//------------------------------// // The Family's New Friend // Story: Flutter-Topia // by MrAquino //------------------------------// As soon as they drove into Tundra Town, the cool temperature hit the trio. Fluttershy, still excited in seeing more of the city, watched outside as they drove by. As she expected, there are a lot of animals that are comfortable with cooler temperatures, though a couple of other animals walked around, wearing winter themed clothing. She watched as the animals outside strolled along, though others used icebergs on the still flowing lakes as free transport. It reminded her a lot of the pictures of Stalliongrad she looked at as a filly back in Cloudsdale. I wonder if we can ride those glaciers in the future. She thought. Looking outside, they entered the open gates to a mansion, surrounded by more polar bears, all wearing the same black suits. “Oh! Excuse me?” Fluttershy asked. “Um, I know this is late, but who's Mr. Big?” “... Uh… he's… a nice guy.” Nick spoke. “Once you get to know him, of course.” Judy added. “Or be friends with his family.” “Oh… what does he do?” Fluttershy asked. “You don't want to know.” Nick answered. Their door opened, blowing in the cold air. Both Judy and Nick shivered at the cold as they got out, though Fluttershy seemed unfazed. “Aren't you cold?” Judy asked. “Oh no,” Fluttershy replied. “The cold never bothered me anyway.” They entered the mansion. The place was much warmer inside, and the place was lit up with lowlights and candles. Despite the place looking old, complete with old paintings and photographs of shrews, it held up and didn’t look like it was going to break down anytime soon, despite snow and ice coming out and resting from the corners of the walls. The door closed behind them, with another bear behind them, canceling the blowing winds outside, and instead, Opera playing from another room. Another bear stood in front of a door and opened it for them, only letting out a huff. Nick and Judy entered, followed by Fluttershy, though she noticed the bears giving her skeptical glances. They entered a room, seeing the tallest, biggest, and probably oldest looking polar bear. Unlike most of the bears, who towered over them, this one towered over the bears, making the pegasus swallow nervously. “Um… Mr. Big?” She spoke “H-hello… I’m F-Fluttershy, and I-I just want to-” The gigantic bear let out a low growl as it flopped onto its chair, shaking the place, placed its two paws on the table, and unveiled a small, old looking shrew sitting on it’s own tiny chair. “...Um… who-?” “Mr. Big,” Judy spoke, approaching to the shrew. “I’m so honored to see your granddaughter and on her first birthday!” “Of course, Ms. Judy,” The shrew spoke in an old, high pitch, Italian accent. “My condolences to your associate fox here.” “Well, it’s nice to see you too, Big.” Nick said sarcastically. “And who's the one that mistaken Kolsov for me?” “Oh! I-I'm so sorry!” Fluttershy apologized with a nervous laugh. “They didn't tell me that you were… Um… different.” “... Hmph, you were a lot like my granddaughter’s godmother when she first meet me. She too thought Kolsov was me.” “Ehehe… it's um… very… um-” “I apologize for her, Mr. Big.” Judy apologized. “She’s a friend of mine, but is new to Zootopia.” “Hm… I can tell.” Mr. Big replied. “She’s appeared on the news for a bit for taming that wolf. Never had I heard some news that was everywhere to then be forgotten because the mass majority claim to be fake.” “... So… you think it's real?” Nick asked. “There are truths in myths, Nick, as well as myths in the truth. By the fact she's standing before me tells me that she's real and not fake. I can tell you're not from around here, Missy.” “Oh? You can, sir?” Fluttershy asked. “Of course, and I don't just mean from Zootopia, but you're not even from this world.” “I wouldn't jump the ball there, sir,” Nick spoke. “I mean, she's no alien or-” A glare from Mr. Big got him to shut his mouth. “As I was saying. It doesn't take a genius to know you're not from here, Ms…” “Fluttershy.” The Pegasus simply spoke. “Thank you. You look nothing like the equines here. Your muzzle is much smaller, eyes are much wider, and your mane and coat color aren't natural. If that's not enough, you waddle everywhere you go, and your wings stick out like a skunk butt rug.” Nick groaned. “I have no idea who you are, but if that video is correct, and you can tame feral animals, I just have this question for you: what are you?” “... Um… well… I'm-” “Daddy!” Another high pitch voice interrupted, though this one was female and had a Jersey accent. Quickly approaching to Mr. Big’s side was another shrew, though she wore a purple dress and a noticeable black, Beehive hair style. “Daddy! Where's-” she turned his head to Judy. “Judy! Judy-Judy-Judy!” “Fru-Fru!” Judy replied, leaning onto the desk. “Sheesh! Three months and you're already a mother!?” “I know, right? It's taken a lot outta me, but it's so great seeing you again!” “Same thing here. You wouldn't believe some of the cases Nick and I had to take!” “Ahem!” Nick coughed. “I'm standing right here, y’know.” “I thought you liked it when I talk about you.” “Not these topics in front of Mr. Big.” “Relax, Nicky,” Mr. Big spoke. “I've been finding different ways, legal ways, to make money for the family. I admit, times are changing too fast for me, and old ways are hard to rid of, but I try for my daughter and granddaughter.” “Because we're cops?” “No… I don't have much to live for anymore, and I want to have some peace.” “Oh dear!” Fluttershy spoke. “Um… how long do you have left?” “I don't know, but I'd rather live every day like it's my last and in peace, rather than violently.” “Oh… I guess that makes sense.” “But enough about me; I invited you, Judy, to your goddaughter’s first birthday. And, by the looks of it, you brought your two friends along for the party.” “Well, I really do want to meet the little Judy,” Judy spoke with a giggle. “But I'm hoping we can discuss about some things.” “Of course… right after the party.” “But-” “Ooh! Over here, Judy!” Fru-Fru interrupted, bouncing excitedly while holding onto Judy's paw. “You're gonna love Judy! She's got dreams like you!” Judy let out an annoyed sigh, but followed, letting the small shrew take her to another part of the mansion. Nick and Fluttershy followed, but, probably because of Fluttershy’s presence, Kolsov followed. They arrived to the yard, the same location where Fru-Fru’s wedding was held, but it was now turned into an outside daycare center. Most of the guests were business partners of Mr. Big and Fru-Fru’s other besties. Nick cringed, but Judy and Fluttershy d’awed at the sight of Judy Big walking around and acting like a princess with the other Shrew children. “I know, right!?” Fru-Fru exclaimed. “My Little Judy wants to be a princess when she grows up!” “Aww! That’s so sweet!” Judy replied. “And since you’re the first bunny cop, anything’s possible!” “You’re also forgetting about the first fox cop.” Nick added. “Right, right, also you.” “Um, one question.” Fluttershy spoke. “But how long does this party last?” “Up until midnight, sweetie.” “Oh dear… and what’s the time now?” “...12 P.M.” Kolsov spoke behind them in a deep, Russian accent. “... Oh hayseed.” “I don’t want to hurt your daughter’s feelings,” Judy spoke. “But we need to ask your father about something important.” “Oh don’t worry about it,” Fru-Fru spoke. “The only important thing here is little Judy meeting her godmother.” “That’s not what I-” Judy paused as light was reflected into her left eye. Looking through her right, she saw the light bouncing off of the side of a chimney on a nearby house. Hold on, Chimneys don’t have glass, which means… “Nick! Duck!” She tackled the fox down. “Carrots!? What the heck are you-?” Nick demanded, but paused as Kolsov began to growl, shaking himself. They paused and saw on Kolsov’s neck was a blue blotch. Judy looked back to the chimney on the house, now seeing a slender figure in a trench coat & fedora escaping. Though it was brief, she saw that it had a nighthowler sniper in it’s paws, and it’s tail was poofy, similar to that of a wolf. Judy got off of Nick and ran after the figure. “Stop right there!” She shouted. Nick got up and chased after her. Judy bounced off of a chair and over the fence, though Nick quickly used the foliage on the walls to climb over. The two got into a hot pursuit after the figure, in which it’s fedora flew right off, revealing wolf ears. “Hey, buddy!” Nick spoke. “One predator to another! Stop right there and I’ll save you the embarrassment of being arrested by-” Without looking back, the figure took the sniper part off of its gun and fired at the two as it continued running. Nick and Judy ran to the side, using the various parked cars as cover. They were lucky that no one was around at the moment, otherwise, more damage would’ve been done. The figure put it’s gun away and sprinted towards the marketplace, dropping the various stalls on the floor as distraction. Nick and Judy continued to chase after the figure, quickly apologizing, and watched as the figure entered and shut the doors to a large building. “We have him now!” Judy spoke with a smirk across her face. “I’m not quite sure about that, Carrots.” Judy opened the door to see another door down the hall was open, leading to an outside area. They traveled down the hall, with Judy ready for a fight “Be on your guard, Nick. For your sake and mine.” “And you may want to cover your eyes, Carrots.” “Cover them? What do you- OH MY GOSH!!!” Outside, there was animals all around, all of them were naked. They were in another naturalist club. No clothes were on anyone, not even underwear, and, by the looks of it, this place was a spa, thanks to the hot springs around. “Yeah… If it makes you feel better, I’ll go in alone.” “...As much as I’d like that, we’re a team… and I don’t want you to be on the headlines for another Nighthowler attack.” “Hm… touch`e. Time to suck it up, buttercup.” Judy took a deep breath and they both entered. None of the animals seemed fazed by them entering, and Judy, though wanting to keep a close eye on Nick, covered her eyes from the amount of nudity all around her. They followed the pawprints left in the snow left by their suspect, but stopped as the trench coat was on the floor near an exit. Nick picked up the coat and shook it. “What do you make of this?” “...Stylish.” “Nick.” “Kidding! But I am surprised; no fur left behind, and it seems our shooter took his or her equipment with them.” “None of this makes sense! Why would a wolf target other predators and kidnap prey?” “That does make the question… perhaps it’s not a wolf, but a poodle?” “Nick.” “What!? Trying to lighten up the mood.” “I know… hopefully, Mr. Big can answer some questions now.” A loud roar was heard. “... Oh poop.” “What do you-?” They both realized and shouted at the same time. “Fluttershy!” As soon as Judy and Nick chased after their suspect, Kolsov’s began to growl wildly and stumble on all fours. Fru-Fru picked up Judy and hid behind Fluttershy. “W-what’s happening?” Fluttershy asked, taking some steps back. “I don’t know!” Fru-Fru answered in fear. “Kolsov! Bad! Bad Polar Bear! Snap out of it!” Kolsov’s blue eyes went black as he began to snarl savagely. The other polar bears saw this and ran to Kolsov, cracking their knuckles, ready to fight. However, each of the other bears were thrown to the side easily by Kolsov, due to both his sheer size and newly added ferocity. The bears were thrown, destroying something before falling unconscious. All panic broke loose with every shrew running for their lives from the Nighthowler affected polar bear. Fru-Fru herself dropped Judy Big onto the floor, screaming her head off and running with the crowd of shrews. Fluttershy quickly reacted, using herself as bait as all the shrews ran back into the mansion. “Yoo-hoo! Over here!” She spoke in an exaggerated tone. “Look at me! I’m quite delicious, aren’t I?” The affected Kolsov fell for the bait… were it not followed by Judy Big crying loudly. Kolsov turned to the baby shrew, crying in the open in plain sight. He turned and began to charge at the baby shrew, drooling from the mouth, seeing not a child, but a quick snack for his belly. Baby Judy could only look up, seeing the maw of the massive polar bear, ready to shut it’s mouth onto her and eat her. She cried again, but was quickly scooped away by Fluttershy, who began to fly with her wings, just as the Polar bear snapped it’s mouth. Fluttershy quickly brought Judy to Fru-Fru and turned back to the changed Kolsov. The gigantic bear stood on his hind legs and delivered a loud roar that made the Shrews run deeper into the house. Without saying a word, Fluttershy quickly flew in between the polar bear’s legs. Kolsov looked down, only to be meet with the pegasus drop kicking into his back. Nick and Judy entered the mansion. “What happened!?” Judy asked. She paused as, outside, Fluttershy was grunting to herself as, on his back, she brought the back left leg of Kolsov near to his head. “...Hayseed?” Nick asked in pure confusion. Fluttershy flapped her wings and piledrived herself onto Kolsov’s back, making the bear roar in near pain. Everyone gasped as Fluttershy lifted the downed, gigantic polar bear easily, grabbed his head and neck with both hooves, and snapped it! The body dropped. Everyone was silent. “...Did… she just…” “Yep… do you have the cuffs?” Kolsov let out a content growl, making everyone jump back a bit, followed by a sigh of relief. Fluttershy got onto Kolsov’s back again and began to deliver a more contempt massage. “There, there,” she cooed. “Just relax and we’ll get you some fish. Sound nice?” Kolsov growled in contempt. “What's the meaning of this!?” Mr. Big demanded, walking to the yard. He looked around seeing the destroyed area and the unconscious guards around, each looking like they need some sort of medical attention. Before he could threaten Fluttershy, Fru-Fru interrupted. “Daddy! The pony saved our lives!” “This pony?” “Yeah! She saved little Judy's life! How courageous!” Mr. Big watched Fluttershy rub Kolsov’s head, then turned to the duo. “Is this true?” “Uh… well…” Judy began. “This is what we wanted to talk to you about… and…” “We followed someone who was responsible.” Nick interrupted. “And we do apologize, Mr. Big, for not helping, but Fluttershy here is great with animals that go through what your big guy went through.” “Hm… The evidence is there.” Mr. Big observed. “Did you get that scumbag?” “... They… got away, sir,” Judy answered. “But we have reason to believe that the shooter is working with someone you may have known.” “Are you threatening me?” “Nonono!” Nick spoke. “We mean that it may be someone you knew, but didn't work with for… reasons. Does that make sense?” “... Come with me in my office… all three of you. I have some people that owe me… a few favors. They'll handle this while we talk." Some ambulances arrived and took a calm and well fed Kolsov, along with any injured polar bear, to the hospital for treatment. No media, nor officers came, something Mr. Big didn't want to hassle with for various reasons. Nick, Judy, and Fluttershy told him about the attacks on the undercover predator officers and the disappearances of the prey officers, also undercover. Mr. Big actually seemed intrigued by Fluttershy’s stare ability on animals and how it makes them cooperate with her. Just the possibilities made him quickly think of ways for his old life, but it was shot down by her once a day rule. “And this brings us here,” Judy concluded. “Do you know anyone by the name of Louis?” “I'm going to need more information than that.” “He brought in the Nighthowler pellets to the public.” “Hm...Nighthowler. I've heard about that, all thanks to your actions.” “Of course. Otterton was going to warn you about the Midnicampum holicithias before-” “Wait a minute! What was that called?” “Midnicampum holicithias.” “... Yes… now I remember! Louis was someone who wanted to be my partner.” “Now we're getting somewhere!” Nick spoke, sitting up. “Where's this guy at? We can end this and-” “I've never met him.” “...What?” “I've never met, nor know anything about Louis at all. It was short, but one of his employees came to me with a laptop and offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. Hmph, told him wrong. Only thing I got was that Louis is from a different country. Not sure where, but, if you're lucky, he's in a nearby country.” “... Who came to your house on that day?” Judy asked. “A sheep named Doug. Don't know where he's at, but-” “He's also behind bars.” “I don't think so.” Nick spoke. “Nick, he is! Bellwether and her colleagues are-” “Starring in a TV show in the Meadows.” He showed Judy his cellphone, showing the sheep and ram working for Bellwether in a behind the scenes interview for a new show. “What the-!? How did-!?” “They were let out for good behavior, carrots. And I'm pretty sure that whatever the show’s subject matter is, they know how to get it right. I take it you're ready for another trip, eh, Hayseed?” “Oh my yes!” Fluttershy answered excitedly. “I-I want to explore here for a bit longer… but I can understand why we need to go.” They all stood back up from their chairs. “Thank you for the time, Mr. Big,” Judy spoke. “But we have to go.” “But of course,” he replied. “I just need one word with Fluttershy.” Judy nodded. Fluttershy approached to the shrew as the two exited. “You're filled with surprises, ma'am, and you've done a great service to my family.” Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, it was nothing, sir. I-I just wanted to make sure everyone was safe, especially the baby.” “And you pulled it off. Tell you what… when you're done with this, you can come and work for me. Kolsov was my right paw… and I say you easily take his spot. I always thought Kolsov was the best… but I'm glad you proved me wrong.” “Oh… why thank you. I-I'm going to have to think about it, though. But thank you for the offer!” “Anything for a new friend.” He waved his tiny paws, signaling her to come forward. Fluttershy obliged, and she was meet with two tiny kisses on both of her cheeks. She blushed. “Do me a favor, though.” “Oh! Anything, sir!” “When you find the shooter, bring him to me. I'll give him a clear message on what happens when you threaten my family and friends.” “Um...okay, sir.” she turned around and exited the mansion, seeing Flash’s red sports car outside with it's engines ready. Nick popped out of the window and waved to her. “Let's go, Hayseed! I doubt Bo-butt and the other offers are going to solve this if we don't.” “Oh Dear… not again.”