TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 12. FINAL CHAPTER

HAPPY ENDING.

In the morning, when everybody in the city opened their televisions, the first two mammals everybody in front of the television saw were News Anchor for ZNN Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge, when they turned the channel into the news.

"Good morning from ZNN, Zootopia. Last night we've been reported that the street clown magician, Nermal Midas Wolf, has been sentenced to imprisonment, guilty of felony robbery, kidnappings and exploitation of children within two days before and during the Halloween night." Fabienne Growley briefed in the news as the screen turned into the scene, where Fangmeyer and Mchorn were taking handcuffed and angrily at the cameras snarling wolf, angered for his defeat in the paws of the fox.

"Don't worry, Zootopia, Dr. Nermal will return one day... and when Dr. Nermal does, Zootopia will regret the day the city hired the fox as an police officer... and the fox too will regret that day one say! Dr. Nermal swears it! Dr. Nermal will one day have his laugh in the face of the whole city! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hahaa. Dr. Nermal is laughing even now just in case!" Nermal said in front of the cameras, as he was taken into Zootopia's State Zoo-Prison by the officers.

(Outside of the News Channel)

In the prison's recreation room, where into the orange prisoner outfits dressed prisoners werewatching the TV-screen, one of the prisoners took quite interest of Nermal's recent words... and the prisoner was, who else than the ex-mayor of Zootopia, along with the handful of into orange prisoner outfits dressed henchrams named Doug Ramses, Woolter and Jesse, two sheep ex-cops and the sinister ram thug, whose the unsual hero-duo captured during of the Night Howler Incident.

"Accounts to be leveled with the certain duo, eh? Welcome aboard, then, Dr. Nermal." The small sheep with the glasses and large ball of wool above of her head said darkly and with the evil smirk.

(Back in the News Channel)

"His father, Zeke Midas Wolf, the ringmaster of the Halloween circus of the Halloween Town which arrived to the Town Square a couple days before the Halloween Eve, denies any knowledge of his son's falling into the criminal activity, claiming that he believed that his son was only about the use his hypnotism watch, which is the criminal instrument, source of this crime wave and the evidence against his son, for the street magic tricks to amuse the children." Peter Moosebridge briefed.

"Right now, the Hero-cops of the Night Howler Incident, officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, are right now in Nermal's secret hide-out returning all the children who went missing the three night ago to their parents in the Meadowlands." Fabienne continued.

The screen then turned to the yard of Nermal's ex-turf, where Nick walked with the zebra twins, Tony and Bud, from the house to return them to their parents, who were impatiently waiting in the gate in tears out of happiness.

"Tony! Bud! Our little precious children!" Male zebra said in deep happiness as he spreaded with his wife their arms as Tony and Bud rushed towards their parents, and the entire zebra family wrapped their arms around of each others into the family hug.

"We missed you so much!" The zebra mother said happily as she squeezed both of her sons against her, unwilling to let go of them.

And with that, the whole zebra family turned to Nick's direction, with their eyes filled with happiness and gratitude.

"Bless you, fox. Thank you." Both zeebra parents said to Nick, who watched the emotional family-reunion from aside with the smile on his face.

"And now, the hero-cop who just solved the mysterious disappearing of the kidnapped children as well as the whole Candy Theft case and also proved officer Judy Hopps innocence to the theft, which happened two days ago in the Shopping Paradise, is now taking the little speech for the citizens of Zootopia." Fabienne said as the screen turned to Nick, who cleaned his throat at first before started to talk to camera.

"Greetings, citizens of Zootopia. I am officer Nicholas Piderius Wilde, ZPD, but quite simply called as Nick Wilde or Nick whatever. During of solving this case, which of course wasn't as bad as the Night Howler Incident one year and ten months ago, I've still noticed some prejudices towards my kind from some citizens. I know that some of you know my name because of my own part solving the Missing Mammal case and Night Howler Incident but not seen me nor met me by face-to-face. Well, here I am to talking to everyone of you." Nick started.

"Let us say, during of solving this case I just found out that the prejudices were once again the reason why this whole mess happened upon Zootopia before and during of this Halloween Eve. And how the prejudices were the reason of this, it's because of the baddie behind of this case himself, Nermal Midas Wolf, got mercilessly bullied during of his childhood, being called as a "walking meatball" due to his obese appearance and overweight, which were the consequences of his childhood extreme love for the sweets. But Nermal, through of the vegetarian diet, got rid of all prejudices against him after he managed eventually to shake extra weight outta him and be able to perform as a clown-magician in his father's circus before the kids... though in every Halloween Eve he felt himself shocked and sad when he was tasked during of his performance to give the candies for the crowd of children as much as they wanted, when he himself had the harsh limits of it because of his diet. However, when Nermal was twenty-ears-old, everything changed when he experienced the cruel humiliation in front the crowd of children from the hooves of one spoiled pig brat, who deliberately fingered the small fan device hidden in his clothes... which then, when triggered on by the same pig brat, gathered the lots of air inside of Nermal's sealed clothes that it made his clothes to swell like a balloon, and the cruel prank ended up Nermal to be called a "walking meatball" by the children once again. And this… is what drove him to fall into criminal path, along with his during of the diet overgrown obsessive lust of sweets."

"I'll say these three words "Shame on you!" To all of those ones, who were both directly and indirectly involved in this accident two years ago, which apparently drove poor Nermal further into his madness-like obsession for candies, plus presumably indirectly triggering this case in the first place."

"However, I hope that you zootopians have already learned your lesson, that it's all about of prejudices, either towards the species or appearances, which is enough to make from an innocent yet traumatically bullied fox like me to turn into the con-artist before becoming the police officer, from a shy, innocent-looking and sweet little sheep like Dawn Bellwether into bloodthirsty criminal mastermind of Night Howler Incident and terrorist, the enemy of peace and harmony of Zootopia number one and from the sweets-loving innocent wolf into crazed yet ruthless child exploiter. And I'm telling you, the more we try to avoid targeting prejudices and traumatic bullying against the innocent and only good wanting mammals in the future, we'll be able to avoid having even more the criminal masterminds, terrorists and child exploiter… even though this does not ensure that our city will be safe from the everyday criminal activity, what we're gonna face in the future. As one of those who have experienced such a thing and received the deeply affecting traumas caused by the prejudice and mercilessly cruel bullying, I hope that I was able to make myself clear to all the citizens. Nick said to camera.

(Outside of the News Channel)

The certain prisoner with the big glasses and ball of wool upon her head didn't take kindly of Nick's words in the live broadcast.

"Bloodthirsty criminal mastermind of Night Howler Incident and terrorist, the enemy of peace and harmony of Zootopia number one? Hey, I'm not bloodthirsty terrorist, you damned flea-eaten red pooch! I was just trying with my actions and with the help of those pretty flowers to make Zootopia the safe and perfect place for everybody... in the side of the prey, of course." The small sheep complained.

"Safe place? You said that our scheme was supposed to be in the sake of prey and the prey's safety, then what about that moose, who was severely mauled by that injected polar bear in Tundratown? Didn't you said once that that the accident that moose experienced was... what was that word... a meaningless side-effect?" One of the sheep's henchrams reminded.

"And when you attempted to inject that fox to kill that bunny cop back in the Natural History Museum and yet you laughed at it, wasn't there a bit bloodthirsty tone in it?" Another henchram asked.

After those questions, the small sheep rolled her eyes before she jumped on her feet in the chair and grabbed from both of her henchrans ears, pulling them downwards and making the sheeps to whimper in pain.

"Oh, stuff your mouths with your wool, you wool-brains!" The small sheep sternly ordered, as she eventually released her grip from their ears and settled back to sit down onto the chair, with her arms crossed and cranky look in her face.

(Back in the News Channel)

"And finally, I want to say that I wasn't the only one who solved this case. I know that my partner Judy Hopps was under the hypnosis effects during of this entire case, which meant that I had not partner to help me to solve this case. But...

Nick paused, as he bowed down and lifted Skippy from the ground in front of the camera to show him to the city.

...I got some little help with this little buddy partner, Skippy Speedleg. Say hello to camera, Skippy."

"Hi." Skippy said waving his paw at the camera.

"Let us say that without his help, I would've never solved this case within two days, which I pleaded as reprieve for Judy Hopps when there was false charges against her for the robbery in the Shopping Paradise and when she was in danger to be thrown in the jail for the crime which she didn't even commit. But now, when the case is solved, kidnapped children returned to their families, the stolen candies been recovered, Nermal in the jail and officer Judy Hopps released from her charges, I'll say that it is all's well that ends well." Nick finished.

"But, because this was perhaps a little twee end, I decided to do this at the end not only happy but also quite sweet, for all those kidnapped children as well as for those ones who are the victims of the candy thefts in the Halloween Eve! It's in the Town Square in the few days after Halloween Town is gone. So, welcome!" Nick declared.

"Bye then, officer Nick Wilde has spoken." Nick added, as he disappeared along with Skippy from the screen.

In the Town Square after a few days.

Using some of the money that Nick had acquired during of his days as con-artist - some of which he had used to pay his tax debts, for charitable purposes and for other good things - Nick had ordered a giant wooden platform with the one large and deep swimming pool to be imported to in the middle of the Town Square as his surprise for the kids of Zootopia. And onto the large platform was able to go through of the causeway, which was in the platform's west-side, while another causeway was in the east-side and served as a exit from the platform.

Nick and Judy they had voluntarily agreed to watch after the children's doings, to make sure that nobody does not accidentally hurt themselves, because the platform was a quite high from the ground. And just in case for the children's safety, the edges of the platform were fenced with the wooden fences to prevent the kids from falling overboard.

And there was by Nick's call in TV dozens and dozens of mammal children gathered onto the platform with their parents from all around of Savanna Central and the entire Zootopia.

And to children's delight, the swimming pool was filled by the thousands of stolen candies, and with a little extra from all Zootopia's candy stores.

"My children! Please enjoy for the swimming! But not too much confectionery and remember to wash your teeth after eating." Nick declared in the mike.

And with that, the children let out the loud cheer as to jump onto the swimming pool into the sea of candies. And within ten minutes the pool of candies was full of in the hundreds of candies swimming children, who either swam in the ocean of candies or ate the sweets from it.

Also Barbara's children were among of them.

"Come on, Uncle Nick and aunt Judy, before the best parts in the bottom are exported." Said in the candies half-buried Skippy with his mouth full of candies, catching Judy and Nick's attention.

Judy chuckled heartily at this as she turned to Nick, who had already the wide smile on his lips - plus the water on tongue.

"Well, what do you say, Slick Nick? Aren't we… well, mostly you, of course… little deserved even a handful of sweets after all this hard work solving our last case? Or should we leave this fun for the children and skip it for this once, because we two happen to be the only adults in here and yet you meant for the children, didn't you?" Judy asked from Nick.

Nick pretented to be shocked of Judy's words by gasping and nearly lifting his paw over his mouth.

"You're kidding? Of course we earn some reward for hard working and it's not in the form of one pawful, Fluf! Besides, a little free time for swimming in the candies is always a good thing for you." Nick said, even though he knew far too well that eating as much candy as you just want is of course not good thing... except if the eating a candy is regulated.

And then, Nick kneeled down onto his left knee in next to Judy.

"And believe me, Carrots… Anybody probably wants to dive into this pool with a mouth open." Nick added with the sly smile.

And then, unexpectedly to Judy, Nick wrapped his left arm around of Judy's waist, lifting her up from the ground and jumped into the pool of candies, and laughing the duo joined to having fun with Skippy and the rest of the children.

This was followed for the whole day swimming in the candies, laughing, playing and eating as much candies as they wanted. And it all ended happily to only one last interjection.

"HAPPY POST-HALLOWEEN TO EVERYBODY!"

THE END.