A Pixie Problem

Chapter Two: The Abyss

Marinette POV: Sunday, February 18th, 2024

"Spots off." I whisper, landing on my rooftop with Alya. I gently set her down into a standing position before looking at my Kwami, "What is going on? Why did my suit change?"

Tikki opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted by Alya, "Girl, forget about the suit! You should focus on your hair." She winces. 

"My hair?" I give her a sour look, "You should see your hair. We just traveled through an entire city via yo-yo, both of our hair is crazy." I gesture to her.

"No, your hair is pink." She grabs a strand and observes it.

"Pink?!" I squeal and look at Tikki in exasperation, "Please, explain." I plead. 

She takes a deep breath before beginning her story, "Over a thousand years ago, whenever Plagg and I were given to our first holder's there was something people might refer to as The Big Bang. Some people assume that is what created the world, but it wasn't. It was the beginning of a world that shouldn't exist. The Big Bang was two universes crashing together. I'm afraid it may have happened again." Tikki looks down as if scared I'd be disappointed or angry with her. This wasn't her fault. 

I take a deep breath, attempting to calm myself before saying, "So, we ended up colliding with Shadybug's universe? What does that mean for us? For her? When did this even happen?" I pace around the roof top, fidgeting with my hands in an attempt to calm myself. I can't be at risk to get Hoaxed. 

Alya steps in front of me and places her hands on my shoulder, "Let's just sit down and let Tikki explain, okay? You pacing around isn't helping anyone." She walks me over to the sun-chair and pulls up the crate for her to sit on. We both look over at Tikki who is sitting on the small table in front of us, "Please continue, Tikki." She gives a small smile to the Kwami.

Tikki returns the smile before continuing, "The reason nobody felt the bang whenever the universes crashed together is because, this time it was different. It wasn't just two universes colliding, it was three. Shadybug's universe, DC universe, and our universe. Before you say anything Marinette, I want you to really think about this. When did you know that Superman and Batman existed? Two days ago. Because there were more than two universes colliding it must have taken one of the side effects longer to develop." She gestures to me. 

I was struggling to breathe. This was all too much, not only did we just live through a 'big bang' but it may have come at the cost of people's lives. I mean, Shadybug and I were the same people only from different universes. Chat Noir and Claw Noir... 

"Tikki, will this affect Chat Noir? What about Shadybug? What happened to her? What happened to people who previously existed in other universes? Oh my God, Tikki? What if this killed them?" Tikki tries to interrupt me, but I keep panicking, "What about the people in Gotham? What happened to them? Gotham apparently didn't exist here until two days ago. Did they not notice a difference? Did they even survive?" Tears filled my eyes at the thought of so many deaths. So many deaths that I couldn't fix with the miraculous cure.

I tuned everything out and got up from the chair, dodging Tikki and Alya's attempts to make me sit back down. This wasn't right, I couldn't just sit down and listen to all the 'what ifs' swimming around my head. I needed to do something even if it was just walking around in circles. I felt my lips moving though I had no idea what I was saying. I looked down at my hands, hands that were trembling with my every breathe. 

I need to calm down. I need to stay calm. I'm Ladybug I can't get Hoaxed. I can't. I just need to focus, I need to hear the answers to my question. I needed t-