The Risk to Take: The Dark Owl

(Y/N) (L/N)'s P.O.V.


It's the end of a normal school day. Normally, it would seem to be the best time of day for any student but...not quite for two of Paris' superheroes.


"You should totally come and hang out with me!" Alya says in excitement to Marinette and I as we approach the door to exit the schoolyard. There stands Mr Damocles. He ushers the students to leave quickly, saying he has something 'important' to do and he doesn't have the time of day.


"Move along!" He shouts to the three of us. I give Marinette a look of fatigue and she nods.


"I'm sorry, Alya," She begins, "I have to help my parents with the bakery today." She lies and I follow up.


"Oh! I just remembered! My mom wanted me to bring home some groceries and snacks for Movie Night!" I excuse myself.


"AGAIN?!" Alya groans, "You both have been busy all week!" She pouts and I give her a troubled smile as I apologize.


As we part ways from Alya, Marinette and I get ready to transform, seeing that The Owl's already on the loose.


"Here we go again..."


We both transform into our alter egos and follow the self-proclaimed 'Owl' who's really Mr Damocles in a superhero owl costume. He hoots as he tries rescuing a kitten down from a tree only to fail, as the bystanders watch the old man climb the tree. He, as expected, falls from the tree.


Ladybug uses her yo-yo to grab him before he falls and then I safely bring the kitten down.


"Mr Dam-I mean, Owl..." I correct myself, "This is the fifth time we've come to your rescue!" I say as I let the kitten go.


Ladybug brings him down, "One of these days might end badly," She says with a disappointed tone. Cat Noir enters the scene as he descends from his extended baton, "Still on your hooting escapades, I see...You should wear a helmet," He advises.


"But you don't wear helmets!" The older man points out to which I sigh.


"It's...different for us, Mr Owl...We are real superheroes." I pat him on his back.


Ladybug nods, "With real powers!"


"And magic suits!" Cat Noir ensues. Mr 'Owl' frowns, "But I dreamed that, since I was a boy, I wanted to be a real superhero, even if it's just for one day!" He says. A news reporter comes into our conversation as he continues. "Mr Owl!" The lady calls for him, "Can you tell us about yourself?"


Mr Owl stands up from his position towards the camera, "Thanks to advice from my fellow superheroes, I am certain that I'll do better next time!" He says to which the three of us facepalm.


"Wherever there's injustice, there's The Owl!" He says and proceeds to throw 'owl mist' all over us and escape the scene. Well, sort of...


"What do you think about this?" The new reporter asks the three of us.


"Well, he is a great guy..." I start, "But to all the children of Paris, this is very dangerous! You mustn't copy him! Or us, for that matter!" I say and the two nod.


"Prim is right, kids." Ladybug agrees as Cat Noir winks at the camera, "Don't try this at home!"


---


I look at Cat Noir and Ladybug as we're on our regular patrol for an Akuma.


"That principal, Mr Damocles..." I say, "He seems to have a good heart...but, these escapades of his is bound to lead him on a dangerous road..."


Cat Noir nods as he sits on top of a building, both of us following him. Ladybug groans, "Looking after him is turning out to be a full-time job..." She yawns and sits down.


"So, you think we should convince him?" Cat Noir asks, "Scare him maybe?" She shakes her head to that, "And shatter the poor man's dreams? No way..." She says and then an idea sparks in my head.


"But...on the contrary, we can make his dreams come true! He said all he wants was to be a hero even if it was for one day!" I say enthusiastically. They seem to get the gist.


"Yeah, so when he does become a hero, he'll stop playing this dangerous game!" Ladybug says, agreeing to the idea.


Cat Noir smirks, "Always the bright rose, m'lady~," He remarks and I chuckle.


"Operation Damocles is in action!"


---


The next day, after school, Ladybug, Cat Noir and I go to Alya's house, and tell her about their 'plan'.


"So you're going to play this villain called Cardboard Girl who is holding us, superheroes hostage," I say to Alya who's nearly squealing at our presence.


Ladybug continues, "You'll call 'The Owl' and when you do. you'll have us here as proof and accidentally reveal our location, that is the park. He'll definitely arrive and he'll see that you've captured our miraculouses! He'll save us and be a hero!"


"Okay..." Alya seems to be taking in the information, "Let's do this!"


So we head on to the plan. Marinette got to make fake miraculouses for us so it'd be convincing enough for Mr Owl to know it's true.


At the park, we stand in the middle of the open space. People gather around to see the commotion.


We act scared, covering our miraculouses so it's not seen. Since Alya plays the part of the Cardboard Girl, she wears a costume, also made by Marinette, and taunts us.


Eventually, The Owl arrives and we pretend to be relieved.


"Owl, save us!" I plead as I cover my miraculous.


"Fear not, for The Owl has arrived!" He exclaims and then aims a gun at the 'villain'.


Owl fires his grappling hook at Cardboard Girl, but only for it to end up snagging onto a moving garbage truck, which drags him into a fence.


My eyes widen in surprise as he hangs from the tree and cries out for help.


"Oh, no." I rush up to him, completely disregarding the act, "A-Are you alright, Mr Damocles?"


He looks at me confused as Cat Noir and Ladybug rush to help him. "How do you know my secret identity?!" He retorts at me.


I then realise I said his name out loud.


People gather around and look at the spectacle. "That's Mr Damocles? The principal?" They whisper, amused at the reveal. This makes the old man's face red with embarrassment.


The start taking pictures of the situation which makes it worse as he starts crying.


"I'm sorry, Mr Owl. Please don't take this the wrong way..." I apologize profusely but then he runs off of the scene.


My chest tightens in dread.


"What have I done?" I facepalm, feeling disgraced. Ladybug places a hand on my back in a way to calm me down, "Hey, take it easy! This isn't as bad as it looks like..." She says making me give her a blank look. Alya comes out of the costume, "It's alright, Prim. You were doing the right thing..."


Cat Noir gives me a very sympathetic look, "Yeah, we were all in this. It's not your fault!" He says and I sigh.


"We just have to hope no one hears about it..."


---


"We now know the true identity of Paris' new superhero. The Owl is none other than the principal of College Françoise Dupont, Mr Damocles."


"Oh, grapes and fruit nuts..." I cuss out as I watch Nadja comment, with my eyes glued to the screen. A long, rueful groan escapes my throat.


Seven pats my head softly, "I'm sorry, hon. But what's done is done," She rhymes which makes me glare at her.


"I can't believe I let it slip out like that..." I hang my head, a regretful feeling stick to my chest, "Can't argue with that." She continues.


That's when the painful strike on my chest hit me back to reality.


"An Akuma?"


My computer screen flashes and a silhouette stands in the middle of the screen.


"Citizens of Paris, listen to me very carefully."


A familiar voice speaks as the silhouette comes into the light. It's Mr Damocles.


"Should've seen this coming..."


Then the screen shifts to the Eiffel Tower, where a bus hangs facedown from it and then down on the ground, where a small kitten sits helpless.


"Just a push of a button and this enormous bus, filled with animals, is going to drop down on this poor helpless little kitty."


"Seven, I think we have a serious problem..." I grit my teeth as I look further into the screen.


"Those who try to save the animals, beware. There are nitrogen tanks placed on the end of the Eiffel Tower. If triggered, it will douse the tower and freeze it to minus seven hundred degrees celsius, making the tower more fragile than glass and even more dangerous to the animals than before." He says menacingly.


"The only way to save them if for Paris' superheroes; Primvère Rosé, Ladybug and Cat Noir to come to the Eiffel Tower and hand over their miraculouses. And you have only ten minutes. Follow the Owl signal."


The screen goes black and I jump out of my seat.


"Seven, it's springtime to bloom!" I transform into Primvère Rosé and rush out of the window to the designated spot as quickly as possible. Looking up the sky, I see an owl signal leading to the stadium.


As I run, I contact Ladybug.


"Where are you?"


"I'm heading for the stadium with Cat Noir, from the entrance."


"Okay, I'm coming from the opposite side. I have a plan but it requires long-distance communication if you know what I mean."


"Alright, see you there."


As I close in on the stadium, I see Ladybug and Cat Noir on the other side. From the edge of my whip, I pull out an earpiece before placing it in m ear.


"Testing..." I hear Cat Noir from the earpiece.


"Great to see you too, kitty," I smirk.


"We have to get the detonator and stop this." Ladybug says and I agree with her.


"Maybe I can have a little chit-chat with him?" Cat Noir suggests.


"You certainly seem like the cat for the job," I comment, "Go for it."


He does so as he hoots in the stadium, calling out for Mr Damocles.


"I am NOT Mr Damocles. I am The Dark Owl!" He emerges from his hiding spot.


"Ladybug, you get wherever his Akuma might be and take the detonator out of his reach," I tell her.


"On it."


She spies behind the villain and then uses her yo-yo to knock the detonator from his hand.


"Over to you, Primvère Rosé!" She says as it flies in the air. I run towards it and grab it, landing down on the middle of the stadium.


Cat Noir grins at me, "I've missed you, m'lady~" He stands beside me as I scoff.


Ladybug screams as she comes flying towards us. She lands on the ground and I pick her up.


"Last chance..." The Dark Owl flies and lands in front of us. He tries to get the detonator as we battle, throwing it up here and there.


"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug activates her power and a fountain pen falls on her hand. Cat Noir looks at it sceptically, "What are you going to do? Ask him for his autograph?"


She glares at him.


"Owl Talon!" He says and uses his grappling hook to capture all three of us and the detonator falls off my hand.


He grabs it and throws it on top of a large box in the middle of the stadium.


Cat uses his Cataclysm to free us and we stand on our feet. Then, Ladybug goes ahead to get the detonator.


"Boomerang!" The villain says and throws boomerangs at Cat Noir and me. Both of us stand on top of the box with Ladybug.


"It's not stopping!" Ladybug panics.


"Albert! Open up the hatch!" The villain says and a hatch does open under us making all three of us fall into the box. The hatch closes.


"We're trapped!" Ladybug says as she tries escaping.


"I am the guardian of Paris! I AM THE DARK OWL!" He says from outside of the box. I look around as the crate starts filling up with very delicious-smelling liquid. Cat Noir tastes the liquid and hums, "Whipped cream..."


"The countdown's not stopping!" Ladybug frenzies as she tries pushing the button. Then the countdown goes to zero.


"Oh no!"


A screen in front of us shows us as the bus falls to crush the kitten but...it doesn't. They were just holograms.


The villain laughs maniacally, "These were just holograms to bring you here all along! How does it feel like to lose and be humiliated?! Did you really think I would hurt a poor little kitten?"


"This next trick, although, is real. The crate you're in is now filling up with whipped cream as we speak. It's too thick to swim in and too thin to float on!" He states.


I spot a camera at the top of the crate and signal Ladybug and Cat Noir.


"You're going to drown softly but surely, that is unless you admit defeat and hand over your miraculous!" A hatch opens on the side of the crate. The whipped cream fills till our waist.


"I can use my power to get out of here..." I suggest but Ladybug shakes her head, "No. I have another idea..." She then goes ahead and squirts the fountain pen ink over the camera lens so the Dark Owl can't see us.


"Do you really think it will make a difference if I can't see you?"


"We're done for..." Cat Noir responds as he sulks.


"Not yet we're not." Ladybug takes my hand, "You win, Dark Owl!" She shouts. I furrow my eyebrows at her as she takes Cat Noir's hand as well.


"Ladybug?" I give her a worried look.


"Close your eyes. No peeking..." She whispers to both of us.


"What?" Cat Noir gasps when she says that.


"Trust me."


I look to Cat Noir who gives me an equally confused gaze. But I nod.


We all close our eyes at the same time.


"Spots off..."


"Claws in..."


"Fall..." I take a deep breath, feeling the powers drain out from me. I want to open my eyes out of curiosity but I refrain from doing so. I pull the clasp of my miraculous and take it ou before holding it to Marinette.


But...Marinette pushes it back to me. I open my mouth to gasp but someone pushes it back to close.


"Don't open your eyes yet..." She says as she stumbles to place something in the hatch. The hatch seems to deliver it.


"Now I'm the only superhero in the whole of Paris! Albert, deactivate the whipped cream!" I hear the villain say.


My mind is filled with confusion as I feel the whipped cream dissipate which makes me wear my miraculous back.


"Tikki, spots on!"


"Plagg, claws in!"


"Seven, it's springtime to bloom!"


We transform back into our alter-egos again. I snap open my eyes wide.


"What did you give him?" I ask Ladybug who smirks.


"Remember today when we tried 'helping' the Owl and I made fake miraculouses out of salt-dough?"


A huge grin forms on my face as I hug her. "YOU ARE A GENIUS, LADYBUG!"


"Cat Noir, get us out of here!"


"Cataclysm!" He rusts the crate and it falls from its form.


I watch as the expression on Dark Owl changes into a very bewildered one. "B-But how?!"


Cat Noir snickers, "Thanks to our dear super-bug who had wits to plan everything, you were bamboozled!"


"Did you really think that we would reveal our identities?" I mock him as he backs up from us, "Unlike you, we are real superheroes! We are Primvère Rosé, Ladybug and Cat Noir!"


We charge at him as he tries to deflect us with his boomerangs. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm once again and receives a book.


"The first edition of Knight Owl?" She ponders.


"Are you going to read it to me or something?!" The villain taunts as we battle.


"Wait!" Ladybug flips through the pages, "Knight Owl has an assistant! So must Dark Owl!" She says to which I get the gist.


"He must be in his lair! I'm on it!" I say as I run out of the stadium using my whip to go towards the school. I enter the principal's office through the window.


"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!" A robotic voice says and I look at the source, the computer.


I smirk, "Hi, Albert." I say but before I can, I feel myself being held captive.


"Not so fast!" Dark Owl holds me so I can't move. He tries to get my miraculous as he grapples with the clasp.


"You should know that Dark Owl always wins!"


"Roses Divine!" I chant and feel an explosion around me. Dark Owl growls as he's thrown off the ledge.


I take my chance and destroy the computer with the command of my petals. It breaks and the Akuma flies out just as Ladybug arrives.


"No more evil-doing for you little Akuma! Time to de-evilise!" She de-evilises the Akuma and then releases it.


"Miraculous Ladybug/Primrose!" We both chant as an array of ladybugs and purple roses shimmer and everything goes back to normal.


"Pound it!" I give her a fistbump just as Mr Damocles transforms back.


"Ladybug? Primvère Rosé? What are you doing here?" Mr Damocles, back to his original form, looks at both of us.


"No more injustice in the world and here's a token from a rose~," I chant and purple rose petals hover towards his jacket and a pen form on his pocket.


---


"The Owl once again saves the day as he calls the fire department which is the safest way, kids!"


I giggle as I watch Alec report on him.


"Mr Damocles sure loves being a hero!" Seven says as she hovers on the table. I smile at her, "Yep, just as I do."


Seven's P.O.V.(after detransforming in the crate)


I feel myself come out of the choker. As I open my eyes, my eyes land on Marinette; the Ladybug Miraculous holder and...the Cat Miraculous holder.


My eyes widen in shock.


ADRIEN AGRESTE?! HOLY MOTHER OF-


Tikki signals me to stay quiet as I see Plagg looking at (Y/N) and Marinette with the same amount of confusion.


Oh boy...


End Chapter.


Just a question:


I don't know why but this chapter made me contemplate the transformation chant for Primvère Rosé. I mean...should I change it to something shorter? Like 'Bloom on/in' or 'Fall off/in'? This dilemma is killing me...T^T

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