what a bunch of losers Ladybug and Cat Noir are if some sick chick…” 

No one knew who threw the eraser at Chloe to shut her up, just that someone did it and was quiet about it. Some math that Markov quickly calculated suggested whoever did throw it was on the taller side though. 

…

“Wait wait, that crazy chick’s a classmate of ours in five days!?” 

Meanwhile in Japan three girls were watching at the home of their friendliest member of the trio, who had her little brother on her lap. He was the only one not spooked. The blue member of the trio who had spoken up just looked baffled about this even happening. 

“‘Hello, I’m Homura Akemi. I murdered a supervillain and beat up Cat Noir and stole their superpowered jewels to commit genocide against…farm appliances or something’, that’s an intro for the ages.” Said bluenette had no idea what this girl was trying to do. Did she have a traumatic experience with chickens or something? 

“I’m fairly certain she’s not going to transfer in anymore.” The one with the most common sense spoke up. The two with the blue-hair and the little brother looked at her like…they couldn’t argue with that. That was a logical assumption. Though that was more the case for the blue-haired friend on behalf of not being a three-year old. For the pink-haired one, Madoka Kaname, she…couldn’t shake a feeling, a feeling like this fight was personal for some reason. Not like she wanted anyone getting hurt, not even that scary supervillain, but for the last two nights she had been having dreams. Dreams of a girl who looked like Homura, crying over someone. 

…

“That is how things usually go. I do find that it doesn’t happen when I am too blatant in fighting Ladybug and Cat Noir.” Homura couldn’t believe she was actually answering the question. If she had to do this again, she was going to find a way to send Ladybug a more private ultimatum. “Most schools don’t enroll menaces to society.” 

“Oh, it depends on the school district. The mayor’s daughter still enrolled in her school after all.” The reporter joked. “Also I’m not the only one who caught your use of language to suggest that you are a time traveler.” 

…This city was weird. That woman talked about that concept like it was something like being a famous artist or talented sports player. Was that on Bunnyx or Monarch? Probably both of them. 

“That is correct.” 

“Which means any difference between everything I was able to dig up about you in the last half hour, and yourself now, is because of time travel?”

“You are not wrong.” She should just leave, really. Just go on top of the Eiffel Tower, the topmost antenna, and stand there like some anime character, or Sayaka, or Mami, or Kyoko, or Madoka to be with one of them….so she wouldn’t be asked more questions. Though if this was being broadcast around the world, there was one use she could get out of it. One she suspected the Kwami would be more than happy to help her with, and give saving Madoka an extra bit of revenge on top of it all. 

“....Speaking as a mother, that’s greatly concerning.” Nadja Chamack was blunt with how distressed the idea sounded to her. “The idea of my own daughter waking up a completely different person one day is something I couldn’t imagine living with.” 

“If you looked into my history, you are likely aware that I am an orphan.” Curiously, that didn’t make this reporter less bothered by the idea of imagining her own daughter in the same way. The girl wasn’t an orphan, so why was the reporter still imagining her own daughter in Homura’s place?  “No one misses the old me, and the old me was not capable of saving my friend. So I became someone else.” 

Again, the woman was looking at Homura like her saying that only disturbed her more. 

…

Over in Japan, in an apartment that was both richly furnished and rather barren at the same time, the proceedings were watched by two beings. One was a blond girl who was nervously drinking a cup of tea. The other was a creature not of this world, white-furred with small red eyes. The tea drinker put her cup down, worriedly watching the broadcast. She didn’t need the subtitles to understand the girl.

“What is this girl doing?” Mami muttered to herself. Magical Girls should…no, they had to be secret. It hurt being alone and unhelped as a result, but if people knew that Witches were real there would be panic. Their hidden pain was worth it to protect everyone else. She was sure she had heard something about an enforced masquerade enchantment…did she hear that wrong or was Paris a city where such secrets went to die at the hilt of pigeon-wielding madmen?

‘My best guess is that she made a wish she regrets, so she's desperately seeking a do-over.’ Kyubey observed. Mami nodded, that did make sense. She knew that the idea of a second wish, to make good with what she had so horribly failed to do, was something that if she was ever offered a chance for, she'd take in a heartbeat. She let her parents die to save herself, and if she could bring them back, she would. Though she hadn’t had a lot of time to think about if she would be as willing as this Homura to go after superheroes for such a chance. She wasn’t sure if she should even give the idea any thought at all, lest it become tempting…

“...If she can manipulate time, she must have wished for a do over, and the means to make that do over work was much harder.” Mami mused aloud as she took another sip of tea. 

‘ That is a very logical deduction. ’ Kyubey agreed as she put her cup of tea down. She immediately regretted it as she heard what the girl said next. 

“No one misses the old me, and the old me was not capable of saving my friend. So I became someone else.” 

She…she didn’t want to think about that line too much, especially if ‘friend’ was switched out for a plural word. So she instead went to a question that had been on the back of her mind for a bit now, held off by preparing tea to calm her nerves as she considered the ramifications of Homura Akemi’s actions. 

“Kyubey, what’s an Incubator, and why would Homura Akemi believe the only way to achieve her wish was to destroy them all?” 

‘I cannot answer that question.’

Mami nodded, only Homura Akemi probably knew why she felt the need to make a wish specifically to destroy these Incubators. Kyubey must have never met one, though that made sense. There were aliens on this planet after all other than Kyubey, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he had not met all of them. 

…

Meanwhile in the Burrow, also watching this, were Alya and Alix, with the adult Bunnyx and Marinette off preparing for the fight that, back in the present day, was just over ten minutes away now. Alya had already asked how a television was getting a signal in here, and now she had a second question. 

“...Alix, tell me I didn’t ever do something that stupid?” Maybe it was just being a hero but, did she ever just go up to a supervillain and talk to them for the Ladyblog? It was worth a bit of self-reflection, especially if she had missed the fact that Lila Rossi had willingly helped Hawk Moth. If she had missed something like that, and by extension Lila being horrible, what else had she missed? 

“Nah, you were more about acting like you were in a video game with a cover mechanic, just instead of shooting guns you were shooting film.” Alix assured her friend. “And aside from Jalil trying to sacrifice you to the Egyptian Gods, I don’t think you’ve been abducted or brainwashed or transformed nearly as much or badly as Nadja Chamack has been in just under a school year…yikes has it only been a school year?” 

Alya nodded, okay that was good. Though now she had another question. 

“So um…were those actually the Egyptian Gods I was going to be sacrificed to by your akumatized brother, or what? Are they actually real, and what about like, the Greek Gods? The Celtic Gods? The Japanese Gods? Stuff like that?” 

It was a bit off topic, but Alix had reminded her of the scary portal she nearly got sent into and now Alya wanted to know. Also if they did fail and Madoka turned into a god, it was probably worth wondering if she’d be alone or not. 

…

Maybe she was just bad at reading mothers, she had limited experience with them beyond Madoka’s, because the reporter still looked bothered and her expression was clearly that of someone who wanted to change the subject for her own mental health.  She’d seen similar looks when Incubators explained the concept of entropy and the heat death of the universe. The idea of ‘leaving’ didn’t seem to cross the reporter’s mind though, though why she was still here was beyond Homura. Did she really need a big paycheck to support herself and her daughter? Did she think that this would help Ladybug in some way, unaware Bunnyx could do the same thing but better? Was she just that into telling the public the news she was willing to stick around out of the principle of the matter? 

“So you mentioned a friend a few times, both now and in your ultimatum. Can you tell us about her? You don’t have to name her, especially as I’d guess that she hasn’t met you yet. She’s a student at Mitakihara Middle School, correct? Given what you have said of your own history and previous timelines it is the most likely place.” 

If she had to go back in time again after this, she was not doing the ultimatum again. She was just going to call Ladybug directly with the Miraculous Tools or something. Seeing as she was not going back to school this time loop, she’d have the time to figure out how that was done if it came to it. But she was stuck in it now, and might as well. If she did have to deal with the consequences, maybe this would have some positive effect somewhere. And there, of course, was that bit of payback she could pull off if the right thing was watching. 

“Yes.” Homura admitted. “For the sake of anonymity, I’ll call her Pink. In the original timeline I went through, the one where I was exactly the same girl you found researching my life history, I was a scared, nervous, and sickly wreck constantly falling over and completely lost at everything. I nearly died in fact, stumbling into the enemies of beings like myself. The creations of the Incubators,” she noticed the reporter was going to ask her what an Incubator was, and while Homura had plenty she could say on the subject, she would rather not cause Mami to kill herself if possible, so she cut the woman off, “only for myself to be saved by two who have powers similar to my own sans the Miraculous. These are Magical Girls, and one of them was Pink.” 

She paused, this was where the newswoman laughed and asked her what actually happened. 

“Homura, this is Paris. And I’ve been to New York on assignment, I’ve seen plenty of weirder things than Paris or Mitakihara have.” The reporter explained why she was not doubting her calling herself a Magical Girl. Homura needed to remember that point, and made a mental note to never visit New York. What sort of madness was that city if it made Paris seem normal? 

“I had met Pink before, when I transferred into that school for the first time many, many timeloops ago. Back when I was just as your records recorded me as. She was really nice to me then, she called my name cool. It was the best part of a terrible, embarrassing day. The creations of Incubators, Witches, prey on people like that. I nearly died, until Pink saved my life, along with her mentor who I’ll call Yellow. She said that saving me from that Witch was the greatest thing she ever did, a moment she would always be proud of and worth her choices.Afterwards, we became friends, my very first friend, someone she could talk to about being a Magical Girl to as a terrible enemy came to Mitakihara as April ended and May begun.” 

Even after all this time, she remembered the first battle with Walpurgisnacht, the first death of Mami, and most of all the first death of Madoka. 

“A supervillain?” 

“A Witch called Walpurgisnacht, a living disaster. It killed Yellow and Pink….she…she died defeating it. She died saving me, a hero as brave and noble as any in Paris while I, someone so weak and helpless, lived. I sobbed, I cried, I wailed…and then I was offered the chance to get her back.” 

Homura held up her wrist, the Sentimonster crawling upwards to fully reveal the Soul Gem embedded into her wrist, though she did not look the woman in the eye as she did so. 

“My wish was to meet Pink again, and to be someone who could protect her. As such, I have been redoing that period of time ever since, until Walpurgisnacht is defeated and Pink….she can live.” 

She looked back at the woman

Why was the woman smiling like that? 

…

“Ahh, it's forbidden love between girls that drives her to such extremes. It’s romantic.” Hitomi cooed as Sayaka gave her a side look. 

“Um, you know what century this is, right? ‘Forbidden’ is not the word for it. Also, you are missing the part where that ‘forbidden love’ is the reason she’s about to fight a superhero to the death?” 

“.....it’s still romantic.” 

“Is this an upper class thing I’m happily oblivious to or something?” 

Madoka had no idea why she was blushing. Sure, she hadn’t met that many people motivated by love like that, but why would that make her blush? ‘Pink’ was right though, Homura Akemi was a really cool name. 

Her brother was poking her in her reddened cheeks, as if worried about her. The blush was unnoticed by Hitomi or Sayaka, fortunately.  

…

“Walpurgisnacht.” Mami repeated, having heard some talk of such a witch. 

“Yes, I have heard stories about it as well.” Kyubey agreed. If there was really something like that coming, if half of the stories she had heard about it were true, she could understand in part Homura Akemi’s actions. If she really had figured out what created Witches, the enigmatic Incubators that Kyubey didn’t know about and she herself seemed interested in avoiding the topic of, going for the source with a second wish was a viable strategy, even if it did make her the enemy of the world. All for the sake of ‘Pink’...

Mami made a note to find this girl. Finding another magical girl like this ‘Pink’ wouldn’t just be about not feeling like the loneliness was suffocating her anymore, but saving thousands of lives. Though did that make her ‘Yellow’? She tried to shake the thought but…it was hard to shake. 

Though there was another question that Mami had, if Pink was so powerful, why wasn’t Homura trying to train her or teaming up with her? Was she so traumatized by seeing Pink dying she didn’t want to risk it again…that would be the most logical reason. Loss…loss hurt worse than any physical injury, especially if the loss was someone you loved. When it came to avoiding pain, was Mami in any place to judge anyone? Her first thought about her pain was to recruit someone new or take on a new trainee instead of trying to patch things up with Kyoko after all, even if she would be over the moon if Kyoko came back. Though it didn’t feel like loss was the only issue here, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what the other problem was…

…

“Stop smiling.” She told the reporter bluntly, who was now grinning instead. Both expressions were in a knowing way, but what they were ‘knowing’ wasn’t quite clear. Urgh, was this a French thing? Eventually, whatever was possessing the reporter faded as she returned to a more focused expression. 

“I’m guessing that even with more experience, this Walpurgisnacht is still incredibly dangerous.” 

Homura nodded. 

“Indeed. It is possible to defeat it, but it requires far too many to die. I have never seen a battle with it where someone didn’t die, and Pink…Pink nearly always finds a way to be there, as a hero or not. She dies. She dies again, and again, and again, and again…and again,” the last words were hollow, “Time traveling has let me learn things, and one thing I am sadly aware of is how easy it is for her, no matter what, to die, and how many terrible ways there are for her to die. The worst of all is breaking herself in killing Walpurgisnacht.” And that was as close as she would get to saying what ‘breaking yourself’ meant to a Magical Girl. That conversation never went well, and when some of the better examples involved Mami getting possessed and dressing as some strange saint-pope while firing guns everywhere, or was part of a scenario where that serial killer actually killed Madoka, there was no improving it. “I’m not Ladybug, I can’t bring anyone back unless I go back again. I can carry weapons, I can carry my regrets, and I can carry a promise. A promise to protect my friend, who passed on a dying wish to be protected from being hurt by the Incubators. I stroved to be that protection myself, but learning of the Miraculous gave me a better way.” 

She took out the Snake Miraculous from her shield, in case the woman was to make a grab for it. As the Kwami had described it, the Snake Miraculous was like her own powers. It allowed its user to redo past events, and while she had not had time to see how that truly differed for her powers, with everything else she had to experiment with it was on the lower end of her priorities to master, so if the reporter did try to grab it it would not be a catastrophic loss. She thought the Kwami could have said more about it, but they seemed fine when she went on to a different Miraculous and she let it be. 

“If a Magical Girl, or Magical Girls, cannot defeat Walpurgisnacht, or defeat the Incubators, then a different method is required.” 

“I see, and if you had not encountered Cat Noir after killing Monarch, would you have still taken his Miraculous to do so?” 

Homura got the impression from the woman’s tone that, while she was fine with her killing Monarch and taking his Miraculouses, she did not approve of her hurting Cat Noir. 

“As I said earlier, I would be fine with a trade. I make a wish, and they get all of the Miraculouses back. Wishing away the Incubators from ever having existed would mean I have no need for more power. Cat Noir found me not long after I killed Monarch, but as Monarch was in his civilian form when Cat found him he believed me to have murdered someone innocent and was in a fury.” 

She waited for the woman to ask something about how Cat Noir found him, but the woman had a guarded, but stayed, look. Did she have a suspicion about Monarch being close enough to Cat that to say it aloud would be to risk his secret identity, or was she giving this woman too much credit. It was hard to tell. 

…

Outside a hospital room, under heavy discretion and secrecy from the public, Nathalie glared at the video screen. 

“ Monarch’s death was not merely to obtain his power, but also a correction to my plans. In the previous time loop, he had followed me back to Japan….” 

“Gabriel you power-mad fool.” She muttered to herself. You pursued revenge before your family again, and now you were dead and your son was both an orphan and in surgery for extensive injuries. She had originally feared this girl had hurt Adrien because of you, but now…now she knew better. You were always hurting your son, because he was Cat Noir. 

Because of you, she had been woken up to a knock on her door, and the boy she loved like a son left at her door incredibly injured. Because of you, and this ‘magical girl’. 

…

“....It is always a problem when Monarch goes overseas. The two times I know he’s done so Shanghai burned and nukes nearly flew.” Nadja Chamack said of Monarch’s rampage in Mitakihara. “Though now I do have a question. If you just want to save your friend, why go to so much trouble? You could just run away with her. The world is filled with heroes after all, there are heroes in Japan who could fight Walpurgisnacht . Why continue when it has become a fight against multiple enemies at once?”   

Why indeed? Well, she knew from personal experience she couldn’t run away with Madoka..though in all honesty she should have always known that wasn’t going to work. 

“Many, many….many timelines ago, my friend said to me. ‘Why? Why am I the only one you're saving? You've got so much power, Homura!! If you plan to let all the others die... then it'd be better if you didn't save me...!’ It’s a perspective that…she has said to me a few times since. Usually it’s about telling me to save more than just her. Normally…that’s something I can’t do. I can only do so much, and I just want her to live. No more deaths, no more falls, live. But if there is one thing about my friend I’ve really come to realize over these timelines, is that she is not able to just be happy for herself. She needs her friends, she needs her mentors, she needs her family, and she cannot stand to imagine those who aren’t being helped. I’ve learned how far everything goes and I can endure it, but if she ever does…she wouldn’t live with the idea of things staying as they are. In order to save her from everything including herself, I need the wish that Ladybug protects. She protected it from Monarch, she cannot protect it from me. Not any longer. The Incubators are on notice.” 

It was at that point, clearly picking up the intentions without a designated code word, that a Kwami flew out of her shield, flying out of her shield to stare at Nadja. Seeing who it was, Homura had the faintest of smiles. She also took something out of the shield. 

“Camembert?” Nooroo said as he took the slice she offered and held it in his little arms.

“You didn’t tell me what you preferred.” She reminded him. Nooroo let out a ‘oh’ at that. One thing she had learned was that the Kwami required food to properly power the humans they gave powers to, and each had a favorite food that they preferred and had the best effect. She hadn’t planned on filling her shield with snacks with the Goat Miraculous and what she could raid from stores and the Agreste kitchen like she was Kyoko or something, but they had clarified doing so made them more effective and more cooperative and she did not need more Plaggs and Duusus so it was an acceptable way to practice with the Goat Miraculous for any of the harder foods to find, like tofu. She hadn’t had to create any of this cheese, fortunately, as Adrien Agreste had it stockpiled and she had raided his supplies. However Plagg refused to eat it ‘because you make camembert and wiping out the Incubators almost intolerable’, and now her shield was filled with the stuff that wasn’t doing anything useful.

“Oh, you can see the floating cheese? That’s good, the last time that a person with a Miraculous showed a Kwami off in public, our cameras weren’t able to register it. So,” Nadja, after checking back with the news station, asked Nooroo specifically as he started to eat the cheese on camera. “Which Kwami are you? I’ll repeat what you say for the viewers at home” 

He finished a slice as she offered him a second piece, which he took again to eat more of. “Oh, um, I’m Nooroo, the Kwami that…Monarch has been using to akumatize Paris. I’d like to tell everyone that I’m really, really sorry….

….

“Oh, I’ve heard talk that you can’t see Kwami on camera, the cheese lets you see that something is there. Though if that Kwami really couldn’t do anything about Monarch using his powers for evil, I feel really sorry for him, what about you Kyubey?” Mami asked as the news got  closer and closer towards the fight only to get no response. She turned to look at her old friend, who was just staring at the television. It was hard to tell with him sometimes, but Kyubey seemed…stunned, staring at the floating cheese like it was an earth-shattering revelation of some sort. 

“Er, Kyubey? You okay?” Mami asked, but she got no response. “Kyubey? 

…

If a Kyubey was watching this and had just seen evidence of a Kwami as an independent lifeform and all that entailed for their damn project, Homura could consider this entire interview worth it. It felt nice, striking fear into the Incubators. And soon, it would be time to make that fear into reality. 

Homura spied a blue portal down flashing into existence below in the gardens around the famous Eiffel Tower, and with a frown she jumped down. She ignored the astonished and worried gasp of the newswoman and landed on the ground, uninjured between three active Miraculouses and being a Magical Girl, with Nooroo flying behind her to join her. Landing just as Ladybug stepped out of the portal, she had a simple statement before she could see Ladybug fully. 

“Bunnyx didn’t just give you the Rabbit Miraculous to spare your identity, did she?” After all, if Ladybug had decided to drop the fight, she’d have come on top of the Eiffel Tower instead to hand it over and not make her come down to a more spacious area. A spacious area was much more suited for Ladybug to fight after all. Then she saw Ladybug more curiously, and it wasn’t quite Ladybug. It wasn’t even LadyBunny. She saw both of the Miraculous to make that combination on Ladybug, but she saw other Miraculouses too, and her costume was different. For one thing she couldn’t see Ladybug’s face, as a mask with ancient coins studded into itself covered it. Ladybug’s hair seemed to have grown longer, with a headdress of feathers on the crown of her head spilling out in a long ponytail held by a hairband that also seemed to be a Miraculous. Beyond the hair band Ladybug’s hair was the color of lightning, while red streaks shot out across her hair between the two Miraculous. Others were visible on Ladybug’s neck, wrists, and even one that looked like a pearl on her belly button, which was visible as the only exposed area of skin on Ladybug. Her costume was also thicker, almost looking armored, its color a darker shade of red with a different black dot pattern. Her back and hips were almost like armories, with many unfamiliar Miraculous Tools at the ready for her to use against her. 

Impressively, the news woman was not far behind them. Parisians could clearly run, and not just for their lives. 

“This is Nadja Chamack, reporting live from the Champ de Mars, wheeze, and only moderately out of breath. Ladybug’s come to fight Homura Akemi, with an entire arsenal of new Miraculouses. Ladybug….” 

“Call me Lady Miraculous.” Ladybug named her current fusion form as the reporter without fear or common sense, probably the latter, continued. 

“Does this mean that you will be recruiting even more heroes for Paris after your victory?” 

“No, I’m borrowing them from a colleague. He gets them back after this.” 

…

In New York City, a monk snorted.

…

“You…also should get out of the way.” Lady Miraculous warned the reporter, who quickly nodded and got out of the way. She seemed more willing to move once the flying camera bots showed up to film the battle in her stead. 

Staring down Lady Miraculous, Homura frowned, and not just about how Parisians really didn’t know fear, or perhaps common sense. That didn’t just apply to Nadja Chamack, but also Ladybu…Lady Miraculous. A person who never gave up despite knowing the odds against them. How aggravating. 

“Very well, then it’s a fight then. Miraculouses versus Miraculouses, a Magical Girl versus a Superhero.” And so it was time to unify her own Miraculous. With a quick moment of time frozen to pull the rest of them out of her storage, along with the Kwami (none of whom were looking thrilled at fighting their Guardian), she unified them all into herself as her costume changed once more. What resulted was a version of her Magical Girl outfit that, under it, was entirely black leather like Cat Noir, and whose outfit itself was more billowing like Mayura or Argus’s costumes, the white turned purple and the purple turned black. Armor like Hawk Moth’s face mask was on her shoulders, which extended outwards in an almost wing-like cape in the same color of Cat Noir’s leather, but in a material that reminded her of footage of Rena Rouge’s costume. Her eyes were covered by a purple visor instead of a mask, which somewhat redundantly had the Glasses of the Horse Miraculous behind them. Her hair was entirely purple, with her skin a lighter shade of the color. The symbol of the Dragon Miraculous’s three elements was on her chest. Instead of being on her, the Tools, she could tell, were inside her shield with the rest of her arsenal. 

It might have just been her, but when the two of them stared each other down, a massive wind seemed to blow out from the both of them, generated by nothing but sheer magical force. Homura had to admit, she really did feel powerful now. More powerful than she’d ever felt. She, she really was as close to doing it as she’d ever been. Madoka could be saved now. Madoka would be saved now. She just had to win this one fight.

“Don’t expect any mercy from me. The end of my mission, the safety of my friend, is just within my grasp. There is no mercy if you stand in my way. I was not expecting you to have more Miraculous, or rather for Bunnyx to provide you with more I suspect, but I had prepared for their interference with my own backup.” And just because Lady Miraculous was alone didn’t mean she’d be fair about it. This was no place for fairness.  

Homura pulled out ten Alliance Rings from her shield, stopping time to move faster and applying each to her fingers, as she flashed them at the heroine normally called Ladybug. She seemed to see the symbol of an Amok on each of them. 

“Sentimonsters.” Lady Miraculous breathed as Homura nodded. She had discovered by chance that the one person gets one Sentimonster at a time rule could be mitigated by Multitude, and if the ‘person’ who made the Sentimonster no longer existed, the Sentimonster still existed. She had a few hours of linear time and many more in frozen time and a few boxes of Alliance Rings. She had time to come up with something. 

“Ladybug, I’ve seen your villains. The world’s seen the villains that superheroes fight. Now it’s time for you to see the villains that Magical Girls fight!” 

…

“She’s not….she can’t be talking about….” Mami said in disbelief, watching through her television screen as darkness began flowing out of the rings, beginning to manifest into solid forms. Kyubey was still not responding. 

…

In an arcade, arms crossed against a wall as the fight was finally starting, a dance champion delinquent whistled as she took another stick of pocky out. 

“I have no idea what half of this French stuff is about, but if that’s what I think it is, this Homura chick’s something else.” But it was probably some weird French thing and not actual witches being used like Pokemon. 

This fight should still be good though. 

…

There were ten of them that appeared in front of Lady Miraculous, who was…trying to even comprehend what she was seeing. They didn’t even look like they belonged in reality, almost like they were made with different colors and shades than what existed in nature. They moved up and down and left and right in a way that wasn’t…it was out of sync with reality itself. 

What they looked like wasn’t any more clear. There was one that looked like it was made of school girl uniforms, all stacked together with multiple limbs. One that looked like a living piece of architecture, like the Arc de Triomphe sculpted from madness and inscribed with images of girls, despair, and madness. The third one she could truly make out was a massive, armored mermaid with a giant green and black heart-shaped collar and a massive blue cape. Another, the fourth she guessed, was a headless, armless humanoid thing dancing in a giant green birdcage. The fifth was some sort of small, cute-ish thing with a pink collar and an oversized jacket. The sixth was a blue and yellow thing with long, ribbon-like arms and a tag on the back of its head like on a teabag or something. The seventh was a girl-like form made entirely of shadowy tendrils, like monstrous, inhumane branches. The eight was a dog with a pink and yellow vortex for a face. The ninth was a headless horseman, astride upon its steed with but a flame for a head. The tenth and final one was a long thing made of torsos and metal needles. All of them let out inhuman shrieks that seemed to tear at reality itself. 

…

“...” Nino’s mouth kept going up and down, trying to find some word, some phrase,some sound , to describe those things. Rose’s scream of utter horror was just about right though. 

…

“This is the darkness you are defending by not just handing over the Ladybug Earrings. This is the Incubator’s darkness that hurts my friend constantly, again and again, and again. This is the darkness you can make go away right now. Just surrender the Miraculous of the Ladybug and these monsters will never exist. They will never have existed. They will not ever exist.” Homura declared, Lady Miraculous seeing her eyes gaze ever so briefly to three of them specifically: The mermaid, the tea bag thing, and the headless horseman. Were those the names that Bunnyx had briefly mentioned that were often those other girls bad endings? Their endings worse than death. 

“...” She couldn’t give her Miraculous up. Not when such a wish could tear reality itself apart. Homura didn’t make an obvious gesture, but all at once the SentiWitches attacked. It was..hard to describe what came next, as the way that several of them attacked was…oddly hard to comprehend. The shadowy hands that emerged from all around her, sprouting from places that shouldn’t have hands sprouting from them, was among the easier to comprehend. She avoided that by dropping through a Burrow, reappearing behind the monsters seconds later and in front of Homura, pulling out the Ball-headed Club of the Thunderbird Miraculous, which Homura countered by pulling a gun. That, and the witch made out of school girls blocking her strike like some twisted rope, leaving her to dance around the bullets with a reaction time enhanced by multiple timelines converging into her at once. She broke off the strike, only to be nearly hit by a massive wheel of water from the mermaid thing, which she avoided with another drop into the burrow, coming out two seconds before she left behind the mermaid to strike at it with the Spear of the Bear Miraculous, only for the witch that looked like a landmark to… something she knew she had to avoid….and she avoided it with another trip to the Burrow, appearing seconds before she left behind Homura with the Umbrella, which Homura peppered with bullets before the ribbon armed witch extended her arms out at her, which she avoided when she appeared on top of the bird cage monster, using her Yo-Yo to pull herself to safety and throw herself at herself who was avoiding being set on fire by the headless horseman, while the version of herself who saved herself began using the Spout and Receptacle of the Woodpecker Miraculous to block both hand strikes from the shadow witch and Homura’s guns all at once. Meanwhile three more of herselves were running around trying to figure out what she was even been attacked by from multiple different perspectives in time. 

…

“...The fuck am I watching? Seriously….” Kyoko asked no one in particular. Was the French chick using time travel too, or something? 

…

There were multiple Lady Miraculouses. They were darting in and out of the Burrow constantly, using the Rabbit Miraculous to put multiple instances of herself present at once, attacking the Sentiwitches or herself from different points in both linear and personal time. Curiously, she felt like she was better able to dodge them than she should, a lot of like how Cat Noir had fared against her. Like right now, where she sprayed bullets into a Lady Miraculous from above her with a assault gun, who blocked it with a unfurled Scroll from one of these new Miraculous before vanishing again, possibly being one of the two Lady Miraculous trying to attack the SentiOphelia, or maybe one of the two avoiding being tangled by SentiElsa Maria or SentiCandeloro. It wasn’t the one who just avoided being chomped in half by SentiCharlotte. What was her strategy here? Was she trying to get her to run out of bullets or energy? That wasn’t possible: her Sentimonster would keep her Soul Gem constantly full (she shot at a Lady Miraculous coming from behind her until she vanished again), and she had already used Sublimation to ensure that she would not run out of ammo. It took a bit to get that part right, as Sublimation couldn’t directly mimic the power of a Miraculous, whose range of abilities granted to a user covered powers like matter duplication and invisibility, you instead needed to find a slightly different description of the power you wanted if you wanted to have a similar power, but with it being done she now had endless bullets and endless bombs. Lady Miraculous could not outlast her. 

That being said, she was not just going to let Lady Miraculous tire herself out. She was going to get this done with actively, not passively. Freezing time to move right up to one of the Lady Miraculous multiples, she pulled out the Bolo and swung it at her, but the Lady Miraculous dropped into a Burrow the moment she restarted time, the Bolo missing completely. Unperturbed she stalled time again, restarting it once she was on top of the SentiOktavia and fired a missile at another Lady Miraculous, who was protected by a second Lady Miraculous who wrapped the missile up in her Yo-Yo and threw it back at her, just as a third Lady Miraculous was going to tie her up with her own Yo-Yo. She stopped time to step to the side, letting the missile and the third Yo-Yo hit and detonate harmlessly. She wasn’t down a missile after all and the two Lady Miraculous, who both jumped over to where she had been, looked at each other. 

“Which one of us knew that wasn’t going to work?” One of them asked the other, before they both jumped back into the Burrow to avoid her lunging at them with the Sword from the Dragon Miraculous and the Staff from the Cat Miraculous. 

…

A group of herself from across this entire fight so far, all coming out in mass, flew out of the Burrow at once, going at each of the monsters in turn with the Yo-Yo, Umbrella, and the weapons of the Native American Miracle Box at hand. It wasn’t time to use the powers yet. She only had one shot with each of them, aside for Burrow, and she couldn’t waste too many of them on these witches. Especially when Homura hadn’t used any Miraculous powers yet. 

They each attacked a Sentimonster. The little cute doll thing, which had erupted into some giant worm, lunged at her first with its gaping jaw, but as one blocked the bite with the Umbrella, another clamored over her with the Bird Sling of the Raven and fired a stray pebble at it. The shot was enhanced, going down its jaw with supernatural force, causing the thing to crash down like it had been hit by a missile in the gut. 

The one that looked like evil architecture had the Set Net of the Salmon Miraculous thrown over it, the net expanding outward to cover it entirely. It squirmed, despite being a building, as two other Lady Miraculouses snared their Yo-Yos into it and spun it around before throwing it at the giant bird cage monstrosity, knocking both over. 

The dog with a mess for a face charged at one of the hers who drew the Lacrosse Stick. A second one of her jumped on it as she swung the Lacrosse Stick as to throw her other self like a ball, who pulled out the Short Sword of the Deer Miraculous and stabbed it. The beast howled unnaturally as she dug into what passed for its face. 

The one that was shadow and vegetation at once sent hands after hands at a bunch of hers, two of whom were using the Adze of the Sasquatch Miraculous to cut the limbs as they came, slicing them apart like incredibly fast lumberjills. Three more of her from various seconds in time jumped ahead, two of them pulling out the Mask of the Owl Miraculous and the Scroll of the Goose Miraculous to block more vines from hitting the third, who pulled out the Whip of the Rattlesnake Miraculous and lashed it out, the flexible weapon thrusting through the limbs and striking the thing on the head, knocking it down. 

The two made of torsos, one in schoolgirl uniforms and another with needles through it, were rounded up by her first self, who wrapped both up in her Yo-Yo before, with the help of two others of her, threw them on top of the giant worm, who made a squishy sound when they both landed on top of it. The move there helped solidify what she was going to…

“Gahhhh!” 

She and two of herselves from later down the time chain were grabbed by the ribbony arms of the teabag Sentimonster, who hoisted them upward. 

…

SentiCandeloro had grabbed three Lady Miraculouses. Given what she was doing and how it followed the use of Burrow, Lady Miraculous wasn’t really cloning herself. She was using time travel to have multiple versions of herself running around at the same place but part of the same linear stream of time. The Bunnyx duo sometimes used the same trick. However if anything happened to one of one using the trick, it affected the rest of them. Injury, capture, demise…would it come to that last one? 

SentiOktavia and SentiOthelia converged on the struggling Lady Miraculouses, even as she fired on five other instances of the heroine with a semi-automatic. Candeloro, Oktavia, Othelia…it almost made her feel nostalgic. It was an odd feeling: the darkness of all of Madoka’s friends and allies were going to save her. Even if three of those darknesses were just imitations…

She heard the fire and the water wheels go off just as she blocked an attack by two types of clubs with both her own shield and the Shield of the Turtle Miraculous. One Lady Miraculous came at her from behind, but she kicked behind her to strike her before she got too close, using the kick to push herself free of the clubs to shields clash to get away from them and look at the spot where the three Sentimonsters had grabbed a Lady Miraculous or three. They were gone, but the others weren’t. The faintest hint of a Burrow flickered away just below SentiCandeloro’s grip. So much for saving Madoka with all of their darknesses. It was too poetic to be true. 

…

She got as many of herselves as was currently available in this time chain tactic that Bunnyx had explained to her, a concept that was a lot more obvious in execution than even beginning to try and explain, and jumped out of the Burrow in mass, each version of her from seconds to minutes in the past and future took out their Miraculous Tools as the Sentimonsters all recovered from their blows and ready to go another round. Time to get rid of them. 

In front of one of her appeared Homura, holding a gun aimed right at her shoulder, but a Lady Miraculous broke off to lunge at her with the Split-handled Knife that came with the Otter Miraculous. The knife collided with the gun as the two diverted, Homura eventually vanishing as the other her fell back into a Burrow. Homura returned behind them, but another version of her swung at her the Maul of the Vole Miraculous, forcing Homura to block and not shoot. There were still plenty of her to come, and as they got close they all extended their Yo Yos and swung them around. As far as possible they swung their primary tool, the Yo-Yos wrapping themselves around all ten of the Sentimonster Witches, pulling them tighter together as they squirmed and yowled with sounds never meant to be heard by man. A few shadow limbs and bursts of fire flew out, but some of her others used the Adze to cut off the shadow tree hands and the fires were shattered by two Lady Miraculous each flicking the Whip through the fire balls. The sort of cute Witch opened its mouth wide, letting the giant worm thing come out, but the one that had blocked the gun with a knife earlier returned from the Burrow, throwing the Set Net down as it engulfed the worm before it could fully escape its cute and cuddly shell. 

Now was the time to use a Miraculous superpower. The original her, the one who led this chain, pulled out a second mask. Not the Miraculous of the Deer, but the tool of the Owl Miraculous. Putting a Mask on top of a mask, she activated it with an invocation. 

“Intimidation!” 

The mask glowed as she stared down the restrained witches, a stare that also required a rhythmic motion of her feet that was akin to a performative dance. The Mask on her face, which appeared wooden compared to the metal one below, began to glow at once as the glow began to engulf the witches. She idly felt Homura come from behind to stop her, but two of her intervened. Seconds later Homura tried to act on the other end of the trap, but she nearly got hit with the Whip to the face. This repeated about five more times, Homura fended off each time from freeing the Sentimonsters and twice more from attacking her. Eventually the Sentimonsters all screamed as the dark energy that made up their bodies dissolved, flowing into her mask. When they all fell apart and the last of their energies were sucked in the Mask fell off her face, leaving only the mask that held the Deer Miraculous in place, the tool Mask shaking a few times almost like a Pokeball before stilling and the mask changed shape. When it had previously been pretty formless, just a large wooden circle, the mask now showed the screaming faces of all the Sentimonsters on it. Homura, who appeared again in front of the Mask in surprise, looked at her rings, which were smoking as if the Amoks were evaporating. Which they were. 

…

“I don’t know what just happened, but woohoo! Kick her butt Lady Miraculous!” Sayaka Miki shouted at her T.V as the Lady Miraculous swarm began to vanish into time portals. 

…

“The Owl Miraculous is able to trap evil forces within its tool. Whatever was last trapped in it becomes its new form for a while before it completely disperses. It’s kind of like the Ladybug Miraculous, but with some key differences. You don’t have to break what’s holding the Akuma or Amok to stop it, but you don’t get a Miraculous Ladybug to fix things the bad guy broke afterwards.” Bunnyx explained to Alya as Alix fiddled at the scoreboard. 

“So basically you use it on Mr. Pigeon, but not like, Syren.” Alya surmised as Bunnyx nodded. 

“Okay, so that’s the Peacock Miraculous down, I don’t think she can afford to replace that lizard or set any more of those up, for Ladybu…Lady Miraculous using the Owl Miraculous.” Alix marking the a board that they had set up in the Burrow. It had a large display featuring both Homura and Marinette, with an animal photo next to them. Homura had seventeen and Marinette eighteen, with Alix  The peacock next to Homura and the owl next to Marinette were both X’d out.  “Yeah, I think she’s still got this in the bag.” 

“Hello Alya, I was fine but now I will still be fine. I had a battle that I need to get too that I already won and will try to win soon!” Lady Miraculous babbled, having run through a few dozen Burrow portals in the last minute from what they could perceive in the Burrow  before popping back down to Paris at the end of the chain, one Lady Miraculous in the perceivable universe once more. 

“....Yeah, I don’t think she’s going to do the Time Chain again in this fight. She sounds like she’s at the end of her rope for that tactic for now, and that thing’s a headache to keep up even for someone with a lot of practice. Trust me, it only gets somewhat easier with practice. But she’s still going to have the Rabbit Miraculous on so…like one and a half Miraculous down to one, unless we’re missing something on Homura’s end.” Bunnyx the elder chimed in, not sounding worried about how this fight was playing out. She did, however, sound cautious about assuming the outcome at this point. 

…

“....I’ll need more Sentimonsters next time.” Homura thought aloud as she returned the rings to her shield’s arsenal  as it seemed she was back to dealing with one Lady Miraculous.

“There won’t be a next time.” Lady Miraculous said confidently. Homura’s eyebrow rose at that. 

“So you're going to surrender the Ladybug Miraculous. Because that is the only way this ends.” 

Lady Miraculous narrowed her eyes. She disagreed with her, but how she intended to have this go any other way was beyond her. With the momentary freezing of time she pulled out a semi-auto and started firing, bullets flying. Lady Miraculous used her Yo-Yo to fling herself out of the way, Homura moving her aim to follow her as lead flew after the premier protector of Paris, who bounced from tree to tree before flying back at her. It was a move that was timed when she ran out of bullets, and her restocking power required her to have the weapon back in her shield. So she switched weapons just as Lady Miraculous took out a Spear and thrust it, which she blocked with the Shield of the Turtle. However Lady Miraculous wasn’t done, as she used the energy from being thrown back by the Shield to gain range and threw the Yo-Yo back out and swung it at her. Homura barely avoided having it wrap around her arm, the slightest of slowness in her movement would have had her restrained. As she barely avoided the grasp she pulled out a shotgun from her arsenal and fired it, the shot grazing Lady Miraculous’s neck. 

Lady Miraculous landed, not phased by the gun shot, before thrusting the Spear forward again. Still with the Shield out she moved to guard, but was caught off guard when Lady Miraculous didn’t get closer with the Spear, she made the Spear grow longer, extending outward like Cat Noir’s own weapon. The strike caught her off guard, and while she still blocked the attack sufficiently she still lost her balance. Wary of what this meant, she froze time, allow herself to fall over before Lady Miraculous. She got back up and fired two shots before starting time back, though as expected Lady Miraculous easily dodged the bullets as she pulled out that Bird Sling and loaded the Spear and threw it at her, and it moved fast. By the time that Homura stopped time, it had already reached just near her neck, enough to graze it herself on the opposite side she had grazed the superheroine. Frozen in time, Homura could see a smirk on Lady Miraculous’s face. Tit for tat. Homura frowned before grabbing the Spear. If she was going to throw a weapon, she should expect it to be taken. So Homura unfroze time, ready to attack Lady Miraculous with her own lost weapon, which a sudden rush and pain came from her hand. The Spear flew back to Lady Miraculous, returning to her hand. In her own hands, Homura only saw blood. Her own blood. Of course, Lady Miraculous knew more about these Miraculous weapons than she did. She knew how to use them as phones, to breath underwater, and to make wireless earpieces. She needed to remember that and not doing something stupid like that again, and to remember where she had the advantage over Lady Miraculous. 

…

Lady Miraculous had two win conditions, as far as she saw it. To truly win, she needed to stop Homura from continuing the time loops, and there were two ways to do that. To convince her that there was another way without the wish, or to kill her. To do the latter she could use the Miraculous of the Rattlesnake, the Kwami of Mortality. A single strike of that power, channeled through the Whip, would kill any living thing it struck. While the Cat Miraculous could destroy cities, the Rattlesnake Miraculous could kill Sentimonsters and Miraculous users in a single blow. She…she couldn’t do that though, and not just because of her morals. That was…that was the absolute last resort, if allowing Monarch’s demise and (ideally) the prevention of Future Hawk Moth didn’t mix with all of that karmic energy festering inside Homura to destroy the universe itself somehow was the lesser of two evils. 

It was a different Miraculous that was the true win condition, the one she wore on her face. The Miraculous of the Deer came with the power of Negotiation. It was a power that could make her and Homura come to an agreement on any topic in dispute. It was a power used to end wars, though it was also dangerous, as just as easily as she could get Homura to agree to surrender, return all of the Miraculous, and let her and all of her friends travel to Japan to save Madoka Kaname and the city of Mitakihara as a full Miraculous wielding team to put the time loops to an end, there was the possibility of the opposite result occuring. Negotiations were two way things, and Homura could instead convince her to give her the Ladybug Miraculous if the talks went in the wrong direction. She needed the right conditions to use the Deer Miraculous. But how to get them…perhaps some self reflection would open a path.

She blocked several gunshots from Homura with the Umbrella before spinning back around to see where Homura had been shooting from. 

“Homura, I know it must feel like you have to control everything. That you have to be the one to make all of the shots…” at that a gunshot was just barely dodged, “but sometimes you need to…” another gunshot, though this time she moved farther away and grabbed a fallen tree branch and used the Bird Sling to fire it back with greater force. Homura avoided it with what was clearly a time pause, the once harmless stick piercing through feet of solid stone to embed itself in the ground. “...just trust that…” gunshot, “...you can't do everything yourself.” Gunshot. 

…

Lady Miraculous was up to something. Homura had long learned to never underestimate even her strangest plans. She had been once defeated with a pool noodle by this very heroine after all, after that she made a mental note to never assume anything this hero was up to was pointless or just grasping at straws. With over a dozen unknown Miraculouses, she had to be trying to do something. 

“You're a Guardian of the Miraculous. That means you are the boss.” Homura told the hero, who seemed thrown off by her answer. Homura would be the first to admit she could have done more studying of everything Ladybug had done since she debuted, but with what Homura did know about Ladybug’s history she had an idea of what this hero was trying to do for an exact reason that only Lady Miraculous could see. “You are in charge of the Miraculous in this city, and thus in lending out dangerous powers that can and have been mis-used during your tenure. It is your job to control things and give orders to others, even if it wasn’t always that way. You were promoted to the position from your earlier days from what I understand.” 

She threw a few grenades at Lady Miraculous, who avoided them as they detonated against the park grounds, returning to her arsenal after detonation by the Rooster Miraculous. 

“Since then, more or less, you became Cat Noir’s boss, not his co-partner. That’s hard for the both of you to get used to I’m sure, but try having someone who was your closest friend rarely ever recognize you anymore. Compared to that, you have it easy.” 

And that was just the burning pain that actively hurt her to deal with, she had plenty of numb ones that just throbbed. She still remembered Mami as a caring mentor who helped her figure out how to use her powers back when she was barely able to run, but now they rarely could ever have a civil conversation. There were times when she and Sayaka could agree on protecting Madoka, but she had to go out of her way now to avoid giving the girl any reason to not have her constantly suspect her of being out to get them and she rarely had time for that. It was a sad state where she honestly had better relations with Kyoko more often than not.  

Did Ladybug believe that she having to be the boss was a bad thing and thought that it only brought trouble? Unfortunately for her, someone had to be the leader, and if it wasn’t going to be her, it would have to be Su-Han the Celestial Guardian, so Ladybug had no choice in the matter. Groups, even with her isolation from them in both her old and current self, had a leader and followers, and some people could be leaders, and others could only be followers. Sayaka and Kyoko naturally followed and Mami naturally led, for example. Kyoko could gripe about it, but that was how things were. Cat Noir was like those two, and if there had been problems about that…well sometimes you had to face facts about group dynamics. She had, even when things did function somewhat between her and the others she often couldn’t lead them, and mostly she just avoided them entirely. 

And if this was some sort of tactic to use with a Miraculous, perhaps some sort of emotion linking power, she needed to cut it off immediately before it could do anything, and she had something in mind that would force Lady Miraculous to break it off. Pausing time and rushing right at Lady Miraculous, she pulled out the Tambourine and activated it just in front of Lady Miraculous. 

“Gift!”

A two-step something. And the first step had to be convincing, though if it worked she wouldn’t have to go past step one. 

…

Lady Miraculous had only a moment to react to the pink light that suddenly flashed in front of her eyes, instinctively forming a Burrow beneath herself to fall through and avoid being trapped by the Pig Miraculous. She briefly appeared in the Burrow, passing by the others (Right idea, wrong method Minibug!) and jumped back into the fight. Okay, so that was now the Peacock and the Pig, that was two down and..

BOOM!

The ground beneath Lady Miraculous’s feet exploded, and it was only a lot of practice being blown around that let her control her loss of control enough to have a guard to block the subsequent gunfire with the Short Sword, having full control when she landed. 

BOOM!

And she blew up again, or more accurately the ground beneath her detonated. 

…

“She planted landmines, when did she do that?!” Mylene sounded both stunned at their sudden appearance, and affronted by the use of landmines in general.

“Relax Mylene, when Lady Miraculous wins this those mines are one one Miraculous Ladybu…Lady Miraculous away.” Ivan assured his girlfriend. 

“You do remember she lost to Shadow Moth, right?” 

No one was sure who threw the pen at Chloe’s forehead, but it was clearly from someone. It also happened to be a pen with the logo of the The Zombie Skull Crushers on it.

…

Lady Miraculous landed atop a tree, spun to avoid the ground with her Yo-Yo, narrowly avoiding gun fire both as she avoided landing on a booby-trapped bit of ground and when she landed in a tree, forcing her to jump from tree to tree to avoid getting shot. Homura continued to fire, her form shifting like a living glitch every so often as she changed guns and positions via a time skip. Mid-jump she threw the Spear at a spot on the Champ de Mars, causing an explosion as she detonated one of the mines Homura had set. Calling the spear back she landed on the spot, before jumping back into the trees as a grenade flew her way. As the grenade shrapnel flew up behind her, instinct told her to look back. The shrapnel of the explosive glowed before vanishing, and after landing back in a tree and jumping to another to avoid the gunfire she threw the Spear at the spot she had first landed. It blew up again, and this time, as she jumped to the next tree she saw the exploded bits of metal that made up the landmine glowed and vanished once more. 

The Rooster Miraculous! Homura had found a way to use it to let her endlessly re-use her munitions! That was going to be a problem, especially if this fight lasted for a long time. Anything that blew up, and presumably the bullets she kept shooting out after her that didn’t hit her, just returned to her arsenal of stolen weapons. Though if they didn’t blow up…

She pulled a tool she hadn’t used yet off her belt, the Pipe of the Beaver Miraculous. Smirking, even as she swung around to avoid the bullets with one hand, she activated her second Miraculous she had one shot to in this fight. 

“Cultivation!” 

And she began to blow into the pipe, spilling out a green gas as she swung around all over the Champ de Mars. The gas sunk down into the ground, and she made sure to cover every square inch of dirt and soil in the park. She felt bullets graze her heel, the side of her arm, and her elbow, but continued her spreading of the power of the Beaver Miraculous. Where she had spread the power over the ground glowed green before plants began to grow up. In this specific case, a moss. A very fast growing, very thick moss. She watched as it grew up, slowly crawling and smothering anything that was beneath it, tangling and threading itself into broken earth, intact lawn, and from the lack of explosions, the land mines. 

Homura noticed the effect as it was taking shape, and with alarm tried to cut the moss away with the blade hidden in the Cane, though she gave up after it became clear it was futile. Eventually the entire area was covered in a thick layer of moss, a cushion that was too thick to cut through and would prevent the landmines from registering a target. To prove the point she landed where she had first landed, where a bomb had surely been replaced between the Rooster Miraculous and Homura’s time powers, and nothing happened. She grinned, which Homura met with a scowl, and more gun fire. 

…

Watching the two continue to fight, Mami once more looked at Kyubey. Her old friend still hadn’t moved, staring at the battle with a look that almost looked haunted. The only reason she couldn’t remove the ‘almost’ part was that Kyubey was never an emotive being. 

Returning to the fight, aware she would get nothing out of Kyubey unless he was to snap out of it, Mami wondered again about the possibility of herself being ‘Yellow’. She wondered…if she was the one who mentored ‘Pink’ in Homura’s story…then why was Homura going to all of this trouble? If the two of them could mutually kill Walpurgisnacht, then shouldn’t the three of them be able to defeat it outright without going to all of this hassle to go to Paris and pick a massive fight like this? Even ignoring the flash and spectacle of the Miraculouses, Mami could tell it wasn’t that Homura lacked experience, or power, and Mami was not in any position to tell someone to not use guns fighting Witches. There was something missing, some detail, or details, that was driving Homura to picking fights over powers that Kyubey described as being ‘harnessed universal disasters’.

Her eyes narrowed as Lady Miraculous’s spear clashed with the shield that usually was wielded by the hero Carapace. In that moment, she almost felt like she was seeing Kyoko…and that made her worry. Had something like what happened with Kyoko occurred with Homura, and that was the cause of all of this? Was Homura no longer willing to team up with her and was putting herself through hell to avoid her and spare ‘Pink’ at all costs because of it? If so…Mami made a note to ask Homura Akemi about it. If something had gone wrong, somewhen, that led to a former student of hers to start picking a fight with superheroes across time and space instead of just asking for her help, maybe she could make it right. Either against Walpurgisnacht, or next time. However she would do the latter…

…

A bomb went off in Lady Miraculous’s face, which she only avoided with a Burrow jump, appearing behind Homura with the Maul, which the Magical Girl avoided with a time-assisted side step before the two, with Short Sword and Sword, clashed a few times before their blades locked, letting the both of them look each other in the eye. 

“You don’t have any more Witches and you don’t have any more places to set landmines. Give up,” Lady Miraculous growled as she pushed Homura’s sword back, “and we’ll help you with Walpurgisnacht. We’ll save your friend. We’ll do it the right way.” 

Homura’s eyes narrowed as she pushed her blade back. 

“I am the right way.” 

If she did nothing, if she didn’t win her way, Madoka would die or turn into a Witch. There was no other way to save her best friend but to do it herself, she’d found that out long ago. And she was one step away from achieving that. She pushed Lady Miraculous’s sword back further. 

“You can’t beat me. If you win you only delay the inevitable. I’ll just know next time to bring herbicide. I’ll bring more SentiWitches, I am not lacking for inspiration for more of them. Even you will run out of tricks you haven’t done twice at some point, unless you use your Lucky Charm.” 

Then all she’d have to do was wait until it ran out and it was all over. And she’d seen the same Lucky Charm against Walpurgisnacht again and again. Even it could become predictable. Well before she had to resort to creating….two certain Sentiwitches. 

“You know we’ll help you against Walpurgisnacht! We’ve done it before!”  Lady Miraculous countered, sounding as empathetic and truthful as she ever was even as she named one of the two she’d never recreate. Not that Lady Miraculous’s honesty mattered. 

“And I’m still here, needing to save my only friend!” 

There was no other solution. Kamihama City and its Dopples was a dead end. Telling her friends to not trust Kyubey only ended in them distrusting her and turning on each other. And of course the constant problem of Madoka dying or turning into a Witch! 

The two broke off the clash to stare at each other from farther away. 

“There is always another way. Wishes are the last resort.” Lady Miraculous declared empathetically from the depths of her heart. 

Homura pointed a gun at Lady Miraculous. 

“I’m well aware of that fact.” 

Bang.  

…

Meanwhile atop a train crossing Central Asia, upon which someone had managed to set up and stabilize a television and its connection, a bald monk was furious, yelling amidst blistering winds as his hitched ride sped him back towards the rest of the Guardians to counter Monarch in force. A task that was now, somehow unfortunately , moot. 

“Kill the Magical Girl already Ladybug! You have the Rattlesnake Miraculous, kill the Magical Girl! Do it before your entire Miracle Box is trapped in a Witch’s Labyrinth or she makes a Wish!” 

Magical Girls were a threat to all of mankind when they turned into their true forms. And now one was a single Miraculous away from making a Wish. It was the one wish that Su-Han would begrudgingly respect from one, the Incubators deserved to have never existed, but wishes were as forbidden to be made as Magical Girls were to exist. He would give Ladybug credit for having responded with, on paper, appropriate force, and she was fighting this threat admirably, though she always refused the direct, effective option as a result of the morals of her century. Those annoying morals of hers made her beloved by the masses, that had its uses, but it hindered her from doing what must be done as efficiently as possible. 

The Miraculous of the Sasquatch allowed for perfect invisibility. You could not be heard or seen while it was active, and combined with the Miraculous of the Rattlesnake that Magical Girl would die and this would all be over. She surely knew what all of those Miraculous did, you already showed great skill and familiarity with the limits of the Miraculous of the Owl and the application of the Miraculous of the Beaver, so why weren’t you using them!? 

He narrowed his eyes again as the two continued to battle, closer to gods than any being deserved the title with near-entire Miracle Boxes on each of them. These two, how had they not destroyed themselves already? What sort of monster did an Incubator create? And what perfect, yet terrifying, girl did Fu find less than a year ago to grant half of the ultimate power to? 

…

Yo-Yo and bullet flew at the same time, each passing by the opposite’s cheek just close enough to tickle. Each returned to its owner afterwards by string and by Sublimation. This girl would never run out of bullets, and that Senitmonster expelled a bit of corruption from her Soul Gem to show that she’d never run out of magic either. The Deer Miraculous was the only way, and she needed to get the girl to be vulnerable and willing to come to a compromise. But that was not proving to be a simple task. Simple….

Her grandfather’s second akumatized form came to mind as Lady Miraculous grinned. That might just work, and while it would be ideal to combine it with the Sasquatch Miraculous, the two powers were mutually exclusive. She needed to be able to talk to Homura after all, and the Sasquatch Miraculous did not allow for that. It would also block the lights. Though she needed to get her into position. 

She started with a lash of the Whip, which Homura didn’t risk grabbing. She was unaware of how the power worked, what the power was, or that Lady Miraculous wouldn’t dare use it on someone, so Homura instead avoided it with her own two legs before drawing another gun and firing. Lady Miraculous dodged much the same way, and dropped into the Burrow. She got behind Homura, Lacrosse Stick in hand as Homura quickly blocked with her buckler. However Homura was surprised to see that in her mouth hung open the Scroll, the weapon of the Goose Miraculous. The Miraculous that housed the Kwami of Gullibility, Downn! While mumbled, the power still came out when she called the power forth. 

“Inattention!” 

A blinding light flew out of the Scroll, blasting Homura Akemi right in the face. A loud sound went off at the same time.

…

“...Why do I suddenly not feel thrilled that my best friend just got a big hit in?” Alya asked Bunnyx and Alix, not getting what was bothering her even as she checked off the Goose Miraculous on their scoreboard. 

“It’s because Downn and Trixx can’t stand each other.” Bunnyx guessed. “They each think the other’s a hack. Trixx thinks that Downn’s whole thing about making people dumber is way too easy and lacks any skill to pull off and lacks intelligent uses, while Downn thinks that Trixx’s illusions are overly complicated and often don’t really work as intended or get foiled too easily by things around them. You likely inherited this dislike through sheer contact after a while despite the fact I’m sure Trixx never mentioned Downn to you.”  

“Ah…” Alya got it now. Damn, she really did miss Trixx.

…

Whatever had made that intense sound had made the world a lot quieter, there was almost an echo of emptiness like a Paris after Cat Blanc, just minus any singing. Something was wrong. 

She hated to so immediately use a Miraculous, but she also felt disoriented, stumbling a bit away from Homura, who didn’t move either. She wasn’t in a good place, and it felt like it was coming from her ears. If that was the case, and she had to use a Miraculous now, she made a calculated risk and didn’t use the Bear or Woodpecker Miraculouses to directly heal her, but she shouted ‘Transformation’ instead, or at least she thought she did. Still, she felt the Raven Miraculous, the Amulet, glow as her ears shifted around. It was a very limited use of the power, changing her ears from whatever had happened to them to a set of identical, unaltered ears, but she’d rather have Regeneration and Alleviation in reserve than Transformation. Turning herself in Madoka Kaname…was too likely to cause Homura Akemi to go completely berserk to attempt. It was a tactic with some valid use, but she’d rather not risk it backfiring. She also did some refreshing on her eyes while altering her ears, her eyes also felt strained and pained, like she’d been indirectly hit by an intense light. 

Thanks to that ear restoration regaining her sense of hearing and improving her motor functions, Lady Miraculous got away from the impact zone without much stumbling, waiting for a few seconds to see if there was any movement. Nothing as Homura just stood there, not moving. That was good, that means that the Goose Miraculous worked. Now Homura was in a state akin to being blasted a few times by Simpleman. Not the fairest way to start a debate, but it was literally the fate of the world and time itself now. She couldn’t afford to be entirely fair. Though to be safe, as the power lasted for five minutes unless undone by her own command, she could afford to check. 

“Hey, could you toss me the Miraculous of the Fox? Downn asked me to save it from you with his powers so as to hold it over Trixx for the next few centuries.” She asked Homura. If she tossed her Alya’s Miraculous, then she was good to go with the Deer..

Bang!

Her heart skipped a beat as a bullet flew. It flew past her far off target, but Homura’s sudden loss of her aim wasn’t the problem. It was that she wasn’t acting like she’d been hit by Simpleman. Then she got a better look at Homura Akemi, and almost gagged at what she saw. 

“What….what did you do to your eyes!?” She shouted in nauseous horror as the Magical Girl touched her fingers to her ears, the fingers glowing with purple light. Lady Miraculous also noticed that the ears had blood in them.

…

Meanwhile in Japan, Madoka immediately covered her little brother’s eyes, not wanting him to see what happened to the girl’s eyes.

“ I suspected I was not able to get away from that attack, and that it was safer to instead render myself immune to it. That was a visual attack, so I stopped time just long enough to grab two stun grenades and detonate them right in front of my eyes.” Homura Akemi declared.  

“She…she did what to herself!?” Sayaka was stunned and disturbed, but sounded vaguely impressed. Not as impressed as another watching from an arcade was at ‘the sheer balls’, but still kind of impressed, though not quite as much as the music lover felt disturbed by the act. 

“ Having learned about my past thanks to Bunnyx, I’m sure that you must know that it is no chore for a Magical Girl to restore their eyesight. I’ve done it many times.” Homura declared as she put her fingers over her eyes, which glowed purple as they started to heal. Madoka still refused to let Tatsuya see until Homura completely restored her eyes to normal, the girl talking further as she healed other damaged parts of her face with the same magic. “ I’ve dealt with worse pain. You’d have to beat having a Sweets Witch bite your arm off to give me physical pain I haven’t endured before.” 

Madoka felt a horrible pain in her heart when hearing that. 

“Homura.” She said in horror. 

…

Homura would get those stun grenades back, while she wouldn’t get the Goose or Raven Miraculouses back. She didn’t regret using the Raven as she did, but she had wasted the Goose. 

She couldn’t let that error compound, so she charged at Homura as she restored herself, hoping to get her to reflexively use a Miraculous in turn. There was no sign of the use of the Turtle or Ox Miraculouses, she simply took out the Shield and blocked the Spear once more, using her other arm to pull a gun out and shoot. As before she dodged it, jumping over Homura and throwing the Set Net. Before the net landed Homura vanished, though not because of the Horse. As she landed to grab the net she used her other hand to hold out the Scroll to block bullets, as Homura had slowed time and gotten out of the way. Then something rolled her way, thrown along the ground like a bowling ball, and Lady Miraculous had to jump out of the way as a grenade went off. The moss, as she had grown it, was only singed, but she landed badly and she felt the searing pain of a bullet pierce the skin on her arm. It was more than a graze, and while the arm wasn’t going to be useless it still hurt. 

Then came the explosions. 

…

Lady Miraculous only got hit with one round of ‘Hellzone Grenade’, now fully freed of its limitations of the super move by the Rooster Miraculous. She had set six bombs all around the superheroine, which detonated seconds after she unfroze time, but she went into a Burrow and was not able to continue the chain. Though Homura was now the one with the initiative, and she was not going to waste it. The pressure was on, and it was time for further aggressive options. So she pulled the Paintbrush out. 

“Genesis.” She declared as she started drawing. When Lady Miraculous returned from avoiding Hellzone Grenade, she immediately had to start on evasive action as the automatic turret she had created activated, firing at the superheroine with constant adjustments to ensure she was never safe. As a benefit, the trees that she was using to jump around in were torn apart by the barrage of ammunition. Ammunition that, she was happy to notice, was restored by the Rooster Miraculous as well. 

She didn’t stand idly by as her turret pursued Lady Miraculous. Being able to pause time let her avoid her own bullets and get in place to attack Lady Miraculous. First she used the Mallet, which Lady Miraculous avoided with a upwards leap into the sky that barely avoided leading her filled with lead. She attacked again not long after she landed safely, the Sword clashing with the Ball-headed Club before she paused time again to avoid being shot at by her own turret. The third time she threw the Bolas at Lady Miraculous, who caught them in the Set Net but was struck in the leg by a few bullets. If two bullets weren’t enough to take Cat Noir down with one Miraculous, Lady Miraculous would need far more. She risked her own shots hitting her  to get the Bolas back, weaving around the bullets and grabbing the Bolas, though like the Spear trying to grab the Set Net only had it pulled back to Lady Miraculous. She fired her own shots in the seconds before she paused time to avoid her own bulletstorm, avoiding harm as Lady Miraculous landed on top of the turret. Pausing time she pulled out a rocket launcher and fired. There was no way for Lady Miraculous to destroy the turret and avoid this. 

She unfroze time, letting the missile fly as Lady Miraculous tapped the Lacrosse Stick onto the turret. 

“Manifestation!” Lady Miraculous hurriedly activated as the turret glowed before vanishing into a Burrow, just barely avoiding taking a direct hit from the rocket launcher, which flew off and detonated somewhere below the Eiffel Tower. The glowing on the turret didn’t go away however, as all around her the glowing was mirrored. The turret stilled without Lady Miraculous around to hit, and soon to Homura’s horror she found herself surrounded by turrets, and all of them were training their sights on her. 

Then they all opened fire, her own staying silent as enough bullets to take down Walpurgisnacht flew right at her. 

“Shell-ter!” 

The green barrier formed around her just as they all hit, the sound of constant reflecting bullets and the relentless pounding a cacophony all around her, and it was not relenting even as the time the barrier would stay up ticked away. She almost growled. Lady Miraculous had seized back the initiative, and she was going to have to use another Miraculous to avoid being torn apart. Though Lady Miraculous was not the only one with a power that could be used more than once, though hers could only be used three times. 

“Water Dragon!” 

…

He watched as the Magical Girl turned into water as the barrier dropped, moving forward in an expanding, drenching wave to wash over the weapons and cause them to cease working. Due to limited control and how many weapons there were to neutralize, the Magical Girl wasn’t able to spare her own, leaving the field one denuded of trees and covered in metal contraptions and moss. 

“Neutralizing the Miraculous of the Turtle and depleting one use of Miraculous of the Dragon all for the Miraculous of the Buffalo,” Su-Han mused as his travels continued. The Kwami of Abundance allowed for the duplication of objects, and that included the Magical Girl’s self-firing weapon. There was certainly a mechanical factor into why the new guns went after the Magical Girl instead of Lady Miraculous, but he approved of this move. He’d approve of it more if the intent was to actually kill the Magical Girl, but he knew the one he was counting on far too well for that. Still..the fact these two could use so many Miraculouses at once was greatly worrying, even with Ladybug being on his side. Was Ladybug an anomaly, naturally a freak mutation compared to the Incubator’s creation she was fighting, or were there others like her out there who could wield so many Miraculouses at once? And if there were…how should the Guardians handle them? 

…

Lady Miraculous landed back in the present as Homura reformed herself, the symbol of the Dragon Miraculous now featuring a colorless water symbol on Homura’s uniform. 

So what was the score now? Homura was down her pre-created Sentimonsters  bar the one on her Soul Gem, the majority of her landmines, and the Miraculouses of the Pig, Rooster, Goat, Turtle, and a third of the Dragon. She was down the Miraculouses of the Owl, Beaver, Goose, Raven, and Buffalo, as well as the trees in the Champ de Mars. 

Homura hadn’t used the Cat, Peacock, Butterfly, Fox, Bee, Mouse, Ox, Tiger, Snake, Horse, Monkey, and Dog Miraculouses at all yet, and had Wind and Lightning Dragon left to her. Lady Miraculous would bet that the Butterfly and Peacock wouldn’t play a role in the fight going forward, and while any of those other Miraculous could be dangerous, the ones she needed to neutralize were any that could stop the Deer Miraculous. So the Ox and any power that would directly aid in escape or throwing the power off. So she needed to get her to burn through the Ox, Horse, Monkey, and the remaining powers of the Dragon Miraculous, and ideally also neutralize the Mouse, Snake, and Fox. To do that, she had the Ladybug, Rabbit, Thunderbird, Sasquatch, Bear, Wolf, Vole, Falcon, Otter, Salmon, Woodpecker, Rattlesnake, and of course the Deer Miraculous. 

Instinct flared up, and she dropped down a Burrow portal to avoid gunfire from all sides before landing back into the present on a busted turret. Busted turret….yes, that would work. She could see a plan, it was clear even after jumping away from a grenade and landing on another turret, which were no replacement for trees and building cover, the latter she wouldn’t risk using in this fight. Just because she could revive people hurt in the crossfire didn’t mean she wanted to risk it happening in the first place. 

She briefly stopped her thoughts about that topic to block a storm of bullets with the Umbrella before popping back into the Burrow before the gunfire could be complimented. She returned to a similar spot moments later, the Deer Miraculous masking her unease. The idea she had that should drastically reduce Homura’s remaining Miraculous powers would work, and Homura has the powers and skills to avoid dying to it, but it was going to be pretty brutal. It would be horrifying to do what she was about to do to most of her villains. If she did something like this to Mr. Pigeon, she deserved to be arrested. But the fate of the universe hung in the balance, and Homura had the tools to avoid getting seriously hurt. Her using those tools was what Lady Miraculous was counting on. 

First step, distract Homura, which was where Bunnyx came in to bring in a little help. And by that…

THOOOM!

Was the giant plume of smoke and sheer wind force that shot out of a time portal into Homura’s face, keeping her from shooting for just a bit to call in the calvary. Courtesy of an exploding volcano from somewhere in history. 

“Direction!” She raised the Maul as the Miraculous of the Vole, the headdress, glowed as a signal rang out through a city, the true and pure version of a signal their fair city knew all too well. With the call made, she then drew on the power of another Miraculous. “Levitation!” 

The pearl belly ring glowed as the Miraculous of the Otter activated. Lady Miraculous quickly ran to touch every turret she could, much like Cat Noir would spread Cataclysm. Though this was a different power that instead spread the condition of weightlessness, causing the turrets to start floating off into the air, unlike flying which she did when an explosion went off at her feet. Homura, her face covered in ash and soot, had gotten away from the distraction and was coming at her with bullets again. She avoided them with a few flips, enjoying having the freedom to do so again, when she felt the tingle of enhanced temporal awareness. A second later her foot kicked the Sword as Homura time skipped to behind her, trying to slash her. A second later Lady Miraculous felt a blow to the head as the Shield of the Turtle Miraculous struck her, Homura no longer cutting at her. She hit the ground hard as Homura reached for her earrings, only for her to swiftly raise herself up and deliver an uppercut to Homura’s chin, causing her head to fly back and the girl to stumble. Lady Miraculous reached to grab the Fox Miraculous, but had to drop the attempt when Homura pulled out a knife and nearly cut her hand with it. A quick glance up…no…not quite yet. She still needed a bit more time. 

“I can’t let you win, just as much as I couldn’t let Silencer win or Quillin win. You want to do something good, fix something wrong, but I can’t let you do it this way. If you stop now, we will help you. All you’d suffer for it is that I would expect you to make it up to Cat for attacking him, and you might not be allowed back in France afterwards because of terrorism laws, maybe, I don’t know how that would work.” Lady Miraculous was pretty sure talking her down now wasn’t going to work, she could hope it would and she could get to the Deer Miraculous without her new plan but she knew it was a longshot of longshots, but in the end, this was just getting a few more seconds. 

Homura didn’t respond, just shooting at her a few times. Lady Miraculous avoided the bullets each time. 

“Bunnyx told me about other timelines. We’ve been allies against villains and Witches. Why can’t you trust me that I’ll help you?” 

“Because I can’t trust anyone else to save her.” Homura declared coolly. Lady Miraculous felt the tickle that told her time was about to freeze, and hopped into the Burrow to avoid all of the grenades going off around her.

…

“ Everyone wants to help. They don’t know how to help, they don’t know how serious of a situation we’re all in, but other than the Incubator no one is ever amoral about it. Even Kyoko Sakura helps, even before she’s motivated by her inevitable infatuation with a certain blue-haired girl we both often meet.” 

“Um, what?” Kyoko asked no one in particular. 

…

“ But do you know how hard it is for people to learn from their mistakes when you alone are the only one who remembers them? They have to re-learn everything again and again and again, you can’t tell them everything or it all goes wrong, and sometimes you do something different, even the most minute of changes, the smallest things that shouldn’t even have consequences, and they become your enemies instead. I’ve fought people who’ve in previous times cherished me far too many times because I let them keep a Grief Seed the wrong way, or accepted one offered to me the wrong way.” 

Mami was silent, as silent as the still motionless Kyubey. How often had an interaction with ‘Yellow’ gone wrong? 

…

Homura had started shooting the moment that she sensed Lady Miraculous return, the superhero only narrowly avoiding the gunfire by using the Umbrella as a shield. 

“It used to hurt to see people who cared about me, who helped save my life, who taught me so much, see me as a stranger, a threat, an enemy, but after so long, I’m numb to it. I’m happy when they don’t treat me like that, but when they do, it no longer hurts. It goes the same way when the people standing in the way of saving her and everyone else save my life from Guardians, Witches, and supervillains.”

Homura saw a burst of corruption be expelled from her Soul Gem after she finished her explanation.

“And yet, there you are, saying you’d save everyone!” Lady Miraculous shouted over the gunfire from behind the Umbrella. 

“Because she wouldn’t be happy otherwise!” 

“And I’m sure your friend must be happy seeing you destroy yourself for her sake! Breaking yourself, contorting yourself into someone completely different than who you used to be, torturing yourself in time loops, and getting into fights with supervillains and superheroes! That must make her very happy!” 

“She doesn't know who I am anymore!” Homura wasn’t sure if that was even a counter to Lady Miraculous trying to get her to stop or her own pain coming out. She saw a big blast of corruption shoot out of her Soul Gem and its Sentimonster after she yelled that. Maybe it was later.

…

“...Madoka, why are you crying!?” 

…

“Homura Akemi, when I win and get the Miraculous back, I am going to do what I and others do with those who are hurting in Paris! When a supervillain is created by someone who is wronged, someone who is scared, someone who needs help and does it the wrong way, I, and nearly everyone else in Paris, will help them. I’ve done it plenty of times before, to friends and strangers alike, time travel or no time travel. So let me make this clear. I. Will. Help. You. Just not with a wish.” She could hear Lady Miraculous clearly, despite only some of her lines being yelled. 

“Then you won’t be any help at all.” Homura concluded. “Just like the last sixty-two times.” 

“You and I both know wishes aren’t the way to solve anything. But just like anyone in Paris who I end up fighting, be it you or Mr. Pigeon, I am going to have to beat you first. Then you will be helped. Speaking of Mr. Pigeon…” 

Lady Miraculous was fast, and suddenly her Yo-Yo flew from behind the Umbrella and through the bullets, somehow avoiding any of them to reach her and wrap itself around her, binding her like Mami’s ribbons. She could get out of this, she had before without the Miraculous, though it would take a few…

“Cooo! Cooo!” 

Pigeons? Suddenly, there was no sun….

A Burrow portal opened along the Yo-Yo string as Lady Miraculous had pulled that net she had off of her. 

“Predestination!”

The net glowed as it flew along the Yo-Yo before vanishing into the Burrow, a blue flash above followed by a glow that Homura could see above, and below as the Yo-Yo was now glowing. As was everything that was above her. 

The turrets. Every turret that she had destroyed with Water Dragon was now floating over her like a stormcloud, each of them carried by a swarm of pigeons with the same glow that the Yo-Yo had. Not nearly enough pigeons to carry them normally, but if it was weightless….weightlessness, controlling animals, what was the third…

The pigeons dropped the turrets, and they all came falling down towards her. Homura’s eyes snapped open as she realized what Lady Miraculous was after. But if she was going to use three Miraculous to get this one attack into place, the superheroine was making a bad trade. 

“Wind Dragon!” 

She’d still have a third of one left after avoiding this attack. Her body dissolved into a burst of winds as she broke out of the Yo-Yo, flying up through the barrage of falling turrets as they crashed down into the moss-covered Champ de Mars and into the sky above, disturbing dozens of pigeons. Reforming her body into a solid form she reached into her arsenal and pulled out a rocket launcher. She aimed right past the pigeons flying backwards and…pigeons flying backwards? 

She only had a moment to ponder that before she was suddenly yanked back down, turning back into wind and dropping her rocket launcher as she was pulled back down, even as the turrets flew back up to where their pigeons had dropped them, the cooing birds flying backwards to return to where they had started against the laws of nature. Soon the Yo-Yo also tangled itself back around her, reversing how she’d blown it off the first time, returning to where they had been just before. However looking down at her outfit, she could tell it wasn’t the same. Wind Dragon had been used up, all she had left was…

The turrets fell again, and she was still too tightly bound by the Yo-Yo to escape without using a Miraculous. How ironic, she was trapped in a second time loop. Ironic, and infuriating. She glared at Lady Miraculous, even as she shouted Thunder Dragon to avoid being crushed by the turrets. 

…

Lady Miraculous moved as far back as she needed to, dropping the Yo-Yo as she avoided being struck by a charged rush from Lightning Dragon. She could use the Thunderbird Miraculous, which controlled electricity, but she was willing to gamble that she could avoid using it and let the Salmon Miraculous stop it instead. And stop it the Salmon Miraculous did, as just a centimeter away from her Homura was pulled back into the time loop, the turrets flying back up into the sky and her Yo-Yo re-tying itself around Homura, who started struggling to break out. She made some progress, before the turrets were right above her head. 

“Multitude” Homura shouted as she shrank down, splitting into many smaller Homuras and slipping into the moss that had been created by the Beaver Miraculous to avoid the worst of the impacts. After the impacts faded time began to reverse again for the pigeons, the turrets, the Yo-Yo, and indirectly Homura. The power of the Salmon Miraculous always returned things back to the start of the loop, and the loop had a single Homura trapped by the Yo-Yo. So all of the smaller Homuras flew out of the moss and were forcibly merged back together as the Yo-Yo rebound around her and the time loop started once more. This time Homura moved to grab the Yo-Yo with her hand, the one without the Sentimonster or her Magical Girl shield. A hand whose Miraculous contained a power that Lady Miraculous didn’t want used here.

“Cataclysm!” 

This time Homura didn’t try to get her as the Yo-Yo fell apart into dust, but instead pulled out the tool of the Monkey Miraculous and flew it upwards, towards the falling turrets. 

“Uproar!” 

If this connected she’d be down her Yo-Yo and break the time loop, even if there was no negative effect on her from the Monkey Miraculous Homura would still have more Miraculouses to force her to use and she’d be down her best weapon. 

“Admiration!” 

She had to shoot Uproar down! Drawing the Ball-headed Club, the Thunderbird Miraculous was activated, and in a single swing she shot a massive bolt of lightning between the tool and the falling turrets. Where the Dragon Miraculous allowed the user to become lightning, the Thunderbird allowed a person to generate, manipulate and control electricity. The massive bolt detonated right over their heads blowing up a doll that looked like that small Sentiwitch (when not in worm form). Lady Miraculous then winced in pain as a bullet struck her in the shoulder, one of two bangs that had gone off, and she reacted in time to block the Sword with the Ball-headed Club before Homura was suddenly yanked back. Fortunately, as Homura was yanked back the dust that Cataclysm had turned her Yo-Yo into rose back up, returning to its original form and tying itself back around Homura as the turrets and pigeons returned to their original positions. She had a few more parts of this time loops left, more than enough to force Homura to use Voyage and Resistance. Resistance wasn’t quite going to get her what she wanted, but Homura was clever enough she’d find a solution. She could find a few ways to get around Resistance’s issue with mundane…

“Fetch.” Homura said bluntly as Lady Miraculous blinked. When had she used that power? Okay, so she was going to block the turrets, but what could block the…

A massive and iconic shape every Parisian knew appeared over Homura, the loud clattering that ensued was all of the metal turrets crashing down harmlessly against the Eiffel Tower, falling far away from Homura Akemi. 

…

The time loop rewound itself again, though this time there was a difference. The Eiffel Tower remained where Homura had moved it, and even as the time loop itself seemed to struggle with the new object in its way it continued, but now the attack was harmless. 

Lady Miraculous had missed it, but Homura had fired two shots, and one of them had been shooting the Ball of the Dog Miraculous at the famous structure, striking it while Lady Miraculous was shot in the shoulder. 

“Has…that ever happened before?” Nino asked the class. Had any villain used the Eiffel Tower as a shield before? They usually just destroyed it, swarmed it, or tried to steal it. 

“....Huh, good question. Wish Alya was here, she’d probably know.” Kim wondered aloud. 

“Come to think of it, where are Marinette and Alya?” Lila wondered. 

…

The time loop soon ended, and the turrets lay silent on the ground of the Champ de Mars. Lady Miraculous pulled her Yo-Yo back to her, Homura using the shift to break free of the wire and shoot at her. With the Adze she sliced the bullet in half, and now…now she wasn’t where she needed to be yet. 

Homura hadn’t used the Peacock, Butterfly, Fox, Bee, Ox, Tiger, Snake, or Horse Miraculouses  yet, and if she wanted to be sure she could end this fight, now and forever, she needed to make sure that Homura couldn’t use the Ox, Horse, and probably the Fox Miraculous if she could manage it. The Snake Miraculous was hard to tell if it was active or not, but if she could confirm it had been used all the better. She still had the Ladybug, Rabbit, Sasquatch, Bear, Wolf, Falcon, Woodpecker, Rattlesnake, and the Deer Miraculous to do just that with. She avoided two more bullets, using the fact that the Eiffel Tower was now closer to jump into its metal raptors and move up and down it to avoid further bullet fire, the bullets echoing through the metal beams of the tower interior as she threw the spear downwards. Homura shifted, using her time powers so the Spear hit the ground feet away from her as fresh bullets, also shot within frozen time, went off close by. She avoided those two, instincts flaring as the Spear flew back up to her. She had ideas, but she had to get Homura to use the Ox Miraculous first, and she was not having any good ideas for how to do that. The best idea she had was playing a game of chicken with the Rattlesnake Miraculous, and she did not want it to go wrong. There had to be a better idea than the Rattlesnake. 

She felt a pang from one of the many places she’d been shot, and the pain gave her an idea. Though because Homura was not going to just stand by and let her try it..

“Discretion!” She invoked the Sasquatch Miraculous. 

…

Homura Akemi couldn’t see Lady Miraculous. She couldn’t hear Lady Miraculous. She took out a thermal camera, the exact origins of which she couldn’t remember, maybe it was military grade, maybe it was Yakuza, and looked for any heat signatures. Nothing. 

She warily watched for any sign of the superheroine, but there were none. Maybe she needed to make her own sign. If her enemy was invisible, she’d make her visible. The only thing more dangerous than this heroine making a crazy plan you couldn’t follow the steps of, was not knowing what she was doing at all. Bullets struck heroes, but they rarely bled from them, so she couldn’t use blood. She needed something else. 

She had found a pair of very specific guns when she was preparing for this battle. She was sure she had discarded them, after all it was rare she had a loop where she got to train Sayaka while also making it clear to the girl she was a rookie and she should expect to learn and struggle to become as good as Mami. As a timeline in which Sayaka was willing to ask her for lessons was rare enough, half of them also involved Mami agreeing with the idea while alive and that was hard enough to have happen, she hadn’t used them since. But seeing as she needed to find someone invisible, and make them stay visible, they were the weapons for the job. And she still had the paintballs to go along with them. So she started firing everywhere, aiming not at Madoka’s other best friend who had issues, but at everything around her to find an invisible superheroine. Nothing was spared, and when one paintball gun was acting up she pulled out the other, coating everything around her in pitch black paint. She listened for a splatter against anything not made of metal, a yelp, a step in the paint that pooled everywhere, but nothing. Where was she? 

Her eye eventually caught something, an area of the Eiffel Tower underside that wasn’t coated in paint. With a thought she fired a paintball right at the spot, and it didn’t hit the bare area. At that spot, Homura followed up with a missile. 

…

Paintballs hurt. 

The Sasquatch Miraculous made the user completely undetectable, but she was still being blasted with paintballs. Why did Homura Akemi have paintballs? Ow! Though that pain, even if from lead-less paint instead of lead, would do her something. 

She drew the Spout and Receptacle. 

“Alleviation!” Lady Miraculous yelled as she attached the Spout to her chest, holding the Receptacle beneath it as a liquid began to ooze out of herself like tree sap. This was one of the stranger Miraculouses, but it was a deceptively powerful trick. Alleviation took the pain and ailments that a person was suffering from: arthritis, bullet wounds, lack of sleep, other Miraculous powers, anything really, and converted it into a liquid that flowed down into the receptacle. By doing so, anyone could be cured of any ailment and restore someone to their full strength. Pappa, the Kwami of Relief, had even used it to save Magical Girls that had been believed to be too far gone, she could use her powers on a Soul Gem that was all but entirely consumed by despair and make it clear again. But it wasn’t just removing pain, illness, corruption and exhaustion that the power gave the user access to. 

When she was down oozing out her pain and fatigue, Lady Miraculous held up the Receptacle to her mouth. What had once been black and gray, dark and ugly material that had represented what had been ailing her, was now a shimmering gold color, and it did look a bit like maple syrup. Alleviation was a two step power. You took what hurt someone out of them, and then that pain was purified. And if you drank that purified pain, you got power from it. It was a very strange power, the sort of thing she expected from one of Monarch’s more ‘creative’ creations, but she really needed to burn that Ox Miraculous out, and it was either this or the Rattlesnake. So Lady Miraculous drank her pain. 

Her pain tasted like liquid dough, but in a good way. And she felt every bullet strike, bomb detonation, tired muscle, power use, mental fatigue from Time Chain, and everything else she’d been afflicted with in this fight so far become her strength, and then some. Which was a good thing, as a missile was flying right at her.

..

The missile was going to hit whatever had blocked that paintball, and with it foil whatever Lady Miraculous was doing.  It didn’t matter if she had to call her Ladybug, Ladybunny, or Lady Miraculous, as heroes and villains with Miraculouses seemed to insist on doing whenever they put on a different combination of Kwami-empowered jewels, it was never a good thing to not know what the heroine of Paris was doing. If you could see her you could at least have an idea of what point she was starting from, even if you never could follow her math to see how she got the correct answer. But if you couldn’t see her at all…

The sound of a missile crumpling like sheet metal was the first thing she heard, followed by the second, which was a crumpled missile detonating to the side like an explosive piece of litter. The third was her name. 

“HOMURA AKEMI!” 

She didn’t even think, she just fired bullets at where the sound came from. Only when she emptied a clip at the voice’s origin did she look, and what she was was a Lady Miraculous whose outfit was glowing vibrant red, her hair was now moving wildly without any wind to induce the movement and glowing a bright black, red, and lightning-white, and the air around her seemed to have not just a sheer haze, but force. Lady Miraculous held up a single hand, which held between its fingers the bullets she had fired. They were all crumbled, and not a bit of skin around them was even reddish. There wasn’t even any damage from that missile fired at her at point blank. 

What?! 

Seconds later Lady Miraculous was right in front of her, moving so fast that Homura couldn’t even freeze time before the Maul struck her in the chest, sending her right into a leg of the Eiffel Tower. Homura was pushed through the leg of the massive iconic metal landmark like a knife cutting something a lot softer than literal tons of steel, and by the time she came out of the other side Lady Miraculous was there as well to meet her. Her fist was glowing with sheer power, for lack of a way of describing it. 

“Clout!” Homura didn’t think, she reacted by spinning herself around while still being flung to counter Lady Miraculous own punch. Lady Miraculous met Clout with her own fist, the two attacks colliding and sending up a shockwave that shot upward like a detonating bomb that made the sky crackle and the Eiffel Tower sway like a bomb had just gone off…. and they were even. Homura just hit the ground because of momentum, while Lady Miraculous was standing  over her. And Lady Miraculous had a second fist that was also shimmering with the same amount of power that hung over it like a heat haze over a horizon. 

“Accept help!” The heroine demanded of her before throwing the punch down at her chest . Homura couldn’t dodge it, it was too fast.

“Resistance!” She could only say the Ox Miraculous’s power as fast as she could, just getting it in time as whatever the hell this power was made Lady Miraculous hit her like she had multiple uses of Clout. Looking up, even as the city itself shook from the impact like Lady Miraculous had just caused a minor earthquake, Homura was horrified by what she saw. Lady Miraculous was smiling, like she had just done what she had wanted her to do. The insane smile of someone who defeated her enemies with plans born from seeming madness. What…what sort of insane plan was she doing where going Super Saiyan was just the first step!? She had to win now! She had only one trick left that could end this fight. With only seconds to spare before another punch came her way, she froze time again and pulled out the Top. 

“Venom!” Homura shouted as the top fused with her dominant hand and she moved as fast as she could at Lady Miraculous, getting off the ground and lunging right at her. She had to paralyze her now! 

She got as close as she could to her, mere centimeters, before unfreezing time, needing to get this just right…and as time unfroze she felt the slightest bit of disturbance, saw the slightest flash of blue, the faintest movement of a hand. Right in front of her attack was the start of a Burrow portal, expanding every second she started to see time move again, and a second one was right to her side. She was about to Venom herself! 

“Voyage!” 

She had only one out that didn’t end in her defeat. She formed a portal with the Horse Miraculous under her feet, and started to fall into it. She wasn’t sure where she aimed the thing, just somewhere that would let her get away from Lady Miraculous who had someone gone Super Saiyan and could hit her with Clout-level punches with her bare hands and move fast enough to counter her time pauses with non-instinctive plans! She’d have to come back for a second round this time loop, maybe even the next loop or focus just on using the Miraculous against Walpurgisnacht first to give her more time to prepare for Lady Miraculous, and damn it she was so, so, sooo close to surely saving Madoka once and for all, she was literally two earrings away from it, but she’d just accept this loss for now and just try and figure out how she’d even stop…

Then the shadows grabbed her. 

…

Lady Miraculous felt like every sense was supercharged. She could hear farther, the distant hum of televisions and screens playing this very battle echoing in her ears. She could see the minutest differences in the moss she had created and the metal that made up the Eiffel Tower, and how that might affect everything she might do against them from jump to lunge to land. She could see the faintest distortions as Homura froze time, and then unfreeze it, and she was able to move faster than ever. She could think, not feel, to stop her time attacks now. The faintest flicker of light, a single speck of yellow, she could see getting really close, and she was able to move just as smoothly to create a Burrow, with its exit portal being just where she could see the faintest strand of purple hair flicker. 

Just as the rest of Homura became clearer, though still not fully in view, a green light flashed beneath her feet as Homura started to fall. Homura was trying to escape! Just as quickly she pulled out a tool she hadn’t used yet, and immediately started shaking it, a rhythmic sound filling the battlefield at a frantic pace. 

“Communion!” She shook the Rattle of the Wolf Miraculous as fast as possible, a rapid beat channeled the powers of darkness, more and more darkness at her command with each shake of the Rattle. The shadows of everything around them rose up and shot towards Homura’s descending form as fast as she could shake it, and she was shaking the Rattle as fast as she could. A fast tempo beat that spurred the darkness to move faster and faster, directing the direction the shadows took like a conductor, as the shadows split into two main groups. One shot into the Burrow portal, wrapping shadows around both parts of Homura’s arm and restraining the Venom-loaded Top. The other shot into the Voyage portal, grabbing Homura before she could fully descend and escape somewhere else. With what she did to her eyes, Lady Miraculous was not going to risk her taking her own arm off or something to escape. She had mentioned having done these time loops with only one arm before after all. Homura Akemi hung, suspended between transport by the shadows as Lady Miraculous smiled. She intended it to be inviting, but also triumphant. 

“Now, let’s talk about how this is going to be the last timeline, without anyone making a wish.” She declared, warmly but firmly, to Homura. She was going to put things right in Paris and Mitakihara. She might even be able to minimize the time loop chaos if she could revive Monarch. He’d just be powerless and get arrested. “Okay, let’s see if we can put things back to the way they are supposed to be first, before we start our full Negotiation. Just hang there, if this works you can tell me who Monarch is so we could go arrest him for his crimes. You can consider that the first step in putting things right so you don’t have murder charges on your head while we save your friend together . Lucky…” 

The shadows started exploding, tendrils of darkness shooting out of every stream of darkness and into the portals like wild bolts of lightning. They twisted and turned, spinning into solid threads and then into ferocious winds of shadow. This was followed by the Burrow destabilizing, blue lights shooting into the maelstrom like a galaxy spinning out of control and shooting celestial arms out like quills, shooting into the storm of darkness and adding a second color into it, a third color joining as green light shot from the Voyage portal just as erratically like the Voyage portal had just turned into a hurricane that was rapidly shooting its tendrils everywhere.

Her only thought was to immediately hoist Homura out of the Voyage portal, something she hadn’t done yet because she was worried it might be too rough. But she’d rather be too rough, and possibly take an arm off, than leave her at the mercy of whatever the heck was going on now! Better to be on solid ground than trapped in a portal going haywire. She didn’t like the exact angle that Homura’s arm was now at from doing that, but she didn’t like whatever was happening any more. Especially the fact that the mess was rapidly expanding. 

…

“Bunnyx….what the hell is that!?” Alya asked in horror as the small corridor between Burrow portals, where there had been just a string of shadows, was now rapidly expanding and was now mixed with blue and green light. 

“I don’t know but jump into any time portal you see and don’t let it get you!” Bunnyx shouted, her Miraculous sparking to allow that and abandoning any worry about Alya changing history in complete shock and fear about what was happening, but it was too late before the light exploded and engulfed all three of them. 

…

“YOU FOOL!” Su-Han shouted, nearly falling off the train top as he backed away from the screen in horror. How….what even was happening!? Did they somehow overload the Miraculouses by mixing their unnatural levels of power, the power multiplier of the Miraculous of the Woodpecker, the sheer amount of Miraculouses being used, Incubator magic, and the sheer combination of the powers of the Kwamis of Evolution, Migration, and Spirituality mingling all together to craft that maelstrom!? 

The Incubators had created a monster. Fu had found a monster. He had left the latter monster alone without the rules to keep this sort of mess from happening. Whatever was going to happen…was his fault. Su-Han would admit to that. He would fix it, if possible. The Guardians would put this world back in order. The only question was just what to do with someone like Ladybug, like Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was truly unlike any Miraculous Holder or Guardian he had ever encountered, and it was terrifying. Someone like her, would either be the savior of the world, or its destroyer. 

…

“Ladybug!” 

Every student watching, bar two, were in complete panic. 

…

In a family home, a fancy apartment, and a city arcade, they all stared at the same thing. The lights had concentrated, no longer blowing around the entire Parisian battlefield,  but having concentrated in two energy tornadoes of cosmic energy, a mixture of black, green, and blue. One over a superheroine, the other a Magical Girl. Everyone stared at the storms as seconds turned into minutes, waiting for whatever was happening to stop. Though no one knew just what that would be. 

“Everyone does have a past they can learn from.” Ladybug 

END NOTES. 

Rose was the one to pull that gambit off because Scarlet Lady reminded me that violent Rose is canon. There could probably have been a timeline where Juleka pulled off something similar, but the Bunnyx would not have let that happen after the first time. I can honestly see all of the Miraculous ladies being some form of Incubator bait, Alix is probably the one I’d peg the safest among the heroes, and even then she’s not a hundred percent safe. Zoe was strongly considered for being the one off Magical Girl, but Rose and Juleka got the role instead because one avenging the other is easier than Zoe, who wouldn’t necessarily have the same set up (maybe Marinette would have been in Rose’s place in that scenario, and how she’d get the necessary pieces is hard to say.)  Also when Bunynx says ‘saving Rose’, she does mean from her illness, but in a ‘Trunk with the heart virus medication’ way. Though speaking of heart viruses, I am partial to the idea that she didn’t die directly from the virus, but it stressing her body while defending innocents during the Sixteenth Guardian Heresy to a point it failed, though not sure about committing to it fully. It is probably what happened, though, just only in a WoG sense and not in story. 

While I do like Lila getting exposed, I cannot stand salt fics because everyone in it acts so out of character and inhuman that you’d think it was going to be revealed as a Sentimonster plot that ends with the real characters walking in and tearing their faux duplicates apart with their bare hands, hence why Alya finds out that Lila sucks via something that not even Ladybug knew about, and it is also something that can’t be dwelled on for that long.

I had originally thought that the Magical Girl that would interact with the Miraculous cast in the original future would be Sayaka, contracted after Mami and Madoka died, and had that in place for a while. Sayaka would have been instrumental in getting a post Monarch Ladybug and Cat Noir to intervene on behalf of Magical Girls and would lead to their integration into the superhero community, with the side effect that it also led to the Sixteenth Guardian Heresy and the Guardians falling again. However adding that to the loop’s time chaos ended up being way too much and would have required a lot of rewriting to keep straight, so the role goes to someone or someones for Magia Record. Someone like Yachiyo or the duo of Rika and Ren, someone whose personal ends lean into helping others in need, but not sure exactly who and there may be other candidates in Record that fit this position better. Also, while never brought up or ever intended on being plot relevant, I can’t imagine Kyoko’s story in the original timeline ended anyway good.

The Miraculous from the Native American Box are named by Word of God and have wiki pages, but their powers, weapons, and all but a few of their appearances are creations I came up with for my fanfics, bar three that are entirely whole cloth my own creations to even out the size of the box compared to the one Marinette has (That’s the Vole, Rattlesnake, and Sasquatch). They predate a few things that might imply that their powers are not ones Miraculouses in Season 5. The Falcon Miraculous is the one power I’m still trying to perfect, hence why it was not used or referenced at all. Also for clarification, Liiri uses a different naming convention than the ones in the Chinese Box. Where, say, Trixx is the Kwami of Illusion with the power of Mirage, Liiri is the Kwami of Freedom with the Power of Liberation. This is the pattern I use for them. If you comment on this in the comment or review sections, you did not read this section

ThanatosTiger came up with the name Hellzone Grenade. I shifted the name to Kyoko’s idea because I can’t imagine anyone else in the main Madoka series naming an attack that. Except maybe Madoka’s mother when sufficiently drunk.  

Bit of a cutting room floor idea about having Homura mid-fight use the Mouse Miraculous to create a new set of Sentimonsters, this time directly based on Mami, Sayaka, and Kyoko, and then, because they would be autonomous and based on memories of hundreds of timelines worth of memories of them being allies of Homura directly or indirectly and sharing a mixture of their own observed connections to over a hundred Madokas and bleed over from Homura’s own self, request to use the Peacock Miraculous as the target to akumatize themselves into stronger hybrid forms that would be based on that fanon thing about Magical Girls doing a Bleach (also a thing in tha Madoka game, but in a different form). So you’d have a SentiMami with multiple ribbon arms like Doctor Octopus to wield even more guns and swing around everywhere, a SentiKyoko whose a centaur with fire powers, and a SenitSayaka in pop-culture Atlantis-like armor with water and song powers. However, because this thing is already huge and I do try to write Homura as not operating flawless Spacebattles Competent plans, this was not written out, though if Homura had multiple timelines she would have likely come up with the idea at some point. 

Another idea was that I wanted the Nadja interview scene to have Homura give anecdotes on her friends ‘Pink’, ‘Yellow,’ ‘Blue’, and ‘Red’ while they (mostly) obliviously commented, showing that Homura cares about them even if she very much cares for ‘Pink’ far, far more. Wasn’t flowing well and the scene was getting long so the scenes were removed, though I do have a cut bit of dialogue about it for a joke about timeline changes that I really liked. Enjoy. 

***

“Normally the blue one and the red one fight on sight if the yellow one isn’t there to keep the two civil, but there was this one time that they really, really didn’t, even by timeline standards where the yellow one can keep the two from trying to stab each other. I don’t know how it happened, but for some reason they just immediately hit it off and were all over each other within five minutes. Honestly my poor friend was stunned and shocked at the turn of events, and even I had…no idea how to process it. It was a surprisingly solid partnership the two fell into, the two actually work well together when they aren’t squabbling about morality and they keep the other from falling into their worst flaws. Honestly, between that and the lack of pining and misery over the boy the blue one likes but has my social skills and thus always somehow manages to hurt the blue one without intending to, I’d probably try to have the two get together like that happen more often. I just…have no idea what I did, if I did anything, to make it happen and it’s either figure out what makes them tick or get the Miraculous so…Miraculous.” 

…

Mami had no idea why, but that description of events made her want to sanitize her tea table. Some horrid thought of Kyoko throwing another girl down on it and started rolling around on it, getting fingerprints and muddy boots and worse all over it while kissing that other girl, was now filling her mind. And while Mami wouldn’t necessarily mind the company, in fact she’d love it even if Kyoko didn’t seem happier than she’d been in years and back in her life, she would rather Kyoko express decorum and not vandalize her things in joy and love and primal longing. Just…just do it on the floor like a regular person so they didn’t fall off or break it and leave her tea table be. Though it was probably not Kyoko who Homura Akemi was talking about, she really, really did have to fight the urge to go get her cleaning supplies and scrub her table. Extensively. 

***

Honestly I really like the joke of Mami having a serious case of ‘do wrong, right’, but it wasn't flowing well. Another set of ideas I had in mind included Mami and Homura talking in a version of their anime discussions where it would become clear to Mami that both were, to some extent, looking at the same issue (Madoka’s safety), from different angles, with Mami believing that the best way to keep Madoka safe was to contrat and Homura seeing the best solution being keeping her out of it, and Homura would have been surprised to see Mami shift her interaction with Homura once it was clear it was not based on jealousy, as well as one where Homura would have trained Sakura under the idea that Sayaka’s head might stay on straight if she realized the reason that she wasn’t able to match Mami was because of how much more experienced Mami, Kyoko, and Homura are over her (Mami would still be alive in this loop) and how that differs from what happened in the final anime timeline with Kyubey just going ‘nah, you are just a lot less talented than the both of them’. Though, again, these ideas were cut for flow and time. 

Two exchanges in the fight were cut for flow reasons. The first was that after the use of the Goose Miraculous, I had wanted to cut to the Bustier class and have Kim doubt the power of the Goose Miraculous making people easier to fool, and have Lila make a joke about how such a power is really silly and couldn’t possibly work. Basically a joke about Lila’s supernatural ability to ruin any episode she’s involved in after the Heroes Day two parter. When other cuts appeared there, the scene lost its place. Another idea I had was for Homura to get a hit in on Marinette with Clout, which would have required the use of the Bear Miraculous to restore the severely damaged, if not severed, limb, but I removed it from the plan after the Flash Bang scene, after realizing just how much damage two close ones would do, as that basically ate up by grisly injury quota for the fight. 

Chapter Text

Kwami Magia Homura Magica Chapter 3

Got to admit, I’m surprised to see just how much Homura is seen as the one in the right in reviews and comments. I wanted both her and Marinette to be seen as both being well meaning and both being trying to do the right thing, but curiously it seems like Homura gets the bulk of the audience's support. Sometimes because Marinette is disliked, and other times because her goal is perceived as worth the risk of something that, without the series bible, has only a scary red light to show for itself as the bad thing and vague statements about losing humanity. How curious…

The intent in the writing is to have them be both sympathetic and likable, with Homura’s issues being in her occasional jerkish actions and Marinette being from her desire to help being both genuine and somewhat unspecific, and I’m curious how their perceptions hold up. Is Homura just more sympathetic, or is Marinette unsympathetic by mistake? Will this chapter change that or will it make it worse? Well, I’ll see, I guess. Anyway, time to wrap this big project up.  

“If… If it’s for your sake… I don’t mind being locked in this eternal maze!” Homura

Lady Miraculous was nowhere, or at least that was how she would describe it. Everywhere was dark, but not for lacking light like a room with all of the lights off. It was like wherever she was had nothing, and never did, yet it wasn’t pitch dark either. She could see clearly that she was amidst nothing. Just as soon as she could tell she was somewhere that was nowhere, she realized she wasn’t alone. 

“Marinette! What happened!?” Alix asked frantically. She, Alya, and Bunnyx were also here. 

“I don’t know!” 

“Well that makes four of us.” Bunnyx looked around nervously. “I’ve seen those Miraculouses used time and time again in a bunch of different ways, literally with Fluff. Whatever just happened…I’ve never seen it before.” 

“Um…did you-detransform?” Alya asked as Lady Miraculous looked at her hand, and realized she was Marinette, not Lady Miraculous or Ladybug or any hero alter ego. She still had the Miraculouses on her, she had taken off the Miraculous of the Deer to see better without thinking about it too much, and looking at what she was holding in her hand the mask was in an inactive state. 

“I…I did? Did I? But Bunnyx is still active….”

Bunnyx acted to form a Burrow, though to all of their alarm nothing happened. 

“We’re not dead, are we?” Alix was the one to ask the big question. 

“Nah…but don’t ask me what is going on. I’m stumped, though with that Magical Girl nowhere to be seen this has to be an improvement.” 

All of them turned around to see Plagg, visible even with his dark body in this place, who was floating with them. 

“Oh hey Ladybug, been a bit.” He greeted, before he was suddenly elbowed by another Kwami who just faded in. 

“No Plagg, this isn’t an improvement just because Homura’s not here.” Tikki grumbled, looking more distressed than Plagg about this. 

“...You wouldn’t be saying that if she beat up your partner.” Plagg grumbled as more colors, more Kwami, started to pop into existence around them. The first she was were the Native American Kwami: Hassek the white Buffalo Kwami, Honee the yellowish-brown Bear Kwami, Howwl the black Wolf Kwami, and the rest, and then her eyes teared up as she saw them again. Wayzz, Kaalki, Pollen, and the rest of the Kwami she so terribly, terribly failed. Marinette was going to say something, but they immediately swarmed her, knocking her over as they embraced her. All of them except a second Fluff who was with Bunnyx despite her remaining transformed, and Trixx, who immediately made it for Alya’s hair and happily nested in them. Alya, like Marinette, had tears in her eyes.

“Trixx I….I…I screwed up…” Alya sobbed. “I’m so, so… so sorry .” 

Trixx said something soothing to Alya, but she didn’t catch the exact words. She was too busy apologizing to the Kwami for screwing up. So so badly. She had so much to say, but the Kwami were not hearing any of it. 

“You mean while under the effects of someone making everyone in Paris more reckless, being tricked by a person swap you had no idea was possible at the time or that they’d even know how to betray you to Shadow Moth, and to whom the closest means of a better outcome was having Cat Noir collect Miraculouses which would have only resulted in Shadow Moth winning less instead of at all?” Barkk said bluntly. By which she meant that they didn’t blame her at all. 

“Yeah, I know it really sucks but…this was always going to happen and it was always going to be resolved.” Bunnyx added in. “And by resolved I mean Monarch dying because he’d rather be hit with a Cataclysm than be defeated.”

“We’re just happy to be free of that wretched man, and for the tragedy that was the violent way it ended at least it ended sooner than it would have otherwise.” Sass added. 

“Hey, don’t compliment Homura!” Plagg grumbled. 

“I’m stating the facts.” Sass said simply.  “I do not relish in the end of a life, but I will accept that innocents were spared as a result and how that is a good thing.” 

“Hey she actually fed us actual food, didn’t yell at us about being her slaves, and was an improvement. If only she wasn’t so gung-ho on wishing…but it's great great to be back.” Barkk agreed. “Also, Monarch kind of brought it on himself.”

“Yeah, we saw the akumatized Madoka.” Alix clarified for the both of herselves. 

“Homura’s a lot better than Monarch.” Nooroo agreed,. “Um…Ladyb..(Marinette), Marinette…do you think you could help her, just not with a wish?” 

Marinette nodded. She meant what she said. These time loops had to end, and they would without the wish. 

“Well if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t be here!” Plagg was not forgiving Homura anytime soon. Alix looked around. 

“So…where is here exactly?” 

The Kwami, mostly the Native American ones, looked around thoughtfully. 

“....Hmmm…..I donno?” Dowwn the Goose Kwami declared. 

“Well duh you don’t know.” Trixx snarked from his happy place on Alya’s head. “When do you ever know anything?” 

Downn was immediately tackled by Kuttkh the Raven Kwami before a fight could start, while Sass gave Trixx a warning look to not start something. This was not the time. 

“We are in a place beyond death.” Howwl surmised, having thought about it for a while. 

“And that means…what exactly?” Alix clarified. “Are we dead?” 

“No.” 

“....So this isn’t purgatory.” Alya surmised. “Guess it makes sense, no fire and all.” 

“Isn’t that hell?” Marinette asked. 

“Different type of fire.” Alya clarified. Kaalki and Fluff were also looking around, as if they were seeing something. 

“Curious and curiouser…” Fluff chirped. 

“....So I’m guessing you are seeing it too.” Kaalki asked the Rabbit Kwami, who nodded. “Well…it’s not much help, but I can safely assure you all that we are all in a place beyond time and space as well as beyond mortality. Space, time, and death, think of all of that as something that’s over there, and we are here.” Kaalki pointed off in the distance, though there was nothing there specifically. EIther Kaalki could see something they couldn’t, or the gesture was purely for the thought exercise, “Though worry not, I am quite sure it is only temporary.” 

“Tides go in, tides come out. Tides take everything back in the end.” Fluff sang.

“.....” Marinette wasn’t sure what that meant. 

“Basically we’re in some pocket dimension adjacent to everything in existence as we know it as well as life and death being elsewhere than where we are right now….which you know what, is a lot less cool when it happens to you.” Alya sounded like she was only avoiding panicking by mentally sorting her list of favorite sci-fi and fantasy tropes. 

“.....” Sass stared into the shadows. 

“Sass?” Marinette asked him. 

“It is…hard to explain, but I sense….how strange…” 

“Oh, are you talking about The Visitor?” Tikki asked. “I sensed her for a while.” What visitor? Sass shook his head. 

“No, not her, but I do sense others. Others far away that are also…not here. This place is most peculiar…and not just born from our own power. Homura Akemi’s power is also entangled in all of this.” 

“Um visitor…” Marinette started to ask before she was interrupted. 

“Urgh, she can’t help but ruin everything, can she?” Plagg grumbled loudly, seemingly talking about Homura, which Plagg quickly clarified he was. “Are we really stuck in here because she likes the reset button too much?” 

“...Um, yes?” Nooroo sounded like this was still an improvement for being used by Monarch for evil deeds. Plagg rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, you have an excuse to think that. You even have an excuse for eating my Camembert from what I heard from the rest of ‘em about how terrible Monarch is…but I’m still going to hit that girl with the full force of Destruction when I get my hands on her…” 

“Plagg, that would destroy Paris, if not the world.” Marinette reminded him.

“Also she’s more or less a literal time bomb, so if you do that history will blow up.” Bunnyx added. 

“....Argghh, how is Monarch being dead and someone wanting to wipe out the Incubators making me angry!” Plagg loudly complained in a tone that Marinette would have likely used if Lila being exposed to everyone, her love troubles sorting themselves out, and Monarch just giving up and returning the Miraculouses was suddenly a negative thing to imagine. 

“Plagg, just because I am still going to help with saving her friend, defeat Walpurgisnacht, and other good things doesn’t mean that I’m not going to have her make up for hurting Cat Noir.” Marinette wasn’t entirely sure what that would be, she’d have to talk to Cat about it and consult all of the Kwami for the best suggestion, but she would make things right by everyone. Plagg looked ready to offer some suggestions about what Homura could do to atone, and at least Barkk looked ready to designate herself as the Homura advocate in this situation (Homura had mentioned Cat attacked her first, if Marinette had to guess what would come up in her defense beyond ‘Monarch is a jerk’), when something appeared in the distant abyss. A shape began to appear in the murk, and the moment one of them got a sight of it, the rest soon followed to stare as it, whatever it was, approached. 

“What…what is it?” Alya whispered loudly. 

“It’s…not The Visitor.” Tikki confirmed it wasn’t whoever that was supposed to be. 

“...It could be….no it isn’t Homura Akemi. Too big.” Nooroo noticed after a minute. 

“Well good, because there is nothing that could be showing up that’s worse than that Magical Girl.” Plagg declared confidently. “I mean unless it’s Monarch or something, but what are the odds of that?” 

“...What are the odds of that indeed?” 

Every Kwami in the Chinese and Native American Miracle Boxes, including Duusu, immediately flew in front of Marinette’s face like a makeshift mask as Monarch’s voice came from the quickly approaching shadow. Alya immediately balled her fists, ready to start punching him, while Bunnyx pointed her Umbrella at him. Eventually the shape gained more definition, showing what the figure was dressed like, his face, and the dark mark on his bare arm whose lack of a sleeve was asymmetric to his undamaged arm. Marinette only avoided saying his name in her civilian voice, and not that of Ladybug, by Alya saying Monarch’s name first. 

“Gabriel Agreste?!” 

The fashion designer extraordinaire, the stern father of Adrien, the living legend, had joined them, and was looking at them in a look that was all too clearly that of their mortal enemy. His voice, when he next spoke, was not that of Gabriel either. Just like her, it had shifted to a different tone, a different persona. 

“Indeed, Rena Rouge, or do you prefer Rena Furtive?” Monarch asked in a mocking question as his gaze shifted towards Marinette, the Kwami thickening their protecting of her face. “Though I suppose your friend there, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, prefers to go by Ladybug .”

The Kwami immediately scattered, though the Kwami of both boxes continued to stay close to them. The gaze of Monarch was cold and icy, while Marinette wanted to feel that, but she had to get through her disbelief first. 

“But…you were akumatized!?” 

“Yes, it’s called deception. You were very easy to fool.” Monarch told her mockingly. Now that the disbelief was over with, she could properly glare at him. The man who hurt so many people. The man who tormented the Kwami. The man who caused her and everyone else in Paris so much pain. Her mortal enemy…the fact he was Adrien’s father only made it worse. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that Adrien wasn’t involved in his crimes, but to think someone within her circles was Monarch the entire time. It made her furious, and not just at him. She shouldn’t have been tricked…if she had been smarter, would this have all been avoided? It was too late for that though. 

“Please…please tell me…” Nooroo quickly asked Howwl, trying to be very small and unnoticed, who nodded assuringly.  

“Don’t worry, unlike the rest of us, he is dead.” 

Monarch’s expression slightly narrowed, a Gabriel display, not a Monarch. Despite their quiet voices, they were both clearly heard by Gabriel, who looked unamused at the idea.

“What an interesting statement, though allow me to dispel the notion that I could be dead and take even more Miraculouses from you than you’ve already been so kind as to provide for me.” Monarch sounded quite disbelieving of the idea of him being dead as complete nonsense and was in fact eager to gain even more power for himself. “Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!” 

Nooroo flinched, but nothing happened. Gabriel’s expression became a bit more like Monarch’s at the lack of transformation. More maniacal, more furious, less composed. 

“Noooroo, Dark Wings Rise!” 

Nooroo flinched again, but less so than the first time, as the other Kwami, particularly the ones he had stolen from her, started to look at him with expressions of karmic catharsis. Like they were all relishing seeing Gabriel flail around impotently. 

Monarch was now growling at the lack of a reaction, remaining in his civilian guise, so his gaze instead turned to the other Kwami in a growing maniacal fury, who glared back at him, in general hate by the Native American Kwami and personal loathing by the ones who were her own responsibility. They knew he could no longer do anything but talk. Bunnyx narrowed her eyes before lunging at him with her Umbrella, stabbing the Miraculous Tool right through him like a musketeer at arms, as the villain’s body turned to shadowy mist around the strike, distorting his torso to reveal nothing solid, no blood or organs, just mist. Gabriel’s eyes widened, any sense of control lost as his face was now wild in disbelief and horror. 

“Yeah, let’s repeat facts shall we, and I’m happy to tell you this. Gabriel Agreste, You. Are. Dead.” Bunnyx told him, her eyes cold as she kept her umbrella piercing through his shadowy spirit body. “You know what, this mess is the one time I will ever get to say this, so I’m going to enjoy it. Gabriel Agreste, you are dead. You can no longer hurt my friends, you can no longer hurt the innocent. You can no longer make monsters out of people’s pain, you can no longer use powers meant to help people to threaten the universe itself. Your death is your own fault, you had your chance to fix things without ever having to hurt anyone ever again.” 

“You don’t know what you are talking about.” Monarch declared darkly. 

“Oh, yeah, go tell the time traveler she has no idea what she’s talking about! Do you want to make that bet, especially since we were there to see you squander the one way you could have actually gotten what you wanted!” 

“You all stopped…” 

“You stopped yourself!” Bunnyx snapped. “Me and minime, Marinette and Cat Noir, we were there. You were running around the timestream, ringing any bells? You threw a chance to end this whole mess away, threw it away just to get back at the brave girl and the noble boy who stood up against you again and again, one act of petty spite among a list as long as history itself, and now look at what has become of you. You. Are. Dead. Your heartless abandonment of compassion twisted time around you like a knot, which is the only reason I didn’t stop you myself, but while time’s currently in peril let me make sure you hear this so that, when Marinette fixes the world again, some dark crevice in that pit you call a heart knows this even when its undone. You. Are. Dead. You died not achieving your goals, but in your bedroom, punished for your crimes when, for once, you were the helpless victim who couldn’t fight back. You deserved this fate for a long time. Of course, you always knew that Timetagger wasn’t your creation, you knew you’d be replaced. No matter what was going to happen, no matter what you were doing to do, you were always going to end like this. You. Are. Dead.” 

Marinette could tell that Bunnyx had wanted to tell Monarch that for a long time, and Marinette had her own ideas in mind. Same with Alya, but they let Bunnyx have this. She’d been having a terrible sixty something timeloops, and this was certainly the happiest she’d seen Bunnyx in a while. 

Gabriel’s eyes immediately went to Ladybug, burning with hate and fury. It was a gaze that ignored Bunnyx and the Kwami, Alya and Alix, and burned into her. Despite the intensity of the hatred, strong enough to spawn a villain that would make Style Queen look like Mr. Pigeon, Marinette didn’t flinch. 

“LADYBUG!!! You murdered me, you killed me in my own home! You killed my wife! You killed us both….”

“I didn’t kill you.” Marinette told Monarch bluntly, her voice entirely Ladybug. “And your wife is dead..” 

“No she’s not!” Monarch snarled before Marinette could remind him that her funeral was public, “But of course, you would think that. That’s the story that everyone, especially my son’s simpering fangirls and fanboys, know quite well. She’s in a coma, slipping away every day just a little bit more, put in that state by the Peacock Miraculous! The only way to restore her to life is with the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses! Tell me Ladybug, do you relish how many times you deprived my son of his mother by standing against me?! You hurt ‘your ‘Adrien everytime you defeat one of my supervillains…” 

“Why supervillains?” Marinette asked Monarch bluntly, who looked at her like she had just asked a dumb question. The urge to talk down to her seemed to have also given a calm to his burning rage and madness, allowing him to return to something of a mask, to the belief he was in control. She’d enjoy seeing that belief shatter again. “Why was the only way to save your wife supervillains?” 

“Because I need the Miraculouses. You can’t be so dim as to not put this together.” 

“The Butterfly Miraculous can give anyone any power they want if they have the emotional desire to make it manifest,” She explained to Adrien’s father, fury glazing her tone even as she made sure to talk to him like he was an idiot. “It doesn’t have to be supervillains. You could have given anyone any power, and instead you used it to turn people into monsters for feeling any emotion you could twist for your own desires.” 

“Who else would be willing to get me the Mira….” 

“Why would you need to do that when you can have any power you want!?” Alya jumped in, well on her wavelength here. “Did it never even occur to you to just ask someone to, I don’t know, time travel back and tell your past self what would happen? Do you know how easy it would be to find anyone who would want to travel back in time for some reason?! Just find someone like that, trust me in Paris you’d find plenty of ‘em, and tell them to just drop some letter off for your past self to warn him or something while letting them go redo that math test or go kick Hitler or something! Hell, I’d have done that for you in a heartbeat if you hadn’t been going around turning me, my friends and my family into supervillains!” 

“You’ve fought my supervillains for months, you think it is that easy…” Monarch looked like he was going to tell her just how obsessive and short-sighted the akumatized victims of Paris were. 

“Yeah, it is that easy: don’t use people who are in pain! That’s not what the Butterfly Miraculous is meant to be doing! If you want someone more focused than Mr. Pigeon, don’t turn Mister Ramier into a supervillain seventy-two times! Use any other emotions than negative ones! I…I can’t believe I’m even suggesting this, but Adrien misses his mother. Why not just ask him…” 

“Oh, you are suggesting I should akumatize my son…” Monarch had the gall to sound offended. 

“No, because I somehow doubt that when you are using the power like you are supposed to, it is called akuma tization! I said ask him, not mind control him! Yeah, you called me a simpering fangirl of Adrien, and I can’t deny that, but I’m also his classmate and his friend. He’s nice, he’s hard working, he misses his mother and wishes you two talked more! The only reason he wouldn’t agree to temporarily have superpowers from you to reunite your family is if, I don’t know, you were turning his friends, fans, bodyguard, and innocent strangers into supervillains all the time! He wishes you two could talk more, and he wanted that well before we had weeks of back to back Mr. Pigeon attacks!” 

“It took me a while to get Nooroo to trust me with the deepest secrets of the Miraculous. I couldn’t read the Grimoire.” Monarch said like that fact explained everything. 

“Yeah, and why was it that the first thing you did when you had everything you needed was turn Ivan into Stoneheart!? Turning a kid you didn’t even know existed before you sensed him feeling embarrassed by…I can’t even remember what it was anymore but it wasn’t anything that should matter to anyone after a week or something, into a rampaging supervillain instead of just finding someone willing to gain powers to help you!? It cannot be hard to find someone who wants to go back in time who isn’t going to use it to go on a murderous rampage!” Alix snapped. Monarch seemed to continue to exist in his own reality, even in death, unphased by anything they were saying. This wasn’t reality, but they’d be happy to drag him into it and out of his own world. He wouldn’t escape back to it twice. 

“You didn’t even know our former Guardian was in Paris.” Wayzz spoke up next, sounding quite pointed about this particular point. “So how would you even have known that misusing Nooroo’s power would have gotten you what you wanted at all.”  

“The world is not lacking in other heroes m…. Gabriel ,” Monarch looked ready to bite Nooroo’s head off for using his name, “you already knew about the Prodigious and the United Heroez, and with how many people you were hurting, I’m sure heroes would have appeared to stop you at some point if Ladybug and Cat Noir didn’t. Would you have stopped if the ‘wrong’ heroes showed up, or would you have kept going until you got the ones you wanted to defeat…and constantly failed at.” Nooroo said the last part quietly as Monarch roared a furious counter. 

“I WON! I TOOK THE MIRACULOUSES!”

“That was Felix giving you the win,” Barkk told Monarch bluntly. “I was there. You only won because Felix was willing to endanger the world to get whatever he wanted from you.” 

“And do you want to know what that one win represents percentage in your total number of plans you tried to defeat me and Cat Noir with, and failed at again and again? I’ll be nice and say that you tricking us as the Collector twice counts, and hey, I’ll also count Miracle Queen as you winning, and give you Felix’s win, and I’ll even add in you getting past my protective charms. That makes five wins, and I’ve counted when you’ve hurt someone and it just ended with your defeat. Every. Single. Time. I know how many times that you've ever hurt someone with the Miraculouses. Want to count with me? We’ll start with Xavier Ramier. That’s five wins to seventy-two losses. Want to add everyone else in and do the math? You’re dead, you have all of eternity to count them up.” Marinette knew the number in her head by heart. 

“Oh yes, how could I forget, I’m dead.” Monarch noted snidely, looking down at the torso that Bunnyx was still piercing. She hadn’t removed the Umbrella from it the entire time, as if she was savoring every second she could of this, “it’s all well and good for you to lecture me about how I could have done better, but I have first-hand experience in how that wouldn’t have worked. I could have easily given my past self all he needed to save my wife, but you stole the Rabbit Miraculous from me. I’m sure you remember doing so. Clearly your so-called solutions would have been foiled by Bunnyx just the same.” Monarch said it as if it was a trump card. 

“You hit me with Venom, what makes you think I have stopped you?” Bunnyx asked. “I couldn’t do anything.” 

“Then Ladybug would have stopped me.” Monarch said just as certainly. 

“You had all the time in the world. Yeah, I left you bait, but that bait wasn’t going to expire. You had all the time in the world to tell yourself what to do, but you went after me instead. If you couldn’t wipe me out from the timestream while I was trapped by Lad Wi-Fi before I noticed, you could have done the same even if we jumped you as Scarlet Moth. You’d have just arrived before we could attack you from behind. All you had to do was leave your past self a note, or a step-by-step guide to saving your wife, or just slapped him. You had the time to do it. But you didn’t, and you had all the time in the world to do it. You ensured she stayed dead.” 

Marinette waved the Kwami off to the side for what was about to happen. 

“Ladybug!!!!!” 

Monarch’s return to reality and exit from his own, which was explosive to behold. 

Monarch, any sense of control lost, lunged at her, ready to tear her apart with his bare hands, running right through Bunnyx and her Umbrella to get at her, his body losing a solid torso as a result. “You killed her! You stopped me from saving my wife! You cost me Nathalie, it’s you! YOU! YOU! It’s always YOU! My family is destroyed because of YOU! I was already dying because of YOU! I am dead because of YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU!” 

He slashed at her with his bare hands, trying to claw her face off, but his hands just phased through her. He roared and snarled, like a rabid animal, but his attack on her was futile. As he lashed at her, more of his body dissolved away, turning into a hazier and hazier phantom of the supervillain killed by Homura Akemi. 

“The future can change, and it has changed. I suffered because it changed, my best friend became my confidant because it changed, and you died because it changed.” Marinette continued like a snarling supervillain wasn’t trying to hurt her, because he couldn’t hurt her, not anymore. She didn’t feel a thing as his body dissolved further and further into nothingness, returning to which it went. “History isn’t solid, but it’s delicate. You never want to break something trying to fix it, and fix it by breaking something again. And hey, he won’t even know if saving your wife would have broken reality trying to fx it, because you squandered your chance to save her. You know what, I wish you had saved your wife and spared us all your obsession with supervillains, even if just for a moment so you could actually say you had no other choice in the matter if we had to undo it to keep time from falling apart. I bet there is a way to make the good future that your inevitable defeat leads to without you having to have hurt anyone in Paris. Maybe Master Fu would have sought me and Cat Noir out without you, and Adrien could have had both his parents back, but we’ll never know because you were, and still are, obsessed, deranged, and filled with hatred. If you want to know, you died because you wanted revenge on someone in a time loop and akumatized her friend to get back at her. You went all the way to Japan just to get back at someone who stood up to you for a week and then went back home, tormenting who knows how many innocent people just living their own lives,”

“Twelve.” 

“...Twelve too many innocent people, thank you Alix, with your akumas just because someone helped us. Yes Adrien is now an orphan, but it all comes back to one thing. Your choices, and you chose wrong again, and again, and again. In every possible timeline, you chose wrong and to hurt people, and now you and your innocent son have paid the price. You are why Adrien is alone, you are why you are dead, and you are why your wife will never wake up. Actually, scratch that, I’ll add that to my long list of things to do with the long life I and everyone else in Paris still has with you dead and gone. Defeat Walpurgisnacht, restore the Miraculouses to where they belong, make Paris safe so Alix can come home, and save Adrien’s mother, I’ll add them all to my list and see them all done. Given how many times I’ve done better than you, I’ll succeed where you failed. Because I’m Ladybug!” 

She didn’t need to shout that last one, but there was something satisfying about yelling her superhero name as Monarch, as Shadow Moth, as Hawk Moth, as Gabriel Agreste faded away into nothingness, leaving them all free of him once more. 

“...Good riddance.” Plagg declared, sounding like there was something more personal in there. The Kwami of Destruction’s expression sounded like there were things he wanted to say but couldn’t to Monarch, and Marinette wondered what Plagg wanted to say to Monarch, to Gabriel Agreste, specifically. 

“...Odds all he’ll come back when you use Miraculous Ladybug…but he won’t have any Miraculouses if he does. Oh, I really hope that the future can stabilize with him arrested…” Bunnyx sounded like she relished the chance. “The jerk died before we could arrest him, and I’m sooooo tempted to bring the entire future gang back to get a few whacks in on him if he doesn’t escape off to hell first.” Bunnyx looked like she was in a happy place where Juleka had a chair, Max had a robotic mecha suit, and Marinette’s future self had a maniacal grin and was spinning her Yo-Yo in anticipation of endless, cathartic beatings. “You want to come along, Minibug? You can bring everyone else along from your time to join in. Rose really deserves a chance to get some catharsis too and she get two turns.” 

Marinette felt torn. On the one hand, Monarch, Gabriel Agreste, had caused them all so much grief. He hurt people, he tormented the innocent, and he had nearly destroyed the world multiple times. But if he didn’t have his Miraculous…could she really just start wailing on him? 

“I’ll take her spot if she doesn’t.” Plagg chimed in. For some reason this made Bunnyx chuckle. 

“I’ll keep the spot open, for both of you. Plus maybe he’ll just get revived and keel over immediately from that wound of his, he’s that kind of jerk, though we’ll find out I guess.” Bunnyx let her think about the topic for a bit. Until then, Alix got them back on track. 

“Saving Adrien’s mom huh?” Alix asked about her friend’s ambition. Marinette smiled. 

“Well, I have to try. The power of the Miraculous are limitless. You just need to figure out how to use their powers. Plus…Adrien deserves all of the help he can get if his father dies or gets arrested. You know…this might just be me but…if Monarch doesn’t come back….” 

“Eh, we’ll cross that moral bridge if we get to it. Still, this is going to be a very precarious mess to walk.” Bunnyx stared into the abyss beyond space, time, and death. Would anything more happen, or was Monarch all they’d get. They soon had their answer. 

The void however, soon began to…well it wasn’t quite change color, but something changed. And in that something that changed, almost like the darkness having something emerge from it, things began to approach. 

“Is it…The Visitor?” Sass asked Tikki, who shook her head. 

“No…it’s…it can’t be….” 

Whoever was coming seemed to be even more surprising than this mysterious, unnamed ‘Visitor’ to Tikki. 

Marinette reached for her earrings while Bunnyx pointed her Umbrella at the approaching group. Maybe it was Monarch coming back for…

A red and black spotted foot appeared first, followed by an all black one. 

“Whoa whoa, lower the Umbrella and….Marinette?” Cat Noir said in confusion, his hands up in the air. Besides him was….Ladybug, who looked baffled and confused. 

“...Um…what new…. thing is this now?” Alya questioned in dread as more shapes emerged from the non-existent horizon. And they were faces that Marinette recognized. They were Eagle, and Uncanny Valley, and Lady Dragon, who were looking around rather nervously at the void without color or dimension. 

“I…do not know what is going on.” Uncanny Valley admitted, being the first to speak. “Is this related to Walpurgisnacht?” Eagle seemed surprised to hear that as the first guess, so Uncanny elaborated. “I am not used to being able to see magical forces, and have had limited experience with Witches. As this is an unknown place and quite strange and we were just battling Walpurgisnacht, it was the most logical guess.” 

“I can’t blame you but…I don’t think so. Because why would I be here, as my purrfect self, while Plagg’s over there looking at me like….oh god why are you looking at me like that?” Cat Noir’s joke died when he saw Plagg’s expression upon seeing him, replaced with genuine concern. 

“Because you are currently in a hospital and I miss you.” Plagg admitted with genuine sorrow. 

“What?” 

“Um….at the risk of blowing things up even more….we think this is some sort of strange space between space, time, and the afterlife caused by the reactions of the Horse, Rabbit, and Wolf Miraculouses among other things.” Marinette explained to the surprised gathering of five heroes to clarify things as best she could. “I think you guys are from the last…timeline I guess the word is?” 

“The sixty-second in this particular mess.” Sass clarified. “I counted them earlier and you five I can tell are from an earlier one. We’re currently on the sixty-third timeline of the current phase of this crisis.” 

“Though I have no idea why you guys are even here. Urgh, this is such a mess…” Bunnyx groaned. “Altered timelines are not supposed to talk back to you afterwards, though I guess I have been seeing them so why not start talking to them? We already talked to a dead guy not even five minutes ago, if five minutes ago is even a thing here….” Bunnyx looked like she wanted to go back to her happy place of stabbing Monarch. 

“Really?” Uncanny Valley sounded surprised.. 

“Yeah, it was Monarch, he was as much of a jerk as he was when he was alive…actually scratch that he was even more of one dead.” Barkk quipped as the Ladybug and Cat Noir who had just arrived looked stunned. If these were the ones whose Monarch had akumatized Madoka Kaname, he was certainly not dead when they last dealt with him. “Oh yeah, quick heads up. I’m guessing you know Homura Akemi?” 

“Yeah. Magical Girl. She needed help and helped us against Darker Owl and saved not just our butts but the Bunnyxs. Darker Owl jumped us not long after they lent us both their Rabbit Miraculouses, and I’m sure Monarch was salivating and doing a happy dance about it before she got us out of that mess. Homura helped us out for a bit and we returned the favor, especially when Monarch went back to Japan after her for revenge.” Cat Noir explained, completely unaware of what happened in their current loop and sounding like he rather liked Homura. “Getting to Japan was tricky, but we really did get back there in time. Her best friend had been akumatized and it was bad….very, very bad. Partially because her friend’s friend Sayaka had used a wish with an Incubator to free someone else from Monarch’s control and that created a Stoneheart situation with this villain who broke people’s hands and dreams. Just minus the Stoneheart reakumatization, but added that the Incubator magic and the Butterfly Miraculous mixed kind of… oddly in a few situations.” 

“Magical Girls have used Miraculouses without problems and had a Miraculous used on them in many non-lethal situations without harm or side effects, it must just be using a wish specifically that created that reaction.” Longg mused aloud, briefly interrupting Cat Noir. 

“But mostly it was bad because that girl’s Akumatized form was…strong. Really strong, and without being made from someone really evil like Audrey Bourgeois or Bob Roth.” The other Ladybug seemed confused about how that happened, apparently having met Madoka afterwards and knowing she was very much not either of those two… pleasant individuals. The power of karmic potential, clearly. 

“We provided them with transport to get there to clean that situation as well as the akumatized Madoka Kaname.” Eagle added. “We’d have gotten the United Heroez as well, but a problem developed back in America so they couldn’t come in full. It was about as bad as the situation in Mitakihara, though it was not a Witch.” 

“...Did you say anything about Felix by chance?” Duusu asked, getting the previous timeline her and Cat’s attention. 

“Duusu?” Her other self said in surprise, surprised to see a Kwami she had never met here. 

“...Um, yeah, I think I did. We kind of talked about Miraculouses. She was wondering about…” Cat Noir was interrupted by Plagg, who flew right into Cat’s face and started yelling at him. No sense of Plagg being happy to see Cat Noir was left on his face now. 

“YOU FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! YOU DOOMED US ALL!!!!” 

“FELIX GOT HIT BY A CHAIR AND SHOT! HE GOT SHOT A LOT! YOU SEND THAT MEANIE AFTER HIM!”

Cat Noir was taken aback by this sudden shift in Plagg’s behavior, let alone Duusu’s, as Bunnyx coughed. 

“...Okay so, what’s the saying in your decade about…oh yes, T.L.D.R. T.L.D.R, did I really used to say that, Homura Akemi’s been timelooping for well over sixty-three time loops trying to save Madoka, that’s just how many times she’s been interested in Miraculouses as a solution instead of shooting Walpurgisnacht with more guns, which hadn’t worked for…how long?” 

“Eighty-four that did not involve the Miraculous at all.” Sass clarified. “All others since have.”  

“Do the math for how long she’s been doing it. Sometimes she tries to take the Miraculous, sometimes she asks for help, and I’m sure you know what she wants help with. Walpurgisnacht, and also saving Madoka Kaname, you guys might only know that first part. You got to meet her when she just asked for help, so I don’t blame you for not realizing that she might be dangerous because I don’t think the minime and I clarified it…but Kitty Noir…we really, really are in trouble now. Because Felix knew who Monarch was and….well….how do I put this….” 

Bunnyx looked at Alya before sighing and gesturing to her to say whatever she had figured out earlier. Clearly at this point things were so beyond gone that it couldn’t make it any worse, or something like that. Alya flinched but nodded. 

“Um….he’s your dad, Homura shot him because of that ‘akumatizing the friend I’m breaking time and myself for’ thing, and I’m guessing at some point you found him dead and went after Homura for revenge or something because now Homura has all of the Miraculouses normally in Paris but the Ladybug and Rabbit and she and er….” 

“Ladybug.” Marinette said, only vaguely aware. Wait, Monarch was Cat’s father the entire time?! And Monarch was Gabriel Agreste, so that meant…. Adrien was Cat Noir!? Cat Noir looked similarly stunned at the reveal. 

“...Yeah, they are, were, maybe are I don’t know, currently fighting a battle for the fate of the universe and this is all happening because they hit each other with space, time, and the afterlife all at once.” Alix summed up. 

There were very few productive sounds now. Just various alarmed sounds. 

…

Where…where was she? 

Homura had no idea what had just happened. For one, she was not beneath the Eiffel Tower anymore, being thrown out of a portal as everything around her went crazy.  For another while all the Miraculous were on her, but deactivated. The Kwami were out of them, and she didn’t feel them with her.  

Despite that though, she could see Wayzz, who was floating next to a seated old man she didn’t recognize amidst a familiar sound. 

“ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!” 

Cat Noir breaking, though the enemy was that of pots, various pieces of furniture, and tranquility. He was smashing everything in sight in a blind rage, sobbing and wheezing the entire time. He hadn’t noticed she was here, nor had Wayzz or the old man. Homura walked towards them, but they still didn’t react. She put a bit more into her step to make an obvious noise, but again no reaction. Tentatively she reached a hand out, the one whose arm wasn’t at a strange angle, possibly sprained, dislocated, or even broken by Lady Miraculous tossing her out of the Voyage portal in a rush when it started to destabilize, to poke the old man, only to find her hand phase right through him instead. 

She pulled it back just as quickly. What…what was going on? She noted the old man again, and the fact he was oddly dressed. By that, she meant she recognized it from her own use of the Rooster Miraculous. 

“Adrien, let it all out. With the Rooster’s power I have created a field that will mask your rage and pain from Hawk Moth.” The old man assured Cat Noir even as he started smashing the foundation with intent to take the entire building down. “Also the Rooster’s power will prevent me from getting a noise complaint or the police. Ladybug is on standby to repair anything you break, so let it all out.” 

Cat Noir shattered the floor with a strike once aimed for Homura’s head, shattering the entire floor in a single strike. His body was shuddering, a fury and a pain that ran deep clear as day. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s all I’m good for. Breaking things.” Cat Noir wheezed bitterly, before resuming his pounding of the building’s foundation. “I can’t…I can’t save anyone! Not even…not even……I killed her! I killed her!” 

“Actually, you killed what killed her.” Wayzz clarified, and Homura’s eye was drawn between the old man and Wayzz. Sitting there was a Grief Seed, which made Homura very confused. She was quite aware of the fact that there were few, if any, Witches in Paris. The only one she had ever heard of came from an early timeline, one that had never repeated, and she was quite certain between dozens of conversations with the heroes of Paris and talking with the Kwami she had obtained today that the heroes had no experience with them. So how was this, whatever it was, happening? “Chloe Bourgeois had been dead for longer than Coccinfaux…” 

“Because I killed her!” Cat Noir snapped at Wayzz, who flinched and hid behind the old man, who himself didn’t flinch as Cat hunched over, his body trembling. “I…I thought I was doing the right thing. Plagg told me about….about Chloe had done to herself. After Ladybug and Myèl bella saved her mother and she…and she….” 

The old man nodded, clearly aware of what Magical Girls were, letting Cat Noir continue. 

“I…I thought…I had to…..I needed to get her help! I should have gotten Ladybug, I should…she’d have done better than Adrien Agreste. Even as Cat Noir too…I screwed up, I screwed up, I killed her…” 

Homura couldn’t pretend she looked into the social life of famous models, but she was faintly aware that the daughter of the mayor had once really admired Ladybug, was an old friend of Adrien Agreste, and was a menace to society. Throw that into Magical Girls and superheroes, and she could imagine how this went so very wrong, even as a friend tried to warn her about what had happened and surely tried to offer any sort of help he could. But this never happened, so why was she seeing it? 

Suddenly she felt a presence on her damaged arm, faint as a breeze, a light touch that ran along her arm gently. She quickly turned, trying to see who it was…but no one was there. The only thing that lingered was her arm, which had completely restored itself to pristine condition. Homura felt a chill. She couldn’t interact with anyone here, but someone, or something , could interact with her. Yet…she didn’t feel as scared as she should. That chill…it wasn’t entirely fright, but what it was a chill of she couldn’t quite tell. 

“There was no right way to handle this situation. Confessing your identity to your friend in this scenario…was neither the right or the wrong option.” the old man admitted after closing his eyes, completely unaware of her questions about her arm and what was going on. “The wickedness of the Incubators…I never did tell you and Ladybug about them, did I? They are usually not in a city with a Guardian being present, and with everything else they slipped through the cracks as a lesser priority. Adrien…I am responsible for this, not you.” 

“No, I am.” Cat Noir said, sounding dead inside, no longer needing to smash his pain away.

“No, it’s the Incubators fault. They are the ones who insist on doing evil for no reason.” Wayzz declared definitely. The room was quiet for a moment, the only sound being Wayzz floating down to a phone and landing on a send button. Seconds later a swarm of ladybugs flew through the room, causing the entire space to restore itself to a normal traditional eastern medicine parlor. They flew through her like she was a ghost though, it wasn’t Ladybug who had fixed her arm. 

“...What happens now?” Cat Noir asked quietly. “I committed murder, that’s what everyone’s going to think. Because it's true. I can’t be Cat Noir if I’m wanted for murder, it’ll only help Hawk Moth and hurt Ladybug.” 

“You could stay as Cat Noir…it would be hard to manage, not being Adrien Agreste anymore, and it isn’t an ideal solution…” The old man de-transformed, changing out his tacky Rooster outfit for a tacky flowered shirt as Orikko came out to join Wayzz. “...My mentor would have suggested disposing of her body, but he was unpleasant,” who was he, Su-Han?, “and it would likely only delay the outcome. Trying to speak to your friend as her friend, you would have left too clear a trail. But it is possible to have Cat Noir be seen as responding to a situation, not the cause of it in the eyes of the law. Though while you can be transformed for a long period of time, it does come with great risk, both to yourself and Plagg.” 

The two humans and two Kwamis truly looked stuck on the best solution here. 

“...What if I confess to everything?” Cat Noir offered. “Not just that Chloe died because of me, but who I am, what I was trying to do….maybe between Cat Noir and Adrien Agreste, it might work out. Might at least let Ladybug survive, if I make it really clear it was just me screwing up royally and she wasn’t involved in it.”

“That’s just going to get you arrested more publicly, mess up both identities, and invisible Incubators aren’t believable by the masses.” Orikko advised, finding the plan stupid. The old man, stroking his beard, seemed to be considering it. 

“....You may have to fudge the details, but there are ways to make that work. Say the word Incubator, but don’t describe their appearance, but their motives. Why they went after Chloe Bourgeois, the nature of their trap, and of your intentions and what happened. It will be hard on you, but there is a step to add to that plan. One that the Guardians always attempted to do one day but never had the time to with their hesitation to have Miraculouses out in the world for too long. The fact that it will also counter Hawk Moth is a benefit, though it will mean that I will once more need to see two Miraculouses leave my protection and find themselves in distant lands…” 

The old man, getting up on his short legs, walked over to a phonograph and bringing it to sit next to the Grief Seed and pressed the old music, the exact positions covered by the hunched man’s back, causing the phonograph to morph as he pressed more secret buttons, eventually causing it to open up and reveal Miraculouses. All of them she had with her, minus the Cat, Butterfly, and Peacock, but including the Rabbit. The man, looking quite depressed at this course of action, picked the Horse Miraculous up and handed it to Cat Noir before offering him a pick from the rest of the box. 

“ Adrien Agreste, you must depart Paris with the Cat and Horse Miraculous to pursue the Incubators, to put right their ancient evil and to avenge your fallen friend. Striking one with a full powered Cataclysm will wipe the whole lot of them out. In one strike, the universe will be free of them. In the meantime, Ladybug will require a partner in your absence. Pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside her for the duration of this mission. Choose wisely. Such powers are meant to serve the greater good and not every power can replace the Cat Miraculous or just any person replace you, Adrien. Once the mission is over, you will return to us, and ideally we can all move beyond this tragedy.”

Cat Noir studied the box intently, staring at it for a while. Did he know what these powers did? He wasn’t a leader, so did he ever get trained about them the way Ladybug was to, presumably, succeed this old man? Though Homura was curious, this was what happened in one of the timelines she had been in, the one where Princess Fragrance accompanied Ladybug and Cat Noir to fight Walpurgisnacht in Magical Girl form. A similar idea, a smaller term solution than a true one, but this was not how it happened. Not at all. 

“If they go after people like us…Rena Rogue and Myèl bella will need protection too,” Cat Noir said after a moment, a statement that made both the old man and the Kwami out with him look at each other like there was an inside joke or Adrien had said something unintentionally silly. Was she missing something about that statement? “But they aren’t the only ones, and I can think of several of my friends who might be in danger too. Plagg says Chloe was the first in my class to be tricked by the Incubators, but I can’t risk it being more than just her. I can’t protect all of my friends, but I think I have an idea of how to protect more than one with a single choice.” 

Cat Noir reached for the Tiger Miraculous, as suddenly everything vanished, only to change as she found herself on a rooftop, staring at the user of the Ladybug Miraculous, but it wasn’t Ladybug. Ladybug wasn’t blonde. Homura nearly stumbled, fortunate in hindsight she didn’t phase through the building like she had with the old man earlier. 

“Gahhhh! That wannabee’s doing my thing now! I’m the one who fixes Paris, I’m the important one, but the stupid bee is now able to fix things too! Ridiculous, totally ridiculous!” 

This other…. someone was fuming, stomping around the rooftop in a fury, and Homura had no idea what was going on, even by the standards of what had just happened. This was certainly not related to what she had just seen, as she couldn’t see this user of Ladybug’s power be the one on standby. This was something else, but what on earth was it? 

‘ Oh, do you wish to have more power, Heroine of the Ladybug Miraculous ?’ 

Homura immediately pulled out a gun and shot Kyubey, though the bullet phased through the Incubator. The bullet, unlike her previous ones, didn’t return to her as the 'Heroine of the Ladybug Miraculous’, who felt like no hero at all turned around to stare at the evil alien in disbelief. 

“And you are…what exactly? And how are you talking? Your mouth isn’t moving.” 

‘Telepathy. My name is Kyubey, and I can grant you any wish you want.’ 

The look on the person who was not Ladybug, this fake hero, was way, way too eager, like that of a brat about to get what she wanted. 

“Give me the power to fly! I want to show Paris that I am its best hero. Not Cat Noir, not his precious little Bee, not any of their stupid temps, me!” 

Homura didn’t watch as the Parisian night was lit up by the colors of a soul being ripped out a person’s body. 

…

Things had not gotten any less crazy since the first past timeline versions of herself and her friends showed up, and it wasn’t just that there were more and more Ladybugs and Cat Noirs showing up. 

Not long after Cat Noir had been yelled at, four Magical Girls had also shown up, who had introduced themselves as Mami Tomoe, Sayaka Miki, Kyoko Sakura, and Madoka Kaname. The latter having blushed as all of the Kwami looked at her. 

“...” Sass in particular looked like he was seeing all of the accumulated time loop power held in one girl, and his expression was one staring at the end of the universe. 

“Hey! Stop staring at her like that you….you….snake thing….” Sayaka’s defense of her friend deflated as she struggled to describe Sass. 

“Homura Akemi did off the most hated man in France, if not all of Europe, trying to save her. Just for that we’d stare at her. Oh hey, thanks for inspiring her to shoot the bastard in the head for us. Sure, she probably found a new way to break reality trying to save your life and soul by doing that, but honestly I really, really am happy that he’s dead.” Barkk assured Madoka, who just whimpered in the idea that someone really murdered someone for her. Cat Noir just winced. 

“....No, reality’s going to be fine. This effect is only temporary….though temporary can mean a lot of things.” Howwl mused aloud. And then a second Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived, the two pausing in surprise when they saw everyone else who was here. 

“....Um, hello?” The new Ladybug greeted. 

“Ladybug? Marinette? Me?” The Cat Noir who just arrived was just as confused. 

“...Hey, um, why are there three of her now?” Kyoko questioned. 

“Curious, perhaps they are from the sixty-first timeline?” Uncanny Valley assumed. 

“That would be the logical thing…for whatever form of ‘logical’ this is.” Eagle agreed, trying to channel as much of Knight Owl as possible to keep as cool of a head as possible.  

“Sixty-first…wait wait, is this a Homura Akemi thing?” The Cat Noir of the Sixty-first timeline asked like it explained everything. Marinette would guess that unlike the other Cat Noir, they hadn’t met and operated under the best circumstances. 

“Yeah.” Alix agreed.

“Uh-huh.” Alya agreed. 

“I’m sorry!” Madoka Kaname clapped her hands together and bowed her head in penance. 

“Um, why…wait a minute….you…I’m sorry.” Ladybug said solemnly to Madoka, who looked quite concerned about why Ladybug was looking at her like she was a personal failure. 

“...Your fight went even worse than ours did.” Mami Tomoe guessed as the two winced. 

“Yeah we…we arrived late. It was just Homura fighting this big scary…circus…island….top…I honestly don’t know how to describe it, and the city was already in ruins.” Cat Noir explained. There were clearly things he wasn’t telling, but Marinette could guess on one such thing. The Madoka in that timeline had died somehow. 

“The Mami and Sayaka in that timeline got unlucky and died.” Bunnyx recalled, thinking up on how things in that timeline had just gone really badly, even by this mess’s standards. “I think it was related to something in Kamihama City, Homura refused to go near it and they never came back. Honestly, how long did you have before she went back?” 

“I used Lucky Charm immediately, and she started fiddling with her shield, and well we’re here now.” So, a minute at most. 

“...So um, hey, am I dead or not and if not, why is a second me not here?” Kyoko asked as Bunnyx shook her head. 

“Best guess, only those alive when Homura goes back in time, at the sight of the battle with Walpurgisnacht, go back in time.” Bunnyx guessed. 

“Ah, so I just didn’t show up. Guess that makes sense.” 

“Well that just makes her a lazy bitch. I mean I came as soon as I heard the Mami in my timeline died, what made her take her sweet time?” 

And now there were two Kyokos, two Sayakas, a Madoka Kaname who was not a magical girl, and a fourth her and third Cat Noir, who was staring at the two others of him that were present. The one Mami looked rather offput by the exchange, like there was history or something.  

“Holy. Stinking. Super…” 

The Ladybug of the Sixtieth timeline elbowed her Cat Noir harshly before he could finish saying whatever he was saying.  

And that just kept on and on as more and more counterparts started to fill the void that, fortunately, never seemed to run low on space for them all. The amount of people in each group varied, and there was one timeline where only a Madoka and a Mami showed up, but the rest of them had at least herself and Cat Noir, and each of them had some combination of the four magical girls with them. There weren’t any other Lady Dragons, Eagles, and Uncanny Valleys among them, and they each offered something new to the table.  

“Paintballs.” A Sayaka recalled with an oddly wistful smile as they shared anything that might let them all figure out something. They were all here after all, and there wasn’t much else to do but talk. “Ouch, that takes me back. They actually did help, but Homura could be a taskmaster and she did not pull punches, and by that I mean paintballs. Nowhere near as nice as Mami about it, but I can’t argue with how good it went. Apparently I did a lot better against Kyoko than you lot did.” This Sayaka said the last part to the other Sayakas, who all expressed a mixture of emotions that included annoyed, embarrassed, and like that fight was something they were fond of. 

“You just got lucky because you are cute.” The Kyoko from her reality huffed, her cheeks blushing.  “Cute and good with a sword, but also cute. Mostly the last one.”

“It did work though. You really got better with her help and it helped you and Homura get along better, I wonder why that doesn’t happen more.” The Madoka from one of the timelines that had since shown up wondered aloud. 

“Probably because Homura…I get the impression she’s bad with people.” The Mami from the timeline without a Ladybug or Cat Noir in this group pondered aloud. “I offered her a Grief Seed and she threw it back at me saying it was my prize. I was just trying to be nice, she could have taken a hint…though I could see how she wasn’t trying to be a jerk about it in hindsight.” 

“I just assumed she had a communication disorder or somethin’, maybe she’s just numb if she’s been in over a hundred of these timeloop things.” A Kyoko threw out. “I don’t know, maybe both. Girl’s some sort of mess.” 

All the Madokas promptly looked guilty about Homura being ‘a mess’.

“A what disorder?” Marinette asked Alya, not sure what that was supposed to mean. She could think of what it could mean, but it was a broad enough list to encapsulate a lot of things that weren’t necessarily overlapping. 

“I’d make a guess but there would surely be some culture hiccups.” Alya wasn’t too much help there. “I might get something wrong and they might not know what we're asking about.” 

“...Maybe there is something else we are all missing. Bunnyx says she doesn’t get a good visual on Walpurgisnacht, so we might be able to catch something all together.” The Ladybug from the Fifty-eighth timeline raised as a suggestion to try and focus on. 

“Like the fact it is really big and scary and can destroy a city?” The Cat Noir who only saw it for a minute suggested, sounding like he knew he and his Ladybug were not going to be of much help. 

“Let’s think of this less like we’re all Ladybug and Cat Noir, and more like we’re Viperion. We’re on Second Chance, we’re constantly going back in time and trying different things and taking notes. Different combinations, different teams, let’s try to see if we can sport a pattern. Okay, so my Lucky Charm was a clock that ticked backwards…” 

“Same with mine.” the Ladybug who was late added. 

“That’s the one from ours too.” Paintball Sayaka added, clearly having seen it herself. General consensus followed among the others  that, yes, that was the one they were all getting. 

“.....” Bunnyx didn’t like hearing that. 

“Huh, it sounds like things became hopeless…” Marinette surmised. The Lucky Charm was telling Homura to go back, that much was obvious. It wasn’t good for the timestream, but neither would Homura dying or Madoka turning into a Witch be good for it without putting things right. So clearly they just had to beat Walpurgisnacht. Though even with seeming every possible person, it wasn’t enough. Maybe the solution was getting more people, either Miraculous users or Magical Girls, maybe even the missing piece was just Homura coordinating…

“Wait….that was what all of your Lucky Charms were?!” A new her who had just shown up a few moments ago, this time accompanied by a Cat Noir, Lady Dragon, Kyoko Sakura, and a Madoka Kaname who wasn’t a Magical Girl, said in alarm. 

“Yeah…” The Ladybug from the Fifty-eighth Timeline clarified, surprised to see her newest arrived counterpart so stunned. “Cat Noir got hit by a bad blow and wasn’t getting up, and Mami had just lost an arm, as did Sayaka but she’d already grown half of it back by the time Mami’s arm got torn off. I used Lucky Charm and I got a clock that went backwards. Homura took it as a sign to use her powers and went back in time again.” 

That timeline’s Mami waved an arm sheepishly that was made entirely of yellow ribbons. The Sayaka next to her, her arm partially a stub, eyed it like she was wondering if it was worth asking for a hook to put on the stub while they were here. 

“In case anyone’s counting, I guess we're like…what, five timelines back from you.” Kyoko Sakura, now identified as being from the Fifty-third Timeline, grumbled after a few other Ladybugs gave their own time placements. “And…well….are you sure that thing is accurate?” 

“It is.” Three different Ladybugs said without hesitation.

“The Lucky Charm never fails. Tikki instinctively senses all of existence and all possible actions possible in the past and future simultaneously and creates an item that is the solution to the situation at hand as the power is called. The Lucky Charm is never wrong, even if she can be a little obtuse about it.” Wayzz explained to the Kyoko who doubted the charm. Tikki looked a bit put off by the idea of her power being called ‘obtuse,’ but said nothing on the subject. 

The Kyoko of the most recently arrived timeline pointed back at her Ladybug, looking worried. Almost as much as that Ladybug was. 

“Because Spots over here got the same Lucky Charm, seconds before Fluffles over there hit the witch with Cataclysm.” 

Everyone present looked at Ladybug from the Fifty-third in alarm, no more so than Adult Bunnyx, who looked on the verge of a panic attack. She swallowed nervously, but continued. 

“Yeah…I did get that. It was weird. Kyoko had already thrown Cat with her spear when I activated the Lucky Charm because a building had just fallen on Lady Dragon.” 

“That hurt.” The heroine of the Prodigious winced at the memory.  

“Miraculous Ladybug was already going to be needed because of how much the city was ruined, but I wanted to be ready to help Lady Dragon quickly. I know she can get revived if she did die, but I don’t like dwelling on that if I can help it so I wanted to be ready to use it immediately. Homura didn’t see Cat hit Walpurgisnacht, she looked at me once I used Lucky Charm. I didn’t even finish wondering why I got a clock that ticked back of all things before she went back in time, even as Cat was cheering in glee and Walpurgisnacht had turned into a giant cloud of ash. I think Kyoko was running to try to catch him.”

“Yeah, because the idiot was being an idiot. Urgh, French people are too soft with their magical fix-everything bugs….” Kyoko muttered, sounding like she would like some of those bugs herself, though that was the least of their concerns right now.  

“Are you sure!?” Bunnyx sounded like she was grasping at straws and hoping beyond all hopes that they’d say that wasn’t what happened. The Cat Noir who killed Walpurgisnacht raised his arms up in alarm. 

“I did I did! It turned to ash and one of those Grief Seed things fell out.” 

“He did.” Madoka added. “It was really brave and cool. Though I didn’t see a grief seed, I’m sure he did. Cats have good eyesight” 

“No….no….this can’t be…it can’t….no…” Bunnyx was starting to panic, pacing around in the void as the revelation seemed to be too much for her, and it wasn’t just her. All of the other Ladybugs and Cat Noirs present were also looking quite alarmed at the news. 

“Um…can you explain why this is bad.” The Madoka who had first arrived in this place asked, sounding very nervous. 

“...Homura time traveling is responsible for much of the problems at hand, a new problem that sought to prevent a previous problem that was death and destruction. It’s creating a building time disaster in the timestream everytime anything changes that is big, like Monarch dying early, and even without that it is causing side effects that shouldn’t be happening. Crisises like that is what the Lucky Charm is meant to fix with Miraculous Ladybug, and it has fixed similar messes before. It just needs to have the evil causing it defeated to activate. Walpurgisnacht is the source of a lot of the worst outcomes in these timelines, including you dying, you suffering a fate worse than death, or everyone dying who is supposed to stay alive, so setting it up makes sense to repair Mitakihara and revive anyone who died. Walpurgisnacht should be the thing that gets destroyed to allow Miraculous Ladybug to fix everything. What doesn’t make sense is what form it takes every time and what it is implicitly telling us. The Lucky Charm being exactly identical, and telling Homura to go back and make more of a mess of time…it almost is like the universe is telling Homura to break it more.” Bunnyx explained numbly. 

“And none of us can think of anything else the clock can mean.” Ladybug from Timeline Sixty admitted, a nod shared by every other Ladybug and Marinette in this place. 

“And trust me, that’s huge.” Cat Noir from the timeline where Walpurgisnacht was defeated emphasized. “Ladybug has defeated kaiju with rubber ducks, she can figure out how to use anything the right way. If the Lucky Charm can only mean going back in time more, she’d be the one to tell.” 

“Yeah…she even figured out that a Lucky Charm was a warning about something that was happening that she didn’t know was coming.” Alya added, remembering the fake Carapace. “The Lucky Charms…they know things we don’t. And I don’t know about you, but it sounds like it is trying to tell us something…and it is terrifying.” 

Bunnyx was now trembling, also quite horrified by what this meant.  

“Does….does that mean that Homura is supposed to make a wish….and destroy the universe by eliminating the Incubators? I…I…..what have I done ….. !? ” 

….

Homura still had no idea what was going on. She kept seeing events that couldn’t have happened, that didn’t happen. Events before the time loop that didn’t fit with everything she knew, and she remained a ghost to them. She couldn’t do anything to them but watch, which was rather disconcerting. The previous one she had seen had also been a timeline where she really, really wanted to hit someone if not everyone, or more accurately shoot them all. 

Everyone in Paris somehow was acting more insufferably than Sayaka in the worst part of her various descents into misery and despair, turning on each other and otherwise being mindless obedient minions, insufferable jerks, or worse, for seemingly less reasons than Sayaka did. Homura had long comprehended what made Sayaka fall apart, and she was rather happy to see it be less of a problem when she could manage it, but for the life of her she had no idea what was with everyone in this…whatever it was. She knew Ladybug and Cat Noir, and whom she had seen were not them. It was like someone else had possessed them or something. These were not those who would both stop her from obtaining their Miraculouses, and come to help fight Walpurgisnacht. Honestly, the her she was seeing in this strange, strange, not actual reality looked disappointed after she was done gunning done both of them separately and taking their Miraculouses, like the fact the power to save Madoka was in the hands of such fake heroes was distressing, though she didn’t see what happened as the other her put started putting the Ladybug earrings on, the Cat Miraculous already on her finger. She was now seeing something else that was completely different.

Seeing someone who was clearly Felix with the Cat Miraculous asking a different Ladybug, also called Ladybug, to kiss his ring after the two had defeated a Witch, as she was now, was an immense improvement over whoever she had just witnessed being Ladybug and Cat Noir.

She had sensed disapproval and dislike of these false versions of the heroes of Paris who wore the faces of Ladybug and Cat Noir, not just her own. That was another thing, she still wasn’t alone. But she couldn’t tell who else was here, or what they wanted. This other person had healed her arm and agreed with her that whatever was wrong with the last Ladybug and Cat Noir, they were inherently not who the two were meant to be, but other than that the question remained: who else was here, and what was here? Also, was she stuck here? 

She looked at her Soul Gem, the Sentimonster on it gone. Yet despite that, and despite her confusion and growing worry about whatever was going on…it remained shining brightly. She’d felt that presence on it too, just as she had on her busted arm…was it also keeping her Soul Gem clean? 

Strange lights, colorful mixtures of butterflies and Witch Barriers, lit up all over Paris as reality shifted again. The only pattern Homura had noticed was she kept seeing her world, the world of Magical Girls and Witches, interact with Paris and its superheroes earlier. She had yet to see Mitakihara. 

As reality came into clarity again, Homura again saw Paris, specifically somewhere in its skyline. She really should have learned more of its exact layout…

“AWESOME SOLO!” 

She didn’t have the time to try to figure out if she knew where she was when a sonic blast of physical sound, and audible, painful, intense sound at that, came flying through her. As she was not actually here, or something, it didn’t actually hurt her, but her ears were ringing from being struck directly by the audial force. She couldn’t hear the screams of the restrained pop singer, whose name Homura would never have remembered if she ever heard it, who was tied up against a pole while a wild rockstar supervillain riding a dragon was playing loud music. After shaking the disorientation of the sound off and she could actually semi-hear things again, Homura had one thing to mutter to herself. 

“ Paris .” 

So she was seeing a typical Parisian day then, when someone got turned into a supervillain by Monarch, or Gabriel Agreste, or Hawk Moth, or Shadow Moth, or Scarlet Moth (that was a thing, right?), or whatever he decided to call himself that day, because of something that should not cause a person to go on a murderous rampage being used to make them go on a murderous rampage. How did any sane person live in this city? So this was the part where the Miraculous came up, right? Demanding Ladybug and Cat Noir give (whatever this guitar villain’s name was, Rock Royale or Decibel Destructor or something) their Miraculouses, just like the rest of them always did. 

“This here’s a double tribute number, not only to the punk who says that my music’s out of date, and for whoever has the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses to hurry it on down here already! Hawk Moth’s getting impatient for those guys to show up, and that calls for a song I like to call AWESOME SOLO!” 

This time Homura avoided getting blasted with a concentrated rock concert to the face, though the screaming agony of the pop singer suggested he wasn’t as lucky. Though as she still had her hearing, amazingly, she caught that part. This was all to get the attention of whoever had the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses? Homura couldn’t say she was surprised, the last loop had shown her just how petty and destructive Gabriel Agreste really was, and thinking about that previous loop made her want to shoot him again, that vile, horrible man who dared mutilate Madoka with his evil butter…

Homura’s eyes shot wide as she felt that phantom touch, this time on her back, as if rubbing it soothingly to distract her from her desire to murder Gabriel Agreste again. She turned around, trying to spot whoever was doing that, but saw no one. She slowly, very warily, turned back to face the loud supervillain again. Whoever was here with her…did get her thoughts back on track. Instead of imagining ways that, if necessary, she would kill Gabriel Agreste again (...she did have the idea for using Voyage to drop him into the sun before she was brought back on track), she remembered an exact point about what this guitar-using supervillain was saying. That there was some other hero in Paris who didn’t have…

Swoosh!

Something moved quickly across the Parisian skyline, striking the dragon that the villain was riding with a slash that came so quickly that none of them could see it. The two ended up crashing down on a rooftop as the attacker landed on a higher roof top, spinning a sword in hand before sheathing it. Homura was reminded of Sayaka, who had used similar maneuvers, but this wasn’t her. For one thing the attack was a lot faster and stronger than what Sayaka could do: Sayaka, when functioning, was fast and strong but her true calling was dealing with enemies that could inflict large amounts of damage, like possessed Mamis firing hundreds of guns at you. Sayaka could tank anything that wasn’t heartbreak or self-pity pretty well, especially if it could tear off limbs. 

In another, the attacker’s colors weren’t blue and white, and that never changed with Sayaka even if she wished for something other than fixing the boy’s hands. The attack was orange, and she actually thought the one who had attacked was Rena Rouge. As the attacker stopped spinning her sword, Homura was reminded of pictures of the Fox Heroine she’d seen. However that hero used the Flute, not a sword, and this costume wasn’t fox based at all. The costume was orange and black spandex, with a skirt around the hips that matched the color scheme of the spandex. The only different color present was the red circle that appeared on the Incubators, which was on the center of the chest like a superhero’s personal symbol, red on black, with an orange Soul Gem in the center of it. It was a Magical Girl, but with one difference. Her face had a mask on it, a black domino mask with orange edges. 

“Yeah, Hawk Moth’s just going to have to settle for the superheroes he does have.” The Magical Girl acting as a superhero, whose voice sounded like Scarabella’s, told the villain as his dragon returned to the air. She drew her sword back out, pointing it at him. 

“If there’s one thing that Guitar Villain hates more than the wrong opening act, it’s someone standing in the way of what music should be!” Wait, his name was actually Guitar Villain? More importantly, now she was seeing something where Scarabella was a hero by Kyubey and not by borrowing the Ladybug Miraculous…for whatever reason that happened sometimes. She had never had the time, or the inclination, to ask Scarabella and Kitty Noire why they were filling in for Ladybug and Cat Noir the two times that happened. 

“Well can’t say I’m all that miraculous, but I am magical. So what do you say, let’s just make this a good and proper fight. Hero versus villain, August versus Guitar Villain.” 

August? 

“ULTIMATE SOLO!” 

Guitar Villain didn’t give her time to wonder about someone giving that as their hero name before blasting at this alternate Scarabella with green sonic waves this time, which August avoided with what was clearly super speed. Even by magical girl standards, August was fast, and only the advantage of riding a dragon let Guitar Villain avoid the next strike by flying up into the clouds. August landed above the intended victim of Guitar Villain before waving to someone below. Then she cut the rope. Homura was probably too amused by the screaming of this popstar, whoever he was, before a tree on the street grew up and a lot softer on top, creating a soft blanket of leaves thick enough to catch the guy without any branches taking out an eye. Homura looked down to see another Magical Girl, a plump girl who was in some outfit that was a yellow-vest and black hoodie…thing. Homura wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean, probably something in French…

“AWESOME SOLO!” 

August quickly moved to slice apart the sonic attack with her sword before it could hit the two down there, the Magical Girl running off with the pop-singer to safety as Guitar Villain and his dragon flew back down. 

“Oi, come back with that corpo-trash, Verdant Vest!” The villain shouted, before August slammed into him with an elbow check, knocking him off the dragon, who stopped mid-flight in confusion at the loss of its rider. Verdant Vest? That was a terrible name. Guitar Villain, who looked to have been hit with a force that was somewhere between being struck by a rocket launcher and a Tiro Finale, should probably not be able to stand back up after that, but supervillains were generally tough. However he was soon after suddenly seized by a red rope, which began spinning around him much like a certain Yo-Yo before binding him, causing the villain to drop his guitar to the ground with a clatter.. 

“What! Who's stopping the music!?” Guitar Villain demanded as the rope’s holder jumped from behind to land on the other side, rope still in hand as it shined with magic. Another Magical Girl, and one who looked quite familiar, had appeared next to August, with a Ladybug-esc smirk, and a Ladybug-like crouch.

“It’s me.” Declared someone who was supposed to be Ladybug, but in this case was a Magical Girl. The red and black outfit, like how Scarabella looked like she was in Rena Rouge’s colors, was very much that of Ladybug, but instead of spandex it was more like that of most Magical Girls. Poofy was a word for it, as was frilly, more with skirts and long red gloves that were clearly not part of an overall design, unlike August there was no spandex at all in this outfit, though like August a mask covered her face. It was pretty much a non-spotted version of Ladybug’s mask. 

“No one stops the music!” Guitar Villain declared as the dragon approached, its mouth opening as a greenish blaze burned deep in its gullet. “Time for a FIERY SO…” 

Not-Ladybug’s rope shot out, grabbing the Guitar and throwing it at the ‘Fiery Solo’, causing the guitar to be caught in the flame instead. The moment it was hit, presumably because it was the object the butterfly was in, both Guitar Villain and the dragon suddenly looked like they woke up from the state of being crazed supervillains, just in time for the dragon to start falling to the ground, as if no longer able to fly, but the rope of Not-Ladybug shot out further to grab the dragon who could no longer fly. 

“Good catch Crimson Miracle!” August praised as the rope started pulling the dragon upwards. Ladybug with a worse name and source of power nodded before looking over to another rooftop and calling out to it.

“Violettened, Fairytale, it’s on you now!” 

Two other Magical Girls appeared, having arrived. One she recognized., the one who had actually appeared in actual reality before. The former Princess Fragrance, who was in a pink and white outfit that was frillier than Madoka’s and had a mask on her face. It almost looked like a combat-oriented pink wedding dress, just without the long train. There was a certain resemblance to Pigella that Homura hadn’t really noticed the one time she showed up. If that girl had been Pigella, it would make sense the Bunnyxs had made sure to not have it happen again. Had she heard a name for the girl at any point in that loop…Rose maybe? Whatever her name was, Pigella, Rose, Fairytale, she nodded before holding up a wand that started glowing pink. Tendrils of pink energy shot out of it, flying towards both where the fire had burned up the Guitar and the still immobilized Guitar Villain. 

“Be positive! Happily Ever After!” Fairytale declared as pink light illuminated Paris, a dark haze where the fire had been taking on the briefest shape of a butterfly as it began to lose its purple and black coloring. Meanwhile Guitar Villain and his dragon started to turn back into..wait was that a crocodile? Why did someone get akumatized with a crocodile? Paris …

Meanwhile next to her was a girl whose Magical Girl outfit was rock themed. She was in black leather with a purple skirt and sleeves, a purple mask, and as her weapon a rock guitar, which she started to play as purple magic, a different color from that of the Butterfly Miraculous, flowed out of the guitar like musical waves given form. The musical magic went through Paris, as dislodged bricks and broken roof tops started to repair themselves. It was a jury rigged combination of Ladybug’s abilities, two girls' souls for the price of one Miraculous being out of play. The girl, Violettened, continued to play for a while, a strong but not obnoxiously wild song that filled Paris and restored any damage to the city, before stopping. 

The restored Guitar Villain, who Homura could now recognize as the famous rockstar Jagged Stone, a favorite of Madoka’s mother, looked up at Violettened as if the song meant something to him, before chuckling to himself. 

“Turning into a supervillain, that’s not rock n’ roll at all.” His mirth was dark as Crimson Miracle walked up to him, a smile on her face. She seemed to glow with a magic that wasn’t just her intelligent rope. 

“It’s rock n’ roll to feel upset when people don’t respect your music. Music is passion, and what’s passion than believing in what you do so intensely that it is borderline madness? Hawk Moth’s the reason it turned evil, no one else’s.” 

Jagged Stone chuckled, as if Crimson Miracle’s words had an effect on him. 

“Yeah, guess that makes sense. Jagged Stone never does anything halfway. Hey, by any chance did anyone get a photo of what I looked like? My producer’s been trying to make me look more like XY, and I’m sure that me and Fang looked better than anything he could think of.” 

This proceeded to turn into jokes aimed at someone who surely sounded unpleasant…

“ Look to your left.” 

Someone whispered into her ear, causing her to jump, but she jumped to look left and saw someone looking out from behind a wall at the Magical Girls. Someone who was familiar, and not a Magical Girl at all. It was the kid Bunnyx, and she was looking at the Magical Girls with a sense of utter worry and dread, with a hint of pride at them doing a job well done. She then opened up a portal in time, and Homura ran right at it. It was only as she got near it, as the junior Bunnyx slipped into it, that she realized she would probably just run through the time portal and not either follow Bunnyx, or get out of this mess. But she had to try, and then someone grabbed her hand just as the portal started to close. She briefly saw who grabbed her, a single slender hand with a long pink glove, who gently pulled her forward, and she was somewhere else, but this time, not in a different take on reality that wasn’t actually what happened. Instead she was back where she had first been, with the old man with Wayzz again. He was still in his tacky shirt, and neither him, Wayzz, or Bunnyx could see him. It was a different place than last time, but the set up was much the same. 

“...I see.” The two had clearly finished a conversation she had missed the bulk of, the old man and Bunnyx. Bunnyx looked despondent. 

“Yeah, thank you for lending me the Ladybug Miraculous. I just…I just don’t know how I screwed up time that badly. I was just trying to keep my friends, and this other girl, from making wishes…why did that break the future?” Bunnyx sounded like she hated herself for having to undo that. Homura wondered if she just found something out about Bunynx here, the both of them, in their conflicts. “I found a Miraculous, one of the very things that Hawk Moth’s trying to destroy Paris with supervillians in order to get brought to him. I can go back in time as much as I want, but if I try to keep my friends from selling their souls, I just screw up.” 

“...Power with good intentions is always noble, but wisdom…wisdom can only be given, or it can be earned. Earned wisdom is painful.” The old man sounded like he had demons of his own and learned that lesson the hard way. “...Tell me, how long do they have?” 

“....I dunno. I panicked…when I was in the future and I couldn’t find them, and this was after what I saw happen with Sabrina.” Bunnyx admitted. “Of course Sabrina would make a wish like that, and of course it would backfire. Backfired in the worst possible way!  And it’s going to cost another girl too…give me a minute, I have a chart.”  

The chart…came out too fast. It was like the thing fast-forwarded through its setup, and she was sure she felt that hand on her again, tapping her head like she had a button to speed things up on it. It was in French, which she was also able to read. 

Marinette’s wish: “I want…to inspire people to be better, including myself. For us all to be better people. I want to be better, and I want everyone else to be better too.” 

Alya’s wish: “One of my classmates just got turned into a supervillain, and there aren’t any superheroes in Paris to stop him. Make me a superhero, someone who is strong and fast enough to protect people like Majestia can.”  

Juleka’s wish: “I….you know….Rose says my music can cheer her up and make her feel better. I want to be…actually able to do that. When I play songs, I want people to feel better, and heal, and fix things that aren’t doing well.” 

Rose's wish: “People are too miserable and I wish I could cheer people up. Ohh, that’s a good wish. I want to be able to help people cheer up, get rid of all of those negative emotions and feel better. Maybe then Hawk Moth can’t make people evil anymore when they feel upset.”  

Mylene’s wish: "I want to restore this park with healthy and strong plants, and help make everywhere a greener, more just place.”

Sabrina’s wish: “Chloe misses her mother, I want her mother to come back to Paris and reunite the family.” (Now a Witch that Marinette and the rest destroyed.)

Zoe’s wish: “I wish my family was happy and truly loved each other, and also…I don’t want to have to lie anymore to be accepted. I want to have friends who like me for who I am.” (to be wished)

Kagami’s wish: “My family never has second chances. I’d like one to ensure entry into Armand D'Argencourt’s fencing school.” (to be wished)

Homura studied the names closely as Bunnyx started to explain about when she found the Rabbit Miraculous in the future and how she wanted to help save her friends, but Homura tuned her out. Partially because the words, the desires, the intentions…they were too familiar, a story she knew far too well. What wasn’t familiar were these names….which one of them was Ladybug’s? If there was a reason to be here, was that it?  

“Now, you aren’t going to think too hard on those names, are you Homura?” That mysterious voice said, much more clearly, no longer a faintly heard whisper, like whoever said it was behind her. Goosebumps came over Homura as she heard the voice, speaking in a teasing tone, but so much clearer. She knew…she knew this voice. “I thought you might find seeing all of these other ways things could go might be interesting, though maybe I should have curated them a bit more. Some of them might have been a waste, like the one where everyone was so mean to everyone else. Worlds like that are just sad, and I hate seeing them. Don’t worry though, I’ve got a really good one to finish before you’re back to making things right in Paris.” 

Homura turned around, finding the old man, Wayzz, and Bunnyx gone. She was now…she was now in space. Distant stars were glowing, and she was standing in the void of space. Not floating, standing, like there was an invisible floor she was standing on. A girl was also here, standing a bit away from her, in a billowing white dress. But she could never forget that voice, or the pink hair. Though the eyes were golden on her instead of their proper pink, she knew who this was, but it only raised more questions. So many questions she almost didn’t even know to start. Almost.

“Ma…Madoka!?” 

Saying the most important name in her life made whoever this was smile, Madoka’s smile. 

…

“I couldn’t imagine that Homura would have gone so far for me. I was just trying to assure her that things would be fine, not inspire her to try and make things right and have it all go horribly wrong. I’m…I’m sorry.” 

Their group beyond time and death had reached the very first time loop, the future that Bunnyx came from, as the original Madoka and Mami had arrived and learned about everything since. She had not taken it well, though there was a Madoka who had taken everything worse than the first Madoka. 

“I’m sorry too. I asked Homura to change the future more. It’s…well a long and terrible story.” The Madoka from the third time loop repeated, for her original self’s benefit. “It was…I didn’t think she’d be a danger to reality in doing so, or how much she hurt herself trying to save me…save us….why did I ask her to…..oh god she could have just left instead of me asking her to sho….. I’m so…what have I done!? What… what did I do to my friend ?!” The Madoka was now sobbing. 

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m guessing you are talking about the…very bad thing.” Kitty Noire, a female Cat Miraculous user who was actually Zoe, said uneasily, sounded like she knew about the Witch thing and had a guess about what the Madoka wasn’t able to admit to asking Homura to do. There were two Kitty Noires here, who had arrived with two Scarabellas.  

“What bad thing?” the newest yet earliest Mami asked, only to flinch at just how empathetically the Madoka of the Third Timeline, still tearful, gestured ‘don’t ask’, flailing her arms in fear of talking about that topic. 

“Yeah, let’s not.” A Madoka from a timeline just before Homura started going after the Miraculous quickly agreed, to the uncertainty of the Sayaka who was with her. So that Madoka had some idea about Witches, but her Sayaka didn’t. Hard to be sure what she knew without bringing it up.

“Okay so that’s two Madokas who defeated Walpurgisnacht,” Marinette, trying to have any sort of grip on all of this, was trying to sum it up. “The first one died killing it, so Homura went back. The third one killed it with the help of Homura, but…was not in a good place afterwards and had Homura go back again…so that makes four timelines where this thing goes down without a subsequent catastrophe.” Also called Madoka turning into a Witch. The missing Madokas were very likely ones who had fallen to that fate, or died earlier as one timeline group had mentioned the arrival of a Magical Girl duo out to kill Madoka. That timeline came with four Magical Girls: Kyoko and Mami and two that the Bunnyxs didn’t recognize. 

Things were somewhat awkward with the two killers of that Madoka having arrived earlier…but somehow that was a minor problem compared to the ongoing catastrophe.  

“Can you guys just be a bit less evasive about what this bad thing is?” The Sayaka who was uncertain about her Madoka’s emphasis on not talking about the ‘bad thing’ asked. “I mean, I can’t be the only one to wonder where the second timeline Madoka is, am I?” 

“Trust me, you’re better off not knowing.” The Mami from the timeline where Madoka had been murdered told Sayaka as clearly as possible. 

“Yeah, we really can’t tell you.” The first Cat Noir who had fought Walpurgisnacht agreed in complete seriousness. “And um, maybe don’t dwell on that too much.” He looked a bit bothered when the Mami, Sayaka, and Madoka from his timeline looked at him suspiciously, and he raised his hands. “Hey, we’re like, in limbo or something, when this gets fixed we’re not really going to be able to think about it. Enjoy not knowing it for however long we’ve all got left before we…whatever happens to us afterwards..” 

The fourth person to have killed a Walpurgisnacht put a finger to her lips, before nervously looking away. 

“....Back on topic, I managed to kill Walpurgisnacht after I was…it’s a bit embarrassing to admit.” a Mami Tomoe admitted as Eagle smiled. 

“No need to be embarrassed by it. Liberation simply freed you of your own self-doubts and pain to unleash your full potential. Your ‘Tiro Aquila Finale’ was quite impressive.” 

“If I was better…” 

The void was filled with the vast majority of the gathered Magical Girls giving the various Mamis encouragement and telling them that it wasn’t their fault they were so hurt. When that was over, the Mami spoke up again, tears in her eyes from gratitude. Many of the Mamis had similar expressions. 

“If I am recalling the battle correctly, like with the Cat Noir who defeated Walpurgisnacht, Homura didn’t see the shot land. Her attention was on the Lucky Charm that was being created after an attack had severely injured Cat Noir and the other Magical Girls. Homura herself had a broken leg. The Lucky Charm would have had context for all factors, and in a previous timeline Liberation had proven itself safe for use by Magical Girls, even if the timeline ultimately ended without a defeated Walpurgisnacht.” 

“By that means that I got to use my old powers again and Homura actually openly cared about people that aren’t Madoka for the first time I ever saw.” A different Kyoko added. The Madokas, the first and third timeline ones in particular, looked to be further saddened with the idea their deaths and requests had caused Homura so much pain that a power that liberated someone from their limitations made Homura a lot friendlier. Their expressions of personal responsibility differed from the other Madokas present, who all just looked sad that someone was hurt for them, or how said person trying to help them affected others badly. The later ones, Marinette noted, had expressions that looked to blur the line between the first and third Madokas and their earlier counterparts. 

“So the worst would not have occurred there either….” Uncanny Valley surmised as a Scarabella’s expression was pained. 

“If there were two timelines without a problem….” 

“Then the universe is doomed.” Bunnyx was lost to despair now. 

“...It can’t be, can it?” The Sayaka with the half-regrown arm asked, unsure of the implications. Bunnyx was gripping her head, her expression lost to horror. It was a very good thing she was not a Magical Girl. 

“....A Wish made with the Miraculouses…rewrites reality itself. Imagine reality as a piece of paper upon which what makes up reality is paper. To make a wish is to erase everything and then rewrite it. Even if you write it all the same, just changing a single letter, what was originally there is gone forever, replaced with something new.” Sass slowly explained, sounding like he also was startled by the conclusion, as were all of the Kwamis. 

“...And you guys know this how…?” Alya sounded like she was thinking through the moral implications of it, and was terrified of them. 

“...The first time was accidental.” Trixx explained from atop Alya’s head, sounding like he wasn’t sure if that fact made it better or worse. 

“Wishes…are also always balanced,” Marinette began as several of the Magical Girls gave her looks, “...er, yes, I know that is how it often is, but it’s pretty important that with a Miraculous wish too. The first time I ever asked about it, a robot had wanted to become human. If he had his wish granted, someone in reality would have lost theirs in his place. I have no idea what that would actually imply but I cannot imagine it would be good. That’s also why Homura’s wish is dangerous. She wants to wipe out an entire species whose gotten their claws into everything,” 

“Multiple planets.” Hassek the Buffalo added. 

“Countless intelligent lifeforms.” Cheww the Beaver Kwami chirped. 

“Atlantis.” Howwl the Wolf said, looking at Plagg pointedly, whose expression made it clear he regretted nothing.  

“...so even if wiping that out of reality doesn’t tear reality apart…it’s either going to be a perfectly balanced wish that takes away and gives enough back to not require balance, or more likely destroy reality or create something equally as horrible in their place….” Marinette wondered as several Cats thought of something at once. 

“So, am I the only one whose thinking of that time with Sass and the satellite and time going crazy…” One of them spoke up. 

The Ladybugs all remembered that one, though with a few details Cat lacked. 

“...Why does that sound like you guys went into space?” A Kyoko asked before looking jealous. 

“We did, but that’s not important (several Kyokos twitched enviously, as did the darkly dressed of the two alternate versions of Madoka’s killers). Didn’t a lucky charm have Sass make time go crazy…it’s done this before.” A different Cat added. 

“Yeah, but that sounds like a closed time loop, something that fixed itself.” Alix sounded like she was only vaguely familiar with it. Neither Bunnyx had to get involved in fixing that incident. 

“But it does show that sometimes reality does need to be broken to fix, so maybe there is a solution that doesn’t involve wishing…” Marinette raised, trying to see if there was another solution. Suddenly she started glowing, or more specifically something under her shirt. She pulled it out, the glow coming from her Kwagatama necklace. It…it had never glowed like this before?! She idly noticed that the Lady Dragons were eyeing the reaction in particular surprise. 

“...Curious, how are you activating it here?” Sass asked as Marinette panicked more. 

“Activating it?!” Marinette said in fright. It could activate!? What did that even mean!?

“I thought it was just a symbol of our bond with Tikki?!” The previous Ladybug in the timelines asked in equal surprise. 

“...Wait, that’s a thing?” Her Cat Noir asked, sounding like he was wondering why he didn’t have one. 

“...Oh yeah, that hasn't come up yet….they do something more but it really isn’t supposed to be doing this right now.” Tikki admitted as the light of the Kwagatama shot out into the abyss, where it forked into two lights and shot into the abyss. 

“That’s a good idea, you should always look for a solution….but I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” 

A new voice, sounding older than anyone present except for Bunnyx, spoke up from the abyss, around where one of the lights had flown, as two shapes started to appear in the murk., followed behind by two others coming from where the other light had gone.

“...More people?!” A Kyoko said in disbelief. “I thought we got to the end of this crazy mess?”

“That person sounded like an adult though…” the Mami with only one arm caught as Bunnyx seized up. 

“...They’re here…” 

“Who?” A Scarabella asked in worry. Why did Bunnyx sounded mortified? 

“Wait, that’s…” A Cat said, catching what all of them, the Ladybugs and Marinette, and Alix had also caught. The voice was familiar. And when the first two new arrivals to the space beyond space, time, and death arrived, it was clear why. 

“Hey Bunnyx. You always get the worst tasks, don’t you?” Future Cat Noir, who certainly looked like he got the best of Gabriel Agreste without his many flaws, greeted. “If it helps, we’ve just seen some really messed up crud too…probably doesn’t help.” For one thing, he still had a sense of humor, and he also tried to cheer Bunnyx up, and looked bothered that it didn’t work. 

Future Ladybug nodded, who herself had grown into someone who reminded Marinette of her Grandma. She also looked like she wanted to cheer Bunnyx up, though her expression was more professional than her Cat’s. The more things change, the more they stay the same it would seem. 

“We’d have gotten here earlier, but on our own end things took a while.” Her future self admitted. 

“If it helps, the entire time you’ve been out dealing with this crisis we’ve been to twelve hostile alien planets, twenty-four that were not hostile but required us to save the day from certain doom, three distinct dimensions from the one we all inhabit, traveled sideways in time, bested three simultaneous break outs of Ignobilia and the Inmates of Quantum in the 1420s, 2070s, and 2220s, and got to see the fabric of the universe from behind.” Future Cat Noir sounded like he had seen things he couldn’t unsee, for good and for ill. “We’ve been a little busy.” 

“.....Because I let things get this bad.” Bunnyx noted in despair. 

“Do not despair. You bear no sins for this current crisis.” A younger voice spoke up as the other two figures arrived. One was a girl about their ages, with blondish hair that looked almost green in armor that was adorned with the colors of the Ladybug Miraculous, though her chest armor featured a cross-shaped area that clearly held a Soul Gem. A cape fluttered behind her while at her side, ready to be drawn as needed, was both a sword and the Yo-Yo. Behind her emerged a second girl, a dark haired girl with yellow eyes whose black outfit had dark material clearly made from the Cat Miraculous, and among her many knives hung a shrunken version of the Staff. “Don’t lose heart Bunnyx, it's sad to see you in such despair. It’s undeserved.” 

“....Oh hey Liz.” Plagg greeted the girl behind the one who Marinette was sure was Tart. She nodded in acknowledgement. For a few curious Cats he elaborated. “Oh, she stole our Miraculouses from the Guardians once, I was fine with it because the Tenth Guardian Heresy had just started and I didn’t want to deal with them for a while so getting stolen alongside Sugarcube was a good time…but now thinking about it the entire thing’s fuzzy. I can barely remember anything about it, except that it was a good thing we were there.” 

“How….how are they here?” Bunnyx eventually managed to ask as Tart took out her own Kwagatama and held it between her hands as if praying. 

“This blessing from an Angel allows those blessed by the same Angel to speak across time. It’s a link of His blessing.” 

“...It’s not supposed to let her actually show up in the flesh.” She heard Trixx whisper to Alya. 

“We actually used the Kwagatamas to get back to reality from the other side of the fabric of creation by using it to establish a link with the previous version of myself around the start of where Bunnyx was working to let her know what we found. This isn’t…where we expected to end up, but I guess things are just as crazy here too.” Future Ladybug admitted. “We kind of got dragged into all of this because the Rabbit Miraculous user from Tart’s time appeared in our Paris dead and things kind of got crazier from there. Their time period has distorted.” 

“....How does this keep getting worse?” The Sayaka from the first timeline where they had met Homura questioned. 

“Problems often are worse than they initially appear.” Oriko, not to be confused with Orikko, mused aloud. 

“She’s not wrong.” An Uncanny Valley agreed. 

“Taking these two along helped make the timestream a little less crazy and all of the madness we encountered more manageable since we didn’t bring any backup with us.” Future Cat quipped about the two predecessor users who they had brought along with them. “They were a big help, though I don’t know if some of the things they saw are going to be a problem if they are able to go back to their original place in one piece or not.” 

“Calliopes are some of God’s most wonderful creations.” Tart said without context, sounding like she adored…whatever a Calliope was. 

“I brought death to the Undying Planet.” Liz closed her eyes with just as much context, as if it was something that had to be done. 

“Things are going that bad that far back too….and I’ve been too stuck trying to save the timeline here to see it. And now the Lucky Charm is just breaking the universe more…how did things get that bad?” Bunnyx asked, even more despondent. 

“This crisis is not a sin of yours.” Tart assured Bunnyx. “The trouble was not caused by you, or is something only you can stop. It is beyond the task of a single person and Angel, (Kwami, Tikki clarified for Marinette, but also ‘Cube’) to solve.” 

Future Ladybug elaborated on this point further. 

“It’s not your fault because things were always that bad. Homura is a symptom, not the problem, and there are symptoms all over space-time now. And honestly…from what we managed to see, if it wasn’t going to be now, it would have happened later, and a lot worse.” Future Ladybug declared firmly, clear in her tone about how this mess was not on Bunnyx. Bunnyx looked up at her team leader, her visible relief drowned out by the just as visible confusion and dread. 

“...So wait, if Homura is a symptom, that means that something else is the problem.” The Mami from the first timeline that Homura had come to Paris noted as Future Ladybug nodded. 

“The Incubators harvesting their energy to prevent entropy…is the cause of all of this.” The future her declared. “The problems in time, the Lucky Charm, it is all on them, though not by intention. That is, of course, the only good thing I will be saying about them for the rest of my life.”  

Marinette caught a point about how her future self said that. Her future self was sure that the end was near for her. 

“Um, entropy?” A Sayaka from a timeline before she and Cat had gotten involved asked. 

“Basically what happens when the universe runs out of energy and just dies, which won’t happen as long as I will it to not happen. Because my will is what dictates the continued existence of reality, so be nice to me.” Plagg declared, sounding like he wanted to joke more about it than he was able to in this current situation. “But hey, if I ever like, forget to keep the universe from dying or something, you’d all have a…really big number before it was a problem.” 

“Don’t think about it too much, it just depresses you.” The two Scarabellas and Alya said in unison. 

“The Incubator’s attempt to fix a problem that is scientifically true but prevented from happening by magic has started to have consequences, though the problems are only noticeable when our team started looking into it more.” Future Ladybug continued. “It took a combination of Miraculous users and Magical Girls across space and time to see the problem across multiple time periods and places, and like Cat said we had to go to some faraway places to be completely sure on the matter, but what we found is…ironic shall we say. The time deviations that created Cat Blanc, that created the new crisis in Tart’s time, and caused Homura Akemi’s path to change as to have herself become a Magical Girl and eventually seek the Miraculous Wish, originate from the Incubators and their efforts to prevent the heat death of the universe. That energy isn’t able to go into balancing the universe because Tikki and Plagg keep creation and destruction in balance, so that excess energy that is being pumped into the fabric of reality has to go somewhere else, and where it does end up going it's like a blocked pipe starting to leak, and that leak soon turns into a violent rupture as more pressure is added to it. One of those places the Incubators have sprung a leak in the universe in is the timestream itself, and its one of the worst affected parts.” 

“Um, Cat what?” All of the present Cat Noirs, including Future Cat Noir, said at once, each sounding quite worried about the idea of whatever Cat Blanc was. No Ladybug elaborated, and a Magical Girl quickly changed the subject. 

“So basically these Incubators not only did something to cause Homura to seek their destruction to save Madoka, but also are the reason history deviated to have it happen.” The first timeline Mami mused aloud, troubled by what had befallen her friend. “And in doing whatever it is they did, they’ve damaged the universe.” 

“Ah, so they created this problem in every conceivable way. They made the Witches or whatever, they are overclocking the universe or whatever, and Homura found out enough to want to go solve the problem with magical genocide when she otherwise was just going to be a nobody.” The Kyoko with the assist on Cat Noir’s Walpurgisnacht win snorted. 

“Actually that’s what I did. Remember, I’m the reason she’s not just killing them all with the Miraculous she always had. Tried that, but she didn’t like the results because anything they did before, like hurting people or breaking the universe stays put.” The Rose who had contracted with an Incubator and had to kill Juleka’s witch reminded them all. “A Wish is more like rebooting the universe and wiping them out from ever having existed. I um…might have gotten her to skip that option and go straight to universe recreation.” 

“Ah.” 

“Hey, if it isn’t Madoka’s fault it isn’t your fault.” The Sayaka whose Madoka knew about Witches but she didn’t for whatever reason assured Rose. 

“We need to figure out if there is a solution to all this. I’m assuming there is a reason you can’t go back in time to prevent Homura from having her history deviate due to the Incubators?” The Mami without an arm asked the despondent Bunnyx. 

“Been there, tried that.” Alix added. 

“Could you maybe have the me in your timeline wish for the right thing and fix everything?” One of the non-Magical Girl Madokas asked as Marinette empathetically shook her head. “Oh…” 

“A wish like that with your potential and at that scale would have the consequence of apotheosis.” Sass warned, sounding quite perplexed about the way out of this that did not require using the Wish. He sounded like he was trying to find a way to do so that didn’t require it, and was struggling.  

“I…don't know what that word means.” The same Madoka admitted.  

“A wish like that….could work, but the damage has already been done, and it would require a very specific wish to fix things properly. The Incubators also aren’t part of the fundamental nature of the universe, so using their power to fix their mess is more like applying a patch over a damaged pipe. At this point, especially if the problem continues, that’s only a temporary measure.” Future Ladybug sounded like they’d looked into that, but had decided against it. “That’s not even assuming the patch could create a larger problem if even a single phrase of the wish isn’t perfect, and the wish would need to be written very, very, very carefully. And short of a top-notch lawyer with access to the state of the universal damages…”

“There has to be another way!” Tikki insisted, sounding like she would take any suggestion but a wish. Future Ladybug shook her head. 

“I…I’m afraid there might not be.” 

Mariette’s eyes were wide as Future Ladybug and Cat Noir were all looking at her. For whatever reason, either because of the converging timelines at her era in time or the level of damage that decades more Incubator actions had caused, it was up to her to make the right call and remake the universe. But she…she had no idea what that would even entail. What even was a right wish?! 

“Fear not Tikki. God works in mysterious ways, even towards His Angels. It will be alright.” Tart assured Tikki, who looked vehemently against the idea it would be alright. 

“Um….we did tell you what mixing our powers would do, right?” Plagg asked Tart just to be sure. 

Tart nodded. 

“Oh yes, you did.” 

“She possessed both at the same time at several points. The thought never crossed her mind once.” Liz reminded them as Plagg looked like he just remembered that. 

“Oh yeah.” His expression was of someone who’d seen someone wearing both of their Miraculous at once for long periods of time, repeatedly, and of past bursts of unfathomable terror. 

Marinette was looking around for anything that might help her think. Think of a way they could save everyone. Ideally without a Wish. Magical Girls, Jeanne… Tart, undying planets, going sideways in time, nearly a hundred and fifty timelines….nothing. Nothing was clicking. She looked again and again, trying to see anything that would let her think of anything. Sayaka’s cape, the stick of something that a Kyoko was eating, Zoe’s lipstick, Trixx on Alya’s head….

She stared at Alya and Trixx for a second, she felt like something was nagging at her here. But she needed more. She looked some more and she felt the same nag again when she saw Daizii on Rose’s head. She looked between the two. On top of a head…she felt like she was starting to see something. She wasn’t sure what she was seeing. Okay, she had to think about the tops of people’s heads. A hat?

She looked at a Mami, staring at her hat. No, not that hat. A hat…a hat….a hat….

“I don’t have your tongue, do I?” 

A Cat Noir jokingly asked, sounding like he also wanted to help. Something started to connect in her brain. 

“Hey Mami, can I borrow your hat?” She asked, and several nearby Mami’s reached for their hats, with the closest handing it to her as she nodded. “Thank you…now….” 

She immediately put the hat on the Cat Noir who had asked if she had something on the tip of her tongue. But no….she had something on the tip of her mind, and putting a hat on Cat Noir made it clearer. She was going in some direction here, putting a hat on Adrien, but she wasn’t sure where. But she was going somewhere now. 

“Derby hat.” Marinette declared aloud, to everyone’s confusion.  

“Derby hat?” A Uncanny Valley asked, not sure what that had to do with anything. 

“....Like, horse racing?” A Lady Dragon was confused. 

“Marinette won a competition for the Gabriel Agreste, also known as Monarch’s, fashion line by making a derby hat by hand. Like with anything she does when she’s not Ladybug, it drove her crazy, kept her crazy, and Mr. Pigeon was involved.” Alya recalled, trying to see what Marinette was going for. “Best guess….something’s incomplete?” 

And the Cat (Noir) no longer had her tongue. 

“That hat was perfectly fine, it’s actually even better than this one.” The Cat Noir said as he adjusted Mami’s hat on his head. “Though this one’s pretty stylish too. I’d keep it if I wasn’t some space-time-life-and-death paradox.”

“Please don’t.” The Mami whom the hat was borrowed from requested. She clearly liked her hat too.  

“It’s an artist thing. You make something, you never feel like it’s done. You always want to improve it. It’s more than that too…you can see where someone can improve if you also make things. Do you ever see that with modeling?” The Cat Noir’s Ladybug asked as he shrugged. 

“With fencing maybe, but don’t tell Kagami I said that. I like my spleen without a hole in it. Modeling is just….a thing I had to do, not something I liked.” 

“What’s incomplete? You can see that Cat Noir will mature quite well, he will not remain scrawny forever.” Tart asked. 

“I’m svelte.” Practically every Cat Noir said simultaneously. 

“Tart, you were with a Ladybug and Cat Miraculous user from centuries in the future. Did you see any differences in their Miraculouses from what you are used to? Not their tools, their Miraculouses.” Marinette asked Tart, who blinked. 

“No, they were the same as when I and Liz used them. I will admit I never thought about using my own Tool to communicate vast distances. It’s quite an excellent feature though.” 

Marinette then turned to the nearest Lady Dragon, now on a roll. She knew where she was going with this, but she wasn’t sure what ‘where’ was yet, just that it was going to be something big. Yet also to be dreaded. 

“Lady Dragon, you don’t have a Tool, because the Prodigious was the Prototype for the Miraculouses.” 

The Lady Dragons were surprised to be asked next, and only the other Ladybugs seemed to have any idea why she was asking this, but after a bit of talking to the Renlings she confirmed it. 

“The Tools were a later creation of the Mage. The Miraculouses were meant to take what worked with the Prodigious and improve on it.” One Lady Dragon began. 

“Ideas like a single Miraculous for all the Kwami proved unviable.” A second Lady Dragon continued. 

“Also the flaw about only the wielder of the Prodigious being able to see the Renlings was removed in the Miraculouses.” A third Lady Dragon finished. 

“She’s going somewhere with this, right?” Asked the Kyoko and Mami from the murdered Madoka timeline. 

“Of course she is.” Alya said certainly. 

“Ladybug always does.” A Scarabella seconded. 

“Even if it’s not clear at the time, there’s a method to her madness.” Finished a Kitty Noire. 

“Tikki, Plagg, everyone….do you know if the Miraculous were completed?” 

The Cat Noirs were staring at her in disbelief. None of them had followed her to this point. 

“How did you get from your derby hat to that conclusion?” the Cat Noir with the Walpurgisnacht kill to his name asked as Marinette grinned. It was a grin that hid fear at what her conclusion was, what her plan was starting to finalize as in her mind would entail, but it felt like the right one. And her future self was smiling sadly as well, like she’d thought of the same thing. As was Oriko.

“Even after I impressed your father with it, I always felt like it wasn’t done. Like I could do more. That’s the way I feel about all of my projects.” Marinette explained. 

“It’s true.” Alya agreed, having seen many of those stress outs herself. 

“And it’s not just her. Nathaniel’s the same way with his art.” Alix added, sounding like she was getting what she was going for, though she was not happy that it was going in that direction, just resigned to it. 

“Nothing is ever perfect, and you often have to make compromises. The derby hat had a time limit that Mr. Pigeon didn’t help with, and I bet the Miraculouses had a similar problem. The Mage had to make dozens of them, and had already made a prototype. And he didn’t just have to think about making them, he had to deal with other problems.” 

“...He didn’t.” Nooroo spoke up, causing all of the Kwami to look at him in surprise. “I told part of the story of the war in Atlantis to Homura, but I also told that we were limited as much as blessed afterwards. I don’t think he ever intended to have the Miraculouses control as much as they do.” 

No Kwami could argue with that thought, even as they all looked a bit bothered by the idea that was now in the air.

“The Mage….did seem sad as he finished our Miraculouses. Like they were the best he could do, not his best.” Hassek recalled. 

“He was at the end of his time, the war with Atlantis was a long war.” Howwl recalled. “A lifetime for an average man was lost.” 

“Decades. Even for the Mage, who lived for several centuries, that was a lot to lose, and he lost all of his best assistants during the war. Regular person, and Magical Girl alike.” Trixx elaborated from Alya’s head. 

 “He could not achieve perfection, mankind needed the Miraculouses early, and there was little time to work on them afterwards. After that…he had to help the rest of us, not complete the first of us. He had no one to pass on his mastery to.” Sass mused, sounding like he knew exactly what the decisions were made as they were, and that no one was happy about them. Kwami or Mage. 

“The Miraculous are limitless, but getting to that power takes a lot of work.” Marinette continued as Tart nodded. She knew that as well. “I thought it was inherent, but maybe it’s not a feature, but a bug. How had the Guardians missed that the Miraculouses were limitless, unless it is hard to take them beyond their basics. In order to make it easier, you need to complete the Miraculouses.” 

“You want to use the Wish to complete the Miraculouses?” A Madoka asked, not sure where Marinette was going. “How does that save the universe?” 

It was a terrible thing to truly ponder, making a wish, but it was what her instincts were telling her. They were also drawing her to look at every magical girl, from Rose, Tart, and Liz to the Madokas, Sayakas, Mamis, and Kyokos, and see them as part of her plan. She grinned, the audacious grin of Ladybug with a plan. Bunynx noticed the grin, she noticed, and she solemnly hung her head. This was it. 

“The Incubators need victims, and the Miraculous are designed to save people. I’m going to have the Miraculouses do their thing, but even better.”

Before she could elaborate on this idea any further, as it was a rather audacious plan even by her standards, the space around them began to distort further, though not like someone else was coming, as if the space they were in was starting to fade away. 

“...Our time is up, you will be back in reality shortly with Homura Akemi. You know what you must do.” Future Ladybug told her with a hint of sadness. 

“...I guess this is it then.” Bunnyx admitted as Future Cat Noir walked up to her and put an arm around her as a friend would. 

“...You did good Bunnyx, never forget that.” 

Bunnyx didn’t look like she believed him. 

“Don’t worry Marinette, I believe in you! You’ll save everything! Save Juleka, save everyone.” Rose declared confidently. 

“Marinette, I know you will do well…I trust you completely, I trust you with my lives across all of time.” A Kitty Noire said with utter certainty. 

“God will guide you. Allow me to offer you a prayer to assist you.” Tart said in complete sincerity.

“I trust you Ladybug…I trust you Marinette, we all do.” The Cat Noirs, speaking through one Cat, the one among the four to kill the terrible Witch, told her. He was the only one of them who spoke, but they all had the same sure expression. 

“Also please, tell her I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The Madoka of the third timeline shouted as the disorientation started to accelerate. “Please tell her that!”  

“Ah nuts, I’m going to be powering Homura up again, aren’t I?” Plagg grumbled as the Miraculous on Marinette started to glow and she replaced the Deer Miraculous on her face. 

“Ideally for the last time.” Tikki said sadly as the Kwami also started to glow too, before they all shot off either towards Marinette or towards someone who wasn’t here. And soon after, everything and everyone else faded away but Marinette, Bunnyx, Alya, Alix, Tart, Liz, Future Cat, and Future Ladybug, the last four surprised they had remained. Them, and Homura Akemi with an uninjured arm. 

…

In a place of stars, she was hugged by someone who looked like Madoka with golden eyes. She smiled like Madoka, and she hugged….she hugged like Madoka. Homura wasn’t sure what sound she just made, or why her eyes tingled. She was…she was….

“Let it all out…” This girl who seemed to be Madoka soothingly told her, and she wasn’t sure what she let out, but…it felt like a sound that was born from pain she tried to forget about for the sake of herself and Madoka. She wasn’t sure how long she made the sound, she could only count the time by the feeling of a hand running along her back soothingly. “Nearly a hundred and fifty…that’s a lot for you to deal with…let it all out…” 

God…she felt like that girl again…the one who was too weak to do anything…..but….somehow….maybe she wasn’t as gone as she sometimes felt she was. A lot of things she thought were gone, weren’t as gone as she thought they were. She remembered when she was affected by Liberation all of those time loops ago. It had made Mami Tomoe Mami again, Sayaka Miki Sayaka once more, and Kyoko Sakura Kyoko after so long, and had that ever worn off? Dimmed maybe, dulled….but gone, no. A hug from Madoka was more powerful than the Miraculous of the Eagle. 

“.....” Madoka hummed as she pulled back a bit, just to let Homura see her eyes. She really was Madoka, if not for the golden, glowing eyes. “This is the first time I've ever seen you with a nose ring…got to admit, I don’t think it really suits you.” The last part was said with a giggle as Homura absently rubbed the inactive Ox Miraculous. “Though you always look nice with glasses.”

“They’re Miraculouses.” 

Madoka nodded. 

“Oh, I know. I just think a nose ring looks really odd on you. Now Kyoko, maybe she could make it work, but you wear it better than Mami would at least. You know, if we had the time, maybe we could find what that might look like.” 

Homura wasn’t sure what Madoka meant, who gestured out into the stars. 

“I can see a lot out here, Homura. I can see the universe, and what’s beyond it. Universes upon universes upon universes. There’s so much out there…maybe there is one where we can see Mami with the Ox Miraculous. Maybe it would look like one of those stud nose piercings when not in use, I’d have to look for it later.” 

“I’ll write it down for later.” 

The only reason Homura didn’t jump out of Madoka’s arms was because it was Madoka’s arms. But somehow Sayaka was here, with a piece of paper in hand like she was actually taking notes. Which was a rarity. Sayaka seemed to notice her confusion and gave her a look that was…rather wily for Sayaka to make at her. Usually she just glowed at her unless she did some incalculable set of actions that avoided that problem. 

“Okay…give the transfer student a bit of perspective, look for Mami with a magical nose ring, there’s the problem with ‘Akuma’, no relation to the supervillain....but you’ve got plenty of time for the first two until then.” Sayaka read off as Madoka smiled. 

“Oh thank you, now let’s take a seat.” 

And suddenly the three were sitting on something solid in the void of outer space, before the void of space suddenly. Homura was still being held by Madoka, which seemed to make Sayaka quite amused. 

“Madoka, if you don’t let go of Homura, she’s not going to actually ask questions.” She told her friend, which made Madoka blush. 

“But I like hugging Homura. And she needs a hug.” 

“You say that about all of them.” 

“But it’s always true.” 

“Uh-huh.” Sayaka’s expression was that of agreeing with the sentiment, but still thinking it suspect. Though she seemed willing to compromise about the hug part and would take steps to make her think about things other than how nice Madoka’s hugs were. “Oi, bomb nut, are you even going to ask what’s going on?” 

Homura felt the slightest bit of annoyance at Sayaka’s comment, but she kept her cool. Being too belligerent with Sayaka tended to upset Madoka, and it was a valid enough question.

“I’ve been seeing not-realities and am wearing superpowered jewelry empowered by cosmic gods I took from a superhero, supervillain, and a Sentimonster named Felix Fathom, I don’t ask questions.”  

“Oh, but what you have been seeing is actually reality Homura, just not your own. It’s the multiverse.” Madoka said happily. “Worlds where things happen differently. It’s really interesting, don’t you think? Well, when people aren’t acting terribly for no reason anyway.” 

It wasn’t being held by Madoka that made Homura’s brain skip a beat. 

“What?” 

“Transfer student, you got caught up in some space-time-netherworld hubbub while you were wielding godly power that isn’t yours, which is a really bad habit that you keep doing by the way, stealing divine power. Though at least you didn’t go insane first…” Sayaka looked like there was some inside joke that Sayaka knew that Homura didn’t get, but relished in making the joke anyway. “Okay okay, I’m being mean, you never go insane just because it's you and there’s always something else going on, but it’s really annoying to clean up afterwards. And hey, you stole this power from two jerks and an actual good guy, which above the curve for you. One of them really did deserve to be shot, and the other deserved a chair to the face. And hey, I’ll be even more fair to you, Cat Noir attacked first. Normally the Law of Cycles can’t enter worlds that have stories beyond our own in them, just look at them like this, but with that hiccup Madoka can actually come and safely interact with you for the time being. Better than floating all alone confronted by angry ghosts right?” 

Homura only caught the part about how it was okay for her to shoot Gabriel Agreste and related parts. The heck was the Law of Cycles? 

“We’re not your Madoka and Sayaka, we’re visiting and want to help you while we can.” Madoka said more clearly, which Homura could fully grasp, though the implications were rather extreme. Other worlds….”Now, if we had more time I’d show you this other world I can’t go to where the Doppel system worked wonders and the you and me and Sayaka there are all great friends, but we only have time for one so we’ll stick to this one. Now, let’s see what I want to show you.” 

And the stars were now gone, revealing Mitakihara at dusk. 

“No more Paris?” Homura caught. This was different. 

“Oh, I thought you might find it more interesting to see somewhere less familiar.” Madoka explained. “So I stuck to worlds with different paths that were focused on Paris.”

“Also the stuff back home would give you ideas . There was this one where you replaced me, Mami, and Kyoko with Sentimonsters to fight Walpurgisnacht to keep the replaced girls safe, and keep Madoka from contracting or being hurt and I didn’t want to give you ideas .” Sayaka sounded like she didn’t like that timeline.

“I’m sure I left you three alive.” Homura said reflexively.  If she decided to do that, it was what she’d do. 

“You did, but I don’t like you replacing people with clones obedient to you.” Sayaka said pointedly. “Like yeah, points for stocking the place you locked us in with enough food to feed Kyoko for a month and all of Mami’s favorite teas, but that just made it creepier in-universe, and it was already really creepy before that Mami realized you knew not just her exact assortment of preferred teas and the type that Kyoko and me liked or Kyoko realized you actually did the math right for her appetite.” 

“Don’t worry Homura, a lot of yous try kidnapping at least once, and pretty much only once. You just running away with me against my will is actually pretty tame compared to some of the things I’ve seen, all things considered.” Madoka…Madoka said that way too nicely. The heck happened in other worlds? Did she even want to know? But before she could ask, Sayaka shushed her as it was ‘starting’.

“You've noticed that Homura’s been really jumpy too, right? ” 

The Mitakihara City they were seeing had them in a familiar shadowy place, one that had bad memories associated with it. The third timeline, where she had tried to warn her friends about what Witches were, and that Kyubey was tricking them. Where no one had believed her…and they had all paid the price. It was something that had really hurt back then, and she could still recall the memories of that time. Why had no one believed her? 

She wasn’t there this time, it was the others. Madoka had spoken up, and looked worried about her counterpart. 

“ Eh, I wouldn’t know .” Kyoko hadn’t been there the first time, she was just leaning against the wall like she didn’t care. “All I know is that Mami makes a good offer. Bakes them in the oven and makes an offer I can’t refuse.” 

“.....” Mami didn’t look amused at the reminder of Kyoko’s mercenary attitude. 

“She’s always been that way.” The Sayaka on screen admitted. Homura narrowed her eyes at the first Sayaka to ever become a Magical Girl, and the first to turn into a Witch. 

“...I get what you mean  Sayaka, but I see what Madoka means. She was definitely looking into something when Kyubey contacted you for a contract and I made contact with Kyoko for her help. If neither two or three Magical Girls can stop Walpurgisnacht, five should be enough. And whatever she found…she seems spooked.” Mami surmised. 

“Fighting the same Witch three times must be scary enough. ” Madoka admitted. 

“ Spoken like a rookie….if I didn’t know this thing was ‘the’ Walpurgisnacht. ” Kyoko was willing to give some slack on this one. “ Yeah, I guess she can be scared out of her wits at that thing. ”  

“It doesn’t feel like she’s just scared of Walpurgisnacht though. ” Madoka insisted as Sayaka smirked. 

“Well if it is anything big, she can tell us. Maybe it’s just the time travel getting to her. Doing a test three times sucks.” 

“...You speak from experience?” Homura quipped as the Sayaka with her raised an eyebrow. She needed some venting if she watched this Sayaka mock her. ‘If it was anything big, she can tell us’, she knew how that went. 

“Well I know for experience why that doesn’t work.” Sayaka noted, taking a different bite than Homura had expected. The Sayaka here was smirking, like she knew what Homura was trying to bait her with .

“Because no one likes hearing that they were tricked.” Homura said dryly. 

“True, but the problem’s more than that.” Sayaka was still smirking as the conversation before them continued. 

“ Well let’s make sure she doesn’t have to do it a fourth time. Though it is unlike her to be late.” Mami both declared as the de-facto leader of the team and wondered aloud as the sound of frantic, running steps echoed as her old braid-wearing, nervous, weak self ran towards them, naturally out of breath and looking horrifically embarrassed. Also naturally, and more more pleasantly, the Madoka in this version of that terrible conversation ran up to her to see if she was alright. 

“ Are you alright, Homura?” 

Her past self rapidly shook her head no. 

“I…oh god…I can’t believe I….oh I’m so embarrassed…!!” She wailed like an irritating squealing tire. 

Madoka and Mami looked at her with sympathetic expressions, Sayaka being moderately interested in what was up, and Kyoko again snorted. Her former self looked away from them, blushing badly, and also pale. 

“You can tell us Homura, I’m sure it’s nowhere near as bad as you think it is.” Madoka assured as the past her fidgeted like some terrified rodent about to be eaten by that cat Madoka kept selling her soul for. 

“ I…I….” She looked embarrassed to admit it, but did after closing her eyes and flinching like she was about to be slapped. “ IwasuplatelastnighttryingtofigureouthowtotalkaboutthisthingthatisreallyscarybutIcantfindthewordsforandIfoundtheblogthatLadybugandCatNoirfrequentandleftagiantpostthereabouteverythingwithWalpurgisnachtandthatotherscarythingitwassolongitwasanentirepageandwhenIwokeupandrealizedwhatIdidItriedtodeleteitbutitsgoneohgodtheysawit!” 

Sayaka’s expression was that of her speaking gibberish and Mami and Madoka looked lost. 

“Bawahhhahhhaaaahhhaaa!”  

Kyoko fell over laughing, rolling on the ground in what was clearly her overdoing it for the heck of it. 

“Oh my….the wallflower shitposted at midnight to a superhero’s biggest fan blog!” Kyoko was lost to the art of snorting like some gassed-up hog rolling around in mud, finding the entire image hilarious as Homura hung her head. 

“Like the heroes in Paris, France?” Sayaka asked as Homura flinched. 

“I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea! I just…I just….” 

“....You’re scared, aren’t you Homura?” Madoka simply said as Homura flinched, not looking any of them in the eye. Madoka and Mami were sympathetic as before, and Sayaka was looking at her inferior self with a similar, if lesser expression. Mami, discreetly, butted Kyoko with her heel to make her stop laughing. 

“....Yes….” Homura knew her weakness, and could tell that she wanted to say more. She wanted to tell them why she was scared, about what she had seen happen to Madoka, but she was too weak to say the wrong thing. Madoka put her hands on Homura’s shoulders, smiling. 

“Don’t worry Homura, we’re all here, and there is nothing to be scared of.” 

“...More accurately, there is no reason to be without courage. It’s fair to be scared of Walpurgisnacht, but being terrified isn’t the way to get ready. You said that three of us can kill it at great loss, and now we’re five.” Mami amended with empathetic, but blunt, experience. Mami’s problem was never that she didn’t think being a Magical Girl was scary, but that she never knew what was truly there to fear. “ I can’t imagine what fighting it a third time must be like, but you need to keep your head on the right way to go about it. Would it be nice if superheroes got involved, yes, but it isn’t going to happen. They have their own problems to solve, as do we. Let’s work on what we can, shall we?” 

Her weak past self nodded fretfully. 

“Hey, no harm no foul. They deleted the comment didn’t you, the mods probably thought you were just high or something. At worst you are just banned. Anyway, there is this thing I’d like to talk to you about. Could you, maybe, stop blowing up bombs in my face? Can you try something else?” Sayaka asked in a mixture of a joking and serious tone after assuring her that the comment would go nowhere. Kyoko was now standing up, and snorted. 

“Girl stops time right, and only that. So not sure what you expect her to do, rob the Yakuza or something for guns instead of making her own pipe bombs?!” 

Mami got them back on track by discussing witches as Homura just….stared. How did that go better than her trying to warn them? Did she just tell them later? Why was Sayaka being nicer about the bomb thing? 

“It's a bit counter-intuitive, I know.” Sayaka, the one who kept making strange faces at her, admitted. “Somehow not warning everyone about the fact they’re all being tricked and used ends up better. It’s all in  the way it works out, I guess.” 

Homura frowned. 

“I would think you would consider my lack of outward empathy a problem that is my worst character flaw.” 

“Nah, your worst traits are the fact that you are always walking around and acting like you are the only one who can do anything correctly and the fact you have the social skills of a concussed tomato.” Sayaka declared. “Also the part about stealing divine power. I’d add the part about stalking Madoka to your worst personality faults, but honestly Kyubey and the multiple serial killer Magical Girls running around makes that a good thing in this one scenario with Madoka’s safety and well-being and that one scenario only.” 

She stared at Sayaka with a lidded glare. 

“Homura, you are a wonderful person in a lot of ways. You are determined, and you care about people. You are willing to learn anything, brave, and willing to risk your life. But you really aren’t good with people.” Madoka admitted, and Homura…couldn’t disagree, and not just because it was Madoka saying that. “It’s hard to talk about a topic like Witches, and especially when you only know part of the truth, it's especially hard to convince people about it. You need so much to make that work out, not just information and honesty but knowing how people work, why they do things, and what they can handle. That’s never been something you’ve been good at. Some people just aren’t good at that, and others are. And after everything you’ve been through, you wouldn’t have gotten better. Also yes, it is really counter-intuitive that not trying to warn your friends is the best way to handle things. It’s just how it works out for some reason.” 

Madoka fast forwarded a few days later as battle was at hand once again, though with a Witch that was not there the last time. They had not fought Charlotte in the third timeline, and the Sweets Witch had just entered worm mode and was about to take Sayaka’s arm off, with Sayaka looking like she didn’t realize she had the power to regrow it. 

WHIRLLL!!!

Though before the Sayaka of the alternate past could learn that lesson a familiar Yo-Yo shot out through the haze of the Labyrinth and wrapped around the worm, restraining it like a hog-tied animal. 

“ The actual…..the shitpost worked!? ” Kyoko sputtered, having been stabbing away at familiars as Ladybug appeared, visibly straining as she restrained the struggling Charlotte. Notably, her costume had shifted into the colors it did after a Lucky Charm was used. 

“ Ryuko, throw her the Lucky Charm !” Ladybug shouted in French. 

“Catch !” A different voice, this one speaking in Japanese, shouted as a red and black spotted object was tossed to Sayaka, who, while surprised, did catch it. Sayaka did a brief double take when she saw it was a large bottle of soda. Sayaka was filled in about what to do with it. “This enemy’s filled with sweets! Have you ever tried to eat ice cream or cake and then drink a soda?” 

“ It’s funky! ” Kyoko clarified. Sayaka, not sure it would work, promptly uncapped the bottle and threw it into Charlotte, who swallowed it before gaining an expression of a terrible stomach ache. Seconds later it started vomiting up a strange fizzy foam that quickly came out of its ears at greater and greater intensity. 

“ Run!” The Japanese speaking voice, Ryuko, shouted as all of the Magical Girls present, fighting off familiars, immediately bolted. Sayaka dropped the Lucky Charm’s bottle cap as she fled, though Homura caught that Ladybug wasn’t running. What followed was Charlotte exploding into fiz. Homura was quite sure that what just happened was very scientifically inaccurate, but only Kyubey would claim that anything that just happened was at all based on science and Kyubey was both an alien with unfathomably advanced technology, and an Incubator, so that didn’t count. 

One Lucky Charm later, done by throwing the bottle cap into the air, and the Madoka with her fast forwarded things a bit to have all of them outside of the hospital where Charlotte often appeared. The five of them in their Magical Girl uniforms, and three of Paris’s superheroes. Ladybug, the dark-red dressed user of the Dragon Miraculous Ryuko, and the brown-suited Pegasus, who used the Horse Miraculous. 

“ You….you came!?” Her past self was astonished. Ryuko translated that into French for her two colleagues. “But you…you deleted my post. I…wrote it while delirious….on the Ladyblog….” 

“Of course I did. The Miraculous are meant to be used to help people, and it sounded like you really needed help. Walpurgisnacht and all .” Ladybug said in Italian, as if trying to feel out what languages might work better than just having Ryuko constantly translate. “ I know the admin, I had her delete the post for your secret identity. Then I had another friend, Pegasus’s pal, who's literally a computer make sure it was wiped from the web entirely.” 

“Oh, you speak Italian?” Mami replied in Italian. “ But, are you sure you should be here? What about Shadow Moth?”  

“ ...Japanese, French, and Italian…I’m lost.” Sayaka admitted. She had no languages to offer, unless they all started speaking in song. If that was the means of communicating, Sayaka would in fact be quite fluent. 

“ Let’s stick to Japanese.” Ryuko suggested.  “ As to…I think you said Shadow Moth, ” Mami nodded, “Fortunately he was recently defeated and his Miraculouses retrieved. Paris is pretty calm without his evil at play, so we have the time to try to do more good for the world at large. Your post came at an ideal time for us to find something good to do for the world in his absence.” 

The past Homura blushed as her Madoka told her that ‘ see, it wasn’t that bad at all. In fact, you did something really great!, ’ which made her blush even more. Homura could find no fault there, though she did catch something. 

“This is clearly not applicable.” The timeline was off in several clear ways. The Madoka with her smiled. 

“Oh, that’s not the point. Just watch a bit more, okay?” 

“...But if you need a happy thought, just imagine that Su-Han guy being thrown into the Carboniferous for the duration so he doesn’t cause a problem by Bunnyx, which is what happened before this.” Sayaka offered. “Nothing but swamps and millipedes his size for days.” 

The thought did make her feel a bit vindicated, she had to admit. She’d probably be more vindicated if she knew enough to know what the Carboniferous was. 

“The Miraculous and Magical Girls have a history, so our powers will be a great help to stopping Walpurgisnacht, and I can put the city back together afterwards,” Ladybug explained, which made the scared Homura pale as if she only remembered she posted about time traveling. “ Oh, by the way, don’t worry about telling us anything. We work with a time traveler all the time.” Past her both blushed and paled more, a rather bizarre talent. “So, I was thinking we could try to coordinate. It’s okay if we coordinate through Homura, right? She knows the most about Walpurgisnacht.” 

Ladybug was quick to suggest that, almost too quick. Though the only other person to catch that as her other self. 

“ Oh sure, that’s no problem at all. Though don’t hesitate to ask us for anything and we’d be happy to help you guys back in Paris with anything you need.” Mami said genuinely, though it wasn’t just Homura who knew Mami well enough to know it wasn’t just altruism motivating her or a sense of responsibility. 

“ She just wants french pastries.” Kyoko faux-whispered as Mami blushed. 

“ We’ll have plenty at the victory party.” Ladybug smiled as Mami blushed more. “ I know a really good pair of bakers. ” 

They were fast forwarded past the pleasantries, and when the scene resumed in proper time 

“....you are correct in what you believe happened to your friend in the last timeline.” Ladybug told her alternate self. They were on the top of one of Mitihara’s skyscrapers, far out of sight of her fellow Magical Girls. Other than the weak her, it was all Miraculous users, now including Cat Noir, who was holding someone unconscious in his arms. White hair was the only thing Homura could see from this person. “ When a Magical Girl either falls into complete despair and their Soul Gem turns completely black, or they completely deplete the magic within their Soul Gem without replenishing it, Magical Girls become Witches.” 

Her past self’s eyes were wide in a horror finally confirmed, while all of the heroes present looked upset about the thought, especially the ones who had seen Charlotte and now could see the girl who had become Charlotte. She however saw something else. 

“Ladybug can revive a girl from being a Witch?!” Since when could she do that?!

Madoka nodded. 

“The Miraculous Ladybug is capable of restoring any crisis to its original status. Though with a Witch, she does have to invoke the Lucky Charm during the fight first. She doesn’t have to destroy them with the Lucky Charm like what happened here, but it does need to be activated while fighting the Witch. I think it was Tart who first found that out, but there are some problems in the timestream right now at Tart’s time so Tikki didn’t remember it.” 

She had never introduced a Ladybug to a Witch that wasn’t Walpurgisnacht, had she? That…was something she had never tried. Though she now remembered the Cat Noir who had tried to intervene with his friend on his own…and she winced. Poor Adrien Agreste.

“ ....Kyubey…. ” Her past self said with a level of venom that she could respect.  

“ Also known as Incubator, according to the Kwami .” Pegasus noted with disgust. 

“They had…nothing good to say about them. They have a history.” Ladybug sounded like she had gotten the full story of the Kwami-Incubator war in Atlantis. 

“ And all for something that’s not even right. At least F….Shadow Moth was actually trying to fix something when he was hurting people. They were fixing something that wasn’t breaking, and for what?” Cat Noir sounded bitter. With how he had responded to her killing his father, how had this one reacted to discovering he was their enemy all along? Whatever it was, he still sounded hurt. 

“We need to tell them. If you guys back me up, they have to believe me. I…I kept….trying to find the words….the mirror wasn’t any help….” Her weak self started off strong, but she soon fell back into her quibbling stutters.

“And what good will that do anyone?” Ryuko asked bluntly, more bluntly than Ladybug, Pegasus, and Cat Noir had clearly expected. Her past self flinched as Ryuko continued. “In telling them this, you are being honest, but what are you actually telling them? That they are all ticking time bombs, that they are victims, that they have been committing murder? The last one I do not agree with, as Witches have already killed the Magical Girls they spawned from, but that is how many Magical Girls will see it. How does that help your friends?” 

Homura sputtered for a bit, but this version of her had something of a spine. She did start stealing from the Yakuza after all, and there was the faintest hint of her current in her as she answered. 

“Mami trusts Kyubey, so does Madoka and I’m sure Sayaka does too. I don’t…I don’t know about Kyoko. I can’t leave them at risk from hi…from it!” 

“That would work…with Madoka and Sayaka. However, from what you said in your post, Mami’s known Kyubey for years. It’s hard to change your mind on a friend like that, and she will defend him on principle.” It was Cat Noir who spoke next, sounding like the latter was from his own personal experience. “Madoka’s also honest and doesn’t seem to be the sturdiest lipped. I mean that’s fair, a lot of people are like that and they are some of the best people around, but something like this is a secret that should be kept close. Which feels a little hypocritical from us seeing as we all know it and only you do here…” 

“But being a hypocrite, and being wrong, are not the same thing.” Ryuko finished.

“There are ways to help your friends without hurting them in the process. It’s not perfect, but neither is telling them a truth that only hurts them. There is no perfect answer, but we can find the best answer if we work together. Let’s start brainstorming, but back in Paris.” Ladybug decided as her past self blinked. 

“Why Paris?” 

“Because we were not expecting this girl to be this young. We’re…going to need to think about what to do with her a bit, and no one here is both free and has babysitting experience.” Cat Noir admitted as the girl in his arms mumbled something in a dream she was in. “Also…I think she’s an orphan, so that’s going to need to be figured out.” 

The scene shifted again, though what came next didn’t have sound. It was like a video played on mute, but back in Paris at a bakery of some sorts, where Ladybug, herself, and the girl who was Charlotte were sitting at a table littered with sweets. The white-haired girl was happily eating them while a Chinese woman passed by, smiling for more than just a child’s happiness or the superhero and her two Magical Girl friends bringing in more customers. On the table with them were the Miraculouses of the Ox, Rooster, Dog, Goat, Butterfly, and Peacock, photos of the heroes Ladybug, Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Viperion, Pegasus, Ryuko, King Monkey, Vesperia, Polymouse, Pigella, Purple Tigress, and Kid Bunnyx, as well as Madoka, Mami, herself, Sayaka, and Kyoko. A few Kwami, none of whom matched the ones whose Miraculouses were on the table, were also present, with Sass, Daizii, Long, and Wayzz adding in their own two cents and enjoying what sweets were avoiding the former Charlotte’s hunger. Part of her wondered how they were all intelligible, but with the Miraculous anything was possible. 

“Shell-ter!” 

The scene then shifted again to a battle against a Witch that looked to be a giant epidermic needle. They were back in Mitakihara, closer to Walpurgisnacht, and on the fight against Witches once more. Carapace had just used his Miraculous power to block a powerful stab attack from the Witch, saving her quivering self and Rena Rouge from the attack, just as Ladybug flew down from below with a Lucky Charm that took on the form of Christmas Lights, tangling up the Witch and making it spasm and wiggle in a desperate attempt to free itself. 

“Now !” Ladybug yelled as Sayaka and Madoka jumped in, Madoka knocking arrow after arrow and firing. Not quite a Mami-approved super attack. 

“ Tempesta di Spade!” 

Sayaka’s own technique of summoning a ton of cutlasses and hitting the problem with it was a Mami approved finishing technique however, and between the two the Witch was destroyed, exploding as Ladybug landed and picked up the christmas lights. 

“You know, the one thing that gets me about christmas lights is putting them away,” Ladybug quipped in Japanese, clearly having used magic to learn it fluently in a fraction of a time loop, “this makes cleaning up afterwards a lot easier. Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Ladybug’s quip gave time for Rena Rouge to use Mirage, and as the power of the Ladybug Miraculous did its thing a Mirage was also cast over where the Witch had fallen. As everything returned to normal a flickering orange light appeared over a blond-haired girl with pigtails who lay in place of the Witch, which Sayaka and Madoka missed. Her past self looked a bit guilty, even as Carapace discretely moved towards the girl. Which was not all that discrete, but Rena Rouge was quick to jump up and congratulate Sayaka on mastering that technique and promptly began blathering about something involving archers, gates, and unlimited blade works that Homura couldn’t be bothered to follow but was clearly both genuine and a distraction as Carapace snuck off with the healed Magical Girl. 

Things fast forwarded again as the Superheroes and Magical Girls were meeting up again, the Superheroes looking like they just had a rather odd adventure. 

“....and with the clones, other clone based conspiracies, evil nuts, and shape shifting friends out seeking revenge settled with, Asunaro City should be at peace for the moment.” Ladybug finished, looking like she’d just been through a Kamihama City-level nonsense adventure, “Good news, is the Pleiades Saints should be willing to help with Walpurgisnacht. Bad news…um, maybe watch them. There is some level of…well….penance involved in getting their help” 

“Yeah, that’s Magical Girl 101. Verify, verify again, then trust but not fully.” Kyoko huffed, before reminiscing a bit. “ You know, it's been a bit since I was there. Some good fights there…though that chick with the needle still ticks me off a bit.” 

“I don’t see why, she’s really nice. It’s great to use your powers to help people like she does.” Pigella said, sounding like she’d fight Kyoko on that one if she even implied that it was a bad thing again. Kyoko and Ladybug seemed mutually surprised by that, even as Kyoko looked like she was sizing up the Pig Heroine for a fight. 

“Wishing for others…can have complicated consequences. Intentions can sometimes go wrong no matter what good they do.” Mami cautiously noted, very noticeably not looking at Kyoko as she did so, but not in a way that could be considered accusatory. Homura was aware of what Mami was thinking of and would assume the Madoka and Sayaka with her knew as well. They didn’t seem to need to have Kyoko’s backstory explained, so things continued. 

“It did allow us to test this idea that Homura and I had out in the field, and I think it worked out really well. ” Ladybug quickly changed the subject as she had Homura hold out her hand, revealing her own version of the Lizard Sentimonster. “ It’s a Sentimonster that is designed to work with your Soul Gem that Homura thought up. Sentimonsters are creations of the Peacock Miraculous that are designed to create anything you can imagine to assist you, and I thought that a living Grief Seed might be a big help. I remember Kyoko mentioning that Grief Seeds can become a problem in large groups.” 

“Yeah, she did say something like that.” Madoka remembered as she looked at Homura’s lizard, who burped out a small bit of black smoke from her weak self’s Soul gem as Madoka looked at it, keeping the gem entirely clear. “Did you really think of that Homura? That’s so smart and cool! But, why a lizard?” 

“I…I….I like lizards….” 

“Fascinating, though I’d like to test it myself. I want to see how it handles a long training session. Ladybug would you be willing to stick around for a while in case she needs her Soul Gem cleaned, and I will certainly need it. I’m going to put this Sentimonster through a lot of stress testing, it’s the only way to be sure.” Mami asked, sounding like she was giving her own version of ‘trust but verify’ in contrast to Kyoko’s. Her weak self whimpered, for a good reason. Mami could go hard on a practice round when there was a spare Grief Seed. 

“Oh, actually I can use Gift to do the same thing, so I’ll stick around instead. Oh, this is going to be neat! ” Pigella said cheerfully. 

“No problem. The Pleiades Saints already have their own, as do Yuuri and Nagisa, but it is completely fine to want to see for yourself. I know with our own powers we’d want to see a solution to the power countdown ourselves.” Ladybug said surely as she got a buzz on her Yo-Yo. “ Oh, that must be Purple Tigress and Viperion. They must have found something, it might be a Witch. We can go check that out while Homura and Mami test the Sentimonster out in full.” 

Things fast forwarded again, and now each of her friends had their own Sentimonster Lizard, though there were some hiccups. 

“....This looks weird.” Sayaka admitted about the blue lizard on her stomach. 

“ You should try to wear it like a belt. ” Mami advised, her own golden Lizard sitting on her head like a headband. 

“I can do that?” 

“Hey, I don’t have to feed this thing, do I?” Kyoko asked, sounding like she both wanted to know for ethical reasons, empathetic ones, and also about the need to share food. 

The scene shifted again, fast forwarded past more training, more fights with Witches where Ladybug always made sure to hide what Miraculous Ladybug did, and more interactions. She even saw Ladybug talking down the serial killer and her accomplice. Eventually things resumed at regular speed again in Paris, just at nighttime, where her past self was moping. Ladybug hurried over to the table, looking surprised to see her here at the moment, as well as empathetic about anything that might be troubling the weak Magical Girl. She looked ready for a hard talk. 

“....Hard day?” Ladybug asked as one of the owners of the bakery, a short Chinese woman, brought a round of pastries over. She lingered as the Homura who was miserable chewed on a pastry morosely, her lizard letting out a slow stream of purged corruption out of her Soul Gem with every nibble. 

“ ...Madoka praised me for being honest. ” Homura admitted, not looking any of them in the eye. “ We just had a test, and Sayaka was making jokes about me stopping time to get the right answers. My power doesn’t work that way, I’d need to transform and it would be really obvious. But…I’m not honest, am I? I’m lying. I’m lying to my best friend constantly….even to protect her…I feel horrible.” 

Homura knew the feeling, it was one of many emotions she’s grown numb to. It was once the most horrible of feelings, but at some point, she just stopped feeling it anymore. She hated when she thought about it anymore, because then the numbness went away. 

“....I know.” Ladybug said. “I know what it feels like. Superheroes and secret identities, it can get messy.” 

“...Can I be a good friend, really…if I keep having to lie to everyone?” The meek Homura said to the table, not Ladybug. 

“A good friend, a good person, a good daughter….it’s hard on both sides when secrets come up.” The matron of the establishment mused to herself as Ladybug looked a little embarrassed for some reason. “Homura, I can’t speak what it’s like as a Magical Girl or a Superhero, but I can talk about what it’s like on the other end. It was only after Shadow Moth was finally arrested that I found out my daughter is Paris’s most beloved superheroine after all.” 

Homura’s attention was now more focused, just as the Ladybug looked rather embarrassed. Oh…

“Homura, don’t get greedy.” Madoka teased as she paled. 

“I wouldn’t hold her hostage.” She would just go into Ladybug’s room and ambush her. Beyond it just being a lot more simple of a plan, she would rather not see what Ladybug would do to her if she held her parents hostage. She had seen what accidentally getting into a fight with her partner and injuring him and stealing his Miraculous would end in, and Homura wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what an outright furious Ladybug would be like. 

“...That’s not what I said.” Madoka said more seriously as Homura looked away. 

“I…also do not know this woman’s name or what the exterior of the bakery looks like and would have to search an entire city for Ladybug’s mother which would be a task that would be both time consuming and likely to be stopped by Bunnyx before completion.” At which point Lady Miraculous would be out for her blood and her cunning would be combined with Cat Noir’s revenge-fueled bloodlust. Homura got trapped in a time loop within a time loop being bombed by pigeons when Ladybug was trying to help her, she had no idea what would be the result of making her pissed off nor did she want to find out. 

“Valid.” Sayaka admitted, sounding like she also could guess that she was dreading what sort of unfathomable things that Ladybug would do to her if she did put her mother in any danger. 

“ As a parent, well my daughter started to miss more tasks we asked her to do. She was out of school at odd times, ran late, and sometimes seemed to end up in bizarre scenarios involving Cat Noir that went quite out of hand. It really didn’t make sense until later, when she admitted to her identity after Shadow Moth was arrested and his Miraculouses taken away. It put into context so many odd things: the random explosions, the strange behaviors within her normal behaviors, everything really. And it was…actually worse than thinking my daughter was developing bad habits. When you don’t know what the ones you care about are doing, you assume what seems logical to me. My daughter being late to school is a lot more comforting than knowing that every time I saw Ladybug on television being blown around by Stormy Weather, stabbed at by Riposte, fighting a demon in Shanghai, blasted at by Quililn…” 

“Mom, you actually…” Ladybug defended as the woman raised her hands up. 

“That was fortunate that I didn’t truly attempt to hurt you the way that so many villains do, but the what-ifs plague my nightmares now, as does every time I ever saw Ladybug get hurt that actually did happen. I…I was the last person to be turned into a villain by Shadow Moth. It wasn’t long after that until my daughter and her friends managed to learn Shadow Moth’s identity, a long story that started with a boy in London making a plea deal after his family’s secrets got out. Thinking of that day with the additional context of who I was akumatized to fight…one of the worst days of my life became the worst day of my life. Homura, I can’t claim to know you as well as your friends, but you seem to be a girl who’d I describe as nervous by nature, like several of my daughter’s friends. Personality can greatly influence if you suspect someone of lying to you. I never suspected my daughter as being Ladybug because a lot of her behaviors that were signs of her being chosen by an old man to fight a supervillain creating more of his kind out of the innocent people of Paris, and Audrey Bourgeois, were things that weren’t that out of character for her. She’s always late waking up after all…” 

“Mom….” Ladybug groaned as her mother smiled in a way that Homura didn’t quite recognize. That sort of groan…that was a parent and child interaction, right? 

“It is.” Madoka clarified for her. Oh…she could read her mind? Madoka being able to read her mind should probably worry her more than it did. Her mind was not a pleasant place.

“As I understand the situation, none of your friends have any reason to believe you are lying, and as long as you don’t give them a reason to, they won’t say anything. A shy girl being nervous to talk could mean a hundred other things before they suspect that you are hiding a dark secret from them.” 

“The Pleiades won’t say anything, they have their conditions to stay out of…well not jail but that mess they left would mean they have reasons to behave.” Ladybug said with certainty. “Yuuri, Nagisa, and the others we revived don’t remember what happened to them, and you saw how well Sayaka’s worked when she had that bad day at the hospital,” Ladybug sounded like she could both relate, and was relieved that the Sentimonsters had worked so well. “Will it be bad if they ever find out we knew but never told them, yes. It will be bad. But that doesn’t have to happen. Maybe they might learn on their own and not connect the dots, maybe they never find out. Maybe there is a solution to Witches that we can find one day. But until then, don’t think of it as lying. Protecting them is a better way of looking at it, and you ever do need to talk to someone…well we’re all only a phone call or Horse Miraculous away. Trust me, having someone to talk to who's aware of everything can do a lot for you.” 

And then they fast forwarded once more, to the day that always brought the end of things. Walpurgisnacht. The city was in ruins, and the only difference so far was the lack of death. 

Mami blasted away familiars with her countless guns while a blast of lightning was kicked away by a fireball created by a Magical Girl that Homura didn’t recognize in all orange who fought with her feet. Several more familiars who rampaged across the destroyed streets were struck down by Ryuko with her Sword, while Vesperia avoided a blast from the sky with her Top, swinging around like Ladybug before landing on top of a Familiar and tearing it apart with a single downwards kick. All of the ones present had gathered around Ladybug, and it was clear this fight had been going on for a while. Everyone looked rather tired and beat up, the Sentimonster Lizards were constantly belching out corruption from the Magical Girls Soul Gems and Carapace just used Shell-Ter against a lightning blast as a de-transformed Purple Tigress, Minotaurox, and Pegasus fed their Kwami to allow a re-entry into the fight with a shout of their transformation phrases. 

“Viperion, it’s time!” Ladybug declared as Carapace gestured to a short girl surrounded by moving teddy bears before de-transforming. It was his turn to get cover while he got back in the fight. It was Lucky Charm time. Viperion, who was alongside two Magical Girls Homura hadn’t met: one with a large book and another in aviator’s helmet, nodded.

“Second Chance!” Viperion declared as he activated his Miraculous. So now there were two time travelers at play. 

“Lucky Charm!” 

And soon would come out the clock that turned backwards and…

The Lucky Charm produced an American football, not the one she’d seen in every timeline before now in this very same fight. Homura stared at it in surprise as Ladybug looked it over for a minute, before she looked at everyone, then at Walpurgisnacht. Then she got that crazy Ladybug smirk of hers, like she saw how this was going to work. 

“Cat Noir, you’re the quarterback! Get ready to run!” 

“...Wrong position but yeah, basic idea. Got to get him up to Walpurgisnacht.” Vesperia corrected like she knew the sport better than Ladybug did. Then what they were watching hiccuped, as if someone spliced a scene in just at the tail-end of Viperion telling someone. 

“Purple Tigress!” Ladybug shouted as the Clout user ran over to Cat Noir, who nodded as he jumped into the air and spun around, as if to land where she was about to punch. Everyone else meanwhile scattered, running ahead to be ready to support this mad dash for Walpurgisnacht. 

“ CLOUT!” 

And was promptly launched into the air with the massive strike, shooting up like a rocket. From Walpurgisnacht flew down not just wind that slowed Cat Noir’s upward velocity, but also a lightning bolt aimed right at Cat Noir. Once more time seemed to hiccup, and when it was done Viperion finished saying something to Ladybug.

“Saki!” Ladybug shouted as one of the unknown Magical Girls blasted a bolt of lightning into Walpurgisnacht’s, canceling the two blasts out before Cat could be struck by the one from Walpurgisnacht. Cat Noir continued to fly as two familiars flew down next. Again time seemed to hiccup, and again when it was done doing that Viperion was done saying something to Ladybug. 

“ Madoka! Kazumi! To your left and to your right!” 

Two different shots, one from her friend and one from a girl in black, shattered the familiars. Walpurgisnacht then let out a wave of sheer force that hit like a blast from a hurricane, which halted Cat Noir’s momentum completely. Time hiccuped again, Viperion saying something to Ladybug who didn’t skip a beat. 

“Pegasus, use Voyage to teleport Cat Noir to the ruined tower to your left, the visible balcony!” Ladybug declared as a green portal formed under Cat Noir, who fell down onto the balcony instead of to the ground below. “Now Cat Noir, jump, and Ryuko use Wind Dragon!” 

Cat Noir did just that, and seconds later a cyclone shot up from the ground, rocketing Cat Noir back into the air at Walpurgisnacht once more. Meanwhile Mami was using her ribbons to help everyone climb up higher into ruined buildings to be in a better position to support Cat Noir if they couldn’t leap or vault up that way on their own. First among the ones running in support of Cat Noir’s run on Walpurgisnacht were Ladybug, Viperion, and the two unknown Magical Girls, who appeared to have some sort of support ability that was assisting the two.

“I thought that the Snake Miraculous was like my power.” Homura admitted. That was what kept making time hiccup, surely, but was Viperion really going back into again and again to get back to this exact moment? 

“It is, but on a scale of about five minutes. Infinite resets if you can bear it mentally, but in a small window.” Sayaka clarified. Oh…well she misunderstood that Miraculous’s potential. Ladybug clearly hadn’t. 

A massive tornado shot down from Walpurgisnacht next, and time hiccuped again. Clearly Ladybug and Viperion were figuring out how to stop that via trial and error, and their answer turned out to be King Monkey, who threw a stuffed black cat at the tornado and made it turn into a light fog, which Cat Noir flew through without issue. Time hiccuped again as a new storm of familiars came down as a fire started to glow from the Witch. 

“Mami, Sayaka, Kyoko, create a platform in the air for everyone! Pigella, use Gift on the familiars! Rena, distract Walpurgisnaught, Oriko, Carapace, Kazumi, Saki, Madoka, be ready on the far left and shoot them all down as they come or we’ll be in trouble.” 

Mami’s guns and Sayaka’s swords appeared mid-air, like floating platforms in a video game, quickly covered by a red barrier made by Kyoko that gave the entire thing more stability, which Cat Noir landed on with some grace and started running across. Everyone was running across the construct now, with Pigella throwing a large pink box at the familiars, which struck home and burst, the positive energy of Gift and the negative energy of a Witch familiar causing the two to cancel each other out. The fireball that was being charged up was instead fired at the Ladybug and Cat Noir, in some sort of space armor, that flew at the Witch, but the two were fakes created by the Fox Miraculous and the fireball went to waste. Meanwhile a new storm of familiars that were approaching were shot down by the murderer’s orbs firing lasers, Carapace’s thrown shield, lightning, and the duality of sniper shots. Walpurgisnacht started charging up for another massive blast of pressure, even as Cat Noir used his Staff to launch himself upwards again from the platform. Time hiccuped again, this time quite a few times, as if this last part went through a number of revisions and attempts to get it just right, before it settled on the winning move. 

“Homura! Kaoru give her a boost!” 

“On it!” Her weak self declared as the girl with the kick powers ran up to her and simultaneously got into a handstand and got Homura to stand on her upright feet before kicking her up towards Cat Noir, upon which her other self briefly froze time, unfreezing it seconds later as below Cat Noir’s feet bombs detonated, rocketing him upwards further, his staff being dropped as he flew higher before being caught by the former Charlotte who got bonked on the head with it, who nearly fell off before Mami grabbed her with a ribbon. This final blast let Cat Noir reach Walpurgisnacht’s body before the pressure attack was used again, allowing Cat Noir to strike the Witch with a glowing black hand. 

“Cataclysm!” 

The strike landed, a dark crack forming on Walpurgisnacht that quickly spread. The Witch let out a scream as the destruction spread around it, causing it to start turning to ash. Homura stared in disbelief as she watched a scenario she could only dream of happening before her eyes. Walpurgisnacht…Walpurgisnacht was falling apart. Once it was done, once the day was over and the most fearsome Witch was no more, came Miraculous Ladybug. The city was restored, everyone was returned to the ground, and all…all was right. Homura could only stare numbly, even as her weak self was the loudest to cheer in glee at the end of the battle. 

The scene was then fast-forwarded, starting again on mute, back in Paris, in a much larger room in what looked to be a fancy hotel where everyone involved, hero and Magical Girl alike, were partying. The sheer quantity of sweets available were enough so that not even Kyoko, Mami, and the girl who was Charlotte could eat them all, and dancing and feasting were everywhere. One such dance was had between her past, weak, self who had given Cat Noir the last boost to kill Walpurgisnacht, and Madoka, and her weak self looked so happy, so relieved, so complete…that it made Homura feel a new form of numb she had never felt before. 

“......” Why…why did it work out for that Homura? Homura asked no one in particular, flinching as she felt Madoka’s embrace of her tighten, but felt her tension slowly ebb away in Madoka’s arm. Though she still felt plenty of it. 

“Why does seeing that hurt you?” Madoka asked her, sounding genuinely curious. “I’ve seen worlds like this before. There was one where the Doppels worked and Walpurgisnacht instead came to Kamihama City, with everyone banding together to fight it. It ended the same way, a world where you don’t have to go back anymore and we can be together. It made me happy, why does it hurt you to see it?” 

Madoka’s words weren’t judgemental. 

“...I’m more selfish than you are. I’ve always been that way.” Homura admitted, staring at the party in another world. “Seeing her….I know this wasn’t possible. The timelines don’t work. Maybe if I were to shoot Monarch and request Ladybug and Cat Noir’s help in exchange for the Miraculouses I took from Monarch and Felix, I could do it…but it wouldn’t be the same. I’m not that girl anymore.” 

She felt Madoka’s fingers touch her Soul Gem as she talked in a comforting way. 

“...That wasn't the lesson you were supposed to get.” Sayaka told her bluntly. “This wasn’t supposed to make you feel miserable about yourself. Tell me Tra…Homura, what do you get when you take a well meaning Cat Noir trying to do something alone and it not going well, someone trying to fix things in time but not being able to and being stuck with behind the scenes trickery, and a team effort to defeat Walpurgisnacht and add them all up?” 

“....” 

“Homura, I’ll be real. I know exactly why you think you need to be strong enough to do everything alone. Heck, against pretty much anything that you run into in Japan except for Walpurgisnacht on a regular basis, you can handle it. Time travel helps, and that’s valid. Maybe you could even take down the entire Wings of Magius on your own without Mami getting possessed if you ever went that way again. But that mindset isn’t healthy. It’s not safe, it’s not going to defeat Walpurgisnacht, and it is not going to put things right.” 

Before Homura could remind this Sayaka of just why she had to be better, Sayaka continued. 

“You were hurt badly. I get it. You have seen me get hurt badly in the heart plenty of times. I. Get. It. But Homura, you can’t win alone. Are you seriously going to argue with me that you’d rather fight Walpurgisnacht on your own than without anyone else? Me, Madoka, Mami, Kyoko, Ladybug and Cat Noir, anyone else?” 

It was…never the ideal situation to do that. 

“Then why do I keep getting told to go back?” Homura asked Sayaka warily. If she was trying to make a point about going in on a massive problem alone would end badly, like it did with the Cat Noir who tried to help his friend or the Kid Bunnyx trying to save her friends, then why did the magical solution to every problem keep telling her to go back. That clearly meant she had to do something more. 

“You think what we showed you and the Lucky Charm are saying the opposite, but it’s not. You just aren’t reading it right, you or Ladybug.” Madoka explained as Homura looked back at her friend. “The Lucky Charm always tells the user how to solve the problem at hand. Sometimes it is straightforward, and other times it is rather vague. It’s also often a solution that comes in multiple parts. And it’s something Ladybug has to figure out, often in connecting what’s around her to it in an insight that only she can see. That’s what she’s doing right now. Homura, I…I need you to do something for me. Two things actually. First, Ladybug is surely figuring out what the Lucky Charm really means, and she is going to want to make a deal with you.” 

“So she’s going to help me destroy the Incubators.” Homura had no idea what on earth Ladybug had figured out she couldn’t have known already, but if it meant she was not going to have to fight her anymore, that was a good thing. That meant while Ladybug was victorious in their final battle, Homura ultimately won. 

“Probably not that exact wish. I don’t know what she’s going to decide on, but I need you to work with her with whatever she does, don’t reject it just because it isn’t perfect.” Madoka didn’t let her rebuttal. “Homura, please, stop hurting yourself.” 

That was…hard to argue. But for some reason, it was something she had to argue. If only because it was what made Homura herself at this point. 

“But I need to save you.” 

Madoka took her hands in hers. 

“Homura, there’s a lot of ways to save me.” She told her with certainty. “I know, I’ve seen many of them. Does defeating Walpurgisnacht save me, yes. Does wishing the Incubators away save me, yes. But you can’t limit yourself to a few ways. Do you have to do it the way someone else tells you to do, no. You can offer your own insights, your own concerns, but let Ladybug help you. You both know things the other doesn’t, and see things that others can’t. You two can find a better solution, because between the two of you there are so many more solutions than just you, or just me and you.” Madoka seemed sad as she reflected on that. “I came up with a solution to save Magical Girls, but I’m always happy to see people come up with their own solutions. Sometimes they are worse than what I found, and other times they are better. I want to see all of them, and I want you to help make a new solution for me to see. Help Ladybug make her own, and save me. Save yourself. Save everyone. Do it together.”

 Homura briefly looked to the other world, the one where they all were having a party. Even as everyone was doing something, from Purple Tigress playing guitar with Viperion and several former Witches (the girl who was once Elsa Maria was on drums) to the girl who did the kick attack playing a game of hacky-sack with Carapace, a girl in a black witch hat, and King Monkey. The serial killer Oriko was also there, with that minion of hers, talking with Polymouse about politics in the corner. The girl with the large book was talking with Caprikid and Rooster Bold, while the former Witch with the blond hair in large pigtails and Pigella were talking about visiting another hospital to help sick children to Pigella’s evident excitement. Her attention was most focused on a big group embrace that was led by Madoka and Mami. Madoka had gotten her counterpart and Sayaka in it, while Mami was smiling and holding Kyoko too tightly to get away, who was pouting but looking much happier than she was trying to outwardly. Homura stared at the hug for a while, even as her weaker self got more into it after a bit and returned Madoka’s hug and Kyoko, as discreetly as possible, tried to get her hand near Sayaka’s. 

“....Yes.” Homura finally said. The Madoka here with her smiled. 

“Great, I know you’ll do it. I trust you. You always keep your promises. Though speaking of…there’s one thing I want to tell you, before you go back to Paris. I’m sorry.” 

Homura blinked. 

“Sorry?” 

The Madoka with the golden eyes didn’t look her in the eyes. 

“...I shouldn’t have asked you to kill me. That was terrible of me,” Homura tried to interrupt but Madoka looked her in the eyes, “no Homura, it was. I was in a lot of pain, I was scared of hurting anyone, but you were going to reset time. I couldn’t have hurt anyone.” 

“You didn’t know that.” Homura was quick to reassure Madoka. 

“....I see other worlds Homura. I know how you are when I don’t ask you that.” Madoka said bluntly. “Homura, I screwed up. I hurt you. That was terrible of me. I just want you to know that, on behalf of every Madoka, I’m sorry.”

“Madoka, you only screwed up once, I sc…” 

“...Urgh, drop the mutual apology fest, you are both sorry. Before this turns into an endless loop, just hug it out.” Sayaka intervened as the two looked at each other. 

“But we’re already…ah of course.” 

And Homura was promptly hugged more, and she returned it as the area around them began to distort. Madoka, still holding on, seemed sad. 

“Well, I guess that’s it. That’s all the time we have. Homura, I know you’ll do great. I trust you.” Madoka said sadly as the party was no longer visible, just the swirling shadows and blue and green light. 

“Don’t mind the mask. It’s just insurance because it's you.” Sayaka ominously warned as her Miraculouses started glowing as if reactivating. 

“Homura, make sure you're happy. Do it for me, and your Madoka.” Madoka requested as she and Sayaka faded away, dissolving into the last wisps of shadow, blue, and green as Homura found herself, once more transformed with all of her Miraculouses, back in Paris. The Eiffel Tower had still shifted from its usual location via the Dog Miraculous, the destroyed turrets lay around it, and Lady Miraculous was back as well…but with Bunnyx, a de-transformed kid Bunnyx, some girl with a lot of hair in plaid, an older version of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a Magical Girl who was both a knight and using the Ladybug Miraculous, and another female warrior with her own Cat Miraculous. Somehow, Paris still made even less sense than meeting with a golden-eyed Madoka….

“Negotiation!” 

Lady Miraculous suddenly shouted as soon as she was done with about a second of being surprised at her healed arm, and while Homura briefly thought it was just a very weird way of starting talks, the mask on Lady Miraculous’s face glowed. Homura instinctively made to stop time, but it seemed like just seeing whatever miraculous the mask was set its power into play, and Homura felt something growing on her face. A mask. It formed in an instance, and Homura found her face covered in a mask as her entire body…well she felt like she was under some sort of spell. Not like a witch’s kiss, but enough that she knew she no longer was in full control of her body and possibly mind.  Though her mask’s eye hole she saw Lady Miraculous’s mask had changed, now looking like a replica of Ladybug’s regular face. She’d assume hers was similar. 

“We both are now under the power of the Miraculous of the Deer, powered by the Kwami of Diplomacy with the power of Negotiation. Now that we are both under this power, our current conflict must be solved by debate and compromise. We can no longer settle it in violence, we must reach an agreement and we will both be bound to accept the outcome no matter what it is.” Lady Miraculous declared, an odd effect in her voice that made it seem more..mystical for lack of a better word. One more strange power was now in play. Though if how she described it was accurate, which she had no reason to dispute, Homura could guess why she didn’t use the power earlier.

“Very well.” Homura declared, and it felt like an oath had been sworn on her very being. It was the faintest bit similar to making her contract with Kyubey, though far less painful. She could feel a strange sensation in her Soul Gem, one that did not allow her to be oblique about anything. “My position has not changed. I must save Madoka Kaname’s life from the Incubators, and I will not accept an outcome that does not definitively accomplish it.” 

…

“Madoka! Madoka!” Tatsuya cheered, recognizing his sister’s name being said by this superpowered girl. Said sister’s friends just stared at the television in disbelief and more than a little horror. 

…

“My position that I cannot allow you to wish the Incubators away entirely has not changed. A Wish like that will very likely tear the universe apart. However, circumstances have changed.” Lady Miraculous declared, and Homura was reminded of what the other Madoka had said. What had changed? “I have learned about damage that the Incubators have inflicted upon the universe itself as a result of their actions, and the true meaning of the Lucky Charm you have seen me and Scarabella manifest in our various battles with Walpurgisnacht without fail.” Lady Miraculous declared. “Therefore, while I cannot allow you to make your initial Wish, a Wish is required to repair the universe. Time itself is becoming unstable.”

A small part of Homura wondered if she fit anywhere in that ‘time becoming unstable’ problem, though she was not able to ask. She couldn’t, the Miraculous seemed to prevent it.  

“That is a serious problem, but how does it relate to my goals? Saving Madoka’s life is not just a matter of fulfilling two promises made to her over a hundred iterations of time ago, but also a matter of protecting the world. To protect Madoka is to protect the world, as I’m sure Bunnyx told you. She’s seen my failures. The Incubators are a threat to her and the world, and per your own claims a threat to space and time as well. But if you cannot accept their erasure from the past, present, and future, what solution do you have that would accomplish both?” She would be willing to hear it out per the Golden-eyed Madoka’s request of her, and now she had to because of this Miraculous’s power, but what could Lady Miraculous possibly have in mind that would work. The superheroine nodded. 

“My plan is simple. The Incubators have only been able to damage the universe in their erroneous attempt to prevent entropy because they have victims to exploit. Without their victims, they would be powerless. My solution is simple, we make a Wish that starves the Incubators out of not just this planet, but every other planet they exploit!” 

Homura felt a strange sense of…direction in her soul, like the concept of diplomatic solutions itself, of compromise, was nudging her to see what Lady Miraculous was going for. It sounded like an audacious plan…but it was also from the mind of Ladybug. All of her plans were at a minimum audacious, at their maximum born from madness. 

“How do you plan on doing so? The Incubators exploit species across the universe, not just humankind. They lurk in the shadows and prey on people at their most vulnerable, they exploit the naive, and guide them to their doom when they have no more use for them.” Homura inquired, wanting details before she agreed to anything. If this was a binding contract, she wanted to know how step one led to the end result instead of trying to figure out how she was foiled by a jar of jumping beans weeks later. Lady Miraculous was not daunted by the task of explaining her plan. 

“Homura Akemi, our Wish must be to have the Miraculouses be completed before the war with Atlantis! Instead of eliminating the Incubators and risk destroying the universe, we’ll replace their targets’s ability to be exploited by them with a true blessing, and grant them the power of the Kwami instead! Instead of becoming Magical Girls, they will become superheroes given powers by the Kwami! They will no longer be part of the Incubator’s destructive plans for the universe, they will be fully independent of their powers and everyone who would be their targets, on every planet in the universe, will instead be granted the powers of the Miraculouses!” 

…

On a train in Central Asia, Su-Han’s apoplectic noises could not be properly articulated, though anyone who did hear them would be rightfully worried he might tear apart his own heart through sheer, uncomprehending rage and disbelief. He’d been like this for a while now. 

….

In her apartment Mami dropped her tea cup, her favorite drinking vessel shattering on her table as she heard what Lady Miraculous said. She was going to do…

“ WHATTTTTT?????!!!!! ” Kyubey suddenly spoke up, sounding for the first time in the years that Mami had known him like he was shouting. He then devolved into gibberish, ranting and raving and almost looking like he was about to start tearing her apartment apart like he was Kyoko or something. Why…why had what Lady Miraculous said affected him so much. Shouldn’t it be a problem that only an Incubator…

“.........” 

Mami didn’t say a word or even think a conscious thought as she turned into her Magical Girl form and used her ribbons to form a gun and pointed it at Kyubey as he had fallen onto her floor in his rage. 

There would be no time for the police to be called over the gunshot that echoed through her apartment complex from the home of a rich but orphaned heiress. 

…

“How will that work?!” Homura demanded. What made an audacious plan like that worth agreeing to? The idea of why the Kwami would outdo the Incubators was sound, the Incubators could not compete with actually empathetic beings, but how was it even supposed to work? How was that supposed to save Madoka, and if it couldn’t why would she agree to it at all? Lady Miraculous held up the Rabbit Miraculous for emphasis as she explained. 

“Now, in this present reality, the Miraculouses are the singular concentration point of both the Kwami’s limitless power and their tangible existence where living creatures can see and touch them. Only one person gets the power at any given time however, and that power is limited. Monarch and I were only able to find the most minor of additional uses for powers that are meant to be limitless. With the Wish, I propose we uncap that power and let the Miraculous reach their full potential. Not as the singular concentrations of power with a bottleneck, but the central node of salvation that spans the entire universe! The central and limitless server of a service that is truly forever and accessible to anyone! Anyone who needs power will be able to receive powers from the Miraculous to become heroes or just to save their lives from tragedy. No matter the place or the time, or who or what needs the power. Where an Incubator might prey on the desperate and the needy, the Kwami will get there first. The creation of Witches will not be the intended end result, the sanctity of life and the goodness inherent to us all will be, all empowered by the pure power of the universe, of genuine kindness, will drive the Incubators away from sheer competition, a competition they cannot match! 

“The Miraculouses were never truly completed, they were held back by the necessity to fight the Incubators thousands of years ago. If it wasn’t for that, they would have achieved a greater state than they currently exist in. I see what the Miraculous could be, and I know the struggles of the Kwami to be restricted to their Miracle Boxes and isolated from the very people they wish to help so often. This wish can help everyone who suffered because of the Incubators and countless others.” Lady Miraculous declared. And yes…Homura could see how that might save Madoka. If the Kwami were to appear to her instead of Kyubey when she saved that cat…

“Are you willing to deprive yourself of power?” Homura inquired, curious about what this would do to the Miraculous users if the Miraculouses were giving power to others. Was that part of the wish too? Lady Miraculous shook her head. 

“That will not happen. The Miraculouses will not be destroyed or rendered redundant. They will remain as a means for anyone to have power as necessary, guarded by the Order of the Guardians as they are in this timeline. But the Kwami will not be as isolated, and the long history of strife between Guardians and Magical Girls will never come to pass. I could imagine the Miraculous themselves to be the truest embodiment of each Kwami’s power gifted to a person, I could see that as a side effect, but even a fraction of the infinite power of a Kwami is surely enough to replace every possible deal an Incubator has ever made.” 

“The Incubators are relentless. I can speak from experience how much they persist after their prime targets.” Homura had killed many of them in one night to protect Madoka countless times. It took a lot of killing to get Kyubey to go away. “And not every target is in true danger or need when they make such deals. How will they be protected?” 

“The Kwami would be able to sense anyone who needs their help, whose needs match their own virtues and powers. The Incubators are a danger to life just as a fire or a car crash would be, the Kwami will come to protect those at risk of losing their souls and their lives to them. This new system would also not discriminate. Young and old, male and female, anyone who needs help that the Incubators could prey on will be protected by this new system of miracles. And when it becomes impossible for them to get their easiest and best victims, would they even bother keeping it up? You know the Kwami will not hesitate to protect anyone from the Incubators, even if their wishes are minor.” 

Homura nodded. 

“They were hesitant, for the most part, to relish in the death of Monarch, but wiping out the Incubators they were all okay with. Though the Incubators are persistent and fully convinced in themselves. They won’t change their goals for as long as they are convinced they are doing what needs to be done. They see humans, and surely every other species in the universe, as cattle, not equals. How will you be sure they won’t try some new scheme?” 

“I cannot be sure, but there is one thing that I have learned as Ladybug in particular that makes me sure that the Incubators won’t win. I’ve learned that most people are inherently good. There are those who aren’t, like Chloe Bourgeois, Monarch, and Felix Fathom, but among those I have found to be allies I can trust include a former bully who became King Monkey, a love rival who became Ryuko, and a sycophant who became Miss Hound. Two of your own enemies, Oriko Mikuni and Kirika Kure, have fought evil in other timelines like the noblest of heroes. Pretty much everyone who I have trusted with power had shown themselves worthy of being a hero even without their Miraculouses, and they continued to do so afterwards with and without their Miraculouses. We’ve battled and worked together in equal measure across sixty timelines. Those who I, Cat Noir, and others battle are nearly always good people, not actively malicious. They’ve stood up for what is right for months against Monarch and others who would bring harm to Paris time and time again, in large and small ways, as have many hundreds, no thousands, no millions here in Paris. Not every time, and not everyone, but I am certain that in the end, the vast majority of people will always do the right thing, and doubly so when they have the power to do so. Not just in Paris, not just in Mitakihara, but everywhere in the universe. With more people with powers, and the resources around them like their own wit and the Guardians, if the Incubators were to try anything, I know for a fact they would be opposed. They were without this wish, and with this wish they will accomplish even less.”

It was hard to explain, but it felt like the power of Negotiation was guiding her through this. Every complaint she could think of that was valid, not just the instinctive scar-tissue that would tell her to do it herself, was guided out of her system. This plan was crazy, she was sure Lady Miraculous knew it was crazy, but Homura knew the Kwami would protect people from the Incubators. If the Miraculouses could work as intended, as seen by Lady Miraculous, and she had no reason to think that they couldn’t be made to work like that, this would work. At absolute minimum Madoka would be protected by a herd immunity persisting over the entire universe making the Incubators just go and try something else to ‘save the universe’, and at worst if that cat got hit by a truck again, a Kwami would appear, not Kyubey. Would she be able to ask more questions if Madoka hadn’t asked her to keep an open mind? Homura wasn’t sure. Maybe…maybe she really believed that this superheroine could actually do it. Her madness always did seem to win in the end after all. 

There were only two other things she wanted to ask that the power would let her ask. 

“What if someone wants both the powers of the Kwami and of the Incubators?” Like that blonde false Ladybug. 

“Most likely, they’d be someone who seeks power to use maliciously, an error in judgment who would be meant to be solved like any supervillain.” Lady Miraculous said confidently. Fine enough. There was a final question she wanted an answer for. 

“I want to have a chance to be with my friends again. Will that be possible?” The question came from the depth of her heart. She’d be happy if she was just with Madoka again, but Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka…it would be perfect. And it was a question she was able to ask. 

“Yes.” Lady Miraculous said with certainty. “You will need to meet them again, and you will need to become their friend once more. But if you are free of the time loops, and have all the time in the world again, I believe it is possible. You will also need to live your life again, I can tell you with certainty that…”

“Madoka would want that, and is sorry she made me promise to save her, I know.” Homura said solemnly, wondering how Lady Miraculous also knew that. She was clearly surprised to find out that Homura knew that herself. Had she also met the Madoka with the golden eyes? 

“...and also I will expect you to make it up to Cat Noir for attacking him.” The last part was non-necogicable, evident in Lady Miraculous’s tone,, and she felt the nudge of the power at hand. This was the last step, and it was…an acceptable agreement. 

“...Very well.” 

“Then it is agreed.” 

“Indeed.” Homura declared, and it felt like a promise settled into her, and she idly noted a glow coming from her Soul Gem. The mask on her face fell off, disintegrating alongside the one that had formed over Lady Miraculous’s original mask, which she removed as the Kwami within popped out. 

“Let's….do it.” Lady Miraculous said with an impending sense of both purpose and dread. “Let’s…let the rest of the Kwami out. Could you start with Trixx?” 

She would normally suspect trickery, but she felt a certainty in this. This was not a trick. With the command of ‘Trixx, Let’s Rest’ the necklace flashed and Trixx popped out, though unlike the Deer Kwami Trixx did not stay by her side but rushed to the girl with the poofy hair, embracing her. Ah, that was why. That girl must be Rena Rouge.

Lady Miraculous came closer, this time letting out a few more Kwami from her transformed state in the form of a Rattlesnake, Bear, and Falcon Kwami. She did the same, letting out Sass, Barkk, and Nooroo. 

“This…this has to be done.” Sass admitted, looking around solemnly. “It is…unfortunate, but there was no good solution to this. I wish there was another solution, but if it can make a better world, lets see what comes of it.” 

“Well, as long as I never have to see either Felix or Gabriel ever again, I’ll risk it. Thanks for getting a good hit on both of them.” Barkk was also solemn, but thankful to her. 

“I…I wish we met in better circumstances, but…thank you. For letting me apologize to Paris, and freeing us.” Nooroo quietly told her. Homura nodded, wondering if she was smiling. She…was bad at that. 

The two of them, Lady Miraculous and Homura Akemi, continued to walk towards each other, shedding Kwami as they approached. As they got closer, she noticed Bunnyx looking down at her feet before being given a reassuring hug from her fellow older Miraculous users, and the knight in the Ladybug Miraculous praying, but not in a sad way. The one with the Cat Miraculous was more solemn, but looked accepting. The girl with Trixx looked like she was pondering dreadful things, as was kid Bunnyx. Was this really going to be that different from her going back in time?

The Kwami leaving their Miraculouses felt both fast, and slow, at the same time. This…this was it. This was really… really it . She…she might just have done it after so long…

Eventually she, with just the Cat Miraculous active, and Ladybug, who now only had her signature Miraculous, met face to face. It was time to make a wish. 

“Before we do this…is your name Marinette?” She asked the superhero. She looked surprised, but she nodded. It was her name. “Marinette…let’s save Madoka, let’s save everyone.” 

“Everyone since Atlantis.” Marinette agreed. And so it began.

….

It did not take long into the wish for Homura to realize that yes, it was quite different from what she did when she went back in time. The Kwami had a point. 

…

She woke up in a familiar hospital room. Her calendar again said nine days until she was back in school again. She got up, the glasses were back on her face and her hair was braided once more. The hotel room was like it always was. A part of Homura, a part of her that was suspicious, wondered if anything had actually happened. That part was irrational. She had seen what that Wish was, it was no illusion. So her eyes, once more hidden behind glasses, looked to her hand. A hand without a ring. Her heart skipped a beat. No ring…

She hopped out of bed and threw her blankets off, looking for any Soul Gem. Her bed was completely empty of anything. Nothing. 

Her body felt weak, but she didn’t care. She ran for the mirror, looking at herself. It…it was done. It was done. It was done. She stared at herself, and her weak self stared back. The glasses and the braids, she reached for her braids and started undoing them. It was done, it was done, it was done. 

And now she just had to be sure. But she felt, in that weak heart she started this all out with, that it was done. She just needed to see it for herself. 

…

It was always too easy to get out of the hospital, even without magic, but if she didn’t have it she left the glasses on. Her hair was unbraided, the red glasses on her face took a bit to get used to again, but she managed. Her eyes needed them, and she had mastered composure enough that it wasn’t too hard to avoid dropping them. She first visited that bridge where it had all started. Where the first Witch had attacked her, all of those timelines ago. She walked the bridge several times fully along its length, looking for any sign of a hidden danger, but nothing came. The bridge was quiet, and there was no Witch here. Yes. 

They…were they all gone? She…she needed to see more of their favorite haunts. 

She knew where Witches tended to appear, she checked location after location. She’d built a map in her mind after nearly a hundred and fifty loops, she knew where all of them liked to lurk. And they…they were nowhere to be seen. The town was completely free of them. She could, if she wanted to be sure, go farther afield, but she felt it was unnecessary. Mitakihara had never lacked for Witches, and if she couldn’t find any of them…

She stopped after crossing an intersection, taking a moment to just look up at the city skyline, as the sun shined down and warmed everything in light. It…it really was over. Madoka…she did it. You were finally safe. She finally, truly, protected Madoka.

Her eyes were closed, and she just soaked in the sun, a warm that truly soaked into her body for once. Her body felt warm, truly alive once more. She had no idea how long she stood there like that, or how many people probably stared at her like she was some weirdo. She didn’t care when people she knew thought she was horrible, what were strangers thinking that? She earned soaking in the sun into her living body for the first time in…

The sound of squealing tires, the screams of the crowd, her attention returned to the world around her as a disaster was imminent. A car was racing too fast, an old man was still in the street. Instincts, ones that never went away despite her coldened heart, flared up as she instinctively made to transform and freeze time, even as her mind remembered that it wouldn’t…

Everything became gray. 

Homura stared at the frozen city, once more put at pause with her power, as she looked down and saw that her shield was back. Her magical girl costume was back. The Miraculouses were gone, as was her Soul Gem, but she was a Magical Girl again. A Magical Girl without a Soul Gem. 

She stared at herself in shock, but time was still frozen and an old man was about to be hit, so she ran at him and pulled him out of the street before unfreezing time. The man let out a horrified wheeze as the car sped on by, the driver clearly shocked yet relief was visible in his eyes that the old man was out of the way. Everyone around her was staring at her in shock, and she caught their words coming out in a storm. 

“That girl saved that man, but how did she do it? Is she super fast, or something else?” 

“She’s Gifted, just like Capranastro

“But her outfit looks different from the rest.” 

She could care less if they saw her, but what they were saying confused her. Gifted? A strange outfit? Capranastro? Attention continued to be all around her, and Homura froze time again. She…she would go figure out what they were talking about somewhere quieter. Also if she did still have her powers, she was going to fix her eyes and touch up her heart. 

…

After some self-applied eye and heart surgery, Homura looked her outfit over. It was, as far as she could see, her Magical Girl outfit. The lack of the Soul Gem, and the Miraculouses, was the only thing that had changed about it. She even still had her supplies, as she idly pulled out a pillow she had stocked up in case she would have had to go kill Gabriel Agrestre again. She idly noted the various grenades, mines, stun grenades, rocket launchers, grapes, umbrellas, paintball guns, and other tools that she had acquired across time, before noting that there were some additional things missing. The Grief Seeds she had stored away were absent, for example. No Witches, no Soul Gems, no Grief Seeds. One Magical Girl. Homura Akemi, the last Magical Girl in existence. How ironic. 

Her powers felt different, she had also noticed. The power to stop time and to transform, as well as to fix her body where necessary, came from herself. She was the source of her power, not her Soul Gem. It was a slight distinction, but it was something that might become important one day. She couldn’t just run forever on Grief Seeds and a Sentimonster lizard, but if she did ever tire herself out, there was no Witch in her future. She’d just sleep for a week and eat like Kyoko afterwards or something. 

“Hey! Look look! It’s her!” A voice she didn’t recognize shouted as Homura prepared to stop time, until she saw who was approaching. For one, they were coming by the rooftops, so they weren’t just regular people. The second was that she recognized who was behind the eager child darting towards her, even behind a mask. 

It was the child who landed first, and Homura recognized her as the girl who would have become Charlotte. The long white hair, the yellow and orange eyes, and the trumpet weapon she used were all the same. But there was a lot about her costume that was different, one point in particular being that her outfit now had a lot of touches that Homura would consider goat-like, or more accurately, like what the Goat Miraculous did when it mixed with a Magical Girl uniform. The girl’s hat, instead of cat ears, looked more like it was imitating goat horns, while the edges of her boots and poncho were lined with fur like the Goat Miraculous would typically provide to its uniforms. A mask covered her face like it would with Ladybug and other Miraculous users, being the same color as the poncho with a black edge. Under her poncho was a black and white undersuit, and a goat buckle was on her pants. A little bell, like one would put on a goat, hung at her collarbone, a lot like Cat Noir’s bell. 

More distinct were the differences that Homura saw in her older companion’s outfit, mostly because she was quite familiar with what Mami Tomoe was supposed to look like. Mami Tomoe lacked her Soul Gem, and her hat now had two little tufts on it that stood up enough to somewhat resemble goat horns instead of one that hung down. A black, white, and yellow mask adorned Mami’s face, while fur marked the edges of her sleeves, blouse, and leggings. The white ribbon on her back instead ended in a goat-like tail of fluff, and the yellow ribbon around her neck looked stronger than it did at first glance. That ribbon was the death of a hundred Witches, but now it looked more the part of a deadly weapon. It almost made Homura think of a Miraculous Tool. Mami chuckled as she landed. 

“Yeah, that’s right Little Kid, it is her. Ladybug was right about when she’d arrive.” Mami smiled, her use of the term ‘Little Kid’ sounding like a nickname instead of a dismissive term. It was said far too affectionately to be otherwise. Mami looked at her with friendly eyes, something she hadn’t seen in… how long? 

“Hello, and welcome to Mitakihara. Ladybug said that you’d be coming here today. My name is Mami Tomoe, though a lot of people here know me as the local Gifted Superhero Capranastro, Gifted of the Goat. This is Nagisa Momoe, my Little Kid. Kid as in Goat, as she’s also a Gifted of the Goat. Your name is Homura Akemi, right?” Mami greeted, greeting her warmly like she hadn’t in many, many loops of time. 

Homura nodded, not sure about what some of those words mean. Gifted of the Goat, that meant the Goat Miraculous, right? And Ladybug, did she already know what was going on? Did she just ‘wake up’ today, had she remembered for a while, did she always remember. Perhaps the Kwami weren’t wrong when she said didn’t get what a Wish meant at all, and not just because it was a lot more extreme in its effects than her own time rewinds. 

“That is correct. Apologies I am…new to all of this. I’ve come from far away. It’s a very long story.” Homura instinctively threw up some cover for when she inevitably said something wrong. 

“Oh don’t worry, Ladybug said you’d probably be very lost.” Nagisa said nicely. “Because you’re from Atlantis.” 

Homura just stared at the girl. What? 

“She’s not from Atlantis.” Mami assured her…protege? Ward? Adopted orphan? 

“But Ladybug said she’s like she doesn’t know anything about anything until after Atlantis, so she has to be from Atlantis.” Nagisa surmised. 

“No, that was specifically in regards to the Gifted, she knows plenty of other things. She knows what Japan and France are, she knows about the Kwami and Miraculouses, it's just the one thing she needs to be brought up to speed on.” Mami reminded her ward patiently. 

“That’s really bizarre.”

Mami nodded, not dismissing the point. 

“Oh it is, but that’s besides the point. Ladybug asked us to fill you in on what you don't already know, so be free to ask any question that comes to mind. Maybe at our apartment, it's good to do these sorts of things over a cup of tea.” Mami said in a way of invitation. A cup of tea with Mami with nothing hanging over either of their heads but mutual curiosity….

“That would be lovely.” Homura agreed.

…

Mami’s apartment felt more…real and lived in. Homura had always known that Mami’s existence beyond being a Magical Girl was…limited. The apartment often reflected that, an expensive apartment for many, since becoming home only to one girl and a Incubator who didn’t pay rent or contributed as anything but (apparently) pleasant company. Expensive furniture and nice tea cups, but it all often seemed to be in stasis, kept looking good out of a sense of duty rather than a true attachment to it as a lived-in space. It was hard to explain without pondering Mami’s exact mental state. Homura had done so once to understand what had happened in the third timeline, but that was a long time ago and she probably made a few errors in her assessments…

This apartment was different though. The glass table and the fancy tea cups were still there, but there were things in the apartment that were new, that were bought because they were wanted. There was disorder, but it was a lived in disorder. If they were because of Nagisa, directly or indirectly, her presence here was clearly felt. The tea was as good as ever, naturally, Mami made good tea when she lived a life in limbo and with an actual life the tea did not get worse. In fact, the tea had something more to it now. 

“...Why do you have camembert cheese if you’re from Atlantis?” Nagisa asked as she consumed all of the cheese she had grabbed from the old reality at a speed that was frankly frightening. “Camembert’s only a few centuries old.” 

She’d take the girl’s word for it. She was not a cheese expert and if Nagisa happened to share an interest in that stuff with the Kwami of Destruction and was willing to make it go away, good for her. Sharing cheese was a polite thing to do when meeting your former mentor for the first time in a brand new world. What she would not just leave be is the part about her being from Atlantis. 

“Why do you think I’m from Atlantis?” She asked the little girl, who had since de-transformed, as had Mami and Homura. This Atlantis thing kept coming up. 

“Because you have a transformation that’s like a Gifted but it’s not. It doesn’t have any Miraculous animal themes to it at all. No Goats, no Woodpeckers, no Tigers, no Bears, nothing. You also don’t seem to know what a Gifted is. The people who saw you help that old man noted you seemed confused about it. I read about people like you in books, there haven’t been any people like you since the war against Atlantis.” Nagisa summed up. 

“People like me?” Homura repeated. 

“Are you a Magical Girl? Where’s your jewel?” 

Homura wasn’t sure what her expression was, but it seemed to clue in Mami that the term wasn’t just some random bit of nonsense like her being from Atlantis. Nagisa’s words meant something this time. Homura sipped her tea and steadied her nerves. This was the first meeting all over again, don’t do anything to make it as bad as the rest of them were. You had a chance to have Mami as a friend again, she couldn’t ruin it. 

“I’ll…explain as best I can. I do not know what you know, so if there are any inaccuracies, they are not meant in malice or deception.” Homura began cautiously, well aware that her meetings with Mami often got thrown off and turned unintentionally hostile because of something she missed. With no clear sign of her having said something wrong this time, she continued. “I know Ladybug, but I did not meet her before in linear time. I am someone whose powers relate to time.” 

“Oh, so you’re just like the times she’s met Tart.” Nagisa guessed. That name again…

“Not the worst comparison.” Homura rolled with it. If Tart was that knight who prayed before the Wish, though if she was actually that knight it was just Homura guessing, then clearly she and Bunnyx were not alone in temporal spanning missions. “But no, I am not from Atlantis. And yes…I was a Magical Girl.” 

Homura changed into her Magical Girl form before holding her hand out for Mami and Nagisa to look at. 

“I did have a ‘jewel’, but it is no longer around. If I’m still one without it, I don’t know. Though be free to consider me one for ease of reference, as I suspect the terminology debate may turn pedantic.” 

“Well that’s good that the ‘jewel’ is gone. Everything I’ve ever read about it about those makes them sound horrible.” Mami said, both clearly empathetic at the idea of having a Soul Gem and curious about who Homura was. 

“They were.” Homura agreed. 

“The last Magical Girls were around during the war that destroyed Atlantis. They were all the victims of the Balancers, who alternatively blindly served their masters or rebelled against them with the original Guardians, the first Gifted, and the very first Miraculous Holders.” Mami summarized briefly, revealing without realizing it the efficiency of the wish. The Miraculous might have taken time to be made, but they had been made, and as a result there were no longer any Magical Girls. “It’s been thousands of years since that war, and there haven’t been any Magical Girls ever since. The Balancers have since changed their tactics.” 

“Balancers?” Homura repeated. 

“I’ve never seen one myself, but I’ve seen their work. They appear before those with dark desires: grievances, pettiness, spite, the darkest of emotions, and grant them the power to bring those emotions to life as sources of power, as monsters from themselves or those they render unwitting progenitors of further monsters. Their name gives those with such dark desires a feeling of legitimacy where they truly don’t have a claim to it at all.” Mami explained. “Gifted such as myself and Nagisa have it as our duty and responsibility to defeat these monsters and to expunge their creations, victims and ultimately the creators of the Balancer’s Brands that grant them their curses and their powers respectively. Brands for the monsters created from the darkest emotions, Brands hidden upon victims who unwittingly bring pain to themselves and others, and Brands for those who orchestrate it all. In doing so we also take the energy all of these various Brands generate for the purposes of a false balance and change it into a form safe for the universe.” Mami took a sip of her tea. “You can turn that energy into almost anything you want with practice. I often turn it into tea, just out of curiosity. Different negative emotions have their own flavors you see.” 

“I make it into sweets!” Nagisa cheerfully gave a second example.  So, the Incubators were still around, as she expected, and yet their influence was countered. She would have to see just how effective it was, but…Homura had to admit, the idea of taking that emotional energy they harvested people for and turning it into anything else was cathartic. If Kyubey, if that was even the name still used, was around and she ever caught the creature in a net again, she’d like to drink that tea made out of the very energy they sought after to the expense of all others in the universe while the creature watched. Then shoot the little monster. 

“I believe I knew the Balancers as Incubators.” Homura explained as Mami nodded, as if vaguely familiar with the name. “In the history I know, the Incubators remained active into the modern era. I sought out Ladybug to save those I loved from them, at times as both ally and enemy, and succeeded in the end with her help. And now I am here, my mission achieved.” Homura took another sip of tea. “I was on that mission for a long time, and now that it is over, I admit I will have to figure out what to do with myself. I’ve already basked in making my wish come true for a while after all.” 

“Well that explains why Ladybug said to look out for you.” Mami surmised, smiling. She continued as Homura looked at her curiously. “She said you’d probably be lost, and that you’d have to figure out what to do with yourself. I thought she just wanted you to join the two of us in patrolling Mitakihara, but actually she has something special in mind for you. Now, you probably don’t know what this means, but Ladybug intends to appoint a Guardian to oversee the Gifted in Japan soon, as well as to watch over a Miracle Box and its Miraculouses to give out as necessary. She has a candidate in mind, but they are going to be new to the job so if there just so happened to be someone experienced with powers around, they’d make a great assistant to help them learn the ropes, and to give her some additional help in some trickier places. Kamihama City can be a bit of a hot mess, for example, and an extra hand in getting that under control would be quite helpful.” 

There was a lot to unpack in that explanation, and Homura wasn’t sure where to start. 

“Why not appoint you to the position?” She started with a simple one to see where it went. What made Mami not acceptable as a Guardian? Mami chuckled. 

“Oh, it’s an old policy, one of the ones that Ladybug decided to keep around. Guardians are typically not Gifted, even if they might become Gifted later. Ladybug prefers to give as many people a chance to make a difference in the world as possible. I already can, so I don’t need to also be in charge of a Miracle Box and partner with a Kwami the way someone else might.” Mami explained. So, that implied that the Guardians as she had dealt with them were gone, but hadn’t always been. If that was the case, to any extent, originally she couldn’t remember, but if that meant she was spared Su-Han she’d take it. It also implied that Ladybug was Mami’s boss, and she raised that one next. Mami chuckled at that. 

“More like…supervisor. She was trained by the last Guardian, Fu, as his successor and was responsible for putting things back together. The original order was destroyed over a hundred years ago by a Balancer conspiracy, and Fu spent most of the time since the destruction of the Guardian’s original temple uncovering, destroying, and dismantling it, and while people like myself still gained powers in the meantime, we were all a lot more isolated than we’ve historically been. Only the Kwami who granted us our powers could grant us advice and connect ourselves to others not met by chance, and they can’t answer every question or easily direct assistance to us. By the time Fu finished unraveling that mess, Hawk Moth appeared in Paris with the two lost Miraculouses and Fu had to spend the rest of his time directing Ladybug and Cat Noir, who in turn began to reform the connections. It’s still ongoing, and it's a lot of work. It’s no wonder she thinks her intended appointee needs help, she probably does and Ladybug is well aware of how much work it is.”

Fu was the old man in the tacky shirt, Homura guessed. 

“Do you know who the Guardian will be?” 

Mami smiled. 

“A girl named Madoka Kaname, she’s actually in the same school I go to, just a year younger. It’s also the school you’ll be transferring to, what are the odds?” 

It took everything she had to not outwardly react to that. Ma… Madoka. She was going to be…Ladybug had….she was going to work for….what?!

Her skills at hiding her emotions let Mami completely miss her internal reactions and continue on as if she wasn’t a chaotic mess inside at the idea. 

“I looked into her on my own after Ladybug mentioned it. She seems like a nice girl, and Ziggy says that she has incredible potential. She’s even comparable to Ladybug in that way, in fact she might even have greater potential than the Heroine of Paris. However that niceness is something that is going to need a balancing counterweight. You’ve surely met Cat Noir if you know Ladybug, and the two balance each other out. Ladybug needs Cat Noir to be light hearted when she gets too serious, and Cat Noir sometimes needs to be reminded to be more serious, while their unique brands of out of the box thinking compliment each other. Their complimentary natures go on as long as one wishes to list them off, but we all know that quite well. If Madoka is to be involved in our little world too, either as a behind the scenes Guardian or out in the streets, she’s going to need an opposite partner to work with.” Mami seemed to be looking Homura over, as if finding ways where she zigged where Madoka zagged. “Japan has a lot of Gifted, but they aren’t always harmonious. Kamihama City has inter-class strife that bleeds over into its Gifted population, for example. Madoka is kind, Madoka is earnest. Her potential is great, but I suspect that, especially early on, she’ll need someone to be the opposite. Someone who can be harsh, someone who can be tough when she’d be sweet, and someone who knows enough about powers to get running. Does that describe you?” Mami asked the last part somewhat rhetorically as Homura, catching most of it, nodded. 

She knew Madoka quite well, and if she was going to end up being, for no better comparison in her mind due to her unfamiliarity with Ladybug’s role as a Guardian or the nature of ‘Gifted’, essentially the one in charge of every Magical Girl in Japan, she would in fact need help. A help that Homura was quite well suited to providing. So she nodded.

“I will likely need assistance. I cannot mentor Madoka in everything.” Homura simply put it. Mami smiled. 

“Well if you do need any help, I’m always here to offer it. A whole new world for the both of you, and I do have some experience in mentoring if you ever need it. If either of you need any help, you know where to find me.” 

Homura nodded 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

“I hope you will.” Mami said completely sincerely. 

….

Talk continued, it was mostly small things, but the sort of talk that Homura really hadn’t had with anyone for a long time. For the first time in what felt like ages, there were conversations that she could just have, and not have heard a hundred times before. Plenty of things were different each time, things rarely happened the exact same way, but those changes were never just the things to bring up without life, death, or being turned into some bizarre Parisian statistic being involved. Just talking, and hearing Mami and Nagisa mention something different about Mitakihara was just…it was nice in a way that Homura couldn’t describe. She was truly out of the endless maze now, and in uncharted territory. 

It was daunting, but it was part of saving Madoka. One day, as she always strived for, she would be free. They’d all be free, and now she had to get used to the freedom. Freedom, and everything new that could come with it. 

“You really should get a mask.” Nagisa eventually pointed out after she returned to her hospital clothing from her Magical Girl form. “Also actual clothes, but also really, what sort of hero doesn’t have a mask?” 

“I’m not a hero.” Homura had pointed out. 

“But now you are not not a hero. Even if you just end up being the scary person in the shadows while Madoka is doing boss things, you would be better at it with a mask.” Nagisa pointed out. “It’s a pity your powers don’t give you one. Both Miraculous and being Gifted come with masks automatically. How did you keep your secret identities without them?” 

“We were stealthy.” 

“Oh, so Magical Girls were ninjas then.” 

She couldn’t help but snort at that one. Though since Nagisa had brought it up, she could ask about something that kept coming up. 

“I am more familiar with Miraculouses than being Gifted. What are the differences that will be relevant for my job?” Homura asked Mami, who looked happy to explain. 

“Well that’s actually both simple and broad at the same time. In the simplest terms, a Gifted has a portion of the power of a Miraculous. For example, my Little Kid and I are both Gifted from the Goat Miraculous’s Kwami, Ziggy the Kwami of Passion. Because of this, we each can create one thing and one thing only. I create ribbons, and…” 

Nagisa made a strange face, one that radiated a private sort of preference that was rather unlike the girl so far, and Mami quickly changed track and did not talk about Nagisa’s exact powers. 

“...Well it all becomes a matter of how you use them. I figured out how to make my ribbons into a lot of things that you wouldn’t think a ribbon could be used to make. Each Gifted has a fraction of infinite potential that they can explore and figure out as they need or desire. A Miraculous meanwhile has no such limitations. If I had the Goat Miraculous, I could create ribbons, and I could create anything else I could imagine as long as I have the stamina to do so. Of course Miraculouses are also physical objects, meaning they can be lost or stolen, while it is much harder, though not impossible, for a Gifted to lose their powers. The latter is incredibly rare, however.” 

Homura noted that there was no mention of limits as she had known them. Had those been removed? If Mami has basically her same powers, just from a better source than the Incubators this time, and that power was but a fraction, it made sense. 

“Each Gifted also has a Tool, though it is not as powerful as the original Tool of each Miraculous. My Tool is a single, original ribbon, and that Ribbon can break much easier than the Paintbrush that Ziggy’s partners use, though it still takes immense effort to do so. Otherwise it lets me do anything that Ladybug’s Yo-Yo or Cat Noir’ staff or Rena Rouge’s Flute can do, though I must admit I have the longest trouble imitating the communications feature. A Tool can let you do anything, but you have to figure out how. Breathing underwater, providing ear pieces, thermal vision, fingerprint lifting, those were easy, but a video phone was a challenge.” 

“Yeah, that was weird that you had trouble with that part, I figured out how to do that quickly with my Trumpet.” Nagisa remembered. “You were amazed I figured it out so quickly.” 

Mami almost looked like she was about to pout. Homura, feeling slightly amused, changed the subject for Mami’s sake. 

“How does that work with a power like the Cat Miraculous?” Homura asked, and Mami happily took the escape route. 

“Infinite in a fraction is still immense. I actually know a girl who’s a Gifted of the Cat over in Kamihama. Kanae Yukino is her name, my Little Kid and I actually talked to her at the Temple the other day. She might be able to explain it better than I can, but think about how you might destroy something, and what you are best at seeing fall apart, if that helps any. I’ll admit I’m a pretty cut and dry case when it comes to how my power differs from the Goat Miraculous itself, while with other powers it's nowhere near as clear. Though when you get a chance to compare a Miraculous Holder to a Gifted, the differences become clear.” 

And she would see that soon enough, it would seem. 

“Though on the topic of masks and what you wear, do you have any clothes that aren’t from the hospital?” 

“I have multiples of the school uniform and…” Why was Mami making that strange expression? Did she make a mistake in social interactions again?

It was only after the seventh clothing store that Homura had realized she had never talked about her clothing situation with Mami before. In any timeline where they had been friendly, there was always something more important, Walpurgisnacht and saving Madoka, to consider, and after those important topics were always dozens of things that would have come up before any discussion of clothing. The two important ones were no longer factors, and she had discovered that Mami had an interest in clothing and fashion. Maybe it wasn’t as prominent in the old timeline, but if it wasn’t then it was certainly so now, and the idea of someone only having a school uniform and hospital clothes inspired…well Candeloro suddenly made a lot more sense, to put it one way. 

“Can you afford all of this?” Homura had asked Mami at some point as she was all but being pushed into the fifth store this afternoon. Nagisa skipped casually behind them, as if this wasn’t bizarre at all. Mercifully, Mami did not direct her to the Gabriel store. 

“Oh don’t worry, I know my budget. I could drag you to fifty stores before I have to start worrying about a net loss in the month. But we shouldn’t even need to do even half of that.” 

“Half?!” 

Homura had also realized she had never quite found out what Mami’s financial status was, if Mami had an income, and if being a superhero paid. Homura only got to ask about the latter, guessing the former two were probably personal and she could at least ask about the latter as part of her job. 

Superhero wages aside, Mami had taken a lot of liberties with her power’s storage capabilities. She was going to have to unload a lot of clothes when she got home, and she could probably use those pillows too, come to think of it. Madoka probably wouldn’t need her to kill anyone this time. 

Her mind had time to wonder about certain things, and as this new development that she couldn’t be sure couldn’t have happened before went on, she wondered about other old constants. For one she wondered about Kyoko. Was Kyoko still the Kyoko she knew? Mami had always put on the mask of a responsible, perfect, ideal Magical Girl, as much for herself as those around her and a way to make the most of a life she felt should have also saved two others with, and in this version of reality she seemed to be that as well, with less pain. Homura was sure there was still pain, Mami was certainly not in the happiest place possible, but Mami was truly happier than before. But was that because Kyoko had never left, or was she never a part of Mami’s life? Would Kyoko still be in the place she was as a Magical Girl when she was Gifted instead? 

Before Homura could attempt to get anything about Kyoko out of her, Mami had asked her what she even had on her person and upon revealing the exact contents of her storage dimension and apartment Mami got that look in her eye again. 

“Ladybug was not involved in the procurement process. I had these same things prior to my arrival or meeting Ladybug. They translated as is minus a few implements such as Grief Seeds.” Homura clarified, wondering if that would do anything to Mami’s expression. If anything, it made it more severe. So the problem wasn’t the actions or inactions of their mutual…acquaintance (?) but the state of her personal possessions in general…

More shopping promptly ensued, and Homura was now morbidly curious what would have happened if she had ever revealed this sort of thing as her weaker self who was probably considered cuter and more pitiable. Her best guess was that Mami, assuming similar funds and lack of apocalyptic Witches, would have probably exceeded what was currently occurring. 

It was a scary thought, only uptook by the times Mami tried to kill them all, got possessed, turned into Candeloro, or the time that another Magical Girl serial killer, not Oriko Mikuni and co, showed up. What Mami had done to that sword-wielding girl when she had tried to harm Kyoko and Madoka and had taken off Sayaka’s arm, not knowing it would grow back, was…well she didn’t need to do anything about that serial killer, to put it that way. Assuming Mami was not losing her mind or in sheer revenge mode, this shopping was probably as scary as she’d get in this timeline. It was an improvement, but if she didn’t hit a limit with what she could store in her shield today it was going to be officially an infinite storage dimension. Nothing would seem to deter Mami from her self-appointed mission to ensure she had everything she’d need…

“Oh hey, isn’t that the girl who's going to be the Guardian?”

Except Nagisa spotting Madoka going around the shopping mall with her friends, which led to Mami quickly deviating from her current goals to focus on that instead. 

“Oh, that’s fortunate. Come on, let’s go meet the new boss…without calling her that Little Kid.” The last part was said with a quick reminder for Nagisa’s sake as Homura paled. 

“Is that…” 

“Oh, it’s going to be easy. You are transferring into school in about a week and I’m a helpful senior student. It’s not going to look suspicious at all. What’s the harm?” 

“I’m not sure what to say.” Homura admitted. Mami smiled. 

“You don’t need to think about that. Just see how the conversation goes.” Mami assured her, and Homura half wanted to check her hand for any ribbons binding them together as she was quickly brought over to where Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi were. Of course it was a music store, though it wasn’t when Sayaka was normally looking for something for the boy. “Oh, hey, you three go to Mitakihara Middle School too, right?” 

There was no escape. Mami’s greeting got the attention of Madoka and her friends, who looked up from their sampling of music to look at Mami in surprise. Madoka, Homura noticed, glanced at her, and seemed to have the faintest look of familiarity to it. Madoka could sometimes stare at her like that, Homura had noticed. 

“Oh yes, we are. You’re one of our seniors, right?” Hitomi asked, a bit surprised to be sought out as Mami smiled. 

“That’s correct, my name’s Mami Tomoe, and I’ve been showing a girl who's going to be transferring into your grade next week around Mitakihara. Thought it might be good for her to meet some of her possible classmates.” Mami explained, smiling the entire time before gesturing towards Homura. Homura, not sure how much of her typical introduction persona she had on, or if it was even necessary, introduced herself. 

“My name is Homura Akemi.” 

Normally this seemed to annoy Sayaka for some reason, though for whatever reason this time Sayaka did not seem to be exasperated. Was she missing some part of her tone that rubbed the girl the wrong way every time, or did the lack of interest from other students not annoy her? Perhaps it would have been more worth her time figuring that out instead of learning languages in case of airline failure in hindsight. Sayaka in fact just snorted. 

“No really, that’s your name?” 

Homura raised an eyebrow as Madoka blushed and Sayaka just snorted again. 

“Okay okay, it’s not actually on you, but, it’s just the funniest thing…” 

“Sayaka!” Madoka insisted, trying to get her to stop talking. 

“It’s fine, I’ve seen and heard everything.” Homura was curious where this would go, even as she felt like she was walking blind. Mitakihara hadn’t felt like that in ages. Madoka, nervously, looked to the side and twiddled her fingers. 

“Well, it’s really silly…I don’t even know why it ever came up….but um….I had this very strange dream last night and um…” 

“Some girl named Homura Akemi was fighting supervillains and monsters. It was weird.” Sayaka filled in as Madoka blushed horribly. 

“....I’m not Cat Noir.” Homura attempted a joke, if Sayaka was finding this funny then perhaps they’d get along better. Sayaka laughing like Kyoko was a good sign, probably. She at least apparently told a joke. While Sayaka was distracted, and Hitomi didn’t seem to know what to think or say, she looked at Madoka. 

“You must think that’s so weird…” Madoka admitted. 

“I’ve seen weirder than strange dreams.” Homura assured Madoka. A dream like that was…weird, but it was probably fine. Mami certainly didn’t seem suspicious. “That just means someone already knows my name.” 

Madoka sputtered in surprise at her response. 

“Well I guess it would be a good thing… for the nurse’s aide to know your name, not that I think you actually need one, but yes that is…a good thing…”

Thank you for saying that aloud Madoka. That was one less detail she’d have to pretend she didn’t know. 

“I’ve recently left the hospital, I will most likely come up as someone you will have to be responsible for. I will attempt to avoid being a problem for you.” Homura led from there as Madoka looked surprised. 

“I’m sure you won’t be in any trouble, not at all, and if you are, it's not your fault.”  Her first friend meeting her for the first time again assured as Homura nodded. 

“Yes.” 

“If you just got out of the hospital, it’s not your fault if you need help.” Hitomi spoke up assuringly. 

“Not unless you got put in there because you were busy picking fights with supervillains and monsters.” Sayaka had just recovered from laughing. “Then it’s kind of on you, making poor Madoka patch you up.” 

“Sayaka!” 

“Hey, do you think that it would be a good idea to have lunch with her on her first day? Eating alone is never good and I don’t know if Mami would eat at the same time as your grade.” Nagisa chimed in as Homura fought to avoid blushing. Eating lunch…with Madoka? 

“Oh, that would be a wonderful idea!” Hitomi was the first to agree to it. 

“If it’s okay with you, that would be nice I think.” Madoka was second, only beaten because Hitomi was more upbeat and less nervous. 

“”Sure, but be free to text us if you are late fighting Mr. Pigeon.” Sayaka joked. At the strange looks, Sayaka smirked. “Hey, she never said she wasn’t Ladybug.” 

“I’m not.”  

What followed was small talk, again something that she hadn’t really experienced in…who knew how long. About what music people liked, about the school, about how Madoka’s mother thought that in a week their sensei might be upset about another break up so don’t be surprised if that happened (it always did). Before, she would have considered it a waste of time, white noise to be endured at worst and avoided at best. Nothing worse than her classmates talking to her or trying to invite her along to places. But now….just like with Mami it was nice. 

“ I’m bad at this.” Homura admitted during a slight lull. “Hospitals are bad for small talk.” 

“I’m bad at that too. Half of what I can think about talking about is my family, and they’re not that interesting.” Madoka admitted, blushing. 

“Are you kidding? Your mom’s awesome, your dad can cook, and I wish I had a little brother.” Sayaka added. “You're plenty interesting Madoka, just be glad for all of our sakes the boy’s haven’t noticed yet. Then we’d never have peace.”

“Sayaka!” 

“Boys do bring nothing but trouble, do they?” Homura quipped. Or at least, a certain boy did. 

“See Madoka, Homura agrees with me. Don’t get their attention now, okay?” 

For the first time in ages, Sayaka’s irony was actually funny. 

It was nice. 

…

Eventually though, they had to separate, and Mami had more shopping in her, seemingly as much as Homura had storage space for what Mami would describe as ‘the essentials and a few other things.’ While Homura was sure that her existence could have been considered spartan at times, she would need an impartial expert to clarify what existed in the space between ‘necessary kitchen appliances to feed yourself properly’ and ‘fancy soaps’ to figure out which was which. 

Eventually though, as much as shopping had somehow become more crazy than some Witch Labyrinths, the shopping came to an end, though it wasn’t because Mami felt like she had properly supplied her. It was the green Voyage portal that opened up while they were in a quiet stretch of mall, out of which popped Ladybug wearing both the Ladybug and Horse Miraculouses. 

“Oh hey Pegabug!” Nagisa greeted, also naming what the heroine would be calling herself while wearing both. The heroine smiled at all of them, and Homura could detect no hidden disdain or anger aimed her way. Pegabug clearly recognized her, and with no fights on hand…another sign that the time loops were over. Good thing too, she still wasn’t sure how she had powered herself up in that last fight and didn’t want to have to deal with it again if she didn’t have to.

“I’m sorry I’m late, you’d think with everything I’d have more free time, but there always seems to be something that comes up even when you are sure you have everything under control. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” Pegabug apologized to Homura, who shook her head. 

“No, it actually worked out pretty well. I got to do a lot of what I wanted to do.” The only thing she didn’t do that she’d have liked to do today was seeing Kyoko again. The day had honestly gone beyond well, if only by her somewhat warped standards of what a good day was. Pegabug looked happy to hear it, and she had two people to thank for it. 

 “Thanks for stepping in for Homura. I hope it wasn’t any trouble.” Pegabug thanked Mami and Nagisa next. Mami smiled. 

“No problem at all. We’re going to be working together, so getting to know her was good for the both of us. Also she really does need more things than guns, bombs, and school uniforms.” 

“I now have everything but the kitchen sink.” Homura commented. 

“No, Mami didn’t need to buy you a kitchen sink. You should already have one of those.” Nagisa wasn’t wrong about that part. 

Mami clapped her hands together, a smile on her face. 

“It was too short of a notice today, but after Pegabug brings you fully up to speed, you should meet us back at our place for dinner tomorrow. Celebrate your new job and a new world with your favorites.” 

“For three people?” Homura could say she would have to think on what her favorites were, Madoka could list those for days but she couldn’t. But she was almost scared of what Mami might do if she heard that. She might serve enough food for several Kyokos trying to help her find it. She’d rather fish for the Kyoko question under the cover of possible other guests. Mami nodded. 

“Yes, Pegabug’s in a completely different timezone and while I’d love to meet Madoka properly as Guardian and Gifted, that might be rushing things a bit too much. When she’s more comfortable with her new job, then we can get together with her. What better way to get to know your new boss?” Mami didn’t mention Kyoko, or seem to be acting like a void was missing that used to be filled by her former protege. What did that mean? 

“Alright, don’t worry she’ll be back in time for dinner tomorrow, probably way earlier than that.” Pegabug assured Mami before opening up another portal. Voyage couldn’t do that before, at least with her and Ladybug and Pegasus. The Miraculouses were indeed improved. “Anyway, before I go, I thought I’d pass on something I heard from Yuuri a bit ago . She spotted him up around Asurano, though she was preoccupied with helping sick children at the time to pursue him, and if he’s there…” 

“Kyoko will be too.” Mami said, and Homura got the one thing she hadn’t found yet. Kyoko was still around, and after someone. A him…who was him? Mami caught her confusion and gave an unhappy smile, not at her specifically but on the topic of Kyoko and this ‘him’. 

“My apprentice Kyoko. She’s a lovely person when you get to know him, but this…that Branded is really personal to her and she is dedicated to getting him brought to justice. Too dedicated sometimes…it doesn’t have to be her to take him down.”

“Is it something I can assist as the assistant to a Guardian?” Homura asked. If this was personal for Kyoko, assuming she wasn't still engaging in delinquency, there could be only one origin for this Branded. The Sakura family church. 

“I would…advise against getting Madoka involved in this. It’s not a case for a beginner to get involved with. This Branded….he’s both unhinged and dangerous even among the Branded.” Mami didn’t say she, Homura Akemi, couldn’t help. Just that it wasn’t something that should be Madoka’s first job as a Guardian to handle because this was a really problematic case. She filed Kyoko’s status as something for the future, if only because of Madoka’s inexperience, before Pegabug gestured for her to follow her through a Voyage portal. Before she did, she turned to her two hosts.

“Good luck to the both of you , I hope there’s good news.” Homura said as her goodbye to Mami and Nagisa. Nagisa waved goodbye as Mami nodded solemnly. “I’ll make sure I let you both know when I’m back in Mitakihara and free.”

“We’ll see you then.” 

“...I’m bad at smiling.” Homura said as she left, trying to make it clear she did appreciate it, she was just bad at showing it. 

“Don’t worry, it’s pretty obvious that it’s not out of rudeness.” Nagisa assured her, and with that…fact… said aloud she followed Pegabug through a portal, ready to go to Paris and talk over pastries. What she walked out into was…

“Am I in a Labyrinth?” 

…not Paris. It was a bit of an overreaction, as it wasn’t quite as bizarre and nonsensical and the lack of familiars was obvious. But the space around them was…glowing, for lack of a better word, and the only solid thing here, which was where they had arrived on, was a temple floating on an island in the middle of a glowing void. Said temple was spacious, being made up of a mixture of ancient architecture and multiple towers that stood up at strange heights and odd angles, was certainly not to be considered cramped or anything, and the outside was lined with statues that looked to be Miraculous users and Gifted: she saw the two knights that had appeared with the future Ladybug and Cat Noir immortalized as statues, for two of many. The island itself was lush, with plants and water and white butterflies fluttering around as Kwamis ducked in and around everywhere, though Homura didn’t recognize any of them. 

Pegabug de-unified with the Horse Miraculous, taking the Glasses off as Kaalki popped out and placing them into a portal in her Yo-Yo, making them vanish from sight. 

“Nope, but not that far off. I might have accidentally created this pocket dimension with the Ladybug Miraculous while incredibly stressed….so it is kind of made from madness.” Ladybug explained, sounding a lot lighter in her tone than Homura had ever seen her. She sounded…was this Marinette talking? “Don’t worry, if Labyrinths were even half as bad as I heard they were, this is completely safe, not even by comparison. Just don’t stare into the void too long and you’ll be fine, and by fine I mean not go blind.” 

“...The loss of Master Fu struck her hard in both this and the previous reality. Homura.” Kaalki greeted her neutrally after giving a bit of detail. 

“Kaalki.” Homura greeted back, her mind more on the part about Ladybug accidentally creating another dimension with just the Ladybug Miraculous and stress than the neutrality between her and the Horse Kwami. The Miraculous could now offer that level of power? Ladybug’s smile had embarrassment to it. 

“Yeah I was…not handling things well. Just like last time it ended up getting my friends akumatized because I snapped at them, though unlike the first time they couldn’t find me at first because I accidentally stressed myself into a new dimension and took a while to get back. That….that actually made it worse. The only thing worse than your friends being akumatized because you were clearly losing it and then snapping at them is your friends being akumatized to try and get you to talk about your problems and then they can’t find you….you never want to leave Timebreaker alone…” 

“I don’t know who that villain is.” Homura reminded Ladybug as the two started to walk through the other dimension’s gardens, passing Kwam and butterflies and a mixture of plants that Homura couldn’t identify, but felt reasonably sure were from the earth somewhere. 

“Oh yeah, you probably would have never seen her.” Ladybug didn’t elaborate, but it sounded like there was a logical explanation for her having never seen such a villain in any of her times in Paris. “So, how’s the new reality been?” 

“.....It’s like a dream.” Homura admitted, trying to find the right words. “No Witches, and having my soul back in my body is nice too. Being able to talk to Mami and Sayaka again without making them want to fight me…though the Incubators are still around.” She said the last part bitterly, thoughts of her own idea for a wish clear in her mind.  

“You mean the Balancers.” Ladybug corrected. 

“Different name, same scheme.” Homura mused aloud. The fact they were still around was not something she was happy about, not at all. The fact they were clearly in a far worse position was cathartic, but they still existed. 

“They are, but they aren’t anywhere near as well off as they were before.” Barkk spoke up, floating up from the garden and over to her. “Oh hey Homura, you finally woke up! The Guardian’s been caught up for a while now, same with the rest of us.” 

“I had heart surgery.” Homura guessed what kept her ‘asleep’. Barkk, who sounded a lot happier to see her again than Kaalki, nodded. 

“Oh. Good reason then. Anyway, thanks to the completed Miraculouses, we’re a bit more aware of what’s going on out in the wider universe, and let me tell you, no matter what you call them, they haven’t been able to screw the universe up nearly as badly as the last time.” Barkk’s expression was that of someone who had seen someone finally get what was coming to them, the same expression she had when talking about Felix or Monarch. “Like yeah, there is still some excess energy in the universe, but compared to what they put in the last time, it’s basically nothing.” 

“Not a single planetary quota hit at all.” Homura felt her lips move on their own. Was it a grin? Barkk nodded. 

“Maybe, I don’t know what their quotas are. All I know is that anything they manage to run off with is still prone to being sucked up by Gifted and Miraculous users on cosmic adventures and turned into anything else. It’s never not satisfying to see their ‘hard work’ made for naught.” Barkk held out a little hand, which confused her. “Oh, this is when you say ‘pound it’ and fist bump me.” 

“Why?” Homura was confused at the gesture. 

“It’s a common post victory celebration that Ladybug does with her allies.” another familiar voice said as Nooroo flew over, floating between her and Barkk. “It always drove Sh…Gabriel crazy whenever he saw it on the news after his latest failure. You can pick your reason, Homura…” 

“Hitting Felix with a chair, shooting the jerk in the head, making the poor, poor Incubators feel so frustrated that everyone’s trying to stop them from saving the universe by making everyone miserable…so let’s do this again.” Barkk finished, “Pound.” 

“Pound.” Homura extended her hand out. 

“You should close your hand into a fist.” Nooroo instructed, so she did. Then Bark poked her little hand into it. 

“It.” 

“It.” Homura repeated. 

“Pound it.” 

“Pound it.” This line wasn’t mandatory, was it? She was never going to get into it. 

“Maybe it doesn’t translate as well, well the good thing about Madoka being a Guardian is that she can come up with her own version for your own team. You can workshop with her to find one that works. Anyway, good luck Homura and see you around.” Barkk turned around to fly off, before stopping and turning around. “Oh yeah, by the way, if you ever do need me, my Miraculous is available whenever you need it. You and Madoka will learn how to get any Miraculous you need, not just from your own box, in time, and you can always count on the Miraculous of the Dog when you need it when the time comes. Not all of us want you to use our powers again, Duusu and Plagg certainly don’t, but mine is always there if you need it. Lady Hound isn’t active in this universe.” 

Homura nodded, appreciating the offer as Barkk flew off into the Temple grounds. Oh yeah, Barkk just reminded her of something that was rather important to get an answer on.

“Madoka as a Guardian?” Homura turned to ask Ladybug about that, her tone just shy of demanding. Why Madoka? Ladybug nodded. 

“Both before and after I remembered that a Wish was made, I had a lot of time to think on who should be a Guardian. With Master Fu’s death,” Ladybug’s expression was pained, though Homura hadn’t seen the old man prior to this, so didn’t he already die, or was Ladybug just a lot less numb to death than she was? Probably the latter. “...I was the last Guardian, and the one who decides who else should be trained as one. My first choice was out of necessity in case Shadow Moth got too close to me. Rena Rouge is my best friend,” the one in plaid with Trixx on her head, Homura would guess, “and I really, really needed the help and security. Rena’s great, even if there are a few things we don’t always agree on when it comes to how to handle secrets, though that part is mercifully no longer a factor.” 

“She no longer needs to be Rena Furtive.” Nooroo clarified without clarifying what that was supposed to mean. 

“But at the moment, she’s more of an assistant, my second, than working on her own. Even now I still need a lot of help, and having someone who can handle things I would do that Cat can’t is invaluable. But that does mean the world still needs people who can fill in for me where I can’t be all of the time. I have two people in mind right now, one in Shanghai who already has powers but she already has connections with the Shanghai Gifted community, and another in Mitakihara…” 

“So why Madoka?” Homura repeated. Why not just leave her friend be as just a normal girl with a normal life to cherish? 

“Because what I want to find in new Guardians isn’t just being a good person, but also those with incredible potential for using Miraculouses. Like you or me in that last battle, a Guardian should be able to be the last line of defense. More than that, more than just being kind, I want people who can connect to others well, who can befriend anyone, who has a strong will even if they might not seem like it at first. Does that remind you of anyone?” 

It did. Her expression was probably not one of full satisfaction so Nooroo spoke up. 

“I know you’ve spent a long time trying to protect your friend from contracting, and there is something like what made her such a valued target by the Incubators in Ladybug’s logic, but someone like that will always be of interest. She might not be someone who could be approached by a Balancer, but she could be an easy victim to get a Brand and be an unwitting source of monsters. It’s as much to give her the ability to help others as it is to protect her more permanently.” 

“Protecting Madoka by arming Madoka,” or the Mami approach. “I see.” 

It was a habit to do otherwise because Madoka making a wish did not protect her, it was the thing to protect her from. It would…take some self-reminders to break that habit. 

“The first person I ever gave a Miraculous to was my best friend.” Ladybug reminisced as they continued to walk along. “It was the same in both timelines. I needed someone to help defeat a supervillain duo, and she wanted to save her sisters from Hawk Moth. It’s not easy to compare that to being a Magical Girl, but that’s no longer a thing. If a Gifted or a Miraculous user falls to despair, they don’t turn into monsters. If they drain their energies, they don’t turn into monsters. Despair and tiring yourself out to nothing is still a bad thing, but it’s no longer a deal with the devil.” 

“ I know.” Homura mused aloud as she stopped, staring off into the abyss made from Ladybug’s, Marinette’s, stress. “It’s just…I’ve had a long time to get used to things. I’m staring into a new world, a world like I’ve always dreamed, where I’ve succeeded. It’s…something to get used to. Especially where what stays the same, is a lot like what I tried to avoid at all costs.” 

“Well, that’s where we’re here for. I didn’t just give you the job of being Madoka’s second and mentor because of your skills or your history. I suspect you need something to do now and see how the world is better and what still needs to be done.” Ladybug explained. A point, she had never had time to think about what she’d do after saving Madoka, it was never relevant. She had saved Madoka, and…what would she have done afterwards beyond being, hopefully, her friend? And maybe the others again too, but the future beyond that…she’d never thought of it much. 

Nooroo floated over to her, smiling. She wasn’t sure why, it was a specific smile but it wasn’t a ‘you are not alone’ smile or something. Why was Nooroo smiling at her? 

“From what I caught, you are still able to use your old powers.” Ladybug explained as she pulled out her Yo-Yo and reached into it, the Tool forming a portal just like she’d used to return Kaalki’s Miraculous as she reached inside. “That’s actually really helpful and unexpected, can you use all of them?” 

Homura briefly formed a purple barrier in front of herself, letting it fade away as she nodded. 

“I won’t know if I can travel back in time until I have reached the correct conditions.” She explained. She couldn’t go back in time whenever she wanted. 

“Probably best to save that as a last resort, just to be safe.” Ladybug suggested as she started pulling something out. “I don’t think anyone’s going to say anything worse to you than asking if you’re from Atlantis, but it might be a good idea to have a disguise of sorts in case the Balancers get curious. And the best way to make it hard to tell that your powers aren’t the usual thing for someone in our business is to hide behind one that is. And I just have the disguise in mind.” 

Ladybug had pulled something out of her Yo-Yo, something that Homura recognized. It no longer had blood on it. 

“Homura Akemi, here is the Miraculous of the Butterfly, which grants the power of Transmission. You will use it for the greater good, both to ensure you are better able to serve the new Guardian Madoka Kaname, and to obscure the true nature of your powers from the Balancers.” Ladybug explained in a similar way to how Fu had given Cat Noir choices in one of the other timelines. Was that a speech pattern she’d need to master herself, or instruct Madoka in mastering? Was it like ‘Pound It’ and she, and Madoka, could come up with their own version?

“I’m not going to akumatize anyone.” Homura immediately clarified. Ladybug smiled. 

“I’d have to detain you immediately if you did. Akumatization is using the power the wrong way by using it for evil and preying on negative emotions.” 

“You don’t have to use the powers in the way they are meant to if you don’t want to. I’m happy to just be a bit of additional security and boosting your natural abilities, I’m just happy to not be used by an evil person anymore.” Nooroo added, making it clear that Monarch was dealt with again. “It was…terrible, the Wish had made it so that we don’t have to obey the ones with our Miraculouses completely anymore, but he…he still made me swear a binding promise to help him save his wife before he started evil monologuing. It’s fortunately no longer binding, and I’m happy to work with you to make amends for any harm we might have caused.” 

“You're not guilty of anything.” Homura told Nooroo. 

“It doesn't always feel that way.” 

“Nooroo is also going to serve as your monitor, or to put it another way your parole officer. The Kwami are a little…nervous about employing you, even with the fact that the universe did need to be repaired with the Wish, so Nooroo is going to help with the assurances that you won’t go after the Wish again.” Ladybug explained in a tone that made it pretty clear that she herself was sure that Homura wouldn’t do so, but had no problem with assigning her a monitor just the same. Homura nodded, accepting the status quo of distrust for the time being and putting the Brooch on.

“I never did ask you for a transformation phrase.” Homura admitted to Nooroo. She had always unified a different Miraculous with Nooroo’s, as she had no intention to use the Butterfly’s power on anyone. Without butterflies, how did that even work? What did she say instead of ‘X, Nooroo, Unify?’ Nooroo smiled and offered it. 

“To use my power, to use it like it is meant to, say, Nooroo, Bright Wings Rise!” 

“Nooroo, Bright Wings Rise!” She declared as the Butterfly Miraculous on her chest lit up, taking on its true colors as Nooroo flew into the Miraculous and her body was engulfed in power. The power was…the new world had really completed the Miraculous, she felt so much power flowing through her it felt like she could brute force every Magical Girl back in Kamihama with just her fists. It was…going to be something to get used to, so much power.

When the rush of power finally numbed to a point she could focus on other things she got to get a look at herself, aided by a mirror that a few Kwami had flown over. The Kwami included Ziggy and two of the ones Ladybug had used as Lady Miraculous, the Otter and the Bear, and in their mirror…once more it looked like her Magical Girl outfit had been affected by the Miraculous, changing with it. The ribbon at her neck had been replaced with a purple butterfly accessory, which covered the Miraculous itself and was marked with white diamonds. Her white sleeves had retracted away, leaving long purple sleeves that looked somewhat armored, ending in a pair of fingerless gloves. A purple cape fluttered behind her that looked almost like a set of butterfly wings. What was white was purple in the rest of her outfit, what was purple was black, and over her eyes was now a violet visor that obscured her eyes though let her see clearly. Her shield was on her arm, which she reached into to pull the Cane out. She nodded. 

“This feels….” 

“Yeah, that was the first thing I noticed when I remembered things and transformed for the first time. Felt like I could yank the Eiffel Tower out of the ground with just my Yo-Yo and hit villains with it like a flail. Fortunately that wasn’t necessary.” Ladybug remembered, sounding like it had been a shock to her system when she had experienced it for the first time. “Anyway, the best way to get used to the difference is just to walk it in like a new pair of shoes. Walk, and maybe try out the training area. I made a really big place out of one of the worst points I ever felt in my life.” 

And so, after a quick talk with Ziggy (Oh wow, you agree that Mami is a lot happier. That’s good, I thought Nagisa would help her out just by being under her care and Nagisa really needed the help that being with Mami offered, glad to know it really worked out), their walk continued. After a little bit, Homura no longer felt like a single errant step would break this place in two.

They passed several others, all Gifted, on the grounds, and Homura idly noted that they were indeed more diverse than the Magical Girls of old had been. There were older people, younger people, men, and even a few aliens that resembled living bubbles. Apparently there were ways to get here without the Horse Miraculous, and setting up more long-term access points was among Ladybug’s many other projects. She needed help for a reason. Everyone of them had greeted her, and like Mami had heard about the intent to bring her in as an assistant for the first of the new Guardian candidates. Several of them also asked if she was from Atlantis. She clarified she was not, but she didn’t give anything close to the amount of information she had given Mami and Ladybug didn’t either. 

They visited the main temple itself, and its various rooms and facilities of note. There was a training area in the basement where Ladybug had wondered about the possibility of expanding the idea of sparring with Sentimonsters. Any ideas about bringing back the Sentiwitches was quickly shot down by the reminder than Duusu did not want to deal with Homura (Homura did not feel the need to name herself something new) again, so any idea of training helpless rookies on SentiCharlotte was a non-starter. She did get to try out what it felt like to use her powers, sans guns, against a Gifted whose power was creating Sentimonster dinosaurs. Just like shopping sprees with Mami, fighting dinosaurs was a new experience for her, though the way Ladybug talked…. urgh Paris . 

Ladybug showed her a forge that operated by itself, constantly creating Tools. Apparently Ladybug’s stress had created a physical representation of the very magic that granted Gifted their weapons, which allowed them to watch the process unfold like a tour of a factory. She had also been shown a hall that featured the Tools of all deceased Gifted throughout history as part of a memorial to them all, which had apparently came with the place upon creation and hadn’t required any research or knowledge of them all to create. The power of madness and creation combined had no limits it seemed. The Temple was large, and it was even larger on the inside, but it was a massive set of catacombs, crypts that had thousands of years of history across multiple planets. One memorial crypt for every Kwami’s Gifted and Miraculous partners, and Homura had seen many Kwami in this temple. There was also a catacomb for the Magical Girls who had been involved with the War in Atlantis and the creation of the Miraculouses and beyond, but Homura wasn’t interested in seeing them. Death was a companion she was happy to have some distance from for a while. 

Ladybug introduced her to a massive library, though the original Temple apparently had a far greater library. While Fu had managed to save all but two Miraculouses, at least in this timeline, from the fall of the original Order of the Guardians, he had saved far fewer books. Restocking and refilling the library with knowledge lost was also among the many and ever-expanding things that Ladybug had on her to-do list. 

Ladybug didn’t show her the dungeons, which apparently had yet to have a prisoner in them, and instead brought her to a central room in the Temple that featured all of the Miracle Boxes. Not only did seeing them make Homura wonder how a single man who would eventually get very old and short had kept all of them secret and safe, let alone moved them to France from...somewhere that wasn’t France, but she was also struck with a question. 

“ If you are using a Miraculous, does that mean people can’t be Gifted with that Kwami’s power?” Homura had asked after watching the Tiger Miraculous glow briefly before shooting a light up into the center of the room, where it hung for a moment before rocketing through a central chimney out of the temple at the speed of a rocket. 

“Nope. Being in active use doesn’t prevent the Miraculouses from being able to help those who need their powers, no matter where they are in the universe. This room’s like the Forge, it’s a representation of an immaterial process created and made physical by me completely losing my mind. There were still people Gifted by the Butterfly and Peacock while Master Fu had lost them, and short of destroying a Miraculous nothing can stop the process. And if they are destroyed or damaged, which is now even harder to do than before, Miraculous Ladybug.” Ladybug explained. 

She had also been given the Miracle Box that would be going to Madoka, along with a quick rundown of the Kwami whose Miraculouses would be under Madoka’s supervision and what powers they would grant via their Miraculouses. Ladybug had suggested bringing Madoka to the Temple to test them out, but Homura had disagreed. Madoka would most likely be overwhelmed to have this all thrust on her at once, and she knew of plenty of places to train with powers as loud as Hellzone Grenade in Mitakihara. Ladybug had deferred to her judgment on that one and trusted that between Homura and Mami they would have no lack of places to train Madoka safely and discreetly until she was ready to visit another dimension. 

They’d visited residency halls for those who would need temporary lodging, a dining area, a planetarium, rooms dedicated to hobbies like art, writing, and other expressive mediums, and statues. Ladybug mentioned tidbits about all of her fellow heroes in Paris, about new ones that had not been around in the previous timeline due to more Miraculouses being available, ones who hadn’t been given the chance to have powers and deserved a chance when relevant to do so, and about how the once Queen Bee and a girl named Lila Rossi each had a Balancer’s Brand, since removed. Some of her friends on top of their Miraculouses were Gifted, and Ladybug made the odd comment here and there about Cat Noir’s new dumb jokes and which of them were actually funny. Her adventures had been for a longer period of time than originally, battles with both Gabriel Agreste and Branded, as well as Ghosts of all things, giving her more battles and more times to earn the love and adoration of Paris, though some adventures had not repeated.

Also apparently New York had a ghost infestation, which was also a thing in the old timeline. Homura was not visiting New York, Madoka would not be visiting New York, and honestly probably not Paris either. Kamihama City was going to be pain enough, let alone those crazy cities. 

 At various times Ladybug had been pulled off by her clearly extensive schedule of tasks, duties, and responsibilities, leaving Homura alone for a few minutes each time, with what a ‘few’ meant varying from short durations to longer stretches of intermission. She had detransformed each time, partially to keep up with the preference for having Nooroo to watch her and partially for company. Nooroo appreciated the constant snack breaks, she now knew his favorite food, and she’d only done one thing to really annoy him in return.

Homura felt a pinch as something grabbed her ear, preventing her from grabbing the gun from her shield less out of the yank and more from the sheer shock of someone grabbing her ear at all. She sharply looked over her shoulder to see Nooroo, who was rapidly shaking his head. 

“Miss Homura, please don’t do that.” He begged her as her gaze returned to the girl who would normally be in all white, though her costume was different for some reason beyond just some Miraculous motifs, who was talking with two other Gifted, a green-haired girl with a large ax with a shield on it that was turtle themed and the blond-haired girl who had been one of the Witches restored in the other the timeline, the one with long pigtails and a massive needle next to her which was now themed after a red and black Woodpecker in coloration around its various parts, of which Homura did not wish to name. She had too many of those in her before this all began to want to think about them more. There was a more serious problem than her long and painful history with needles . 

“She killed Madoka.” Homura declared bluntly. That girl went through some long-term and complex plan to kill her best friend several times before she mastered preventive assassination on her. That girl actually killed her best friend. There were many victims who died to mask the fact that was her goal all along, and she had seen that girl start down that path enough times while figuring out where best to shoot them both to know to off her and her accomplice immediately. Where was that accomplice anyway, was she also here? 

“Yes, in a timeline with Magical Girls. There are no Magical Girls anymore, so she has no reason to kill her. In fact, she’d actually quite a hard working hero aspirant among the Gifted. Very well respected in fact.” 

Homura didn’t move, ready to shoot the girl the moment she was done talking with those other two. 

“Also if you shoot her, you will immediately be seized by hundreds of Gifted and Miraculous users who are either here in the Guardian’s Dimension already or can be rushed in here to detain you in a matter of minutes. Then you’ll be the first resident of the dungeons, and you’ll never get to see Madoka again.” Nooroo reminded her. Unseen by any Gifted, Homura’s expression didn’t change, though the last part was more than enough reason to stop. 

“I got into the habit of killing her.” Homura noted without changing her tone. She’d have to overcome such a habit, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to try. 

“Yes, you did. Honestly it is probably not the best habit, but serial killers are dangerous.” Nooroo sounded like he didn’t agree with shooting her immediately, even if he could understand the logic of doing so. She presumed this only didn’t apply to Monarch because he was very consistent across multiple timelines and was the sort of human being that no Kwami would object to dying even before the time loop started. 

“I’m never going to trust her.” 

“No one expects you to.” 

“If she tries to kill Madoka…” 

“Then she’ll be stopped. Now stop staring at her from a discrete assassination position before Ladybug gets back and gets rightfully concerned.” Nooroo reminded her as she slowly left her spot, never taking an eye off that girl for a moment until she was out of sight. 

Eventually she and Ladybug found themselves in private quarters, one that was filled with self-created clothes and accessories, fluffy beds that Homura was sure that Madoka would like, and the means for baking things for personal consumption. It also had a massive list of tasks that included various art projects, reviving Emilie Agreste, expanding the Temple Dimension Portal network to various locations, expand the Library, making visits to Rio, London, Dakar, and Tokyo and several planets whose names Homura couldn’t pronounce, train Fei as Guardian of Shanghai Gifted, discuss New York Guardian candidates options with Jessica, Aeon, and the United Heroez, determine if Aunt Shu Yin is a Branded, uncover the Obsidian King and the 13 HourKings of Neverspace’s evil plans, defeat the Protectorate, set up arrangements for the creation and installation of Ectocloud in Temple that connects to all Tools, investigate Tomoe Technologies, a list of several charity events that looked to be scattered around France, investigate the Prison of Quantum’s conditions, and meet up with Homura Akemi. 

Meeting up with her was checked off, along with defeating the Protectorate, visiting two of the unpronounceable planets, several art projects, several dozen book titles that sounded old, three charity events, setting up portals to Kamihama, Mitakihara, Achu, New York, Shanghai, Vancouver, Detroit, Dar es Salam, Tbilisi, Helsinki, and the two planets listed earlier, and investigating her aunt (Negative, she’s just unpleasant).

It was a room away from Ladybug’s room, a place where Marinette resided if she needed privacy. It also had television access back to Paris, where a news story that had been ongoing for a while gained a new chapter.

“Monarch came back to life?” Homura inquired as she caught the new’s ongoing major story, whose headline about how Gabriel Agreste had been taken into custody for extensive superhuman terrorism, and how the court proceedings was now focusing on the matter of potential damages sought against his estate and how that affected his son. Ladybug frowned. 

“Yeah…I think that might have been from me in the wish, though wishes are hardly a studied phenomenon to know for sure. Adr…Cat….he deserved to end this chapter of his story with his own actions, not by finding his father killed by another person. Though it was actually Shadow Moth this time who we defeated, not Monarch. He never got more than two Miraculous this time around.” 

Homura nodded. Personally she thought just shooting him in his sleep was effective, but if that meant she wasn’t going to have Cat Noir come after her with a desire to kill, it was what it was. And if he wasn’t dead now, then she could just leave him be and…

“Though I do think, if just for the sake of fairness, you should do something for Cat Noir to pay him back.” Ladybug brought up after a minute of watching the news together as talking heads debated how much Adrien Agreste needed versus what was fair to take away from him for his father’s crimes. She looked at the French heroine in disbelief. The reporter who had interviewed her was on the side of Adrien not being punished for his father’s crimes. “After all, that was part of our agreement.” 

“For a crime I didn’t actually commit?” Homura…couldn’t believe that Ladybug remembered that. Or was even still going to push for it. 

“You did commit it, it just got erased from history. Cat Noir might not remember it, but it would be the right thing to do. And you did agree to it.” 

Homura could just imagine Madoka’s thoughts on the matter, and she did feel a remnant nudge from the Deer Miraculous to oblige by her agreement. She sighed. 

“Fine, very well. What do you need me to do?” 

Ladybug smiled, and filled her in. The matter had apparently been discussed while she was recovering from heart surgery. 

…

Homura Akemi had two things her new job expected her to do. The first was what Ladybug, Cat, and the Kwami expected of her to make it up to Cat Noir for killing his father and beating him senseless (and shooting at him, and blowing him up, and hitting him with a anti-tank missile), in order to take his Miraculous in the previous timeline. 

The second was a much more pleasant task, one that she would approach with something she had almost forgotten what it felt like to have, but was happy to experience again. Enthusiasm. 

She almost smiled, struggling to do only because of her nature and not what she felt like inside, as she poked the sleeping Madoka in the head with her finger just as she froze time. The result was a frozen timescape that she and Madoka were the only humans to experience, and was followed by the sleeping girl bursting out of her bed in surprise from the sudden gesture. 

“Whaaa….Homura?” Madoka’s first reaction to being woken up was a surprised flailing, her dearest friend’s second reaction was confusion at seeing her here. A possible third was seeing her in her Magical Girl outfit. The fourth….

“Why is everything so gray?” 

Was her noticing that time had frozen. 

“I froze time.” Homura told her casually as the girl’s eyes went wide. 

“You…you froze time?” 

Homura nodded. 

“Are you Gifted?”  

“Yes…and no.” She didn’t explain any further as she began what she was here to do. Then she could explain things more. “ Madoka Kaname, do you treasure the life you currently live? And do you consider your family and your friends precious?”

She asked a few Madokas that, she said it the same way each time, and everytime Madoka reacted the same each time. Confusion, but a certainty in what she said. She never meant to lie about it, though Kyubey had a bad habit of making things more difficult than they had to be. But there was not going to be a Kyubey this time. 

“ Uuh well I, of course I do. I mean I do. My family and my friends. I love them very much and yes they are very precious to me ” Madoka’s reaction, as genuine as it was confused and often unable to mean what she wanted it to, came out as Homura smiled. Which she didn’t do with this speech. Not until this time. This time, this time was something special. 

“ Do you mean it? ” 

“ Absolutely. I couldn't lie about that.”

Homura nodded as she reached for her shield, reaching for what she was here to deliver. 

“Good. Because that sort of person, the person who knows what it is to love friends and family, to cherish a happy life, to know what there is to lose should such a thing ever change,  is just who Ladybug is looking for, and the sort of person I know is right for the job. Madoka Kaname,” at this point Homura had pulled out the wooden box from her shield, a much larger object than said shield that stunned Madoka to see come out, holding it out to Madoka as she stared in further amazement, confusion, and a little bit of fear. Homura tried to smile more happily to relax her, “you have been selected to be a Guardian of the Miraculous, a hero taught to use their powers for the good of the world and the universe and a leader to those you decide to be given this power in times of need, be those already Gifted by the Kwami or those who you choose entirely of your own violation when those times of need arise. Such powers are meant to be used to serve the greater good and must never fall into evil hands.”

The thing about her freezing time first was that Madoka had all the time in the world to babble incoherently, in confusion and shock, at what was in front of her. 

“A super…a superhero…a Guardian….no like….like Ladybug or Cat Noir or Capranastro…you must be mistaken….I’m just….I’m not special at all…..” Madoka babbled in distress. Homura put the box down on the bed and, on a knee, got on the bed herself and placed a hand on Madoka’s shoulder, causing her to stop babbling and look into her eyes. Homura wondered if those eyes were comforting to her after all of these timelines. 

“Madoka…you are plenty special. I know that better than anyone.” Homura insisted. When Madoka looked ready to babble again, probably about dreams or something, she continued. “Tell me, would you think I’m special?” 

Madoka nodded quickly. “You froze time, that must mean you’re Gifted, like Capranastro is. Or maybe you have a Miraculous.” 

Homura hoped she was smiling. It was hard to tell anymore, and she was going to have to get into the habit again. Hopefully Madoka could help her learn to smile again.

“I didn’t think I was special or anything interesting at the time all of this started for me either. When I got my powers, I was a lot like you.” Homura explained to Madoka’s surprise. “And if I can be special, you can be even more special. Like a Guardian perhaps, or a superhero.” 

“Trust me Madoka Kaname, you are indeed special.” Nooroo flew out from behind her to join her, causing Madoka to squeak in surprise. “Being special isn’t something that’s always apparent to the person in question. In fact, I often find it is the opposite.” 

Madoka was staring at Nooroo in amazement. “Is that a..Kaw…Kwoo…Caa…” 

“Kwami.” Homura said as Madoka nodded rapidly. “Yes, yes he is.” 

“Is he your Kwami?” 

“More or less.” Homura explained. “He’s also my parole officer.” 

“Parole officer?” Madoka repeated, like she only had a faint idea of what that meant. But aware that it was not something that someone had for any good reason. 

“Yes, but that’s a long story that it is not mine to tell. Let’s just say that Homura once tried to do the right thing the wrong way, and that’s one of the reasons she’s going to be helping you become a superhero and a Guardian. It’s actually the smallest and least important of the reasons as she’d help you anyway.” Nooroo explained. Madoka looked at her curiously about that part. 

“If you aren’t really being forced to help me be…be someone like…like Ladybug, then…why are you?” 

Homura felt her smile, if that was what she was showing, shift. It almost felt…gentle, but that might just be her. Only Nooroo or Madoka could tell her what her expression looked like right now. 

“Several reasons. Most of all, it’s because I believe in you. This is a new beginning for the both of us, and I want to make the most of it for the both of us, and Nooroo too. Sorry,” Nooroo didn’t take offense for briefly being left out, “Now, would you like to meet the Kwami who will be your responsibility, your potential partners, and your all but certain to be new friends?” 

She pushed the box closer to Madoka, who reached for it with trembling hands. The moment that Madoka touched the box, the room frozen in time was engulfed in a bright light as the box began to change its form into one that marked it as Madoka Kaname’s. 

“You made a mistake, as I do every day, but that's not a reason to give up fighting. You're the only one who can help me; that's why I chose you — but we must work together as a team!” Ladybug

END NOTES. 

A cut from the Monarch RYS speeches was this exchange, it was fun but getting long and it flowed better without it. But I honestly just like this a ton too, so sharing it for prosperity. 

***

“They always do. ‘ All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing ’, and Paris is filled with good people.  The world is filled with good people. And yeah, sometimes they feel a bad emotion that you can twist,” Alya cut Monarch off before he could speak of the ‘good’ of Paris, “and sometimes they don’t have the power to make a difference, but give pretty much any person the chance to do good, and most of them will do good. If Chloe Bourgeois was willing to do some good for a little while….” 

“Are you really using that girl as an example?” Monarch questioned. 

“Chloe did two good things in her entire life: she helped stop her father when you akumatized him, and she fought against you on Heroes Day. What good have you ever done for anyone?” Marinette made it clear of her intent of her words. If Chloe had done more good in her life than you, you were clearly doing something wrong.  

***

Rena Rogue and Myèl bella are both Alya. In this universe Ladybug was successfully able to give Alya the Bee Miraculous. This is part of why Kyubey was able to get a contract with Chloe. She’d have been the first one in Bustier’s class with one in universe, and part of the reason that Cat chose Juleka to be his substitute was to not only have a Kwami to protect her, but to protect Rose as well. Alya also likely became a permanent Miraculous holder as a means of keeping her safe, probably becoming Rena Rogue specifically on a permanent basis.

Originally my idea was to have the Mage who created the Miraculous come to Marinette and tell her about how he was unable to complete the Miraculouses in his lifetime as a result of the war with Atlantis requiring them to be rushed out and have him implore Marinette to use the wish to complete his work to its fullest potential. After reflecting on the scene I changed it to have it be fully Marinette’s idea, as that seemed to be more in line with Ladybug’s character and makes things a bit less of an ass pull, which is always a risk when Ultimate Madoka/Madokami shows up. 

A timeline I wanted to have Homura see was a full on ‘Crusade’ between the Order of the Guardians and the Magical Girls of Kamihama City in which the Holy Quintet and the Miraculous Heroes of Paris got involved that would have had a style akin to something out of Hellsing Ultimate, but it was cut because of how long the section was getting. 

Capranastro was a name suggested by Spacebattle user Quantum01. 

If anyone’s ever read ‘Aftermath of the Games’ and its sequels and ever read the scene where Sci-Twi mentioned to Rarity that she only had her uniform, that is the inspiration for the Mami and Homura shopping scene. Though Mami did not lift Homura over her head and run screaming off towards the mall. Mami’s a bit more composed than Rarity is and Homura would instinctively defend herself against that. 

I had wanted to have Mami and Homura fight a Branded in the Mall, but cut the scene attempt for time and length focus. This would have resulted in Madoka knowing that Mami is Capranastro and that Homura had powers before the end scene.  

If Homura was to use the Butterfly Miraculous to empower someone, she would not use butterflies like Gabriel does. I kind of imagine empowering her bullets with the power of the Butterfly Miraculous and shooting the intended target like she’s an Overwatch character or something. 

While I would not say for sure, I would probably guess that the Miracle Box that Madoka was given is based on Japanese folklore, though I am not sure what pattern it would follow a la the Chinese Zodiac or the Native American Zodiac/Navajo Medicine Circle that partially make up the canon boxes. At the very least, if I was to come up with it, I would start with one or two overall themes, and go for something like ‘two really powerful Miraculouses [Cat and Ladybug, Thunderbird and Sasquatch]’, set of several around it, Zodiac or similar set as third grouping. I do have a few odd ideas here and there for what might be in such a box without any themes to work with, like I could see the vaguest ideas for Miraculouses based on the Nekomata (as an idle thought on what Miraculous in that theme that Madoka might default to on theme, if not powers), Baku (for something with a clear powerset involving dream manipulation), Seahorse (some vague ideas where to start, for some reason I lean towards Sayaka with it), and Centipede (as my thoughts go to a Zelda lore video on the Wind Waker Darknuts with how Centipedes in Japan reference tenacity, ferocity in battle, evil, and other such topics for a darkerish Miraculous like Plagg or my own Rattlesnake in the Native American Miraculous). That said, again, this list is far from official and certain on my end and something, if this ever got explored more, would need a breakthrough idea to make happen. All I’ve had for an idea is that the equiv of the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses in the box would be three Miraculouses based on the Imperial Regalia. 

Homura never named the Sentimonster lizard or any of her transformations. However I suspect Madoka will give them names, and naturally Homura will go along with them unless they are absolute bottom-tier ones. If Madoka did ask Homura to name them, she’d probably be able to come up with good ones, but she is too jaded to do so at the time of her fight with Lady Miraculous. She might be willing to do so without Madoka’s prompting after she has time to recover in the new reality. 

Might be worth making a list of some of the Magical Girls new sources of power with the Miraculous of Canon as of Season 5 and my own take on the Native American Miracle Box’s count. As a result if this idea was ever explored, some of them probably would be tweaked later based on canon Miraculous being revealed, new thoughts on both their wishes and their powers to improve the matchups, or the creation of more fanverse boxes by myself if this was ever explored further. Not all of them currently have these powers at the time the story ends, which would be the case with someone like Sayaka, and some of them might not necessarily be on track to get them at all even if listed (though plenty of characters not listed from Record, for example, would still get them.). Only some Record characters are listed because I don’t have all day and not everyone of them had a corresponding Miraculous to translate them to even on a first draft. Also mobile game lore in general gives me hives…

Mami Tomoe: Gifted of the Goat (Passion)

Kyoko Sakura: Gifted of the Fox (Illusion) 

Sayaka Miki: Gifted of the Bear (Perseverance)

Homura Akemi: No Gifts, retains a modified version of her original powers. Partner Kwami is Nooroo.

Madoka Kaname: No Gifts, but incredible potential. Guardian and Superhero in Training. Partner Kwami to be determined by trial and error. 

Nagisa Momoe: Gifted of the Goat (Passion)

Oriko Mikuni: Gifted of the Rabbit (Evolution) (while she appeared, this power, unlike the others who appeared in person in story, is not set in stone yet)

Kirika Kure: Gifted of the Butterfly (Transmission) 

Yuma Chitose: Gifted of the Woodpecker (Relief) 

Komaki Asako: Gifted of the Turtle (Protection)

Michiru Kazumi: Gifted of the Rabbit (Evolution)

Umika Misaka: Gifted of the Rooster (Pretension)

Kaoru Maki: Gifted of the Bear (Perserverance)

Saki Asami: Gifted of the Thunderbird (Astonishment)

Mirai Wakaba: Gifted of the Peacock (Emotion)

Satomi Usagi: Gifted of the Vole (Empathy)

Niko Kanna: Gifted of the Buffalo (Abundance) 

Airi Anri: Gifted of the Raven (Change) 

Yuuri Asuka: Gifted of the Woodpecker (Relief) 

Iroha Tamaki: Gifted of the Bear (Perseverance)

Sana Futaba: Gifted of the Sasquatch (Mystery)

Yachiyo Nanami: Gifted of the Wolf (Spirituality)

Tsuruno Yui: Gifted of the Ladybug (Creation)

Rena Minami: Gifted of the Raven (Change) 

Kaede Akino: Gifted of the Beaver (Growth)

Kanae Yukino: Gifted of the Cat (Destruction) 

Nemu Hiiragi: Gifted of the Peacock (Emotion)

Mifuyu Azusa: Gifted of the Fox (Illusion)

Shizuku Hozumi: Gifted of the Horse (Migration)

Karin Misano: Gifted of the Dog (Adoration)

Seira Mihono: Gifted of the Butterfly (Transmission) 

Hinano Miyako: Gifted of the Goat (Passion)

Ayaka Mariko: Gifted of the Monkey (Derision)

Ren Ishizu: Gifted of the Rattlesnake (Mortality)

Also all of their costumes and or weapons, like Mami’s, are all modified based on what Kwami their powers come from, though not as much as Miraculous users. For example Sayaka’s costume would be most altered in the cape, which would be a white bearskin cape instead of a cloth one, along with other, more minor changes for bear emphasis and a lack of a Soul Gem.

And fun fact to finish it off, I was over 40,000 words into this when I realized that Homura and Marinette have the same voice actress in English. In my defense, regular Homura doesn’t really talk or emote like Marinette (or Shantae or Nanoha, the latter of whom has crossed over with Madoka in the mobile game), it's more apparent when you are dealing with Moemura. It’s when I noticed when I went back for that episode for some reminders.