I want to give a thank you to fabulously_frenzied and Roxas Wrw for being the betas for this chapter!
Epilogue
Alya stared at her phone, taking in a deep breath. She was moments away from starting a livestream, though her mind was still tempted to make a recording. She didn't want to though, knowing she'd take too much time in an attempt to edit it, to make it feel perfect, but that was not the purpose of this recording. So she closed her eyes, then tapped the start button.
"Hey LadyFans, Alya here," she said with her usual greeting. "Don't worry, there's no akuma attack, though this stream does relate to the last one. Also, I just want to thank everyone that submitted footage of that battle, I lost my phone in that battle until the Miraculous Ladybugs fixed everything."
She paused, thinking for a moment, before continuing.
"As you probably already know, the last akuma 'victim' is being investigated for having willingly accepted the akuma, an event I witnessed myself as she was my classmate. You guys may have also recognized her from previous videos on my blog, as she was someone I thought was a friend."
Her throat tightened up at the thought.
"Those videos I have since removed, as they not only contain false information that I didn't bother confirming, but I have come to learn what type of person she was. Moments before her akumatization... I learned there were a lot more lies that she told me than just the ones on this blog. Ones that were hurting some of my closest friends, and that I feel horrible for not seeing before."
Alya closed her eyes once more, gathering her thoughts before looking straight at the camera.
"That's why I'm making this video, to apologize. To you, my viewers, for not getting the accurate information you've expected from me; to Ladybug, for me falsely associating her name with someone who was trying to hurt her; and most importantly to my friends, who were dealing with this on their own for so long. I know my words don't change a thing, but instead let this be a promise for how I will do things in the future. Thank you for taking the time to listen, and for all the support you guys have given this blog despite its imperfections. You're all amazing."
She gave the camera a small smile, wondering if there was anything else she needed to say, but nothing came to mind. Instead she reached forward, stopping the livestream, letting out a long breath. She sat there in her chair for a minute, before grabbing her phone and making sure the stream was at the top of her blog– it needed to be seen.
She refreshed the page several times, watching the view count rise. It wasn't as much as her footage of the attacks and heroes got, but it was still a frightening prospect to know that many people were aware of a mistake she had made. Admitting she had been wrong... wasn't easy, yet she felt strangely light now that she had done so. The heavy guilt that had been clinging to her heart was not quite as strong.
Alya risked a quick glance at the comments as some time passed– a majority of the ones she saw were supportive, but they seemed pale in comparison to the occasion negative one that popped up, the harsh words and unforgiving tones making her stomach feel like something was withering inside of it. She quickly turned away, because what's done is done, and what will come will come, she just needed to focus on what she was going to make of it.
"You know," a familiar voice said from behind her. "I told you there wasn't anything you needed to apologize to me for."
Alya jumped, spinning around to find a familiar red figure sitting outside her open window. Ladybug had her yoyo open, the Ladyblog open on the screen inside, though the hero's gaze was fixated right on her. She quickly pushed herself to her feet, still in awe even knowing who was behind the mask– the fact she was Marinette made her even more amazing in her eyes.
"Ladybug," Alya said.
She tilted her head with a smile. "Can I come in?"
"You know you can always come in, girl," she replied, and Ladybug slipped inside. She glanced about, before her gaze returned to Alya, who wasn't quite meeting her in the eyes.
"Alya," she said softly. "Please don't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault. This was Lila's doing, not yours."
"But I believed her!" She blurted out. "I left you to deal with her on your own, both you and Adrien, and I–"
"And if it wasn't for the fact that I was Ladybug, I probably would have believed most of her stories too," Ladybug said, sitting down on the bed, snapping her yoyo shut. "And if you're blaming yourself for trusting someone you thought was a friend then I think we need to have a talk. She was the one tricking you, not the other way around."
"But I didn't trust you," Alya whispered softly.
Ladybug just stared at her, as if saying, 'really?'
"You tried to tell me what she was like, but–"
"Alya, at what point did you ever stop trusting me?" Ladybug asked, raising her eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, you continued being my best friend, supporting me even when I was getting up to some ridiculous schemes, held the same antics we always did, and this list could go on. Never once did you stop being my friend or trusting me, you just happened to be friends with someone who was abusing that trust. You were a good friend, to both me and Lila, and you're not allowed to take fault for that liar's actions." Her gaze softened. "Without you, who knows what would have happened with her and Adrien... if anything, I should be thanking you. You're a hero Alya."
She let out a laugh. "Says the one in the mask saving the city."
Ladybug smiled. "Did you know I almost gave up my Miraculous after I failed against Stoneheart?"
"What?" A jolt ran through Alya, and she sat up– disbelief on her face. "No girl, no way you did!"
"I did," Ladybug said with a nod. "I felt I was not a good choice for a hero, so I slipped the Miraculous into the bag of someone I thought would be an amazing hero. Someone who was brave, fearless, who had leapt to my defense even though I had just met them– I thought she would be a perfect hero."
"You did not." Her eyes widened, voice a whisper as she heard this– because there was no way that Marinette would. But when she looked back on the Marinette she had met that first day... "Please tell me that you didn't– Paris needs you!"
Ladybug chuckled. "Problem was, this girl was just a little bit too brave, and ran off without her bag when Stoneheart attacked again, so of course I had to go after her to try to give her the Miraculous. By the time I got there though, she was being crushed by a car, and I wasn't about to let my new friend get hurt, so I donned the Miraculous again to help her." She looked up at the ceiling, swinging her feet. "It's funny, actually, Alya. This girl encouraged me to go be a hero the first time I put on the Miraculous, and the second time when I thought I was going to give them up. When it came time to give someone else a Miraculous, it was an easy choice, and just like I thought she'd make a great Ladybug, she ended up making a fantastic Rena Rouge."
Alya silently considered this. She had believed that Ladybug had brought her the Miraculous because it was her sisters who had been akumatized that day, and after the fight against the Weaver she thought it was because of their friendship. A simple answer, but now it seemed it wasn't so. The Miraculouses weren't just something to hand out, it was a responsibility she would have to do with careful consideration.
"Mari..." Alya whispered, still not quite understanding how she could trust her so much.
Ladybug stood up, hand on Alya's shoulder. "Don't you ever dare doubt yourself or the kind of friend you are, Alya. I wouldn't be Ladybug if it wasn't for you. You never realized who you may have influenced, and especially with your blog, I'm sure you've touched a lot more people out there you can ever know."
She let out a laugh. "You're not giving yourself enough credit, girl, you're amazing."
Ladybug– no, Marinette– smiled. "Right back atcha, Rena."
Alya let out a slight grunt as she was pulled into Ladybug's embrace, the hero's hug almost crushing her from the ferocity of it. She let out a chuckle before returning the hug, neither pulling away.
When Marinette did pull back she didn't say anything, just giving her a warm smile as she went back to the window, unhooking her yoyo and throwing it out. It zipped across the street, wire going taunt as Ladybug gave Alya one last wave before jumping out into the night. Alya went to the window, watching her go, for once not wondering where the masked hero was heading.
She wasn't sure how she had come to deserve such a friend.
Alya turned off her phone, deciding she didn't need to read anymore of the comments on her video, whether good or bad. Marinette's words were all that truly mattered, and that was what she would dwell on. She set her phone on her table, plugging it in to charge, when something on the bed caught her eye.
She looked down at the black box engraved with red symbols. Her heart skipped a beat, recognizing it right away, though she had no idea why it was here. Had Ladybug left it behind...? But why would she be carrying with her right now? Alya swiftly grabbed the box, opening it up to see a fox-tail pendant resting inside, which promptly began to glow with orange light.
Trixx zipped about her as he materialized, purple eyes gleaming as he hovered right in front of her. He did a small flip, grinning. "Hey, Rena!"
"What are you doing here?" She said, staring at the kwami, though a smile was tugging at her face despite her shock, because she loved the adorable little Fox.
He put a paw on his hip. "What do you think? I'm here to be with my holder, of course."
"But..." She stammered, looking down at the necklace resting in the box. She hesitated, reaching for it, and Trixx landed on her hands.
"Hey, after that last battle proved that the bug and cat can't do this on their own all the time, and they finally talked some sense into that old man to let those worthy have their Miraculous full time," he trembled with excitement. "Nothing better than being permanently by my kit's side!"
"You mean she wants me to have my Miraculous full time?" Alya asked softly.
"Who better?" Trixx said with a grin, tail swaying.
Alya picked up the Miraculous, slipping it around her neck, and Trixx zipped forward. The kwami landed in her hair, settling down with a small chirp. She raised her hand, scratching the top of his head as she turned to look in the mirror, the fox looking down at her fondly. She touched the Miraculous, which felt strangely warm to the touch.
Alya smiled, feeling that the future was going to be a bright one.
This is officially the final chapter, but I will be uploading the bonus chapter of the reveal between Adrien and Marinette soon. :)