Discordant Sonata

Chapter 26: Prima Donna (Part 3 of 4)

(Continued from part 2)

(Mood Music: "Masquerade Suite" - Aram Khachaturian)

Almost as if to answer her question, a blindingly white spotlight appeared from the sky, illuminating an open plaza with a raised platform that resembled a stage. At its center, a young woman in a flamboyant magician's outfit with orange and white accents appeared in a puff of smoke, posing dramatically.

Crowds began to gather around this spectacle, murmuring among themselves as invisible trumpets played victoriously.

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, step right up!" the performer declared. "May I have your attention, please? I have a momentous announcement to make! The true protagonist of the city of love has finally come to grace your boring, humdrum lives! Allow me to introduce myself!"

A drumroll sound emerged from the odd machine where the spotlight originated. It looked like a giant fox head with speakers where the ears would be and lights coming from its eyes.

"I am Prima Donna! The world's most beautiful and powerful magician!"

Raucous applause emerged from the fox-head machine, along with dramatic fog and colorful lights, and calliope music so loud it could be heard from miles away. The people below murmured and some clapped hesitantly along.

"But don't take my word for it. Allow me to demonstrate!" Prima Donna added, extending her arm towards the heavens. "An unprecedented asteroid is on its way to earth, and Paris is directly in its path. The entire country will be destroyed, and possibly all of Europe."

The multitude murmured skeptically, some bringing out their phones to check the news.

"Don't believe me? I'll show it to you," she added, retrieving a spyglass that hung from a holster at her hip. She extended it to its full length and swished it like a magic wand, pointing it at the sky. The dark clouds parted to show a giant meteor about to break through the atmosphere.

Crowds began to panic, shouting amongst themselves, pushing each other to get out of the way.

Chat gasped, squeezing Marinette's shoulder involuntarily. "Mari!" he shouted, "Is this really happening?! I-I don't know if Cataclysm is strong enough to stop this thing!"

Marinette stood up, and he stood alongside her. "You need to go!"

"What about you? I can't just leave you!" He looked at her helplessly.

"Just set me down on the street, I'll run home as fast as I can."

"But—"

"Saving Paris always comes first," she interrupted. "I'll be fine. I promise."

Chat bit down on his lip, then with a small nod, reluctantly agreed. He jumped down with Marinette in his arms, then set her down so she could run away.

Not that any of that mattered if he couldn't stop a literal asteroid from hitting the Earth.

He vaulted to the top of a nearby building with his staff, head whipping back and forth to see if Ladybug was nearby. She landed next to him a moment later, tapping him on the shoulder to beckon him to follow, and the two ran across several rooftops towards the stage a few blocks away. They stopped at the edge of the building in front of it.

"Plan??" Chat asked her desperately.

Ladybug bit her lip, uncertain. Her eyes darted around, looking for anything she could use, anything at all. There was nothing.