Was she carrying cuffs this entire time? 

I got arrested by a bunny then. I tried to process what my former colleagues would've thought about it.  Indeed, it was humiliating.

"Comfortable?" she asked proudly, standing front and center. "Mr. Cheribim, you are under arrest."

"For what?" I asked.

"Lying to a police officer," the bunny smiled slyly. "You've been lying to me this whole time; about where you're really from. Unfortunately, lying to a police officer is technically a class A misdemeanor. One year jail time."

I cocked my head to the side. "Seriously?"

"And you have the right to remain silent," she pulled out an orange object. "You see this carrot pen?"

At first, I thought it was a veggie snack to torture me, but it was the same pen she used on Hopp's family truck to check inventory.

"Yes," I scoffed.  "And what's so special about it?"

She clicked a button. "Anything you say can and will be used against you," she said, standing face-to-face. Here's how this is going to work: You're going to be honest, and you're going to tell me the truth—all of it. We're not leaving here until that happens. Understand?"

I sighed, knowing she may be a tough bunny but not nearly as tough as her confidence was getting her. "You know I can easily break out of these cuffs, right?"

She shook her head. "You're not going to."

"What makes you say that?" I challenged.

She smiled, pointing the carrot pen at me. "Because, if you do, you'll owe me a new pair of cuffs. Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're in the right."

"Okay," I sighed. "You win for now." 

She smiled in victory.  "Yep, that's what I thought.  Now take off your mask thing."

 "As you wish," I removed the helmet, plopping it on the ground.  My exposed face felt vulnerable, but it was necessary for trust. 

 "Good. Now, the truth." she began, looking me over suspiciously.  "Where do you come from?"

I took a deep breath.  "Okay... " I exhaled. "I'll confess." 

She patiently waited.

I closed my eyes, trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do. She deserved to know the truth out of all the beings on this planet, bunny or not.  It was time to tell her.

"I am not from your universe," I revealed.

Her eyes widened as she nearly lost her stance."What?"

"I come from another universe far from yours. Beyond this planet."

She shook her head in disbelief.  "I...I don't understand.  If you're not from here... then... does that mean you're technically... an alien?"

I sighed.  "That, or an extraterrestrial is the preferred term."

There was a long moment of silence. "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers..." She placed a paw over her chest. "I...I can't believe this..."

I slowly exhaled. "It's time you knew."

"There's no way..." she paced back and forth on the log. "I guess they were right this whole time..."

"They?" I questioned.

Shaking her thoughts, she turned toward me. "Hazel and Donovan," she clarified. "They were literally just joking about it last night. I didn't want to believe them... so I decided to investigate the matter myself. "

I glanced around the lonely forest meadow. "By bringing me out here."

Judy nodded, staring down at the ground. "If what they said about you turned out to be true, I wouldn't want the whole family to find out and freak out about it—not until I knew exactly what I was dealing with. Some of them were already freaking out."

"Right, I get it," I acknowledged. "To avoid causing a panic."

She seemed surprised at my remark but was willing to admit it. "Well, yes, actually. I am a cop, after all... and it's my duty to protect my family, even when I'm off duty. No offense."

"It's fine. You have every right to be cautious."

She kept breathing in and out.  "Okay, keep it together Judy, keep it together... I'm really talking to an alien... Oh, sweet cheese and crackers! I'm trying not to freak out right now... There's no way this is possible. This is completely..."

She kept pacing back and forth around the area while trying to contain her excitement. She had so much energy to do so, and it was a cute thing to watch. It was just us out here, so I felt okay trusting her because she had enough good in her. Sooner or later, this conversation would have to happen. 

"Alright, so you're an alien then. Well, an extraterrestrial, sorry," Judy corrected herself before contemplating further. " ...So it all makes sense then!" she proceeded. "You're not from Earth, Which explains why I couldn't find your species anywhere online! But... if you're not from Earth, then where are you from?"

"You might find this hard to believe, but I'm from Earth, just like you." 

"What?" she took a step back. "But I thought you said you weren't from Earth."

"No, no. I said I was from another world. I'm still from Earth."

"Wait, but...but how? We're on Earth right now?"

"Is that so?" I asked, surprised we share the same planet name. "Well, the Earth I come from is not your Earth. It's another Earth." 

Her ears dropped. "I-I don't understand..."

"It gets complicated." 

"Please. I want to know everything."

"Might take a while but I'll do my best," I said while stopping to gather my thoughts.  "Okay, the world I'm from is also called Earth, but, more precisely, we called it Earth-77."

"Earth-77?"

"Yes, you can think of it as the 77th Earth that my species has discovered. Or rather, the 77th Earth in order of existence. That's the one I'm from. Across this universe and other dimensions, there are other Earths with many other names. We gave them all names to keep track of them. There's Earth-01, Earth-02, and so on. Further up, there is Earth-616, Earth-89 and the list will keep going as long as there are other universes out there."

"How many universes are there?"

"Infinite. Even my small human mind cannot comprehend it. All I can say is that there are many universes and many Earths in existence. All are filled with life forms like you and me. Past, present, and future, they all coexist together. With the passage of time, these Earth worlds are born, they thrive, and then they are ultimately destroyed. They have much in common but usually, they have more things that are different. For example, in your universe, I don't think humans ever existed. In my universe though, both humans and animals live in the same world."

"They do? Your world has animals?" 

I nodded. "It did."

She paused for a brief moment, then looked upon me. "Did?" 

"Yes."

"But what happened? What were they like?"

"Appearance-wise, they were a lot like the animals found here. However, animals don't talk in my universe."

"They... don't?"

"No. They're unable. They lack cognition."

She blinked a couple of times.  "Wow, so you're saying that they never... evolved... like we did?"

"I suppose not. They don't wear clothes, they don't use tools, they don't use technology, and all they do is crawl on all fours and give you blank, emotionless stares."

Her ears slowly dropped. "But... That's so sad!"

"Not really. It was normal in my universe. Coming here to see animals with real emotions was honestly quite shocking to me."

"I'm sure for you it was. Even we were super shocked to see you. We never thought we'd have the privilege of meeting someone outside our world, let alone, Earth entirely!"

"Thanks.  And I felt privileged receiving aid from you."

"Hey, that's what we're here for." she smiled before she turned pensive.  "But if you're here, how did you get here in the first place?" 

"That... that's a long story."

"Well, it's only morning, I got you cuffed, and I like long stories so let's hear it."

Here comes the tricky part, I thought. We barely scratched the surface, and she wanted to know more. However, I had to warn her because this knowledge could change everything. Apart from that, I felt I shouldn't tell her, but my other gut said I ought to do it. My world was history anyway, so I might as well share it. History, not learned, is bound to repeat itself.

"Okay, Judy. I'll tell you." 

"Great!"

"But a few caveats." 

"Go ahead."

"What I'm about to share with you is dangerous knowledge." 

"Dangerous?"

"Very."

"Why is that?"

"Because it could change everything. Probably more than you can bear." "I'm an officer, I can handle it. It's my job to face danger."

"What's the most dangerous thing you've ever faced Judy?"

"Well, on the job, I've been attacked by nearly every animal bigger than me. Rhinos, bears, cougars, wolves, and panthers to name a few. But at the end of the day, I made it out intact, survived, and brought them all to justice."

Her answer was surprising, to be honest. A little bunny who could take on all those animals that were often ten times her size was quite impressive. That is pure guts right there. I did underestimate her. However, I'm afraid that her experiences wouldn't suffice for the knowledge she was about to hear, but she was probably more prepared than anyone else in this world despite being a bunny.

"My point exactly, Judy. Don't get me wrong, what you've been through is remarkable. Nevertheless, the danger I'm mentioning is the type that could end everything you know."

Her ears dropped. "What do you mean?"

"This knowledge has led to the destruction of many worlds." 

She began to feel tense.  "Are you talking about an alien invasion? Is that what this is all about? Are you an alien invader?"

"No, not at all." I assured. "I come here in peace. Promise. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me an alien. It's like me calling you cute. Even if it's true that doesn't mean the other wants to hear it."

"Haha, okay, fair enough. You've got a point. Now, can you please tell me how you got here?" 

"Sure, but one more thing."

"Of course."

"This is only between you and me. Do you understand? Unless I say otherwise, do not share this knowledge with anyone. No one. If they ask, just tell them that I came from a random melting glacier in Tundry Town."

"You mean Tundra Town?"

 "Ah, yes, that's the one."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Pinky promise."

She held up her tiny pinky, and I carefully went with it.

"Right. You sure you're ready to hear more?" I asked.

"Absolutely! You know I am. Have you seen the size of my ears? I was born ready ." " (sigh)... Alright, here we go."

"Let's hear it."

"You ever heard of time travel?"

"Yep! easy."

"What do you know about it?"

"Well, uh, not a whole lot but I understand that it's a tool we can use, in theory, to go back in time and change the past. Actually, there's a really good movie about it!"

"What movie?"

"Star Trunk!"

"You mean, Star Trek." 

"Nope! Star Trunk."

"Okay... "

"Mm-hmm, so in the movie, Captain Tusk and his crew board the Prairieprise to travel back in time to the past and try to stop the K'Lions from--"

"--Alright," I interrupted. "I get it." 

"So you've seen it?"

"Well, sorta."

"If you get a chance, finish the last episode."

"Maybe later. But anyway... whatever you think you know about time travel, throw it all out." 

"Why do you say that?'

"Because we did it differently."

 "Wait... you... you time travel?" 

"For a living, I did, yes."

Her eyes went wide.  "Whoa, tell me about it."

"It was one of my former jobs. Initially, I was just a super-soldier in the military and-"

"Wait," she interrupted.  "What's that?"

"It's just a combat unit I joined until I coalesced with one of their research teams. That's when I became a data scientist. I helped with numerous calculations and for many years we developed a machine that gave us the capability to travel across different time dimensions. We had access to the past, present, future, the what-if, the what could've been, then what would've been, the what should've been, and what will become."

Judy's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way!"

"I'm serious." 

"That. Is. Crazy."

"I agree. At the time, we all thought it was crazy but we did it."

"But... but that can't be true! There's no way. I mean, even if it were true, that means you're not only an extraterrestrial but you're also... from... the future?!"

"You said it."

"Sweet cheese and crackers! You're from the future AND you're an extraterrestrial species?" "Yes, I'm from the future but... I'm not from 'your' future."

"I don't understand."

"I'm from a different Earth, remember? I can't say for sure but my world was at least a thousand years ahead of yours. Not only that but we're an 'alternate' version of your planet. A world from another time, another universe, another reality, and another dimension."

"Can you please explain?"

"Sure, but only once... because my right hand is getting sore." 

"Just keep it simple."

"I'll try. We'll start with a simple example and build it from there. My favorite is the mirror analogy. When you see your reflection, what do you see?"

"I see me."

"But is it really you?"

"I guess not. Just my reflection."

"Maybe, but isn't your reflection saying the same thing about you on the other side of the mirror?" "Ooh, perhaps, haha."

"There you go. You could say that you're looking into an alternate universe. An opposite version of everything you know. Somewhere out there, there's someone asking and wondering if you even exist. That someone is you but it's not the same you. It's a different version of you."

"Hmm."

"Now, we have two universes in mind: a universe you're familiar with and a universe of your reflection. Let's consider more. Please bear with me because I was only an assistant at my former job so my knowledge isn't nearly as crisp as my colleagues. Also, I may not be the best at explaining so please stop me if something doesn't make sense."

"You're good Cherry! I'm with you."

"Great, so let's consider how other universes can exist besides the ones we've just described. We'll start with choices. Judy, what would you say was one of the greatest choices you made in your life?"

"Ooh, that's a hard one! But I'd definitely go with choosing to become a police officer."

"Alright, that seems like a good choice. Glad you made it. Good job. (I gave her a thumbs up with my left hand.) Now, let's imagine what your life would be like had you decided to 'not' become a police officer."

"Oh goodness!" she chuckled. "Then I would've forever remained as a carrot farmer, never would've visited Zootopia, and I never would've met my partner Nick."

" ...and I wouldn't be in these handcuffs." I joked. 

"Oh, har-har, you wish!"

"Right, so, in theory, there exists another universe by which you exist but that Judy decided to not become a cop. Imagine that." 

"That'd be terrible! I'm sure glad I don't live in that universe."

"Well, the other Judy is not so lucky, or maybe she's luckier. But consider this. Maybe in that other universe, your other version is not named Judy. Perhaps she looks and acts almost like you, but her name is Trudy. If not, then maybe her name is Ruthy. The list goes on. There are so many ways that other universes and other worlds can coexist. Do you think names and choices are the only things that are different? Physical characteristics, mental health, growth, physiological status, gender, and numerous other things are different between you and other Judys from other universes. They all coexist, and they're all parallel with each other. Some exist before others, some die off, and some are born much later. They're all out there. But it's not just you.

Judy, there are alternative versions of everyone. Everyone else has their own what-if, what could've been, and what might've been about them lurking about in other realities. Different choices, universes, times, and outcomes that all exist in a chaotic manner which affects--."

"Wait," Judy cut in. "You're losing me, Cherry... this is all so... confusing... "

"I understand and know I'm not the best at explaining this. However, I'm trying to help you understand where I come from and how

I got here."

"But why are you telling me this? It doesn't make sense and my poor little head hurts. What's this got to do with how you got here?"

"You're right. Even I'm getting myself confused. I've never really explained this to anyone before. I'll admit, I'm passionate about it for sure but it's not helping. I'm not good with the execution."

"It's just sooo much information. You're telling me that there are multiple versions of me out there in 'other' universes, but if I've never met them, then why does that matter?"

"Okay. Tell you what. I'm going to get straight to it. I'll tell you exactly. I tried to give some background knowledge in hopes that it'd eventually make sense but I've only made it more confounding."

"Ha, I agree with you. It's like you're trying to teach an entire academy semester in one sitting." 

"Allow me to fix this. It'll still be confusing no matter what but here we go."

"I'm listening," she said.  "I'm all ears."

"So, I come from the future. How did I get here? I used a time machine. Why did we have a time machine? We used it to travel to the future. Now, you might ask why we would travel to the future when I just said that I was already from the future? Well, when we gave it a try, we found another species just like us. They were humans, they had much in common but they were always ten years ahead of us. By that, I mean their technology was always 10 years more advanced than ours. In other words, if we had the first generation apple, err, carrot iPhone, then they would have the tenth generation. Thus, we went into the future so that we could always see what the latest technology would be like. In other words, we weren't patient enough to invent the previous iPhone versions. We decided that we might as well jump ahead and see what could be there. That's why we went into the future with our time machine. We wanted to gain quickly gain knowledge so that we could make our own iPhone 10 even though we had the iPhone 1. You with me so far?"

"I think so. So basically, you had the old phone, and you wanted the new one, but you didn't have the patience to wait ten years for it, so you jumped ahead to get the latest one before it was released?"

"Exactly. Wow. You said it better than me." 

Judy gave a sly smile. "Hmmm! I have a knack for that you know. But that's okay, we'll piece it together as a team. However, I do have a question. How can you be from the future if you're traveling to the future? Wouldn't you be in the present while the iPhone 10 owner is in the future?"

"Fair point Judy. Let's adjust the situation now. Before I do though, let me ask you. What's the most current Carrot iPhone version out there in this world?"

"The 14 I believe."

"Great! So now, let's suppose that my species has invented the 100th version."

"Cheese and crackers! That'd be about 100 years into the future. However, with how fast phones change, I wouldn't be surprised if we hit version 100 in less than 50 years. Maybe even in 40 years."

"Couldn't agree more Judy. One minute you have the latest phone and the next day it's already out of date.   ...Anyway, I'd better avoid tangents. Let me get back on track. So, my species has the 100th version. We can both agree that my species would be pretty far advanced and living in the future. Right?"

"Definitely!"

"But imagine if we knew someone who somehow had the 110th version. For us, they'd be a species from the future. Everyone else who has version 99 or below would look up to both of us and think that we were both from the future."

"True!"

"As you can see Judy, the term 'future' is relative. The species with the 110th version is the future of futures. They're above all futures. The species with the 100th version is still considered the future, especially when compared to a species with version 14. However, the 100th version species is not as futuristic compared to the 110th, even though both are futuristic. Good so far?"

"Yep, so the version 14 species look up to version 100 species as future while the version 100 species look up to version 110 as the future. Got it!"

"Excellent!"

"Sweet, keep going!"

"Here's the fun part. So we have the version 14 species, which is you guys. Sorry Judy, you guys are in the past. No offense." "Ha! None taken. I'm only 'slightly' hurt by it but I'll let it pass."

"And then we have the version 100 species, which is where I come from. My species. From the future. Finally, we have the 'other' species, the version 110 species, which is definitely 'not' us but you could say we're related. More or less. Anyhow, they're further into the future and we want to follow in their footsteps. We really want the new iPhone 110 but we don't want to wait. Therefore, what do you think we do next?"

"Easy! You use your time machine and travel to the future."

"Bingo! And that's what we do. We arrive at our destination and we ask our 110 species how they did it. They are friendly enough to share secrets with us and, voila! We unlocked the new iPhone 110. We're happy, we take this knowledge, travel back to the past from which we came, and share our knowledge with everyone."

"That's cool! Let me guess: Do you continue this same pattern with your fellow future friends?

 "Correct."

"Pretty neat! So, you have the iPhone 110 but the other species must already have the iPhone 120 by now, right? After all, they're always 10 years and 10 steps ahead of you."

"Yes, of course, at least until... well, yeah."

"So, saame thing? I think I get it now. It just keeps going." 

"We all think that at first Judy."

"Huh?"

"We all think that for a while until something happens." 

"Like what?"

"Well, we think that we can keep going. It would make sense that version 120 would eventually exist but something... something goes wrong."

Judy's ears drop slightly.

"So let's try this again Judy. We will do the same thing. Same scenario but, of course, with us having the new iPhone 110. As before, we have species 14 who had just upgraded to species 24. Finally, we have species 100, which is us, who had just recently upgraded to species 110. Thus, that's what we know so far."

"Don't forget!" Judy added. "You forgot to mention that there's species 110 who is now species 120."

"Not quite."

"What?"

"In this scenario, we don't know for sure. It's just a rumor. We think that they have the 120 version but we don't know." Judy looked as if she was disappointed but was still eager to hear more.

"Alright, here's the heart of it. We have species 24, the past. We have species 110, the future. We hear rumors that species 120, the near future, is out there somewhere but we don't know for sure. Of course, there's only one way to find out. We use the time machine and travel to the future. Why? So that we can find them."

"Makes sense."

"We send some volunteers from species 110 to the future so that they can meet species 120 and...   ...nothing happens. Species 120 doesn't exist."

"Wait," Judy gestured. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Simple. Species 120 doesn't exist. Never has."

"Oh,"

"But that's okay. Just because we couldn't find species 120 doesn't mean that species 119 doesn't exist. Same thing, we all load into our handy teleporter, try to find them, and... same thing. Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nada, zip. At this point, we're definitely worried All we're trying to do is travel to the future to see if there is a future. In other words, to see if there's a new iPhone version out there that we haven't come across yet. Thus, we do the same thing. 118, 117, 116, 115, 114, 113, and even 112. Nothing. All search attempts fail. Those iPhones don't exist. They never have. They never will. What's worse is that the time travelers that we send into the future don't come back either. They're gone. They're no more."

"But... what about... what about 111?"

"What about it?"

"What happens when a species reaches 111?" 

"They don't."

"Ever?"

"Never."

"But couldn't you just travel to the future like you've always done?" 

"Not anymore."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened. Whatever species was ahead of us, they vanished. They ceased to exist. There was nothing left. They expired. No, they didn't die off, but rather, they were deleted from existence. Gone forever."

"You're scaring me."

"I was scared too. We tried to bring them back but all we hit was an invisible brick wall. We tried to peak over but there was nothing but dark, null, and void emptiness. We spent months trying to sort things out but our efforts were futile. They couldn't come back."

Judy looked increasingly perturbed as time went on. She didn't seem to know what to say, what to do, or how to react to everything I was telling her.

"Thus," I continued. "The clock was ticking and we were next. We knew it would happen to us and it was only a matter of time. We became the most advanced civilization the galaxy's ever imagined, we evolved for so long, we've outlived every possible extinction event, but time travel into the future was no longer a viable option. Had we reattempted it, we would've shared the same fate as both the time travel volunteers and the 'supposed' 120 civilization ahead of us. We would've been destroyed."

"So that's where you came from. A future that no longer exists?"

"A universe that no longer exists. That's why we had to abandon it. There was nowhere else to run and nowhere else to hide. We could never get to 111 even if we wanted to. Back to our example, the iPhone company didn't go out of business. Instead, it stopped existing."

"But how could it no longer exist?"

"Nothing lasts forever Judy. When a universe is born, it starts out chaotic and messy. Over time, 'Something' keeps it ordered, at least for enough time so that life can thrive. During that time, you have Earth and all the celestial bodies that orbit the stars in an organized fashion. However, when the time comes, everything becomes less stable and will collapse on itself. If an explosion can start this universe, an implosion can certainly end it."

"And that's how you ended up here then. You escaped your universe."

"I abandoned my universe. Rather, 'we' abandoned it and barely made it out alive. We reversed the time travel machines and went backward in time. However, you can't technically go back in time in your own universe. You can only go to an alternative version of your universe that's not as old. Why? Because what's done is done. You can't reverse or undo events that occurred in your timeline because they already happened. Many think that they can but they're only fooling themselves because whatever they 'think' they reversed in their timeline was just something that they did in the 'other' timeline and not their own timeline. It just doesn't work that way. Therefore, we had to switch dimensions and that's how I ended up here."

Judy quietly sat there frozen with her mouth and eyes wide open in complete bewilderment. I've never seen her sit so still until she suddenly slapped a paw over her forehead.

"Okay, now my head really hurts!"

So did my hand, I thought to myself. It was tempting to break the tree root to set myself free, but I decided to be nice enough that I wouldn't break her stainless steel handcuffs. Also, I didn't want to ruin the moment, so I just sat there and kept quiet.

"All this time, you came from a different universe AND a different dimension and now you're telling me? I might need a moment to take it all in..."

Judy started to pace back and forth in deep thought.

"Go ahead, take it all in. I'll just sit here by this log you've handcuffed me to and mind my own business." 

She immediately turned around and pointed the carrot pen at me.

"The thing is," she smiled cheekily, "I'm pretty sure I'm the first bunny to arrest a super solder from the future."

"Don't get too proud.  And it's soldier, by the way."

And yet, she seemed proud. She continued pacing back and forth on the log and used her carrot pen to take down notes. This was the first time I'd ever shared this much knowledge with someone outside my dimension, and I didn't know what it could imply. It was most likely trouble unless I had something to say about it. Nevertheless, it felt more challenging to continue lying about my past as opposed to being honest about it.

"So... you made it here and you survived... but where's the rest of your species?"

A sudden wave of sadness hit me like a ton of bricks, unlike anything I'd felt in a while. The weight of it made me have a shortness of breath.

" ...They didn't make it."

Her ears slowly drooped, and she placed a paw on my left forearm. "Cherry... I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Me too."

"It's terrible. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now... all the pain... what you're going through... It must be really hard..." 

"I should've perished with them."

"No. Don't.  Don't you say that."

"Judy, it was supposed to be me. Not just them."

"But it wasn't! You're here. You made it."

"It should've been all of us." 

"Why do you say that?"

"Because... I... I don't deserve this. None of this. These last twenty-four hours have been the best of my life... and... I... I don't deserve it."

"What?"

"I feel guilty and it burdens me greatly. You and your family have been so wonderful to me Judy, they really have. You saved me from thirst, starvation, and kept me alive. Before I got here, I had no food nor water for many days and you brought it all to me. I was supposed to be a stranger to you. You were supposed to run away but instead, you took me in as a friend and you cared for me. If only there were more like you in my world."

"Why would we run away? And Cherry, don't forget that you helped us too!" 

"It was nothing compared to what you did."

"But it meant so much to us."

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't deserve it. My species, all of us, 'we' don't deserve any of this." 

"I wanna know why you think that."

"It's because my people were among the most wicked creatures to have ever existed. If you knew what we did and what we were capable of, you'd be running and hopping out of this forest. We were always at war Judy. Before the collapse, we were always on the brink of annihilating each other over planetary disagreements. We were smart, but we were stubborn. We were advanced and yet, so uncivilized. We had advanced weaponry for self-defense but always resorted to selfish attacks. We invented cures but spread more diseases. How did we survive for so long? We terminated the disabled, handicapped, and those with weak genomes from our society for what we called the greater good. We created artificial worlds but destroyed the naturally occurring ones. Our homes grew bigger but our communities dwindled in size. We all had more PhDs but fewer morals and common sense. We had countless experts and yet countless problems. We traveled all the way to other galaxies but never crossed the road to greet our neighbor. We've split the atom but not our prejudice. We were a dark society and we brought our planet to destruction long before it was finally destroyed for good. Hence, that's why we don't deserve it. It's why I don't deserve it. I'm one of them, Judy. While I'm proud of the technological feats we've accomplished in our timeline, I'm also quite ashamed to be associated with our species after remembering what we did to your species. We destroyed other worlds, invaded them, and took away many homes for our own personal gain. If my people were still around, they'd harvest this planet and destroy anything left. Don't you understand? Can't you see why we had to stop existing? It was time for us to go. Earth-77 had its chance, and we wasted it. That's why we all should've perished along with the universe. I survived, but I shouldn't have survived. I should be dead!"

After I had finished ranting, I silently checked my surroundings and realized that this had been the most I had spoken my entire life. Even Judy, in her surprised state, needed some time to take it all in and digest this new load of information.

"Cheribim... " she broke the silence in the forest. "I... I understand what you're saying... but I can't believe everything you're saying. Your species may have done a lot of evil... but you can't let that define who you really are. I've only known you for a short time but I know you're a good mammal. I've seen it and I've felt it. You care about others and we all noticed that. Collectively, as a whole, your species may not be as good as you had hoped for, but individually, I know there are good mammals among them like you."

"But Judy, I've stood helplessly along the sidelines and did nothing to stop it. I just watched it all unfold. At times, I felt like I tried my best to do something but it wasn't enough."

"We all have our limitations, we all make mistakes, which means - hey, glass half full! - we all have a lot in common. Sure, you've probably made 'plenty' of mistakes, and they're probably bigger than most but I can't judge because, well, I wasn't there. You can't just wish you were dead because that's the cowards way out. Why don't you try to end things on a good note? Hey, you're the last one, aren't you? You should end your civilization's legacy on a good note because it all starts with you."

"But what can I do? I'm too different. I'm not one of you, and I don't belong here." 

"Well, you're stuck here aren't you?" she asked, placing both paws on her hips. "Unless you brought a spare teleporter-thing with you?" 

I shook my head. "No. It was destroyed in the one-way trip."

"Then it looks like you're stuck here and that's okay." 

"How? I have no purpose being here." 

"Then find a purpose."

"What?"

"You can find a new purpose here. You have to."

"It's not that simple."

"It doesn't have to be," she said. "But you saying that will only make it less simple."

"I don't belong in this dimension, and humans have no place here."

"You might not have much of a choice at this point. You could work here, you know. Start a new life here. A new career! With your past experiences, imagine all the incredible things you could do."

"Or the trouble I could bring... It's not worth it... I have to find a way out of here." "But where are you going to go? You don't exactly have a home to go to anymore."

"I'll figure that part out later, but first, I have to get off this planet."

"Don't be crazy, you just got here." 

"I've been here long enough."

"Well, unless you've actually discovered a way out, which I assume you haven't, then you might be trapped here for quite some time. For now, you're stuck here so deal with it. Enjoy it while you can! We'll help you along the way. We promise... I promise."

I looked at Judy, felt touched by her kind words, and almost didn't know what to say. It was hard to believe how a creature like her could be so understanding and willing to help out an extraterrestrial being such as myself. If I set things right, I would need all the help I could get, even if it came from a talking bunny. Perhaps I could start a new life here, lift my past guilt by serving others in the present, and try to play a role in society that could benefit the future well-being of this world.

Nevertheless, I didn't belong here and felt obligated to leave even though I wasn't capable enough yet. I just won't fit in, I thought. This world would never be ready for someone like me. Hopefully, Judy can be the only one to know about it. She was right, though. I should take it easy and try to make the best of it while I still have the time.

After a few moments of pondering, I turned my head towards Judy, and she was resolutely awaiting my response.

"Well, Judy... I do need time. If you can help me buy it, then I'd be extremely grateful. I'm undecided and I don't know what to do but I will do something. I enjoy being here, really, I do. But I don't belong. This universe should be its own thing so I'll need your help to blend in as much as possible."

"You can count on us! I'm sure my brothers and sisters have already crafted a disguise for you." 

"Right, but, just don't tell them about where I come from."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I promise that I won't tell anyone else unless you give me permission." 

"I appreciate it."

"Of course!"

"And Judy, if there's ever anything I can do to help you and your family, I'll do it. I want to repay for all the things you've done for me."

"There's nothing to repay. We're here to help! To be honest, I find it pretty cool to help out an extraterrestrial because it's not every day on the job that I get to do so! Sometimes my partner Nick and I are always looking for something dangerous to do when the police job gets slow. So don't worry about it. Though, we might need help with things here and there so I'll definitely keep your offer in mind. If my brothers and sisters ever need help with their math homework, then I'll be sure to let you know because they definitely will!"

"Sure thing Judy. Anything to be of service. If it's another car, I'll do that do." "Oh, I'm sure you will."

Judy drops to her knees near my right hand and carefully unlocks the handcuffs. Looks like I didn't have to break them after all. I could now lift my right gauntlet hand and close my fist a few times to regain circulation. It was nice to be freed by a bunny, I guess.

"There!" she smiled slyly. "I suppose that you're free to go. For now."

"Some might call you crazy for doing that." I joked.

"Looks like it's a risk I'm going to take. ...And don't forget," she added. "...a big strong mammal like you was just set free by a bunny.  You're welcome."

"Oh well," I shrugged. "I guess that's 'twice' now that you've saved me. But then again, who's keeping track?" 

"You sure seem to!" she smiled slyly.

I rolled my eyes.  "Oh, please."

"But that's okay!" she joked. "In the City of Zootopia, you'd be surprised how often a bunny like me comes to the rescue. And my partner Nick? He's good and I love him to death but sometimes I have to come to him and save the day when he gets in trouble. I know he would do the same."

"I'm sure," I thought. You seem like a good officer, putting your life on the line for others."

"It's all part of the job and I'm actually grateful to be a part of it! It can be risky but the reward for helping others is definitely worth it." 

"It might be a risk helping me Judy. I know you'd help anyone with all your heart but I don't think someone of my kind was mentioned at the academy."

She let out a small laugh. "Definitely not, but we've all gotta adapt eventually, right?" 

"I suppose so."

"We got this," she reassured. "Just keep it simple, and it'll all work out. We'll do it as a team."

My legs were tired, so I stood and sat on the log. "Sounds good, Judy."

"Great! That's the spirit."

We both remained quiet for a few moments to take in the majestic sounds of nature around us. The forest was getting lighter, and we were approaching the afternoon. It felt like we'd been here all day, but it was the perfect place to be, especially if you had a friendly furry creature. Judy acted like a good friend, and I knew she was a good friend to everyone she encountered. She had my respect. We would've been much better off if my world had people like her who shared her heart, confidence, and enthusiasm. However, I'm glad this world and her family had her around.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to about my past. It means a lot, so thank you."

"Please, it's my day job." Judy smiled.  "And you're welcome."

While sitting on the log, I turned to face Judy, who was also standing and facing me. I decided to extend my hand to her, hoping we'd do a handshake as a goodwill gesture and close off the conversation for the day. 

However, instead of extending her paw, Judy ran past my extended arm, jumped towards my torso, and wrapped her arms around my neck. 

"Oof!" Didn't expect that. I guess she's a hugger.

While she was hugging me, my hand was still outstretched from what I thought was going to be a handshake, but that didn't happen. Instead, I hesitantly lowered my arm and gently returned the gesture. Honestly, I never hugged anyone in my life - it felt so foreign, so strange, yet so hopeful. Her burrowed head was so soft and sweet that it made me feel a little happier, at ease, and less stressed, and it gave me a slight boost that things would be alright. 

"And thank you for trusting me enough to share your story with me! I know you're a good mammal. You're definitely different, for sure, but that's a good thing. Everything's going to be alright."

It was a tender moment, and everything around the forested meadow area felt like it was brightening with hope. She's got a friend in me, and I consider her my friend. Yes, a bunny friend, but she knew more about being human than most humans ever did. I decided to end the hug, so we both sat on the log and enjoyed the beautiful morning ahead. That's all it was, just a human and a bunny happily sitting on a log bench and keeping each other company. I was wondering if we'd start running through the forest soon so that we'd complete the full morning exercise.

...but no, we just sat there and continued to admire the beauty of nature. The birds kept chirping, the bugs buzzed, and everything was so calm and peaceful.

Suddenly, though, something strange happened. At first, I didn't think much of it. It was probably just the wind...

However, it wasn't the wind. Something was going on...

Something... something was off.

Out of nowhere, my helmet started to beep again softly.

This time, though, it wasn't making the same sound. It was harsh, slower, and more eery than this morning. 

Judy and I looked at each other in utter shock.

It kept sounding and sounding off, sending immense chills down my spine. Even the air around the forest area felt like it just got colder. Never had I heard a terrible sound so terrible that I had to get rid of it. 

"What's going on?" she gasped. "What's happening?"

I bent over to pick up my helmet from the ground and noticed a red light flashing on the interior. The sound emanated from my HUD, so I quickly placed the helmet on my head, and the nanoparticles immediately formed an airtight seal around my neck.

I looked at the error message, and it read:

[*** THREAT DETECTED***]

"No..."

It couldn't be. Out of instinct, I did what I thought I never had to do. It was the only thing I could do.

I quickly stood up from my spot and scanned the whole area. Something is out there.

It was closing in on us.

I held my hands out in front of me and positioned them like a weapon. As I kept my hands steady, the nanoparticles began to form into the shape of a gun. Within three seconds, I was holding a high-energy semi-auto phaser beam rifle and was ready to open fire. I would not let this threat win. I had to take it out.

"What is THAT?" she exclaimed, completely frightened by the futuristic weapon that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

I walked further into the open, and the error message kept playing that fearful, dreaded tune, but I didn't care. Something was out there. Judy was filled with exceedingly great fear, but I had to concentrate.

I aimed down my sights and didn't see much until suddenly, there they were. I spotted them.

I couldn't see them well but saw dark figures approaching us. Three of them. They were all wearing black, and I could see their red-tinted visors. They must've been the dark, armored soldiers from my timeline. They found us, and they were quickly approaching us.

Time was running out. I had to take the shot. I'll give them a warning shot and see how they like that. If they reacted back in any way, I'd kill them.

"What are you doing!?"

"Judy! Stay down!" I commanded.

I pointed the rifle at the approaching targets, and without hesitation, I fired my weapon. It lit up the entire area like it was midday, and the sound was like a crack of thunder.

The targets dropped, and the adjacent tree was utterly vaporized. This wasn't over. The entire woods continued to echo until everything fell silent again. Judy was without words.  I'd never seen her so scared, but I didn't care. 

I kept my gun primed and ready to fire another follow-up shot, so I carefully moved to the area in which the targets were shot.

I took steps closer and tried to be as cautious as possible if they were waiting to strike. No matter, I'd be ready. They had no chance. I've got them.

I proceeded further in and prepared myself to face the threat. 

"Seraphim," I whispered.