A Miraculous Tale

Chapter 4

Finally, the night of the event arrived. And Marinette was extremely nervous. About what, she had no idea. All she knew was that there was a swarm of butterflies darting around in her stomach. And Marinette hated butterflies. Within reason, of course.

Tikki tried to soothe the baker's daughter, but to no avail. "Calm down, Marinette! You don't need to do that much. It's for you. It'll be easy. Just be yourself! Wait-well, no. Kind of. Be Ladybug. Wait-no. Be... Be Ladybug, but don't fight. Unless you have to. Which you won't. Probably. No pressure!"

Marinette laughed and fuzzed her kwami's head. "Thanks, Tikki. I feel so much better," she lied. She looked down at the unfinished skirt in her hand. "Now let me focus, okay?"

Tikki nodded, flew back a little bit, and pretended to zip her lips shut.

Marinette tried to clear her mind as she watched each delicate stitch appear and become one with the black ribbon dash. For ten minutes she continued sewing, enjoying the nice, calming effect it had on her. But it wasn't enough calm to soothe her whirring mind and buzzing nerves. Finally, she was finished.

She checked the time. She had about an hour before she needed to be at the hotel, so she really didn't need to be in very much of a hurry. She still had time. But then again, that philosophy never really seemed to work for her.

The dress she'd made really was beautiful. First there was a plain black blouse with sleeves that went halfway to her elbows. She wore a double-strand of milky-white faux pearls around her neck. Her high-waisted skirt reached all the way to the ground, floaty and delicate. It had several layers of tulle underneath it to add volume. The fabric of the skirt itself was a rich red several shades darker than her superhero costume, and it was adorned with large black spots. Over the top was one more layer of black tulle that served to tone down the design a little bit. The black gloves that she wore reached all the way to her elbows. A thick, black, silky ribbon was tied in a perfect bow (thanks to Tikki) around her waist. Her mask was different as well, much more formal and fanciful. She'd decided to let her hair down in loose curls, with a ribbon of red tulle tied in like a headband.

Ladybug looked in the mirror, proud of her work. She was unrecognizable as Marinette, and very distinctly Ladybug.

Tikki emerged from the small black purse that Marinette had added to the ensemble. "You look absolutely beautiful, Marinette," she exclaimed. "You're ready. Let's go."