Act 1
It was 3am and they were on the fourth 'Tinkerbun' movie. Once upon a time they were Judy's favorite movie series, heck the argument could be made they were still her favorite. Nick found it almost a little hard to believe. Judy was a tomboy through and through, but she loved a film series about a bunny who was also a fairy in the magical Woodland Hollow where Tinkerbun and friends learned the value of friendship and believing in yourself. It just didn't seem like it was a movie Judy would want to watch. Then again, one could say that about any stereotypical tomboy and Judy was anything but stereotypical.
The pair were in Judy's apartment, sitting on her bed, propped up against wall and wrapped in blankets. Nick had the laptop on his lap and Judy held the popcorn. She was curled into his side, Zootopia's biggest hero, completely entranced as the tiny fairy animal hybrids zip across the screen fleeing from a terrible dragon whose fiery breath that was destroying the entire forest.
"We have to stop it!" One of the fairies, a hedgehog, exclaimed.
"How? We can't get close enough to use the sealing crystal on it!" Tinkerbun asked.
That's when Wesley, Tinkerbun's BFF and possible significant other, swiped the crystal from the heroine's paws.
"I've got an idea, but you're not going to like it." He said, looking longingly at his friend.
"Wesley what are you…"
Before she could finish, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.
"About time." Nick said, shaking his head.
"Right?" Judy asked, looking up at him briefly before returning her gaze to the screen.
"It'll be ok." Wesley told his friend before diving into the toxic gas at full speed.
"Wesley no!" Tinkerbun screamed as he disappeared into the purple mist as a bright golden flash engulfed the screen.
"I'm sure he's fine." Nick said, his attention drawn away from the movie by the arrival of a text message. The number wasn't on his contacts list, although he recognized it. He scowled at the text.
"Hey bro, long time no see. I'll be in Zootopia for a few days and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up somewhere?"
"You ok?" Judy asked, having paused the movie.
"Yeah, I'm good." He told her, forcing the scowl off his face.
His partner wasn't buying it.
"Who was that? If you don't mind my asking."
"No one important."
Judy studied his face for a moment before deciding not to press the issue. With a quick tap of the spacebar, the movie was resumed. The dragon was sealed in the crystal, which was held snugly to the rabbit's chest. His wings were charred, dry and cracked. Embers floated from his motionless body.
Tinkerbun flew to her friend's side, tears welling from in her eyes.
"Wesley…please, you can't…I need you, I-I love you."
"He's fine don't worry." Nick told the character.
Wesley didn't move.
There was no magic tear, no unexplainable gasp for air, nothing.
Nick was shocked.
"Wow, they actually killed him."
"Yup, I was so sad when I first saw this." Judy told him.
The end of the movie consisted of sad music, a fantasy funeral, and a final monologue with Tinkerbun reminding the viewer of all the fun adventures the pair had over the past four movies before rolling the credits.
"So yeah, that's the fourth movie for you. Five gets darker and Six is the last one so everything is just crazy. We can watch those another day though." Judy said, closing her laptop.
"We should probably get to bed."
"You ok Carrots?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You only invite me over to watch Tinkerbun when you've had a bad day."
She sighed, using her ears to hide her face.
"Come on Carrots, tell me what's wrong."
She was quiet for a few minutes, like she was hoping Nick would give it up and head back home so he could sleep. Nick however patiently waited, even taking out his phone and scrolling through the news.
One headline in particular caught his eye:
"Disgraced scientist to make statement on infamous Wade Study tomorrow in Zootopia."
Nick remembered hearing about the Wade Study when he was in high school. The study was a collection of papers that through fossil records, studies of the animal genome, and a massive collection of statistical data came to the conclusion that reptiles were the superior class of animals. The final passage of the study became one of the most controversial pieces of writing in history.
"It may be assumed that other scientists of my caliber will agree with my conclusion as well as my belief that reptiles of all kinds have been suppressed by our mammalian counterparts so that they could usurp our destined position of power in the world. Should this suppression continue, I fear that reptiles may be wiped from this planet after dominating it for millions of years. Victims of a complacent genocide started by their upstart inferiors."
Needless to say, no one took this well. The scientific community rejected the Wade study's findings almost immediately after reading it. The reptilian community was split, with some believing it and being thrown into upheaval while others rejected it out right. Most mammals scoffed at the study's 'findings' while others were sent into a panic. Was their whole society was built on a lie?
Most ignored it, calling the study a collection of a mad man's ramblings. Now, almost ten years had passed. Many had forgotten about the study, until today. What more could someone have to say about a stack of allegedly falsified scientific data?
Nick resolved to read the article at home before he went to bed. In the corner of his eye, he saw Judy take her ears off her face, showing she was ready to talk.
"Knew you were going to cave." Nick told her.
"Shush." She grumbled, crossing her arms.
"So today, I got called in to help CPS out. They were going to remove a child from an abusive home and they wanted an officer on scene because the father was known to be a violent person. The dad actually wasn't much of a problem, but this kid…they were bringing him out to the CPS cars and he notices me."
Tears were forming in her eyes and ears were starting droop.
"He walks up to me, and he has this horrible black eye. It's practically swollen shut, but he still has this smile on his face. He's smiling at me and he says. Officer Hops, look I'm as tough as you! One day I want to help you solve a case."
Her ears fell and she struggled to finish her story.
"He was 12 years old Nick, he's just a kid. He shouldn't have to be as tough as me. What kind of world do we live in where someone hits their child? Is that a world worth protecting?"
That did it, she started to cry and Nick had to wrap his arms around her. She cried for twenty minutes, trying to mutter apologies for keeping him up for so long. He had none of it, telling her there was nothing to be sorry about. He just rubbed her pack and held her as tight as he dared, fearing she would shatter like glass if he wasn't careful.
"For every person that hurts their kid, robs a bank or gets someone hooked on some nasty new drug there is five more people who do it right. They'll do anything for their kids, they work hard to sustain themselves and their families, they do the right thing even when it's hard. Those are the people we fight for and everyone else, we do our best to help them. I mean, look what you did for me. I know somedays it may not seem like you're making a difference, but you are. The world isn't going to change overnight Carrots."
"Can we even change the world?" She asked, sniffling erratically.
Nick's cynicism and newfound and arguably naïve optimism warred with each other for a moment before coming to a mutual agreement.
"I don't know, but we can try."
After another minute of silence, Judy took a shaky breath.
"Thank you Nick."
"Anytime partner." He said with a grin.
Judy drifted off to sleep with a content sigh, with her last conscious action being giving her partner a quick nuzzle. Nick took the bowl of popcorn from the sleeping bunny and placed it on the floor along with her laptop before dozing off himself, his head coming to rest atop his partners. Neither were woken by the text Nick got just before sunrise.
"I don't know what's going to happen after today, but I hope you can forgive me."
…
A.N-I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Its main purpose was to act as a prologue. The plot will really get going next chapter. This story will consist of three acts, ten chapters each. One chapter a week. At the time of publishing I hope to have three chapters completed. I have the whole story planned out and I'm really excited to share it with you all.
Until next time,
Sky signing off!