And now, ladies and gentlemen, we reach the conclusion of this adventure.

Simply The Best

When morning came, Marco's injuries had fully healed, and he was immediately released from the hospital, much to the relief of both of his worried parents. Everyone else was relieved as well, because to them, it meant that the long night was finally over.

On the car ride back to Marinette's home, Marco and Star sat in between Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, not saying a word. It was funny how things could change so quickly, Marco thought to himself as they passed many of the locations that Marinette, Adrien, and Alya had shown them on their first full day in Paris. He had come to Paris seeking a vacation and was about to leave it a hero. Star reached out to him, holding his hand, with a look of longing in his eyes.

"It's funny how a lot could change in a week, or even a night," he said to Star as they disembarked from the car. "I wasn't expecting to get the same kind of treatment I got at St. O's, and I definitely wasn't expecting that we'd end up in a relationship."

"Yeah, I know," Star agreed, smiling. She was looking forward to spending time with her new boyfriend.

"Which reminds me," Mrs. Diaz added, "Marco, Master Fu visited us while you were recovering, and he wanted to know if you wanted to keep the Moth Miraculous."

"WHAT?!" Marco shrieked, obviously surprised. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," his mom smiled. "He felt that you deserved it after everything you did last night."

Marco blushed furiously. At last, he managed to compose himself and said, "Tell Master Fu that I appreciate his offer. However, it has been in the hands of evil for far too long. Nooroo must get his rest after all that he had suffered. Maybe at some point in the future, if we come back, I can accept it."

His mom smiled. "Of course. I will let him know. Now, let us go and rest. We've been through a lot in the past few hours."

Later, after the Diazes and Star went to their room to catch up on their sleep, Marinette and Tikki went downstairs. There was something that they had to tell their parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?" Tikki squeaked. "There's something that Marinette wants to tell you."

Both of Marinette's parents turned around. "What is it?" Mr. Dupain asked at last, eyeing his daughter curiously.

"Mom, Dad," Marinette said at last, "I apologize for not telling you sooner about Tikki's existence. But I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping you safe."

"It's okay," Mr. Dupain assured her. "Your mom and I are just glad that you're okay after all this."

"Now go get some sleep. You'll need your energy," Mrs. Cheng continued.

"For what?" Tikki asked curiously.

"Didn't you know? Mayor Bourgeois is honoring you and your friends with a special ceremony as a thank-you for everything you've done this evening," Mrs. Cheng smiled.

Marinette and Tikki looked at each other, hardly believing it. Who would have thought that she, the daughter of two simple bakers, would end up getting honored by the Mayor, of all people, in a huge ceremony in front of millions as a show of gratitude?

"I . . . I don't know what to say!" Marinette grinned sheepishly, blushing furiously. Tikki smiled.

Later that evening, everyone was gathered in the town square for the ceremony honoring the four heroes of Paris. Backstage, Star looked at the others with pride.

"Well," she said, "this is it, guys. This is the first day of the rest of our lives."

"You can say that again," said a familiar regal voice. All four of them turned to see that Janna, Jackie, Buff Frog, King River, and Queen Moon had joined them, all of them proud of what they had achieved.

"Congratulations, everyone," Queen Moon said wholeheartedly, smiling a little. "You've made us very proud of you."

"Indeed," Janna affirmed. "But Marco, don't think this means I'm gonna stop teasing you."

Marco smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Janna, I won't." Some things might never change, but sometimes, it was a good thing.

"You do good job back there at monster tower," Buff Frog continued, giving the four of them a silent wink. Marinette giggled, while Adrien blushed. Marco, however, noticed that Jackie was looking away from him nervously for some reason, and he had a pretty good idea why.

"If everyone can just clear out for a second," he started, "I need a word with Jackie." The others quickly dispersed until soon, only Jackie and Marco remained.

"Jackie," Marco started in a soft, sheepish voice, "I'm sorry I broke up with you all those months ago. I really didn't feel confident in myself. But now, after donning the Moth Miraculous and saving the world, I feel like I can do almost anything. Guess saving the world was all I ever needed, really," he added, chuckling. "I'm hoping we can remain friends as well."

Jackie smiled. "It's okay, Marco. Of course we can remain friends. And hey, at least we got some practice for our future relationships." She gave him one last kiss on the cheek. "Now go. They are waiting for you."

Marco nodded, smiling. At last, he took a deep breath and turned to meet the crowd waiting for him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the mayor's voice boomed across the stage, "I give you the heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Cat Noir! And their friends, Marco Diaz and Star Butterfly!"

The rest of the vacation passed by without much incident as Star, Marco, and their pals spent whatever time they had left with their Parisian friends. Finally, the day had come when the entire Echo Creek gang had to go back home. Marinette, Adrien, their classmates, Master Fu, the kwamis, and Adrien's adoptive father accompanied Star, Marco, and the rest of their friends back to the dimensional hole leading back to Echo Creek.

"You sure you can't stay?" Nino said to Marco and Star. "We feel like we've barely gotten to know you."

Marco chuckled. "Thanks, Nino. Unfortunately, school is about to start back home."

"That's too bad," Adrien said. "Well, just remember that you and your friends are welcome back here anytime." The others nodded enthusiastically.

Marco went up to Adrien and gave him a brotherly hug. "Take care, Cat Noir."

"Same to you, too," Adrien said.

Meanwhile, Star and Marinette were saying their final goodbyes to each other.

"So, I guess this is goodbye," Star said.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Marinette agreed. "But like Adrien said, you and your friends can come back whenever you want or need to."

Star hugged Marinette. "See ya around, Ladybug," she said. "And take care of Adrien and Tikki for us."

"Don't worry," Marinette said. "I will."

"Enough chitchatting," Pony Head interrupted. "Let's get on out of here!" She entered the dimensional hole, followed by Buff Frog, the laser puppies, King River, Queen Moon, Jackie, Janna, and Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. Marco and Star stepped into the hole, hand in hand, and looked back one last time at their Parisian friends. They gave them one last small smile before they entered. Instantly, the hole disappeared, as if it had never been there at all.

"Will they come back, Master?" Wayzz asked Master Fu, who smiled mysteriously.

"I have no doubt that they will see them again in the future," he assured him.

Elsewhere, in another dimension, in a high, majestic castle that loomed over a simple town, a young purple unicorn with wings and an image of six stars on her flank was organizing her books. She had just finished rearranging them when she noticed a dark red book with black spots all over it that she had never seen before in her life.

That's odd, she thought to herself. I don't recall buying this anywhere. She picked up the book.

"'Miraculous Ladybug vs. the Forces of Evil'," she read the title aloud. She sat down with the book and opened the cover. "I wonder if this is any good."

A few days after Star, Marco, and their friends returned to Echo Creek, life returned to normal as it ever would in Paris. The only difference was that the entire city knew the identities of its saviors, and nowhere was it made more obvious than in the College Francois Dupont.

For one thing, the students had apparently gotten over their anger at the fact that Marinette and Adrien never told about their other lives. Evidently, somehow, Alya and Chloe had managed to tell the students the real reason why Master Fu forbade them to reveal their identities, and on Monday morning, Marinette and Adrien walked into a class full of students smiling warmly back. Even Mrs. Bustier beamed back at the two of them.

"Welcome, you two," she smiled at them. "Now, please take your seats so that we can get started on your lessons, shall we?"

"Of course, Mrs. Bustier," Marinette smiled back. She and Adrien took their respective seats right next to their friends. As soon as Marinette sat down next to Alya, they smiled at each other.

"Thanks for letting everyone know," Marinette said to Alya.

"My pleasure, girl," Alya reciprocated. "However, from now on, try to confide all your secrets in me, okay? It would save us both a lot of heartache."

Marinette giggled. "I promise, Alya."

"All right, class," Mrs. Bustier started. "Please open up to Chapter 16 of A History of France and answer the first-"

Just then, a large explosion sounded in the distance, followed shortly by the wailing of sirens. Alya put a hand on her best friend's back. "Go," she smiled proudly. "I'll get the homework ready for you."

"I believe that's your cue," Mrs. Bustier said, smiling at Marinette. She looked at Adrien, who turned and nodded back.

"Ready?" she said to her new boyfriend.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he smiled back.

Both of them got up and went to the front door, ready to transform. As they went, the room broke out into applause as several classmates cheered them on.

"Go get 'em, tigers!"

"You got this!"

"Show 'em how it's done!"

"Good luck!"

Marinette was surprised by these last two words, because they sounded like they came out from the mouth of someone whom she had despised so long ago. Nevertheless, she smiled in good humor, for she knew that things could only go up from here on out.

And both of them ran out of the room, ready to confront and defeat the danger that was waiting for them out there.

(~)

(sing to Miraculous Ladybug (Extended) by Laura Marano)

Star:

Another day, I don't know why

He comes my way, and I get so shy

So insecure, all by myself

'Til the Earth says it needs my help

(Oh oh oh)

Oh yeah, I wouldn't know

(Oh oh oh)

'Cause I'm unbeatable

(Oh oh oh)

And when it's time to go,

That's when I become . . .

Star, Marco, Marinette, Adrien:

Miraculous, simply the best!

Up to the test when things go wrong!

Miraculous, the luckiest!

The power of love always so strong!

Marco:

I'm watching her, she looks at me

We know our names and our identities

She's super cool, she's pretty rad

And she knows how, how to make me laugh

(Oh oh oh)

She's got me spinning round

(Oh oh oh)

My feet are off the ground

(Oh oh oh)

And when it's time to go,

That's when she becomes . . .

Star, Marco, Marinette, Adrien:

Miraculous, simply the best!

Up to the test when things go wrong!

Miraculous, yeah, we got this!

We gotta confess that we feel so strong!

Marinette:

Another day, I'm back at school

I think about him, he's so cool

He looks at me, I look away

I know that he saw me anyway

(Oh oh oh)

He's got me spinning round

(Oh oh oh)

My feet are off the ground

(Oh oh oh)

And when the sun goes down,

You better stick around

Star, Marco, Marinette, Adrien:

Miraculous, simply the best!

Up to the test when things go wrong!

Miraculous, the luckiest!

The power of love always so strong!

Adrien:

I'm Cat Noir, just chilling out

But in the night, she's all I think about

I feel so strong when she's around

She helps me up when I feel down

(Oh oh oh)

Oh no, you'll never know

(Oh oh oh)

My love can only grow

(Oh oh oh)

And when I see her smile,

That's when she becomes . . .

Star:

Miraculous, simply the best!

Up to the test when things go wrong!

(Adrien: Miraculous, ohhh . . . )

Marinette:

Miraculous, yeah, we got this!

We gotta confess that we feel so strong!

(Marco, Adrien: Oh,oh,oh!)

Star, Marinette:

Miraculous, simply the best!

Up to the test when things go wrong!

(Marco: Miraculous, oh . . . )

Miraculous, yeah, we got this!

We gotta confess that we feel so strong!

Miraculous, simply the best!

(Adrien: Miraculous, you are the best! )

Up to the test when things go wrong!

(Marco: Oh!)

Miraculous, yeah, we got this!

(Marco, Adrien: We got this!)

We gotta confess that we feel so strong!

(Marco, Adrien: That we feel so strong!)

Star, Marco, Marinette, Adrien:

Miraculous!

(~)

And thus, one tale ends, but another one begins.

Thank you guys SO MUCH for being a part of this wonderful journey, whether you followed, favorited, reviewed, or simply just read. This fic means a lot to me.

However, there are three people on this website who deserve special thanks:

-fellow fanfic writer Maggiesheartlove, without whom this fic would not have been possible, because she introduced me to Miraculous Ladybug

-fellow reviewer eric the looney, who is the reason this fic has a "spot on" (geddit?) TV Tropes and who regularly reviewed my story on a chapter-by-chapter basis

-and finally, Kryokina, who helped me out along with eric on this fic whenever I got stuck and promoted this story on her page

Thank you everyone so much for keeping up with this fic! :D

By the way, for all the bronies and pegasisters reading this, I think you have a pretty good idea what the sequel to this will be. ;)