//------------------------------// // Snout my Favorite Dish (Zootopia — Movie Pt. 2) // Story: Sunset's Isekai // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// Sunset's Isekai Snout my Favorite Dish (Zootopia — Movie Pt. 2) By Wanderer D "Right this way, Miss Hopps." Sunset followed the odd pair of officers after the Maitre D', who sat them at a private table. Or as private as it could be, with several animals glancing their way and whispering among themselves. "Emile will be here soon to serve you," the Maitre D' said before heading back to the entrance. Sunset noticed that they were the only mixed table that she could see, although some tables were angled in ways that stopped her from doing so. "So, uh, I take it predators and herbivores don't eat together often?" Nick and Judy glanced at each other. "Not really, no." Nick responded. "It's a diet thing, you understand. Many herbivores would rather just not be exposed to a carnivore diet, and well, predators might feel uncomfortable eating certain things while herbivores are sitting right across from them." Sunset turned to look at Judy, who shrugged. "I got used to it. I won't eat it." "Huh. I guess it makes sense." Nick grinned and elbowed Judy. "Come on, carrots. You know you want a big, juicy BugBurger." Judy rolled her eyes. "Nope. Unless you win that bet, it's not happening." "What bet?" Sunset asked. "It's a secret," Nick said, shrugging apologetically, but his grin never diminishing. "Unfortunately if it's revealed, then it doesn't count." Curious, she was about to push further when the waiter, a rhino of all things, gently lowered a menu for her, then for the others. "The menus, madam," he said.  "Thank you," Sunset replied, smiling at the rhino, before opening it up. "I'll be right back with some water," he said to them, then stepped away, leaving them to study the menu in silence. "You can order anything you want, Miss Shimmer," Nick said, "Mayor Leonheart paying, after all." Sunset chuckled. "You'll have to tell me what the story between you guys is, but I'm not very hungry... " her eyes scanned the menu one last time, just as the waiter arrived and placed their water on the table…. and a wine glass in front of Sunset. "Courtesy of the gentleman on that table," the rhino said, motioning with his horn at an elderly tiger who nodded briefly at her, before returning to the conversation with his partner. "With his compliments on saving the children, madam." Sunset raised the glass with practiced confidence, swirling the ruby-red liquid gently and analyzing it against the light before sniffing delicately at the rim. Her nose, already trained with wines across the multiverse, revealed a cornucopia of aromas, as her canine senses revealed even much more than she had ever experienced before. The slight cherry was there, the earthiness, but she could now tell scents from before the wine was aged. "Hm, honey, and pollen... slight hints of vanilla and… an aroma of leaves after the rain. Aged in mixed barrels of oak from different regions, and…" she sipped it, closing her eyes and letting the flavor flood her senses. She grinned, and opened her eyes. "Please thank the gentleman for me, he has excellent taste, and a generous heart to have gifted me such an old vintage." The rhino smirked, and Sunset could have sworn some of the other customers nearby seemed to relax a little. "I will let the gentleman know, madam," he said, his tone more gentle and welcoming than earlier. Seeing her enjoying another taste of the wine, he turned to face Judy and Nick, his smirk disappearing, although he remained professional, if obviously more aloof. "May I take your order now, miss Hopps?" "Oh," Judy shook her head, "um, yes. I will have the caramelized carrot risotto please." The rhino nodded, writing it down. "Mr. Wilde?" Nick tapped his paws together, grinning. "I will have the salmon dinner please, and a glass of whatever she's drinking." He motioned to Sunset's glass. The waiter raised an eyebrow. "I see," he replied. Although his tone was almost neutral, there were hints of amusement and slight disapproval. "I shall be back with your glass." "I don't know, Nick," Judy whispered, "that sounded pretty expensive." "It's on the mayor's tab tonight," Nick whispered back. The waiter turned to face Sunset herself, who was now beginning to wonder just how much Nick was willing to push the Mayor before they got fired. "I will have the Caesar Salad, please." Judy looked up, eyes wide. "That's it?" "Yep, I'm not very hungry, and I'd like something light." "Why not add a salmon to that?" Judy insisted, just as Nick started giggling. Sunset glanced at the waiter and shook her head, to which he responded with a gentle nod before leaving. Judy sank down on her seat and sighed, ears drooping. "What's wrong, Judy?" "I… don't want to talk about it," she responded, elbowing Nick again as the latter hadn't stopped giggling and giving her smug looks. "Anyway, I'm surprised by your wine knowledge." "Yeah, and it wasn't just you, carrots," Nick added, looking over at Sunset. "Most of the tables around us reacted to your evaluation of the wine." "Oh, I wouldn't be surprised," a familiar voice said. Sunset blinked in surprise when the gentleman tiger from earlier approached with a familiar gazelle holding his arm. "Sunset has tried exotic wines worlds apart from the norm, wouldn't you agree, dear?" "Rarity?" Sunset almost stood up, but her partner motioned with her hoof for her to remain seated. "I must say, however, your choice of dressing is… appalling for the venue. I'm sure you learned better." "It was unexpected, Rarity," Sunset hissed. "It's not like I anticipated coming here for dinner." "As unexpected as it was," the tiger gentleman said, "I am very glad you visited our city, your highness. I've heard a great many things about you through the years. I am very honored to meet you." Sunset cringed. "What have you been telling people, Rarity?" Rarity grinned. "Nothing your mother wouldn't say." "Oh. It is on." Sunset growled. "You and I are having words after this trip is done," she hissed, before turning to face the tiger. "I'm very sorry sir, I did not intend to be rude. Thank you very much for the wine, it is delicious. And Rarity exaggerates my status." The tiger laughed. "On the contrary, in circles like ours you are already a legend." "Oh, I recognize you…" Judy said suddenly, staring at the tiger. "You're Mr. Clawbite, one of the partners of Clawhorn and Hoof." The tiger grinned, showing his fangs to full effect. "That is indeed me, Miss Hopps." He bowed. "It is indeed an honor to meet three heroes of our fair city in one night! Thank you both for your service," he said to Nick and Judy, then inclined his head to Sunset, "And thank you, your highness, for saving my granddaughter today." Sunset stared at him blankly for a moment, then it slowly dawned on her. "Molly! She's your granddaughter?" "Quite right," Clawbite replied. "I saw in the news that you had saved three children from the burning museum, but I didn't realize Molly had been one of them until my son called me to inform me she was fine… thanks to you." "She's adorable, smart, and brave," Sunset said, "I'm glad I was there to help out." "Well, dear, it seems your food is coming, don't let us keep interrupting," Rarity giggled. She was about to turn away when Sunset grabbed her arm, gently but firmly. "Rarity. Please stop that. You know how the princess and I feel about… that. And it's unfair to us both." Rarity sighed and reached over with her other hoof to pet Sunset's hair. "Fine dear. I didn't mean to upset you. We can talk about this after your vacation if you want, but I won't bring it up again." "Thank you." She let the antelope go, and watched them walk out of the restaurant together. "So… highness?" Nick asked. Sunset covered her face with her paws. "I'm gonna kill her." Judy watched Sunset eat the salad, chowing it down between grumbling about her friend talking too much. She was a real conundrum. Adventurer, well educated, knowledgeable about wine, apparently royalty, and a rebel. It sort of reminded her of a videogame character.  Nick had asked a few questions without being too pushy. Yes, she had grown up with royalty. No, she was not really a royal herself. Yes, she had a job. Yes, she travelled a lot. Yes, that fancy antelope was her friend. Yes, they had come together. So far, she was still a mystery. What was her connection—or her friend's connection—to one of the heads of the largest law firm in Zootopia? They almost never appeared in public with any animal that wasn't extremely wealthy, and Sunset herself (despite evidence to the contrary) didn't seem like the type that would mix in that world. And whether Sunset was being honest and she wasn't really royalty or not, she was clearly someone of some importance. Clawbite had said that he had heard of her before, and that she was some sort of legend… but what kind? "So," their guest spoke up, "what does Mr. Clawbite do?" Nick and Judy looked at each other. "Basically? He is co-owner of one of the largest, if not the largest law firm in all of Zootopia. They are involved with many, many cases, mostly related to prominent citizens, like Mayor Lionheart's case, or representing other large corporations." "Oh," Sunset sighed. "One of those." She rubbed her temple. "Rarity really gets with all sorts." Judy immediately grabbed the chance. "So, your friend Rarity…" "She's my business partner," Sunset clarified, sipping her wine and frowning when Nick grabbed his own and took a deep drink. "Nick, that's something to enjoy slowly." Caught in the act, Nick's eyes went wide before he quickly lowered the glass. "Sorry." "Anyway," Sunset said, "enough about me. Why don't you tell me the story behind Mayor Lionheart?" Judy chuckled. "Well, this is going to take a while." "I saw creme brulee on the menu, I'm not leaving quite yet." "Well, then we have to start at the beginning of all of this," Judy said. "You see, I always wanted to be a cop since I was a little girl back in Bunnyburrow..." Later on, the three were walking in the dimming light of Zootopia's downtown. The mayor had called earlier to inform them that the fire had been completely put out, and that he expected all three bright and early in the morning for a speech. "Three hundred."  "Yes, Nick, we heard you the first thirteen times," Judy muttered. "But Judy, I just charged the Mayor's account for a three hundred dollar glass of wine!" "And I'm sure he'll wish to speak to you about that later," Judy said, sharing a smirk with Sunset. "But it will be after he publicly speaks about your character, your dedication to duty and heroism," she quipped. "You know how he is." "Oh, you're enjoying this, aren't you Carrots?" "Oh-hoho. Yes, I am." "You and me, Carrots, we're having words later." "So, you and officer Hopps?" Sunset asked. "Are you a couple?" "What?" "No!" "It's against rules to fraternize!" "Her parents wouldn't approve!" "Wait, it's against the rules?" "But... my parents love you!" Sunset stopped and crossed her arms. "So that would be a yes." "Just get in the car." Judy tried not to get flustered by Sunset's evident amusement as they all got into the patrol car she and Nick had been assigned and started driving. It didn't take long before a call came in. "Hopps." Chief Bogo's voice came through the radio. "If you and Wilde are done with the Mayor's guest, please meet with the fire chief at the Museum. I'm appointing you to this case." Judy picked up the radio and clicked the transmitter. "Roger that sir. So it wasn't an accident?" "That's up to you and Chief Sprout." "Right sir. We're about to drop Sunset Shimmer at her place of residence. We will head over as soon as that's done." "Roger that." "Aaand there it is," Sunset said, pointing at a door with a weird yin-yang symbol on it. "Home, sweet home." Judy stopped in front of it and the trio stepped out of the car. "It was very nice to meet you, Sunset," Judy said, shaking paws with her.  "The pleasure was mine," she said, doing the same with Nick. "Good luck with your investigation tonight." "Thank you!" Judy watched Sunset push the door open and step inside. It was odd, seeing something like a bar in such a high-end district, and… was that place bigger on the inside? She narrowed her eyes, but the door closed before she could confirm what she had seen. "Earth to Judy? Carrots, you still with us?" She shook her head. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry Nick. I thought I saw something strange, that's all." Nick placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder. "Do you want to call it a night? I can meet with Chief Sprout and summarize things for you later." Judy rolled back her shoulders and stood straighter. "No, I'm fine, let's go." It took them about ten minutes to drive back to the Museum, where they were escorted to the Chief of the Zootopia fire department. Chief Sprout was a Hippo, and he did not mess around. As soon as Judy and Nick had reported in, he had walked them through the still steaming remains of the museum, down the stairs, and into a mostly destroyed storage area. Several artifacts had been destroyed, and those that had survived thanks to their containers, were either damaged beyond recognition or in dire need of fixing. It was a burnt-out mess, except for a small area where a perfectly clean spot remained, free of soot, marks of any kind. Instead, there was a clear circle of burnt marks around it, almost looking like… "An explosion?" she asked. Chief Sprout nodded. "But what was inside? This place only has ancient artifacts right? Nothing that would explode." "We don't know," the chief replied, walking over to a large piece of debris. "But it this is part of the box that contained it," he added turning it around. Judy stared at the symbol on the box and groaned. "Hey, that's the Clawhorn and Hoof logo," Nick said. He then frowned. "Oh… you don't think…" "We'll need to look into it," Judy said. She turned to look at the chief and nodded. "Thank you chief, I'm sure CSI will let us know what they found." The chief nodded back and let them walk away. "Judy?" "Hm?" "I know that look." "Yes. It's exactly the look you're thinking about," she replied, "We're heading over to talk to Sunset." End Part 2