> Flutter-Topia > by MrAquino > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > A spell and an unlikely pair > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria “Okay, Angel,” Fluttershy, the timid butter-yellow pegasus spoke, holding the white & troublesome bunny “It’s time for our Pony-Pet-Playdate.” She turned to her side. Sitting on his typical seat was the mixed draconequus & Lord of Chaos himself, Discord. “Discord? Would you like to join us?” He lowered some newspaper that he was eating and swallowed. “As much as I would like to, Fluttershy,” he answered, standing up. “I sadly do not have a pet to join you. But, I will be here next week for our Tuesday Tea sessions.” “Oh… alright. I kinda figured you’d have a pet, actually. I was just curious.” “Of course, I can bring some creatures from my house, but that’d cause a near-apocalyptic end to Equestria… something I’m sure you wouldn't be a fan of.” “... At least you’re honest. I’ll see you in a week.” “Ta-ta, Fluttershy.” With a snap of his talon, & a flash of light, he disappeared. Angel proceeded to walk out of the door, but had to hold the struggling Angel in his place. “Oh, Angel, I know Winona chased you on our last date, but that’s no reason to be a sour apple.” The bunny blew a raspberry as they walked out. In the crystal castle, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, closely observed the same book she and Sunset Shimmer communicated through. When she wasn’t on her adventures, or even doing anything with her friends, the alicorn took various notes on the book. Spike walked in, still tired & having a mug of fresh coffee in his left claw. “Twilight?” He grumbled, trying to wake up. “Are you still around that book?” “...Morning, Spike,” Twilight replied, looking away with a magnifying glass. “Yes, I am. You wouldn’t believe the discoveries I found!” “Oh… let me guess?… It’s made of paper?” “Not just any paper! This type of paper is actually from a tree that isn’t normal in that of Equestria! Wherever this paper & tree came from, it’s bursting with magic, and it’s powerful!” “So… we have an alien book?” “Not exactly. My best guess is that this book must’ve came from somewhere similar, yet different, from our world. Maybe something like a pocket dimension… or an alternate universe… or even a-!” “Your 10 o'clock pet-play date?” “...10 o’clock pet-play date?” she looked to to the clock, seeing the time. It was 9:55. “...AHH!!! THE 10 O’CLOCK PET-PLAY DATE!!!” She hastily ran into the next room. “Owlicious? Owlicious!? Where are you!?” Some knocking was heard on the front. “GAH!!! Uh… Spike! Answer the door! Oh, where are you, Owlicious!?” Outside, Twilight’s friends stood near the door, each with their pet, ready for their monthly 10 o'Clock Pet-Play date. Fluttershy stood, holding the still struggling Angel Bunny, but next to her was Applejack holding the leash to her dog, Winona; Rarity with her snow white cat, Opalescence, who was in her cage; Rainbow Dash with a leash around her helicopter flying Tortoise, Tank; and finally, with it’s mouth over Pinkie Pie’s face, Gummy the toothless alligator. They stood there in silence, with the sound being the whirring of Tank’s propellers and the panting of Winona. “...Is she even awake yet?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Calm yourselves,” Rarity replied “She’s probably finding Owlicious as we speak.” “Or what if Owlicious is finding her!?” Pinkie exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous,” Applejack replied. “I doubt Owlicious can find her way ‘round the castle to find Twi.” “Oh, I hope everything's alright.” Fluttershy quipped. Angel still struggled. “Uh… what’s wrong with Angel?” “Oh, sorry, Applejack. Angel doesn’t want to go, and he’s being a ruffle pants about it.” The door opened and Spike appeared at the exit. He sipped his coffee, letting out a content huff. “...You better sit down and wait.” He spoke. “Twilight’s been busy with her research and-” Angel popped out of Fluttershy’s hooves and bounced past Spike and into the castle. Fluttershy gasped and made chase, pushing Spike out of the way. “Angel Bunny!” She yelled in her anger, yet still gentle voice. “You get back her, right now! You’re in big trouble, Mister!” Twilight came back into the study room with the book, now with Owlicious on her back. Turned out, Owlicious was sleeping in his room, and awoken by the sound of the knocking, letting out his ‘Hoo’s. However, Twilight jumped as Angel ran to her. “Angel!?” Twilight asked in total surprise. Owlicious flew away, landing on a higher bookshelf, watching the madness below as Angel ran around the confused Alicorn, followed by Fluttershy entering. “Angel!” Fluttershy pouted. The rabbit landed on Twilight’s head and mocked his master, blowing out another raspberry. “ANGEL!!!” Fluttershy flapped her wings and charged at the bunny and Alicorn. Angel jumped out of the way, leaving Fluttershy to crash into Twilight. “...Ow.” Twilight spoke. “Oh! I’m so sorry!” “It’s okay… Angel’s not cooperating again?” “Um… yes… you can say that.” “Figures. Alright, let me see what I can do.” Twilight got up and her horn glowed, ready to blast a spell that would capture the rabbit. Unfortunately, Angel kept bouncing around the room, hopping faster than Twilight could fire her magic. This got Twilight from annoyance to just anger as the bunny kept jumping around, making her hit the various books on the shelves. With an aim, she followed her target and fired another blast! Angel, however, saw the blast and turned around. The Blast of magic, however, hit the book she and Sunset used to communicate with each other. The book shook violently, glowed, opened itself, floated into the air, and flipped through it’s pages, opening a portal! Though Twilight and Fluttershy stopped, seeing the portal open, rather than being able to ask questions, the portal began to suck everything in & around it! Various papers, quills, & ink bottles began to enter the portal, and it only became stronger by the second. Both Twilight and Fluttershy turned around and tried to run away, but the sucking became stronger. The two flapped their wings as hard as they could, and, though it seemed as if they could escape, Fluttershy screamed loudly! “HEEELP!!!” The Shy pegasus screamed as she was being pulled in. “Fluttershy!!!” Twilight screamed back, turning to see her friend’s hindlegs and tail enter. She turned around, flapping her wings backward to both puller her friend out & avoid being sucked in herself. Their hooves touched and they both tried to get away, but the gravity was becoming unbearable. “T-Twilight! You have… to… let… go!!!” “No! I’m... not going to abandon... you... Fluttershy! Never!!!” “Please! Save… yourself!” “No! I’m… never… going… to-!” Fluttershy’s hooves slipped. She screamed as she disappeared into the portal. “Fluttershy!!!” Twilight flew into the portal, but the portal both disappeared and everything went back to normal. The book closed, fell to the floor, and everything went back to normal. Twilight stared into the blankness as Angel sniffed at the book and the rest of her friends and Spike entered. “What in Tarnation just happened!?” Applejack demanded. “Where the hay’s Fluttershy!?” Twilight only picked up the book in her magic. “She… she’s gone.” “Gone?” Everyone asked “What happened!?” Rainbow Dash asked “...It was only meant to capture Angel,” Twilight replied, holding back her tears. “I… zapped the book… and made a portal. It sucked Fluttershy in… I tried to help her… but… it closed… and… and…” Tears fell down her face. Rarity went to Twilight’s side, placing her hoof on the Alicorn’s shoulders. “Don’t cry, Twilight.” Rarity replied “You tried your best.” She turned to the others. “Girls! We have ourselves a missing mare! We should spread out and-” “We don’t know where she’s at! And if my theory is correct, then Fluttershy can be in one of infinite different worlds!!! Looking for her will be impossible!!! Oh, I blew it! I blew it really bad!” Spike came to her side. “It’s okay, Twilight.” Spike calmed her. “I mean, if what you say is true, is it possible that she may have landed in a world that’s nice? Something she may like and may help her out?” “I don’t think you should be that optimistic.” Rainbow Dash commented. Applejack slapped her on the back of the head. “Ow!!! What!? I’m only saying!” “Ooh! What if she lands in a world populated by anthropomorphic mammals that live in somewhat peace and harmony, but deal with different forms of prejudice and have gone through a conspiracy that was enacted by the city’s ex-mayor!?” Pinkie rambled. Everyone turned to her with complete confusion. “...What? I’m only suggesting. Plus, that’d make a great movie! Fun for the family!” “...I think you should write to Celestia about this, sugarcube.” Applejack suggested. “Ah mean, if there’s anypony that can help, it’s her.” “Oh… right.” Twilight replied, standing up, wiping a tear from her face. “Thanks girls… I’ll get to that.” She got up and flapped away. “...Okay girls, let’s keep Fluttershy’s house up & runnin’.” “Ugh! Do we have to!?” Rainbow Dash complained. “Unless she appears next to us immediately, Yes, we have to.” Zootopia Zootopia: An Urban Utopia that was founded and made by animals. Thousands of years ago, animal kind was divided into two major categories; the prey and the predators. Through evolution, and overtime, they overlooked their primitive ways, and now, predator and prey live in harmony, and every mammal now has multitudinous opportunities. Of course, there are still problems, and not just the limitations that varies between species, but how each species view each other, whether it’d be their species pasts or, more than likely, how they stereotype each other. But, luckily, many animals still get along with each other, especially a duo that had a rough species past with each other, but solved a case together. That was the top of the academy rabbit herself, Judy Hopps, and the Con-Artist turned Rookie Cop fox, Nick Wilde. The duo, though a fox & a rabbit, two species with a rough history together, started off on the wrong paw together, worked together to uncover a case involving fourteen missing predators. The result was the two connecting more than Judy blackmailing Nick, but a partnership, and uncovering a conspiracy. Turned out, the missing predators were taken to a secret lab, ordered by the mayor, as they were infected and turned feral, as a way to keep the public safe and find a cure. The predators were infected by some plant simply dubbed “Nighthowler,” which was turned into a serum from the Vice Mayor, a sheep named Bellwether. Turns out, she wanted to make sure the minority, the 10% of Zootopia that were the predators, to be all in check and have the office herself, as a way to give prey an unfair advantage to be successful while the predators suffer for their ancestry. This was stopped by the duo; with their evidence, Bellwether and her subordinates were sent to jail, a cure was found for the feral predators, and Nick Wilde became both a police officer and Judy's partner. Even though Bellwether and her subordinates have been behind bars for over three months, somehow, there are still cases of Nighthowler attacks on Zootopia’s predator population. Even when offered to be released earlier, she refuses to speak about it, and getting her to talk through other means has proven to be difficult. Reelected Mayor Lionheart has promised to the residents that the police will apprehend the suspects as soon as possible and everything will be normal. This leads us to Nick and Judy, listening to the news radio as they were on their daily patrol around the city, more specifically, Savannah Central, the heart of Zootopia, with Judy behind the wheel. “Another case of a Nighthowler case was reported in the last half hour. A local supermarket in Outback Island erupted into chaos as Eric Savage, a local employee and Dingo, attacked his best friend, Jonathan Howl. The police were able to lock up & take Eric away before anyone could be harmed, but damages to the store are very noticeable, and Jonathan forgives his friend. This is the third Nighthowler related incident in the last week, and local law enforcement & hospital supplies are steadily losing supplies. Some researchers believe that-" Nick reached over and turned off the radio. “I was listening to that, Nick.” Judy spoke. “I know,” Nick replied. “It’s my job to be pessimistic, not yours.” “I’m not being pessimistic, I’m just listening to the news.” “Don’t believe everything you hear, carrots. If you did, we wouldn’t be here.” “I know and I don’t. But… do you think about what happened those months ago? I mean, I know we did the right thing and got Bellwether behind bars, but do you think it even matters?” “...If it weren’t for that, then I’d still be a popsicle hustler and you’d be in your adorable meter maid outfit.” They both chuckled. “That’s definitely true. And how is your friend, anyways?” “Finnick? Oh, I haven’t talked that much with him lately. Afterall, he’s got a-” The radio turned on, but with static playing. “...What did you do?” “I didn’t do anything! Is something wrong with the car?” They both exited their vehicle, but gasped as, in an alleyway, they saw what was a portal straight from a science fiction movie. Multiple books, papers, and quills spilled out of it, followed by a strange looking silhouette of something being tossed out. Nick blinked at the sight and turned back to the car. “Nick!? What are you doing!?” “...I’m simply going back to the car, drive to the ZPD, and get us some SWAT gear.” “Okay, Nick, it doesn’t work like that. Now come on, we have to investigate this.” “Oh no! YOU want to investigate this. I, however, want to live. And did you see that!? I’ve seen enough horror films to know what’s going to happen next.” “Good, then you’ll be able to stop it.” Judy turned and entered the Alleyway. Nick groaned to himself, following her. “Why do I even bother?” The Alleyway, like most others, blocked out most of the sunlight entering, and was dirtier than the streets outside. However, as they saw, there were a lot of books, paper, and quills around, but they heard something crying. Nick quickly picked up a book and was readying himself to either whack whatever was crying. “Hello?” Judy asked “Is someone here?” The crying went into a gasp, followed by some shuffling & some boxes falling around a corner. “It’s okay! I’m from the ZPD.” “...ZPD?” A shy and quiet sounding voice asked. “Zootopia Police Department. I’m officer Judy Hopps with my partner, Officer Nick Wilde. Do you have a name?” “I’m… Fluttershy. “... We didn’t catch that.” “I’m… Fluttershy.” “One more time, please?” Whimpering could only be heard. Judy turned to Nick. He could only shrug, dropping the book. “Can you… show yourself?” Various clip clopping sounds were heard, giving the two the idea that this stranger was equine. Walking out of the corner was another mammal, but it was very different from any resident of Zootopia… or any monster/alien they would inspect. She was equine by her looks, but she stood on all fours, was covered by a butter-yellow coat, with a long pink mane & tail, really large blue eyes, three butterfly tattoos on both flanks, and, the thing that made her really stick out, was that she had wings and was naked. Before the two could tell her that she’s naked, it gasped. “A BUNNY!!!” It screamed in excitement. It’s wings fluttered rapidly and it quickly took Judy off the ground, flying and hovering at least three feet over Nick’s grasp. Judy gasped and struggled to get out of it’s grasp, but the equine in question held her tight, and snuggled the rabbit. “Aww~! This is just what I needed! A cute wittle bunny to snuggle with.” “Uh… excuse me?” Nick spoke from below “But… I think there’s been a misconception. See that’s-” “AHH!!! FOX!!!” It flew backwards. “Go away! I’m not gonna let you hurt this wittle bunny… in a… police… outfit?” Judy stuck her head out of the equine’s soft fur, gasping for air. “Oh dear! Who put you in this outfit!?” Judy shook herself and pouted. “Okay, miss! Three things! One: Only a bunny can call a bunny cute. Other species calling a bunny cute is just… weird. Two: That’s my partner, and yes, he is a fox, but he’s not trying to hurt me. And finally: PUT ME DOWN!!!” The Equine had a confused look on her face. “...Did… did you just talk?” “Yes, I did. Everyone here talks. Now, please, put me down… and wear something!” she covered her eyes. The equine looked at her body. “Oh, is something wrong?” “You’re naked, Hayseed.” Nick replied below. “Unless you’re in a naturalist club, then you better wear something, or else it’s jail time for you.” “Oh, I don’t want to go to jail. I just got here.” “Yes, and you may want to drop my partner there, miss. It’s becoming really awkward for her.” “Oh… right… sorry.” The flying equine lowered herself and gently dropped Judy to the floor. Judy sprinted behind Nick, shivering in fear. Nick turned and rustled her head. “There, there. It’s okay. Care for a pawpsicle?” “...Later.” Judy answered. “Just… focus on her.” “Ah, the one from the portal.” He approached to her. “Okay, I’m sure you already know our names right now. If you don’t, well, name’s Officer Nicholas P. Wilde, and the one you were about to fly off with is Carrots.” “It’s Judy!” “You know you love it when I call you that. So, your name, please?” He extended his right paw out. “Oh, I’m Fluttershy.” The equine replied, shaking her right hoof with his paw. “Wow! I can’t believe it! I’m talking with two talking animals! Are there more like you?” “Foxes and rabbits? Yes. Other mammals? Also a yes.” Fluttershy gasped in joy, seemingly going from her shy self to something a more rabid version of Clawhauser at a Gazelle concert. “Whoah! Easy there, Hayseed. Don’t want to be seriously hurt, or, hurt someone else, do ya?” “Oh! N-No, Mr. Wilde.” “Okay, just stay there. We still have rules to follow, starting with you and clothing.” “Oh, okay… Is there a boutique nearby? Or-?” “There are, but you need clothes, ASAP. I think I see something that’ll work for you.” Nick ran ahead and looked through some trash. But he continued to have his conversation with Fluttershy. “So… Fluttershy. That’s a weird name. Nickname from some friends?” “No, sir. It’s just the name that my parents gave me.” “Interesting… and you say you’re new here. Where are you from? You’re certainly not normal around here.” “I’m from Ponyville, sir.” Nick froze, started to chuckle, but laughed out loud, poking his head out of a dumpster. “PONYVILLE!?!?!? BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! OH GOSH!!! That’s even funnier than Bunnyburrow!!! Oh! And where’s that in!? Ponyland?” “Uh… no, sir… it’s in Equestria.” This got Nick to stop laughing and, instead, look unamused. “Pfft… I was hoping for something obvious.” He dumped back in. “And what type of horse are you?” “I’m not a horse, sir. I’m a pony.” “Same difference.” “Well, I’m a pegasus pony, sir.” “A pegasus!? What, is Equestria some sort of land filled to the brim with magical horses?” “Um… not really. There are ponies, yes, but there are also dragons, gryphons, and-” “Ah-tatata! I’m not in the mood for a Dungeons and Dragons game. Save your breath for later.” He hopped out of the dumpster, wiping himself off from the trash on him, and batted off a surprisingly clean yellow sundress. “Well, this is better than half of those clothes. Hooves up, please?” Fluttershy lifted her front legs up. Nick easily put on the sundress over Fluttershy’s head & front half of her body, leaving only her flanks, tail, and hind legs exposed. “Hm… ah-ha!” He turned around, then back, placing a large brimmed hat onto her head. “And Voilà! Now you look like a citizen of Zootopia… except for the wings.” Fluttershy looked at her clothed self. “It’s lovely. Oh, and sorry for this, but what’s Zootopia?” “That, dear miss, is this dear city. The city where any mammal can be what they want to be.” “Ooh! I want to explore it all!… Oh dear!” “What’s wrong?” “How am I going to ever get home!? My friends are going to miss me! Who’s going to take care of my animals!?!?!?” “You have animals?” Judy finally spoke. “...Uh… they’re not like you.” > Welcome to Zootopia > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nick and Judy stared at Fluttershy, both with an awkward look on their faces. “...Can you give us one minute.” Nick said, turning around with Judy. They both whispered to each other. “You heard that, right? She has animals in her house!” “I heard,” Judy replied “But you saw how she came here. And where she comes from, I think rules there are a bit different.” “Other than it being alright for her to walk around naked?” “Yes, Nick, other than that.” “Well what if it isn’t? What if they’re animals like us? What if, despite her otherwise innocent appearance, she may be… a slave driver?” “...Nick, I understand your concern, but that’s too out there, even for me.” “And need I remind you that I too thought that you’d never be a cop?” “...You did. Look, how about this; we go on our best behavior and ask Fluttershy about her home.” “And go through her fantasy land?” “She has wings, and the thought of a pegasus was thought of as a myth, right?” “...Hm… touché.” Judy turned to Fluttershy, who stayed where she stood, a bit nervous and confused. “Okay, Miss Fluttershy?” “Oh, yes?” Fluttershy replied “Is it alright if you can answer some questions for us?” “I don’t mind. But, can we walk around a bit? I don’t think this area is safe… and I’d like to explore… if you want, that is.” “We’re not gonna walk, miss,” Nick replied, turning and walking out of the alleyway. “We’re going driving.” “...Driving?” “Ah! This is the perfect first question.” Judy exclaimed, following Nick. “How technological is your land?” Fluttershy followed Judy. “Oh, well, I don’t think it’s as advanced as-” “Whoa-whoa-whoa!” Judy spoke, stopping Fluttershy. “What are you doing?” “...Walking? Is there something wrong?” “On all fours!?” “Oh… I-I’m sorry. But why are you walking on two legs?” “Everyone does that. Walking on your front paws, or, hooves, in your case, is gross.” “Gross?” “Simple health facts. We’re going to find a public restroom for you to wash your hooves with, as a way to help you not get sick and spread germs around.” “You may want to walk on two like us!” Nick spoke, entering the car. “Yeah, like what he said. You’re gonna have to start walking on twos, for health and fitting in with the crowd.” “Oh… okay.” Fluttershy replied. She pushed her forelegs up and attempted to stand on her hind legs. Balancing on her hind legs was easy, but walking around was another. Every step the pegasus took made her flail her forelegs around, and she made small whimpering noises, as this was both new to her and very hard. Nick snickered to himself, seeing Fluttershy walking around like a baby, though Judy covered her face in embarrassment. Not wanting to give up quickly, Fluttershy waddled to the car, making very small but rapid steps. Judy entered the driver’s seat and started the car. Nick opened the door for Fluttershy, scooting himself to the middle, and the pegasus took the open seat, sitting next to the fox. “That… was funny.” Nick commented. “Oh, I’m sorry. I-I’ve never walked on my hind legs before. I’m sorry for that.” “Ah, don’t be. That made my day.” “Not mine.” Judy groaned, stepping on the gas. Fluttershy gasped as the vehicle moved forward. “Oh my!” she exclaimed “I-it’s moving!” “That’s what a car does.” Nick replied. “So… Fluttershy,” Judy began, calming herself. “You say you’re from Equestria?” “Oh, yes.” Fluttershy replied “And what are some of the things in Equestria?” “A lot of things, ma’am. There’s a lot of ponies like me around, but also unicorns, earth ponies, and some Alicorns.” “Unicorns?” Nick asked, rolling his eyes. “Please, this sounds like a little girl’s dream.” “It sounds weird, but we all live in harmony, all thanks to Princess Celestia, who rules all of Equestria and makes the sun rise & set everyday, along with her sister, Princess Luna, though she controls the moon.” “Ugh… princesses? Controlling the sun and the moon? I bet if I had a daughter, she’d say half the things you said.” “Nick.” Judy glared at him. “But,” Fluttershy continued “We also have other creatures that live with us, though they’re not as… well… welcoming.” “I bet.” Nick commented. “Alright, let’s cut to the chase; What type of animals do you have?” “At my house? Well… let’s see, I have turtles, tortoises, falcons, butterflies, bees, flamingos, eagles, fish…” Fluttershy continued her list of animals, all of which, weren’t mammals. Judy smirked. “Ha! See? Nothing wrong.” “Right,” Nick replied, turning to Fluttershy. “Do you have any mammals, per say?” “Oh! I completely forgot about that!” Fluttershy exclaimed “Let’s see… I have bunnies, a widdle puddy tat, otters and seals with massive appeals, and lions and tigers and bears, oh my! A-” She paused as Nick had a sly smirk across his face and Judy looking surprised. He turned to Judy. “Nothing wrong, eh?” “...I hate you.” Judy mumbled. “You know you love me.” “Oh, nononono!” Fluttershy exclaimed “Th-they’re not like you, at all! They can’t talk!” Nick turned to her, pulling out a notepad and a carrot looking pen. “So you have mute animals in your location?” “No! They’re not mute! They-!” “Ah, so you do have animals that can speak?” “No! They can’t speak… I mean, they can’t-!” “It’s one way or the other, Hayseed. Can they talk or can’t?” “They can’t talk like you, okay!?” “...So you have foreign animals? They don’t know how to speak english?” Fluttershy groaned to herself. “No, sir… they can’t talk english,they don’t know any other language, and aren’t mute.” “Then what are they?” “They’re-” SCREECH! The car came to a stop as a wolf, wearing a light green and dark green striped shirt and blue jeans jumped and crashed through the window of a store, snarling wildly. “Nighthowler!” Nick and Judy exclaimed in unison, seeing the blue blotch on the right side of it’s neck fur. The wolf turned to them; it’s eyes targeted them, followed by it charging at the car, still snarling with drool coming out of it’s mouth. Judy, quickly reacting, set the car in reverse and drove backwards. “Go faster, carrots!” Nick yelled, looking behind and checking in case other cars were behind them. “You think I’m not trying!?” Judy replied. The wolf, on all fours, ran to the car faster than they could drive away. “I-I can help.” Fluttershy spoke, surprisingly calm. “Yeah, when we need live bait, we’ll give you a call.” Nick replied sarcastically. Fluttershy gave him an annoyed glare. “Alright, Mr. Wilde. You want to know what I do back home? I’ll show you.” She opened the car door. “What is she doing!?” Judy asked in shock. Fluttershy jumped right out of the door, flapping her wings, and landed onto the floor on all fours. The police vehicle stopped and both Nick and Judy looked in shock. “Hayseed!” Nick exclaimed. Judy used her ears to cover her face. “I can’t look.” The wolf stopped inches away from Fluttershy, still snarling with a crazed look in it’s eyes. Many of the citizens gasped in shock, some too afraid to look away, others hid with their kids, and others recorded the action with their smartphones. Fluttershy slowly lifted her right hoof to the wolf’s left ear. It snarled at her, but froze as she made contact with it. All of the ferocity of the wolf went away as it rolled to the floor, panting. “That’s a good boy.” Fluttershy replied, petting it. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” “Whoof! Whoof!” The wolf barked, followed by it licking her face. She giggled and gave it a belly rub. “Yes you is! Yes you is!” Nick and Judy looked at the action, both of their mouths dropping wide. Fluttershy had just tamed a predator that was hit with a Nighthowler pellet, went feral, and all in less than a minute. “... Am I dead?” Nick asked “No… you aren’t.” Judy answered. “...Then am I dreaming?” “... Maybe.” 1 Hour later. The police and hospital staff arrived, checking to see if anyone was seriously hurt and see where the affected wolf was at. To say they were surprised was an understatement, as they saw the wolf lying down, only panting, and Fluttershy giving it plenty of love and affection, as if it were some sort of pet. While the hospital staff were extremely careful around the wolf, though Fluttershy made sure the wolf was able to get in & out without much of a hassle, even if they did make the wolf wear a muzzle to prevent any biting. Chief Bogo, a wildebeest that’s also the head chief of the ZPD, approached Fluttershy. “Well, well, well… lookie what we have here.” He spoke with his usual stern look, towering over the shy pegasus. “Oh… uh, hello.” Fluttershy replied, standing up to her hind legs, barely reaching to his belt area “Um… who are you?” “Chief Bogo, head of the ZPD. I’m here to talk to you.” “Oh dear… am I in trouble? I-I’m sorry if I did something wrong. I’m new here and-” “Relax, you’re not in trouble. In fact, if I were the mayor, I’d actually reward you greatly.” “Oh… well, thank you.” “I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and you are going to-” “Chief Bogo!” Judy interrupted, rushing to them with Nick “What is it, Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde?” “You don’t have to ask her any questions, good sir,” Nick answered. “We pretty much did that already.” “Oh? You did. Tell me, how did she tame that wolf so easily?” “I can answer that, sir.” Fluttershy replied. Bogo turned to her. “Oh please, do tell.” “Well, I’m just good with animals, that’s all.” “... Anything else?” “That’s it, sir.” “...So you mean to tell me that the reason you’re the reason you’re able to stop a hungry and vicious wolf from eating you is because you’re good with animals?” “Um… well.. It’s-” “Well then! Let’s take her advice! Next time we’re going to mauled by a jaguar, we should be nice with them!” “Chief,” Judy spoke “I don’t think she means it like that.” “Oh? And what else would she mean?” “She told us that she’s from a different land, and she’s actually good with wild animals.” “Wild animals, Hopps?” “She means as in something very similar to our ancestors and, in this case, those afflicted by Nighthowler.” Nick added. Bogo turned to Fluttershy. “Is that what you meant?” “Oh, yes, sir!” Fluttershy replied. “I-I’m really good with wild animals.” “Hm… very interesting. Alright, miss…” “Fluttershy, sir.” “...Fluttershy? Your real name, please.” “That’s her real name, sir.” Judy spoke “She’s… new here.” “Ah. Visiting Zootopia, or trying to make a living?” Fluttershy blinked, unsure on what to say. “Um… I-It’s really hard to say, Sir.” Fluttershy replied. “I-I would like to visit more of Zootopia, actually, but I would also like to go home.” “And where are you from, miss?” “Um, I-” “Please, chief,” Nick spoke, walking next to Fluttershy. “Let’s not be so demanding so soon. Fluttershy is with us, and she saved both a lot of lives, and stopped collateral damage. Are you really going to question someone who did the right thing without being ordered to do so?” “... I hate your wise talk, Officer Wilde… but I suppose you do have a point.” He turned and walked away. “And if she’s going to live here, she may need to hide those wings to avoid attention.” The trio had a surprised look on their faces. “I can see them, Fluttershy, and you’re going to have to learn fast if you want to survive. Feral’s aren’t the only danger around here.” “Hm… he’s got a point there.” “There are other dangers!?” Fluttershy asked “Oh yeah. This is a city, afterall, and it’s more than the twelve different ecosystems around here.” “Twelve ecosystems?” “For some of the other different species that have different needs, hayseed.” Nick began to stroll away. Fluttershy followed, though, she still waddled, along with Judy. “Why do you keep calling me ‘Hayseed’?” “You’re a horse, aren’t ya?” “Pony.” “Whatever. But you do eat hay?” “Well, yes, I do, but also-” “So Hayseed works for you, just like Carrots here.” “But… why?” “It’s his thing, Fluttershy.” Judy answered. “Don’t let it get to you that much. And where are you going, Nick?” “Eh, I don’t feel like being in a car after all of that,” Nick replied. “Plus, it’s a good exercise for Hayseed to fit in with us, and, as a bonus, I think she’ll like walking through town.” “What do you-?” Fluttershy was about to ask, but gasped, seeing that, across the corner of a building, was the grand city of Zootopia itself. Though they were far, Fluttershy could tell that the buildings were huge, and, as far as her eyes could see, animals roamed everywhere, all walking upright, in clothing, and each going to their own destination, whether alone or in groups. Nick leaned in to Fluttershy. “I can recognize that look anywhere, and might I say, you’re probably gonna explode with excitement in three… two… one.” “LET’S GO!!!” Fluttershy squeed, flying ahead. Nick chuckled as he ran after her, followed by Judy. “Did you really have to do that!?” Judy asked “Hey, you were probably like this when you first came here.” “... Touché.” Fluttershy breathed heavily and in excitement as she stood in the middle of the park, which, in itself, was the exact center of Zootopia. All around her, she saw mammals of all different species, size, habitats, and age, seemingly living together in harmony. “Oh my!” Fluttershy spoke to herself. “I don’t know what to do! Where do I start? Where do I end? Why am I talking to myself!?” “You know,” Nick spoke. “We may know a thing or two.” “Oh, you do?” “Of course. Until something major happens around us, the day is ours.” “Oh goody! I wanna try it!” “...Try what, exactly?” Judy asked, tilting her head “Absolutely everything.” “Well then,” Nick spoke with a stretch “Follow me.” Nick and Judy ran ahead, followed by the waddling Fluttershy. The duo ran back to Fluttershy, each holding onto one of her hooves, and ran ahead, making Fluttershy run faster, even if her footing wasn’t the best. Along with some foals for a school field trip, the trio walked around the museum, seeing the exotic tools used before and during the birth of civilization. Fluttershy, with a pen in her mouth and notepad in her hooves, wrote down many of the interesting facts, such as how, though prey and predator fought every single day, the only peaceful thing they did together was drink from the waterhole, in which Zootopia is built on. It was also a bit interesting, if not, dark, that one of the first ideas thrown to keep Zootopia safe, was for the predator population to wear shock collars. This was, luckily, shelved, as it’s thought of as one of the most ‘species-ist’ things anyone could think of. “Oh, if only Twilight were here.” Fluttershy spoke to herself “Twilight?” Judy asked “One of my friends.” Under the hot sun, the three enjoyed having a pawpsicle, something Fluttershy found funny, adorable, and a very tasty treat, especially with the fact that it was cherry flavor, one of her favorite flavors. “I have a good feeling that Pinkie would enjoy these.” “Pinkie?” Nick asked, munching on his pawpsicle. “She’s another one of my friends.” “Hm… she into music?” “Oh, yes! She is! I think she’s into Pop, from what I can tell.” “Well,” Judy spoke. “You should know that Gazelle is in town, doing a free concert WITH autographs!” “Ooh! I don’t know who she is, but that sounds like fun!” The free concert in question was held by the biggest popstar artist herself, Gazelle. She was a gazelle, as Fluttershy expected, but not only was she tall, slender, and beautiful, but she was also very kind, especially when they received both a picture of her with her autograph on it. “Wow!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “She reminds me a lot of Rara!” “Pfft! Rara!?” Nick asked, bursting into laughter. “Well, her stage name is Countess Coloratura, but one of my friends, who happens to be her filly friend, gave her the shorter and cute nickname, Rara.” “And who made that name?” Judy asked. “Applejack.” They paused as they heard a familiar voice, only fanboying. They turned around, seeing Chief Bogo, out of uniform and in a white t-shirt that had a pink heart and face of Gazelle in it. He pranced around like a child, holding an autograph from Gazelle, but he stopped as they saw him. There was an awkward stare off by the two sides. Bogo noticeably blushed as he stood upright, regaining his usual posture. “Uh… don’t tell anyone at work.” He spoke trying to keep his stern tone, but had the hint of embarrassment. “Oh, we won’t, Chief.” Nick replied with his smirk. The three continued on their way through town, strolling through the fashion district. Though the dresses were either too large or too small for Fluttershy, each of them ood with beauty. “Oh, Rarity! If only she were here!” “Another friend of yours?” Judy asked. Fluttershy nodded. “M-hm! She’d be inspired by these designs. In fact, the architecture could be an inspiration!” “She sure sounds like… a rarity.” Nick joked. The day came to an end as they all stood on top of the giraffe tower, the tallest tower in Zootopia. They watched as the sun began to slowly set in the horizon, bringing both the day to a close, but the night it’s begining. The three didn’t mind leaning on the rails, though for Fluttershy, she could fly if she fell off. “It’s so… beautiful.” Fluttershy spoke. “Yeah, it is.” Judy spoke. “Won’t lie, it’s like I’m looking at a painting.” Nick added. “Oh… Rainbow Dash would love to see this.” Fluttershy said with a small smile. “I bet she would.” “But there’s so much I’d like to explore. I only uncovered the surface of this great city.” “Well, there is tomorrow.” Judy spoke. “Come on, we better get back to the station.” “Right behind ya.” Nick added, following her. “You coming, hayseed? Or are you going to meet us below?” “... I’ll meet you below.” Fluttershy answered, flapping her wings and going over the edge, right before anyone could see her. (End song) The trio drove to the ZPD, which was a large, dome like building with door large enough for some elephants to enter, something Fluttershy saw as Judy drove & parked their vehicle. “This shouldn’t take too long, Hayseed,” Nick spoke to her. “We just gotta write some boring stuff down for the files.” “Oh, okay.” Fluttershy spoke, exiting the vehicle. “Should I wait here? Or inside?” “Inside, preferably.” “And try to not do anything crazy.” Judy added, closing the door behind her. They all walked into the building. The first thing Fluttershy noticed was how dark and vast the entrance was, but she could tell that, in a normal day, more officers would be around, along with some civilians, and arrested criminals, something she shuddered at the thought of. The next she saw was, under the main only lit area, was a greeting table, and behind the table, munching on a chocolate glazed donut, was a really large cheetah in a police outfit. She quickly saw the nameplate on the table; Clawhauser. “Hey, Benny!” Nick spoke. “Anything excited happened around here?” “Oh, the usual.” The cheetah replied, but turned his attention to Fluttershy. “Ooh? And who’s this little cutie?” Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, I’m… Fluttershy.” He squealed at her name. “Ooh! She’s so adorable!” “Looks like we found the next odd friendship.” Nick commented walking away. “Fluttershy, meet Benjamin Clawhauser,” Judy spoke. “Clawhauser, Fluttershy.” She followed Nick. “Fluttershy?” Clawhauser asked. “Oh! I think I’m going to have a heart attack!” “Oh, I’m sorry, sir.” Fluttershy replied. “Though, it is nice to meet someone new.” “I’ll agree to that. It’s so nice meeting someone that isn’t in cuffs or muzzled, especially one who’s as nice as you!” “Oh, well you’re nice yourself, mister.” “You really think so?” “I know so!” He squealed again, making her smile. She flapped her wings and began to pat his head. Clawhauser, upon instinct, purred. “There, there… who’s my widdle puddy tat?” “I’m a widdle puddy tat.” Eventually, Nick and Judy came out, but stared, seeing Fluttershy petting a snoring Clawhauser like a pet. Fluttershy turned to the two, placing her hoof onto her lips. “Shh… he’s sleeping.” Nick covered his mouth, trying to muffle his laughter. He ran out and through the front door, bursting into a fit of uncontrollable laughing, as Judy groaned at the sight. “Fluttershy, you can’t just go around and cuddle with anyone you see.” “Oh, but he was nice, and he really did enjoy it.” “Fluttershy, you’re treating him like a pet. He’s a police officer, the first thing mammals see when they enter here, and you’re-” Clawhauser began to purr in his sleep. “Making him purr.” “Oh… I-I’m sorry. It’s… it’s so exciting meeting someone new around here, actually. In fact, I’ve never been like this before.” “Never?” “Never. I was always shy when back home, but now that I’m here… this is such an amazing feel!” “...Right… you better wake him up, though. I’ll meet you outside.” “Okay, Ms. Hopps.” She turned her attention to Clawhauser. “Yoo hoo! It’s time to wake up.” He snorted himself awake. “Mom!?” She giggled. “No, silly. I’ll see you soon.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Goodbye!” She flew off, back to the doors. “...Awe… she’s like an angel. … Or is she one?” Fluttershy exited the building, landing near the duo. “Well, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, carrots.” Nick spoke to Judy. “Same thing here, foxy.” Judy replied. “...Leave me to the nicknaming, sweetie.” He turned to Fluttershy. “And you don’t mind spending the night with Carrots, do you, Hayseed?” “Oh… is she fine with it?” Fluttershy asked. “We talked about it, and she’s fine with it.” “Oh, okay. And where do you live?” “Come with me… and try to ignore my crazy neighbors.” Judy replied, leading the way. Judy’s home was a small apartment. It wasn’t anything fancy, by any means, but it did look a bit run down. The thing that made up for it was the window that had another breathtaking view of the city itself. As Judy went to sleep, Fluttershy looked out of the window, seeing the night lights on outside. “...Oh girls… if only you were here.” Fluttershy silently spoke to herself, sniffling a bit. A single tear rolled down her left eye; as much fun as it was today to explore one of the many parts of this bustling city, she was starting to feel homesick. “I hope I don’t stay here for too long… Discord’s very sensitive about our tea meetings… and do take care of Angel Bunny… I hope he’s behaving himself after-” “WILL YOU SHUT UP!!!” One of the neighbors yelled to her left. “I’M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!!!” “CAN’T YOU HEAR!?” Another voice yelled. “SHE MISSES HER HOME!!!” “I DON’T CARE!!! I NEED SLEEP!!!” “LET HER BE AND STOP YELLING!!!” “YOU SHUT UP!!!” “NO!!! YOU SHUT UP!!!” The walls banged as the two argued. Judy groaned, putting her ears down and the pillow over her ears. Fluttershy sighed, rubbed her tear away, and walked out. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a kudu in a red shirt and a oryx in a blue shirt. “Um, excuse me, but can you both be a teeny bit quiet?” Fluttershy asked. “I TELL HIM THAT ALL THE TIME!!!” The Kudu yelled. “NO YOU DON’T!!!” The Oryx yelled back. “YOU YELLED AT HER FIRST!!!” “YOU’RE THE ONE WHO STARTED IT!!!” “YOU’RE SAYING I YELLED AT HER!?!?!?” “WHAT ARE WE EVEN YELLING ABOUT ANYMORE!?!?!?” “Um… is there something wrong?” Fluttershy asked. “PLENTY!!!” They both yelled in unison. “Um… how about we play game?” “HE CHEATS AT GAMING!!!” The Oryx yelled. “YOU’RE THE ONE WHO CHEATS!!!” The Kudu yelled back. “There’s no way either of you can cheat,” Fluttershy continued. “It’s called ‘Shh’.” “...How do we play that?” They asked, in unison again. “Whoever stays the quiet the longest wins. Simple as that.” “I’m gonna win this game!” The Kudu yelled. “Like you are!” The Oryx yelled back. “Is that a challenge!?” “You bet it is!” “Fine! Let’s go!!!” The door slammed on Fluttershy, but only silence came. She took a calming sigh of relief and walked back into Judy’s apartment. Tired, she rolled onto the floor, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. “Job well done, Fluttershy.” She thought to herself. > The new assignment > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy woke up early in the morning with Judy. The pegasus quickly learned that Judy believed in arriving to work early. While in most mornings, Fluttershy would believe that this is too early, but considering the fact that she had nothing to do and was in a world inhabited by animals, this was alright for her. She walked along with Judy, but were quite surprised to see their neighbors staring down each other in utter silence, even with noticeable bags under their eyes. Nonetheless, they walked to the ZPD building. “So, Fluttershy,” Judy spoke. “Do you plan on living here?” “Live here?” She replied. “Oh, I-I don't know, Miss. I mean… I'm sure my friends will arrive soon; Twilight's great with magic, so she may arrive… but… oh dear!” “What?” “What if she can't!? What if she can't find me!? Only she knows dimension traveling, and even then, it's only with one other world! Oh my goodness! What if I'm stuck here!?” She sweated hard and began to hyperventilate. “What am I going to do here!?” “Fluttershy?” “I-I-I Can't do any other jobs involving with animals like home! I don't have any bits! Oh, they wouldn't accept bits either way!” “Fluttershy.” “Everypony I know is going to miss me! Equestria may be in danger and I won't be there to help! What if-” “Fluttershy!” This got her to stop. Judy took in a deep breath. “Deep breaths, girl. Take take deep breaths.” Fluttershy followed as Judy instructed. “Alright, I have no idea what your friends are doing, nor do I know if they'll be able to find you.” “You...you think they'll forget about me?” “What!? No! Nonono… I mean, it's best to be prepared if you're going to be stuck here.” “W-what do you mean?” “You're going to be with me for a while, okay? I'll most likely be open, and I'm going to help you find a job around here.” “A job? Like what?” “Any job you want. It's your responsibility if you get it. And, perhaps later, if you're still here, I'll help you find a place to live in.” “Like a new home?” “Yeah… like a new home.” Fluttershy smiled. She reached down and gave Judy a warm hug. “Th-thank you, Judy. I won't let you down.” Judy hugged back. “I know you won't. It won't take long. You promise you won't do anything like what you did last night?” Fluttershy released Judy “Oh! I Pinkie Promise!” She did the motions as she promised. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” In her mind, she could tell that Pinkie noticed that. “Another thing one of your friends do?” “More or less.” She nodded. The two arrived into the building and, as Fluttershy expected, multiple officers were around, all either entering or exiting the building, walking through the lit hallways with files, stood around with some morning coffee & donuts, or chatting with their coworkers. Nick exited out of the break room, sipping on some fresh coffee himself,and approached to the two. “Ahh~... There are my favorite ladies.” He spoke in his usual sly tone. “How was Carrots’ apartment, Hayseed?” “... It was nice.” Fluttershy simply replied. “I really liked the view of the city at night.” “I bet you would. So, ready to start the day, carrots?” “You know I always am.” Judy replied with a smirk. “And today, we're-” “HOPPS!!! WILDE!!!” Bogo shouted from above them. “Office! Now!” “... Oh dear,” Fluttershy spoke. “He sounded angry.” “That’s his usual tone, Hayseed.” Nick replied, finishing the rest of his coffee. “Ah… that hit the spot. Enjoy yourself, Hayseed. It's free for officers and guests, as yourself.” He proceeded to walk up the stairs, followed by Judy. Fluttershy’s stomach growled and, not wanting to seem rude, entered the break room. Yesterday, she noticed how tall and large most of the predators were. Today is like that, except they were in Police uniforms, and many of the furniture stood taller than her. It was intimidating, to say the least, but she treaded onwards, both to cure her hunger and because she knew how to handle animals back home. She flapped her wings and landed on a table, and seized herself a delectable treat, taking bites with noticeable ‘Noms’. Many of the officers saw her, rolled their eyes, and continued on with their routine. All, except one; Clawhauser. He walked over and leaned towards her, all with the same warm smile like last night. “... Oh dear.” She spoke to herself, realizing what he was going to say. In Bogo’s office, the same office where Judy got her chance to be an officer, Judy and Nick sat on their seats while Bogo sat on his. “Do you know why I brought you both here?” He asked sternly. “Someone found out you're a Gazelle fan?” Nick asked with a chuckle. “Very funny, Officer Wilde. No, this is not that.” “What is this about, Chief?” Judy asked. “Well, Officer Hopps, I'm certain you two can handle this. You both listen to the news?” “Involving the Nighthowler incidents, sir?” “That is correct. I didn't want to tell either of you this, but all of these ‘incidents’ are linked together.” “Linked?” “Is because they're all predators?” Nick asked. “More than just that, Wilde.” Bogo replied. “All of those predators on the news were either undercover officers or day-off medical staff from various hospitals. Someone, either in this very building, or somewhere else, is hacking into the ZPD files and making sure they go savage before anything about their whereabouts are uncovered and giving predators a bad look simultaneously.” Both Judy and Nick blinked in silence. “Uh… chief?” Judy spoke. “I'm not sure if you've done this, but have you-” “Sent prey out as undercover officers? Yes, Officer Hopps, I've had. They're gone.” “Gone?” Nick asked, intrigued. “What do you mean by ‘Gone’?” “Gone. Nothing left behind. All known undercover prey officers have simply vanished without a trace. I'm in hot water here, and not only are there less officers, but there aren't a lot of hospital staff to bring back our officers back into the field.” “What do you need us to do, Chief?” Judy asked. “Hand over your uniforms.” This got both of them to jump. “WHAT!?” “You're both going undercover for this assignment.” “But Chief!” Judy began. “No ‘buts’! Hopps, Wilde… this is for your safety. Your job is to find the locations of our missing officers, find out who's hacking our files, and stop these attacks. Now, to keep you safe, you're both going to be ‘Fired’ for the rest of this operation. Keep your badges and radios, but turn in the rest of your equipment. Now… you have 144 hours to complete this, or else you're both REALLY fired.” Nick and Judy awkwardly stared at Bogo, then to each, and back. They both stuttered. Bogo smiled. “Just kidding!” They both awkwardly laughed. “Oh… thank goodness!” Judy exclaimed. “Yeah,” Nick added. “For a second there, you got us good again, Chief!” “But seriously… turn in your equipment.” “I can’t believe this!” Judy said. “Give up our uniforms?! How would that work?!” “Come on Carrots, let’s just get this over with.” The two of them headed to the break room to tell Fluttershy the news. When they got there, nearly every officer was lying around in a dog pile taking a nap. They look over at Fluttershy doing the same. Nick smirked and quickly took a picture with his phone, with Judy groaning in disappointment. She went over to wake everyone up. “Alright! Up and at ‘em!” Judy announced. Fluttershy stirred a bit and awoke with a silent yawn. She stretched like a cat and looked towards the pile of sleeping cops. She blushed with a cute little squee, jumping off as the officers began to wake up. Judy crossed her arms, tapping her right foot rapidly. This got Fluttershy to look down in shame. “Oh… I'm sorry, Miss Judy.” She apologized. “Clawhauser told everyone about last night and… well… I can't say no to them… and I can't stop myself from snuggling them. They were so cute!” “... Fluttershy… we're going on a dangerous assignment, and, though I promised you, we're going to put your job hunting on hold.” “Oh… okay. W-what are we doing.” “Various undercover prey officers have gone missing, all looking for the source and locations where Nighthowlers are grown. You know anything about Nighthowlers?” “No, ma'am. Um… other than yesterday with that wolf, no, I don't.” “Nighthowler is a type of plant that, when processed into pellets, can turn any animal back to their primitive and feral ancestry. So far, it's used on predators, as that wolf from yesterday, and whoever is kidnapping our prey officers are also targeting undercover and off duty medical predators.” “Oh dear! Who would do such a thing!?” “That’s what we're going to find out: You, Nick, and I are going to find out!” “Me!? B-but why!?” “You tamed that wolf like it was nothing! With you around, not only are we going to be safe around any feral turned predators, but we can reach places that'd be hard to get to. Plus… you may want to keep an eye on Nick.” “What was that, Carrots?” Nick asked, somehow in a green, leaf patterned Polo Shirt, with tan cargo pants, and adjusting a striped blue and red tie around his neck. “... How did you change so fast?” Fluttershy asked. “I have my ways, Hayseed. Now, what did you mean by that, Carrots? Still having some trust issues?” “No, Nick, there are no issues.” Judy replied. “I'm just concerned about you, and unless you have more blueberries… “ “Hm… fair enough.” “So, Fluttershy, care to join us?” Fluttershy tapped her hooves together. “Um… well… I-” “Let me handle this.” Nick said, walking next to Fluttershy. “Now, Hayseed, I know this is a bit overwhelming at first, and trust me, it is. But, I ask you this: Do you really want some jerk to get rid of our officers and ridicule us predators?” “Um… no, but-” “And do you really want some innocent civilians hurt in the process?” “Well… no, but I-” “AND… do you want the guilt to be with you forever, all because you were too afraid to help us find and stop this or these culprits?” This got Fluttershy to stare, shake a bit, and swallow hard. “Now… I'll ask you kindly… would you like to join us?” “Um… well… oh sweet Celestia… yes! I want to help!” “Well that's great, glad you joined the party. Now, our first order of business is to let Carrots here change into some more casual clothing, and find our first lead.” “Oh… right. Uh… see you in a bit!” Nick and Fluttershy walked out of the break room, then outside of the ZPD building. After some time, Judy came out of the building, wearing a pink, plaid, button up shirt and denim jeans. In her left paw was a manila folder filled with papers and pictures of the various kidnapped officers and affected predators. She looked a bit down, though Nick patted her shoulder. “There, there,” he soothed. “If it makes you feel better, this makes you look even cuter.” “...Thanks, Nick.” She replied with a warm smile, hugging him back. “It's kind of strange, seeing you wear the same clothes when we first met.” “When you blackmailed me for tax evasion? Oh yeah, this brings back those memories.” “...You blackmailed Mr. Wilde!?” Fluttershy asked in shock. This got the two to laugh. “It's a long story.” Judy answered. “And we've since gone over that.” Nick added, leaning on Judy's head. “Heh… so where should we start, Nick?” “Easy; Smellweather.” “Smellweather?” Fluttershy asked. “Nick, that's going to take forever.” Judy spoke. “On paws and hooves, maybe,” Nick replied, pulling out his cellphone and clicking on it. “But I'm prepared.” A loud screech was heard, followed by a red, smooth and slick looking red car arriving to them at blinding speeds. Fluttershy and Judy gasped, followed by the two hiding behind Nick. The car stopped, just inches right next to the three. With a closer look, Fluttershy read the license plate that spelled ‘FST NML’, which may be short for ‘Fast Animal’. However, Judy gasped at the sight. “Nick! You did not just-!?” “I have, and I've done it. He's our Zuber.” “Zuber?” Fluttershy asked. The car window rolled down, revealing a sloth in a button up, long sleeve green shirt with a striped orange and blue tie. “Need… a… lift?” He asked slowly. “We do, Flash, my main mammal.” Nick replied. “Hop… right… in.” He reached over to unlock the car doors… but it was slow. Fluttershy remained patient, but Judy wasn't, giving Nick a look of disappointment. “...What!? Like I said, he may be a sloth, he's the fastest guy I know.” “I just hope we don't get killed for this.” Judy replied with a grunt, entering the vehicle as it's doors were unlocked. Fluttershy followed, though Nick sat in the passenger's side. “Where… to… Nick?” Flash asked. “County prison.” Nick answered. “Gotta give someone a special visit.” “Gotcha… seatbelts… on… please… and hold… on… tight.” As he said that, Judy buckled herself in, but stopped to see Fluttershy struggling with the seatbelt. She quickly buckled her in before focusing on herself. As soon as they were buckled in, Flash stepped on the peddle… into a sudden burst of speed, pushing back the two ladies. Fluttershy couldn't scream, feeling as if the impact took all the wind out of her, but Judy, meanwhile, only screamed one thing. “NICK!!!” > The Best Interrogation Technique > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Were it not for the seatbelts, and the fact that they surprisingly didn’t crash into anything, then Fluttershy and Judy may have been dead. The car came to a screeching stop right in front of the Zootopia county jail, allowing the two ladies to finally catch their breaths and breathe once again. “We’re… here…” Flash spoke, slowly unlocking the doors. As soon as the doors clicked, both Fluttershy and Judy unbuckled themselves and ran out of their door. It was a surprise that neither of them had an accident during the rollercoaster-like ride. Nick, meanwhile, got out of the car and turned to Flash. “See ya later, Flash.” “See… you… soon… too.” Flash replied, rolling up the window and driving away, almost hitting more cars along the way. Nick turned to the two ladies, seeing them hugging each other and shivering in fear. “I-i-I’m n-n-never g-gonna s-s-see sloths th-the s-s-s-same w-way.” Fluttershy stuttered. “M-Me t-t-t-too.” Judy added. “You’ll get the hang of it,” Nick spoke, walking into the building. “How else do you think I get to the ZPD so early, Carrots?” “N-n-never d-do that… a-again!” “I can’t promise on that one.” All three of them headed into the prison and walked to a grizzly bear at the front desk. “Good morning. Name's Officer Tug. How may I help you?” he said in a low, but tender voice. “We’re here to see an inmate, Bellwether.” Judy said. “Heh, here to see Smellwether? I'm gonna need to see your-” He paused as he saw Fluttershy. “Wait a second… why is she here?” Nick and Judy turned to Fluttershy. The Pegasus only blinked in confusion. “Her?” Nick asked. “Have you two meet before?” “You didn't catch the new video? It's spread like wildlife online.” “What video?” Judy asked. “This one.” Tug pulled his phone out and showed the three. It was the incident from yesterday, but recorded through some Teenager’s phone camera. “Yeah, it hit the Internet hard, and it's been hit back as well.” “Hit back?” Fluttershy asked. “Ah… the good ol’ comments.” Nick commented. “It's a war in the comments section below,” Tug added. “But it seems most agree that it's fake.” “Fake!?” Fluttershy asked in shock. “Real shame. But if it really is true...” said Tug. “It is!” said the three. “... Eh, to each their own. I still need to see your IDs and sign these papers. When finished, see old Tug here. Heh heh.” They went over to a series of chairs against the wall and sat down. Lucky for Judy, this only took ten minutes, much shorter, simpler, and faster than their time in the DMV. That got Fluttershy confused, both for what the DMV was and what happened at said place. “There's one thing I find very funny about that.” Nick said. “Other than my impatience?” Judy replied, standing up and handing over the papers to Tug. “That's one, but the fact that you can use their guest computers to find and run that license plate.” “...You can do that?” “Yep. Been that way 10 years ago. But it was so gosh darn funny, and cute, to see you impatient.” “... Are there any other secrets you're keeping from me, Nick? Anything we can use that'll help?” “Other than Hayseed here, none at all.” “Hm… everything's in order.” Tug spoke, handing the two back their IDs. “Smellwether is at the very end, but we're keeping a close eye on you three.” “Ok, sir,” Fluttershy replied, walking behind Nick and Judy. “Have a nice day!” She waved back as he did. “Hm...those wings do look real.” The three passed by the various cells, each with their own prisoner in matching orange jumpsuits, though in different shackles,ranging from just handcuffs to muzzles. They arrived to the last cell, in which the hallway lights were flickering. Fluttershy swallowed as she approached with the two officers, unsure what Bellwether, or Smellwether, looked like. She thought of some mammal that may be huge and tall, much more than an elephant and giraffe. But what she saw was nothing like that. Instead, sitting with its forelegs crossed was a small sheep with large, black plastic rimmed glasses. “... Huh… I thought you'd look different.” Fluttershy spoke, breaking the silence. “And you're not from around here.” Bellwether replied with a Stern tone in her voice. “Good morning, Bellwether,” Judy spoke. “How's your time here behind bars?” “The same as most other days, Bunny. I'm baffled that you brought your fox along.” “It's Nick, sweetie,” Nick corrected. “Now, are you willing to cooperate with us?” “Hmph! Why would I team up with the duo that foiled my perfect plan to bring peace to Zootopia, let alone, starred in a very fake looking viral video.” “It's not fake!” Fluttershy retorted. “Yeah, just like those wings. Which studio is paying you to keep this up? Ancestral? Metro Goldwyn Mare? Pisney? Diznar?” “We’re not here to discuss lucrative film deals, Bellwether,” Judy spoke sternly, pulling out the various photos of the missing prey officers and affected Predators “We’re here to ask you about who's aiming at the Predator population and another missing mammal case.” “...Hehehehe… you’re basically doing the same case again?” “Almost, but we think you know who’s kidnapping them and affecting the others.” “Hmph! Even if I do know, what would that do for me?” “Less time behind bars.” Nick simply answered. “I have all the time in the world, fox. Why don’t you three get out and leave me be; I have some readings to catch up on.” Nick turned around, followed by Judy. “What are we going to do, Nick?” Judy asked. “You know her better, Carrots.” Nick replied. “We’ll do good cop-bad cop on her. I’m fine being the bad cop so-” “Um, I don’t want to sound rude,” Fluttershy spoke, meddling into their conversation. “But I can help.” “Oh, and how, Hayseed? You can’t go in her cell and cuddle her until she tells you.” “Well… I don’t want to do it, but… if I have to… I’ll do my special move.” “Special move?” Judy asked. “...I’ll warn you about it. I don’t want you to be afraid.” She turned to Bellwether. “Um, excuse me, Ms. Bellwether?” “What!?” The sheep demanded, lowering a book. “Um… I-I’m just going to give you a fair warning, but you should tell us what you know, or I’m going to do something you’re gonna regret.” “...hahahahaha!!! You!? You can’t do anything to me! I’m behind bars, and if you do get in this, I’m afraid the security’s going to take your mechanical wings off and throw you into another cell. Go on… try your move.” “...Cover your eyes, Nick and Judy.” She walked to the cell and took a deep breath, followed by opening her eyes wide. Bellwether tilted her head in confusion. “Uh… what the heck are you-?” She froze as it seemed as if Fluttershy’s eyes widened… followed by all her past memories playing in front of her, all of which were her low moments. She remembered the first time she was sheared for the first time, losing all of her wool and going around school, only to be made fun of for her lack of wool. The next was her being bullied by a pack of wolves in high school, all of which gave her the nickname she dreaded the most, ‘Smellwether’. After that, she was lucky enough to graduate from college, and though she got a job in the office, Lionheart, the soon-to-be-elected mayor, treated her like garbage. Of course, it jumped to her downfall, where she landed in prison, where everyday, it’s becoming the same day; wake up, eat, courtyard, reading, meal, more reading, bed, repeat. Fluttershy continued her staring. “Well!?” she demanded. “...Louis!” Bellwether spoke, staring in fear. “That’s all I know! I made a deal with Louis! He helped my subordinates know how to make Nighthowler pellets and supplied me with the equipment needed! Please! Make it stop!” Fluttershy blinked and shook her head. Bellwether regained her vision and fell to the floor, holding herself while rolled into a ball, shivering in fear. “I’m so sorry, miss. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to. Can I get some more info?” “....Not here… He’s not here…” “Where is he?” Bellwether fell to the floor, unconscious. “Oh dear! I overdid it!” “I think we can work with that.” Judy spoke. “And what the heck is that!?” Nick added. Fluttershy turned to the two. “Oh… d-did you see?” “...Most of it.” “Oh… well… I-I do this with my animals when they don’t listen. It’s simply called ‘The Stare’. I-I try not to use it, and I promise that-” “It’s okay,” Judy spoke, placing a calm paw on her shoulder. “As long as it’s not on us and only for emergencies, we’re fine with it, right?” “Oh, of course,” Nick added. “I’m alright knowing that I’m with a pegasus that can make any animal shiver in fear just by her staring at them.” Judy grunted. “Nick.” “I’m just saying!” He turned and walked out. The two followed. “Know anyone named ‘Louis’?” “Plenty, but she said ‘not here.’” “Hm… It’s going to take forever in the ZPD files to find him. One less district is a bit easier, but not by a lot.” “Um… what if he’s not here.” Fluttershy added. “Not here?” “I mean… are there other locations besides Zootopia?” This got the cop duo to stop and blink. “... Oh sweet cheese and crackers.” “Grea~t.” Nick mumbled to himself, exiting the building with the two. “If we can’t find some guy named Louis in this city, then we’re dealing with some deeper conspiracy than the last one! Shall we read the conspiracy forums online to see what is real?” “Nick, you’re overreacting.” “Oh no! I’m not the overreacting type, you know me better than that, carrots. If I were to overreact, then I’d say that we use Hayseed to find and use her stare on anyone named Louis until we find our guy.” “I can’t use it all the time, sir.” Fluttershy spoke. “It’s more or less a once a day tool.” “Oh, and if I’m guessing right, then if we do this, it’ll take at least… one thousand, four hundred and seventeen days to find our guy.” A black limousine pulled up, and out stepped two large, strong looking polar bears, both with matching black leather jackets. Nick jumped and hid right behind the two ladies. “Raymond!? Kevin!?” “Nick and Judy.” said the first one. “You are cordially invited to the birthday of Miss Fru Fru’s daughter, Judy.” said the second. This gave Fluttershy a look at Hopps. The rabbit noticed her look. “We're friends.” Judy answered Fluttershy's unspoken question. “Now?” Nick asked. “Now.” The first spoke, opening the door for them. “...Can you give us a minute?” He turned to the two. “Alright, when I say break, Hayseed, carry Carrots out and-” “Nick, that's not gonna work.” Judy interrupted. “She's not gonna snuggle with you, right, Hayseed?” Fluttershy was gone. “... Hayseed?” He turned and gasped as Fluttershy sat in the car seat, oblivious to the polar bears giving her the evil eye. Judy entered the vehicle. “Don't worry, she's with me.” The polar bears nodded. Nick stuttered, but sighed in defeat, entering the car with the two. One of the polar bears entered with them, keeping a close eye on the three, while the other entered the passenger seat, with the driver also a polar bear. Their vehicle drove away to Mr. Big’s mansion, located in Tundra Town. Fluttershy happily hummed away, excited to head to a new place with a friend of Judy's, but Nick and Judy whispered to each other. “How can you be so calm right now?” Nick began. “How can you not be so calm?” Judy asked back. “Because, despite the fact that you're good friends with his daughter, you and I are cops.” “So?” “Mr. Big does not like cops.” “Well, we're not going in as police, but as friends to his family.” “Easy for you to say.” “I'll just ask him about Louis and if he knows his whereabouts. It'll go on from there.” “And if he doesn't know?” “... Back to the ZPD?” “... Well that's a SWELL idea there.” > The Family's New Friend > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.” > Ba-a-a-ad News. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite traveling at a dangerous speed over the legal limit, again, they arrived safely to Meadowlands, another one of the twelve ecosystems of Zootopia. Fluttershy and Judy watched in fear as Flash drove through one of the various driveways, exiting from Tundra Town into one of the lit caves and into their destination. Unlike Tundra Town, it wasn't freezing, but also, unlike Sahara Square, it wasn't hot either. The place barely looked like a town, or even anything resembling a city. A couple of houses were around, and a couple of trees sprouted from the floor, but it was mostly fields and farms. Flash’s car squealed, stopping next to a gas station. “Sorry… I… need… gas.” He said, slowly unlocking the doors. “It...won't take… long.” “Nonono!” Judy pleaded, exiting the car. “We can walk the rest of the way,” Nick said calmly. “Drive safe.” “You… too.” Fluttershy and Nick exited the car. Nick took a deep breath and relaxed. “Does this remind you of home, hayseed?” “... Almost.” Fluttershy answered. “I-It just seems… well… bare.” “That's just the Meadowlands for ya. I remember that just over that hill is where I meet Finnick.” “Um… Finnick?” “My best friend… hmph… I always thought he was short for his age… who knew I was right, even to today.” Fluttershy giggled. “He sounds interesting.” “Oh, he is. Most of the folks thought he was a lost puppy, up until he spoke. I remember how we used to hustle Popsicles around; he'd wear an elephant suit and look as cute as possible, we'd buy a jumbo pop, melt it, freeze into pawpsicles, sell them, and resell the sticks to some construction workers. Ha… those were the days.” “... What happened?” “Carrots happened. Haven't talked to him since I joined, but, I might when this is over… hope he's not hit.” “... I'm sure he's fine, mister.” “I’m with you there as well, Hayseed. Now, where did Carrots go?” Nick and Fluttershy looked around, only to see Judy exiting from a restroom, panting and sweating hard. “... Why… do I… go with… your plans?” She asked with deep breaths. “Because you love me.” “... Alright… where to?” Fluttershy pointed to her left. “Um...perhaps there?” She insisted. Nick and Judy turned to a field behind the gas station, seeing some other animals with professional looking cameras and various tents set up. “Huh. It's a small world afterall.” Nick commented as he walked ahead. The trio walked through the set, seeing various animals, doing various jobs from setting up cameras, rehearsing lines, cooking, etc. Most of the crew, as Fluttershy can tell, are animals that live in Meadows like sheep, rabbits, foxes, and wolves. Everyone didn't seem to notice the trio strolling around, as they were too busy with their jobs, up until they found the director, a deer with sunglasses, sitting on his high chair holding a megaphone, looking out to the hills. “ACTION!!!” He shouted. The sound of cars revving was heard, followed by a loud crash. An RV rolled down the hill, breaking into pieces, followed by the sound of police sirens. The door to the RV opened wide with smoke coming out, followed by a ram, freshly sheathed, wearing only white underwear, exiting. His back was at the cameraman below, but he got up and pulled a gun from his right boot. “CUT!!!” The deer set the megaphone down. “Excellent! That's the shot we needed!” Nick whistled. “And that's quite the entrance.” “What the-!? Who are these animals!? Are they even on the list!?” “Relax, sir,” Judy spoke. “We're not going to spoil any of this to anyone. Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD.” “And Nicholas P. Wilde… same.” Nick added. The deer gave them a skeptical look and turned to Fluttershy. “And you, Missy?” “Oh! I'm Fluttershy… um… trainee?” “Feh! You don't look like cops! You're not in uniform.” “I assure you that we are.” Judy spoke. “And it's come to our attention that you have hired three sheep that were part of the Nighthowler conspiracy that happened three months ago.” “You mean my real assistants? Oh yeah! Those guys have saved quite the hassle! This program’s gonna be the most realistic and, might I add, most jaw dropping thing anyone has ever seen!” “... Right. Well, we have some questions for your… assistants,and it's best if-” “Listen, lady, this is none of your business, and there's nothing you can do about, bunny. So go along and bring some carrots, eh? I'm hustling.” “And this is how it played out, Hayseed.” Nick whispered to Fluttershy. “Alright then,” Judy spoke, taking a deep breath. “… sir! You're under arrest!” “Oh for what?” The deer asked sarcastically. “For hurting your feewings.” “Harboring fugitives.” This got his smirk off. “As you may know, it's a Class 4 Felony that's punishable by a five hundred thousand fine, or, two years in prison. But since you have three, it's, oh, how shall we say, a million and five hundred thousand fine, or, six years behind bars… it's called a hustle, sweetie.” “...She's good.” Fluttershy commented. “...Alright, you win.” The deer spoke in defeat. “They're with our psychiatrist.” “And can we get some info on what he looks like?” Nick asked. “I don't know. You think I can remember everyone here? All I know is that he's a local and he's not what most people expect of him.” “Hm… have any idea where he's at?” “He's usually in his building at Clover Lane. Five minute stroll from here, actually.” “Well thank you for the assistance, mister…” “Venison Gilligan.” “Ah… let's get going, ladies; We, and they, have a lot of work to do.” They left the set. Venison pulled out his cell phone. “Hello?... Yeah… get my lawyer.” They arrived to the psychiatrist’s building, quickly learning that Clover Lane was part of a small town. Many of the animals weren't on their phones, something Fluttershy just noticed, and they seemingly wore more farmer-like clothing. The building itself didn't stick out a lot, but the front sign said “Sir Mr. Dr. Wolf”. “Sir. Mr. Dr. Wolf?” Fluttershy asked. “Guy must love his titles.” Nick commented. Judy knocked on the door. Small steps were heard followed by the door opening. Answering the door was a fairly small, white Arctic Wolf (Between Nick and Judy's height) with some gray patches, wearing a purple vest with a white undershirt and round glasses on his muzzle. “Oh… hello.” He spoke in a kind and patient voice. “I haven't seen you three here. Are you new?” “Um… sorta, sir.” Fluttershy spoke. “Sir, Mr. Dr. Wolf?” Judy asked. “Please, Dr. Wolf is fine.” He replied. “Then why the titles?” Nick asked. “Easy; The Mister is because I'm married, but the sir is more for the inside of my office.” “And can we see the inside?” Judy asked. “But of course, ma'am. I always enjoy the company of new visitors.” They entered the building. The place was quiet; the ticking of a nearby clock could be heard. Books decorated the various shelves around the room, as well as a the desk where the Doctor sat behind. A large, red chaise lounge sat near the middle of room, next to a different chair. Dr. Wolf down in the chair. “Please, take a seat.” He pointed to the chaise lounge. “...All together?” Fluttershy asked. “Why yes.” “Not to be rude,” Judy interrupted. “But we're in a huge rush! We've got questions for three specific sheep.” “They wouldn't be Doug, Woolter, and Jessie?” “They… actually are.” “Then please, take a seat; they will arrive within the hour. I am expecting them today; it is part of their program.” “...program?” Nick asked. “They're not exactly free as you think. This is more of community service they've been allowed to do, and weekly check ups with me are part of that.” “But...why?” Judy asked as well. “Rehabilitation. They're not really comfortable around predators, and I'm chosen, both for a predator interaction, and, well, as I've heard, the best psychologist around. But please, enough of me, I'd like to get to know you all. Please, take a seat.” “... Beats looking for them.” Nick spoke, taking his seat. “And this sounds pleasant.” Fluttershy added, taking her seat. “Plus… he sounds friendly.” Judy was about to say something, but took a deep breath and took her seat. Dr. Wolf took his own seat. “Now, I'm sorry, but I didn't catch any of your names.” “Oh! I'm Fluttershy.” Fluttershy answered, followed by Nick and Judy. “Nick Wilde, but please, call me Nick.” “Officer Judy Hopps.” “Oh!? The Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde?” Wolf asked. “Yep!” Nick answered. “Fan of us?” “Oh most definitely! Though I should've known as soon as I saw a rabbit and fox entering my building together. You both look different out of uniform.” “Yeah, I can tell. And you can tell why we're here, right?” “No, not entirely. I can't read minds, but this has to be something important if you need to ask questions for some of my patients, especially those with a history.” “Um… I'm lost.” Fluttershy spoke. “Oh dear, my apologies. From the looks of it, you’re new around here?” “Yes, and, well, I didn’t know they were famous!” “Carrots is more of the popular one than me.” Nick said. “Hm, then perhaps we should at the beginning, all of you.” “Oh… um… is it alright if they talk first?” Fluttershy asked. “M-My story isn’t really… well… interesting.” “Nonsense! Everyone’s story is interesting when you have open ears and listen. But, if you’re shy, then I can quite understand. Now, Nick and Judy, if you don’t mind.” “...Well,” Judy began. “I was one of the many kids from Bunnyburrow. As you can suggest, my family is made up of farmers… and not just carrot farmers, Nick.” “I didn’t say anything.” He spoke with a sly grin. “Yeah. It’s been my dream to become a police officer, the first rabbit officer, might I add, no matter how tough it was. It wasn’t easy, but I became the top student in the academy and a full fledged officer. Let’s just say my dreams were too big and, when I arrived to Zootopia… nothing really did work out, especially when I meet Nick for the first time.” “To be fair, you did fall for it.” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, um… Unlike Carrots here, I grew up in Zootopia and… well… being a predator… not a lot of animals are warm around us, especially Carrots. Carrots tried to break her stereotype of being nothing more but a farmer, but I, on the other hand, embraced it by being a sly and clever fox. Of course, I wasn’t alone, as Finnick was with me. Our father-son routine really helped, especially when Carrots paid for something the two of us could easily get.” “You still owe me those twenty dollars.” “And I will. The first thing I could think of when I first meet Carrots was, ‘Oh look… a bunny meter maid… this will be easy.’ It was, but, I got involved with her case.” “And what would that be?” Dr. Wolf asked. “Emmett Otterton.” Judy answered. “He was one of the fourteen missing mammals. I wanted to help out, but Chief Bogo gave me a fortyeight hour limit. Nick here, knew about Emmett, and I required him to help me out.” “Oh yeah, and the result was hilarious!” “I don’t want to recall those.” “And those are?” Dr. Wolf asked. “Going to a Naturalist Club and waiting at the DMV that’s operated by sloths.” Nick answered. “But, I am grateful that Carrots is a friend to Mr. Big’s daughter.” “You should be!” Judy replied. “If it weren’t for me, then we’d be iced.” “And mauled by Mr. Manchez.” “But, thanks for standing up to Bogo for me.” “Anytime.” “Thank you. But, with the help of Bellwether, surprisingly, we found the mammals. If you watched… then you know what happened next.” “I remember very well.” Dr. Wolf replied. “I had a hard time.” “Yeah… it was all my fault there… especially to Nick. I… I still didn't trust Nick, even after our adventure. It took a while, but I found out Nighthowler wasn't a group, but a plant. That's where we found out Bellwether was behind the conspiracy. I'm just glad Nick thought of something quickly.” “Oh yeah. Bellwether got busted, I became a cop. Ever since then, we've been a true duo.” “Interesting.” Dr. Wolf commented. “And how would you rate your partnership? Are there problems today than those months ago?” “Not a lot.” Judy answered. “Yes, there are some problems, like where we want to eat, but we've grown as partners.” “I can agree with that.” Nick added. “She's a lot more experienced than I am in police antics, but I know Zootopia like the back of my paw.” “Very interesting.” Dr. Wolf commented again. “Two distinct species, both with a troubled history with each other, working together. And you've both been together for the last three months?” “... Pretty much.” Nick answered. “We both go to our own apartment when the day is over, and we visit each other when one of us has the day off, but yeah, we've been together.” “And I no longer need to carry around some stupid fox repellent with me,” Judy added. “I mean, that's really messed up, especially when you're trying to make the city place for ALL animals, and not just prey.” “I'm glad to hear that.” Dr. Wolf replied. “So you both trust each other? In any situation, you can trust each other, no matter what it is?” “How else did we end up with Hayseed?” Nick asked with a chuckle. “Nick is pretty much THE fox I can trust with my life.” Judy added. “Despite our obvious differences, we will work together and succeed.” “I couldn't agree more.” “Very nice.” Dr. Wolf said. “And, you both have feelings for each other, I assume?” “Well… I sometimes worry that Carrots’ optimism can, and I'm sorry for this, make her blind. So, I do in that way.” “Hm, I can say the same with you.” Judy replied. “When we're not working together, I don't want you to be ridiculed like when you were young, and nor do I want to see you going back to your old ways again.” “...Wow, really?” “Really.” “Aww… don't be like that, Carrots. There's no way I'd do any of that, not unless it was to save you.” “... You really mean that?” “Of course. I may have some fun, but that's about it.” “...Thanks Nick.” He began to rub her head. “You should know me better than that. But you are the goody-little-two-shoes.” “What a peculiar sight.” Dr. Wolf commented. The trio turned to him. He blushed with an awkward chuckle. “I don't want to offend either of you… but… It seems that… well… I-I don't know how to put in other ways, but… I believe you love each other.” Silence erupted into the room. All their eyes widened, but pupils shrunk. Fluttershy couldn't help but now stare at the two, who in returned looked away from her and each other. “... Um… is that… normal?” Fluttershy asked, breaking the silence. “It's… rarely heard of.” Dr. Wolf answered hesitantly. “I mean, it mostly has species of the same, though with given differences. Some are different, like canines, but it's more or less with their type, predator or prey. But a predator AND prey together?... Well-” The clock chimed, signaling the end of the old hour and beginning of the new one. “Oh dear! The time's up. If you-” Both Nick and Judy quickly got up and exited the building. “... Oh… ok. I'm sorry I couldn't hear your story, Fluttershy. Perhaps we can do this soon enough? Next week, perhaps?” “Oh! Uh… m-maybe, sir. Um… i-if your trio doesn't arrive, then where do they live?” “Well, it's very unlikely that they'll miss, but if they do, then just head north and go to Woodstock Avenue. Their house will be noticeable by a red door.” “Thank you very much, sir! I-I gotta go… I think your news is taking a hold.” “I think so too, but,” He took a deep breath. “It's good to be helping.” Outside, they went to the house of the sheep trio. It was getting dark by the time they arrived, with only some of the sun left behind. However, Nick and Judy froze as they saw what was believed to be the same wolf wearing a trench coach from earlier, entering the basement. Fluttershy took notice. “Was that the shooter from earlier today?” She asked. “No idea.” Judy replied.”Stick close and be quiet.” They quickly made their way to the entrance. Nick slowly lifted the door open for them, to avoid making much noise. Crouching, they hid inside a nearby closet, seeing the heavily dressed wolf standing with their backs at them. Judy peeked, seeing that the basement was another Nighthowler Plantation. She whispered to Nick “They're still at it.” “Hm… figures.” Nick whispered back. “But why?” The door opened from the other side of the room, and in came the other trio. “You're late.” The wolf spoke, but his voice sounded altered and robotic. “Uh...sorry, sir.” Jessie apologized. “We're just preparing see Dr. Wolf.” “Does he know of your plantation?” “No way!” Woolter spoke in his grabbled voice. “Does anyone know you?” “... I had a close call with a rabbit and Fox… Nick Judy and Nicholas P. Wilde. I'm quite surprised; their files indicated that they had the week off.” “Coincidence?” Doug Asked. “Probably… but, it may be possible that the ZPD has them undercover. But enough of them. Do you have the supplies?” Doug approached to him with a fairly large baggie, filled with Nighthowler pellets. “There you go. One hundred more.” The wolf took the bag and reloaded his gun. “Perfect… and, I apologize.” He shot Doug in the chest, making him fall and groan in agony. “Doug!” Woolter yelled in shock before being shot himself. “It's nothing personal. The boss says you're all fired.” “You son of A-AGH!” Jessie spoke before being shot. “Have fun sleeping away.” Our Trio watched in fear as the sheep began to change in mere seconds. They all stood together on all fours and began to bleat like sheep. The wolf went to the chemistry set, knocked down all the equipment and pulled out a gasoline container from his trench coat. He began to spray gas all over the lab, growing plants, everywhere, and went inside the house, leaving a trail. Our Trio exited the closet. Judy hid behind Nick, unsure on what the bleating sheep will do. But, unlike the predators from before, the sheep didn't care for them at all. Fluttershy approached to the sheep. “Ba-Ba-Ba.” She ‘spoke’ in sheep, in which Woolter bleated back. Fluttershy picked up a rod and used it as a herding cane. “Um, you should go after him. I got these three.” “No problems here.” Nick replied. He and Judy ran up the stairs, following the trail of gasoline. As they followed the trail, they noticed that the house was a bit more fancier inside than what it looked like outside. Judy followed the trail, but Nick entered a room. She reached the door, but saw the wolf outside, dropping a lit match. A trail of fire quickly traveled past her, and past Nick, holding a dress, and entered the basement lab. “Run!” Judy spoke. They both ran out of the house, which was followed by a huge explosion! The house’s various pieces fell all around the area, being the main source of light in the night. Judy turned to Nick. “Why do you have a dress?” “Well, unless they're into that,” Nick answered “Then why is there a dress inside?” He stood up and, using the fire, examined the dress. “Hm… very soft, and shiny. And… what's this? Pink fur?” “Pink fur? Only one animal has pink fur. Anything else?” “Hm… Swine.” “Swine?” “Swine. Whoever had this, her, or his, last name was Swine…. Where's Hayseed?” His questions was quickly answered when bleating was heard right behind them. They turned to see Fluttershy watching over the sheep, who were grazing on the grass all around. “...You know, I think she’s way too good at caring for feral animals." Judy pulled out her cell phone and called 911. > Sweet as... her > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The local fire fighters and an ambulance arrived to their area. Though the hospital staff were uncertain on how wild sheep reacted, they were quickly relieved by the fact that the sheep showed little interest in them, but rather the grass they grazed on. That couldn't be said for the house, however, to which the fire was extinguished, leaving only ashes and no sign of a nighthowler lab before. Thankfully, there were some well lit street lights, and, with a full moon, many of the local wolves began their howling… something that they still do despite being civilized. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Dr. Wolf howling with many larger wolves, especially while in his work clothing. The trio sat down on their own bed at a motel. It wasn't the most fanciest looking place, but it was neither a ran down one that looked like the set of a horror movie. Nick scrolled through the various channels on their TV while both Fluttershy and Judy had themselves a salad. “...What are you looking for, Nick?” Judy asked. “Just something interesting to watch.” He simply answered. “Find anything?” “Just some cartoons and news about what just happened.” He pulled out the pink strand of fur he had in one of his shirt’s pockets. “Pink fur, a dress, and both are connected to that house and that guy… This is going to keep me up all night, Carrots.” “It's going to keep us all night.” “Um...maybe this looks important.” Fluttershy pointed at the TV. On the screen, a snow leopard in a formal dress sat next to a moose in a formal suit. “And the sheep were taken to the hospital.” The snow leopard finished her story. “In other news, with the nighthowler attacks still going on, citizens are starting to wonder who's the next target, and who will be attacked.” “And with the elections nearly here,” The moose continued. “It seems Lionheart may be voted off in fear of his newest rival, Miss Swine.” The screen changed to a pig in the same dress they found on a podium, speaking into various microphones. “My fellow citizens,” she began. “It's come to my attention that whoever is targeting our predators has got to be stopped! I truly believe that our police are trying their best to apprehend the suspect, but until then, we aren't safe!” “Miss Swine!?” One of the reporters asked. “What are you planning to do?” “What am I going to do? It's not going to be easy… and many of you are going to lose rights… but… it's for the best.” The camera panned to a sheep, who seriously needed to lose some wool, strolled in a container with, under clear glass, a taming collar. Various murmurs broke through the crowd as the camera came back to Miss Swine. “Yes, I know this seems controversial, but is it better to be safe rather than sorry? That, is a yes. As mayor, I promise to pass an unpassed, and nearly scrapped, bill that will have all predators of shape and size wear these collars, for not just public safety, but for their loved ones and their own protection.” The crowd erupted into a mess of questions, most regarding about the treatment of predators, if the taming collars were able to stop feral predators, and if prey are going to follow put. The trio all stared at the TV. Nick’s jaw was wide open, Judy's ears were perked straight up, and Fluttershy… it took a lot of energy for her to not scream at the TV. “That… is wrong… on so many levels.” Nick could only say. “That has got to be the one behind this.” Judy spoke, pointing at the TV. “She has to be behind this! Oh, this is Bellwether all over again!” “But we now know who it is.” “Shush!” Fluttershy hushed. The camera changed back to the reporters. The snow leopard looked uncomfortable, unsure as to what to say. Her moose coworker, however, looked surprised. They both cleared their throats and regained their professional stance. “Um… that was… something.” The Moose spoke. “Miss Swine’s campaign will continue to the Marshlands tomorrow morning.” The snow leopard added. “And… if you excuse me… I… have something to do.” She got up and walked out. The TV turned static, with a “Technical difficulties” sign with a bear in a Native American headdress. That's when Nick turned off the TV. “Looks like we're going to get nasty with a pig.” He commented, pulling out his cell phone. “Who are you calling?” Judy asked. “A ride. And don't worry, it's someone different. She's a friend of mine.” “A friend?” “Yes, a friend, Carrots. She's, well, weird I won't lie, and I'm pretty sure she spends too much time online.” “Oh… and how did you meet?” “Long story.” He placed the phone onto his right ear, begging his conversation. “Heya, Honey, it's me, Nick… Nick Wilde… yes, the fox who got you those clippers… you gave me your number, remember?... Look, in the morning, I'm going to need a ride to the Marshlands… yes, preferably with a boat… I'll give you my ID in the morning, okay?... Alright, 10 then… and you'll get that as well… no, I'm not with sheep… alright, see you tomorrow.” He hung up. “Take the free honey in the morning.” “Um… what was that about?” Fluttershy asked. “I think I got us a ride. And, with luck, this case will be over.” “I just hope so.” Judy groaned, falling face first into a pillow. The following morning, they had their free breakfast provided for the various guests. Nick, without anyone looking, took all of the honey packets and lead them to ‘Honey’s’ whereabouts. “... So… Nick?” Judy asked. “How did you meet… Honey?” “Long story.” He simply answered. “Well, we all the time in the world. Let's hear it.” “Please, Nick?” Fluttershy added, fluttering her eyes. “... Might as well.” he coped. “Let's see… ah! It was right after I graduated from high school when I meet her. She was on the streets of Sahara Square, blabbering on about how sheep are trying to take over the world. I wanted her to be quiet as I sold my Pawpsicles, but… I guess i was convinced on her rambling.” “You believed that?” Judy asked. “It was a phase. But, yeah, and I joined her to be ‘Sheep repelled’, in which I won't tell what I did, only that it was both stupid and dangerous. And I still got the scar to this day.” “Oh dear! Where is it?” Fluttershy asked concernedly. Nick blushed a bit. “I’d rather not say. But, yes, I lived with her for a bit, made some anti-sheep messages across town, got into some trouble, and… that’s about it.” “That’s it?” Judy asked. “And why did you went separate ways?” “Not entirely, Carrots. I made some deals to get her some tools, but other than that, I left because I was low and cash, and I spent some time in a Naturalist club, which also meant some time with Sheep. So, yeah, I found Honey’s ideology to be insane.” “Even with Bellwether?” “... Not so much.” “So… you don’t trust sheep?” “Just those in suits… and involved with conspiracies.” He chuckled. They arrived to what looked like a dumpster, complete with the awful smell of burning trash and the loud clanking of heavy machinery. The place was near a lake, and, upon first sight, Fluttershy noticed other animals on boats entering and exiting through a mass of trees, most likely leading to the Marshlands. Nick knocked on the door's entrance. “Back away!” the voice of a woman yelled behind the closed door. “Employees only!” “Relax, Honey,” Nick replied. “It's just me, your old pal, Nick.” The bottom of the door opened, revealing a container. “Proof!” The fox rolled his eyes and dropped the free honey samples. It closed, followed by tearing of some packets, and loud slurping. “May we enter now?” The door opened, revealing a Honey Badger wearing a green camo tank top and cargo pants. “Nick! It's been a while! I'm quite surprised to hear that you're a cop now.” “I may be a cop, but not a lot has changed.” “And I be a lion's uncle! You're Judy Hopps!... Or are you a sheep!?” She pulled out some shears, primed and ready. Judy took a step back, but took a calm, deep breath. “Relax… Honey,” She said, a tad bit uncomfortable. “I've been with Nick all day and he and our guest can assure that we aren't sheep.” “Hm… I've got my eyes on you.” She gestured, pointing her eyes at Judy with two of her claws. She turned to Fluttershy. “And who are you?” “Oh, um, I'm Fluttershy, Miss Honey. I'm fairly new here.” “...You're not here to take my job?” “... With respect, no. I'm just visiting… hopefully.” “Hm… don't touch nothing. Follow me.” They followed Honey inside. Judy gasped as she saw that the inside was more like a military bunker than an office, as the walls were hung with anti-sheep weapons billboards with pictures of other animals, some crossed out while others were circled with the question ‘sheep?’ next to them. “Uh, Miss?” Judy asked. “What is all of this about?” “From the Sheep uprising! Many say I'm mad, but it's true; the sheep are planning to take over Zootopia and the world!” “I… don't think they would.” Fluttershy replied. “Perhaps some, but not all.” “Those ‘Some’ are the ones with power! The others give them reports on everything else! I was right when Bellwether came into office as mayor; trying to make sure us predators were under watch while prey thrive.” “Miss,” Judy spoke. “That was a one time thing. And I don't think-” “MIND CONTROLLED!!!” Honey tackled Judy to the floor. “What the-!?” Honey grabbed a spray of liquid and aimed it at Judy. Both Nick and Fluttershy ran and took Honey off. “She needs to be cleaned!!!” “Easy there!” Nick said. “Let's keep a cool head here; what is that, and how is Judy ‘Brainwashed’? “She believed it was a one time thing! Brainwashed folks says it's a one time thing! We must spray here with the body water!” “Body water?” “... Oh dear.” Fluttershy commented, her cheeks turning green. Nick realized it and his cheeks perked up as well, but he swallowed. “Uh… hey, Honey? How about this? We discuss what we're doing next in another room, and my guest here will watch the ‘brainwashed’ rabbit. Sounds good?” “... If they touch anything…” Honey warned. “And they won't…. And put that bottle away, please?” Nick and Honey entered another room, closing the door behind them. It was only a few minutes, but it was enough for Fluttershy to help Judy get up and regain her former self. Nick and Honey exited the room, both a smile on their face. “Alright,” Honey spoke. “You can have my best boat, Betsie, as long as you take down that sheep supporter, Swine!” “...Sheep Supporter?” Fluttershy and Judy asked in unison. “Turns out, Smellwether and Swine are close friends.” Nick said, taking the keys from Honey. “And don’t you worry, Honey, we’ll stop that law from passing. One predator to another, eh?” “Heh! I hope so! She’s gonna get what all sheep supporters get!” Honey added, giving a slap to his bottom. “Now get going! That pig isn’t going down anytime soon! Boat’s in the back.” “Oh-hoho! Not on the scar, okay?” “Glad to see you still remember that.” Nick exited the building, followed by Judy and Fluttershy. Bestie was an airboat, and it wasn’t a new or clean boat, but neither was it filthy or run down. Nick paused and looked at it. “...Do any of you know how to control this thing?” “...I’ll get the manual.” Judy spoke. > Easier said than done. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nearly an hour later, and Betsy began moving. The loud whirring of Betsy's engine made Fluttershy squeak and fly above out of fear and instinct. This only made Nick snicker at the sight and Judy to roll her eyes. Fluttershy blushed and took her seat. She braced herself as the boat moved at a fast pace, greater than the trains back home. Honey saw them leave, but also Fluttershy flying. “... The end of the world is here.” She muttered to herself before pulling out a sign that read, ‘The End is Neigh’. The transition from the Meadowlands to the Marsh lands was noticeable. Instead of the otherwise quiet and bright fields, it was a loud and dark area that was also humid. The sound of frogs croaking, insects buzzing, and alligator hissing was imminent. “Are there alligators here?” Fluttershy asked. “Nah, that's just various machines with recorded sounds.” Nick answered. “Though there are plenty of frogs and bugs around. Ow!” he slapped his neck, presumably bit by a mosquito. “Glad I'm prepared for this.” Judy spoke, pulling out some bug repellant and spraying herself with it. “Need aaaa…” She froze as Fluttershy rubbed herself with mud, running her dress. Despite being covered in it, the Pegasus’s eyes popped out of the mud. “... It's a natural repellent.” She simply spoke. “... Right…” Nick replied, staying away from the mud dripping off of Fluttershy. “When that dries off, we're gonna have to get you a new dress… and a really hard scrub.” They kept driving, passing by some locals, who were also driving airboats, though a couple used regular boats. Fluttershy noticed that the majority of the locals were predators and, though they were in the same outfits as those in the Meadowlands, they were, for a lack of better words, dirty. However, they approached to the town, noticed by it's bright lights and Prench looking architecture. “Looks like this is our stop.” Nick said, still slapping the insects trying to bite him. He parked Betsy on the deck nearby and they made their way into the town. Fluttershy quickly wiped herself free from the dried up mud and noticed that the sound of the insects and frogs croaking went deaf as smooth Jazz played all over them. They walked into town, seeing more animals seemingly in a huge party with the jazz music now loud and upbeat. Both Fluttershy and Judy had a curious look on their faces. “It's not even Mardi Gras...” Judy spoke after looking after her watch. “I know that,” Nick answered. “This happens every month. And some advice: don't drink anything.” “Hm?” Fluttershy muffled as she drank a tankard. “What did you say? And why do I feel funny?” “I rest my case.” “... How long is that going to last?” Judy asked. Nick shrugged. “Who knows. But judging by Hayseed’s look, I'll probably say… an hour or two.” He waved his paw in front of her face. “You ok, Hayseed?” Fluttershy stared while wobbling to keep her balance. Whatever was in that drink, affected her almost immediately and the world began to turn while she saw double. Unbeknownst to the group, some animals pulled their phones and recorded Fluttershy as she stumbled in her steps, now lacking any sense of balance… and intelligence. “Oh… hey… Nickel…” She mumbled. “You look funny… like a wolf.” Nick sighed in slight annoyance. “This is going to be a tough one.” He grumbled to himself. “Come on, Hayseed, can you follow instructions?” His answer came in Fluttershy giving a salute, which was followed by her falling over and rolling onto Judy. “Hey! Get off!” Judy struggled. “So… comfy.” Fluttershy spoke, keeping the rabbit officer in a tight hug. Judy kept struggling, barely budging out of the mare's near Iron grip. Nick grabbed Judy's paws and pulled her out. He snapped his paws, getting her attention. “Hm? Wha-!?” “Focus, Hayseed.” Nick spoke. “You remember what we're doing?” “... I'm… gonna use… The stare.” “... Close enough. Hopefully, this'll be over pretty fast. Come on.” Nick lead the way with Judy up front. Fluttershy, however, clumsily followed with a hard lack of Hoof-Eye-coordination. ~~~ The trio made their way to a rally, seeing Ms. Swine on stage, with a coonhound wearing a cast on his right arm, with something cube-like under a blanket next to her. Unlike the town of the marshlands, this part was filled with cheap looking houses, surrounded and over the swampy floors below. “My fellow citizens,” Swine began in a professional tone. “I understand that a majority of you are predators, and you want a good reason to attend here and not join the party.” “Darn Tootin’!” A Bloodhound yelled. “And I'm certain that, like my other rallies, you'll find this law to be controversial.” The crowd bursted with shouts. “Why should I wear a stupid collar!?” “This ain't part of our rights!” “Go soak your head in mud!” “Any *HIC* pony have more?” Fluttershy hiccuped with a tankard. Judy smacked it out of her hooves. “Stop it!” she scolded. Fluttershy responded by another hug. “Rest assured to you all,” Swine continued. “This is not a means to take away your freedom, but to protect your family and loved ones from yourself. Mr. Cooper, please, explain.” She stepped off as the Coonhound stood and took the stand. “Uh… hello.” he spoke in a shy, but also down to earth tone. “Like you all, I too found this to be ridiculous, but overtime, there are benefits I found to consider. More specifically, right after… an incident.” A sheep wearing a vest & glasses, with considerably more wool, came on stage and pulled the sheets off of the cube. Inside was another fox, but now, it was feral, snarling everywhere and scratching the walls, attempting to get out and hunt. The crowd gasped and stood back with murmurs. “This is… or rather, was, my best friend, Tod. I don't know who'd want to hurt my friend, but it happened during our fishing and… and…” He began to tear up. Ms. Swine stood up and patted his back. “It's okay… it's not your fault.” She cooed before turning to the rally. “You see, someone must do something to stop these acts of terror and I am the one who's doing that. Wooly, if you please.” The same sheep saluted before putting on some armor, most of the wool disappearing and obscuring his eyes under the helmet. He pulled out a snare pole that ended with the collar. The sheep quickly opened a hatch and put the collar and pole into which the Fox began to bite the pole with more snarling. Soon, the collar was connected to the fox’s neck, seemingly locking up on itself, and beeped with green, yellow, and red lights. It began to only glow red, and a huge shock came to the Fox, making it yelp in pain and let go. A series of shocks came as the fox continued to snarl, but, after a few seconds, it cowered in a corner and stopped, looking more miserable. “This is so cruel.” Judy commented. “I want more fireworks.” Fluttershy slurred. Swine took the stand. “Now, most of you predators are in the mindset of, “What about our freedom!?” or, “Think of the children!” Well with these collars there are benefits. If you can recall of the Night Howlers, these collars can fully stop all ancestral instincts in all predators. We, as a city, don't want another surprise attack by a Feral predator! It's time for protection!” The same sheep from earlier came back and whispered into her ear as the crowd was in a mix between cheering and booing. “Hopefully, she's not going to be elected.” Nick commented. “Oh she won't.” Judy added. Swine left the stand. “Alright, let's see where she's going.” --- Ms. Swine and her sheep assistant were inside one the local, fancy hotels, with her taking a mud bath and her assistant ready with a towel. Her campaign has been bumpy, but she was confident that she was going to be elected mayor. Sure, the predators weren't going to be too happy with her, but she needs only the mass majority, I.E., the prey votes. Things were going to change. Knock knock. She stood up from her bath, covered in mud from head to toe. “That must be the wine I ordered.” She said aloud before snapping. Her assistant walked to the door, but- SLAM!!! The door was kicked open. Entering was an average sized rabbit wearing a pink button up shirt and blue jeans, a fox wearing a green & yellow, palm tree printed button up shirt and cargo pants, and a small, butter yellow horse with pink mane and matching tail, wearing a yellow dress and wore wings. She was probably dressing up as her favorite character from an anime. “Mrs. Swine! You are under arrest! Get down on the ground and put your hooves behind your head!” Judy shouted, pulling out some standard issue handcuffs. “On what charges?” Swine asked. “On the charges of causing political conspiracy, oppression of predators, and the disappearances of prey officers and assaults on predator officers! You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning!” Swine sat in the mud bath, looking at the Trio with an unsatisfied look, but smirked. “And do you have any evidence?” “We do,” Nick replied, turning to Fluttershy. “Go get ‘er, Hayseed!” “*Hic!*” Fluttershy hiccuped, taking large, unconditioned steps to Swine, before falling into the mud bath with a loud ‘Splat’. She giggled as she lifted her head, making snort noises. “Look, little bro! I'm a piggy! Oink, oink!” Swine gave a skeptical look before turning to an annoyed one. “How amusing.” she deadpanned. “... Uh… that's not how it's supposed to go, Hayseed.” Nick spoke, looking into the mud pit before turning to Judy. “A little help here, Carrots?” “No!” Judy replied. “This is my favorite shirt!” “Ah! Now you both look familiar!” Swine spoke, snapping her left hoof. The sheep that was with her quickly grabbed and put a gown onto her as she stood up, quickly covering her otherwise naked body. “Officers Hopps and Wild, the ZPD’s most unlikely duo. I must say, I really loved what you did with my old friend, Bellwether, and how you exposed her as the one behind the missing mammals and Nighthowlers.” “And we know that you're behind this!” Judy glared. “Me? What have I've done?” “You're behind the disappearances and Nighthowler incidents of our undercover officers.” Nick replied. “It only made sense, what with Smellwether’s lackeys in your house before it was burned down by you trigger happy friend.” “Friend? Oh, you silly fox, I am a pig of high standards, but there's no way that I'd stoop to such levels. … And what did you say that my house was burnt down?” “Yes!” Judy yelled. “Burnt down because you don’t want anyone to see that there’s a Nighthowler lab in your basement!” Judy demanded. “What!? A Nighthowler lab in my home!?” “Don't play innocent! We saw it with our own eyes! And your shooter!” “... Wooly? Did you know about this?” “No ma'am.” The sheep spoke in a high pitch, squeaky, but also bland tone that didn’t show much expression. “Liar!” Nick barked. “Those guys were making Nighthowlers, and you knew about it!” “I'm afraid not, sir.” He pulled out a folder from his wool, handing it to them. “In my experience, I've excelled in English, Mathematics, History, and physical education. However, as much as it pains me, I was bad in science.” Judy took the folder from him and opened it. Inside was the sheep’s education in his life, from grade school, all the way to Harvard; Everywhere, there were A’s, but, under general science and expansions, were C’s and D’s. “... Then why were they in that house?” Judy asked. Wooly took the folder back and put it back in his wool. “Reformation program that Swine allowed me to do. They were my friends and needed a place to stay. Swine allowed them to stay in the house and we've been moving some things out.” “And you burnt my house down?” Swine asked, now in a suit. “No!” Judy replied. “Your shooter did! The one you paid for!” Again, Wooly pulled out another folder, this time, it was filled with accounts and numbers. “I keep track of her money. So far, she's only been paying me as her assistant… unless you're assuming I'm her shooter.” “Uh… you don’t look like… well…” “A wolf.” Nick interrupted. “But you probably paid him. Why’d you have him shoot your friends with Nighthowler!?” “Nick!” “...What?” Wooly asked, his tone going a bit more confused. “Someone shot my friends with Nighthowler?” “Uh… y-yes.” Judy answered. “They’re in the hospital right now, getting the treatment, but it’s going to-” “Enough!” Swine spoke up, hanging up a cellphone in her hands. “I suggest you two leave now. I have an important client coming in.” She patted Wooly on his head. “And you wouldn’t like my assistant when he’s angry.” “Oh no,” Nick replied. “We aren’t going anywhere, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” “...Really? Not even with a reality check that you’re crooked cops?” “What!?” Judy asked “We’re not crooked!” “You can tell yourself that, but the truth is right here.” Swine pulled out yet another folder right out of Wooly’s wool, tossing various photos at Judy’s feet “Ms. Judy Hopps, top of your class and first rabbit officer. Though you did solve your missing mammals case in the 72 hours provided by Chief Bogo, you believed yourself to be above the law by blackmailing your future partner, Nick Wilde, searching without a warrant in various locations, including yesterday, and becoming associated with a notorious crime boss, or shall I say, Tundra Town’s Mr. Big.” Judy gave a blank stare that shattered her own mind. It was one thing to see that even she was prejudiced against Nick, but to be told that she’s a crooked cop… that’s a whole other level of disappointment in her. “Hey! Can it, bacon!” Nick barked. “There is no way Judy is crooked as you said! She saved Mr. Big’s daughter and became friends; she didn’t seek him and join him.” “Of course she didn’t.” Swine replied, now sounding pretty disturbing while in a calm tone. “But we know you did with plenty of years of tax evasion. So you’re probably more of the crooked one, fox, especially with… her.” Fluttershy was in the mud making what could only be described as ‘Mud Angels’. “Illegally bringing, and using, an immigrant for both of your case. I must say, she’s developing quite the reputation as a violator to all animal rights with her brain washing techniques, especially while dressed up as one of her favorite Anime characters. Do you watch anime? I don’t know who she’s dressed up as.” “... That’s… her regular look.” “... Hm, to each their own, I guess. And how old is she? She looks quite young to be intoxicated.” “Uh… twenty one?” “I’m twenty, piggy!” Fluttershy mumbled, flopping onto the ground, covered head to toe in mud. “Zephy! The monster is *hic!* coming!” Both Nick and Judy’s eyes widened. “Oh sweet cheese and crackers.” Judy swore. “You’re right.” Swine spoke. “This is going to be serious jail time for all of you.” “Oh yeah!?” Nick replied. “How so.” “Voicemail.” Wooly spoke, pulling out a phone from his wool, which was on call the whole time, dialed to 911. Both Nick and Judy felt like they were punched hard in the metaphorical face. “Busted.” Swine mocked. “Oh, and just to let you know, I’m also one of Zootopia’s best lawyers.” She pulled out a purse from Wooly, showing them her licence. “And that deer you interrupted yesterday? He’s one of my top clients. It’s his word against yours.” Another metaphorical punch. “W-We better get going!” Nick stuttered. As if the stars were aligned and against them, the sound of police sirens arrived outside. “... Oh pooh.” It didn’t take long for the officers to come in and arrest the three. Both Judy and Nick followed the orders, not wanting more charges and jail time on them, though Fluttershy had to wear some cloth over her large eyes, worried that she may use her stare to get one of their best officers to let her out and aid in her escape. But, being intoxicated didn’t make her seem much of a criminal mastermind now, though it was better safe than sorry. The real deal breaker was that Chief Bogo was there, giving a stern, near furious look at the trio. It was enough to make Judy tear up as she sat in the back of the police cruiser with Nick. “... Hopefully, she won’t be elected.” Nick spoke, patting Judy’s head, attempting to help her feel a bit better. Their car drove, bringing them to the closest holding station before court began. Bogo clenched his forehead, sighing in anger. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.” He muttered to himself. His phone rang. As much as he wanted to ignore it, Bogo picked it up. “Chief Bogo.” “Is the horse with you?” A familiar voice on the other line spoke. “... Sir? What do you-?” “Is that horse still with you?” “... Yes.” “What are you going to do with her?” “We’re going to find out which country she came from and deport her there. I was so stupid, sir. I should’ve-” “Bring her to me.” “... Sir?” “Bring her to me, Chief. I’d like to get to know her myself. Nothing else.” “... Is this like the missing mammals case, sir?” “Oh no, nonono. I think we can help each other this time, Bogo. I expect to meet her in the next twelve hours. Understand? “... Yes, sir.” > Seperated > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The trial went terribly. To save time explaining, Ms. Swine was too good for their lawyer and all the evidence, including some security footage, pointed to them being crooked cops. Though Fluttershy wasn't there, the jury agreed that she was near terrorist levels of danger, and seemed to be something out of a comic book. As for Nick and Judy… as mentioned, the evidence was stacked against them, and both would have to go to jail for a long time. However, Nick got the shorter end of the stick and has to serve longer, due to his tax evasion, and had to undergo a program that, if he were able to pass, would let him out of jail a bit faster, but not very much.   “Well… it was nice being with you, carrots.” Nick spoke, unsure how this will all go.   “... Same thing here.” Judy nervously swallowed as some of her fellow officers came and placed handcuffs around her and Nick’s wrists’. “I hope Fluttershy’s alright.”   “Knowing her, I think she’s going to be just fine.”   Fluttershy “Ow… my head.” The pegasus groaned as her vision was blurry. However, her vision was not just blurred, but was covered by a burlap sack. Light came through the stitching, but she couldn’t tell where she was, nor see anything past it. What made her freak out a bit more was the fact that her hooves were tied to a chair, restricting her movements to nothing more but her chair bouncing.   “Who are you?” A charismatic and prideful of a man asked.   “Wha-!? Who’s there? Discord? Is that you?”   “No, someone else. I’ll repeat; who are you?”   “Um… I’m Fluttershy, sir. Uh… w-what happened? I-I took a sip and felt a bit woozy and… wh-where am I?”   “With me. Now, what are you doing here?”   “Uh… I-I didn’t know about this place, actually. I-”   “You never heard of Zootopia!?”   “Oh dear, please don’t be mad, sir. I-I’m new here, actually. I didn’t hear about this place until just a few days ago. I’m sorry if you’re hurt.”   “... No no, don’t worry, it’s just my pride for my city. Now, where did you come from?”   “Ponyville, sir.”   “... Ponyville?” He began to snicker.   “Y-yes, sir. It’s a small village in Equestria.”   “Equestria? Never heard of it.”   “I-It’s okay, I understand.”   “Where’s it located?”   “... Excuse me?”   “Where’s it located?”   “... Um… It’s… it’s a bit complicated, actually.”   “Record this, Doctor.”   “Yes, sir.” A woman’s voice spoke.   “Where is it?”   “... Um… would you believe if I said that I’m from a ... different Dimension?” Fluttershy simply asked. Silence fell upon the room.   “... WHAT!?!?!?”   Judy It was the first time Judy went to prison, and she felt like her ancestors before civilization. She wore the standard prison, but just by the other prisoners around, they had more history than she could ask. All of the animals in there were female, as for standard prison rules, and a couple of them were prisoners that Nick and her arrested in the previous six months of their partnership. They gave her dagger-like stares, filled with contempt, and a few whispering to each other, either about her with them, and/or how they’re going to get back at her. It was lucky that prison bars held Judy from potential danger… for the moment, that is. The officer leading her, who was a lion herself, shoved Judy ahead when she stopped to see something that caught her attention.   “Alright! Here’s your cell, ‘officer’.” The lion spoke in a mocking way, opening the door to her cell. Judy swallowed as, in the cell, was a hyena. The hyena was grey with black spots, and a black hairstyle with five prominent bangs hanging over her face and a mane that reaches all the way to her bangs. Along with the standard prison outfit she wore, the hyena had on a muzzle over her mouth and, much to Judy’s surprise, a taming collar on her neck. Judy had heard of the stereotype that hyenas were a bit on the crazy side, but this hyena was twitching, almost as if she was going insane. The officer, with her baton, hit the wall, making the hyena jump and yelp in surprise.   “Banzai! Ed!” The hyena yelled, looking around frantically.   “Not exactly.” The officer replied, pushing Judy in. “Say hello to your new friend, Shenzi. Get yourselves acquainted.” She slammed the door, leaving the two alone. Judy nervously swallowed again, not wanting to make any sudden moves. She watched the Hyena’s movements, seeing all the little twitches she made, right on the verge of either going normal or attacking. The collar beeped and changed from green to yellow. She immediately reacted, whimpering like a dog, heading the device’s warning very well.   “... Uh… hi.” Judy spoke, carefully walking to the hyena. “I-I’m Judy… who are you again?”   “... Shenzi.” she replied. “But you know that already.”   “I heard. Uh… so… what are you in for?”   “... I don’t know. It would be the standard gang activities, but… I don’t remember anything.”   “Did… did it have something to do with that collar?”   “I… I think so. There have been moments where I go… crazy… and this things snaps me out of it. It’s painful, but, it helps a lot.”   “And that muzzle?”   “The officers said that I attacked my friends before I came here. I know I get mad at those two idiots, and will get into a fight with them, but trying to maul them? This has to be something that they made up to get me locked up in here! I swear, if I get out of here, I’m going to-” The collar turned red and zapped Shenzi. It made her scream in pain, making Judy jump back and gasp at the sight. “AHH!!! Stupid collar! I wasn’t-!” Another zap. Instead of yelling back, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. In a few moments, the collar turned back to yellow, then green.   “... Are you alright?”   “... Yeah… I’m so glad that I’m not alone with this.”   “Y-you’re not the only one?”   “Every predator has to wear this. Doesn’t matter what you did; land here and you wear these stupid collars.”   “... Oh, Nick.”   Nick It wasn’t the first time he landed in prison, but he hoped that this would be his last. Of course, back then, he was still working with Mr. Big, and he was bailed out with each sentence, but this was going to be the first time he had to serve a full sentence. Like Judy, as mentioned, there were many criminals that he and Judy had arrested before, and each of them glared at him with contempt and whispers of him landing in jail (with a few others saying he’s back), and how they can get back at him. However, the officer leading him, a bull, quickly put a muzzle over his face.   “What the-!?” Nick yelled in shock, quickly regaining that tragic memory he had with the Junior Rangers Scouts. “Hey! What gives!? I didn’t bite anyone!”   “Safety.” The bull answered, pulling a ketch all pole and putting the ring around Nick’s neck. It was at this moment that Nick began to panic.   “W-Wait! I’m not a rabid animal! Think what you’re doing!”   “This is Officer Otis! I need assistance!” Some of the officers that weren’t busy quickly ran in. Nick tried his best to free himself, quickly flashing back and forth from his past to the present. One of the officers held Nick down as another pulled out a taming collar, putting it on Nick’s neck. It began to beep, registering itself to Nick’s body, only making the fox squirm.   “Easy, there!” The officer holding Nick, a wolf, spoke. “Just calm down!”   “I-I can’t! Not like this!” He squirmed his way out of the wolf’s grasp, running into the wall, trying to get the collar off his neck. “Get it off! Get it-!” It beeped red, shocking Nick. The pain was as painful as it looked in that demonstration; he fell to the floor, feeling all the volts running through his body, seriously hurting him and making him feel a bit weak. However, he continued to try to get the collar off, not taking the first zap as a warning to stop. He panicked even more. “Someone! Help! Get this off! Get this-!” Another zap. He still continued to move erratically, but was slower, and felt his vision become weak. “P-please… mom… dad… help…” One final zap was needed. He fell to the floor, unconscious. The officers walked up to him.   “Poor fellow. It pains me every time to see this.”   “Not for me.” Another one, this one a badger, replied. “Who’s gonna take him to his cell?” The other two glared at him. “... Fine, but you’re doing the next ones!”   Fluttershy   “Too far?” Fluttershy simply asked.   “Of course it’s too far!” The male voice roared… literally. “Parallel dimensions now!? First, the night-howlers, then you arrived, and now, alternate universes!? This is starting to feel like a bad story that Smellwether wrote!”   “Smellwether?... Oh my goodness! You knew her!?”   “Oops… Uh… p-pretend you didn’t hear that!” The door slammed open as someone hopped in.   “Mayor Lionheart!” A somewhat deep, but very cautious sounding male spoke in a bit of a panicked tone. “Gary called and has found out that…” He paused and a long pause came. The other voice let out a heavy sigh that was filled with disappointment.   “Larry… get out… now.”   “Y-yes, sir.” Larry ran out.   “Mayor!?” Fluttershy asked “Ooh! You can help me! I’m on a case with Officer Hopps and Wilde, and I think you-”   “No.”   “...No? B-But… there are missing animals, and a shooter, and Miss Swine must be involved and-” The burlap sack over her face came off. She was face to face with a Big, but slender lion with large mane, brown eyes, and a pale blue shirt under dark blue suit that had a red tie with gold clip. Fluttershy and the lion stared at each other for a bit, with a few blinking from both sides. “... Oh! You’re a lion!... How didn’t I notice?”   “... Aren’t you afraid?”   “... No, why?”   “Because I’m a lion, and you’re a pony.”   “... I see that, but I have no reason to be afraid.”   “And what is your reason that you shouldn’t be afraid of me?”   “... Because under all of that, you’re just a big puddy tat!” He stared at her rather confused.   “That’s… an interesting answer… I suppose.” he sighed again. “And I’m sorry, but I can’t help.”   “B-but why not? We have the evidence needed, and-”   “You were that intoxicated, weren’t you?”   “... What?”   “You drank something.”   “... Well, if it’s water, then-”   “No. You drank something and started to act funny. You weren’t coordinated and your plans to arrest Swine were backfired quickly because of your actions.”   “... Oh… oh no! Wh-what happened!?”   “They’re arrested and are in prison.”   “Prison!?” The feeling of disappointment smacked Fluttershy harder than how Maud punched the boulder that was about to crush Pinkie into nothing but rubble. All she could imagine was all of the terrible things that would happen to them, with Nick held in some sort of cage, and Judy being fed as a snack to some large predator. She began to hyperventilate, sweating much harder than her time in flight camp. Her focus came back as Lionheart snapped his paw right at her face.   “Settle down there. Just breathe. Follow me.” He demonstrated with some deep breaths. Fluttershy followed, finding it to be somewhat relaxing, but was still unsure about Nick and Judy’s fate. “There. Better?”   “A little bit… um… w-what’s going to happen to them? Are they… are they going to be fine?”   “Oh, they should be fine… well… maybe the fox if he follows their protocols.”   “Nick!? W-what’s going to happen to him!?”   “Breathe.” Fluttershy slowed herself down. “Well, every prisoner that’s a predator has to wear a taming collar. It supposedly controls them from going feral, but I think it’s bully.”   “C-controlling predators from going feral?” ‘I don’t want to sound mean, but I think it’s better safe than sorry.’   “Yep. Some sort of shock to bring them back into reality. But, as I said, I think it’s the worst idea ever! I may not be the best mayor ever, but I believe that every animal deserves freedom, no matter who they are!”   “... Wow… that’s… very nice of you.”   “Trust me, it’s the truth. Only characters should be judged, not their ancestry! But, if it were ancestry, I’d be safe; I come from a long line of noble rulers.”   “Like Royalty?”   “Yes!... Okay, not really… more or less from my father’s brother’s cousin’s side of the family… but I have pride for that, I won’t lie.”   “Oh, that’s nice.”   “But I need help for my reelection, and I think you’re the key to that!”   “Me!? The key!? H-how!?”   “Oh, everyone’s been watching you, Fluttershy. Your strange gift to tame animals, your otherwise innocent behavior, those mechanical wings you wear, you-”   “Um, not to be rude or anything, but these are my real wings, sir.”   “... They’re real?”   “I was born with them, sir. I-I’m sorry if you didn’t know.”   “... Hmm, I’ll have to take a note on that. But, with your skills, I’m certain we can help each other out here.”   “How?”   “As you can tell, Ms. Swine is about to run for office, and, as a win-win, if I win, not only will her prejudice collars fail to pass through, but I will have a greater chance to becoming president!”   “... And me?”   “Oh yes, I’m getting to that. Well, I will give you full amnesty for you, and your friend’s, crimes, and will personally have all the paperwork cleared to let you become a full citizen of Zootopia!”   “... That… that sounds great!” She already imagined herself standing near the mayor’s office as an audience of animals stood there, taking pictures of her, accepting her citizenship as a member of their city. Something that would be frightening with other ponies suddenly turned into the most exciting dream for her… but she snapped out of it. “Oh dear, if I do that, then… would I be able to see my friends again?”   “... Come again?”   “My friends in Ponyville! Oh, how long will I be away!? How will Angel react? How will Discord react!? How will Equestria be if-”   “Settle down, okay!? Yeesh, you’re almost as bad as Smellwether when she first joined.”   “I’m sorry, but I need to get home, or else-”   “In due time, okay? With some help from our professor over here, we may help you find your back, but that’s if-” The door opened again. Entering was a dark brown wolf with light blue eyes wearing a black trench coat over a teal top.   “Mayor Lionheart!” He spoke in that same voice that revealed Lionheart’s name. “Please, this is urgent news!”   “Ugh! Can’t you see I’m busy!”   “But Gary may have a lead!”   “... A lead?”   Judy Lunch time had arrived to the cells. As crazy as Shenzi was at first, she had the excuse of unknowingly being shot by some Nighthowler and experimented on by Swine with the taming collar. That, and she had no beef with Judy, not unlike some of the other prisoners that had some idea to seriously injure the not so innocent rabbit. For her protection, she stuck with the hyena, as some of the prisoners were also weary of her twitches.   Much to the rabbit’s disgust, the food served was slop that, while had some carrots in it, seemed to be a mix of various fruits, vegetables, fish, and bugs. If she hadn’t lost her lunch then, she was certainly close to now. But, she treaded on, taking a seat next to the hyena on the round table, who also sat next to a liones. The Lioness was a tanned fur, scrawny looking, but had lean muscles all over her, with red eyes, a small notch in her right ear, and a dark stripe down the center of her head. It didn’t do Judy much to learn that the lioness’ name was.   “Zoro! How you doin?” The hyena asked.   “It’s Zira.” The lioness replied with an annoyed tone, too focused on her food. “Whatever. So, what’s new?”   “Same old, as with everyone else.” she then looks over to see Shenzi’s little bunny buddy. “And who are you?”   “Officer Judy Hopps. Or, at least I was.”   “So you’re the one that stopped that night howlers case, right?”   “Yes… but I wasn’t alone.”   “I heard.”   “... Not much a talker, are you?”   “Nope.”   “She’s just jealous that her son didn’t win election those many years ago.” Shenzi simply added. “It was close, up until they found her rigging the machines.”   “I was fixing them.” She simply replied.   “She’s a terrible liar as well.” Zira’s collar turned green to orange as the lioness let out a growl, but took a deep breath, making it turn back to green.   “Yeesh.” Judy only spoke, scooting away from the two.   “Like you and your gang of misfits were any better.” Zira replied, her collar turning back to orange. “Working for that lowlife boss of yours in the Oasis casino. You’re glad your bunny friend and her fox weren’t there to see what you were doing.”   “We were just security.” Shenzi replied. “But I wonder who that Louis guy was.”   “WHAT!?” Judy asked with a jump.   Nick. Nick woke up with a groan, his vision blurred with images coming in and out of focus. He swore that he heard the laughter of those kids from the Junior Ranger scouts. All he could feel was something metallic wrapped around his neck, not necessarily choking him, but it was tight. His paws felt the metallic object, but his ears twitched as soon as he heard some beeping noises. With a jump, he saw himself in a cell, and, turning to a mirror, saw himself wearing one of those taming collars.   “W-What the-!?” Panic took over the fox as he tried to pull the collar right off. It turned orange, giving some more deeper beeps. “HEY! Get this thing off of me! I’m not some kind of- GAH!!!” It turned red and delivered a large zap around his body, making him freeze and fall to the floor with a few twitches. His heart beated rapidly as did his breathing, having his childhood of prey ridiculing him for being born a predator. Before he could even reach for the collar again, another zap came, stopping Nick in his tracks. With that last one, his vision became blurred, but he shook his head, seeing a hippo officer walk by. “H-Hey! Officer!”   “Huh?” The Hippo turned to Nick.   “Please, do me a solid and get this freakin thing off my- OW!!!” Another Zap.   “Sorry, it’s a new program we’re doing.”   “New program!? What, treating predators like some sort of animal!? Making prey feel safe with us wearing these stupid- GAH!!!” Zap.   “It’s not my call, sir. You better get used to it, or there’s going to be major problems for you.”   “But I’m an officer! I’m not some wild animal! I’m like you!”   “You were like us. Besides, it’s for your safety, as well as ours.” He walked away.   “NO! WAIT!!! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!!! THIS CAN’T BE-” The final zap.   It was a couple moments before Nick woke up again. While he did get a couple more zaps, he found it to be a waste of time, effort, and strength to even try to get his collar off, as it would result with yet another painful zap around his body. He just gave up. The time he was going to have in prison was limited, but the collar would be a lifetime. All he could think of was the injustice brought to not just him, but some of the other predators wearing their own collar, even if some of them did deserve to wear them. To most of the officers, and other prisoners, he quickly learned to follow protocol, though in reality, he was screaming internally. He received the slob they were serving, very disgusted at the sight of it, but sighed and sat nearby another fox and a rather dopey looking cat.   “Can’t believe we’re now in here, Gideon,” The Fox spoke to his partner. “Years of living the high and easy life, trashed down by that new boss at the Oasis casino!” The cat only nodded. “But, we should not worry, old friend. When this is all over, we’ll be right back up our feets, even with these… unsavoury collars on.”   ‘Thank you Mr. Exposition.’ Nick only thought, taking a spoonful of the glob.   “Of course, how did a popsicle hustler get to become the boss?” It was then that Nick spat his spoonful out.   “What!?”   Fluttershy    Fluttershy stood on her hind legs, wearing a blue sundress now, watching Lionheart and the wolf, named Larry, talking to one another.   “Are you sure about this?” Lionheart asked. “If this is a bust, this will put a serious dent in my campaign.”   “It is, sir.” Larry replied. “Gary may get distracted from howling and some shiny objects, but he’s certain that whatever’s happening, it’s at the Oasis Casino.”   “Hm, well, unless we’re certain, we’re gonna have to send her and the two others while undercover.”   “Yeah… how are we gonna cover her wings?”   “I… don’t know. I thought they were fake, but they’re real, and I certainly don’t want to hurt the key to my success.”   “... And the freedom for predators, right?”   “Uh, yes, also that.”   “Um, excuse me,” Fluttershy spoke, waddling to them rather adorably. “If it helps, I can wear a backpack to cover my wings. It’s not gonna hurt, and I’m sure my friends and I are going to carry some important stuff around, like evidence.”   “Yes! Give her a backpack! Camelback, if it’s available.”   “Yes, sir!” Some other wolves spoke from right behind Fluttershy, making her jump with a squeak.   “And as for you, Larry.” Lionheart pointed at the informer. “You and your friend are going to bail those two officers out, and have them go undercover our pony here.”   “On it.” He nodded, pulling a cellphone and dialing it, walking away to get some space. Lionheart turned to Fluttershy.   “I don’t want to make you worried, but you and your friends only have about five days to solve this case. If I know my citizens well, many of them don’t vote until the final day, and hopefully, this new program won’t go into full force.” Fluttershy nervously swallowed.   “A-And if we don’t?”   “You’re quite smart. You know what happens.” A shiver fell down Fluttershy’s spine, making her tingle all over. It was then that Larry came back and hung his phone.   “Alright, Gary’s on it.” He spoke. “Shall we take the car?”   “Oh yes,” Lionheart answered. “Take the car.”   “...The car?” Fluttershy asked.   Turns out, the car was a rather crummy, beetle-like vehicle that was going VERY slow. Despite being a fan of slow herself, the pegasus kinda wanted Flash with his car back, as they’d most likely arrive there in a few minutes instead of what felt like hours. All she could do was at least admire the sight of the city… even if she was going to see each building for more than ten minutes. In that case, all she could do was dose off and at least rest her eyes until they picked up Nick and Judy.        As soon as Nick and Judy laid in their own bed, they both had some ideas on how to escape their cell. For Nick, it was more than likely going to smooth talk his way to get some guys to do what he wanted, and for Judy, it probably had more to do with acrobatics and avoiding getting caught. But, as luck would have it, a guard came to their cells and told them they were being bailed out from someone who claims to be their friend. It was confusing, to say the least, but they took it, both seeing their bailer was one of the wolves that Judy made them howl when they busted Lionheart’s operation. Unfortunately, for Nick, he had to keep on wearing the collar around his neck. An awkward silence fell, but that was short as they walked out and saw each other.   “Nick!” Judy screamed, running to the fox.   “Judy!” Nick replied, running to her. They both gave each other a large, warm hug before releasing each other. "Nick... is that-?" "Yeah. I wanted it off, but I can't." "Oh... oh my gosh... that's horrible!" "Oh yeah, but I have some good news." "Same thing here!"   “We have to go to the Oasis Casino!” They spoke in unison. An awkward silence fell as they stared at each other. Then the car with Fluttershy opened, revealing the pegasus, who ran out and hugged the two in what could be considered a death grip for the two.     “Oh, I’m so sorry for this!” She spoke with a tear falling down. “I shouldn’t have drunk any of those drinks! I’ll make it up to you two somehow! Please, forgive me!” The sound of wheezing only came from the two. “Oh dear! Sorry!” She released the two. “Um, I don’t know want to sound rude, but we have to get to the Oasis Casino and-”   “We know.” Nick and Judy spoke.   “... Oh… really?” They nodded. She only blushed. “Right… uh… sorry for that. But you know why?”   “The boss has something to do with Louis.” Judy spoke.   “And I know the boss, actually.” Nick added.   “You do?” Both ladies asked.   “Oh yeah. We go way back.” Some honking was heard from the car.   “Let’s go!” Larry spoke. The white wolf that got Nick and Judy out of jail entered the car’s passenger seat.   “Oh! I forgot to say this,” Fluttershy said. “But Lionheart’s doing his best to support us, but we only have 5 days to complete this case.”   “5 days!?” Nick and Judy asked in shock.   “... Anyone else getting a serious case of Déjà Vu?” Nick asked. More honking.   “Come on!” Larry barked. The trio entered the car, buckling themselves in.   “To the casino!” Judy ordered. The car moved… at a snail’s pace.   “... You know I’m here, right?” Gary asked.   “Right, forgot about that.” Larry replied. He stepped on the gas peddle. The car went zooming away, leaving the trio to scream for their lives once again.    > Feeling Foxy > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After another near death experience with a speeding vehicle, which made Judy question about the traffic laws of Zootopia, they all had arrived to Sahara Square, and the Oasis Casino. The night made the casino’s all the brighter to Fluttershy, which was modeled to look like a palm tree. They were pulled in front the Oasis Casino, with Garry throwing Nick a trench coat, Judy some glasses, and Fluttershy a backpack. “Put these on.” Larry instructed “You may be on a case, but we can’t afford any suspicion around.” “So you’re having us put on these obvious, large clothes?” Nick asked. “And you’re fine with showing everyone seeing that you’re wearing a shock collar?” Gary replied. “... Fine.” All three put on their disguises and got out of the car, with Larry paying the valet to park their car somewhere. Fluttershy had only been in Las Pegasus once as a filly, and this place was about 10 times worst. Were it not for the fact that it was animals and not ponies around, she would just be cowering, as the many loud noises of the machines with the added groans and cheers of the patrons winning or losing was heard throughout the place. Judy lead the way. “Alright, we just have to speak to the manager about this.” She spoke, leading the small group ahead to the Manager’s office. Fluttershy kept close to Judy’s back, practically hugging her like she would with Angel Bunny, much to the rabbit’s annoyance. The group peaked over a corner, seeing the Manager was guarded by two zebras, both of which looked inverted from each other in their black and white stripe patterns. “Zebras, eh?” Nick asked. “Thought he would use hyenas.” “Actually, they’re all arrested.” Judy replied. “...What?” “I spoke with one of them. You probably didn’t see them.” “No,  I spoke with their entertainers.” “What!?” “Can we get going?” Larry asked, gently pushing Fluttershy to the zebras. “Go and do your thing.” “M-me!?” Fluttershy asked, a sudden drop of fear made her shiver wildly. “B-but I can't-!” “Did you just hear something?” One of the zebras asked. “Sounded like it came from over there.” The other answered. “Just get out there.” Larry shoved Fluttershy into the middle of the hallway. The butter yellow pegasus froze and shivered as she made eye contact with the zebras. Garry’s tail wagged excitedly. “Ooh, I want to see this!” The two zebras saw Fluttershy with a confused look. The left one pulled out a radio. “Hey, security, we have a lost filly. ” The one guard with the radio spoke. “Yellow coat, pink mane, wearing a blue backpack with dress. “..... I-I,.....” Fluttershy tried to speak. It only resulted in her stuttering with her words, with her knees shaking, and teeth clacking. “... Is that how she does it?” Garry asked. “No, not at all.” Judy replied. “Miss, did you lose your parents?” One of the zebra guards asked. Fluttershy just fell to the floor and whimpered, covering her face with her hooves. The two guards were dumbfounded looking at each other, not sure what to do. “Miss, please don’t panic.” One guard kneeled down itching his head not sure what to do. The other face palmed and carefully picked Fluttershy up. “It’s ok miss, will help you find your parents.” Fluttershy looked up at them and teared up, the two guards and Fluttershy walked away from the door with Fluttershy looking back at her friends. Nick groaned and walked out. “Oh, there you are, Sweetie!” Nick spoke, acting like a father. “How many times have we told you.” “Is this filly yours?” One zebra asked. His eyebrow raised suspiciously looking at the fox. “Oh yes, yes she is.” Nick spoke. “She’s my sweet little baby girl.” The guards didn’t look like they were buying it both of them seemed to not trust the fox unhappy grins were stretching across their faces. “Oh sweetie you found her.” Judy walked up to Nick. Nick blanked a bit confused but kept up the sway. “Thank you both so much for finding our daughter.” Judy smiled brightly. “Um,... Wait a rabbit, a fox, and a filly?” One of the zebras asked scratching his head in confusion. “We’re… a progressive family.” Nick replied. “My wife and I meet at work and we just couldn’t stop loving each other, right sweetheart?” “Yep I just couldn’t stay away from his handsome devil.” Judy reach over wrapping her arm around Nick’s shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek, Nick blushed a bit a light red blush forming under his copper fur. “And our sweet little girl, she was all alone in the orphanage,...” Judy worked up some tears. “We just couldn’t leave her there, she needed a mommy and daddy that would love her and take care of her.” The guards stern behavior had seemed to have washed over by some sympathy to the couple and the filly. “Well,...” One of the guards hiccuped. Fluttershy ran to Nick and Judy scooping them both up in a hug both Judy and Nick were surprised by this, but kept up the act. “Oh mommy, daddy I’m sorry I wondered off.” Fluttershy whimpered squeezing them both in her tight hug, they both looked like they were running out of breath. “It’s,... ok,... Sweetheart....” Nick managed to say while gasping for air. “Well alright, just keep an eye on your daughter please. We don’t need kids wandering around this big place.” One guard put some sunglasses on hiding some of the tears in his eyes. “Thank you,.... G-gentlemen.” Judy managed to speak. Fluttershy stood letting Judy and Nick gasp for air. “Ok sweetheart let’s go now.” They walked between the guards before walking into the manager’s office, locking the door behind them. “... Wait a minute!” The other guard yelled, suddenly realizing what just happened. “I don’t really know, but I’m gonna call mom and tell her I love her.” The one guard wearing the sunglasses hiccuped. “...Not what I had in mind,” Larry said. “But it worked.” “...Should we handle these two guys?” Gary asked. “Yeah. We should.” Judy, Nick and Fluttershy walked into the office. It was a large room with many exercises on the walls, swords from foreign countries, paintings of jungles, and a small planted tree in the corner of the room, with it’s branches having grown out, almost like it would go through the roof. “Ok, before we start,” Nick spoke. “You can handle any big, terrifying creature, but you can’t handle other horses!?” “I-I,.. I’m sorry Mr. Nick,....” Fluttershy whimpered. “I thought I told you all.” “Hey it’s ok kiddo.” Nick put a paw on her shoulder. “We all have our weaknesses.” “Look alive.” Judy whispered pointing to the desk with the large black chair turned to the wall. They slowly made their way to the wooden desk, both of them not sure what to Judy walked up and knocked on the desk. “How many times do I have to tell you? Do not disturb me when I’m listening to my music!” A deep voiced boomed throughout the room making Fluttershy jump. “S-Sir,... We need your help.” Judy asked. The chair slowly began to turn both Judy, Nick and Fluttershy backed up not sure what or who would be on the other side of this chair. The chair turned and facing the three was a small, baby fox. “Oh! A puppy!” Fluttershy cheered, picking up the baby and cooing with him. “No! Hayseed!” Nick yelled. “That’s-!” “What the-!? Who does this girl think she is!?” The ‘Puppy’ shouted in that deep voice. Fluttershy let out an eep and dropped the fox, the small canine flopped down onto his desk shaken by the sudden full body squeeze. Dusting himself off and fixing his suit he looked up at the three tall animals, looking very displeased. “Wait, Finnick runs the casino now?” Judy asked. “Yeah, I was surprised when I heard that as well.” Nick replied. “Yeah. See where husslin’ will take ya?” Finnick replied with a sly grin. “So what‘cho want? Here to find a better job than being a part of the fuzz?” “Uh… sorry, we’re here for something rather important, something that a certain duo spoke of.” “And what the old boss and head of security had.” Judy added, giving a stern look. Finnick gave a worried look. “Oh no, I am NOT touching on that!” He spoke. “There’s no way I’m going to risk going behind bars for ‘doing the right thing’.” “It won’t be like that, Finnick, I promise.” Nick spoke up. “Nah! I’m not gonna risk it, you guys go find someone else to be the fall guy!” “Oh please Mr. Finnick. Please.” Fluttershy asked her eyes grew wide giving the small fox a whimper. “No. N. O.” Judy impatiently tapped her foot. “Might as well do it.” She spoke. “Do what? That thing you do with your eyes? I’ve seen the video, and I can say, that’s completely-” Fluttershy opened her eyes and did the Stare on Finnick. Finnick jumped at the sudden change in the pony making him fall backwards. “Hey,... Stop that!” Finnick had a look of horror on his face as Fluttershy started, almost to the point that she was directly looking into his soul. The world around his eyes darkened as he felt himself falling down into the abyss. Finnick shuttered trying to back away but only finding the edge of his desk he shivered and curled up in small fluffy ball. Fluttershy stopped and then gently picked him, holding him like a baby. “It’s alright, it’s alright, I’m sorry I didn’t want to that.” She cooed rubbing his back bringing his tiny form to her cheek giving him more gentle pets trying to stop the shivering from the small ball of fluff. “Um,.. Maybe we went to far?” Judy looked at Nick confused. “Ugh! Fine! Fine!” Finnick growled pulling away from Fluttershy’s grasp, Fluttershy loosed and let him jump out. “Alright I’ll,... I’ll help… but to get away from her!” He walked around his desk and pulled some files out. “Alright, basically, the old boss, and a few of her close workers, were all connected to the guy you’re looking for, Louis.” “We figured.” Nick replied. “Yeah, anyways, when this whole thing started, the missing mammals cases, the one where you two got into, the old boss used the old underground system here, taking a shortcut through the nocturnal district, and to the docks of Outback island.” “Wait, this is a huge path?” Judy asked. “I don’t know. Never too it. But, they took this job from one of Bellweather’s contacts, and that contact knew Louis.” “And who is this person!?” Finnick looked around nervously. “... It’s-” The sounds of wolves snarling and some horse whines broke the conversation, followed by the doors falling down. Both zebras ran in, bucking everywhere, as Gary and Larry tried to bite down on their flanks. In the chaos, the familiar trenchcoat wearing wolf came in, firing at Finnick, making the small fox land on the floor and convulse. “Get down!” Nick yelled, tackling Judy and Fluttershy out of the way, just dodging the onslaught of Night Howler pellets fired at them. Fluttershy saw the wolves starting to pin down the zebras, but they were bucked right off through the windows that lead to the casino floor. Screaming was quickly followed, as were loud howlings and snarls. Finnick, in his savage state, grabbed the files in his maw and shook it violently, ripping the papers into small pieces. The shooter ran away, disappearing into the broken hallways. “Hey! Get back here!” Judy yelled, quick to run after them, but was held back by Fluttershy, who whimpered away by the sight of the zebras, destroying the office. “We’ll handle him later!” Nick spoke, getting a prong and pointing it at Finnick. “Ok, buddy, I don’t want to hurt you, just gotta get the-” Finnick bit onto the metal prong, making a tug of war between the two. “Hey! Let go! Bad boy! Drop it!” Judy struggled to get out of Fluttershy’s grasp. “Please, don’t let them hurt me!” She cried. “I would, but I need… to… get… loose!” Judy strained herself out of Fluttershy’s grasp, passing by Nick, and jumping onto one of the Zebra’s backs, grabbing onto their mane, and yanking hard, making it turn around and run outside. The other followed, and Judy hopped off. She turned to see Nick still struggling with the now feral Finnick, having their tug of war with the prong. “Uh… Fluttershy? They’re gone. Can you help Nick?” “Oh! Come here.” Fluttershy walked to Finnick and picked up the fox. Instantly, the small fox went feral to acting like a puppy, licking Fluttershy’s face, making her giggle. “D’aww, that’s a good boy!” Nick groaned. “How are you so good with this and not equines?” He asked. Looking down, Judy saw the scrapped paper littered the carpet, and the file was all but destroyed, except for a special piece of paper, inside of a bag. “Huh… what’s this?” She asked herself, taking the small bag out. Inside was a simple picture of a ship that, while looked normal, had a print of some flowers on the containers. Turning it around, she what looked like coordinates, reading 37.7749° N, 122.4194° W, and a note that said ‘Go to the coffee shop.’ “Coffee shop?” “A clue you found?” “Yeah, a helpful one, might I add.” “Great. Seems we need to go to Outback island and-” Police sirens and helicopter whirls were heard outside. “Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde!” The voice of Boggo yelled. “You’re under arrest! Come out with your paws up!” “Or we can go back to jail... again.” Finnick jumped out of Fluttershy’s arms. “What’s that, Finnick?” She asked. “Hayseed! Now’s not the time for-” Fluttershy followed Finnick. “Oh no! Fluttershy!” Judy followed after her. “Why does nobody listen to me?” Nick asked himself, following them. Finnick clawed at a door, leading to the the janitor’s closet. Fluttershy opened the door, with Finnick running in. Nick and Judy saw this. “Really!? We’re surrounded, and Finnick needs to use the bathroom to-” Finnick’s yips were heard, followed by an echo. “Ooh! Finnick found a secret path!” Fluttershy spoke, walking in. Nick just stared. “I think we should follow the path now.” Judy said, walking ahead. Nick grumped to himself as he followed. Finnick pushed some stuff away with his head, turned, and sat down, yipping at a hole that was small enough for all three to walk through. “Oh, good boy!” Fluttershy cooed, nuzzling the fox. “Who’s a good boy? Yes you is! Yes you is!” The sounds of officers rushing in. Finnick yipped and his ears dropped. “Right. We should go.” Nick and Judy slipped through the hole with Fluttershy following behind, closing the janitor door and holding Finnick in her hooves. With only the light from Judy’s phone, their path forward was dark, and surprises were inbound. > こんにちは > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The unlikely group traveled through the dark cave, seeing light at the end of the tunnel. “Hold on, we haven’t been crawling for that long now, have we?” Nick asked. “What does it say on your phone, carrots?” Judy looked at her phone. “10:03 P.M.” “Then either we’re already on the other side of the world, or-” Finnick yipped as he got out of Fluttershy's grasp. “No! Finnick! Come here, boy!” Fluttershy flapped her wings, starting to chase the fox, but stopped and looked down as she saw that they were over an underground city. Neon and black lights were everywhere, each having some sort of advertisement on a product. Nick and Judy looked down with her. “Ah. Should've known we were in the Nocturnal district.” “Ooh! Is this where many of the Nocturnal mammals live!?” “... Yeah… it's in the title…” “Oh, sorry, it just looks like a mix between Manehattan and Tocolt!” “...Right…” “Give her a break.” Judy said. “She hasn’t been here yet.” “Yeah, but I don’t want her to-” “Ooh! Naked mole rats!” Fluttershy shouted, flying over to some naked mole rats in construction worker outfits below. “That.” They both rushed downstairs as Fluttershy cuddled with one. “Ach! Guys! Help!” The naked mole rat yelled. “We’ll get you out there, Rufus!” One of the other mole rats, getting a pipe ready. “Alright boys, let’s get her!” “Wait!” Nick yelled rushing over as Judy pulled the mole rat out of Fluttershy’s grip. “Let’s just settle down and think things through.” He turned to Fluttershy. “No! Bad, Hayseed! We don’t hug strangers! Especially those working!” “But I-” Fluttershy spoke. “Ah! No! Now say you’re sorry.” “... Sorry…” “Good. Now, we will be on our way. Thank you for building our fair buildings and maintaining them!” He quickly rushed all of them away from the mole rat workers, who gave them a dirty look before going back to their job. “Why must you insist in hugging animals?” Judy asked “Especially naked mole rats?” “I see all animals being cute in their own way.” Fluttershy answered. “And they looked so sad. Hugging animals will surely make them happy.” “Or get you beat up.” Nick commented with a roll of his eyes. “I just want to make animals everywhere happy, that’s all” “Yeah, well, not everyone want to be hugged, not unless you’re good friends with them.” Nick walked fast. Fluttershy and Judy followed. “Where are you going?” Judy asked. “You know this place?” “Yep. And you’ll see where we’re heading.” With some cuts through some alleys, progressively getting darker and away from the city. It was almost pitch black for the two, making Judy pull out her cellphone and turning on it’s flashlight. A bright light emerged from the darkness, momentarily blinding both ladies. When their vision came, they saw that they were in front of a pretty small house, with Nick standing in the doorway. “Nick? What is this?” “What do you think, carrots? My home.” He walked inside. Fluttershy and Judy looked to each other, then back to the house. They walked inside, seeing a fairly clean house that has seen better and worse days. Decorated around was some photos of a young Nick with his mom, who looked a bit like him, albeit, with more feminine features, something Fluttershy just found adorable. “D’aww! You were adorable as a puppy!” Fluttershy cooed. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” “You live in this place?” Judy asked. “Yep. I know, it’s not exactly up there, but it’s comfortable.” “No, it’s… really nice. Much better than my apartment… didn’t think you’d live here.” “Oh? Where did you think I live in?” “Uh… in the meadows, actually.” “...Well, you’re being honest.” He pulled a floorboard out, then pulled out a box. “Wait… is that-?” “You can yell at me later, carrots.” He opened the box, which had several wads of rolled up cash inside. Nick scooped the money out, placing it in his pockets. A crash came from the nearby room. “Oh dear.” Fluttershy spoke, hiding behind one of the furniture. Nick grabbed a baseball bat next to him. “Get behind me.” Judy backed away as Nick opened the door, the room being his bedroom. “YOU PICKED THE WRONG HOUSE, FOOL!!!” He began swinging around, but was followed loud yips and growls. Nick stopped as Finnick was in his room, eating some trash he found laying around, next to a broken lamp. Fluttershy peeked inside. “Finny!” She shouted, walking in and picking up the small fox. “Ohhh you bad boy! You do not break lamps and eat trash!” “Uh… how did he get here before us?” Judy asked. Finnick yipped, jumping out of Fluttershy's grasp and ran to the bathroom, going through the open cabinet, with some echoing pants. The trio ran and saw that a hole was made, leading to somewhere. “... We’re gonna go through this, aren’t we?” Nick asked. “Yep.” “Find whoever made this hole in my house and detain them, hopefully clear our names?” “Yep.” “And risk the chance of being arrested again, possibly for life?” “Most likely.” “... Bring it on.” Nick and Judy crawled into the hole, followed by Fluttershy. “Here we go again.” She muttered to herself. With about ten minutes of crawling through the tunnel, they appeared right in one of the alleyways that was nearby the central areas of the nocturnal district. About every mammal imaginable was in this area, with vehicles driving everywhere in the center, and being both the loudest and brightest area. Right to their left was a bonfire trash can, with a pair of dogs and cat, who noticed them all exit the hole. “... Hm, guess that wolf wasn’t alone.” The golden retriever spoke. “Wait, a wolf?” Nick asked. “Yep.” The mutt replied, pointing to the city. “Guy just left out there a few minutes ago.” “Will you two shut it!” The cat hissed. “We’re on our own until we can get to our home.” “Oh dear, we’re so sorry.” Fluttershy spoke. “We’ll be on our way.” “Just don’t go in there.” Nick pointed out. “Why?” The mutt asked. “It’s a crime scene.” Judy simply answered before the trio left the other three alone with their fire. “That wolf went into MY house!?” Nick yelled as they made their way out of the alleyway and surrounded by the crowd, each with their own conversations. “Yeah. What was he looking for?” “Probably my family’s archery history.” “... You took archery?” Fluttershy asked, holding Finnick in her hooves. “No. It’s just a figure of speech.” “This whole thing just got deeper.” Judy spoke, thinking to herself. “Ms. Swine’s obviously behind all of this, with the wolf being her muscles, getting supplies from this Louis, taking down undercover officers, and is trying to make all predators wear those shock collars you have on, Nick.” “... I almost forgot I had this on.” Nick replied, looking at his collar. “How are we going to connect all these pieces together? We need the evidence.” She stopped and tapped her foot, thinking hard on the matter. Nick and Fluttershy stopped, but the pegasus turned as they were in front of a store simple called “Mushu-Pan”, with a cartoon dragon spewing fire as its mascot. Fluttershy looked in the window, seeing that there was some comics around, but her eyes were glued on what appeared to be Mangas, and a sketch show of some manga characters. “Um, excuse me, I’ll be inside for a bit.” She spoke, nearly flapping her wings in hidden excitement. “Yeah, sure.” Judy said, too in her train of thought. Fluttershy smiled, dropping Finnick and entering the store. Inside, the music overhead was some strange, probably more comedic action song about fighting love, though everything was silent. At the back, there was a projector on, showing the artist above drawing a very detailed yet stylized dog in a sitting position, seemingly looking, even if it’s right eye was covered by it’s hair. The artist, a dog himself, stood up and gave a bow, with the small audience applauding. He began to speak, not in English, but in what Fluttershy could tell was Neighponese. A translator, a rather large wolf, spoke for him. “Thank you much for arriving to a sneak peek into my new series… uh… School Haze.” “No! It’s Woof Woof School Hours!” Fluttershy shouted, making the crowd look at her. She flapped her wings to the wolf. “He clearly said  授業時間, NOT 学校の曇り.” “...And who are you?” “Somepony who’s spent all their freetime learning how to speak Neighponese… uh… that’s what my family called it.” “*Japanese*” The artist spoke. “Excuse me?” “*You seem to know Japanese much well, small pony. But can you actually speak it?*” “*Oh! I haven’t had the chance to speak to anyone with this language yet. I must say, your artwork is incredible! You have the fur all down, and I really love the simplicity of the design. Tells us a lot of without resulting any dialogue.*” The crowd looked a bit confused. “... Sorry, I just like his art.” “*Care to draw for me?*” “Oh? You want me to draw? Uh… sure. Let’s see.” Fluttershy took a seat in front of the dog and, with a piece of paper and pencil in hoof, she began to draw one of her chibi characters. Nick and Judy entered the store, realizing that she was gone, but were relieved to see Fluttershy sitting and drawing… even if the probjectors showed what she was drawing. It was a group shot of all her favorite manga characters, such as Sailor Hoof, Bulmare, Nanmare, Rei, and Hooftena. Each one was chibi looking, but looked a bit more distinct from each other, having their own feel, despite being cute. “... Did you know she could draw like that?” Nick asked. “No idea.” Judy answered. “... She’s just full of secrets, isn’t she?” “Well… she seems to be more open about them… for better and for worse.” There was a fair amount of applause when Fluttershy finished. She only blushed, her first time sharing her art to complete strangers. The dog looked at it. “*Hmm… this is very good, miss…:” “Fluttershy, sir.” “*Fluttershy? Ah. Stage name, I understand. Tell you what, I’m on a trip with some friends of mine, who are complete music heads. We’re on our way to Outback island for a show tomorrow morning. Care to join us?*” Fluttershy looked back and saw Nick and Judy behind the small crowd with a slightly irritated look, though Nick held a panting Finnick. “Uh… *One second, sir*.” She got up and walked to the duo, waving meekly to the other animals that wanted to get to know her better. “... So… drawing anime?” Nick asked. “Manga, Mr. Wilde.” “Right… look, I’m not in the mood for yelling, it’s getting late, and we need to get to the docks soon and go to the coordinates that Louis is at.” “Oh, I’m sorry. Where’s the dock at?” “It’s on Outback island.” Judy answered. “We need to find a place to sleep before-” “Oh? That’s it. Well, I think I found us a ride.” “... A ride?” “Yep! Let me ask if you two can join.” She walked back to the dog and spoke, then came back. “He says yes. And I will be your translator.” “...Huh… seems we got it better than we thought.” Nick said. “A friend to Fluttershy is a friend to me, Tite Kubone.” The dog artist spoke. Tite’s bus was very lavish, to say the least. With some of the most modern technology inside, it felt like they were in the future, or, at least, next year to Nick and Judy. Fluttershy was too intrigued by all the small details around, though she stopped to see Tite’s friends were actually a pair of twins, both red pandas, though the sister had her fur dyed pink and the brother’s was dyed blue. They didn’t really took note of them, instead, heading to their indoor sound studio, playing one of their songs that had to involve something about monsters. Nick sat down on the inbus couch, taking the remote control and turning on the TV. Judy gave him a glare. “Really? Now?” She asked. “It’s been a long day, and I think we need to relax a bit.” Nick replied. “Besides, I haven’t watched TV in a long time.” He flipped to a channel, which showed a horse wearing a bird mask playing the guitar, with a beagle dancing with a chandelier as a hula hoop. “Honey, I’m home!” A gruff voice spoke, which the camera turned to a German Shepard in an officer’s outfit. “Hey! That’s my wife!” The camera turned to the horse, who took the mask off. “Oh, I’m sorry officer!” He apologized, right before playing the guitar again. “Hey, I said quit it!” “Eh.” Nick commented, flipping the channel, showing a different dog in uniform lighting a cigarette, but looked to the camera. “Hey! You trying to blow my cover!?” He asked the cameraman, in which the cameraman replied in an all too familiar voice. “Oh, I’m sorry officer!” “Nope.” Nick said, flipping to another channel, which had a close up to another dog in uniform, holding a knife to a cat in a bathtub. “So, you think it’s funny to lie to the police?” He asked in a serious voice, to which the cat replied in the same voice as the last two. “Oh, I’m sorry officer!” “All these shows seem to be around corrupt police dogs.” Fluttershy said, having watched the show with them. “Well… what other animal is capable of getting away with it?” Nick asked. “A dirty housecat? Not likely.” “... I’m going to bed.” Judy replied, getting up and going to one of their momentary rooms. Fluttershy picked up Finnick. "Let's get some sleepy, Finny." She cooed the small fox, who just yawned. "... Any dating tip channels here?" Nick asked as soon as everyone was away.