What if Simon Says made a different choice when he first hypnotized Gabriel Agreste?

Simon Slays

"Welcome to another exciting hour of "The Challenge"! Good evening again from Simon Says. Viewers, I've kept my promise. Here's Gabriel!"

Simon Says looked at his enemy Gabriel Agreste, dragged out of his home by Simon's army. His "gorilla" was gripping Gabriel by the shoulders.

What card should he play on his victim?... Why was he thinking "butterfly"? For some reason there was an association in the back of his mind between Gabriel Agreste and butterflies, but it was a silly command.

It would make his enemy look ridiculous, but that wasn't enough. Simon wanted the man dead. Butterflies flit around slowly, they don't really try to go anywhere. Airplanes, on the other hand...

"Simon says... take off like an airplane!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at the TV monitors before they entered the sound stage. They saw Gabriel running around with his arms outstretched, making zooming noises.

"We've gotta save Mr. Agreste!" said Ladybug.

Chat's mouth dropped open in horror. His father was in danger!

"Tomorrow, Airplane, you will be no more," said Simon Says from the screen.

"The akuma's gotta be in one of those cards," said Ladybug.

Chat Noir said "But which one? There are so many of 'em."

Ladybug kicked open the door and they rushed in to confront the villain.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, you can save him by giving me your Miraculouses. Do the right thing... "

"In your dreams," said Ladybug. "Lucky Charm!"

"A regular yo-yo?" said Chat Noir when he say her object. "But you've got a magical one!"

"I'll figure it out later," said Ladybug.

Behind them, Mr. Agreste "flew" out of the room through the door they had left open.

"He's headed for the roof. We got to stop him!" said Chat Noir.

Chat Noir was going to follow Gabriel, but Ladybug held him back by his tail.

"This is our best chance to capture the akuma, and I can't do it alone!" said Ladybug. "If we free Simon Says, we free Mr. Agreste too!"

"Then let's not waste another minute," said Chat Noir grimly.

After a rough battle, Ladybug managed to disarm Simon Says with the plain yo-yo after her magical one was made useless. Chat Noir destroyed the rest of the pack of cards with a Cataclysm.

A "Miraculous Ladybug" charm restored everyone. Then, with her yo-yo back in operation, Ladybug caught and purified the akuma butterfly.

"Pound it!" the heroes said as they bumped fists.

They rushed up to the roof. Gabriel Agreste wasn't there.

"No! He already jumped!" howled Chat Noir.

They ran around every side of the building, looking below. They saw Gabriel on the sidewalk. He was face down, stunned but apparently unhurt. Every trace of the bloody mess he had become was fixed by the Miraculous Ladybug cure.

"Thank goodness!" said Ladybug.

Chat Noir hissed at her. "You should have let me go after him!"

Chat extended his staff and slid down to the ground. Ladybug swung down to follow. Chat turned Gabriel over and checked his breathing. Gabriel stared into space.

Ladybug came up beside them. "Is he all right? He doesn't look hurt."

"He's traumatized by the memory of the fall. I'm taking him home," said Chat.

"Cat Noir, your ring! You better get out of here," said Ladybug. "He'll be fine. Someone else will help him."

"Go away!" said Chat. "I'm not listening to you anymore."

Ladybug reluctantly swung away.

Chat Noir detransformed, still holding his father. A few bystanders saw, but he didn't care.

Gabriel and Adrien stood together in Adrien's room.

"What happened today has opened my eyes, son," Gabriel told Adrien.

He gave his son a big hug.

"I need to tell you a secret," said Gabriel. "I nearly took it with me to my grave."

"Yes, Father?"

"I am Hawk Moth, but when you know my reasons..."

"Monster!"

"...you will understand why I did this when I tell you it's all to get your mother back."

"What?"

"Your mother is alive, but in a comatose state right now. I will show you tonight. She's in a secret room below us because she has to be sealed away from daylight."

"What does that have to do with turning people into super-villains?"

"Do you know what the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses can do when combined? They can grant a wish. I can restore your mother to normal."

"So all these attacks have been to draw out Ladybug and Chat Noir, so that you could get the Miraculouses and make a wish to restore Mom?"

"Yes. Now you understand."

"Tell me something. If you had ever gotten the Ladybug Miraculous, would you have cleaned things up like she always does?"

"Of course I would have. I have no motivation to leave the city half-destroyed or full of hypnotized citizens. As soon as the akumatized person brought me your Miraculouses I would have revoked their power. The butterfly would come out of the object at my command. I would become a Ladybug, purify the akuma, and do the healing charm."

"It seems like there's not that much difference between you and Ladybug. She knows she can fix everything, so she's gotten careless with collateral damage. It didn't matter to her that you would remember falling."

"Since there's no difference, why not join my side? One more mild akuma will lure her out. You can take her Miraculous if you attack her from surprise. We'll get your mother back and the nightmare will finally be over."

Adrien thought about it. He remembered how Ladybug had kept him from saving his father, and how casual she seemed to be about seeing Gabriel on the ground.

"All right," Adrien said. "I'll help you."

"Good for you, son," said Gabriel "We Agrestes must stick together."

The End