Ladybug Nutcracker

Chapter 6: The Gingerbread Village

Seeing a road up ahead Marinette and Chat Noir, the Kwami's next to them, followed it to a small village where a light fog was in the air.

The village looked abandoned and nearly every house was either destroyed or had bit such as roofs missing.

"It's what's left of the Gingerbread Village," Chat explained to answer Marinette's unspoken question.

"Look what I found," Tikki called from the left where lying in the snow were two dolls one dressed in pink and one dressed in blue.

"They must have belonged to some little girls who lived here," Marinette said carefully picking them up, seeing the one in blue was damaged a little.

"I didn't realize things had gotten so bad," Chat Noir said gripping his fists a little.

"Hey it's not your fault," Plagg said stuffing his mouth with a couple of gumdrops "It's Hawkmoth's doing and his stupid knights."

Marinette was about to ask something when a call from a horse a little further into the village caught everyone's attention and they went over to see a golden furred mare, with a brown mane and tail.

"Steady," Marinette said gently, slowly raising her hand and offering it towards the horse "We won't hurt you..."

"I wonder who she belongs to. Why is she hitched up to a sleigh?" Tikki said looking around but not seeing anyone. "And why is she still here when everyone else is gone?"

"Maybe they're not all gone," Plagg suggested flying a little higher to see if there was anyone else here.

Seeing two little girls hiding behind a house, he was about to say something when - they started throwing snowballs at Marinette and Chat Noir.

"Hey!" Marinette cried in surprise spinning around, still holding onto the dolls.

"It's an ambush!" Chat said getting hit as well quickly pulling Marinette down behind the fence of the mare's paddock.

"Not it's not," Plagg said laughing a little "It's just two little girls. Hey!" he cried as he was hit and the weight of the snow ball made him fall to the ground.

"With very good aim," Tikki said not caring that her fellow Kwami hat just been hit.

Taking a peek over the fence, Marinette saw two little girls with matching outfits and hair styles, except one was wearing pink and one was wearing blue.

Thinking Marinette picked up the dolls and held them up for the children to see.

"Wait we found these," she called slowly coming out and a little closer to them "Are they yours?"

The girls stopped firing for a little bit and took a look at the dolls.

"Daisy!/Poppy!" they called out together running to get their beloved dolls back.

"Ella?! Etta?!" an new new voice called out making the little girls look up to see who could only be their big sister coming over to then with firewood in her arms, a little fox Kwami hovering next to her.

"I thought I told you to stay hidden," she said aiming this at the girls "That was the deal we made to let you come back here with me."

"We're sorry Alya," they said together.

"It's our fault Miss," Chat Noir said addressing her.

"Oh?" Alya said stepping in front of her siblings.

"Yes," Marinette said confident that this girl wouldn't hurt them "We found their dolls and then this mare and I guess they thought we were harming her."

"What happened here?" Tikki asked wondering, Plagg still downed by the snowball.

"A few days ago, the Twins and I went out with Maple," she addressed the horse "To get some black-berries."

"Mama was going to make a pie!" Etta said excited, but then looked sad as she remembered what happened next.

"Yes, she was," Alya said agreeing, but when we got back, everything and everyone was gone."

"So where have you been staying if this was a few days ago?" Chat asked slowly so not to seem as if he was a spy for Hawkmoth.

"In the woods," Ella answered before Alya could stop her, pointing towards the forest "A few of our neighbours made it out fast enough and found a camp set up by other people who lost their homes because of the bignosed-bully."

"Ella," Alya said sternly placing the firewood in the back of the sleigh.

"To be fair Alya," Marinette said standing up for Ella "He does indeed have a very big nose."

"Wait you met him?" Alya asked looking to Marinette.

"Met him?" Plagg asked finally out and hovering next to Chat Noir "From how I understand it, he invaded Marinette's home to get at Chat Noir and then shrank her to the size she is now."

"Really?" Alya asked amazed, getting nods from Marinette who was asking to see Ella's doll.

Slowly Ella handed Daisy over, a nervous look on her face.

Thinking Marinette took a look at the damge part of the doll.

"By any chance do you have a sewing needle and some blue thread in there, Alya?" she asked smiling gently.

Nodding Alya pulled some out.

"The blue's not quite the same color as the rest of her but it will do for now." Marinette said more to herself than anyone else and started to carefully stitch Daisy back up again.

After a few minutes Marinette asked for some scissors, which Alya handed to her, cut the thread, and gave the doll back to Ella.

Excited Ella took her and hugged her tightly "Thank you Marinette!" she said hugging her now and catching Marinette by surprise.

"Um... You're welcome?" she said gently patting the little girl on her head.

"Getting back to here and now," Alya said pleased that her sister was happy but still a little upset as she looked around the village "This is all Prince Adrien's fault."

"Who's Prince Adrien?" Marinette asked having not heard of this person yet.

"He was the son of the King who ruled her before Hawkmoth did," Chat Noir explained "His father got sick while Adrien was still a stupid irresponsible teenager, so he left his crown and sceptre his brother until Adrien came of age."

"Hawkmoth." Marinette said guessing "And let me guess, he found he liked being king. But what happened to Prince Adrien?"

"Don't know don't care," Alya said lifting Ella and Etta into the sleigh "In my opinion, we're better off without him. Well," she said clapping her hands of invisible dirt "That's us done with here, time to get back to the camp."

She climbed into the driver's seat and looked at Marinette and Chat "If you like you can come along as well. Just don't eat everything before we get back to the forest." she said this glaring mostly at Plagg and the fox Kwami.

"Alya would you think that I your best non-human friend would do something like that?" she asked sounding offened.

"Yes Trixx I do."

With that Marinette, Chat Noir, Tikki, and Plagg got into the sleigh as well and they took off towards the woods.