Marichat: Always and Forever

Chapter Thirty-One: Nightmares

Previously:

Wait a minute... where was her-

I knelt down next to Marinette and finally heard the word she was whimpering out.

"Tikki"

Ladybug-Marinette wasn't transformed anymore- her earrings were gone.

___________

Ladybug's POV

"It's Queen Nightmare!" Lila declared.

I don't know what happened next but-

When I opened my eyes there was nothing. I wasn't in Paris anymore. I didn't even know my eyes were closed. It was a mindless void of darkness. No Lila, Alya, Niño, Chloe, Adrien... Adrien.

All that was there was darkness. I felt fear rise in my heart. Goosebumps glazed my skin and then I heard the voices...

Nobody's POV

She couldn't make out the voices but there was something in her heart telling her that something very wrong was about to happen. Every single message and nerve that was being shocked through her body made her feel like she was in peril. Marinette didn't know why though. Marinette reached out her hands to feel around but found nothing. How could the dark be so unsettling if nothing was in it. She let out a hysterical laugh at the thought of monsters in the dark. The most unsettling thing that caught Marinette off guard though was the smell.

The reeking aroma was dangerously familiar and gave her the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. It was foul as it mixed with her senses. Marinette felt her breath pick up as she started to nervously play with her red spandex suit. What was that smell? But she knew. She just didn't want to believe it this place-

This place smelled like- death.

The voices still surrounded her talking to her. She didn't want to listen though, she refused to listen. The voice talking to her throughout this dark void, was herself. Ladybug didn't know when she started sobbing but found herself doing so uncontrollably. Her knees hit the ground and let the voices and stench of death overcome her.

Lila's POV

Hawkmoth's power allowed me to be stronger than I ever was. Not only was I able to trap Ladybug in a circle of Nightmares but I could go in there and manipulate her too.

Once I knocked her unconscious I joined her silently in her own mind of destruction.

Nobody's POV

Lila was like a predator watching it's meek prey. Just because Ladybug couldn't see her or anyone else in the dark doesn't mean Lila couldn't see her. Ladybug had been brought down to her knees. Marinette's inner voiced around her swarmed and crowded her as if they were people, but there weren't any. Marinette's nightmare was herself.

"You seriously think you're good enough?"

"You're a clumsy pathetic nobody."

"Who would love you?"

"This is your fault. Master Fu is gone. You will always be a failure in everybody's eyes."

"If Chat Noir gets hurt that's on you."

"Do you think someone like Adrien will ever love you? Do you think you deserve him?!"

"You're not worthy of being Ladybug!"

"You are pathetic. You are weak and small without that mask, you are nothing."

Marinette felt all of her private insecurities being brought to life all around her.

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" She screamed. It felt like her throat was about to get ripped apart.

'That's it,' Lila thought as she stalked around Ladybug, 'just a little bit longer."

Ladybug was shaking now as she heard another voice from behind her. It wasn't one of her voices though. It wasn't another insecurity. It was Lila's voice.

"The voices aren't wrong you know. You took away the things that gave me everything, so I'll do the same to you."

"W-what?"

Marinette felt something move near her ear, but before she had time to reach it, she felt someone twist her ear.

"OW!" And then the realization came. She felt the familiar sensation of her body letting down her transformation and she realized. Her earrings. Tikki.

Tikki was more than a Kwami, she was one of Marinette's best friends. Shencouldn't lose Tikki.

"TIKKI! TIKKI!" Marinette sobbed the tears tracking faster and faster and faster.

"Wow. The voices in your head are right. You are pretty pathetic, Marinette." Lila sneered from behind her.

Lila paused at seeing Marinette in so much distraught. A smile curled on her face. The moment to bring Ladybug and Marinette down had come in one foul swoop. It's true it was shocking that Marinette was Ladybug. But the feeling of triumph and satisfaction overwhelmed her. She wanted to relish in this moment forever. Marinette pleading on her knees begging for forgiveness. It was almost too good to be true. Lila was about to torment her a little more when a purple butterfly outline appeared on her face. And just like that Lila was gone.

In a flash Marinette was brought back to the present. She opened her eyes. She was still on the same concrete rooftop. She sniffled, as she looked around. If this was a dream did that mean- No.

She reached to the back of her ears to find her earrings gone and her scarlet suit materialized. The sobbing started coming all over again. The words in that- awful awful place- everything. She didn't want to go back there ever. She felt her knees drop on the pavement of the building.

"Tikki." She whimpered out.

Her vision was blurred by her tears but saw a pair of black leather boots standing in front of her, she let out another whimper before looking up at Adrien.

"Princess?" He whispered gently.  As if she was a doll Chat Noir picked her up slowly and gently.  He frowned not being able to look at her directly.  He didn't want to see the amount of pain she was in like this.  He felt the rumbling and weight from under the building shake.  The akumatized victims were coming up the tower to join them. All of them.  

He held Marinette closer, trying to protect her from what was bad.  He knew down inside he wouldn't be able to.  But he lost one woman he loved when he was thirteen.  And he would be damned if he lost her.

As if a silent prayer had been answered the building stopped shaking.  As if a large weight had been carried off of it and stirred away.  Chat nervously glanced down the tower.  He was still clutching Marinette as close as he could, but when he looked down the akumas  were gone.  They were back to normal confused people.  What on Earth-

He stopped his train of thoughts as he felt Marinette herself bury deeper into his suit.  It was like she was hiding herself from something.  Her hands brought themselves up to his back and clutched him tightly.

"Marinette what's wrong?"

"K-Kitty..." she whispered.  Her voice sounded raspy as if she had been screaming.

Slowly she brought her lips up to his ear and made out the words, "behind you."

He turned around to see Hawkmoth, standing proudly in the flesh.  The peacock and butterfly pendant gleaming in the light.

-End of Chapter 31-