[OLD]In The Dog House

A Cool Evening

The evening was cool, as Marinette enjoyed the chilly breeze. The sun was setting a nice shade of orange, to a dark blue, and she smiled, sliding Tikki cookies beside her on her lounge chair.

"Isn't it pretty?" She asked the small being. She watched the clouds leisurely cross the skyline, and at that moment, she felt an overriding feeling of calm.

"It sure is!" Tikki chirped. The cookies were warm and fresh, melting in her small mouth. Sighing, she turned to Marinette. "It's so sad the other kwami can't enjoy this. Right now they're stuck in the Miracle Box." All twelve of the zodiac kwami were dormant, safely locked in Master Fu's massage parlour.

Her mood temporarily dampened. "At least they have each other!" She responded. It was true. The kwami were able to connect to their realm of origin through the box, and many of them often visited. But with the passing of Nooroo's birthday, the window that allowed communication outside of the box had closed. Sadly, they hadn't been able to save him, and now they had their guard up.

And it was with this raised guard that the pair noticed the dark butterfly flying past. "Wait, what?" Marinette yelled, jumping to her feet. She crossed the balcony, and watched the Akuma pass by. With a mix of dread and anticipation, she turned to her kwami. "Ready?"

Her kwami swallowed her cookie, fueled up. "Ready."

"Tikki, spots on!"

With a pink flash, Ladybug was swinging through the streets, tracking the Akuma. Releasing her yo-yo off a lamp post, she landed with incredible precision. Her powers, one of the strongest of the miraculi, allowed her to do things Marinette couldn't, like flip in the air with ease and grace. Suddenly, the ground rumbled, and she steadied herself. Civilians fell around her. She gazed to her left, and there, a figure stood. She was tall, and muscled. She was steel, head to toe, wielding two dumbbells on her waist. "My name is Alloy! And I'm here to weed out the weak!"

One of her arms morphed into a battle rope, and lashed a nearby man, dressed in formal attire. "Starting with those lazy suits!" She turned, whipping a car with a classically dressed woman inside. The car swerved, colliding with a nearby lamppost, although the driver escaped. Alloy grinned, morphing the end of her arm into a hammer. She quickly aimed for the car she escaped from, smashing the side window. She let out a deep, hearty laugh, and turned her attention towards Ladybug.

Taking a cue, Ladybug stepped towards Alloy. "Stop this madness, and no one gets hurt!" She called. A few people behind her cheered, and she continued her walk towards the villain.

"I don't think so! You hide behind the power of your miraculous, but you're really a weakling, and I'm here to get you all into shape!" She pulled a dumbbell off her waist, and launched it towards Ladybug. The heroine quickly lept in the air, flipping over the weapon. She landed expertly on the ground, but the boomerang dumbbell got her from behind, throwing her forwards a few feet.

Alloy laughed again, and jogged towards Ladybug. The glowing butterfly symbol remained like Hawkmoth was instructing her. "Let me just grab those earrings..." She reached forwards and... Ladybug threw her legs in the air, forming an arch. The villain lurched back, and Ladybug lept to her feet.

"You're not getting these earrings, but I'll be grabbing your Akuma!" She twirled her yo-yo around, tieing the villain's arm, and pulled forwards. Alloy was too strong, however, and simply yanked Ladybug towards her. Catching her in her arms, she reached for the earrings, and plucked one off. Ladybug slowly started transforming.

Swiftly, Ladybug jumped back, escaping Alloy's loose grip. She snatched the earring back, and put it in place. Her outfit, which had retracted to her knees, quickly reappeared. Ladybug fled backwards onto a nearby roof. Alloy grinned, launching another boomerang dumbbell. After dodging it, Ladybug launched her yo-yo dumbbell into the air. "Lucky Charm!"

There were pink swirls, and an item appeared in her hand.

An open-ended piece of jewelry.

The dog miraculous.