Mt. Eiffel

201X

Chapter 1:

Darkness. It was all around her, swallowing her whole. The sunlight from above was growing smaller and smaller, reaching the size of her fist before she finally hit something.

Marinette groaned in pain, her back throbbing. She closed her eyes as she winced, rubbing the spot that hurt the most. After a moment, she opened her eyes. She expected to see the same darkness she saw before, but no. It wasn't actually dark. The spot of light above her lit the area around her just enough so she could make out ruins of some sort. She reached up to touch her head, but froze when she saw what was on her hand.

It was a purple butterfly. She swatted it away, yelping in surprise, then noticed that she was surrounded by the same purple insects. In fact, they appeared to have broken her fall.

She sighed and looked back up at the small beacon of light she had fallen from. How could she be so clumsy? Why was just walking in the woods be so hard for her?

Well, there was no use in trying to figure out how to get back up there. The walls that lead up to the hole were sheer cliffs with no way to climb. Pulling herself up, Marinette swatted some of the butterflies away as she got to her feet. The butterflies fluttered in irritation but didn't react in any other way.

Marinette wrapped her arms around herself and glanced around the room. The cave she had fallen into was full of... columns? Were these ruins of some sort? She walked down a long hallway, running her hand along the wall. There were inscriptions, like some sort of hieroglyphic language, but she couldn't read them. Heck, she barely passed her French class.

There was a door at the far end, the rock carved into intricate swirls. She gazed up it in awe. Had anyone else come here before? If not, their scientists were really missing out on a true marvel.

As she stepped into the next room, she couldn't help but notice that there were even more purple butterflies fluttering around the room. It was starting to grate on Marinette's nerves, finding butterflies everywhere. She walked around the edge of the room, taking in the beautiful markings and portraits. How pretty they must have-

"Howdy!"

Marinette screamed, spinning toward the voice. She raised her arms up in defense, ready to attack whoever had spoken. She scanned the area, but only saw purple butterflies fluttering and minding their own business.

"H-hello?" she asked the dim area.

"Over here."

She turned again, but still saw no one.

The voice sighed. "Down here."

She looked down. When she saw the giant purple butterfly a few inches away from her foot, she almost jumped out of her skin. It wasn't a normal looking butterfly, however. It looked like a small human with wings sprouting out of it's back. Its hair was midnight black that swept to the side, and two small antennae stuck out like up like weeds in a patch of grass.

"Who are you?!" she exclaimed, flying backward.

The butterfly smiled broadly. "My name is Billy; Billy the butterfly!"

Marinette tilted her head and took a cautious step forward. "You... butterflies can talk?"

Billy scoffed and straightened his purple and black suit. "Of course we can! It's you humans who never listen to us."

"O-oh."

"So, you're new around here, aren'tcha?"

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I guess you could say that."

"I can teach you the ropes!" Billy cheered, his face lighting up and his purple eyes sparkling. "It's not too hard once you get the gist of it!"

"I-I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Aw, come on! You wouldn't want to die down here, now would you?"

Marinette bit her lip nervously, then glanced back at the butterfly. "Well, I... I guess it would be nice to have someone explain some of the simple things."

"Brilliant!"

BOOM!

Marinette jumped back and cried out in surprise, throwing her arms in front of her face.

"Oh, don't be scared," Billy comforted. "They're just my friendliness pellets."

Marinette cracked opened her eyes, then gasped. All around her, oblong balls of light spun in circles. They almost looked... pretty. Like stars in the night sky.

"Woah..." she marveled.

"Awesome, huh? Let me show you how they work." Billy closed his eyes. He dipped his head and the pellets began to spin faster. They closed in on her, and Marinette began to feel a little claustrophobic. She took a step back, only to have one of the spinning lights touch her back. A spark of electricity shocked her and she let out a scream.

"Oh, don't be fussy," Billy criticized. He opened his eyes, glaring at her through his furrowed brow. "It will be over soon."

"W-what-?" Another 'friendliness pellet' hit her arm and she cried out as she was shot with another bolt of energy. "B-Billy, what are you doing?"

"There is one rule you need to learn here in the Underground." His eyes flashed murderously. "It's kill or be killed!" He spread his arms and started to laugh maniacally. The orbs spun faster and faster, closing in on her.

Marinette shrunk down to the ground, her eyes full of fear and horror. This was how she was going to die, at the hands of an insane half-human, half-butterfly. She would never be able to go home and be with her family ever again. Squeezing her eyes shut and curling into a ball, her whole life flashed before her.

She saw herself as a child, playing at the edge of the village in the trees. Her parents telling her to get away from the woods. It wasn't safe, they had said. She relived the stories her mother told her at night when she couldn't sleep - the ones of monsters and humans living together in peace. She saw herself walking to school, playing with kids her age on the playground, then coming home to help her parents. Years of her life flew by, lost in the musty smell of the caves. Regrets filled her mind. She would miss out on her high school prom, her graduation, the rest of her life.

And nobody would know what had happened to her.

"D I E!"

SMACK!

The sound of something hitting the wall caused Marinette's eyes to fly open. The orbs of light burst apart and disappeared around her. She looked over to where the sound had come from. There, on the ground, was Billy. He was moaning and pulling himself up onto his knees. One of his wings looked bent in the wrong direction.

"That's what you get for hurting an innocent child," a new voice said, not too far from where Marinette knelt.

Billy coughed and wiped his chin of blood. "You have no right to burst in on my fun!"

Not a moment later, Billy slammed into the wall again. Marinette whipped around to see a figure standing in a doorway. They stepped inside, though Marinette couldn't see their face, and raised their hand threateningly.

"Leave the child alone," they said. "She is under my protection now."

Billy glared at the figure, but pulled himself to his feet, straightened his wing, then took off. Marinette watched as he flew off toward the other butterflies. Swallowing nervously, she turned her head toward the figure who had saved her.

"Are you alright, my dear?" the person asked, coming closer to her. Once they stepped into the light, Marinette sucked in a breath. It was a man, hunched over and appeared to be in his late 60's, early 70's. He wore a red cloth draped over a green, long-sleeved shirt and brown khaki shorts. The cloth had a heart on it, with green shapes filling the inside of it, and his feet were protected by a pair of worn sandals. As he shuffled toward her, Marinette realized that he carried a cane. As he held out his hand to help her up, Marinette saw kindness lacing his brown eyes and caring smile. She accepted his hand and stood up.

"I... I think I am."

The man's gaze shifted to her arm and his eyebrows furrowed. "Oh dear, it appears as though you've been hurt."

Marinette blinked, then glanced down at her arm. Sure enough, her arm had a patch of blistered skin where Billy's 'friendliness pellets' had touched her. It wasn't until that moment did Marinette feel the pain of the injury. She lifted a hand to cover the blisters.

"Yeah, but I'll be alright." She paused, then hesitantly asked, "Who are you?"

The man gave her a small smile. "I am Master Furiel. And you are?"

"Marinette."

Master Furiel smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinette." Before he could say more, an odd sound echoed around the room. Marinette froze, her eyes wide with fear, but Master Furiel didn't even flinch. He just casually glanced back toward the door he had entered through, then back to Marinette.

"It's dangerous here. We best get a move on before we're caught in another puzzle."

Marinette blinked. "What?"

Master Furiel turned and started to walk toward the door. "You'll learn soon enough, young one. Come, we have to get past the edge of ruins before nightfall."

She didn't move at first, confusion filling her thoughts, but one thing was clear enough to her. If Master Furiel could take down Billy with only a swipe of the hand, the safest place to be would be right by his side. After making the split second decision, Marinette jogged to catch up with Master Furiel.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

---

Aaaaand we're off! I've got a great fanfic lined up for you guys, so buckle in and get ready for a wild ride! 

And, as always, have a Miraculous day!