Chapter Text
Marinette glared furiously at the chalkboard from where she sat at the back of the class. It had been weeks since any of her so-called friends so much as said a kind word to her; months since she could enter a room without meeting dirty looks. And for what? A liar?
They turned on her for a mean, dirty-rotten, princess of lies. Just because Lie-La told them what they wanted to hear. Spun fantastic, unbelievable tall tales about all the famous people she’d met and the adventures she’s been on. And because Marinette didn’t believe her, called out her lies for what they were, she was a bully.
Her? Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Ladybug? The girl who has bent over backwards to help every single time they needed it. Who literally saved their ungrateful asses time and time again? She was the bully.
“If you weren’t such a jealous bitch, we’d have told you,” Alya stomped. “But we didn’t want the drama, gurl.” When Marinette had simply asked what Alya, her once best friend did over the weekend. Apparently, the class had a party, and everyone was invited… except for Marinette.
“Honestly, Marinette’s worst then Chloé’s ever been,” She heard Nino snipe to Max and Alix who nodded in agreement.
“Just leave Lila alone,” Adrien hissed. “You’re being a bully. It’s not like Lila’s hurting anyone.”
Tears burned in her eyes. To stop them, Marinette clenched her fists so hard she drew blood. No. She wouldn’t cry. Not over them. Not anymore. She was so tired. Tired of bending over backwards. Tired of always being the one to save the day. And NO ONE ever coming to save hers.
Tired of pretending that she had any friends in the class left. Tired of pretending that everything would work out. One of these days, Alya would realize the truth. She was Marinette’s best friend after all. Nino would realize the truth. He’d known her since kindergarten. That Adrien would say something. He promised he’d have Marinette’s back. If not, he’d use that stupid Chat mask of his to hide how spineless he was and stand up for her; his everyday Ladybug, even if he didn’t know she was actually Ladybug. (And oh how furious she had been when she found out Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir) But Marinette had a terrible feeling that day she so dreamed of would never come. And was tired of pretending that it would. Tired of lying to herself.
Because Marinette wasn’t the liar here. She wasn’t the problem. The instigator. The jealous, callous bitch they all made her out to be. No, that was Lila and they loved her anyway. They were sheep. Followers clinging to anything bright and shiny that could hold their attention for more than a few seconds at a time.
Brainless, Marinette sneered at the students in front of her. The class would start soon and when that bell rang it would all be over.
Unworthy, Marinette thought. Unworthy of her time, her effort, her love.
Marinette pulled out her phone. For the last few months, she had used it to look busy whenever she was forced to sit alone. Work alone. Do entire group projects by herself. Now it would be used to light the wick.
Because most of all, Marinette was tired of pretending that if she stays positive, did the right thing, was her sunshiny self, drew inside the lines, followed all the rules, she would still get her happy ending. They all left her behind; pushed to the back like she never mattered. It hurt. It hurt more than she’d ever admitted. It was like ice through her veins and made her want to scream. And she knew exactly who was to blame.
And it wasn’t Lila.
Marinette blamed herself. She had been stupid. Too nice. Too naive. Doing everything for everyone, saving the day, saving the world. Only to be cast aside and made into an outcast; a villain for them hate and sneer at. Not anymore. Never again. There was no going back. Even if they realized the truth and begged on their knees, there was no going back. They weren’t her friends.
Marinette had to look out for herself now. Save herself. And the gods help anyone who got in her way.
And for what they did to her, her entire class would pay. Minus Chloé, who sat securely and smugly next Marinette. The blond had somehow known of what was brewing inside Marinette. And had decided that it was better to stand at the Devil’s side than in her way. Lila had expected a war. But Marinette was better than that. There wouldn’t be a war. Only execution. And siding with Lila was a death sentence.
The school bell rang. Marinette pressed the send button on her phone. And within seconds, every phone in class, every phone in school, every phone in Paris had been sent an alert. It was a pity Lie-La was late.
Ladybug had posted a video.
A video that would be the start of the utter and total devastation of they who were once her friends. Starting with Alya. (Of course, the video would also successfully discredit Lila but Little Miss Liar will get hers another time)
Marinette never thought of herself as cold or mean. She thought she was the hero. The queen of everything good, nice and sweet. The protector of the innocent and the wronged. The defender of truth and justice. But she wasn’t. She never would be.
Within moments, Alya let out a scream; bone-chilling and heartbreaking. As if her entire world had just broken like glass slammed onto concrete.
Marinette leaned back in her seat and smirked. Showtime.
And there wasn’t an in-between; not anymore. Not for her. Because if Marinette couldn’t be the Queen of Good and Nice, then she would lead the Dark and the Bad.
In a way the angel on her shoulder had fallen off, and the demon snickered in her ear and called her the Queen of Mean. But in reality, Tikki had helped push to this; egged her on. Practically directed the video Ladybug had released.
Tikki had had enough too. Tired of Plagg’s excuses for Chat. Tired of her sweet holder crying herself to sleep. Of the Master’s excuse of why he can’t reel the wild Chat in. They were both done.
“Why?” Alya sobbed into Nino’s shoulder. “I didn’t know. I – I didn’t know.”
Normally Marinette would rush over and comfort her best friend; whisper how everything would be alright and promise, promise, promise, that she’d fix this. But she was done being nice. That Marinette was long gone. No one was ever going to take advantage of her again.
Ladybug’s video had discredited the Ladyblog; accused it of spouting rumors and false information. Told of bad reporting and a sorry excuse for a journalist. And all the reasons why. And unlike Alya, Ladybug fact-checked her resources. All the lies Alya put on her blog at the behest of Lila who swore up and down that she was Ladybug’s best friend, of traveling the world and meeting so many different celebrities, was easily proven to be false.
And at the end Ladybug swore to never work with a false reporter like Alya again. She couldn’t be trusted.
The Ladyblog was ruined.
“It’s not my fault,” Alya snapped. She threw her phone against the wall. “It’s not like I knew Lila was lying.”
This would be the first match that lit a flame that the entirety of Paris would feel. A wildfire that would consume everything in its path. Yet still, only a candle to the anger fueling the fire inside Marinette.
“Yeah,” Marinette said loudly, pulling everyone's attention to her. They would soon bow to the Evil Queen. “It’s not like anyone told you Lila was lying. Oh, wait.”
Chloé let out a vicious laugh, “You’d think you would believe your best friend over some nobody but I can see that’s why Ladybug doesn’t trust you. For gods’ sake, her name is literally Lie-la.”
The class turned glares at the girls in back; half-hearted and weak because the two were right. Marinette was right the entire time. How could they be mad at someone who went of her way to warn them? Warn them about a vicious liar whose actions had caused the ruin of one of their dear friends.
As if on cue, the Italian girl walked into class and was met with confused looks, two glares, and questions.
Pleasure coursed through Marinette and a victorious smirk lit up her face; reminding everyone just how beautiful the blue-eyed, bluenette, sweet girl they knew was. Like a dream.
Oh, how little they knew.
Once a dream, now Marinette was going to be their nightmare. First had been Master Fu; a little luck, a little memory potion courtesy of Tikki. Now Fu was just an old man in a rather expensive nursing home, suffering from memory loss and dementia. He was incompetent at his job. Allowed Chat too much freedom and to be a poster boy for why there should be a Me-Too movement in Paris. Like, hello? Workplace harassment anyone? No means no.
Second, she recruited Chloé, Kagami, and Luka; permanent, loyal heroes to replace her former team; including Chat once she got that damn ring off Adrien’s finger. While only Chloé was useful in tactics of revenge, the other two being too good and nice for that, they each would stand beside her when she finally went after Hawkmoth who would finally get his just desserts.
But for now, it was her classmates’ turn. Marinette would have to call in every favor, every good deed she ever did as both Marinette and Ladybug to make them regret what they did to her. It would be expensive. But she had nothing to lose; lonely and damn-near friendless.
But it was just to bring them down. She used her connections to lift herself up. Soon they would hear about trips to fashions shows, modeling on the cover of magazines, hanging with Jagged and Clara.
One by one, they would all fall to her wicked schemes. Or fall at the feet of greatness.
Marinette watched with a satisfied feeling coursing through her as Lila tried to lie her way out of trouble only to be shot down but more rings and dings filled the room as so many, many celebrities shot down claims of ever having known her. Marinette looked like the Chat that got the canary.
If they wanted a mean girl with amazing stories about traveling the world, meeting celebrities, and hanging with princes then that’s what they’ll get. (At least Marinette didn’t have to lie or be possessed by an Akuma to be powerful) But they would never get close enough to bask in her glory; use Marinette for her connections like they had been eager to use Lila.
Because unlike Lie-la, Marinette didn’t have time for phony friends. They’ll all finally learn. Her former friends would only be able to sit back and watch as she begins her quest to rule the world, as Marinette’s name starts appearing in lights. It was her turn.
“You bitch!” Alya screamed and she started a tirade that ripped into Lila with harsh words.
Marinette’s only interest now was showing the little lying princess and all her former friends that Marinette was the Queen. And her reign would be endless.
“Oh my Queen of Mean,” Tikki whispered in her ear. “Isn’t beautiful?”