Switched: A Miraculous Ladybug Story

Gathering of the Heroes

Marinette had faced many foes with weird fetishes, vengeance, and some with animal abilities.
But she never had a freaking tea party with a mastermind before!
HawkMoth hummed as he poured some green tea in her teacup from a white teapot with a purple butterfly on the side. The steam rose from the cup as the thick scent of macha filed her nose. She watched as he held out a plate of pastries in front of her.
"Would you care for some Eclairs? Or would you prefer a croissant? I also have some macaroons!" He said, placing the serving dish in front of her. She eyed the treats suspiciously before taking a small buttery croissant and biting into it. The warm, flaky treat melted in her mouth as she sighed contently.
"Good to see you've stopped tensing up." He placed the pot down and smiled at her. "Now then, can I ask you something, my dear?"
Marinette nodded, taking one of the macaroons off the plate. "Well since you've been so nice right now, I guess it's fair." She still kept her guard up however. Didn't want to give HawkMoth the benefit of the doubt.
"You may recall our last encounter to be a bit "bloody". But that's all in the past now." He leaned forward, Marinette swallowing her pastry in uncomfortable silence. "I want your miraculous and we both know what powers that thing possess no?"
Now she was glaring into his lying eyes. "I'm aware, but what do you want with it?"
"My dear Ladybug, think nothing of the sort!" He waved his hands in a flourished gesture. "All I want to know is if you'd be willing to learn how to utilize your newfound powers under my tutelage?"
Now she really choked on her tea. Did HawkMoth just offer to teach her how to use her powers? In her universe he just wanted the power! But in this one, he just wanted another minion.
"Think about it Ladybug, your powers of luck helping to protect this fair city." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "The Miraculous powers of luck are more powerful than you can imagine. You need a teacher to teach you the ways of power." He leaned closer to her face. "Think about it, you and Chat Noir living in a peaceful world. All your Quantic friends by your side." He started to gently lift up her mask, trying to see the face underneath. "And me, ruling Paris in a perfect utopia..."
She felt him trying to pull her mask off, but didn't even notice. Her hands suddenly moved on their own, reaching towards her earrings. She tried to stop, but found herself unable to.
Fight it Ladybug! HawkMoth is trying to get you to lose your powers!
That voice! It appeared inside her head, warning her of the danger and snapping her out of the trance. Before HawkMoth could fully removed her mask and earrings, Marinette slapped his hand away.
"You liar! How dare you try to take my powers!" She leap up, surprising HawkMoth. "You or any other villain out there will never inherit the powers of the ladybug!" Taking out her yo-yo, she swung it at him.
"Foolish girl!" He held up his hand and caught the small trinket. "You think a mere novelty will stop me?"
She smirked. "No, but this will!" Jumping up, she kicked him full on in the chest. HawkMoth grunted, feeling the brunt of the attack full force. Growling, his face glowed with a purple butterfly outline.
"Sparrow report." He said, dodging each of Ladybug's attacks.
"All the Quantic Kids are surrounded and accounted for."Came Sparrow's reply.
"Excellent, nice work my pupil. I need help with Ladybug on this end."
"Is she too powerful for you to handle master?" He could practically hear the sarcasm on the other end. Clenching his hands, he squeezed the object in his hands. Sounds of pain filled the communications instead.
"You ignorant brat! I can handle her! But you seem to have the more drive for vengeance than I do."
He could hear Sparrow pondering as he said. "I'm in, but keep her occupied okay?"
HawkMoth rolled out of the way of another yo-yo attack and sighed. This day just wasn't his lucky one.
____________________________________
"Ohh...my aching head..."
Superior Ladybug rubbed her now sore head as she painfully stood up. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the light as she started to walk forward, only to smack into a wall.
"That wasn't smart!" She squealed, putting her hands on her now swollen nose. "I'm a superhero darn it! Why the heck am I such a klutz?"
"Join the club sister." SL turned around to see a small girl holding a wand. "Being a witch doesn't make me graceful either."
Another squeal escaped her lips as she admired the outfit of the child. "What a cute dress! Did you make this yourself?"
The girl blushed and looked away. "Yeah...a little magic thread and a big imagination can lead you a long way."
"Could you make me a dress with your magic? The 22nd century needs your designs."
"Woah so your from the future?" The girls turned to see another figure in the room. It was a boy wearing a ladybug outfit too! "And your some small child with magic powers?"
"The name's Bugaboo if you wanted to know." The girl said, sticking out her tongue.
"I'm the Superior Ladybug, champion of the 22nd century!" She struck a pose, making the boy chuckle.
"Well they call me Manbug, nice to meet you in this small space."
"How come they don't call you LadyBeetle or something?" Bugaboo asked, raising an eyebrow.
ManBug gave her an incredulous look before replying, "Why do they call you Bugaboo instead of Magical Ladybug or Mystic Ladybug?"
Bugaboo kicked him in the shin as Superior laughed at his pain. "You meanie! I can call myself what I want!"
"If you children are done fighting, can we get back to the matter at hand?"
The trio looked up to see a woman with long, silky red hair that cascaded down her back and front. She wore a long red dress with black spots and had airy wings coming out of her back.
"Hey you look like Madame Tikki, my teacher!" Bugaboo exclaimed, smiling widely.
"Tikki? Isn't yours a small robot creature like mine?" Superior asked her.
"My Tikki is a male kwami from long ago." ManBug said, his chest puffing with pride.
The woman rolled her eyes at the bugs. "I am Tikki, but I hail from an alternate universe where Ladybug is an all-powerful...you know what? Never mind! You were chosen to help the dimensions from falling apart. Ladybug from the Miraculous universe and Ladybug from the Quantic universe have switched places due to an evil entity of unknown origin."
"Just how many Ladybug universes are there?" Bugaboo asked, curious about the multiverse theory being true.
"Many various ones. Like the Sorceress Ladybug , Bugaboo." She pointed at the small child. "And the male donned in red, ManBug." Manbug smiled and blushed nervously. "And the Ladybug of the future, Superior Ladybug."
"That's my name Tikki! Wow this feels so weird talking to a human version of you." Superior said, chuckling to herself. "I will never forget this till the day I die!"
"Which will happen if we don't stop the darkness. I need you and the other Ladybugs to stop this menace before the universes are destroyed!"
"Well Miss Tikki, you have yourself a team!" Superior said, giving her a grin.
"One question though; how do we find the other Ladybugs if we have no idea how to dimension hop?" Bugaboo asked.
"Oh quite simple really! All you have to do is-" A trap door appeared underneath them. They all screamed whilst Tikki watched them fall down the hole. "Good luck!"