Title: Muppet-topia!
Fandoms: Muppets & Zootopia
Genre: Mystery/Friendship/Slight-Romance
PS: Kermit/Piggy aren't quite 'together' in this since it takes place around their split, and neither are Nick/Judy.
A Multi-chapter Fic
Summary: One of our favorite animal pairs seeks out the assistance of another favorite animal pair after a being victims of a robbery! But as the danger steadily increases, things are more than they appear. Can they solve the case before it's too late?
CAUTION: Story will contain spoilers from the film "Zootopia."
Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction made for fun and not for profit. I don't own any of the Muppets or Zootopia characters. All characters are a property of Disney!
A/N: HI! Okay, so I was inspired to do this crossover way before the movie came out for several reason. 1) In the episode "A Tail of Two Piggies" episode of The Muppets, Miss Piggy's tail-slip happens AT the "Zootopia" premiere.
2) Jason Bateman guest stars in the "Pigs in a Blackout" episode of The Muppets and…OH LOOK! He also voice Nick Wilde in Zootopia!
3) There are a couple of videos floating around of a puppet version of Flash (one where he introduces the movie "Wreck-it-Ralph" in front of an audience, another serving as a promo where he's buying a ticket to see "Zootopia." And I instantly thought about him in the world of The Muppets too.
4) Most of the Muppets are animals, the entire world of Zootopia IS animal. How could I not mesh them together?
5) Both are properties of Disney!
Okay? Okay. So with that said, we know that humans don't exist in the world of Zootopia, but they do exist in the world of The Muppets. So I think I want for Zootopia to be like a completely isolated world, but only a select few creatures are privy to it, specifically animals. So The Muppets travel to Zootopia for help. And I'll most likely Nick and Judy travel to our world as they work to solve the case. Whether or not they actually interact with humans, I haven't decided. (But they probably will)! So we'll see how it goes! That's what fanfiction is for after all, right?
Finally I have no set update schedule in mind either, so I'll try to update chapters whenever I can. (I know I have several other Multichapter fics that are incomplete, but hopefully this one won't be added to that list. I do have a general outline of how I want this to go, but it just might take a while to complete. So just sit back and enjoy the ride! Thanks!
Written by: Brittany R./FoxieSango
Judy groaned into the surface of the table top as she pressed her forehead flat against her desk. Nick couldn't help but to chuckle at her as he came through their office door.
"Working hard, or hardly working, Carrots?" he asked.
"Shaddup. My neighbors kept me up all night. I'm exhausted," she muffled. Nick came around the back side of the desk and gently rubbed her head between her ears as he walked by.
"Aw, my poor widdle bunny," he snickered.
"Knock it off, Nick! Don't you have some work to do?" she asked, swatting his hand away as she sat up and pouted at him angrily. Nick put a paw on his hip as he made his way in front of her and leaned against the table.
"Funny you should ask," with that, he reached into his back pocket and threw down a light-green folder. Judy raised an eyebrow curiously before pulling the folder forward and opening it.
"This just came down from the chief. Remember the pig celeb that had that little tail-slip incident a while back and it was all over the news?" he pulled over a rolling chair and sat in it across from her, propping his legs up on the table and crossing his feet at the ankles as he continued,
"Well apparently, her precious jewels have gone missing and she's gonna be seeking our help to find them," he said.
"Why us?"
"Well, she heard all about our oh-so-famous Missing-Mammals case and obviously she wants the best officers for the job," he said, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a sucker. He tore off the wrapper with his claws before popping the treat into his mouth.
"So she's travelling all the way to Zootopia for this when it can be handled by her local law enforcement? That's insane!" Judy cried out. Nick shrugged,
"Well you better tell her that, Carrots; because she and her beau are headed this way."
"What?!"
"Yeah, I just saw them in the hall and—hey! WOOOAH!" Judy had bolted from her chair, stood, and kicked Nick's rolling chair at the wheels, causing the seat to zoom across the floor and hit the couch against the opposite wall. Nick tumbled out of the chair and onto the cushions.
"What was that for?!"
"Quit lazing around, Wilde! At least try to look presentable!" Judy said, adjusting the more cushion-y seats reserved specifically for guests so that they were placed in front of her desk and scampering back to her seat. Nick sat up on the couch and rubbed his cranium, grousing.
"Crazy, bunny," he muttered, just as the door slammed open, knocking a picture Judy had of her family off of the wall.
"Can't a celebrity get any decent service around here?! YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYER!" a frazzled, blond pig called back behind herself as she entered the room. Her hair was a mess and her shirt was a bit torn in several places; it was obvious she'd just been in a tussle outside.
"Piggy!" the frog at her right shouted.
"Calm down, Miss Piggy!" Uncle Deadly said, stopping at the doorway as she and Kermit entered. He was to her left and was rubbing her back, trying to soothe her.
"What's going on?" Judy asked.
"That…CHEETAH at the front desk refused give me his doughnuts! He acted like he didn't even know who I was! What kinda establishment are you running here, anyway?!" Piggy cried. Judy sighed. Clawhauser wasn't one to give up his food to anyone, even if they were famous (with maybe Gazelle being the only exception). Though she wondered how he faired in the fight. Really, he was a giant cream-puff so she had no doubt he was probably worse for wear. Perking her ears up, she could actually still hear a bit of commotion outside. Nick, for his part, was trying to stifle his laughter at the whole situation.
"I said I'll handle it, my dear. You just sit down and talk to the nice officers about your case. I'll be right back," Deadly said, patting her on the shoulder. He then turned to Kermit,
"If she gets panicky, just wave this under her nose," he said, holding up a small bottle.
"What is it?"
"Eu de Croissant. If that doesn't work, you're on your own. And it's been a pleasure working with you," Deadly said, giving a mock bow before leaving the room. Nick was watching the whole exchange with intrigue as Judy cleared her throat.
"Miss Piggy. Mr…..er…the Frog. Why don't you both have a seat and tell us what happened?" Judy asked.
"Well, a couple of days ago, one my most prized possessions was stolen. MY priceless pearl necklace! Can you believe it?! ME?! A victim of crime! Ooh, it's just horrible! Who would want to steal from moi?! Right, Kermie?!"
"Er…right?"
"Yeah, who'd ever consider you a target?" Nick mumbled sarcastically, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Then, he spoke up a bit, "And are we talking about the same pearls you've had since like the 1960s?" he asked, rising an eyebrow. Miss Piggy looked at him and felt a smile spreading across her face.
"Oh! Are you a fan of my work?" she asked, flipping her hair back. Nick's eyes grew wide and he cleared his throat as Judy looked at him skeptically. If anyone ever found out he used to watch The Muppet Show when he was younger, he'd never live it down.
"Well, ya know, you read a Wiki-article or two and…" he left his statement hanging and shrugged, trying to feign disinterest. The fox then continued tapping away at his phone, to try to make himself seem distracted. But he wasn't fooling Judy, who noticed his ears were perked forward in full attention. He was still listening. Piggy sighed, turning to face the rabbit across the desk,
"But no, it's a necklace that was given to me by Prince Harry himself after I spent the summer with him in Paris last year! A gift from a friend! You know, I think he's got a little crush on me!" Piggy gushed. Kermit scrunched up his face,
"Yeah, because he'd totally crush on a cougar. You sure you weren't just babysitting that summer?" he asked, holding back a laugh. Nick tried to do the same, but failed, causing Piggy and Judy to growl at them both in irritation. Judy cleared her throat,
"Anyway…moving on, do you either of you have any enemies? Anyone who might be targeting you for a reason?"
"NO! That's the weird thing! Everyone LOVES me, right?" she looked at the frog at her side for confirmation. He swallowed and nodded,
"Er, well. I-I mean we're not without a few people who aren't fans but…"
"Wait, what?! Who are THESE people! And why has no one told me?!" Piggy suddenly shouted. As far as she knew, EVERYONE was one of her fans. Kermit rolled his eyes,
"A-anyway, I don't think there's…anyone in particular who'd dislike her enough do something like this? I mean, the most they'd do is probably start a Twitter war or something." He shrugged.
"What about you, hop-along? Your lady might be clean, but you got any enemies?" Nick asked.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous! Everyone positively adores Kermit! I mean, how could you not?!" Piggy said, wrapping her right around him and giving him a brief hug. Kermit shrugged,
"Not any that I can think of off-hand…um…"
Nick stood up and walked over to Judy, placing an arm on the back of her chair and the wrist of the paw holding the cell phone against his hip,
"Let me get this straight, you guys come here, seeking the help of the ZDP to find your precious jewels and who took them, with absolutely no information, leads, clues, or any idea who could've done this."
"Well, that's what YOU'RE here for, isn't it?" Piggy asked, feeling heated. Nick gave her a dull glare,
"Look sweetheart, you two are part of one of the largest entertainment franchises in history. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if someone took your rocks just to make a quick buck on Z-bay. I mean, that's what I'd do," he said. Piggy narrowed her eyes at him,
"You'd do?
"Hypothetically. We do have to consider all scenarios," Judy said with a smile. Piggy pursed her lips,
"I see. Well, I suppose maybe you would know, wouldn't you?" Piggy said. Nick raised an eyebrow at her before narrowing his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, lowly.
"Nick!"
"Piggy!" their respective partners tried to calm them down.
"What?! It's common knowledge, right? Foxes are notoriously shifty. I bet you probably have friends in…low places…who probably could figure out a few things to push this case along…hmm?" Piggy shrugged, letting the insinuation hang. Nick frowned before standing up straighter.
"Right. Because I run with just that kind of crowd." Even if he did have connections, she didn't know that and he didn't appreciate the accusation. "Look, lady you came to us seeking help. But if you think you know it all, just what to do, and how this system works, then tell you what, why don't you just solve this case yourself?!" Nick hissed, baring his teeth in anger. He couldn't help it. He always bristled at having the stereotypical "low-life fox" thrown at him like it was nothing. He was sick of it. And even if this woman thought she didn't mean anything by it…she did.
"Excuse you?! Did you just—Kermit, are you going to let him speak to me like that?!"
"Well—"
"Do you know who I am? I'll have you know, I can have your job like that!" Piggy snapped her fingers in Nick's face.
"Yeah?! Have at it princess! Because obviously, you'd be a lot better at it than me!" Nick cried, throwing his paws up and heading for the door.
"Nick," Judy started, but he had already walked out, slamming it shut behind him. Everyone cringed as they heard a thick, English accent curing just outside the door,
"Oh for the love of—! I just bought those doughnuts! Now who's going to clean that up?!" Deadly cried.
"We're in a building full of animals, dude. Just leave it!" Nick spat back. Apparently, he'd just bumped into Deadly. Judy sighed,
"While I apologize for his…reaction…he does have a point Miss Piggy. You guys are celebrities. Just about anyone who wanted to make a profit off of your fame could've infiltrated your home and stolen your jewelry without you realizing it."
"So you're saying you won't help me?! What if the creep comes back? I won't have anything! I'll be ruined!" Piggy exclaimed, slamming her hands on the desk. Kermit looked at the pig and sighed,
"Piggy, why don't you go outside and see if Deadly has anymore snacks left, it might calm you down," he said.
"But Kermit—!"
"Let me talk to Ms. Hopps and see what I can do," he said. Piggy gave a huff and stood.
"Fine! But if he doesn't have anything you're treating me to a VERY expensive lunch after this! And don't try to weasel out of it, frog!" she said, standing and heading for the door. Once they were sure she'd left, Kermit turned to Judy.
"Ah, look Ms. Hopps, despite our long standing fame and history, let me assure you that we've never had anything like this happen to us before. It wasn't just Piggy's pearls that were stolen. Every day since then, another piece of her jewelry has been taken from her house. We haven't caught anything on the security cameras. We don't know who's doing it, or why. And we think it's only going to get worse over time. Especially since the perpetrator left this note behind," Kermit said, pulling out a folded piece of paper and sliding it forward. Judy raised an eyebrow.
"What's this?"
"I didn't want to show her and make her more upset, but this looks like it may have something more serious behind it. Please see if you can do what you can," he said. Judy looked down at the folded piece of paper before taking it and sliding it towards her.
"Alright, we'll look into it. But Mr. Frog I'd be remiss if I didn't put in a good word for my partner. Mr. Wilde has….overcome a lot in his life. But he's kind, and fair, and has a good heart. He's really smart, and always looking out for the little guy, trying to help people. …..It's really not fair to judge him before getting to know him. " Judy said. Kermit nodded,
"I understand. I guess things got… a little heated. But this whole thing has been really stressful. And Piggy's kind of high maintenance. Sometimes she lets her mouth run away before her head can catch up. But I'll talk to her."
"Thank you. And we'll do whatever we can for your case. We'll be in touch" Judy said, pushing her chair back and hopping to the floor. With that, she escorted Kermit to the exit and opened the door, only to see Miss Piggy scarfing down a box of doughnuts being held by Deadly.
"Alright, dear. Remember to breathe, don't just inhale the food," he said. Judy tilted her head and Kermit shook his own good naturedly.
"I promise, I'll talk to her," he said, as Judy gave him her card, which had both her and Nick's contact information on it. Kermit thanked her again before walking up and putting an arm around the still hungry pig. "C'mon Piggy, they'll be looking into it and get back in touch with us," he said as the trio made their way to the exit. Piggy couldn't respond much for the food in her mouth. She'd been on a diet for about two months and hadn't eaten much that morning between the stress of travelling and the case itself, so she was starving. Still many of the officers who knew, and were fans of the Muppets were a bit star struck to see them walking the halls.
As Judy's iris-colored eyes scanned the room though, she did notice that a certain fox seemed to be missing. After walking around the halls of the precinct, she eventually found her favorite fox by a lone water cooler in the hallway. As his ears perked up as she approached him.
"You know, you'd think I'd be use to encountering that WAY OF thinking by now, but it only gets more tiring every time I hear it. And I'm sick of it," he said lowly. Judy walked up to him and gently placed a paw on his forearm.
"I don't think she even realized what she said."
"They never do. Remember what happened with you?" he asked, and she cringed at this. Nick's eyes grew wide and he sighed,
"I-I'm sorry, Carrots" he ran a paw over the back of his neck.
"No, no you're right. It's….it's something that I think roots so deep down, animals don't realize it's there," she said. Then she gave a small smile, "But if it's any consolation, I think Kermit probably has to deal with the most…tedious parts of her," she said. Nick chuckled a bit at that.
"Yeah. …So, what's the skinny?"
"We might have more of a clue than we thought," she said, pulling out the folded piece of paper Kermit had given her earlier from her pocket. Nick raised an eyebrow in interest as he took the paper and unfolded it. His ears immediately perked up as his eyes ran over the page:
"This is just the beginning. I'm coming for you! ;-)"
Nick narrowed his eyes.
"Did the frog say when or where he got this? Do we know if this was meant for him or the pig?"
"He didn't say. I think he wants to keep it real hush-hush," Judy said.
"Well, I'd say we've got a lead after all, Carrots," he said. She tilted her head to the said curiously at this as he held up a long, strand of nearly translucent blue hair in between his claws.
"I say, it's time we talk to a certain phantom." Nick said.
A/N: Like I said, I don't know when I'll update. This will be a multi-chapter fic and I'll take my time working on it; but reviews are welcome! Thanks!
