A Miraculous Story Book 1: Verity Queen

• Guilty •

Picture from cover: Blue Moth's akumatized blade/cane

Quick note: if you didn't know, "Qi" is pronounced "Chi" or "Chee".
Ok that's all, enjoy!

A sharp pain exploded in Miao's abdomen. His breath stuck in his throat and his face became expressionless. Slowly, he turned his eyes down to look, even though he already knew what happened.

Blue Moth had stabbed him right in the stomach. The villain gasped and pulled away, his hands visibly shaking. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't. All he could do was stare at the young, helpless guardian.

Miao crumpled to the ground with his hands over the wound, breaths escaping him in coughs. He felt light headed as he stared up at the ceiling, too weak to move. He started losing consciousness, but willed himself to stay awake.

"I didn't intend it to be this way," Blue Moth mumbled. His voice quivered. "I'm sorry, Miao." He cleared his throat. Dang it, why did he care so much about this guy? He had to do what he had to do...

Miao didn't reply. He felt like throwing up. A tear left his eye as he stared blankly ahead, feeling the life draining out of the hole in his body.

PonyBug grunted as she pushed herself through the volcanic portal, breathing heavily from the hot environment and difficult exercise.
Her eyes fell on Miao's weak form, curled up in a ball on the ground, red spreading on the ground around him. "No!" she gasped.

Pigeon Qi ran into the room with a smile on his face, followed by many other guardians, beaten and worn, but exuberant. "Ladybug, you-"
He spotted Miao as well and froze. His smile morphed into an expression of shock as his eyes went to Blue Moth.
"What have you done?" he yelled.

"I'm sorry," Blue Moth said. He used his blade to create a portal underneath him and disappeared inside it.

"Wait! There's still hope!" PonyBug rushed over to her bowl on the ground. "Miraculous Ponybug!" she yelled, throwing it up in the air. The bowl exploded into thousands of ladybugs that filled the room. Usually, her Miraculous Ladybug was coupled with a feeling of joy and relief, but this time, it was marked with fear and dread. What if they failed to bring him back?
The swarm circled the room for a few seconds, but those seconds felt like minutes of anticipation for PonyBug. Finally, the bugs left the room, having finished their job. Sure enough, the room was no longer a mess. The floor was dry and the Miraculous that had fallen during the scramble were replaced in their respective boxes. Even the silver ring that held the amok lay on the ground, back in one piece.

PonyBug's eyes darted straight to the young guardian. She didn't even know his name, yet she still rushed to his side. She knelt and turned his body so he lay on his back as Qi and a few others slowly approached.

"No, no no..." PonyBug whimpered, shaking him lightly. His wounds were gone and the blood was cleaned away as if it was never there, thanks to the ladybugs. Yet his body was still lifeless.
PonyBug sniffed and looked up at the other guardians, who in turn stared down at her. Her ears were burning and her eyes held tears. She felt ashamed.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't fast enough," she croaked. "I'm a terrible Ladybug..." She put her head in her hands. Thanks to her, Master Fu was gone forever, and now, this young man had died.

The feather behind Qi's ear began blinking and in a plumy grey beam, the old man detransformed. Curro the kwami appeared beside him. Qi kneeled beside PonyBug and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"You're not a terrible Ladybug at all," he said, giving her a gentle smile. "I've seen what you've done in Paris on those new devices we have," he continued, giving up trying to remember what the devices were called, "and it's incredible. Just one casualty isn't your fault. Miao was... naturally impulsive."