Ending looked at me with her eyes a piercing blue eyes, "I have waited so long to rewrite my story. Now, I'll rewrite everyones'!"

She raised her hands then threw them down, and suddenly, I found myself opening my eyes... I sat up from where I laid down.

Where was I?

Looking around, it seemed that I was in some kind of bedroom.

"Glad to see you've finally woken up," Said a voice. I blinked again and found... Marinette? Yes, it was Marinette. She was standing by an open window.

"Marinette?" I asked.

She gave me a smile, and a nod, "Yup! Come on, let's go. We have so many things to see, Adrien. You've been asleep for a long time."

I frowned as I got out of bed. Marinette came forward and took my hand, then led me out of the room.

We were suddenly in my house, coming down the stairs, "Mari, how long have I been asleep?"

She frowned, then thought for a minute, "Hmm... two years?" My eyes widened as she said, "Though time here moves differently."

We exited my house and I found two horses waiting for us. One of them nodded its head at me, "Are you ready, Adrien?" The horse asked.

"Did that horse just speak?" I asked... I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something told me horses didn't speak.

Marinette giggled her perfect giggle, "Well he certainly didn't sing. Good morning Turner."

The horse bobbed his head. Marinette jumped onto the other one, and I did the same, finding it easy to jump from the ground onto the horse's back.

Then, we started riding through the city, "Who's story would you like to see first?" Marinette asked.

I frowned, "Story?"

Marinette shook her head, "Nevermind, I'll just take you to Nino's."

The horses picked up speed, and we were suddenly on a large flatland. A grand library was the only thing in sight for miles. The horses trotted up the stairs and inside. There, shelves stretched on and on.

"Whoa... how many books are in here?" I asked.

Marinette grinned, "Over 7.8 billion."

My eyes widened at the number.

Marinette jumped off her horse and clapped her hands. Immediately, a figure in a cloak appeared. The only distinctive item was a fox necklace around their neck.

The figure handed Marinette a book.

"Come on Adrien."

I jumped off the horse and followed her to a door in the library Marinette held the book to the door, making it float. Energy crackled from it, and suddenly the doorway was filled with a bright white light.

She entwined her fingers in mind, and to my surprise, I found her hand ice cold. Then, she pulled me into the bright light.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself outside in the hot sun. Palm trees were scattered throughout, and the buildings were made of a yellowy stone.

"Come on Adrien! We'll miss the wedding," Marinette beckoned. I gaped when I looked at her. She was wearing a purple greek styled dress with a white wrap around her shoulders. Her hair was down, and framed her perfect face.

"Adrien," Marinette called again.

Snapping out of my daydream, I ran towards her, and together we made our way to a giant building. Entering through a gate, I found myself in a large garden. It had been decorated with torches and swaths of white fabric.

Marinette hurried me through the garden, and we were just in time to see a young woman kiss a man, "-Husband and wife!" A man exclaimed.

The woman was dressed in a flowing white dress with golden jewelry, and a crown on her head.

The man was in a black wrap with golden jewelry, and a pharaoh's crown on his head.

For some reason they looked strangely familiar.

"I present to you Pharaoh Nino, and his wife, Queen Alya!" The man announced.

My jaw dropped.

Marinette just smiled beside you, "They make a beautiful couple, don't they?"

"Alya and Nino?"

Marinette nodded, "This is Nino's story. He wishes to be respected, well off, able to do what he wishes, and with Alya. So Lady Ending wrote him this story. A young Egyptian pharaoh falls in love with his servant. Lovely, isn't it?"

"Lady Ending?" I asked... Why did the name seem so familiar?

"Oh, you'll meet her eventually. You should be honored. She's crafting your story as we speak," Marinette explained.

"My story-"

"Come on Adrien! I want to show you how happy Alya is," Marinette interrupted, taking my shoulder.

"Didn't we just see Alya?" I asked as Marinette pulled out a book from a bush.

"Oh no. That was Nino's Alya."

"Oh." Nino's Alya? What did that mean?

Marinette opened her next book, and we were suddenly walking down the streets of a very busy city.

"Whoa, where are we?" I asked.

"1899, New York. We're heading over to Alya's work office. She's one of the only women reporters in the world, not to mention one of the only successful ones," Marinette explained.

She led me over to a building, and we peeked in a window. There, an adult Alya sat typing at a typewriter, looking from a notepad to her writing every so often.

"Alya as a reporter... that actually makes a lot of sense. Wait, but what about Nino?" I asked.

"He's just her boyfriend. Alya has always wanted a relationship where she can still be independent, but be near Nino. Them just dating works perfectly for that. Alya has also always loved the idea of fighting for what she wants, not just having it handed to her. A female reporter in the late 1800s was a genius idea to let her achieve that goal," Marinette nodded.

"Ya... She does look happy," I agreed. But something doesn't feel right I thought to myself.

"Where to next, Adrien? There are millions of stories to see!" Marinette smiled.

"Marinette... why are you doing this? Why am I seeing all these stories?" I asked, confused.

"I wanted you to see for yourself that what Lady Ending is doing is good."

"Why wouldn't it be good?" I asked.

Marinette crossed her arms, "I don't know. I'm just doing what Lady Ending told me to do."

Suddenly, something clicked, "Marinette... you're not real, are you?"

Marinette stepped forward and put a hand to my face, "You can feel me, can't you? That makes me real enough."

I shook my head and stepped back, "You're like Nino's Alya... you're not real."

"Adrien-"

"I want you to take me to Marinette's story," I said suddenly.

Marinette darkened, "You won't like it there."

"Take me."

"That place is cold, and lonely. It's meant for misery and heartbreak!"

"I need to go-"

"NO! Don't make me take you. Lady Ending must write your story. She must-"

"Take me. Now."

Marinette quieted down. Then, she snatched a book out of the hands of a man. He didn't even seem to notice.

Marinette opened the book after giving me a glare, and we were suddenly in Paris.

I looked around, confused. It was empty, and gray. There wasn't a single sound.

"Where is Marinette?" I asked.

Fake-Marinette shook her head, "Marinette only lives in the stories of the people who knew her."

"Fine, then where is Lady Ending?"

Suddenly, fake-Marinette gave a small smile and fell to the ground. She turned to black, decaying pages before her head connected with the concrete.

A soft voice filled the air, "You know where I am, Chat Noir."

Suddenly, a glowing ball of light flew towards me. A small, black creature held a glowing ring.

I frowned, a memory suddenly coming to light, "P-Plagg?"

Plagg slipped the ring on my finger, "Don't transform, Adrien... if you two fight, it'll kill everyone," Came a small, frightened whisper from my kwami.

Then, I remembered.

Marinette. Chloe. Plagg. HawkMoth. Everything.

"I'm going to fix this Plagg," I said confidently.

"Don't Adri-"

"Plagg, claws out!"

...

I landed on the Eiffel Tower, the beams groaning, "ENDING! COME OUT AND FACE ME!" I yelled.

"I'm right here, kitty," Came a small voice.

I whipped around to find a girl standing there. She wore a long, flowing ball gown. The skirt seemed to be made of a million different pieces of tulle, all in varying colors of black and gray. The top clung tightly to her and was made of black material. A single decaying flower hung at her waist.

Marinette's hair had gone from it's beautiful blue tint to a dying black and was hanging down. A black crown was on her head. It had three spikes. Two of the spikes held a red and black earring. The other had a ring-shaped indent. Marinette's skin was a porcelain white that contrasted greatly with her dress. Her colors matched those of a page in a book.

"M-Marinette?"

She shrugged, "Ya... I guess that's who I used to be. But I go by Ending now."

I looked at her closely. Where could her Akuma be? "What do you want, Ending?"

"To finish the story," She said simply, then gestured around her. Immediately, billions of books floated in the air...

"Finish the story? What story?" I asked, confused.

"Our story. The one we started as soon as we first transformed," Ending explained.

"So you end it? What then?" I asked.

Ending shook her head, "I don't know what happens after that."

"Y-You mean you want to... to end us?"

Ending clenched her fists, "Everyone will have a story. And every story has to end now or later... Chat Noir, our branch of the universe is a mistake. I'll give everyone in the world a happy ending. The ending I know I could never have. Nature will run its course, and this branch of the universe will disappear."

"B-But it's wrong! You can't give people a fake life... and to murder everyone-"

"I am not a murder Chat Noir. And I murder no one! I'm making everyone happy!"

"You're making everyone think they're happy! It's not the same thing Marinette," I said, trying to get through to her.

"Then I guess you'll have to stop me."

That took me aback, "S-Stop you?"

Ending looked at me with a blank face, "You have your stick."

"I-I'll find your akuma! I can save you," I said desperately.

"It's no use. HawkMoth doesn't control me. I control him. He was the first to receive a new story. This is me, Chat Noir."

"No it's not! The Marinette I know would never-"

"Wouldn't she? Marinette was always trying to make people happy. How is that different from what I'm doing now?" Ending asked.

"Marinette is selfless, kind, and true! She would never sink to this level," I spat.

Ending shook her head, "Then I'm sorry I disappointed you. Go on Chat Noir. Defeat me."

I had no choice... it was either Marinette or the world. Swallowing back tears, I charged at her, ready to thrust my stick at her. But right before I did, I froze. Her big blue eyes were the same eyes I'd loved.

I couldn't hurt her.

"I know you won't do it, kitty. It's time-"

I cut her off.

Before I realized what I was doing, my arms were around her, and my mouth was on hers. Her blues eyes looked at me in surprise, and for a moment she kissed me back. Then, I was thrown to the ground, "HOW DARE YOU!"

I groaned from the pain as I slowly got back out. Ending was furious.

But, I noticed something. Her dress... a piece of it had gone from gray to pink.

A plan started to form in my head, and I began humming.

Ending's eyes widened at it, and she suddenly held a long staff in her hand. It looked to be made of a bunch of dead tree branches wrapped together. At the top was a glass sphere with a withered rose inside.

I recognized it... it was the rose I was going to give her the day she was akumatized.

I made my humming louder as I came closer. She held out her staff, ready to attack, "Stop that!" She commanded.

I ignored her.

Another piece of her dress became pink, and her skin seemed to take on a slightly warmer tone.

Then, I started to sing, "Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady."

"No!" Ending screeched as another piece of her gown turned pink. She charged me, her staff swinging.

I sang louder as I defended with my stick,

"A boy who longs for love, all alone in a big wide city," Another piece of color.

"She doesn't know he loves her, with all his little heart" Ending screamed with rage.

"Because the kitty couldn't tell her, though it ripped him all apart," I took a jab to the side.

"A little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady," A bigger piece of her dress took on color.

"A boy who's made enough mistakes to fill an entire city," Another jab to the side.

"She frayed, and she bent, just to keep him all around," Ending let out a scream of rage.

"Because he made her laugh even when she felt so down," again a piece of the dress became pink.

"Finally, he did it. He went so far she broke," A butterfly appeared on Ending's dress, it's large pink wings made of silk, and antennas made of wire.

"And now she's hurting others, trying to fix with tales of smoke." Another butterfly.

"But what she needs now is to heal, and to let that kitty go." Her dress became even pinker, and her fighting more desperate.

"Because he doesn't deserve her, that boy who sank so low." Now, I dropped my stick, and fell to my knees.

"AHHHHGGGG!" Ending gave a final yell of rage, "FIGHT ME!"

"No."

And the last piece of her dress turned pink.

The winds began to pick up, and Ending fell to the ground.

"Marinette!" I yelled, crawling over to her.

The sky began to fill with bright lights. The books that filled the sky suddenly turned black, and began to crumble into ashes.

Ending looked up to me, black tears flowing from her eyes, "The final Ending has come, Chat Noir. This version of the universe will be eradicated."

"No! We... we need help. Please, help me Marinette," I begged.

She closed her eyes, squeezing the tears out of them, then nodded. She swiped her hand through the air, and suddenly a woman fell out.

"Pandora..." Marinette said softly.

Pandora ran up, "Oh Marinette, what have you done!?!"

"The universe-"

"I know, Adrien. Think Pandora!" The woman said out loud. Suddenly, she smiled, "I have it. Adrien, you need to hate Marinette," Pandora ordered.

My eyes widened, "What? How will that save the universe?"

"Counterbalance. Things must either be the same, or different for a branch to merge to the trunk!" Pandora explained.

I shook my head, "I-I can't hate her."

Pandora looked ready to tear out her hair, "Then you've doomed us all! Marinette, you can't just destroy a branch of the universe! It would be like tying dynamite to a broken arm! It won't fix anything! It will only hurt the rest of the body."

"I-I didn't know," Marinette said, beginning to cry again.

"OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW! IT'S JOB TO KNOW! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAVE EVERYONE, BUT NOW YOU'VE ONLY DOOMED THEM!"

"I-I'm so sorry."

"No," I said, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'm the one who hurt you, Marinette."

Pandora sighed, "Well if we're all gonna die anyhow, I minus well come clean. Adrien, when Chloe kissed you she was wearing a magic lipstick. It made you love her for certain periods of time. That, plus the black cat miraculous. It's owner is supposed to love and balance the owner of the ladybug miraculous. All of those elements together made you fall in love... but it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't given Chloe the lipstick."

My eyes widened, "You gave Chloe the lipstick!?!"

"Indirectly, yes."

Marinette shook her head, "Everything is such a mess... everything is so hopeless."

I wracked my brain, trying to find a way out of this. But try as I might, I couldn't find one... but I did realize something else.

"It... it's not hopeless, Marinette," I said softly.

"But-"

"You're here with me, Marinette. I don't... I don't need anything else. Even if you hate me," I closed my eyes, "Even though you hate me. You're here, Marinette. And that gives me hope. Not hope for well, the future... but hope for now."

"N-Now?" Marinette whispered, confused.

I nodded. The lights grew brighter, and even more ashes fell from the sky, "Now."

Then, Marinette reached up and wrapped me in her arms, "I... I forgive you."

The word was suddenly filled with white light and black ashes. White and black. This was Ending's End.

"I'm sorry Adrien," Marinette suddenly said.

I nodded, "Me too, Marinette... our story didn't exactly work out, did it?"

"No.... but I believe. You've given me hope Adrien. The future... our story... the way it was supposed to happen... it still can. And it will," Marinette said, confidently, "I love you Adrien."

I gave her a sad smile, "I know, Marinette."

Then she leaned up and kissed me.

It was then that the world melted away.