Today in Paris was a very special day for Marinette, and Tikki was rather excited about it.
"Marinette, this is quite a special day for you!" said Tikki as she flew around her room excitedly.
"Yes, Tikki! It sure is," said Marinette, folding some clothes, but then she looked at her phone concernedly. "Hm, still no call…"
Moments later, they made their way up onto Marinette's balcony.
"There's a ritual we kwamis perform on a day like this," said Tikki.
"Oh really?" said Marinette, half listening as she leaned over the railings. "That's nice."
"But I don't know if you humans would like it," said Tikki. "I wonder if you guys even give each other presents on your birthday."
Marinette suddenly looked at her, surprised. "Oh really, Tikki? You got me a birthday present?"
Tikki nodded. "A kwami speciality."
"Oh, that's so awesome! What is it?" Marinette asked.
Marinette knelt on her knees, and Tikki began dancing in the air while humming. She then began spinning like a top and spat something into her hands.
"Miraculous birthday, Marinette!" Tikki yelled.
Marinette looked at her hand, shocked and slightly disgusted by what had just happened.
Tikki immediately looked crestfallen. "Oh no, you don't like it, do you?"
"Yes! Yes, I love it!" said Marinette quickly. "It's amazing. It's a, uhhh, what is it?"
"A Kwagatama," said Tikki as the spit in Marinette's hand disappeared, revealing a red charm that looked as if it was made of wood. "A great symbol of friendship among us kwamis. We take a hair from our Miraculous holder and join it to the hairs of all the former Miraculous holders. And with them, we grow a magic resin for a few months and—"
She stopped when she saw that Marinette was not listening but looking at her phone instead and looked disappointed. "I know you don't wanna tell me because you don't want to hurt my feelings, but it's obvious you don't like it."
"I'm sorry, Tikki!" said Marinette, looking back at her. "I-I really love your gift. It's just that Alya should already have called me by now. We're supposed to be taking her little sister to the…" She then did some air quotes and winked. "…'dentist' at four o'clock today."
Tikki looked at her, puzzled. "Do you humans always celebrate your birthday by going to the dentist?"
"No, of course not, Tikki. It's a secret code! They're actually throwing me a surprise birthday party!"
Tikki looked even more confused. "But how can it be a surprise if you know about it?"
"The thing about surprises is you know about it, but pretend you don't so you won't spoil it for the people who are organising it!" Marinette explained.
"What about the dentist?" Tikki frowned.
"It's a fake-out! See, Alya's gonna pretend to take me to the dentist, but she'll really be taking me to my surprise party!"
"What if you're wrong?"
"Impossible. All the signs are there, Tikki," she said confidently. "Juleka totally jumped when I caught her holding a bicycle pump."
They then returned to Marinette's bedroom, but Tikki still had doubts about the surprise party.
"Perhaps Juleka has a bicycle!" she said.
"No, Tikki!" Marinette argued. "Obviously, she was planning to use the pump to blow up balloons! A surprise birthday party always has balloons! Also, yesterday, I caught Nino listening to my favourite song!"
"Perhaps it's his favourite song, too!"
"Are you kidding?" she said, looking at her as if she was crazy. "He hates it! He has no reason to listen to it unless… He's making a playlist for my surprise party! Elementary."
Tikki just gave Marinette a sceptical look.
"Okay. Why was Alya having a secret convo with Adrien, huh?" Marinette asked.
Marinette remembered running into Adrien and Alya in the classroom, and they were having a conversation. However, they immediately became tense when they saw that Marinette was listening in.
"Uh, uh… yes, Alya! I know a very good dentist, and here's his number!" said Adrien, holding out a piece of paper to Alya.
"Which means… He's going to be there!" said Marinette, spinning her arms out excitedly.
"Or it means Alya is taking her sisters to see Adrien's dentist!" Tikki pointed out.
Marinette groaned as she collapsed on the floor. "Fine, you know what?" There's one no-fail way to find out if there's a surprise party in the making."
Marinette quietly made her way into the bakery where her parents were currently working.
"Watch their faces," she whispered to Tikki, then flung the door open. "Mum! Dad! Do you know anything about Alya planning a surprise party for my birthday?"
Both her parents froze in place in the middle of decorating a large cake. Tom instantly hid the cake in the garbage and sat down on top of the lead while Sabine leaned on the counter.
"Uh, oh, uh… Party?" he stuttered. "Uh, what party? Uh, which Alya, again?"
Sabine instantly tossed a strawberry at his head. "You're overdoing it… we're talking about her best friend!"
"Alya! Of course, Alya!" Tom smiled, laughing nervously. "We haven't seen her in years!"
Sabine sighed.
Marinette smiled at Tikki, who was hiding behind the doorway. "See? Parents always know when there's a surprise party in the works."
The doorbell then suddenly rang.
"And now, on the other side of this door, check out who's coming to get me!" said Marinette as she spun towards the door. "Just in time for the party! It's—" She opened the door and gasped. "—Grandma?!"
Standing there was an old lady dressed in biker gear with short white hair.
Tom struck his head around the corner. "Mum?"
Sabine also stuck her head around the corner. "Gina?"
Marinette instantly left in delight and hugged her grandmother, Gina Dupain.
Gina pushed the sunglasses up and began speaking in an Italian accent. "Marinetta! You're so tall for your age! Did you get my letter from Patagonia?"
"Yes!" she said as she led her grandmother inside the bakery. "And the ones from Australia, Bali, and Estonia, too! Did you really get chased by a bear?!"
Gina laughed. "Yes. But we wound up good friends in the end."
"Mum. It's her birthday, remember?" Tom whispered to his mother.
"Why do you think I'm here?" she snapped, giving Marinette a package inside her motorcycle helmet. "Happy birthday, my little fairy! My Inuit friend knitted it, especially for your tenth birthday!"
"Uh, she's fourteen," Tom whispered.
"My. How time flies," she gasped.
Marinette opened the package and was excited at first, but her face deflated when she found a T-shirt that was obviously too small for her.
Gina waved her hand dismissively. "That's okay. I'll ask my friend to make another one."
"No! No, it's awesome!" Marinette assured her. "I can make this work. It's perfect, grandma. Thank you."
"Your Nonna has also brought you your favourite candy!" said Gina, placing a tin in Marinette's hands.
"Oh!" she said, lapping uncertainly.
"You still love them, right?" Gina asked.
"Yes, yes, of course…"
"And that's not all, my fairy!" she continued, placing a motorcycle helmet on her head. "We'll have a wonderful day, you and I! Just like the last time." She then began dragging Marinette outside. "Well, go to the merry-go-round and to the zoo, then—!"
"Uh, mum?" Can I have a word, mum?" Tom asked. "Uh, just the two of us."
"What, Tom?" said Gina, looking back at him crossly. "That I don't know my Marinetta anymore because I'm always travelling?"
"No, mum! It's just—"
"You think she doesn't want to spend time with her Nonna, is that it?"
"No! Of course, I want to spend time with you!" said Marinette, looking at her phone. "Uh, besides, it's not four o'clock yet."
Gina looked at Tom triumphantly. "There. You see? Come on, let's go, Marinetta! We're going to have a ball!"
She then more or less dragged Marinette out of the house.
Marinette spent the rest of the morning and afternoon with her grandmother as they rode around Paris on her motorcycle.
Their first stop was at the merry-go-round, and Marinette ate the candy that her grandmother gave her, but once she was out of sight, she quickly spattered it out as it wasn't her favourite.
They then went to the zoo, but Marinette was a bit more focused on looking at the phone, expecting a call from Alya. They also had some candy together, but Marinette secretly gave it to a giraffe.
Their final stop was at the Pont des Arts, where Gina got them some ice cream. Marinette continued looking at her phone and saw it had gone past 4 o'clock.
"It's four o'clock," said Marinette, looking at Tikki, who was sticking out of her jacket. "Maybe you were right. I jumped to conclusions, and there really is no surprise party."
She then sped up the candy she put in her mouth into the wrapper and placed it back in the tin.
"How come you don't tell your grandmother you don't like this candy?" Tikki asked.
"I don't want to hurt her feelings," she explained. "We don't get to see each other very often." Then suddenly, her phone rang, and she yelped in surprise, nearly dropping it. "Alya!"
Alya was currently at the Place des Vosges, where everyone was setting up Marinette's surprise party.
"Sorry, I'm running late," she said. "Can you meet me at the park? We'll, uh—" She stopped when the balloon that Kim was inflating exploded, knocking him back while leaving Nathaniel and Juleka unfazed. Alya hurriedly continued what she was saying. "—jam straight from there to the, uh, dentist!"
"Yes, uh, yes! Awesome! To the dentist! Totally!" Marinette giggled excitedly. "I'll be right there!"
She hung up but turned to find her grandmother standing there with ice cream. "Oh! Uh—I'm so sorry, Grandma. I have to go to the dentist with Alya—"
"Surely you're not going to the dentist on your birthday?" she said, a little surprised and disappointed. "I still have to take you to see the trains at Gare de Lyon Station!"
"Well, it's because Alya actually has sisters who are twins and well, because there are two of them, Alya needs my help," Marinette explained and then shook her head, realising what she was saying. " Wait, what am I saying? That's all a fake-out. You know what I think, Grandma, is that Alya might be throwing me a surprise birthday party—"
This saddened Gina. "I get it, my fairy. Don't worry about me. Run along now and go meet your friend."
"Are you sure?" Marinette asked.
"Go on. I'll hold on to all of this. We'll catch up with each other later," she promised.
Marinette abruptly hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank you!" She then quickly ran off, leaving her on the bridge. "You really are the best grandma in the world!"
Back at the bakery, Tom was putting the candles on Marinette's birthday cake when Sabine rushed in.
"Tom, that's the motorcycle!" she said. "They're coming back! Marinette can't see the cake!"
Sabine quickly left, and Tom, in a panic, picked up the cake, looking for somewhere to hide it, and ended up stuffing it in the garbage can again.
Sabine watched as Gina entered the house. "Uh, where's Marinette?"
"Tom was right," said Gina sadly. "She's too old now to spend time with her Nonna…"
"What? No, no! Tom never said that," said Sabine.
"That's sweet of you, Sabine," Gina smiled at her. "But it's not a big deal. That's life." She then began climbing up the stairs with her head hanging down. "I'll be up in the apartment if you need me."
Sabine walked up to Tom, who was standing gloomily over the trash. "You should go and speak to your mother, she's u—" Before she finished, she noticed the cake in the garbage can. "Oh no!"
"I know, and it's almost time for the party!" Tom groaned.
"Okay, I can help you," Sabine assured him. "We can manage, and we'll take Gina to the party with us!"
The two of them then fist-bumped.
Marinette was now at the Place des Vosges blindfolded as Alya guided her to her surprise party in the park. Alya then undid the blindfold, and Marinette was delighted to see everyone had gathered, especially Adrien, who was smiling and waving at her.
Gina was now in Marinette's bedroom and looked at the tin of Befana sweets she gave Marinette.
At the Place des Vosges, Marinette had just received the book from Mylène and hugged her.
Gina looked at the shot that she got Marinette and then went to eat one of the candies in the tin. That's when she discovered all of Marinette's uneaten sweets inside and put the lid back on.
Hawk Moth instantly sent these negative emotions from his lair and opened his window, causing all the butterflies to take flight.
"What could be more powerful than a grandmother deserted by her own granddaughter? Perfect fodder for disappointment and misunderstanding!" he said as a butterfly landed in his open hand, turning it into an akuma. "Fly away, my little akuma and evilize her ailing heart!"
He then released the akuma, and it fluttered out the window and over Paris.
The akuma flew in through the open window in Marinette's bedroom and landed in the candy tin.
"Befana, I am Hawk Moth," he said telepathically. "I'm restoring your matriarchal power as grandmother. You will use these candies to reward the deserving and punish the ungrateful. As for my reward, you will bring me the Miraculous of those pesky little kids, Ladybug and Cat Noir!"
"You're right, Hawk Moth," she said. "The time has come to teach them all a lesson."
Dark ether then covered her body, and she began to transform. She now had green skin and resembled a witch who had just gone to a motorbike convention. Strapped to her hip was a gun and a container filled with candy.
Down in the bakery, Tom and Sabine had just finished decorating the third cake with sprinkles and strawberries. Sabine is seated on Tom's shoulder to reach the top to put the final touches on.
"Tada!" she said triumphantly.
"Ha!" Tom cheered, putting her down.
"Good job, partner!" said Sabine, patting him on the chest. "We'd better get going; the party awaits us!"
"Oh, wait, we've gotta tell mum," said Tom.
Then suddenly, Befana came flying through the bakery door on her motorbike, which had transformed into a broomstick.
"Not this time," she said. "Don't tell your mama what to do."
Tom and Sabine stared at her, startled.
"Mum—!" Tom gasped and slipped on a rolling pin, causing the third cake to land in the garbage yet again.
Befana laughed as she waved her candy gun. "Do you know what naughty boys get?" She spun the cylinder on her gun and fired black bullets at Tom. The moment they touched him, he suddenly turned to coal. "Coal!"
She then turned to a terrified Sabine, who was cornered by the register. "You have nothing to fear, my fairy." She flicked her wrist and rotated the cylinder gun to white. "You've always been good to me." She then fired white bullets at Sabine, and the moment they touched her, she turned into an angel-like fairy with a white mask. "So, now tell me. Marinetta isn't at the dentist, is she?"
"No, mistress," said Sabine.
"Then take me to her!" Befana commanded.
At the Place des Vosges, Marinette's party was going full swing.
"Happy birthday, Marinette," said Marinette.
Marinette stared at him openmouthed at the small blue box in her hand until Alya's hand reached over and closed her mouth.
"Open it, Marinette!" she said.
Marinette giggled, but before she could open it, she suddenly heard singing from above. Everyone looked around and saw Befana flying above them, singing 'La Donna è Mobile'.
"La Befana comes at night, on her shaky broom in flight. She gives candy to those who are dandy."
She jumped off her broom and slowly approached Marinette, who instantly recognised her. "Grandma!?"
"You lied to your grandma, Marinetta," said Befana.
Both Adrien and Jack then ran off into the background without anyone noticing.
"No, I- I didn't know Alya was throwing a surprise party for me," said Marinette.
Alya quickly placed herself in front of Marinette. "She's for real, ma'am."
"And all those candies you pretended to be eating?" Befana asked, rotating the cylinder on her gun to black.
"I'm sorry, Grandma," Marinette apologised. "It's just that I didn't want to upset you."
"I'm not your grandma anymore," she said, aiming her gun at Marinette. "From now on, I am only Befana! And I'm going to punish you for all those lies!"
She fired a shot at Marinette and quickly ducked out of the way. The shot instead struck Mylène, turning her to coal.
"No!" Marinette cried.
Adrien quickly hid behind a tree and let Plagg out of his outer shirt.
"We didn't even get in on the buffet!" Plagg complained.
"Party's over, my friend!" said Adrien and raised his ring. "Plagg, claws out!"
He then began to transform into Cat Noir.
Jack hit behind the sound speakers they had set up for Marinette's birthday and let Nooroo out of his jacket.
"Looks like Marinette's birthday party is on hold," said Nooroo.
"It will be back on what we do with this unexpected guest," said Jack, then removed his scarf, revealing his brooch. "Nooroo, light wings rise!"
He then began to transform into Lord Sprite.
Marinette tried to run away, but her mother blocked her path, and Befana advanced towards her.
"It's rude to leave while Befana's still speaking to you," she said, aiming her gun.
However, before she fired, Cat Noir's staff knocked it back, and she turned to see that he was perched on one of the speakers.
"Hey, I never knew grandmas could be so nasty," said Cat Noir.
"You would look wonderful in white, my pretty kitty," said Befana, rotating the cylinder of her gun again and firing at Cat Noir, who dodges easily but barely.
"Eh, not convinced," Cat Noir shrugged. "I'm much more into black; it makes my eyes stand out, don't you think?"
He quickly got out of the way to avoid more of Befana's shots.
Befana turned to Sabine. "Take care of this pesky pussycat!"
Sabine began to fly up to Cat Noir but was suddenly pinned by Sprite, who jumped out of a nearby tree.
"There's nothing I hate more than a bunch of party crashers," said Sprite.
"Here's my invitation, my little fairy," said Befana, firing fairy shots at Sprite.
Sprite was forced to free Sabine to dodge the shot, and she began chasing after Cat Noir relentlessly.
"Hey, I thought fairies were supposed to be nice!" Cat Noir yelled before she tackled him into the treetops.
Befana started firing coal shots at Marinette, who was running between the trees. "You're not getting away unpunished, Marinetta!"
Marinette tripped and dropped Adrien's present, which Befana hit, turning it into coal. "You don't deserve all these presents, you spoiled little brat!"
She was about to fire more shots at Marinette, but then Sprite quickly moved in, swinging his cane and knocking her into a tree.
"Now that is not very nice," said Sprite.
Then suddenly, Befana's room appeared out of nowhere, slamming into him, and he collided with a statue.
Befana then turned back towards Marinette, aiming her gun at her. "Now, for what you really deserve." She attempted to fire her gun again, but she was out of ammo. Annoyed, she was forced to reload her gun with the bag strapped to her waist. "Don't worry. You'll get what's coming to you."
Marinette then quickly crawled underneath the table and looked up at Tikki. "This isn't how I envisioned my birthday party…"
"You need to transform!" said Tikki as the table turned to coal.
Marinette quickly ran out and hit again.
"Do you lie only to me?" Befana asked.
Marinette looked at Cat Noir. "Cat Noir!"
Cat Noir was still trying to fend off against Sabine. "Stay put, I'll be right there!" Sabine then rammed into him. "Uh, soon!"
Marinette's hiding place then turned to coal, and Befana approached. "Or do you also lie to your parents and your friends, too?"
Alya looked at her classmates, who were all hiding behind a bush. "We gotta help Marinette!"
"The time has come to teach you a lesson," said Befana.
A plate suddenly shot right past; she turned and saw Alya throwing the plates.
"Marinette is not a liar!" she yelled.
"Someone has to teach you table manners!" said Befana, firing a coal shot.
The shot struck the plate Alya was holding on. It soon spread to her entire body, turning her to coal.
"Alya!" Marinette cried.
Kim then tried to jump Befana and grabbed her gun, but she quickly turned and turned him into coal as well.
"No, Kim!" Marinette screamed.
"That's what you get for stealing candy, you bunch of ill-mannered kids!" said Befana.
"Don't touch Marinette! She's only the nicest person in the world!" Rose yelled.
"It's very disrespectful to speak up without permission!" said Befana, aiming her gun at her. "But then again, it's quite noble of you to stick up for your friends." She then rotated the cylinder on her gun. "Okay. I shall make you a fairy." She fired at Rose, turning her into another white, angel-like fairy. "You are going to help me discipline your friend."
She then laughed.
Sprite then suddenly jumped, blocking Rose. "Sorry, but you will be disciplining anyone today."
Marinette was still hiding inside and decided it was the best moment to transform. "Tikki—"
she then stopped when she heard Sabine following out of the tree, and moments later, Cat Noir dropped right in front of her.
"Sorry I kept you waiting. We need to find you a better hiding place," he said, winking and holding out his hand. "Shall we?"
He then lifted Marinette into the air with his staff, but Befana spotted them.
"Marinetta is getting away with the kitty!" she told her fairies. "Catch them!"
Sprite immediately raised his cane. "You're not going anywhere!"
"Pesky imp," Befana ground and began firing coal shots at him. "You should stick your nose in things that don't concern you!"
Sprite was then forced to dodge the bullets, allowing the fairies to escape. However, they didn't get too far as they were caught up in banners held by Marinette's remaining friends.
"Marinette is cool, so don't touch her," said Juleka.
"We won't let you hurt Marinette!" said Max.
"Is that how you speak to your elders?" said Befana as she aimed at them. "How rude."
"No!" Sprite yelled.
Too late, she had already shot them, turning them to coal and freeing the fairies, but then instantly died at Sprite slamming him into the railings.
Befana then aimed her gun at him. "Maybe this way, you'll learn to keep quiet."
She fired, but he quickly somersaulted out of the way, landing on top of the railings. He then looked at Marinette's friends sadly.
"I'm sorry," he said, swinging away with his cane.
Meanwhile, Cat Noir was carrying Marinette over the rooftops in his arms.
"You must be a real cool girl if your friends are protecting you like that," he said. "So why's your grandma flipping out?"
"I think she wanted me to spend more time with her," said Marinette.
Cat Noir then used his staff to launch them onto the Eiffel Tower right on the viewing deck.
"Don't worry," he said, dropping Marinette off. "I promise to get your real grandma back safe."
He then immediately got a call on his cat phone, which was Sprite. "Cat Noir, I was unable to hold her back. I hope that you got Marinette to a safe place."
"Don't worry, she's nice and safe," he assured him. "What about the other kids in the park?"
"I wasn't unable to save them," said Sprite regretfully.
"Oh no," said Marinette, horrified.
"Don't worry, Ladybug will fix everything," Cat Noir assured her. Cat Noir then jumped onto the railings. "Oh, I almost forgot. Happy birthday, anyway."
"Thank you, Cat Noir," Marinette smiled.
Cat Noir jumped off, and Marinette let Tikki out of her jacket.
"It's time to save my Nonna!" she said. "Tikki, spots on!"
Marinette then began to transform into Ladybug.
Meanwhile, Befana was flying over Paris, transforming people into either call or fairies while singing 'La Donna è Mobile'. Among the victims that she turned to coal were a young boy who accidentally littered, a little boy teasing a little girl and a man who was honking his car horn.
As for the ones she turned into fairies, it was a young boy helping a woman with her baby and a fireman who had just saved a little girl's cat.
"La Befana comes at night, on her shaky broom in flight. She gives out candy to those who are dandy. And only gives coal to brats with no soul," she sang.
She was then suddenly knocked off her broom by Cat Noir's staff when it suddenly extended right in front of her. Two of her fairies immediately dived in and grabbed her before she hit the pavement, and they hovered in front of Cat Noir, who began to sing his own melody.
"Noir comes to, unexpectedly," he said and then frowned. "Uh, how do you make that rhyme?"
Ladybug then suddenly landed beside him, finishing his song. "Fighting evil with his lady!"
"Of course!" Cat Noir smiled. "Not bad, Bugaboo!"
Sprite then landed beside them. "And once again, I feel like a third wheel."
"Ladybug has joined the party at last!" said Hawk Moth, communing with Befana telepathically. "Bring me the Miraculous, Befana!"
"You didn't say the magic word!" she said.
Hawk Moth was rather taken aback by this and cleared his throat, hunching his shoulders. "Ahem. Please," he said with a twinge of annoyance.
"Much better, Hawk Moth!" said Befana, pointing at Cat Noir. "You little thief! Where have you hidden Marinetta?!"
"I forgetta," said Cat Noir innocently.
"You will begin anywhere near her, not with us on the job," said Sprite.
"So you better watch out, or you'll be getting a time out of your own," Ladybug warned.
"Take care of these little villains," Befana commanded her fairies.
Her fairies immediately began attacking the trio, forcing them to dodge around them.
"What does the villainous cat burglar do when he feels threatened?" said Befana to herself. Then she spotted the Eiffel Tower. "He climbs!"
She then ran across the rooftops before jumping back onto her room and flying straight towards the Eiffel Tower.
Cat Noir saw where she was headed and looked towards Ladybug and Sprite. "We can't let her get to the Eiffel Tower!"
"And why not?" Ladybug asked as she ducked as one of the fairies flew at her.
"Because that's where I hid her granddaughter!" he explained and chased after Befana.
"Wait, no, she's—!" Ladybug yelled but then quickly clapped her mouth shut.
"Don't just stand there. Let's move," said Sprite, and the two of them jumped after Cat Noir.
Befana had reached the Eiffel Tower and began flying around it, looking for Marinette.
"Where are you, Marinetta?" she called. "Befana has a special treat for you!"
Cat Noir then suddenly dropped behind her. "Can I hitch a ride?" he asked, and she tried her gun at him, but he kept on moving his head. "Your granddaughter isn't here. Let me show you the way."
He then grabbed the handle on the broom and began to steer it away from the tower.
"Pets are not allowed on board!" she yelled, spinning around.
Cat Noir was suddenly flung off the bike and would have hit the concrete if Ladybug hadn't swung by and grabbed him. She then carried him, and they landed on the Eiffel Tower next to Sprite.
"What a sweet Ladybug you are," said Befana as she flew towards them. "You'll make a perfect fairy!"
She then began firing fairy shots at the trio, who quickly had to move out of the way to avoid them.
Ladybug quickly swung up towards the upper levels of the tower. "Thanks, but no thanks."
Befana narrowed her eyes. "You can't turn down a gift, you rude little imp!" She then turned her fairies. "You take care of the kitty and pixie, my fairies, while I punish this polka-dot brat!"
The fairies immediately swooped in to attack Cat Noir and Sprite and began dancing around inside the Eiffel Tower.
At the same time, Befana was chasing after Ladybug, who began climbing up the tower with her yo-yo, firing a volley of shots at her. She kept dodging the shots but then noticed them falling back down towards her and quickly diving into the tower. Befana saw the shots heading straight down towards her and began dodging them, catching Ladybug's eye.
Befana then aimed her gun at Ladybug, who quickly jumped down and discovered that she was out of ammo.
Ladybug soon joined up with Cat Noir and Sprite, who were still trying to dodge the fairies.
"Guys! I saw Befana dodging her own candies," she said. "Even she can't touch them!"
Cat Noir looked up and watched as Befana began to refill her ammo. "The candy bag. The akuma must be in there."
"Of course!" Ladybug being and immediately tossed her yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!"
Certainly materialising was a red and black spotted tuber, which she cordoned. Everyone looked rather perplexed.
"You didn't tell me you played the tuba," said Cat Noir.
"I don't, but it looks like I'm gonna have to learn," said Ladybug.
"I get the feeling we don't have time for music lessons," said Sprite.
Suddenly, Befana began shooting coal shots at them, turning the ground beneath their feet to coal and causing them to crumble. The fairies then suddenly swooped down and slammed into them, hitting them with so much force they went straight through the floor and landed on the lower level.
The three of them picked themselves up, rubbing their heads as it had been quite a hard landing.
"Very naughty," said Befana as she pulled up beside them. "I'm going to have to take your toys away from you."
Ladybug began quickly looking around, and her eyes fell upon the elevator doors, the underground fire hydrant, and the tuba, which gave her an idea.
"Okay. You win, Befana," she said, winking at a shocked Cat Noir and perplexing Sprite.
"I-I did lie, I'm sorry," said Cat Noir, following Ladybug's lead. "Your granddaughter is here."
"Oh, she's definitely here all right," Sprite nodded.
"Never too late to tell the truth, right?" Ladybug smiled.
Befana looked at them sceptically. "I don't believe you."
Cat Noir stood up, holding up his hands. "I'll take you to her myself.
Befana looked at her fairies as she and Cat Noir walked away. "Keep an eye on the ladybug and butterfly."
Once they were out of earshot, Ladybug turned with a chuckle, and she quickly swung her yo-yo, wrapping it around a nearby fire hose and pulling it towards her. Then, she and Sprite jumped onto their feet and held their weapons.
"Sorry guys, I've gotta put you all in time out!" said Ladybug.
"Trust us, this is going to hurt us a lot more than it's going to hurt you," said Sprite.
They then attacked.
Elsewhere at the tower, Cat Noir had guided Befana to a closet. He opened it apprehensively but sighed in relief, seeing that Marinette was not inside.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Befana demanded. "She isn't here!"
Cat Noir shrugged. "I guess I'm a compulsive liar?"
Befana growled in frustration until she heard the elevator's sound and saw it was heading down. "There you are! Nice try, Marinetta, but you won't get away that easily! Ha!"
She then jumped over the glass guard wall onto her broom, laughing, and flew to the elevator.
Cat Noir looked over the guard wall and was soon joined by Ladybug and Sprite.
"Don't worry, Cat Noir. Marinette's safe," Ladybug assured him.
"And boy, is Befana in for a little surprise?" Sprite smirked.
Befana had reached the base of the Eiffel Tower and hopped off her broom, spinning and readying her weapon for when the doors opened.
"I'm waiting for you, Marinetta," she said. However, when the doors opened, instead of seeing Marinette in the elevator, she saw all the fairies tied up by a fire hose. "What?"
The trio then suddenly landed directly behind her.
Ladybug then instantly threw her yo-yo around her Lucky Charm. "Cat Noir! The fire hydrant!"
"My pleasure," said Cat Noir and raised his hand. "Cataclysm!"
He then bent down, pulled off the cover for the fire hydrant, and pressed down on the hydrant with Cataclysm, causing a fountain of water to appear. Befana was surprised by the noise and turned around just in time to see Ladybug slam the tuba down on the torrent of water, sending a jet of it straight for Befana, who tried to block it with her gun and turn it to coal. However, the water touched her gun just as she fired, causing the coal to spread across the water and turning the tuba and Befana herself into coal as well.
"Noooo!" she screamed.
Sprite then approached Befana and grabbed the candy box, breaking it in half and releasing the akuma.
"No more evildoing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" said Ladybug as she opened her yo-yo and spun it around. She then caught the escaping akuma and pulled it back. "Gotcha!" She then released the purified butterfly and watched as it floated away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."
She then grabbed the still coal tuba and tossed it up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
The magical ladybugs began to swarm all over Paris, fixing all the damage and reverting everyone turned into coal back to normal, as were those turned into fairies. Once Befana reverted back to normal, she turned back into Gina.
The trio then fist-bumped. "Pound it!"
"Ladybug, Cat Noir, Lord Sprite…" said Hawk Moth. "You've escaped punishment yet again! I won't sugarcoat the truth, and next time, I will destroy you and have your Miraculous!"
He then closed the window to his lair.
With everything now back to normal, everyone continued the party, even after the sun went down. Gina was also there, standing next to the ice cream cart, talking with André.
"So, how about you, André? Do you have anyone in particular to share your ice cream with these days?" she asked.
"Well, actually, I have yet to find the perfect blend of flavours," he admitted.
Marinette then hugged her grandmother tightly from behind. "Grandma!"
"My sweetie, what did you do with that tee shirt?" Gina asked, noting the new version of Marinette's purse.
Marinette had sold the tiny T-shirt around her purse. "I fixed it up, grandma. I've been sewing ever since the last time you came to visit."
Gina wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're so grown up, Marinette. You know what? There'll be no more merry-go-rounds or zoos. For your next birthday, I'll take you on one of my trips!"
Marinette then hugged her again. "Thank you, Grandma! But you know, it doesn't matter where you take me. With you, it's always unforgettable."
"And we hope that this party is unforgettable," Jack added. "Now we still have birthday treat left to do."
Marinette turned and then heard everyone singing 'Happy Birthday' as Marinette's parents brought out the finished cake. Ivan and Kim then lifted Marinette so that she could blow out the candles. Once she blew out the candles, both Ivan and Kim gently placed Marinette down.
"Bravo," said Adrien, holding out his gift to Marinette. "You never got a chance to open it with all that was going on."
Marinette opened it with delight and was surprised to find a handmade charm bracelet inside.
Adrien then showed her the charm bracelet she gave to him. "I always carry the lucky charm you gave me with me wherever I go, and I think it works pretty well. So… I figured it was my turn to make one for you."
"You're so wonderful…" said Marinette and immediately became flustered. "Oh, uh- it's wonderful, what a charm! Uh… luck charm! I-I'll wear the charm, um, with luck! Basically, um… thank you."
Standing behind her, watching the exchange, were her parents and grandmother, and Sabine giggled slightly.
"Aww…" said Tom.
Nino then began playing the music again, and everyone started dancing. Marinette used this opportunity to sit on a bench out of sight and looked at Adrien's gift with Tikki.
"Do you realise? He made it specially for me, with his own hands," she said dreamily. "Adrien…"
Tikki was still a little miffed about this morning. "Yeah, well, it's kind of a weird gift if you ask me."
"Heh, no weirder than yours, Tikki," said Marinette, playfully winking.
Tikki was offended and turned her back on, but when she looked back, she saw that Marinette was holding out her kwagatama, now on a necklace around her neck.
"But that doesn't mean they're not both precious to me," she added.
"So you really did like the gift, then!" Tikki beamed.
Marinette tucked the kwagatama back down her shirt. "Of course I did. The most important thing about a present, Tikki, is the person who's giving it."
At the same time, Adrien was leaning against a tree, looking at the charm Marinette gave him and smiling.
Jack, too, was leaning against a tree and was looking at the two of them, where he smiled his face.
Nooroo then flew up to him. "I don't think I'll ever understand human romance. Is it always this complicated?"
"Only in Paris, Nooroo," Jack chuckled. "Only in Paris."
