"I am Ladybug."
That moment, the magical protection preventing anyone from identifying Marinette as Ladybug broke and Alya saw her friend clearly.
Of course, Marinette was Ladybug! Who else could it be? Kind, protective, determined... Adrien wasn't wrong in calling Marinette their "everyday Ladybug".
Her eyes widened as she embraced Marinette in a hug. That meant all that time, she was Ladybug's best friend not Lila! And gosh, Lila! Marinette was right all along... Why didn't she believe her? But that was something she'd take care of later.
God, Marinette had been doing this for the last two years... And now, she was the guardian of all the miraculouses! No wonder she was so stressed and secretive all the time!
Alya didn't know how to fix her problems. If she knew, she'd do anything to make Marinette the carefree joyful optimistic lovesick girl again whose only concern was how to not get tongue-tied around her crush but her girl had bigger problems to tackle... Alya listened silently as Marinette told her everything from the beginning... the day she recieved the ladybug miraculous... the same day their friendship started.
Her eyes watered as she realised how important she'd always been to Marinette and to Ladybug, her idol. Marinette confessed that she'd been ready to give up being Ladybug the very first day of the job if it weren't for Alya rushing into danger and needing help. Marinette told her how her faith and belief in Ladybug inspired her. Alya couldn't believe it. She, the superhero fan, the Ladyblogger had actually inspired Ladybug, a real superhero, who just happened to be her best friend! She felt as if she was living in a comic book reality, the life she'd dreamed of living as a kid. She'd be overflowing with joy and excitement if she hadn't realised that life of a superhero wasn't all it's cracked up to be! Marinette had so many responsibilities on her shoulders. She needed a confidant, a friend she could count on always, not a fangirl!
She tried to control her rage as Marinette told her about Lila's manipulations and Chloe's betrayal. Alya felt her heart break when she learnt the real reason Marinette let Luka go... Hawkmoth can never know who she is... That meant Alya couldn't afford to be akumatised again! Till the day they recover the last two miraculouses, she must remain in control of her emotions.
This was the biggest secret of her life and she was going to keep it, no matter how hard it was. She wasn't going to break Marinette's trust. And Alya promised herself to make Marinette smile again, no matter what it took. Hawkmoth, Lila, Chloe... No matter what comes next, they'd face it together!