Marinette collapsed to the floor, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly as everything hit her all at once.

The walls of the dollhouse fell, exposing the miracle box.

Why...?

Why did this have to happen?

And why did Marinette feel so bad...

But also feel so relieved at the same time?

"I shouldn't have yelled at them..." Marinette mumbled, more to herself than anything.

"They were invading your privacy, what else could you have done?" Kalkki huffed in annoyance.

"You tried asking them nicely; they wouldn't listen," Trixx added.

"But now they're all upset and-" Marinette cut herself off at the realization.

At least one of them had to have become akumatized by now.

"Marinette...?" Wayzz questioned.

She shook her head, "Tikki, Spots-"

Marinette was cut off by a faint... glowing?

Her eyes widened.
"Hide!" Marinette shouted, backing away from her phone.

The kwami all scattered - some diving into the box, others for her desk - while Marinette hastily shoved the miracle box into it's old cupboard.

"I'm here for you Marinette," Alya's akuma exclaimed as she appeared in a flash of blinding white light, "And you're going to listen to me this time!"

Alya had on a black witch hat and a thin strapped black knee-length dress with a white wifi symbol on the chest. The dress had a slight v-neck. On her feet were a pair of white ankle boots, paired with some white and black striped socks that stopped halfway up her calf. Around her waist was a white power-symbol belt. She held a big book in her left hand - probably where her akuma was hiding - and a sleek black wand in her right.

"You'll feel so much better afterwards," The akuma promised, advancing closer.

Her heels clicked loudly on the floor.

Marinette glanced frantically around her room, looking for any way to escape.

"I did listen, Alya," Marinette shot back, pressing her back against the cupboard.

She was cornered...

"It's Hexa now," The akuma growled.
Marinette spotted Trixx across the room, a ball of light in his hands.

Their eyes met, and Marinette gave a subtle nod of her head.

The light grew a bit before winking out completely, leaving Marinette to watch as the illusion ran to the balcony.

She held her breath as Hexa followed close behind it - casting spells from her wand all the while.

"Thanks Trixx," Marinette told him once the illusion disappeared.

"There's five of them; I lead them to the school, but they won't be distracted for long," Trixx answered.

Marinette gave him a nod, calling upon her transformation - paying little to no mind to the wobbling eiffel tower.

Ladybug zipped towards the school quickly, landing on the roof with a soft thud.

She gazed down into the courtyard, clenching her yo-yo in her hand.

The school was in complete chaos.

Hexa was trying to interrogate the students and staff with another witch and - when they didn't have the answer she was looking for - froze them with a spell.

This other akuma wore a dark orange long sleeve top that was cinched around the wrists, and had a collar. A knee-length black skirt lined with the same dark orange fabric underneath, with a black belt holding it up. Tied on her right thigh seemed to be a pouch of sorts, holding some paper. On her feet were a pair of dark orange heels, and her black pointed witches hat completed the look.

That had to be Lila... right?

Regardless, there was another witch throwing potions which turned people into various horrific creatures.

She wore a purple off the shoulder top with ruffles along the neckline and a hot pink skirt, along with a pair of white socks and some purple flats. Around her neck was a purple choker with a white stone set in the middle. She had a belt, which held her various potions and on top of her head was a big hot pink witch hat with a yellow ribbon tied around it. Her pink eyes had a yellow sclera.

Ladybug opened up her yo-yo to call Chat Noir, "Come on... pick up..."

"Well, I think it's safe to say the supervillains are having a party without us," Chat Noir commented.

"This is serious, Chat - they're searching for a girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng, their classmate - I'm at Françoise Dupont," Ladybug told him.

"On my way, m'lady."

Ladybug returned her attention to the chaos below, watching with a critical eye.

She couldn't help but notice that two akuma seemed to be missing...

Where were they?

"She's hidden here somewhere; let's separate," Ladybug heard Hexa comment as they all rushed outside.

"Oh no you don't!" A fourth witch snapped, suddenly appearing and tackling Hexa.

She wore a black crop top with thin straps and detached sleeves from her elbows down - flaring out. A white moon was on the shirt, and on her black witch hat. She also wore a pair of black high waisted shorts, and dark grey thigh high stockings. On her feet were a pair of black heeled boots. A crescent moon necklace completed the look.

Stealth akuma...

This was going to get complicated, real fast.

"We aren't letting you get Marinette on our watch," A fifth witch shouted, firing a blast of pink smoke at Hexa while she was down.

This one had a sleeveless pale pink flowy dress, black stockings and gloves that reached her elbow. Her short blonde hair was tipped with pink and a black hat with a hot pink ball hanging off the tip sat on her head. On her feet were a pair of hot pink shoes and her scelara's were just as pink.

In her hands was a familiar perfume bottle gun.

Ladybug's eyes widened.

"Rose...?" She whispered.

The other one had to be Juleka then.

But why were they fighting the other three...?

"What's the situation, m'lady?" Chat Noir asked as he landed on the roof next to her, causing Ladybug to jump.

"Five akuma; all with different powers - Hexa can cast spells, and the one with potions can turn people into their minions, the one in black can turn invisible," Ladybug filled him in, "I'm not sure about the other two."

"Right..." Chat Noir mumbled, "Wait, why are they fighting?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter - let's just get this over with..." Ladybug sighed, "With five akuma, it's going to be hard to locate the akumatized object."

"You already have an idea, don't you?"

"I'd like to isolate one of them, so she can tell us where the object is," Ladybug replied.
"I'll distract the others for you, good luck m'lady," Chat Noir bid as he took off.

"You too..."

Isolating one of the akuma was easier than she thought it would be.

Almost too easy...

Alarm bells rang in her head as she landed in an alley-way, and her suspicions were confirmed once Hexa disappeared in a puff of orange smoke.

Ladybug dodged the spell before it could hit her, glancing at the purple pause symbol on the wall.

"I must say, impressive recovery Ladybug," A new voice congratulated.

"Lila..." Ladybug replied wearily, getting up and into a defensive position.

"It's Imita now, and I'm going to enjoy squishing you," The akuma bristled.

Luckily, there only seemed to be one other akuma with the illusionist; Hexa.

But there was the possibility that the invisible one could be lurking around...

Hexa fired another spell, a cloud of stinging smoke enveloping her and causing the spotted heroine to cover her eyes and mouth.

She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and rolled to the right - just barely avoiding a punch.

Ladybug heard the wall crack to her left.

She needed to get out of here.

Ladybug swung her yo-yo blindly, tugging hard when it wrapped around something above.

She landed on the rooftop above, rolling with the momentum.

"Don't think you can escape that easily Ladybug," Hexa shouted.

Imita immediately charged forward, causing Ladybug to dodge her kick and retaliating with a punch of her own.

She disappeared in a puff of orange smoke.

A tsk was all Ladybug heard before she was kicked from behind, sending her skidding backwards - right into Hexa. Who promptly flipped her and pinned her to the ground.

Acting quickly, Ladybug slid her leg underneath one of the akuma's and sharply rolled to the right.

Now that she was on top of her, Ladybug scanned for a possible object where the akuma was hiding.

It had to be the wand, right?

Hexa struggled in her grip, rolling sharply to her side and knocking Ladybug off balance.

She jumped away and spun her yo-yo quickly, blocking yet another pause button with her temporary shield.

A scuffle from behind Ladybug had her turning around, still keeping her shield trained on Hexa.

Sure enough, Imita was charging forward - and Ladybug quickly blocked her kick with her free arm. Shoving her forward and knocking her off balance.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Ladybug noticed Hexa moving quickly.

Running on instinct, Ladybug rolled sharply to the right - a few pause buttons missing her entirely.

This wasn't working...

She wrapped Hexa up in her yo-yo, throwing her into the just recovered Imita.

"Lucky Charm!" She shouted quickly, catching the magical object just as her opponents landed on the roof across from her.

A small bag of flour landed in her hands.

Thinking quickly, Ladybug threw the bag on the ground near the two akuma. A puff of flour escaped the bag and showered the two.

While they were coughing and sputtering, Ladybug quickly made her escape.

Throwing her yo-yo and swinging off the roof.

She was careful not to draw too much attention to herself as she tried getting as far away from the two akuma as possible before her transformation dropped. Which was honestly easier said than done considering her suit was bright red.

Maybe she should talk to Tikki about changing the design of her suit...

Ladybug dropped into an alleyway, mumbling the detransformation phrase and catching a tired Tikki in her hands.

"I don't know what to do Tikki..." Marinette sighed as she handed her kwami a macaron

Tikki was quiet for a moment, chewing thoughtfully.

"I... don't know Marinette," Tikki admitted, "But I know you can do this Marinette."

"I know you can do this," Tikki replied, pressing against Marinette's cheek.

Marinette cupped her hands around the kwami, "Thanks Tikki."

Before Tikki could reply, Marinette heard a voice from outside her alleyway.

"Where could she have gone?"

That sounded like Aroma...
"She has to be around here somewhere," Another voice - probably Juleka - answered.

"I hope the others haven't found her," Aroma sighed.

It was odd.

Aroma almost sounded...

Concerned?

Well, Marinette supposed this wouldn't be the first time an akuma was concerned about another person.

Her thoughts flashed to Luka's confession.

No no, focus.

"Tikki," Marinette whispered in warning.

"I'm good to go, Marinette."
"Spots-"

"There you are!" Aroma cheered, "Thank goodness you're safe!"

Marinette stiffened, backing away slowly as Tikki dived for her purse.

"How... how did you find me?"

Aroma frowned a bit, "One of my perfumes can reveal trails."
Marinette paled a bit.

That...

That was close...

"Oh..." Aroma mumbled before smiling warmly, "Oh no - you don't have to be afraid!"

"I... I don't....?" Marinette asked wearily.

She needed to get away.

Needed to transform...

"I'm here to protect you," Aroma assured, holding her hands up in surrender.

"P - protect?" Marinette echoed.

"We both are," Another voice chimed in.

Marinette jumped a bit as Juleka's akuma appeared beside Aroma.

"Marinette, this is Obscura," Aroma introduced, "And you can call me Aroma!"

"Nice to meet you?" Marinette replied with uncertainty.

Obscura nodded, giving her a warm smile.

"Now come on, we have to hide you somewhere the others won't find you," Aroma cheered.

Marinette nodded, and as soon as they both turned their backs to lead her she tapped her purse twice.

The signal for Tikki to go get help from one of the other kwami.

Ever since the Su-Han incident, Wayzz thought it would be a good idea to have one.

Marinette watched Tikki zip away from her quickly in silent relief.

Please hurry...

Aroma led the two through the quiet and deserted streets of Paris. Ducking between buildings and alleyways in a vain attempt to stay hidden.

They didn't get very far.

Marinette felt Obscura tighten her grip on her as soon as the fifth witch appeared in front of them.

Wasn't Chat Noir supposed to be distracting these guys??

Marinette had run into every single one of the akuma during the last hour!

What was he doing...?

"Horrifica," Aroma warned, stepping in front and drawing the pink witch's attention to her, "You don't have to do this."

The akuma just gave a disgruntled growl as Obscura turned invisible.

Hurry up Tikki...

"Are you all having a party without me?" A familiar voice called.

The cat hero jumped down from one of the rooftops, quickly grabbing Horrifica's wrist and spinning her around. When he let go, she slammed into Aroma with a yelp.

He ducked under a few potions - punches, landing next to Marinette with a cocky smirk.

But before he could grab her, he was flung back with a kick.

"Aroma!" Obscura called, positioning herself in front of
"Don't you dare touch her, you mangy cat!" Aroma shouted, tackling Chat Noir mid-air and throwing him into a nearby wall.

With the created distance, Aroma aimed her perfume gun to the ground and pulled the trigger.

A cloud of purple smoke poured out onto the streets almost immediately; enveloping everyone in the stinging haze.

As Marinette covered her eyes with her arm she felt a hand grab her wrist, pulling her closer. Before she realized what was going on, the akuma had picked her up bridal style and was hopping from roof to roof.

"Wha-"
"Shh," Obscura placed a finger on Marinette's lips, smiling gently.

What surprised Marinette was that Obscura didn't turn invisible at all.

Wouldn't that have been better?

Have them both be invisible so they wouldn't be found again?
Or were they already invisible...?

Obscura finally came to a stop, ducking down into the subway.

The screams of civilians unlucky enough to be there rang through the walls as they all scattered. Some scrambled for the stairs, while others dove for cover or hid deeper into the tunnel.

So... they weren't invisible then...?

Interesting...

"Maybe I should've taken you to the eiffel tower instead," Obscura muttered with a slight frown.

"I - it's okay?" Marinette mumbled.

What was she supposed to do in this situation...?

And where were-

A flash of orange caught Marinette's eye, and she glanced upwards to see Trixx waving.

Oh thank god.

Now she just needed Obscura to put her down...

"Uh, what if we..." Marinette's voice trailed off as she looked around the abandoned train station.

What could she do...?

"What is it, Marinette?" Obscura prompted gently.

"We're pretty far from the others," Marinette replied with a sheepish smile, "Can - can you put me down?"

Obscura shook her head, hugging her a little tighter as they started moving once again, "I'm sorry Marinette - but I can't do that."
Marinette opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by the familiar sound of a yo-yo being thrown.
"Put her down," The Ladybug illusion ordered, narrowing her eyes.

Marinette winced as Obscura's face was illuminated by a purple butterfly symbol.

"Not now Hawkmoth," She murmured.

She tightened her grip on Marinette before making a break for it, but she hadn't even taken three steps before her feet suddenly flew out from under her.

Marinette yelped as she was thrown from Obscura's grip, only to be caught by a flash of red and black.

"T - thank you," Marinette stuttered as the illusion set her down.

She read about this before in the guardian grimoire.

It was fusion magic.

When two kwami come together, they can use their powers in a perfect balance.

Creating something entirely new.

This was the result of the kwami's of creation and illusion.

A tangible illusion - but an illusion nonetheless.

It didn't exactly have a time limit, since it was made by two kwami and not a miraculous holder channeling both of their powers.

But it had limitations in other ways.

If it gets injured too much, the illusion would break.

It takes a lot of energy to maintain, so if the kwami were distracted for even a second it would disappear in a puff of orange smoke.

"Get out of here, I got this," The illusion said, blocking Obscura's kick.

She didn't need to be told twice, dashing for the stairs to find a place to transform.

Anxiously pacing back and forth while she waited for the kwami to come.

Marinette knew they were capable, knew they wouldn't get distracted.

But some part of her is still worried.

What if Obscura saw through the illusion?

What if the other akuma showed up and caused the illusion to break?

What if-

"Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed suddenly, both kwami's zooming up to her hiding place just outside the station.

"The akuma got away with invisibility; we decided to let her go," Trixx explained, "You should transform quickly, before she finds us."

She needed a plan.

Her thoughts flashed to Imita's ambush.

Maybe it was time to plan one of her own.

"Tikki; Spots on!"