Frightningale

[ Theme song ] 

(Marinette falls on her back while attempting a handstand walkover.) Alec: (on the screen) And that was Clara Nightingale's hit single "Big Bang" for us! (Marinette sits at her desk.) Tikki: Wow! That girl is incredible! Marinette: I love her! She's totally passionate about her art! Alec: (to Clara, who dances while he speaks to her) Clara, in just a few short months you've become an international sensation with your ultra-unique singing and style. Apparently, you even sing and dance in your sleep! Do you ever stop? Marinette: See that, Tikki? She's a true artist! Alec: You've come to Paris to film the video for your next song, which is gonna be titled "Miraculous". (Marinette gasps.) Marinette (shrieks in delight) She's gonna be doing a song about me! I mean — Ladybug! Oh! I'm so excited I could... (falls backward off her chair) ...faint! Alec: Auditions will be held at the Grand Palais Hotel, is that right? A little birdie told me that you already found your Cat Noir. Care to share the good news? (Marinette's phone buzzes. She runs over, tripping onto the floor on the way, and answers it.) Alya: (seen on the phone, with Mylène, Juleka, Alix and Rose standing around behind her) Marinette, did you hear that? All us girls are heading over to audition and you're coming, too! (view zooms in on Alya) So don't go pulling one of your Marinette specials on us, okay? Marinette: And miss my chance to meet Clara Nightingale in the flesh? No way! I'll meet you there. Alya: See ya! (Marinette ends the call, and goes and grabs her purse from her chair.) Tikki: You're not auditioning for the role of Ladybug, are you? Marinette: (lets Tikki rest in her hands) Of course not! We just wanna have some fun as extras in the video, that's all. I'd never do anything that could reveal my secret identity. Tikki: All right then, Marinette. (flies up and kisses Marinette on the nose) I'm proud of you!

Gabriel: It will be an excellent promotion for the upcoming opening of our stores in Korea and China. You don't have a choice. (Nathalie presents Adrien with a folded-up imitation Cat Noir costume, with face mask and collar-bell.) Adrien: (gasps in alarm) But Father— Gabriel: (paging through exotic fashion designs on his computer) I've been designing Clara's costumes since she started out. She was very pleased with my humble suggestion of using you. She's only seen you in our advertisements, but she does admire you a lot. I'm hoping you won't let us down. Adrien: (dejectedly) Of course not, Father.

Stagehand: (pointing) Extras on the left; auditionees for Ladybug on the right. (In a dressing trailer, Adrien has put on the suit, bell, tail, and ears components of the Cat Noir costume he was given, and is examining himself in a mirror while holding the face mask.) Plagg: Great choice of fabric! And these seams! (gasps) Amazing craftsmanship! Adrien: There's no way I can wear this! Plagg: Yeah, I've always found that little bell so ridiculous! Then again, the costume is what you really wanted deep down, isn't it? Adrien: No, Plagg. I mean that everyone's gonna realize that I'm the real Cat Noir! Plagg: No way! People are blind! Stagehand: (through the door, which he knocks on) You ready, Adrien? Adrien: (anxiously) Aah, uh, coming! Just a sec! (worriedly, to Plagg) If they see me with this mask on, they're all gonna recognize me for sure! (places the mask within a pile of folded fabric on a shelf) I can't wear it! (with resolve) Right. Now I'm gonna try to act as lame as I possibly can. Hopefully they'll have no choice but to replace me. (opens the door and gasps when he sees the array of people gathered in the main area) (In the central area of the main room, a stage with a backdrop has been set up, and two long lines of auditionees to either side have formed in front of it, those for Ladybug on the right, those as extras on the left. Clara Nightingale is standing on the stage with her star-adorned microphone, greeting the auditionees.) (Alya, Marinette, Rose, Juleka, Alix and Mylène are standing in the extras line.) Alya: (excitedly) We're gonna be in Clara Nightingale's music video! This is humongous! Marinette: (shrieks with delight) I can't believe this is happening! (Adrien walks out toward the stage, waving briefly. The extras react excitedly, Marinette gasping, and Rose and Alya waving with raised arms. Adrien smiles nervously at the line and waves some more. Marinette waves back. Adrien walks up to the front of the stage, where Nathalie is holding a tablet with Gabriel seen on it, and the stagehand stands nearby.) Gabriel: (to Adrien) The costume fits you like a glove, as I knew it would. But, where is your mask? Adrien: (nervous about lying) Uh, I couldn't find it anywhere. Stagehand: I'll take care of it! (dashes off) (The first few Ladybug auditionees step forward, including Officer Roger. There are brief shots of various, often inept, auditionees onstage with Adrien, and Clara's skittish reactions; one is a little girl spinning a Hula Hoop.) Alya: (to Marinette) Didn't I tell you that Adrien looks a little bit like Cat Noir? Marinette: Unh, what''ever! (excitedly)'' He's a thousand times more amazing that Cat Noir! (More auditionees include Roger and his cringeworthy dancing, and a little girl who offers Adrien a black cat, which meows. Eventually Clara sees that there are no more Ladybug auditionees, but then glances at the extras, and gets an idea. She picks up a tray of Chouquettes from a table by the stage, and carries it over to the extras.) Marinette: (excitedly) Oh, look! She's coming in our direction! (While carrying the tray, Clara deliberately trips herself up, tossing the tray in the air, and falling to the floor. Many of the extras gasp, and Marinette gets out of the line, and runs over to help Clara back to her feet; but Clara hugs Marinette instead.) (Marinette's friends gasp.) Marinette: (anxious about the implication) What?! I have no idea what you're talking about! (chuckles nervously) (Clara stands herself and Marinette up, and twirls her around.) Marinette: Uh, Ma— Marinette. (Marinette puts her hands over her mouth in shock.) Alya: Yes! She'd be awesome! Rose: Go Marinette! You deserve it! (Marinette turns to look over at Adrien onstage, and envisions being there with him, and sighs euphorically, before glancing down at Tikki in her purse.) Marinette: (to Clara) That's so nice of you, and...I'm one of your hugest fans, but...I came here to be an extra with my friends, and I really wanna stay with them. (Marinette's friends gasp in shock. Clara stands up again.) Marinette: Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Tikki: (sticking out of Marinette's purse) Good job, Marinette! You didn't give in to the temptation! (pops back inside) Mylène: (hugging Marinette) You're crazy! Alya: (joining in the hug) You turned down filming with Adrien to be with us? Rose: (joining in as well) You really are the best! (Juleka and Alix also join in the group hug. Outside the hotel, a stretch limousine pulls up. Chloé steps out, dressed in her Ladybug costume, and sporting a Ladybug-style wig.) Chloé: (now inside, walking past the line of extras) Thank you all for coming. You can go home now. Alya: Uh, heads up; brat alert in the immediate vicinity. Marinette: Don't worry. Knowing Nightingale, Chloé doesn't stand a chance of being chosen. Alya: Wow! What's happening to you today? (bowing to Marinette) I have to bow before so much wisdom! Marinette: That's right. From now on, the name's Master Marinette Dupain-Cheng! (Marinette and her friends laugh.) Chloé: (to Clara, while walking up onstage) Your "Ladybug" has arrived! (in Clara's face) So when does the shoot begin? Adrien: Chloé, everyone has to audition. You know that! Chloé: (doing arm stretches) Oh yeah, that little formality. (walks to one side, then launches into a series of expert dance moves, after which the extras in line cheer wildly) Aaah...ha ha. It's been a while. Eight years of private classes with Aurélie Dupont from the Paris Op-er-a. I know. I'm breathtaking. (The air sparkles around her.) Chloé: No problem! (hugging Adrien) Adrikins and I have known each other since we were little! Clara: Hmmm. Mayor Bourgeois: (standing up just offstage) The son of the world's greatest fashion designer and the daughter of the Mayor of Paris — that would be just perfect! (Marinette growls.) Alya: (to Marinette) Is there a problem, Master Dupain-Cheng? Marinette: (angrily) Chloé playing Ladybug? No way! Not gonna happen! Alya: Oh? That bothers you more than not being with Adrien in the video? Marinette: Uh, if I were Ladybug, I wouldn't want a brat like Chloé playing me. (Clara thinks a moment, and walks to the stage edge where Nathalie is standing, and kneels down.) Clara: (to Gabriel) What do you think, Gabriel? Gabriel: Hmmm. Artistically speaking, the young lady with ponytails would've been ideal; but it's time to start filming. We'll make do with Miss Bourgeois. Clara: I trust you, Gabriel. Chloé: (stll hugging Adrien, who has been resisting) Woohoo! (to Adrien) We're both going to be in a music video, Adrikins! ...Or should I say, Adri-cat! (laughs) Get it? "Adri-cat"? Adrien: (nervously) Adri-cat, yeah. (chuckles likewise) Marinette: (standing up) Hey wait!... I've changed my mind! I do wanna be Ladybug! (In Marinette's purse, Tikki gasps.) Chloé: (outraged) What?! You want me to be a mere...extra?! (storming away, followed by her father) Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! (Outside the hotel, Chloe's butler lets Chloé into the limousine, and then gives her her teddy bear, Mr. Cuddly, on a tray.) Chloé: (taking Mr. Cuddly, and tossing him on the seat next to her) Unh! Stop annoying me with that stupid dumb bear, Jean-Eudes! (sits for a moment, then picks up Mr. Cuddly and starts sucking her thumb, until she gets a wonderful, awful idea and gasps) Hmmm. (Inside a dressing trailer, Marinette has put on a Ladybug costume given to her, except for the mask, which she is holding, and she examines herself in a mirror.) Tikki: (to Marinette) Ooh! Great choice of fabric! And these seams! Amazing craftsmanship! Almost like the real thing, don't you think? Marinette: Uhh, yeah, it's too well done! Oh wow, Tikki; I really messed up this time! If they see me with this mask on, they're all gonna recognize me for sure! There's no way I can wear it! Stagehand: (through the door, which he knocks on) You ready, Marinette? Marinette: (anxiously) Yes, I'm coming! (places the mask within a pile of folded fabric on a shelf, and runs out to the stage) Alya: (pointing) There she is! (Alya, her friends, and others cheer Marinette.) Marinette and Adrien: No! Uh...uh...yeah! (both chuckle) Aah... (Outside, Chloé, minus her wig, is pushing her father toward the entrance.) Mayor Bourgeois: But sweetie, there's no way we can cancel the shoot now. Chloé: (pulling out her phone) I'm going to call Mom and tell her how all my dreams have been crushed! (feigns sorrow) Mayor Bourgeois: (stammers anxiously, then grabs Chloé's phone and starts punching in a phone number) Let's not disturb our beloved Queen for such a little matter; right, my little Princess? (Back inside, Clara is instructing Marinette and Adrien on arm movements for dancing.) Clara: (demonstrating arm moves left arm out, right arm out, both up, then down) One, two, and three. (Marinette and Adrien, facing Clara, copy the moves, Marinette lagging behind Adrien. Marinette's friends watch from just in front of the stage.) (Marinette and Adrien turn to face each other, and clasp their right hands as if shaking hands.) Adrien: Okay. (chuckles as he and Marinette smile nervously at Clara, and Marinette's friends giggle) (Marinette and Adrien gape anxiously at their clasped hands — Adrien's left hand oddly wearing the Cat Noir ring.) Alya: (taking phone pictures of Marinette and Adrien, as the other girls watch) Marinette's jaw will drop when she sees these pix! (Pictures are seen of Marinette and Adrien gaping, then smiling bashfully as they look up away from each other.) Rose: Oh! I can't believe how much they look like the real Ladybug and Cat Noir! Adrien: (nervously) Uh, I didn't see it. I looked everywhere in the dressing room for it but it was... Marinette: (simultaneously, also nervous) Uh, well, I...found the costume, but the mask was, um... Marinette and Adrien: ...nowhere to be found! (Clara laughs, prompting Marinette and Adrien to laugh, then Marinette's friends as well.) Alya: (as Marinette and Adrien are viewed on the phone fidgeting awkwardly, still holding hands) They don't look a thing like the real Ladybug and Cat Noir now! Stagehand: (shouting from next to a dressing trailer) It's okay! I found them! (Marinette and Adrien gasp in dread. Moments later, Clara hands Marinette and Adrien their masks.) (Marinette and Adrien face each other, anxiously staring down at the masks in their hands, the eyes of the whole room upon them.) Alix: Woohoo! Mylène: Come on! ''(To the sound of their heartbeats, the anxious Marinette and Adrien slowly raise their masks to their faces, closing their eyes when they have the masks near, until...) Mayor Bourgeois: (walking in, carrying a stack of papers about a foot tall, as Chloé smiles smugly and smirks behind him) I'm sorry. My administrative staff just realized you never submitted permit A38 as stipulated in the circular B65 that one can only get at counter C, third floor of City Hall, which is, alas, closed for renovations until August, which means you don't have a permit to shoot...anywhere in France, including Paris. (gives the heavy stack of papers to Clara) Clara: (bewildered) I...I don't understand! (Clara tosses the papers aside, and tearfully runs down from the stage to her fallen microphone, whose star has cracked from the impact, and picks it up to see the damage.) Clara: No! The video needs to be shot here, in Paris, the capital of love, the city of Ladybug and Cat Noir. (Clara runs away in tears, and into a dressing trailer, where she leans back against the door, crying.)

Hawk Moth: Ah... Tears of disenchantment. Such sweet music to my ears! (charges an akuma) Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her! (The akuma flies out the window)

(In the trailer, Clara drops to the floor as she continues crying. The akuma flies into the trailer, and enters Clara's microphone, causing the butterfly image to appear before Clara's face.) Hawk Moth: (from his lair) Frightningale, I am Hawk Moth. So, they tried to silence you? With the power I'm giving you, the world will be nothing but song and dance! (In the main room, Chloé claps several times for attention as she addresses the extras.) Chloé: The show is over! You all have to leave now. (laughs in evil triumph) (The extras start to leave. A glowing whip suddenly strikes Chloé and her father, giving them pink auras.) (Adrien and Marinette, back in their regular clothes, witness from the trailer area. Extras gasp.) Chloé: (as she and her father approach Frightningale) What is she talking about? Dancing and making rhymes? And why not play the trumpet too, while you're at it— (suddenly turns into a shiny pink statue, causing everyone in the room to gasp) (Frightningale spins her whip, and starts whipping some of the extras below, who turn into shiny pink statues while the rest flee in panic.) Marinette: (runs inside a trailer, where Tikki flies into view) Time to transform! [Transformation Sequence]  Marinette: Tikki, spots on! Yeah! (Marinette transforms into Ladybug.)''' ' (Adrien runs to a secluded spot, as Plagg flies into view.)'' Adrien: (to Plagg) Ready to vocalize? [Transformation Sequence] Adrien: Plagg, claws out! (Adrien transforms into Cat Noir.)

(Frightningale stands atop the Grand Palais, whipping people below, who turn into pink statues.) (From behind Frightningale, Ladybug uses her yo-yo to catch Frightningale's whip-wrist.) Ladybug: I thought you were a fan of Cat Noir and me, Nightingale; so you should know that we fight villains! Ladybug: You have to come 'round! Don't let negative emotions take you over! (Ladybug flings out her yo-yo at Frightningale, but she catches it, and spins the end of it as she approaches Ladybug.) (Frightningale tries to hit Ladybug by twirling the end of the yo-yo she's holding. Ladybug's dodging it takes their fight off the roof, and down to the ground, where Ladybug regains control of her weapon.) Ladybug: I can help you if you give me your akuma! (Frightningale charges toward Ladybug, but she is tripped by Cat Noir's staff.) Cat Noir: (he recovers his staff and he spins with it) Do you mind if I join the dance? (extends his staff to the ground in front of him and he puts his chin on it and on his hands) (Frightningale leaps up back onto the roof of the Grand Palais.) Ladybug: Two is always better than one! (to Cat Noir) Cat Noir, I'll take the left. Cat Noir: I'm on it! (Ladybug and Cat Noir run over to the Grand Palais, and run and scamper up columns to leap above the roof, attacking Frightningale with their weapons. Frightningale maneuvers to cause Ladybug's yo-yo to merely snag Cat Noir's staff.) Ladybug: Hey, look out! Cat Noir: Whoops! Sorry, M'Lady! (On the heroes' second attempt, Frightningale's dodge causes Ladybug's yo-yo to entangle Cat Noir himself, and land him on the edge of the roof's dome. Ladybug quickly reels him back down to her, but in their momentary discombobulation, Frightningale strikes the two heroes with her whip, giving both of them pink auras.) (Cat Noir starts forward for another attack, but Ladybug grabs his arm.) (Ladybug sighs in relief, while Cat Noir also begins rhythmic movement.) (Cat Noir launches into a series of Capoeira moves, and then the battle briefly resumes until they reach a stand-off.) Frightningale: Huh? (Ladybug and Frightningale resume battling.) (The battle continues until Ladybug and Cat Noir leap to the ground, followed by Frightningale, who looks around for the heroes, but doesn't see them.) (Ladybug and Cat Noir are hiding behind a bus, continuing to move rhythmically.) (Ladybug handcuffs her right arm to Cat Noir's left, and uses her yo-yo to lash her right ankle to his left. Then Frightningale, who had seen Ladybug's Lucky Charm activation, lifts up the bus the heroes have been hiding behind, and tosses it away, and is surprised to see them bound together.) (Ladybug and Cat Noir start toward Frightningale, his Cataclysm still active.) (The heroes fight and kick Frightningale back inside the hotel.)

(The battle between the heroes and Frightningale is pitched, until Ladybug and Cat Noir push Frightningale back, and grab her whip-wand together. Ladybug lets go, and the wand crumbles to black dust in Cat Noir's hand, freeing the akuma. Ladybug releases the handcuffs, and throws them in the air.) Ladybug & Cat Noir: Miraculous Ladybug! (The Miraculous wave restores all the petrified people to normal, and removes Ladybug's and Cat Noir's pink auras.) Ladybug: No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! (captures the akuma and purifies it) Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. (Frightningale turns back into Clara Nightingale.) Ladybug & Cat Noir: (fist-bumping) Pound it! Clara: Ladybug? Cat Noir! What are you doing here? Cat Noir: You were akumatized by Hawk Moth; but everything's back to normal again. Ladybug: And, I have an idea how you can finish your video without anyone getting in your way! (walks up to Clara, and whispers in her ear)

Marinette: (onscreen voice-over) In the daytime, I'm Marinette — just a normal girl, with a normal life. But there's something about me that no one knows yet, 'cause I have a secret. (During Marinette's narrative, the video shows various people, to include all of Miss Bustier's students except Chloé, dancing in sync while wearing either Ladybug¹ or Cat Noir² masks, starting with Juleka¹ and Rose² with the Eiffel Tower in the background, followed by Alya¹ in front of the Arc de Triomphe, which pulls out to reveal Alix¹, Nino², Alya, Kim² and Max¹, and then Ms. Mendeleiev¹, Miss Bustier², Mr. Haprèle¹, Mr. Damocles², Mr. D'Argencourt², Officer Roger¹, and another woman¹ in the school courtyard.) (During the verse the video's dancing shots continue with one of Marc¹, Nathaniel², Mylène¹, Ivan², and Sabrina¹ in front of the Hôtel de Ville, followed by Ondine¹ at the swimming pool, and then Adrien¹, Marinette², and Luka¹ by the Canal Saint-Martin.) Rose: (in the library) It's so much better like this! Mylène: At least now everybody gets to be in it! Alya: Besides, even though Marinette and Adrien kinda look like Ladybug and Cat Noir, they really weren't believable. Marinette: I couldn't agree more! And I wouldn't have had any fun playing Ladybug. It was so much better being with you guys! (Rose runs over to hug Marinette, followed by Mylène and Alix, as Kim, Alya and Juleka also lean in for the hug.) Adrien: Yeah, I prefer this version, too. I couldn't have pulled off playing Cat Noir. Marinette: I know. (dismissively) Worlds apart! Adrien: (gasps wondering what Marinette meant) What? Marinette: (runs over to Adrien) What I meant was that you'd be more lame as Cat Noir than in real life. No! N-Not that you're lame in real life, right? It's just, compared to Cat Noir, you're just, I mean...you don't look a thing like him, that's what I mean. Adrien: (chuckles) And you don't look a thing like Ladybug either. Marinette: Huh? Adrien: Uh, yeah, I mean, I'm sure she's not as funny as you are! (Marinette and Adrien laugh.) Marinette: Yeah.