Miraculously Misplaced - Part 1
Darkness.
This was the first thing she noticed when regaining consciousness.
The world around her was cladded in nothing but pitch-black darkness. It left her with an uneasy feeling.
The next were sounds.
Sounds of chirping birds and leaves rustling in the wind. This gave her a feeling of serenity and peace, unlike the initial darkness.
Then finally, she felt something beneath her. Something soft and dewy. Grass? She wasn’t sure. But combined with the rustling leaves and bird chirps, she assumed she was somewhere in a forest. Or it might be a pasture. Again, she wasn’t sure.
But wait, how did she get there? And why was she lying in grass? Something wasn’t right.
“Marinette…?”
A voice reached her ears. A distorted, yet strangely familiar-sounding voice. A voice that filled her with comforting warmth and made her smile. She wanted to hear it again.
“Marinette…”
And there it was. The distant, soft, angelic voice. It seemed to call someone. Someone named Marinette.
Then she felt herself being shaken. First gently, then more and more as the moments went by.
“M’Lady… Princess… Bugaboo…”
The voice was getting more desperate, as was the shaking… was that voice calling her?
“Marinette please, wake up!”
It was! And it was calling her Marinette! Was that her name? It sounded about right.
And as if hit by lightning, memories began to resurface in her mind. Her name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she recently turned fifteen and was attending Collège Françoise Dupont in Paris, France. She was half French, half Chinese and an aspiring fashion designer. Her parents owned a successful bakery and her best friend Alya was an ambitious blogger.
Not to mention she was secretly Paris’ iconic superheroine Ladybug, who fought against evil pawns of the malicious villain Hawk Moth called akumas. Alongside her faithful partner Chat Noir, who she found out a while ago was also the love of her life…
The girl swallowed thickly. Her throat felt incredibly dry. Just how long has she been unconscious?
“… A-Adrien…?” she heard herself ask with a hoarse voice.
The shaking suddenly stopped. Assuming the worst, Marinette was about to apologize for the error before she felt something gently cup her face. At first, she thought it was hands. But then her miraculously recovered sense of touch felt no palm or fingers, but something round and flat instead.
And her face felt kinda different too. Was it just her or did it feel longer? And more rounded?
Determined to finally get some clarity on what was going on, the girl forced her eyes to open slowly, only for her vision to blur instantly. Squinting didn’t help either, it seemed to be dark wherever she was. All she could see was a blurry image of something, someone, looming above her. Someone with a mop of golden blond hair and a pair of emerald green eyes. Eyes she would recognize anywhere.
“Chaton…?”
She got her cheeks squeezed softly in response.
“M’Lady…”
His voice dispelled any remaining doubt there was. She smiled brightly. It was indeed Adrien! Her silly kitty partner, her pillar of endless support and affection, her beloved boyfriend…
He was here.
“Marinette… could you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“… please don’t freak out.”
Marinette frowned in confusion. Freak out? Why would she do that? Now she definitely knew something wasn’t right.
And as if to answer her question, her vision finally began to clear and the blurry face of her partner slowly transformed into a… a muzzle?
Marinette blinked once. Then twice. Then she briskly shook her head, but the image remained the same.
In front of her was Adrien. Except he didn’t look like Adrien. Adrien’s skin was tan, not bright orange. And his ears didn’t rest on his head unless he was Chat Noir. And he definitely didn’t have a long and pointed muzzle with visible nostrils.
Better yet - he did not look like an equine! Especially not something like that!
Marinette was about to scream, but then she remembered what Adrien told her - to not freak out - and instead took a deep breath to calm her nerves. It was somewhat successful, but she still felt herself freaking out inwardly.
“A-A-Adrien? W-Why do you look like… a-a horse? And… wh-wh-what happened?”
“Well, for one, we’re ponies, not horses,” the boy - no, stallion - corrected her as he helped her sit up. “Two, we were fighting an akuma attempting to prove the multiverse theory. We tricked him into bringing the people back he sent into different dimensions, but he caught on last minute and pushed us into one of the vortexes in a fit of rage. And now we’re stranded here, in the middle of nowhere.” He smiled uneasily. “But… we got another problem to deal with… you know what I’m talking about.”
Marinette could only nod slowly as she raised a hand - no, a hoof - to her eyes and examined it quietly. No palm or fingers. Just a greyish-pink, horseshoe-less hoof. It looked and felt so wrong.
It’s a good thing there’s no creek or anything I could look at myself nearby. she figured as she touched her muzzle. Knowing me, I would be unable to keep myself from freaking out big time.
She suddenly had another terrifying epiphany.
“Where are Tikki and Plagg?!”
Adrien held up his hands - hooves, darnit! - in assurance. “Don’t panic! They’re fine and okay. They were actually the ones who woke me up earlier. They’re looking for a way out of the forest.”
“Marinette! Adrien!”
“Looks like they already found it?”
“YOU NEED TO RUN!”
That was a reaction Adrien was not expecting. “Wait, what?!”
And as the two kwamis came into sight, they were still themselves luckily. What was unlucky was that they were being chased by wolves! Made of wood!
And as if things couldn’t get any worse, more of those wooden wolves jumped out of the bushes from every direction, encircling the foursome completely. Their eyes glowed an eerily green as they snarled at the human-turned ponies with crooked wooden teeth and resin dripping from their muzzles like saliva.
“W-wh-what are those c-c-creatures?” Marinette stammered.
“I-I-I don’t know,” Adrien whispered. “b-but they seem to be closing in on us.”
The two wrapped their arms - no wait, forelegs - around each other, hugging each other tightly and doing their best not to tremble. But before they could start preparing their last wills, Plagg flew into the face of the closest wolf, hissing as viciously as he could.
“Get back, you filthy pile of firewood!” the cat kwami snarled. “Leave our chosen alone!”
That did absolutely nothing. The wooden wolf only growled back intimidatingly.
“I’m warning you, buster,” Plagg threatened the creature with another hiss. “One step closer and you’re sawdust!”
“Plagg, no!” Tikki shouted in fear.
Again undeterred by the cat kwami, the wolf pounced at Plagg with a loud bark…
Big mistake.
“ALRIGHT, YOU ASKED FOR IT! CATACLYSM!!!”
The moment the wolf devoured the god of destruction, it disintegrated into nothingness. Plagg glowered at the remaining wolves as they began to cower in fear.
“Anyone else?! I still have some energy to spare!”
His answer came in form of frightful whimpering as the wooden wolves bolted away from the cat kwami, fleeing for their life. Plagg only grinned like the Cheshire cat he was and blew at his paw like a cowboy at his pistol. He turned to the dumbfounded trio and snickered.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he joked.
He then suddenly found himself tackled into a giant, crushing hug midair by his other half, startling him.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Tikki tried her best to sound annoyed. But the trembling betrayed the fear she had actually felt, seeing her partner almost being eaten by the wooden monster.
Plagg only chuckled fondly as he returned the hug. “I’ll try not to, Sugarcube.” And instead of complaining about the nickname, the ladybug kwami only hugged him tighter.
He then looked at the ponified couple smiling at him in grateful relief. “Plagg… you’re a lifesaver!” a teary-eyed Marinette choked out.
“Yeah, I know,” said kwami replied smugly, before adapting a solemn frown. “But we shouldn’t celebrate just yet. If these creatures are even half the way wolves are on Earth, they will come back. With a bigger and stronger pack than before.”
“Plagg is right,” Tikki agreed. “This forest is incredibly dangerous. We must get out of here before the sun goes down.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” the girl - no, mare - wondered. “There is neither a dirt path nor any signposts to show us the way.”
“We were just getting to it,” Plagg reassured her. “You see, before those freaks started chasing Tikki and me, we not only we found a way out of the forest, but a nearby glade with a cottage.”
“And it looks like it’s inhabited by someone!” Tikki added excited. “Someone who must take very good care of animals, judging by the various bird houses and burrows surrounding the cottage.”
“Do you think whoever might be there could help us?” Adrien wondered.
Marinette sighed. “There seems to be no other option, so I say we go check it out.”
“Right.” Adrien then attempted to stand up, but because of human reflexes, he tried standing on his two hindlegs, which promptly caused him to fall muzzle-first to the ground.
“Ow,” the stallion grumbled into the dirt.
“I think we’ll have to try to walk like… actual horses, err, ponies… whatever.” Marinette thought out loud. She then carefully stood up on four hooves.
Okay, I’ve got standing down, now for walking.
That would prove to be a difficult task. While it wasn’t as hard as it looked, one hoof in front of the other, Marinette’s walking was very wobbly. Trying to put one hoof in front wasn’t a good idea.
She then tried two hooves, one in the front and one in the back - that didn’t work either. Marinette fell face first onto the ground herself.
She quickly got up and tried another tactic. If she recalled correctly, four-legged creatures normally walked in a specific pattern, so she tried said pattern: right foreleg, left hindleg, left foreleg, right hindleg, repeat. Slowly, but surely, the walking seemed natural.
Adrien got up and copied Marinette’s style, and eventually, the two got the hang of it.
“Alright! We’re getting the hang of this, M’Lady!” the stallion grinned.
Marinette grinned back. Now that they were finally up and about, she could actually take a closer look at her partner. He still wore his signature black t-shirt with yellow, green and blue stripes and white overshirt (and a quick pat across her chest confirmed the presence of her own t-shirt and blazer). And there seemed to be a pair of folded wings on his barrel…
… wait, wings?
The stallion frowned worriedly at his lady’s lack of response. “Princess? Is something the matter?”
“Adrien? Did you notice you have wings?”
“Did you notice you have a horn?”
WHAT?!
“Horn?! Wh-what horn?!”
“The one on your forehead.”
Eyes darting up, she touched her forehead with her hoof and, indeed, felt a horn. She was literally a unicorn!
And Adrien a pegasus!
Oh my god… this is a disaster! A TOTAL DISASTER!!!
The mare truly was about to scream, her eye twitching as well.
Adrien quickly put a hoof to her mouth. “Are you going to scream?”
Marinette shook her head.
The stallion removed his hoof and put it on her shoulder. “Look, Marinette, it’s going to be alright. We’ll get through this - we’ve handled dinosaurs, time paradoxes, pigeon maniacs, and everything that came our way. Who’s to say we can’t handle this? You’ll see, we’ll be back before we know it.” His warm smile then turned cheeky. “I purr-omise you, Bugaboo.”
Marinette rolled her eyes in fond exasperation, but nonetheless smiled warmly back. “Thank you, Chaton. I'm so glad you're here with me.” She then gave him a small peck on the lips, causing him to blush a little.
POMF!
The sudden noise startled the two and they looked around to see Adrien’s wings stretched high up in the air, stiff as a board.
“… d-did your wings just–”
“No, no they didn’t.”
Smooth, Agreste. Really smooth.
Plagg snickered at his chosen’s misfortune, to which Adrien replied with a murderous glare as he tried to fold his wings back onto his barrel, albeit with little success.
“Hey guys, I really hate to interrupt your little moment, but did either of you notice those tattoos on your butts?” the cat kwami asked.
…
…
… WHAT?!
This time, even Adrien was petrified. With a heavy tremble, their heads slowly turned around to look at their flanks.
And indeed, there were picture-like symbols on each of their butt cheeks. Marinette's was a black spool with red thread threaded through a blue sewing needle while Adrien's was a pair of crossed épées with a black blade, a yellow guard and a green grip.
Marinette and Adrien had tattoos. And in one of the most inappropriate parts of their bodies.
Our folks are going to kill us…
They gazed at each other in horror. This time, both looked like they were about to scream.
And they would have, if their kwamis didn’t put their paws to their respective chosen’s mouth.
“Before you both lose your nerves for real this time,” Plagg began. “Let me ask you something: Did either of you had those tattoos before we ended up here?”
Both equines shook their head.
“There! This must mean that those pictures on your butts are part of your current manifestation, and they’ll most likely disappear once you’re back to normal.”
“I think so too,” Tikki nodded. “In fact, they even look more like symbols instead of tattoos. Maybe they’re supposed to be there. But we cannot know for sure unless we find it out.”
“Adrien…” Marinette said with a shaky voice. “I feel like I’m about to lose my mind…”
“Hey!” Plagg called out. “How about we finally get out of this stupid forest instead?! We already wasted enough time as it is!”
Marinette then shook her head. “You’re right, you’re absolutely right… let’s do that.”
Plagg nodded and he and Tikki flew off towards their destination while Marinette and Adrien followed suit, with a slight wobble in their step.
For a few minutes, there was dead silence, and it seemed all was going well.
Until…
“AAOOOOOOOO!!!”
The two equines stopped in their tracks when they heard that - the wooden wolves were coming back.
“Adrien, Marinette, we have to run! Now!”
Easier said than done! Still not used to walking, let alone galloping, they were wobblier than before! They couldn’t move any faster than they walked, so there was no point in attempting to gallop.
“Guys, what’s with that snail pace?! Get a move on!” Plagg yelled.
“Plagg, it’s a lot harder than you think! We’re not exactly used to walking just yet!” Adrien snapped back.
Then, a completely out of character reaction came from Tikki.
“If you guys want to live, get your butts in gear and run like there’s no tomorrow!” yelled the ladybug kwami.
Startled by the goddess of creation at first, the duo then decided to trust their instincts. They broke into a more or less steady trot, which soon developed into a full-blown gallop.
Despite their messed-up balance, they managed to hold their ground fairly well. Even Marinette’s clumsiness seemed to have left for a holiday as she raced through the forest alongside her boyfriend.
“AAOOOOOOOO!!!”
“Come on, you two, we’re almost there!” Tikki exclaimed. “Just a little bit further that way!”
A couple of groans came from the duo from their bad attempts at galloping, but eventually, they approached the road leading to the exit just as the wolves seemed to have caught up to them. The ponies tumbled across the pathway and ended up falling muzzle-first into the soil yet again.
“Adrien…” Marinette mumbled into the ground.
“Yeah?” Adrien mumbled back.
“How many times have we fallen on our faces?”
“As in one of us or both of us?”
“The latter.”
“… I think this is the third time already.”
Tikki and Plagg both shook their heads at their chosen’s struggle. When a ragged pant reached their ears, they turned to see a couple of the wooden wolves standing at the edge of the forest. A final threatening hiss from Plagg made them retreat again, knowing they would meet the same fate as the other one if they dared to mess with the cat kwami.
Meanwhile Marinette and Adrien had recovered from their fall and were now dusting each other off.
“Wow… we made it just in time…” the stallion sighed in relief.
“Tell me about it,” the mare replied with a wry smile. “If it weren’t for our kwamis, we would have been dead meat.”
“Hehe, yeah…” Adrien then suddenly wrapped his hooves around Marinette and pressed the startled pony close to his chest. “I thought I’d lose you for a moment there, Marinette. Those monsters were about to rip us to shreds, and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Not in this condition.”
Marinette buried herself into her partner’s trembling embrace. “It’s alright, Chaton. Don’t think about what might have been, focus on what’s here and now.”
“B-but–”
“Adrien,” She cupped his face with her hooves to make him face her. “Everything is okay. We outran those wolves. We escaped the forest. And we’re both alive. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
Adrien was on the verge of tears. His lady was just so amazing and wonderful, and he loved her oh so much, and he wanted to kiss her so badly, and–
And that’s what he did. He lunged himself onto his love’s lips and kissed her with all his passion, which Marinette returned with equal fervor. Acting on human instincts, they wrapped their hooves around each other to pull themselves closer, realizing too late that equines couldn’t stand on their hindlegs for too long. They promptly keeled over with a yelp, the stallion ending up with the mare beneath him and their muzzles inches apart. A short moment of staring later, the two broke out into mirthful laughter. Their kwamis soon joined in, having witnessed the event beforehand.
“I love you, Chaton,” Marinette murmured fondly.
“I love you too, M’Lady,” Adrien replied with a loving smile before again pressing his lips to hers in another heartfelt kiss.
“Hey, we hate to bother you guys again, but we need to keep going…” Tikki commented.
“Oh yeah. Right.” Adrien stood up once again and helped his girlfriend on her hooves. “Let’s go find that cottage now.”
Wasting no more time, the ponies once again started trotting after their kwamis.
The sun was slowly approaching the horizon when the foursome finally arrived at their destination. There, on a little hill across a bridged creek, surrounded by various little animals, stood a little wooden cottage. It looked peaceful and an aura of kindness seemed to surround the whole place.
With wide eyes, the pony couple gradually crossed the creek towards the house. The animals glanced curiously at the new arrivals, the two deities leaving them especially bug-eyed, having never encountered such creatures in their life before. Aside from that, the foursome eventually found themselves standing in front of the entrance.
“… alright, now we’re here,” Marinette began. “And what do we do? What do we even say? I don't think the owner would believe us if we said we came from that forest. No sane person, err, pony, would live there willingly.”
Adrien put a hoof to his chin in thought. “We could say that we’ve been traveling for a while and then ask if we could stay the night.” A low rumble coming from his stomach made him grin sheepishly. “And a meal would be nice too.”
Marinette gave him a lopsided smile. “Let's see if the owner even lets us into their house in the first place.”
A couple of encouraging nods later, the kwamis hid inside their chosen’s jackets as the mare exhaled through her nostrils. “Here goes nothing.” She raised her hoof and, after a moment of hesitation, knocked a few times on the door.
Nothing happened for a few long moments, making the ponies think that the owner perhaps wasn't home, before the door finally opened with a slight creak. A hoof shyly poked out and revealed the head of a female cream-coated pony with teal eyes, which were partly hidden by a curly pink mane.
“Um… y-yes…?” she asked with a quiet and timid voice.
The duo shared a quick look before adopting polite smiles.
“Good evening, Miss,” Marinette greeted the mare. “Please excuse us for intruding at this late time of day. But, you see, my partner and I have been traveling for quite some time, and… and we wanted to ask if you would be so kind as to let us stay the night here.”
“S-s-stay the n-night?” the mare repeated in a voice so quiet that one had to strain their ears to hear her properly. “A-a-as in… s-s-sleep in my h-house…?”
Good heavens, she's more timid than Juleka and Nathaniel together.
Panic started to creep up Marinette’s spine as she shook her hoof frantically. “I-i-it would only be for a single night, I swear! A-and the next day, you’ll have us out of your mane before you know it!” Another rumble came along, this time from her own stomach. She blushed brightly as she covered it with her hoof.
“O-oh my…” The pony put a hoof to her mouth in surprise. “You sound like you haven’t eaten all day…”
Adrien rubbed his neck with a sheepish smile. “Well, frankly, we only had a small breakfast. The rest of the day was spent traveling and trying to find shelter before sundown.”
Which was nothing short of the truth. Hawk Moth actually had the nerve to akumatize the victim right before they could have their break, causing them to skip lunch in order to cleanse the akuma. The fight went on for hours, and their increasing hunger made it hard for them to stay focused. Then came the failed plan and they ended up here. The rest was history.
The pink-maned mare nodded in understanding. She didn’t notice the stallion subtly letting out a relieved breath as she pondered over the ponies’ request. Finally, she gave a little smile and opened the door completely, revealing the rest of herself to the pony couple. The pair of wings on her barrel indicated that she, like Adrien, was a pegasus.
“C-Come in then. M-Make yourself comfortable.”
The duo smiled in appreciation and followed her into the house, admiring the inside. There was a fireplace on the left, and a couch and armchair farther in the back, as well as more birdhouses and even mouse holes.
Looking back at the mare, that’s when they suddenly noticed the three butterflies on her flank, just like the symbols on their own.
So Plagg was right. If this mare has those marks too, then they must be part of us in general.
They were led to the couch to rest on - human reflexes once again kicking in before they remembered and quickly repositioned themselves again - before the pony turned around to face them again. “I-i-if you d-don’t mind me asking… wh-where are you two from?”
The question made the duo freeze up. They couldn’t exactly say that they were from a city named Paris in France. The mare could start asking them questions about its location and whatnot. But they couldn’t say they came from the forest either. Like already said, no sane pony would live there willingly.
“Err, well, hehe, y’see, uh…” Marinette felt dread creeping up on her. In her panicked state, she turned to Adrien and started whispering. “Chaton, s’il te plait, aide moi! Je ne sais pas quoi dire!”
“Ça va, ma lady,” Adrien tried to calm her down. “prends une profonde respiration et détends-toi. Nous allons trouver une solution, mais tu dois rester calme. D’accord?” He got a hesitant nod in return.
They turned back to see the mare staring at them a little wide-eyed. “Um… d-did you just speak… P-Prench?”
Prench?
A quick moment of realization later, they nodded their heads with a nervous smile. “Y-Y-Yeah, w-we did,” Marinette stammered slightly. “I-I-I’m sorry about that, I just tend to speak in my mother tongue whenever I’m stressed.”
“O-oh, well um… I-I’m sorry…” the mare apologized bashfully. “… I-I assume you two are from Prance then?” She got hesitant nods in return. “O-oh my, you two must have been traveling for weeks then. I mean, it’s quite a long way from there to Ponyville.”
Ponyville?
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Adrien brushed her off. “Aside from a few obstacles here and there, we are managing just fine.” He gave her a soft smile. “But still, thank you for your sympathy, Miss… uh…”
It was then the two equines remembered, that during this entire conversation, they never even got the mare’s name. Said pony, in turn, started pawing nervously at the ground as she avoided eye contact with the duo, hiding her face behind the long mane.
“Um, I’m… I’m Fluttershy…” she murmured.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Marinette asked.
“My name is Fluttershy…” she repeated, even quieter than before.
“We didn’t quite catch that.” Adrien encouraged her once again.
But to no avail. All it did was make her squeak something incomprehensible again. The duo exchanged an awkward look.
That mare is the definition of timidity. And social anxiety.
When they realized that they most likely won’t get an answer from the timid pony, Marinette spoke up again. “Perhaps we should save introductions for later if that sits right with you.” Her answer was yet another high-pitched squeak.
A long, awkward silence followed. Neither of the ponies dared to say anything, in fear of making the situation even worse. The tension was so thick at one point, a chainsaw would be needed to cut through it.
But then, it happened…
achoo!
A sneeze, as soft as a summer breeze, came from Marinette’s blazer. The couple blanched with fear while the pink-maned mare’s ears perked up at the almost nonexistent sound.
“Um… d-did your jacket just… s-sneeze…?”
“Err, n-no…?” Marinette grimaced. “J-jackets don’t sneeze! Y-y-you must have imagined that!”
The mare shook her head. “I’m sure I heard it. I-It was quiet, but… I heard a sneeze coming from your jacket.”
Darnit, Tikki!
Marinette darted her eyes everywhere, desperate to avoid eye-contact with the mare.
This wasn’t supposed to happen! None of it was supposed to happen!
Okay, remain calm, Dupain-Cheng! Maybe if you stay silent, she will get the message and drop the question–
A hoof on her shoulder brought her out of her panic. She saw Adrien shaking his head forlornly as if to say that it was no use.
The mare had them in a headlock, and if they tried to back out now, she would only get more suspicious.
And maybe even kick them out as a result.
Marinette sighed in defeat, knowing her kitty was right. “Alright, you got us,” she admitted as she held out a side of her blazer, while Adrien copied her movement with his overshirt. “You can come out now, you two.”
And out of the blazer and overshirt came the kwamis themselves. The mare’s eyes widened upon seeing them.
“Great job, Sugarcube,” Plagg drawled sarcastically. “Barely five minutes in and you’ve already blown our cover…”
“I sneezed! Am I not allowed to sneeze, Stinky Sock?!” Tikki exclaimed.
“Apparently not, since she heard you,” Plagg rolled his eyes. “That kid has some mighty fine ears there.”
“Oh my goodness…” The two deities turned around to see the mare’s eyes sparkling. Before any of them could blink, they found themselves face-to-face with her.
“They look sooo cute!!” she squealed. This surprised everyone.
“That, I was not expecting…” Plagg deadpanned, getting him a whack in the head by Tikki.
“You’ll have to excuse him, this cheesehead isn’t the most polite…” Tikki said, glaring at the cat kwami.
“Oh, that’s quite alright,” the pony giggled, her voice suddenly louder and bolder than before. “I’ve encountered a lot of critters in my life, though only a hoof-ful of them were actually able to talk! That’s just so incredibly wonderful, I don't even know what to say!” She gazed imploringly into their eyes. “What’re your names?”
The kwamis felt themselves becoming light-headed under the mare’s intense look, while the pony couple sweat-dropped.
And what are we? Chopped liver?
“Um, my name is Tikki, and this here is Plagg,” the ladybug kwami answered after a moment of silence.
“Hi Tikki and Plagg, I’m Fluttershy. And…” The mare then squealed again. “Oh my, I’ve never seen such cute little creatures like you before!” She started examining them from top to bottom. “Are you some kind of bug-mouse?”
Tikki’s eye started twitching, while Plagg burst into hysterical cackling. Fluttershy backed away startled, and Marinette immediately jumped into action.
“Please excuse them! They’re actually kwamis, a… um…” She paused for a moment. "… a-a r-rare kind of magical beings. Yes!” She thanked the heavens inwardly for the clever idea. “Their kind is critically endangered because they used to be hunted for their magical powers in the past. This is why almost no one is aware of their existence, since their habitat is protected by guardians, who have been keeping the secret from the rest of the world for generations.” A squee sound was heard as she grinned a tad too wide.
Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my goodness! Why would anypony want to hunt these little cutie pies?”
Anypony?
“Well, you see, kid,” Plagg began after he calmed down from his outburst. “Kwami magic is based on certain abstract concepts and emotions, meaning each of us is gifted with certain powers related to what we represent. For instance, I wield the power of destruction.“ He winced slightly at the horror of the mare’s face. “But don’t worry, I can control it.”
A forced cough from Tikki made him glare at her. “I was born with the power of creation, which I’m also able to control. Though whether this dolt here is capable of self-control is still up for debate.”
“As I was saying,” Plagg gritted out. “Kwamis possess incredibly powerful magic. A magic which made us very desirable, if you catch my drift.” Fluttershy nodded tentatively. “There used to be a time where kwamis lived in harmony with other creatures. Most of them used our magic to accomplish good deeds, like traveling or protecting others or restoring what has been left in ruins.
“But sadly, there were bad seeds among them too, who were hell-bent on having our powers all to themselves. Those greedy scoundrels started capturing us one by one, experimenting on us, torturing us. And once they discovered the methods, they began to ruthlessly harvest our magic, down to the very last drop.”
“And that’s not even the worst part,” Tikki continued. “Our magic not only gives us those powers, it simultaneously acts as our life source too. So if a kwami loses their magic… they die shortly after.” The mare whimpered in terror. “Thus, a genocide of the kwamis began. More and more were captured and robbed of their powers. Countless kwamis died, unable to defend themselves.”
Fluttershy felt tears running down her face in cascades. She just couldn’t believe it. How could somepony be so cruel? So uncaring and greedy? Oh, if only she were there at the time, she would have stared those meanies down until they ran away screaming for their mommies!
Tikki saw the righteous anger in the mare’s eyes and smiled softly. Her kindness and sympathy are really admirable. She would definitely make a great Miraculous Holder.
“But then one day, when our kind was on the verge of extinction, a brave band of individuals rose against the crime wave and fought for our freedom. With the help of the remaining kwamis, they managed to free the captured ones and chase the harvesters away. Those individuals later formed the Order of the Guardians and made an oath to protect the kwamis for all eternity. And to further ensure our safety, the guardians used the combined power of both creation and destruction to be granted absolute power.”
“A-a-absolute power?”
“Indeed, kid,” Plagg gave her an enigmatic smile. “Creation and destruction are the most powerful forms of magic among us kwamis: Polar opposites, like love and hatred, yet still dependent on one another, like a symbiosis among animals. One cannot exist without the other, hence why they represent the balance of the universe. But if both powers are used together, they create a magic so powerful, it can literally reshape reality to one’s own image.”
“And the guardians used this power to erase all knowledge about kwamis: Books, notes, even memories weren’t spared from its magic as everything associated with our kind vanished into oblivion. And from then on, we have been living peacefully in our little safe haven, hidden from the rest of the world, under the watchful eyes of the guardians.” Tikki finished the story with a bright smile.
Fluttershy’s eyes were very wide by now. She was left speechless.
Oh my goodness… such cute little beings possess this much power… I don’t know what to say…
“A-and where are these g-guardians now? Um, if you don’t mind me asking…”
“Err, sorry kid, but this is classified,” Plagg grimaced. “When Tikki and I left the haven, we were sworn to not reveal anything about its location.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “We weren’t even supposed to tell you all of this in the first place.”
Tikki scratched her head sheepishly. “As a matter of fact, well… we hate to say this, but no one must really know of our existence either. That part was my bad.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding. After hearing their story, she could imagine why they were supposed to keep their existence secret. Nopony deserved that kind of cruel treatment, especially not such wonderful creatures like those two. With that in mind, she looked at them with determination.
“Well I can promise you this: I won’t tell anypony about you, not even my friends. In fact, I will make a Pinkie Promise, so you know that I really mean it.”
“… err, no offense, kid,” Plagg deadpanned. “but how do you plan on doing a Pinkie Promise if you don’t even have fingers to begin with?”
Fluttershy frowned in confusion. “Um, pardon me Mr. Plagg, but what do fingers have to do with a Pinkie Promise?”
"… nevermind. Just make the promise already.”
“A-alright then.” Fluttershy then proceeded with a series of gestures while reciting the promise. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“…”
“…”
“… that is the most ridiculous promise I ever heard in my life.”
Plagg’s snarky remark was quickly answered with another whack to the head by Tikki. “Don’t be so rude! It may sound ridiculous, but it’s still a promise! Besides, I thought it sounded nice, especially the last part.”
Fluttershy giggled at the ladybug kwami’s words. “It’s a special promise a friend of mine, Pinkie Pie, invented. A Pinkie Promise is meant to be kept no matter what, and it must never be broken. Because losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend.”
“FOREVERRRR!!!!!” The head of a bubblegum pink pony popped from up the ceiling out of nowhere.
“AHHH!”
“Where the hell did you come from?!”
The pink pony just let out an oblivious giggle and waved at everyone with her stubby hoof. “Hi Fluttershy! Hi little demigods! Hi owners-of-the-demigods! I’ll see you in the next chapter!” Without waiting for an answer, the pony disappeared off-screen as quickly and randomly as she appeared.
Another long moment of silence passed. “… what just happened…?” Tikki asked uncertainly.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Fluttershy waved her off. “That was just Pinkie Pie, being her usual self. Nopony knows how she keeps doing what she does, and it’s best if you just take it as it is.”
The kwamis decided to just take her words for that. If not because she said so, then at least for the sake of their own sanity.
As if this world wasn’t bizarre enough…
Meanwhile, during the entire story session, Marinette and Adrien found themselves in a nice pickle the moment they heard the mare’s name.
“Fluttershy… what kind of name is Fluttershy?” the mare whispered to her partner.
“I don’t know, Mari,” the stallion whispered back. “But one thing’s for sure: If her name sounds strange to us, then ourswill definitely sound strange to her.”
“So what should we do now?!” Marinette clutched her head in panic. “Think of new names on the spot?! And if we do, who says our new names won’t sound just as bizarre?! Or what if they sound even more bizarre?! She’s gonna realize that we are aliens posing as her kind and kick us out, then call the police and have us arrested for attempted fraud, and then we’re gonna spend the rest of our lives trapped in pony bodies behind bars and never see our friends and family ever aga–MEEP!!!”
Adrien could count on one hand how many times Marinette has had a freak-out of this high level. It was far from the first one, but it was worse than the usual ones. And just like the other times, he did the one thing that would snap her out of her mania.
He pulled her into a big hug.
The stallion felt his girlfriend stiffen up in his embrace, and quickly proceeded to put her at ease. He buried his muzzle into her silky black mane - minding the horn - and nuzzled the crown of her head affectionately while stroking her back in a soothing manner.
Soon, he felt her relax into his chest with a soft sigh. Her face nuzzled his neck softly as she returned the hug, her hot breath sending a pleasant shiver down his spine.
The two lovers felt the world around them disappear as they basked in each other's presence, feelings of love and serenity filling their minds. It was as if no one existed but them.
After what felt like an eternity, the two separated from their hug. Their faces held nothing but pure affection as they gazed at one another. Adrien gently brushed the bangs away from Marinette's face, his eyes never once leaving hers.
A pair of beautiful bluebell eyes, filled with unadulterated love.
For him.
Even until this day, it felt so surreal. After two years of partnership - and pining after one another with none of them being the wiser - they finally discovered each other's identity. Although it was due to an accident, they couldn't have been happier about the outcome. Because they could finally see the other for who they really were.
And it made their love for one another even stronger.
“Better…?” Adrien finally dared to ask.
Marinette nodded with a dopey grin.
He grinned right back at her. “Princess, trust me when I say this: I’m scared too. I’m scared of messing up everything and us being stranded in this world forever. But I know that I have to remain strong. For both of us.” He then cupped her face with his hooves. “Like I said earlier, we've been through so much together. And we’ll get through this too. Just think of it as another adventure. An adventure we’re going on together.”
“Together…” Marinette echoed dreamily.
“Together. For all eternity.”
He concluded his words with a soft kiss to her forehead, with his upper lip brushing her horn lightly. The mare shuddered in pleasure as the touch sent a jolt of electricity throughout her entire body, all the way to the tips of her hooves.
Holy moly, why did that feel so good…
“Alright, now for the names,” Adrien began. “I know this may sound a bit far-fetched now, but I feel like our names can range from anything abstract to concrete objects. Since Alya and Nino both tend to call me ‘Sunshine’ from time to time, I think I might use the nickname as a template for the end result. Perhaps if I add some kind of suffix to it…”
The rest of his musing was drowned out by Marinette’s own inner thoughts. What could I possibly call myself? Most of my nicknames are ladybug-related, but this might jeopardize my identity later. There must be something I could use… wait…
… that’s it! The girls and I all had codenames during “Operation: Secret Garden” … ugh, which is still a huge flop I don’t like to recall. Anyway, let’s see, what was my codename again? Tiger-Lily? No, that was Alya’s. Sunflower? Nope, Mylène’s. Violet… Alix’s. Rose’s was Tulip and Juleka’s Rose… yeah, in hindsight, that really was confusing…
But what was mine…?
…
…
… *gasp* I GOT IT!!!
Marinette’s look of triumph didn’t go unnoticed by Adrien. “M’Lady, have you come up with something?”
“I certainly did, Chaton.” She leaned closer and whispered her idea into his ear. The stallion grinned at his girlfriend’s brilliancy and quickly whispered his own idea into her ear. The mare responded with a resolute nod and they sealed the deal with their traditional fist, err, hoof bump.
Let’s do it!
After the random occurrence, another eerie silence followed soon enough. The kwamis were still processing the entire situation while the couple was recovering from their shock. And the pink-maned mare was too shy to try and break the silence.
A loud growl eventually interrupted the awkward quietness. Five pairs of eyes focused upon Adrien’s empty stomach begging desperately to be fed at last. Marinette’s followed soon after, rumbling like crazy with gnawing hunger.
God, I’m starving! How much time has passed? the two wondered as they held their noisy bellies.
“Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy shook her head in distress. “I am so sorry! I was so engrossed in the little ones’ story that I completely forgot that you’re hungry! I’ll be back right away!”
“I-It’s fine, really…” Adrien said, embarrassed.
But the mare was long gone by then. Various noises came from the kitchen as she hurried to prepare two bowls of salad for each of them. Luckily, she still had some ingredients left from her own supper, so it took her only five minutes to cut the lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers and mix them together. In no time the bowls were placed on a tray and presented to the hungry guests.
They offered her a grateful smile before diving muzzle-first into their salads. Table manners be damned, they doubted they could even grab cutlery with those hooves! And they were too hungry to care anyway.
Fluttershy giggled at the couple's appetite. After a whole day of traveling non-stop, she could understand how famished those two must have been. If her friend Rarity were here, she would have scoffed at such a poor display of manners, but would have tolerated it nonetheless.
She then turned her gaze towards the kwamis. “Would you two like something to eat too?”
“Depends on it,” Plagg retorted. “Do you have camembert?”
“Plagg!” Tikki barked angrily.
The mare shook her head. “Um n-no, I’m afraid not. But I’ve got Swiss cheese, will this do?”
Plagg opened his mouth, most likely to give another snarky remark, but Tikki’s murderous glare effectively made him shut up and just nod in acceptance.
“Do you have cookies?” The ladybug kwami asked politely.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Well… I do have some oatmeal cookies, but… won’t this spoil your appetite?”
“That’s another special thing about kwamis: Our metabolism operates in such a way that anything we eat is instantly converted into energy. And it works so fast that we never gain weight, no matter how much we eat.” She smirked at her partner. “Otherwise this cheese-glutton here would resemble a tennis ball by now.” The cat kwami childishly stuck his tongue out at her in response.
Fluttershy giggled. “Alright then, cheese and cookies, coming right up.”
A quick trip to the kitchen later, the deities were munching happily on their respective treats. Even the usually picky Plagg found himself enjoying the Swiss cheese, even though it wasn’t camembert. He must have been hungrier than he thought.
Around the same time, Marinette and Adrien had both finished their salads, having completely cleaned their bowls until nothing was left.
“Ah, that was delicious,” Marinette sighed in bliss. “Thank you very much again, Miss Fluttershy. For feeding us and letting us stay the night.” She dipped her head solemnly. “We are in your debt.”
“Oh, think nothing of it,” said mare blushed bashfully. “I’m glad I could help you two out… um… oh my, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even ask for your names!”
“No no no no, it’s quite alright, really!” Adrien frantically reassured her. He then got off the couch and offered his forehoof. “Allow me, my name is Sunshine Gleam. At your service.”
Her own met his in a hoof-shake. “N-nice to meet you, Mr. Gleam.”
“Oh no, please, Mr. Gleam is my father. Just call me Sunshine.”
“O-okay then… Sunshine.”
Adrien, now Sunshine, then pointed to his girlfriend with a smile. “And this, is my stunning and lovely partner, Lotus Blossom.” Said mare rolled her eyes at her kitty’s theatricals, but still nodded in acknowledgement.
“Lotus Blossom…?” Fluttershy asked intrigued. “Oh my, what a coincidence, I know a mare whose name is Lotus Blossom too. She and her twin sister Aloe Vera run a spa, which my friend Rarity and I visit each week.”
“Oh, u-uh…” Marinette, now Lotus, stumbled. “W-well, in that case, feel free to refer to me as LB then.”
It took a whole moment for the pig-tailed mare to realize what she had just brought upon herself. But by then, it was already too late. The stallion’s face had lightened up in surprise before a smug smile appeared on his lips, filling her with even more dread.
She resisted the urge to face-palm.
God, I can’t believe I just said that! He’s never gonna let me live this down now…
And he didn’t.
“M’Lady, I’m delighted. You actually let yourself being called a nickname from moi~?”
That shifty little…
“Oh, hush you,” she answered instead. She was not in the mood to bicker with her cocky boyfriend, nor did she want to make a scene in front of the pink-maned hostess.
But the stallion was having none of it. He wasted no time and took a hold of her forehoof, pressing a firm kiss on its tip. It evoked a bright blush on her face, which only deepened when he his eyes met hers with a smoldering look. The mare finally let a defeated puff of breath escape her lips and gave a soft smile in return.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but aww quietly at the two ponies. They obviously cared deeply for each other, enough to tease the other like that. And despite the mare’s look of exasperation, her eyes betrayed the love she felt for the stallion. Just as he didn’t hesitate at all to make his affection for her known.
It almost made her wish she had something like that too.
“Ahem!”
Three pairs of eyes were directed at the two kwamis, who have finished eating earlier and were now looking pointedly at the three ponies.
“We really hate to interrupt the moment, again,” Tikki said. “but it’s getting really late, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
A glimpse out of the window revealed the sky to have darkened long ago, the moon and stars being its only light source.
“Oh my, you’re right, Miss Tikki,” Fluttershy murmured. “I mustn’t stay up for too long, otherwise I won’t be able to feed the animals on time tomorrow.” She turned towards the couple. “A-as for you two, I-I kinda failed to mention that I don’t exactly h-have a guest room, j-just the couch and armchair.” She scuffed her hoof against the ground. “B-but of course, I-I can always offer my bed to one of you and sleep in the armchair instead, i-it wouldn’t be the first time since I let the Cutie Mark Crusaders stay over once–”
“NO!!!”
The shy pony recoiled in fright at the loud exclamation, and Lotus inwardly kicked herself for her insensitivity.
“I-I’m sorry, I mean,” she stammered. “N-no, you don’t have to do that. You were already kind enough to offer us shelter and food. We couldn’t possibly drive you out of your own bed. We’ll gladly take the couch and armchair.”
“... a-a-are you s-sure?”
“Positive,” Sunshine nodded. “An armchair can’t possibly be worse than that rock-hard bed I used to sleep in back at home.”
Lotus nodded in agreement before registering what he just said. “Wait a second, what makes you think you are gonna sleep in the armchair?”
“What kind of gentleman would I be to let my lady sleep on an uncomfortable armchair?” He winked. “You can take the couch, LB. I insist.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You do know you’re most likely to suffer neck cramps the next day?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Sunshine, you’re not the one who tends to doze off at the table during work. I’m used to neck cramps, you’re not.”
“Are you saying I can’t handle a measly neck cramp?”
“You couldn’t even handle the cramp in your arm when you twisted it the wrong way during fencing.”
“That was one time! Furthermore, I fought a cursed fencer with a twisted ankle!”
“It still doesn’t change the fact that you’re a melodramatic drama queen!”
“Oh yeah? Then why do you have to be such a stubborn stick-in-the-mud?”
The bickering went back and forth, with two sweat-dropping deities and a tentative pony in the background.
Tikki turned to Fluttershy with a forced smile. “Would you be so kind and get some blankets and pillows while I calm those two down?” Said mare nodded and went upstairs to retrieve the requested items.
As the ladybug kwami attempted to settle the couple’s dispute, Plagg could only shake his head in an exasperated manner.
This was going to be a long night.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note
FiM may have ended, but it doesn't mean one should stop writing stories about it. So here is my contribution to the fandom. I hope it reached you well 
To those who have been watching MLB, I know that this show has really hit rock bottom with Season 3, that's why this Post-Reveal story takes place after the first couple of episodes of Season 3 of MLB, because the first few were still acceptable in my opinion. As for FiM, it takes place in Season 4, after the events of Princess Twilight Sparkle 
Comments and sharing opinions are greatly appreciated, but no flames please. If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. No need to leave your "honest" opinion either
Anyway, with that being said, stay cool and see y'all next time 
