ZOOTRAPIA
CH4: Stronger than a Howler
I do not own Regular Show and Zootopia.

- O – O – O – O – O -

xNick III

He never had the chance to check on the gun, but he had a lot of opportunities to do so on his phone.
Bellwether's order had arrived just as he had been planning to send a quick text to an ally or two.
"When the main police force arrives, I want you to be in the middle of the steps and to shoot yourself in the head. Not too close."

He had assembled a text message for someone else, trying his best to make it sound like him.
Carrots had never texted back, which was supposed to have made him relieved since replying to an unregistered number would be a total risk.
But he had felt sadness, as much as he felt desperation when he just got a Night Howler bullet hit a complete stranger; one who apparently got to meet up with Carrots and was sent by the bunny herself.

Nick stared in growing horror as the blue jay seemed to morph into something more sinister, with the nerves becoming more prominent, the face outline becoming more rough and wrinkled and the legs growing much longer.
A neat black top hat also magically appeared on his head.
Nick had already moved far away from the creature.
"What, is that a new side effect?"
The body had also grown larger and the once tall bird had bent over with his previous hands becoming actual wings on his back.
The fox noted that it seemed to morph into a more accurate representation of birds as a textbook would show.

"Iacedrom is back!" The bird looked at the fox with contempt. "And there will be no speeches here!" "What?" With the initial fear fading, Nick was becoming increasingly more shocked with the turn of events. "What the hell is with the new bullet?"
The enraged creature raised a claw to stomp him.
Nick swiftly rolled over and checked the magazine of his gun.
There were no bullets left. "What are you trying, crazy sheep?!"

Iacedrom faced him with growing anger.
"Where did you take Ygbir?!"
There was no more room for fear. Shock overrode any other senses as Nick tried to process the numerous things, from the possible spellings of the gibberish-sounding names to the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

Still, he was in imminent danger and he didn't know what needed to be done next.
Maybe he was actually hit by the bullet and he was currently having hallucinations.
Way to go, science.
Although he stretched his hands repeatedly and felt nothing out of the ordinary, he wasn't ready to altogether reject the possibility.

"You look different from those Mordecai and Rigby," the monstrosity addressed him with a much more collected voice, as he stopped stomping around. "What is this place?"
Nick hid away his frown with his mental thoughts, not sure whether to believe or at least entertain the creature before him; like who were Mordecai and Rigby?
There could possibly be underground agents with bounties on their heads.

"Sir, this is Zootopia you've set your feet..." he glanced at the lower part of the bird's body. "…claws on."
A brilliant idea struck him as he continued, "Where everyone can be anything!"
"Hmmm." The jay stared at him with narrowed eyes. "So that means there are no rules here, like you need to give a speech or something?"
The red fox took note of the apparent disgust on one specific word.
"A speech?" Nick raised two hands, starting to get more confident. "Why would there be rules about it if our aim is to be who we want to be and to do what we want to do?"
The fox was given a serious nod. "Very good. This place seems to be a true embodiment of vocal freedom."

There was no use to question the turn of events. The fox decided to go along.
"So..." Nick gave him a sly smile. "What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to find Ygbir." He looked around as if still skeptical of the integrity of animal rights in the place. "He better not be flooded with unnecessary speeches when I see him. It should be outlawed everywhere!"

Nick raised a finger and spoke formally, "You're right. Speeches are bad." He gave a smirk after. "And I know just one ex-mayor who plans to conquer the world with her deceitful speeches."
"How terrible!"
"She's a sheep going by the name of Bellwether," Nick fired away. "Let's break the restraints of speeches in this world."
"I absolutely agree with you, fox."

Just then, Nick received a new text message.
He frowned when he saw it was from Bellwether.
"Wait a second, Ice Drom," Nick said confidently enough but still unsure of the name. "Just a tiny interruption here."
"We don't have much time, fox. And it's Iacedrom." Nonetheless, he was still given permission.

"Judy's inside the building. Aren't you excited for this reunion?"

Before Nick leaned over to discuss his plans, he carefully lowered a hand over the tazer he had dropped in the confusion.
"Come on, Iacedrom." He gestured for the bird to follow him. "We're going to have a reunion."
He would be better off with a weapon meant for foxes, although he did twist the definition a bit.

xJudy III

The continuous whispering left Judy's mouth rather dry.
She hoped it would be enough to provide the necessary confusion to stall Bellwether.
She did not have a lot of options left, nor was she planning to surrender.
The bunny focused her hopes on her comms device and the police force outside.
Surely, the ex-mayor would not be able to stop a full police department.

There was still the dubious case of Fangmeyer.
Bellwether or her minions managed to hide a full operational system of Night Howlers somewhere else within the districts. For them to procure such materials in short notice, it was probably meant to be an underground uprising.
How did Bellwether fit in while she was in prison? Most of the allies of her cause were rams already put into custody.
Was there really a hole in their security?

Judy swiftly moved from one door to another, trying to find an open room.
As far as she knew, only four rooms were left accessible.
The mayor's office and the computer room were meant to serve as traps while the boilers would only serve the purpose of the generator system.
Bellwether probably had tweaked it already to only allow flow of electricity into specific rooms.
The officer hated to admit it but some of her minions were really smart in what they do (even with just the concept of the Howler serum itself).

Only the Chief and the Mayor had master keys so she probably wouldn't find any other rooms ope-
"What?" Judy stumbled as she didn't expect the assistant mayor's room to open for her.
She rubbed the arm she first fell with, groaning about sweet cheese and crackers.
"Why is this room open?" Bellwether couldn't possibly have a spare key for the room. Duplication of keys was prohibited outside of the animals who claimed the specific roles.
Then again, Bellwether wasn't exactly the obedient type.
There was little or next to nothing of use inside the room though.

The staggering silence made her realize the police sirens were starting to sound weaker by the distance and location.
Judy felt a little more vulnerable. She decided to inspect the room for a short moment, focusing on the main desk of the assistant mayor.
She noticed the World's Greatest Dad mug was gone along with the large tank of something.
She realized she never knew what was inside that container or that it could be part of the previous Night Howler system itself.

When she found nothing of import or interest, Judy made sure to leave the room locked.
She was running out of time and the carrot recorder she left had probably been smashed to pieces already.
She would have to buy another one.
It was usually part of the pranks with Nick and the others.
Those were the fun times, Judy thought a little bitterly.
Being a police officer was no easy task.

Since Bellwether went for the boilers first, she probably had enough time to check for Wolford and the others, maybe even provide assistance in their encounter.
Judy pressed her back against the doors of the mayor's room and checked her gun. She still had a few blueberries in store.
Although she could get really pumped up for a case or two, she particularly disliked using actual bullets.
Even tranq shots would make her uneasy. She would never tell Nick though. He would totally tease her about it.
It was just using offensive weapons felt like a direct violation to the concepts of making a change in Zootopia. Violence would just make a never ending circle of itself.

That was enough thought to ease her nerves, if it did actually help.
Judy breathed deeply, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.
After a few regulated breaths, she pushed the door and jumped into position.

The situation inside had her blink in surprise.
There was no real mess or bullet traces anywhere.
There was just a congregation before the mayor's desk.
Judy counted three figures, all looking at her with shock.
"What happened here?" she asked, before getting bombarded by exclamations.
"Judy!"
"Close the door!"
"Thank goodness!"

Judy complied and jumped to their location fast.
"Guys, I thought you were-"
Right before her, a new companion stood up, adjusting her pair of round glasses with its red frame flicking away some reflected light.
"Hello there. I came from the assistant mayor's room through a portal."

xRigby IV

"Where are we now?" Rigby asked as he looked up at the tall trees around them.
"I'm not someone who answers every question thrown at him!" The fennec gave him an exasperated glare. "You're even more annoying than Nick and his bunny!"
"What, I was just asking a question!" Rigby frowned, which just ticked off the small fox more.
"The nth question. Just. This. Past. 30. Minutes!"

Rigby groaned. "I just want a conversation."
His feet touched some debris on the ground. "Oh boy, we're here!"
Right before them was an extinguished campfire, which Finnick was told to go to by a fox named Nick.
'FinNick,' Rigby thought with amusement. 'Wait 'til Mordecai hears the joke.'
There seemed to be no hints of recent activity in the area. "What are we supposed to find here?" "Nothing. That jerk tricked us." Despite sounding angry, the fennec didn't really seem surprised or even annoyed.

Rigby shrugged. "So, where will we head next?"
"I ain't helping them anymore," Finnick stated, pointing a sharp finger on the raccoon's chest. "I'm done." He threw the wolf coat he was carrying over the dead fire.
"Aw, what a waste of material."
The fox ignored him and said, "I'll be going back to my turf. You go do your thing."

"Wait! This isn't my world!" Rigby threw himself to the fennec. "How am I supposed to find my way out?!"
"Go find this Mordecai you keep talking about. I'll be finding my van."
Rigby's face brightened with cheer. "You're gonna give me a ride?"
"No," Finnick rejected sourly. "The van's my home."
He continued walking, dragging the raccoon without a care. "Ooh! You got a mobile house?!"

Just then, a swirling sound boomed across the area and the two animals turned their heads to the campfire where it came from.
There, right above its fading aura, was a black ominous portal.
Rigby instantly recognized the figure. "That's how I got here! I need to get there!"
The raccoon jumped off the fennec's shoulders and rushed to the portal. He was just about to jump in when a mysterious figure popped out from the portal.

"You're not going anywhere. Are you just going to leave Mordecai here?"
Rigby gasped as he recognized the voice. "Margaret?"
"What is that thing?" Finnick said, in disbelief.
The raccoon shrugged then casually addressed the swirling figure of Margaret's body. "Did you have a tan or something? You're looking neat like a portal."
The body raised its hands near its face. "Wait. Why do I look like this?"
The animal that was supposed to be a red jay looked nothing short of hideous. Her eyes were large hollow holes while the rest of her body looked empty... or rather, endless lines of black.

The portal behind the newcomer faded and Rigby groaned in disappointment.
"Didn't the same happen to you, Rigby?"
"No?" Rigby frowned. "Maybe it was the rain."
"We don't have much time." Margaret touched his shoulders. "The portal in your bed seems to be shrinking."
"Where are Benson and the others?"
"They're asking the Immortal Club for help but Skips says Reginald is having tantrums." Margaret sighed. "So it might take a while."
"Don't you think you just got yourself stuck here for no good reason?" deadpanned Rigby.

Margaret stared at him with hollow eyes. "Rigby, who are you with?"
"Oh, this baby's Finnick. Don't call him short though."
"You just insulted me, you jerk," the fox commented unhelpfully.
"So, what were you guys doing?"
"Finnick here was just guiding me to the ZPD, where apparently," Rigby gave him a skeptical look. "...a drug battle is happening and he thinks it's where we'll find Mordecai."
The gloomy jay ignored the sour atmosphere. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

"You two better not set me back," Finnick grunted. "I was doing my job just fine and two hitchhikers suddenly come outta nowhere."
The company started walking again.
Rigby turned to Margaret, finding a new talking buddy. "Isn't he adorable?"
"I heard you, jerk."

Margaret had more pressing inquiries in mind. "Who are we meeting up with?"
"The police, can you believe it?" Rigby lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's not like laws are effective anymore. People just violate them."
Margaret narrowed her eyes. "Who exactly are we looking for?"
"Ooh! Ooh!" Rigby jumped in enthusiasm. "A red fox named Nick and..." He gave a long smile. "A bunny cop named Judy Hopps."
The black jay raised a line of eyebrows. "Wait, are you into bunny cops now?"
"What?!" Rigby exclaimed. "No! Her name is just like Skips! In her case, it's because she hops!"
Margaret provided a lacking reply of "Oh."
"I thought it would be funny," Rigby admitted.

"I don't know..."
"Say, are you fine in your state?" Rigby asked. "Nothing jiggly or weird feelings?"
"Nah. I'm fine. I can still feel my reporter uniform."
Rigby only stared as his friend touched her seemingly naked body. His face transitioned to excitement. "I bet Mordecai will think you're a cool space alien."
Margaret laughed lightly. "Or he'll be shocked like 'Huh, what is that?!'"
Rigby followed with his own burst of laughter. "Dude, that impression was spot on! And then... 'Aaaah!'" He jumped back as if frightened. "'Is that Margaret?!'"

"Silly!" Margaret was obviously having fun, even with her seemingly expressionless dark figure.
"Besides, he's not as scaredy-cat as you!"
"Hey!" Rigby raised two arms in exaggeration. "We played a zombie video game marathon yesterday and he screamed more times than I did!"
The dark jay brushed it off, saying, "Mordecai probably screamed more because you were doing badly."
"What do you know about zombie games?!"

"If you two are just going to chat," Finnick growled at them over a distance, which made them turn their heads up. "Why don't you two just go back and stay by the campfire?" Looking ever so sour, he continued walking. "Noisy freaks..."
"How'd he walk so fast?" Margaret wondered out loud.
Rigby shrugged. "He just doesn't want to feel out of place."
"I can hear you!"
"Good ears!" The raccoon shouted back. "How about a good mouth for having a nice chat with us?"

"How about you have good ears for..."
Finnick stammered for a while, and then decided not to continue.
He was definitely not cut out for friendly conversations.

xJudy IV

The color texture of the mole reminded Judy of the partner she had been with just a few minutes ago.
"You must be one of Mordecai's friends..." she paused, hanging for a name.
"It's Eileen." The animal had noticeably brightened up, matching the color of her light-colored waitress uniform. "So Mordecai was here. Have you seen a red bird of the same species and figure? Her name is Margaret."

Judy immediately assumed an image of a couple out of the two jays, but inquiring about it was not her priority.
"I'm sorry, we haven't. How many of you followed your friend to the portal?"
Eileen frowned in thought. "Three. Rigby, Margaret and I."
The other officers looked at them, confusion still evident in their eyes.

Judy smiled. "And here I thought you guys were in danger."
The leader of the pack, a wolf with snow-white fur, chuckled lowly.
"Seeing a faceless creature emerge from who-knows-where... the shock gets to you, Hopps."
The bunny laughed uneasily. "I'm not sure if this is also Bellwether's work but I guess I can act as the middle line for both sides."
Eileen adjusted the one tail of her wavy brown hair. "We need to hurry. There seems to be danger."
The bunny cop nodded. "Mordecai and I actually split ways to try and corner Bellwether. My side..." Judy glanced at her fellow police animals. "…didn't go well. Fangmeyer's got Night Howler serum in him."

The other Zootopian animals gasped while Eileen just blinked. "What's this serum in question?"
"It can cause an animal to go savage." Judy said, as if already tired of facing the aforementioned term repeatedly. "We can't let it get into the public again."
"Again? So it has happened before?" Eileen asked, rather calmly.
"Unfortunately, it did." Judy sighed. "So I guess..." she winced, unsure on how to express her next statement. "This stuff is quite normal in your side?"
"Yeah. Just your regular show." The tiny mole shrugged. "Benson might just fire them this time, though."
"Who's Benson?"
"Angry park manager."

Wolford growled over his comms device then poked Judy with a furry hand.
"The others called before. The doors are down."
Judy grunted in acknowledgment. At least some of her anticipations actually occurred, though it did not mean a good thing. "Okay. Enough idle talk. So if the pig and the lion are down, and Bellwether still doesn't have anyone here..." Judy frowned. "Is the chief already inside the building?"

The wolf pack shook heads.
"Have you tried calling them?"
"We immediately tried once we saw the swirling dark portal." The leader raised a phone. "But it seems even the network connection was sucked in."
"Huh. That's pretty insane." Judy didn't know whether to be amazed or worried.

Wolford frowned. "The police cars are just outside though. What's taking them so long?"
Judy grimaced. She almost forgot the entrancing sounds of the sirens.
"It's Nick. Bellwether has him hostage and probably got him to delay the others."
"What's he got to lose?" Wolford asked. He slightly raised a paw to show he meant no offense.
The rabbit blinked. "You actually have a point. We can hope it is just a big hustle."
"Doesn't he have you to lose?" Eileen pointed out, particularly at Judy. "You two sound pretty close."
The statement was casually brushed off. "Oh, it's Nick. That silly fox probably has all of us under his hands. Bellwether thinks otherwise though."
Eileen nodded. "So is this some major police force against an underground system or something?

"You got that right." The bunny turned to the mole. "So, this Margaret is also lost somewhere inside Zootopia?"
"Don't worry. She always finds her way back to Mordecai."
Judy offered a light smile. "Cheesy."
"Rigby's unreliable though." Eileen pressed her glasses to her face. "You notice any patterns on where we appeared?"
Judy shook her head worriedly. "We haven't even seen this Rigby yet. How will you guys get home?" "We probably have to generate a portal again and hope it brings us back to our universe. But before that..." the waitress glanced at every animal in the room. "We got a villain to catch and some friends to rescue."

- O – O – O – O – O -

Regular Show summary:
Mordecai turns into an alternate character after being hit by the Night Howler serum. Rigby stumbles upon Margaret outside the rainforests while Eileen adds up to the Zootopian confusion or possibly, hope.
To clarify: Iacedrom is correct. Ygbir is correct. In the show, there is an episode (Jinx) where a Negative-Rigby or the Ybgir (of that spelling) shows up.

Zootopia summary:
Nick convinces an alien presence to help him. Finnick gains an additional hindrance in his shoulders. Judy meets up with the other police officers and tries to build another plan.