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Bunnyx laughs and cheers, raising her hands to the sky as she rides on her T-Rex friend dashing up a bumpy hill. It’s the thrill of a lifetime, her favorite era to visit, and definitely the coolest part of being the holder of the Rabbit Miraculous.
Traveling through time, without a care in the world, but also all of the care, she’s in charge of maintaining the correct timeline. No matter what. That’s why the power of the Rabbit Miraculous is called Last Chance, because she’s the only one who can fix it. Fortunately, there’s only been one blunder she’s needed to reverse so far, but she had Minibug’s help for that.
When the ride gets extra bumpy, Bunnyx tries to balance herself with her hands, but she falls to the side. She raises her left arm and her heart begins to race. She can see right through it.
The Burrow. She needs to get to the Burrow.
With her solid hand, she rushes to craft a shaky blue circle with her index finger. She shoves it forward and shouts, “Burrow!” and then a large, glowing white portal appears.
The T-Rex immediately stops and turns his head, letting out a confused whimper.
“Sorry, friend. I’ll be back soon.” Bunnyx gives him a gentle pat, then she leaps into the portal with an air of competition. “I’m coming for you, Mothie!”
But… nobody is there.
Instead, one by one, several round portals leading to different moments in time glitch into static or darkness.
She runs to the nearest working portal and peeks inside. Paris still seems to be the same as before: the grass is green, the sky is blue, people are in the streets. Nothing seems off, except for one impossible detail: Emilie Agreste… is alive.
“Emilie Agreste?!” Bunnyx blurts. “But she’s supposed to be—she’s not supposed to be conscious!”
In the scene, Emilie and her husband Gabriel stand in front of Andre’s Sweethearts ice cream cart.
“The dashing Monsieur Agreste and the lovely Madame Agreste, for our most devoted couple, I only have the best!” Andre sings, waving his scoop. “Black licorice for him, so rich and so sweet, then passion fruit and stars, quite the true love’s treat!”
He delicately tops it with black, star-shaped sprinkles and a cherry, then he hands it to Gabriel. Emilie takes a bite from her spoon and hums with delight.
“How magical! We should save some for Adrien.”
Gabriel beams, gripping her hand. “Of course, my love.”
Bunnyx furrows her brows. “That’s not—”
Then, she spots what would have been the countless Ladybug and Cat Noir billboards, except they’re not. One billboard promotes Emilie starring in an unfamiliar film. Another promotes Audrey Bourgeois and Gabriel, the Queen and King of Fashion, hosting the upcoming Diamond Dance. Another is Chloe Bourgeois and Adrien, also wearing crowns, in a flirty pose with Chloe’s arm around Adrien’s neck promoting a perfume collaboration called “Royal Fragrance”.
Bunnyx cringes. “Chloe? With Adrien? That’s so,” she pauses, “weird.”
But she can’t think about that right now. She needs to keep searching for clues.
She finds where the Ladybug and Cat Noir statue normally would be, but that’s been replaced, too. A statue of Gabriel, Audrey, Adrien, and Chloe, all wearing crowns and royal outfits with happy expressions.
…Do Ladybug and Cat Noir not exist in this future?
“Minibug, Kitty Noir,” Bunnyx worries.
She bounces to another portal. There, a group of students at Collège Françoise Dupont—including her younger self—gathers in a circle in the middle of the school courtyard. In the center is Chloe with her arms wrapped around Adrien’s.
“Alright, everyone! It’s Adrikins’ first time at school, so give him some space, okay?” Chloe waves her hand, showing off her nails, and the students back up a step.
Holding up her phone to record, Alya asks, “For my blog: how does it feel being the Prince and Princess of Fashion?”
“I’m just happy if my parents are happy,” Adrien replies. He seems honest.
“And I’m just happy I can be next to my prince!” Chloe boops Adrien on the nose. “Ever since we were adorable little tots!”
Adrien shakes his head with a chuckle. He’s not denying it. Instead, he kisses the top of her hair in front of her sunglasses, and she giddily blushes. But instead of the entire class cringing or getting totally upset and jealous, they break out into awws.
“So cute!” Sabrina gushes.
“Adorable,” Max comments.
“How sweet,” Mylene adds.
“You’re so lucky!” Marinette smiles.
“What a fairytale romance!” Rose exclaims.
Satisfied with the praise, Chloe lifts her chin, smirks, and flips her hair. “It is, isn’t it?” She leans close to Adrien’s cheek, right before returning his gesture. “And he’s aaaaaaaall~ mine! Mwah!”
Everyone actually thinks Chloe and Adrien are cute together. Including Marinette. Even though Marinette is the last person who would be happy here!
Somehow Marinette is completely fine with Chloe. And somehow Chloe doesn’t seem to be a huge brat anymore, throwing insults and treating Sabrina like her personal servant. She may still be boastful and possessive of Adrien, but he’s undoubtedly enjoying it.
Still. It’s like Chloe is an entirely different person. But why?
…Maybe the answer is in the past?
Bunnyx swipes to a moment a few years earlier. A somewhat younger Chloe, about nine years old, slowly walks inside the mansion lobby holding her yellow comfort teddy bear, Mister Cuddly. Adrien and Emilie notice and become worried.
“Chloe!” Adrien runs to her. “What happened? …Is it your mom? Did she say something bad again?”
Chloe sniffs, wiping away a tear. Adrien furrows his brows, wrapping his arms around her. She sinks into his shoulder and clings to his shirt.
“It’ll be okay, Chlo,” he reassures her, tightening the hug.
Emilie joins in, her arms wrapping around both of them. After a moment, she frowns. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that, Chloe. I’ll have another word with her. This is unacceptable.”
Bunnyx watches the scene, absolutely stunned. Chloe showing any emotion other than happiness and contempt is so… strange. But surprisingly raw. If Adrien and Emilie were there for Chloe in such critical moments, it’s no wonder why she’d cling to Adrien. Her life would have been so different. Is this the effect Emilie would have had on her growing up? Is that why everyone likes her now?
Suddenly, Bunnyx’s foot loses its permanence, which causes her to tumble. She hops on her right foot to the next portal.
At the front of the mansion, at maybe 16 years old, Adrien runs up to both of his parents and gives them a big hug, a loving embrace.
“I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad.”
“We love you too, our little miracle.” Emilie ruffles his hair, and Gabriel smiles in agreement.
Bunnyx swallows hard, and her heart starts to twist.
Everyone… is so happy.
She swipes again. And again. And again. But the more she sees, the better this alternate future gets.
No akumas.
No Monarch.
Not even Hawk Moth.
It’s the perfect Paris Bunnyx had only dreamed of.
…But at what cost?
She looks at her left arm. Besides a faint outline, it’s entirely disappeared. Not good.
She dashes to another portal. This one shows a moment when young Chloe, young Felix, and Felix’s parents, Amelie and Colt, visit the Agrestes for a day.
“Wait, Colt Fathom?”
The sight of him makes her adrenaline rise. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here.
Interrupting her thoughts, Chloe holds onto Adrien’s arm and playfully sticks her tongue out at Felix. “You can’t fool me, fake Adrien!”
“But Chloe, I am Adrien!” Felix—or is he really Felix?—whines so innocently.
Chloe gasps, then she runs to him and grabs his arm, crying, “Oh, Adrikins! I’m so sorry for calling you fake!”
The identical cousins burst into laughter, and Chloe groans in frustration. The mothers give each other knowing looks, while the fathers roll their eyes.
It’s clear Colt’s demeanor has completely softened. He may still be a bit stiff because of the magic, but at least he’s not taking it all out on Felix. It feels surreal. But how on Earth did this happen?
Bunnyx swipes again. She needs to find the answer.
It’s the Agreste bedroom, surrounded by a quiet, intimate atmosphere. Gabriel kneels before Emilie on the bed, holding her hands and touching her twin ring with a half-lidded gaze and smile. “Emilie, my love, not a day goes by that I am grateful for that cure.”
“A cure?” Bunnyx repeats, tilting her head.
“Likewise,” Emilie smiles back. “If that future Nathalie hadn’t given it to us at that time, who knows what would have happened.” As a response, he leans in and gives her a deep, warm kiss.
And now everything makes sense.
Bunnyx quickly swipes and swipes and swipes back to the past to where everything must have diverged: the moment when a young Gabriel Agreste gives Emilie Agreste the broken Peacock Miraculous. Their picnic date. The night before her fate would be forever sealed.
Emilie giggles at something, then Gabriel holds out the Peacock Miraculous and a small flash drive in his hand.
“For you. Are you sure you’re ready?”
Bunnyx gasps. “A flash drive! So that’s what changed the timeline!”
“Yes.”
Gabriel places the items in Emilie’s hand. The two stand, then he lifts her into a bridal carry, bringing her up the backyard stairs into the mansion. When the door shuts, Bunnyx starts to enter, but she quickly stops herself.
…Is this really the best course of action?
Emilie, Colt, and Nathalie would still be in perfect health.
Gabriel wouldn’t become so obsessive over Emilie and succumb to supervillainy to make the wish to bring her back.
Adrien would be happy, and he’d have both of his parents.
Felix wouldn’t be hurt by Colt.
Chloe would be thriving, and not as a bully.
The class would be happy.
Paris would be happy.
Everything would be so much better.
Bunnyx’s left leg flickers again, yet she manages to remain steady. “But if I keep things the way they are… everything will eventually crumble.”
…It’s the toughest decision she’s ever had to make.
She closes her eyes and lets out a forced sigh, dreading what’s to come. She swipes her hand across the portal but only brings it to later that night. She pokes her head inside Gabriel and Emilie’s bedroom. The Peacock Miraculous sits on the bedside table with the flash drive right next to it. And next to that is a portrait of Gabriel and Emilie, one of the last times they were both genuinely happy, before they knew the consequences of their actions. Before Emilie became sick, and before Gabriel devoted his life to saving her at all costs.
Bunnyx glances at the sleeping couple with a deep twist in her chest. She inhales, instilling more self-confidence.
She needs to get this done. It’s her duty.
She gently dips her remaining hand in the room, grabs the flash drive, and hurries back into the portal.
Suddenly, her body resolidifies and all of the broken portals are restored. She looks into a present-day portal, and just as she expects, the Ladybug and Cat Noir themed billboards and statue have returned. The alternate future has been successfully reversed. The paradox is resolved.
…And only Alix Kubdel knows.