A Miraculous Fairytale

Chapter 6

Ladybug screamed helplessly as she face planted into the dirt. Her first attempt at using her yoyo to move around was... unsuccessful.

She spat out the dirt chunks and sulked. "Tikki, I can't do this!"

"Yes you can!" Tikki encouraged from inside Marinette's head. "Practice makes perfect! Now address the people that are staring at you in bewilderment."

Ladybug quickly turned her head and saw numerous villagers tilting their head in confusion. She laughed nervously and stood up. "Hi! Uh, sorry about the mess I made."

"Who are you?" a little girl asked curiously, running up to Ladybug.

"I'm Ladybug," she replied after a brief pause.

"Ladybug?" a man repeated.

"Yes. I'm the new hero around here," she declared confidently.

The man sputtered out laughing. "A hero? That's good. Are you one of the King's servants playing a joke on us?"

Ladybug scratched her head embarrassingly. "No?"

The man stopped laughing. "Wait. So a girl in a polka dot costume that can barely walk thinks she can be our hero?"

"You have a lot to prove!" a woman chimed in.

"The goat!" Tikki urged.

"I'll show you! I am a hero!" Ladybug said over dramatically. "And I'll start off by rescuing that goat!"

The goat was rummaging through a bakery. Ladybug raced off as mock-filled laughter erupted from the crowd.

She slid into the bakery, almost tripping over her feet. The goat quickly turned its head at the noise. Ladybug slowly inched over to the animal. "Calm down. I just want to pet you."

Ladybug was now mere inches away from the goat and she smiled. Now all she had to do was grab him and...

All of a sudden, the goat sprung to life and raced out of the store between Ladybug's legs. She yelped and fell to the ground.

People laughed at Ladybug from the doorway. She huffed and stood up. "Fine! You lovely people don't need my help anyways!" She stomped past the spectators and out of the store.

"It doesn't matter. My husband will be here soon and he'll take care of it!" a woman exclaimed.

"Marinette! What are you doing?" Tikki yelled frantically.

"Forget it, Tikki," Ladybug mumbled. "If I want people to respect me, I need to know what I'm doing first."

"Fair enough. But I really thought you could make a good first impression. It doesn't help that you're just stomping out on them."

Ladybug stopped in her tracks. She stared at her hands and sighed. "You're right." She turned around and faced the crowd.

"I'll be back to prove myself. And you all will be sorry," she announced with a wink.

People seemed appalled by this statement and had begun chattering to each other. Ladybug turned on her heel and began walking home.

*

"Tikki, spots off," Marinette said.

Tikki flew out of the earrings and landed in Marinette's hands.

"Can we please start practicing tomorrow?" Marinette begged.

Tikki smiled. "Yeah. But even if you get mad, Marinette, you can't let your emotions get the best of you. When you stormed out of the bakery, it revealed your anger and immaturity."

"Gee, thanks," Marinette mumbled.

"But your second exit was perfect. You were confident and collected. Although those people were rude, you showed them that it didn't bother you. Because you're a superhero."

"Wow, Tikki. I never thought of it like that," Marinette nodded.

Tikki laughed and Marinette let out a big yawn. She rested her head on her pillow and stared drowsily at her red friend.

"Tikki, are there any other kwami's out there?" Marinette asked curiously.

"Yes," Tikki nodded.

"What are they, exactly? Insects? Fairies?"

"Kwami's of course," Tikki replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," Marinette laughed. She stared up at the stars in the sky. "Do you think anyone else in the village has one too?"

"It's highly unlikely," Tikki responded.

"Oh," Marinette said. "It'd just be nice to have someone that knows what I'm going through." Marinette let out a big yawn and her eyes fluttered closed. "Goodnight Tikki," she mumbled sleepily.

"Goodnight Marinette," Tikki said with a smile. She flew over and blew the candle out before settling in her own bed and falling asleep.

*

"Your Highness, it's late. I suggest continuing your studies tomorrow," a guard informed Prince Adrien.

The blonde boy closed his book and sighed. "Very well." He stood up from his chair and walked over to the bookcase. He slid the book into the shelf and then stared out a giant window occupying the room. The dark blue sky was illuminated with specks of white.

"I'll find out who you are," Adrien mumbled, the image of the beautiful peasant girl etched in his mind. "No matter what it takes."

A sudden noise then caught the boys' attention and he glanced to his right. Then another noise. "Hello? Who's there?" he asked quietly.

A book fell on the Prince's toe and he yelped in surprise. A hurried knock sounded on the door. "Prince Adrien! Are you alright?" a guard asked.

"Yes, I just stubbed my toe," Adrien lied. He quickly checked his surroundings. He bent down and picked up the book. Just as he was about to put it back, a high pitched voice rang out through the room.

"Hey! I threw that book on the ground for a reason," the voice called out.

Adrien turned around quickly, his eyes wide with shock. "Who's there?"

A tiny figure floated out from the shadows and it looked like a black cat with glowing green eyes. Adrien nearly screamed in surprise.

"I'm Plagg," the creature introduced, flying up to Adrien's face. "And you're freaked out, huh?"