Second Chance

Chapter 2

"AaaAAH!"

Marinette knew this. She'd already lived this, and she wasn't supposed to know that, but she did. Tikki recognized this event, and it seemed she could... almost hear Sass calling to her. The kwamis were still loyal to her, even though they were forced into service for a madman.

In horror, she watched as Cat Noir crumpled to the ground, Shadowmoth's cane impaled straight through his chest. The villain loomed above him, yanking the cane free. Cat Noir's back arched and he cried out again.

"Cat Noir," she whispered, and the tears soaking through her mask were warm. But she knew she couldn't make the same mistake as last time. Shadowmoth had gotten her miraculous.

But she couldn't let Cat Noir die.

"Lucky charm!" She shouted, throwing her yoyo high in the air. A box, just like the miracle box, landed in her hands. She stared at it, then looked around frantically, trying to figure out how she was supposed to use this.

There was nothing.

"Venom!" Shadowmoth stung Cat Noir, who was choking on the blood bubbling at his lips.

"No, no, no, no..." Marinette gritted her teeth, raising her eyes to the dark sky. What was she supposed to do?

She glanced down at her hands and saw the tell-tale blinking spots.

Herself?

Marinette opened the box and it neatly unfolded in the same way the real one did. Her heart clenched at the sight of so many empty spaces.

The bee space blinked, as did the tiger, the snake, the dragon, and the butterfly. Every single one was a miraculous that Shadowmoth was wearing.

Shadowmoth knelt beside Cat Noir, slamming his cane into the ground near his head. The black-suited superhero's glowing green eyes glared up at him, but he couldn't move, much less use his cataclysm. As Marinette watched, Cat Noir's blood flowed steadily, mixing with the pounding rain, and Shadowmoth bared his teeth in a sharp grin, reaching for Cat Noir's ring.

Marinette threw her yoyo, strength from her miraculous coursing through her limbs, and wrapped it around Shadowmoth's wrist, where she knew the snake miraculous was. Shadowmoth's eyes went wide and he let go of his cane to try and tug free, pulling at the string of her yoyo. The snake miraculous beeped. Only a few seconds longer.

Three... two... one...

The colors of Shadowmoth's snake costume disappeared in a flash of blue light. "Not today!" Marinette shouted. With a neat, agile twitch of her fingers, she pulled the snake miraculous from his wrist and into her own palm.

Sass appeared in front of her. His snake teeth showed in relief. "Thank you, Ladybug," he panted tiredly.

Keeping a wary eye on Shadowmoth as he let out a thundering bellow of anger, she swiftly dropped the snake miraculous safely back into her yoyo.

That was another miraculous saved. Now, to retrieve the bee and save Cat Noir. Shadowmoth had already used the bee's power, and once time was up, he would have to detransform the same way he had with the snake. But she didn't have time to wait. Cat Noir didn't look like he was even breathing now, and his eyes were rolling back in his head.

"Cat Noir," she whispered fearfully, then took a bolstering breath. If she fell apart now, she wouldn't be able to save him. And she had to save Cat Noir. She couldn't lose him.

"What will you do now, Shadowmoth?" she called over the pouring rain. "I've already reclaimed three miraculous's. It's only a matter of time before I take the bee one from you when you detransform." She gestured to the yellow comb sticking out of his hood. As if Pollen heard her, the bee miraculous beeped and flashed yellow, detransforming too. Pollen hovered before Shadowmoth, then saw Marinette and squealed, swooping toward her. Cat Noir, released from the bee's power, went entirely limp, his eyelids drifting shut. Marinette moved closer, twirling her yoyo, and Shadowmoth—