Chapter 6:

Marinette climbed out of the ravine of puzzles. Tikki stood not too far away from her, clapping her paws and giving Marinette a beaming smile.

"You did it! I'm so proud!"

Marinette chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "It wasn't as hard as I was expecting, but it would have been nice if there were no puzzles at all." She gave Tikki a look. The monster merely spread her paws and shrugged. Marinette sighed, then realized she was still holding the crossword Plagg had given her. Reluctantly, and with her curiosity teeming, she handed the paper to Tikki.

"Here, I figured I needed to give this to you. It was one of the puzzles, wasn't it?"

Tikki took the paper. Her eyes widened. "This was from today's Underground News! How did you find this all the way out here in the woods?"

Marinette opened her mouth to answer but thought better of it. Plagg didn't want Tikki to know he had been there, after all.

"I... I guess I just found it lying around. Must have blown away in the wind."

Tikki eyed her but shrugged and stuffed the paper into her pink boots. "Okay, if you say so. The good news is that we aren't far from Snowdin. It's only a mile or so that way." She pointed toward a thick grove of trees.

Marinette sighed. "Of course it is..." she mumbled.

"Don't worry!" Tikki said, a smile stretching from ear to ear (or was it from dot to dot?). "I know the way and I promise, there are no more puzzles you have to go through."

And she was right. The way had actually been fairly easy, which Marinette was grateful for. Though the trees had been tightly knit and the snow drifts were up to her knees, it was pretty easy going.

And eventually, with soaked socks and her hair a tangled mess, Marinette stumbled into the light of a town. It hadn't taken that long after all, though Marinette didn't appreciate getting her shoes freezing cold and wet, but at last, they had made it into town.

"Welcome to Snowdin!" Tikki announced, waving her paws around.

The town was small, with maybe twelve buildings at most, though people wandered around outside. There were a collection of monster kids building a snowman. A bunny woman appeared to be walking a misshapen dog. A dog-faced man was throwing ice cubes into the river, like it was his job or something. The smell of hot cocoa and mint filled the air. Icicles clung to the edges of trees, buildings, and even the dog-faced man. Everywhere she looked, Marinette saw someone smiling.

"It's so beautiful here," she said.

Tikki nodded, surveying the small town. "It may not be much, but it's what Plagg and I call home."

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, you don't live with Master Furiel?"

Tikki giggled and shook her head. "Of course not. We merely stop by every once and awhile to check up on him. We were lucky you fell down here the day before we stopped by."

"Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "You said you wanted to get home, yes? Very few monsters know how to navigate the entire underground. Well, ones that aren't in the King's Court, anyway." She smiled. "Plagg and I know the whole underground back to front. We even know where Pigeon Village is."

Marinette cringed. "I hope I never visit. It sounds horrible."

Tikki laughed. "It's actually quite nice. Mr. Ramier has a wonderful store with some of the best supplies around here."

"Still. I don't think I want to deal with all of the pigeon poo."

Tikki laughed again, then gestured for Marinette to follow. "Come on, I'll show you were Plagg and I live."

The pair strolled down the main street of town. Marinette looked inside a couple of the buildings as they passed. One was an inn, another a library, and one seemed to be a bar of some sort. When she peered through the window, she could see collections of monsters sitting in booths, playing cards, and eating at a bar. The only thing that caught her off guard was the bartender. He was on fire.

"That's Grillby," Tikki said, suddenly appearing next to Marinette. "Don't be scared of him. He may be a little bit of a hot head, as Plagg would say, but he's actually quite nice." She smiled at Marinette. "I'm sure Plagg will introduce you to Grillby later."

Marinette opened her mouth to say something, but Tikki just kept on going. After glancing one last time inside the bar, she turned and caught up with her monster guide. They made their way down the main street - Marinette in awe as she scanned the snowy environment and Tikki smiling at her amazement.

It didn't take long for the two to come upon a cheery two-story home. It was made of wood, nothing shiny or spectacular. Christmas lights lined the roof, small balcony, and a single pirate flag that blew in the chilly breeze. The little building was surrounded by a group of snowy pines, and the smell of them was amazing. Warm light basked the snow out front. It practically warmed Marinette up just by the sight of it.

She was about to follow Tikki toward the door, but her attention was drawn to a pair of mailboxes. One shone with frost, like it had been cleaned recently, while the other was stuffed to the brim with envelopes.

"You, uh, seem to have mail," Marinette observed.

Tikki turned, saw what Marinette was looking at, then giggled. "Oh, yes. Plagg hates going through junk mail, so he has completely given up on cleaning it out. I've been tempted to do the same thing, but I can't stand the mess."

Marinette nodded, eyeing the mailboxes one more time before rushing inside. Tikki closed the wreath-decorated door behind them. A blast of freshly baked cookies hit Marinette's senses. She took in a deep breath, the scent calming her.

"You have a wonderful place," she said as she looked around.

"Thank you!" Tikki said. "Wait here, I'll get you something to eat." And with that, the cheery red monster skipped into the kitchen. As she waited, Marinette took in the front room.

The color of the shag carpet under Marinette's shoes was a mix of purple and silver. Following the patterns on the floor, her gaze drifted to the table to her right. It was completely clear except for a single plate. In the center of the dish was a wheel of cheese. A note was stuck to the side of it.

Do Not Touch!

Smirking, Marinette stuck out her finger and poked it. Oops.

To her left, a putrid green couch was pushed up against the outside wall just beneath the window. A side table on the far end held a book, and after walking over, Marinette picked it up.

Types and Tropes of Popular Trappers

She put the book down immediately. On the other side of the room, a television stood on a rickety table between a staircase and the entrance to the kitchen. What kind of channels did the Underground even offer? It was off at the time, but Marinette couldn't help but wonder what Plagg and Tikki would watch.

Speaking of Tikki, she had skipped into the room a moment later, carrying a tray of cookies. She gave Marinette a big smile and held out the plate to her.

"Here, feel free to take as many as you like!"

Thanking her, Marinette took one and sat down on the couch. It folded in around her as she sunk into the cushions. Tikki joined her, placing the cookies on the side table next to the book and taking a treat of her own.

"I know it isn't much, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like," Tikki said.

Marinette smiled, fiddling with her cookie. "Thank you, but I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay. I have to get home after all."

Tikki nodded. It wasn't like her cheery mood had fallen, but there was a hint of seriousness that Marinette picked up on.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"No, not yet. I'm not even sure where I'm going."

"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard to figure out. The directions to the King's castle are easy."

"Says the monster who's lived in the Underground her whole life."

Tikki couldn't help but laugh quietly to herself. "You do make a good point, but you can't lose hope. Keep smiling, keep your chin up, and keep marching forward. You'll figure it out."

Marinette didn't look up at her. She merely smiled to herself as she gazed at her lap. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tikki. I'm just not sure where to go from here."

She tapped her fingers against her nibbled cookie as she thought. She had to find a way out of here, and if that was through the King...

"Tikki," she said, "didn't someone say that you worked for the King?"

Tikki set down her cookie and straightened her posture. "That's right. I'm one of his guards."

"Not yet you're not."

The two turned to see Plagg making his way down the stairs. The first thing Marinette noticed was his dirty slippers. The green oddly complimented the carpet's color palette. How neither Marinette or Tikki heard him exit his room, they would never know.

"I will be, just you watch," Tikki said, folding her arms. "Besides, I at least have a goal that I'm working towards. You're just being a lazy bum."

Plagg shrugged, a devious smirk dancing across his lips. "Yeah, sure. Nothing's wrong with being lazy if you know it's good for you."

"Sitting around doing nothing isn't good!" Tikki protested.

"For you, maybe."

Plagg strolled over to the table with the wheel of cheese. He was about to pick it up when he noticed a small hole in the top. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to face the two on the couch.

"Who poked my cheese?"

Tikki blinked, obviously confused. "Who... what?"

"Poked my cheese," Plagg stated, his voice hard. His narrowed eyes shifted to Marinette, who was sitting back and casually messing with her cookie. "You touched it, didn't you?"

Marinette couldn't help but smile. "Glad you came around to that conclusion."

Rolling his eyes, Plagg trudged into the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Tikki grabbed Marinette's arm.

"Marinette, you can't do that!"

She blinked. "What? Tease the cat?"

Tikki's expression turned deadly serious. "Plagg is seriously protective of his things. You're lucky you were able to get away with only a roll of the eyes."

Marinette nodded. "Okay, I won't do it again. I'm sorry."

Satisfied with her answer, Tikki nodded and then got to her feet. "I'll go get some maps for you. They should be up in my room, so wait here. Once I come back, we can plan a route to King Agreste." She smiled, but Marinette could tell it was forced. "Sound good?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks, Tikki."

The red monster left the room and made her way upstairs. Once Marinette heard the door closed, she bolted from the couch and rushed into the kitchen. Though it was slightly messy, Marinette didn't care. She wasn't there to clean.

Plagg was leaning into the fridge, his tail flicking behind him as he searched. He was humming a song Marinette didn't recognize.

"Plagg," she said, "we need to talk."

The black cat turned and gave her a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because one, I'm sorry I touched your cheese, and two, I know Tikki isn't telling me everything. Do you know what she's hiding from me?"

Her sentence merely made him laugh. "You think I know everyone's secrets?"

"Well-"

"That how life works, kid. You gotta find out on your own and in your own time."

Marinette scowled, turning away and folding her arms. Before she could say anything, Plagg came up behind her and-

SPLAT!

Gasping, Marinette jumped away from him. She whirled to face him, but the kitty was already leaving the kitchen.

"Get dunked on, kid!" he laughed.

Confused, Marinette touched the back of her head. Something cold was slipping from her neck and down her back. She scraped some of it off and looked at it on her fingers.

It was gelatinous stinky cheese. Marinette figured that it was his revenge. Sighing, she picked up a towel and scooped it off.

Maybe she was going about this the wrong way.

---

Wow, look at me. Updating two books within less than 24 hours. I'd say that's an accomplishment right there. Thanks writing playlist!

I also want to thank you guys. I know it's been a while since I updated this book, but since I'm on Christmas break and life has finally calmed down, I figured I could crunch out some awesome fanfic material.

Without any further ado, let's move on to my favorite comment!

Favorite Comment: @JSama49

This was soooo worth staying up for, even though I was just watching videos :) I love the story, keep up the great work <3

And, as always, have a Miraculous day and Stay Determined!