Chapter 2: Cupcakes and Costumes

As the heroes begged for nothing bad to happen during Halloween, so they could relax and enjoy it, without any worries, deep underground, in Hawk Moth's lair, the villain was in a good mood. It was unlike him to be like that, especially after having been publicly humiliated by the Miraculous Team twice in such short time. Usually he would be cursing his bad luck, while berating his two lieutenants for failing him, after punishing them for their errors. But on that particular morning, he was quite amused. The same could not be said for his lieutenants, Reptile and Madame Romani, who were both recovering from the injuries their master had caused them, upon punishing them. It would be a couple of days before they had both regained their full strength back

Reptile's injuries were almost healed, and though he could already move and walk freely, he decided not to do it, to save his energies, should his master order him to go and do his bidding. Madame Romani herself was also healing. Though Hawk Moth had electrocuted her a couple of times, her punishment was mostly a more mental punishment, with the villain giving her endless nightmares and keeping her from sleep. Thanks to those nightmares, the gypsy witch did not sleep a wink for nearly three days and that affected not only her powers, but also her ability to control them. Staying still, with her eyes closed half-awake, half-asleep was her way to regain back her strength.

As for Hawk Moth, he was in his private chambers, monologuing to himself, with no one, except his Akuma butterflies to keep him company. He was used to doing that, but on that day, you could almost say he was thrilled; something that never happened. One who would know Hawk Moth, knew that he never showed his emotions, except when he wanted to prove something or when he burst into a fit of rage.

"All Hallows Eve, or Halloween as they call it now… a time for change. The Celts believed that on this day, the barriers between the physical world, and the spiritual world were frailer, allowing the humans to contact with forces they could not understand, my pretties." –Hawk Moth said, as he looked at the glass dome, where the diabolical black butterflies were, awaiting for their creator to use them for his evil purposes. –"And they were right. Samhain was, and it still is one of the few days in the year where the spiritual world is closer to this one. A day, where the supernatural forces are stronger, but at the same time frailer, enabling those who know how to do it, to seize them for themselves and use them as they see it fit. And I am going to do just that. With my knowledge over the dark forces, I will use those very same forces to strengthen my powers temporarily and destroy those infernal brats who keep being a thorn in my side." –he went on. –"Yes… this time, Ladybug and the rest of her team will see what happens when they mess with Hawk Moth. Nothing will prevent me from destroying them this time, not even God himself or Satan!"

Hearing him, both Reptile and Madame Romani knew that they would most likely not have the time to regain all of their strength back, before they were sent on some attack against the Miraculous Team. Still, they both believed this time things would go their way, with Hawk Moth much more powerful than before.


On her way back home, Marinette kept asking herself how she was going to make Adrien enjoy Halloween. But all her ideas seemed either too corny or not good enough. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she was not going to be able to come up with something.

"Maybe I could ask him to wear a costume and pair up with me… there are so many cool couples for us to be on Halloween, like Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Masked, or even Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from Zootopia. Yes, that would be awesome!" –Marinette thought to herself. –"But... what if he's not interested in having someone to pair up with him? And of course, he might not even like the idea in the first place… bad idea, Marinette…"

Seeing her so gloomy, Tikki understood that she was still thinking about how she was going to make Adrien's Halloween unforgettable, and decided to cheer her up, by throwing a couple of suggestions, hoping one of them ended up being what Marinette was looking for.

"Why don't you give him a box with macarons? He loves you macarons." –Tikki chirped from inside Marinette's handbag.

"I'm always giving him macarons, Tikki." –Marinette sighed. –"I could make him a couple of Halloween-themed macarons, but it would still be the same thing. I need something special… a once in a lifetime idea, you know?"

"I understand what you're saying, Marinette. But, maybe you're trying too much?"

"I don't know anymore, Tikki." –Marinette said, as she crossed the street.

"Well, why don't you offer him something? Something that means a lot to you… I know! One of your scary movies!" –the kwami suggested, remembering about the huge collection

"I don't think so, Tikki. I mean, I could give him one of my favourite movies, but I don't even know if he likes that kind of movies." –Marinette declared. –"I mean, I could ask Nino to help me out with it, by asking him to ask Adrien if he liked horror movies." –she said, thinking about it. –"But… let's face it, Adrien is rich. He probably has a ton of movies, and those he doesn't have, he can just get them."

"Marinette… you can't think like that." –Tikki told her.

"I know, I know… but I really, really want to do something special for Adrien." –Marinette told the little kwami. –"You weren't here last year, so you don't know the story, but… last year, it was the first time Adrien went trick or treating. He didn't even know how awesome Halloween is, until Alya, Nino and I took him trick or treating." –she said. –"He was so happy… I want him to feel that same joy again, Tikki."

"You'll find a way, Marinette. You always do." –the kwami told her.

Whenever Tikki said those things, Marinette knew she was absolutely right. Still, her own self-doubt prevented her from fully accepting that fact.

"I wish I had the same faith in myself, as you have in me." –Marinette said. –"Sometimes I feel that I can only do that when I'm Ladybug… and before you say it, yes, I know Ladybug and I are the same person, but, at times, it feels like we're two entirely different people, Tikki."

"In time, you will have that faith, Marinette. I believe you will. Just like I believe you will find a way to surprise Adrien this Halloween." –Tikki smiled.

Shortly after, they arrived home and they both saw just how busy things were at the bakery. Marinette was not surprised, especially because she knew why that was happening. Every year was the same thing. Her dad had made his Halloween specialty, Pumpkin cupcakes with orange and hazelnut frosting, and they were selling like hotcakes. The people were even lining up outside the bakery to buy them. Entering it, she saw that her parents had their hands full with the customers.

"Hey, mom! Hey, dad!" –Marinette waved at her parents from the middle of the crowd that had formed inside the bakery, as she tried to get to the counter's door.

"Hey, honey. How was school today?" –Tom asked his daughter as he placed another tray of his famous Halloween cupcakes on the counter.

"It was okay. You guys need any help?" –Marinette asked them, seeing all those customers.

"Oh, don't worry about us sweetie. We can handle this." –Sabine said, as she grabbed two more cupcakes and placed them in a box.

"I think I better come and help you out, while dad makes another tray of those cupcakes." –the blue-haired said, as she finally got to the counter's door, opening it. –"Let me just put my things up in my room, and I'll come back."

"Okay, honey. But take your time. We can handle this." –Sabine said, as her daughter went up the stairs.

Sabine tried to fool her daughter by acting like she was okay, but Marinette knew her mom was just trying to put on a strong face. She knew how stressful the days before the holidays could be, especially for her who spent most of her time behind the counter, filling orders. She had to help her out, even if just for a little bit, so she could take it easier. Reaching her room, she dropped her backpack and her handbag, with Tikki coming out of the latter, and wasted no time changing her footwear. Though her ballet shoes were quite comfortable, to work behind the counter she preferred a pair of sneakers. Putting them on, she was ready to go and help her parents… at least, until Manon arrived and she had to babysit her.

"I'll see you in an hour or so, Tikki." –Marinette said, as she opened the trapdoor. –"You want me to bring you anything, when I come up with Manon?"

"Well… I would like to try one of those cupcakes your parents are selling." –Tikki told her.

"I'll see if I can bring you one, when I come back." –Marinette smiled, as she went down the trapdoor.

Heading downstairs, Marinette knew that for the next hour or so, she would have her hands full. Taking a deep breath, she went down the last flight of stairs, ready to face the music, only to find out that the crowd had almost doubled since she arrived. Still, that did not prevent her from rolling up her sleeves and start working.

"I'm back, mom. What do you need me to do?" –Marinette asked Sabine.

"Well, sweetie, could you handle the cash-register?" –Sabine pointed out.

"Sure thing." –Marinette said, as she went to the cash-register, where several people were waiting. –"Okay, let's see, who's next?"

Operating the cash-register and making sure every order was fulfilled was a little hard for Marinette, who was not used to doing that. Usually it would be her mother and father taking care of things during those days. Sometimes, when her grandmother from her father's side, Gina Dupain, whom Marinette called Noona, visited them during that time of the year, she would help out, so the girl was not really used to all that stress. But, she did her best, and little by little all the orders were fulfilled and the crowd began to clear out, allowing both her mother and daughter to take it easier. And although they had people buying bread, croissants and all sorts of cakes, it were the cupcakes the item most of their customers wanted that day. You could almost say they were flying off the trays.

When they run out of them, Marinette went inside to check if her dad had already another batch of them ready. Entering the kitchen, she saw her dad putting the finishing touches on the latest batch.

"Dad, please, tell me you're almost finished with those." –Marinette asked them, knowing the customers were waiting for them.

"Almost, honey." –Tom told her, as he finished putting the frosting on top of one of the last ones. –"Could you get me the nutmeg over there, while I finish this last one?"

Looking around, she saw the gallipot with the powdered nutmeg in and quickly grabbed it. Nutmeg was just one of the many secrets that made those one of the specialties of her parents' bakery. The original recipe was from her grandmother Gina; though instead of making cupcakes, she used it to make a double-layer cake. It had been her father's idea to updated it, and give it a more contemporary look by turning an old cake recipe into a cupcake recipe. As she remembered that, she found herself remembering about her grandmother for the second time that day. Such a thought made her realize just how much she missed her, and how she had promised her the next time she came to visit her, that she would take her on a ride in her motorcycle.

"Thanks, honey." –Tom said, as he sprinkled some powdered nutmeg on top of the cupcakes' frosting.

"How many have you made today?" –Marinette asked her dad.

"Honestly, I lost count after the 10th batch." –Tom chuckled. –"Every year I get more and more orders of these things. Never thought they would see this well when I first began to bake them." –he said. –"You better go out there and tell the customers that we have a new batch coming, and if they ask you or your mother, tell them that there's another one that will be out of the oven in about 10 minutes."

This kept going for another half an hour, when the crowd was finally reduced to just a couple of customers who had come to either to buy bread, or to order something. One of the customers had come to order a special birthday cake for her dog, and Sabine was forced to tell her that they did not do such cakes, and that she should try maybe a pet store or a bakery specialized in cakes for animals. When the woman left, it was inevitable for both mother and daughter to exchange looks over what the woman wanted.

"A birthday cake for a dog… now I've seen everything." –Sabine laughed.

"Maybe we should think about adding one of those to our menu. I mean, nowadays there are already so many people who celebrate their pet's birthday." –Marinette chuckled.

A little after that, the school bus bringing Manon home stopped in front of the bakery. Seeing it, Marinette went to get the little girl. She had just opened the door, when Manon stepped out of the bus, waving at her. Smiling, Marinette asked her how her day had been.

"Hey there, you little rascal. So, how was school today?"

"It was okay." –Manon said, as Marinette grabbed her backpack for her.

"Okay? Just okay? Don't tell me you didn't do anything fun in school today?" –Marinette kidded with her. –"Well, if you didn't, then don't worry, because I think we'll find something fun to do." –she giggled.


Already on Marinette's room, Manon wasted no time asking for Tikki. Ever since she had found the blue-haired girl was actually her favourite heroine Ladybug, and about the identities of rest of team and their kwamis, that she came up with some of the most ridiculous and funny excuses to call Tikki, so she could talk and play with her. The ladybug kwami who had grown accustomed of having Manon around was always happy to strike a conversation and play with her. And this time the little girl did not even need to call her, because she was holding one of the pumpkin cupcakes in her hand, and the gluttonous kwami showed up, looking for a bite out of it.

"Tikki!" –Manon exclaimed, when she showed up out of nowhere.

"Hey, Manon! How was school?" –Tikki asked her. –"Mmmm… that looks delicious. Can I have a little bite, please?"

"Sure." –Manon said, as she let the little kwami bite off the cupcake. –"Do you like it?"

"Very much!" –Tikki said. Everytime she thought Marinette's dad could not make something more delicious than before, he surprised her by making something absolutely delicious like that.

"Glad you like it so much, you little glutton." –Marinette said, as she showed her another cupcake. –"I brought you one too."

"Thanks, Marinette." –Tikki said, as she began to munch on the delicious cupcake, starting with the frosting.

"You keep eating like that, and you'll end up as a small pudgy kwami." –Marinette kidded about.

While eating the cupcakes, Manon asked Marinette if she had any completed one of the puppets she had promised her to do, to which the blue-haired girl told her that no, stating that she was still working on the Chat Noir plushie, but would not be able to finish it until after Halloween.

"I'm sorry, Manon, but I really can't make it now. I got a lot of work to do for the Halloween party at school." –Marinette told her, as she sat in front of her laptop. –"Ask Tikki. She'll confirm I'm not lying."

"She's right. Marinette almost doesn't have time to breathe." –Tikki asserted. –"You'll just have to wait a little more."

From the face she made, both Marinette and Tikki realized that Manon was sad after hearing that. Feeling that they could have told her those news in another way, they exchanged looks and silently agreed to cheer her up.

"But don't worry. As soon as Halloween is over, I'll finish Chat and get started on the Ladybug plushie." –Marinette declared.

"Yes, I'll even help her sewing." –Tikki joked.

"You? With those little hands? Keep dreaming, Tikki." –Marinette joked, trying to make Manon giggle as well.

The little trick made Manon smile, but only for a couple of seconds. The truth was something else was bothering her.

"Thanks, but… it's just that you'll probably won't be able to do something…"

"What, Manon?" –Marinette asked her, puzzled.

"Well… my friend Nicole, she said that she was going to wear a princess outfit for Halloween… but I also wanted to be a princess." –Manon declared.

"And you were wondering if I could make you a princess outfit too?" –Marinette asked her.

"Yes."

The truth was Marinette would be happy to help her with that, but with the preparations for the Halloween party and all, time was the last thing she had right then.

"Well, I can't really make you one on such short notice. Not with the amount of work I have." –Marinette sighed. She was really sad, because she wanted to help Manon with that, and knowing her mother was also going to be busy with bakery, there was no way she would be able to make her the dress. –"But, my mom can take you to buy a pretty princess dress, or… wait a minute. Hold that thought, Manon." –she said, as she got up and went to closet.

"What is it, Marinette?" –Manon asked her.

The girl did not answer her, as she opened up her wardrobe, and began looking for something. It took her a couple of seconds to find what she was looking for, but she found it. Taking it off the closet and putting it on the floor, it looked like an ordinary plastic box, but on the side, you could see written in blue ink "Marinette - Halloween". Unknown to both Manon and Tikki, that was the box where Marinette had placed all the costumes she wore for Halloween. The last one to be added to the box was the one she wore the year before, Meiko Mochizuki from Digimon Adventure tri. Carefully, she pulled the outfit out of the box along with the wig and the accessories, and continued looking for what she believed was there. Then, finally, she found what she was looking for, the Halloween outfit she had used when she was in first grade. The outfit consisted of a black fairy dress with a black collar, icy blue-coloured shirt top, a light blue design and two points at the skirt top, and light blue butterfly sleeves with black edges over black puff sleeves at the shoulders with light blue zigzag ends. It also had long, black, fingerless gloves and a pair of black leggings. Marinette remembered that that was the outfit the evil fairy from a cartoon she used to watch. She could not remember what the show's name was right then, but she remembered that she loved that character, so much that she asked her mom to do make that outfit for her to wear.

"Here it is… it's not a princess dress, but it's still really pretty, isn't it?" –Marinette asked them.

"It is… it looks like a fairy dress." –Tikki said, as she flew over to inspect the outfit. –"I really like the colours."

"An evil fairy dress to be exact." –Marinette declared. –"My mom made it for me when I was Manon's age. Do you like it, Manon?"

"More or less…" –Manon declared, as she approached the blue-haired girl, who was holding the dress in her hands. –"It's pretty, but it's not a princess dress." –she said.

Hearing her say that, Marinette could feel the disappointment in the little girl's voice. She knew she wanted to be a princess, but there was no way she would be able to turn that fairy dress into a princess dress on such short notice. With the time she had on her hands, she could make a couple of adjustments to make it fit Manon, but that was it. But, the blue-haired girl did not throw the towel, and decided to use reverse psychology.

"I know you wanted to be a princess, but you know what, Manon? Princesses are so overrated." –Marinette smiled. –"Any girl can be a princess… I mean, haven't you noticed that every time a girl wants to dress up, she says "I want to be a princess". That's not original, am I right?"

"No… it's not, I think." –Manon answered her.

Understanding what Marinette was trying to do, Tikki lent her a hand, by joining the conversation.

"She's right. It's not very original… and you don't want your friend to think you're dressing up as a princess, just because you want to copy her do you?" –Tikki asked the little girl, who waved her head.

"But, if you go as an evil fairy, nobody can tell that you're copying someone, am I right?" –Marinette asked her, smiling. –"Imagine it… you show up with this outfit, and everyone will be asking themselves what are you, and you can tell them that you're an evil fairy, or a good one, if you want to, and that you have awesome powers." –she said enthusiastically, as she showed Manon a wand from another outfit she wore.

The way she put it made Manon giggle. It did not take her long to convince Manon that outfit was perfect for her. Though it had been made for Marinette a few years earlier, it looked brand-new, as if no one had ever wear it. As soon as she was convinced to wear it, Manon asked both Marinette and Tikki to help her put it on. Just like she expected, Manon was a little smaller than she what she used to be, and the dress felt a little big for her. Still, it would take her maybe a couple of hours to tighten it, so it would fit her like a glove. Looking herself in the mirror, the little girl wished it was already Halloween, so she could go to school with it, and later go trick or treating with it.

"You like it?" –Marinette asked her. –"What am I talking about? Of course, you do." –she giggled, as she watched her play with the wand.

"She loves it." –Tikki said, as she moved in closer to Marinette's ear. –"You did a great job turning the situation to your favour." –she whispered,

"Thanks, but you helped out a little." –Marinette whispered back at the kwami, as she went to get her measuring tape. –"Now, let's get you measured, so I can see what I need to fix." –she said, as she approached Manon, who kept playing with the wand, while admiring herself in the mirror.

It was a bit hard for Marinette to take Manon's measurements, because she would not stand still. Thankfully, Tikki helped her out, by asking the little one to stand still long enough for Marinette to do it.

"There, I already have your measurements. I'll try and fix it either tonight or maybe tomorrow after I come from school." –Marinette told her. –"You're going to look even better in it than you look now, Manon." –she smiled to her. Looking at her, she could not help but to think that there was something about the whole outfit. She pondered about it and quickly understood what was missing; the make-up. –"I think if we paint your face with some make-up, it will complement the outfit. What do you think, Tikki?"

"I think you're right." –Tikki asserted.

"Make-up? You mean like the one my mommy wears?" –Manon asked her.

"Nope, silly. I mean like the one clowns and artists wear. Would you like that?" –Marinette suggested her.

"Yes!" –Manon exclaimed.

"Hum… But, what exactly am I going to draw on your face?" –Marinette said out loud. –"Don't move, Manon. This will only take a minute."

Going to her backpack, she took out her sketchbook, opened it and began to draw. Focusing on Manon's face, she drew it as quickly and as accurately as she could. She was nowhere as good as Nathaniel, but she did not dislike the result. The drawing did look like Manon's face. Then, using a couple of crayons she had around, she drew a sort of make-up on the drawing, giving it a purple complexion and a black mask over the eyes. She also gave her black hair with the tips of her ponytails light blue with long white spikes sticking out of each. Looking at it, she did not know why, but the result looked like she had been akumatized.

"Let me see, let me see!" –Manon asked her.

"No, Manon, I don't think you're going to like it." –Marinette said.

"Go on, show it to her." –Tikki encouraged the blue-haired girl. –"I think it looks really pretty." –she said.

"Don't you think it looks like she's been akumatized?" –Marinette raised her eyebrow.

"A little, maybe… but it doesn't matter, as long as Manon likes it." –Tikki insisted.

"Fine." –Marinette said, as she showed the little one the drawing.

"It looks super cool! Are you going to paint my hair too?" –Manon asked her in all of her innocence.

"No, Manon. But I know a place where they sell wigs like that, so I'll get you one." –Marinette chuckled. She was glad Manon had liked it.


Yeah, I'm on a roll once again. I never thought I would be able to write this one in less than 48 hours, but here it is. for those of you that might want to ask, and because I know you in the US and Canada won't be able to watch the series until December, if I'm not mistaken, grandma Gina is not an original character, that's the real name of Marinette's grandmother on her father's side of the family. I decided to make reference to her, because she appears on episode 4 of season 2 (I'm not going to spoil anything in this story, for you guys, at least not in this one).

Oh, and yeah, Manon's Halloween outfit is the outfit she wears in The Puppeteer, when she gets akumatized. Just a little nod to what happened to her in the series. Anyways, feel free to review and make suggestions. From the ones that you guys already gave me, I already have plans to make use of some of them.