Credit

* All Zootopia characters in this chapter belong to Disney

* Sonic, Tailsko, and mentioned of Ivo Robotnik (also on the recorder) in this chapter belong to SEGA/Sonic Team

* Small Thoroughbred character (on the recorder) belong to me, serves their purpose for this story

I was sitting on the floor with my forepaws on my face. I could hear two guys in conversation.

"She came back to life sooner than you estimated, Hedgehog," my boss said.

The other voice replied, "Yeah, it must be a lucky rabbit paw that she recovered this fast."

I heard a pair of pawsteps approaching the room. That meant Nick and Tailsko were going to join us again. I pulled my forepaws from my face and looked up to Sonic, Chief Bogo, Nick, and Tailsko. I now realized that I was back in the private interview room inside Precinct One.

"Everything alright, Hopps?" Chief Bogo inquired.

I nodded slowly, "Yeah, I am fine - just little… wobbly."

"Are there any other problems?" he added.

I shook my head and almost tilted over. I answered, "No, just stunning, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Alright. Your partner has shown up just in time for your awakening. I will let you have one more discussion about this case. Then all of you are off," the cape buffalo confirmed, standing up.

I stood up and went to the table. I sat down beside Sonic and Chief Bogo while the canines took another side of the table. I noticed that Nick put down the recorder carrot pen on the table, which explained why it was missing from my uniform. I blinked as I turned tom my right, to Chief Bogo, as he started to speak.

"Let's get Hopps up to date on what the Hedgehog said. He said that she collapsed from exhaustion when her stamina ran out, and you two brought her and Wilde back here. Wilde woke up then begged to go back and fetch the cruiser. I will see to it being undamaged. You did grand job, Wilde," he summarized.

Nick nodded, "Thank you, chief."

"Also it seemed like you have picked up something on your way back, seeing that you lay Hopps' pen down," Chief Bogo added.

Nick exhaled, "Well, I just had a feeling that there would be a conversation on the way back. So I took this pen and recorded that conversation. It was between ~Censored~ and Ivo Ro-Butt-Ink."

I flinched as Sonic bursted out, "I knew it, Ivo Robotnik and ~Censored~ have joined paws."

My cop partner reached for my pen and pushed the button to play the recording.

"What happened? Did someone manage to prevent your case from going on?"

"Yes. They refused to help out. Just as you suspected."

"Told you that they got there faster than you did. So let's plane the blame on them, just as she suggested."

"I like the sound of that."

With the exception of Nick, we were shocked at this record. I blinked as Chief Bogo went to grab paper and pen then passed them to me. I wrote the conversation down on the paper quickly. I looked up to the canines.

"Tailsko. Can you confirm that the second voice in the record was Ivo Robotnik?" I inquired.

"Yeah," she nodded. Her forepaws were on the edge of the table as she continued, "His voice was really clear for me to recognize."

Sonic, who took the chair on my left, nodded then looked at me. This made me turn my head to him in return. He replied, "Yep, that's Ivo Robotnik alright. They're already become friends at that point."

I nodded in understanding then focused on the paper. I wrote Tailsko's and Sonic's confirmations on it. I turned to Chief Bogo and put a concerned expression on my face.

"You can hold on to my recorder carrot pen as the evidence," I admitted.

I picked the paper up and gave it and the pens to the chief. He collected the items from me.

"Alright then. So now, as I said, take the rest of the day off," he exclaimed. Suddenly, he pointed at me then at Nick as he spoke, "Also, you and you! Don't even think about pulling that stunt again. Give it a rest!"

"Yes, sir," Nick and I saluted.

"Oh, just don't spill the water, Chief," Sonic joked, grinning. I turned to the hedgehog and was about to slide off the seat. The cape buffalo snorted, "Don't try me, Hedgehog."

I snorted at Sonic. Nick came to my side and escorted me from the private interview room to the locker rooms. Per the rules of Precinct One, only the employees of Precinct One can attend the locker rooms. That meant Sonic and Tailsko couldn't help me to change clothes at all. Once we arrived at the locker rooms, Nick released me and left my side.

"Are you sure you can handle the change of clothes by yourself?" he inquired.

I nodded, "Can I change my clothes by myself? Yes, yes, I can."

I turned to the female locker room and walked inside. I started to undress by pulling the velcro of my arm bracelet off. After five minutes of changing clothes, I emerged from the room dressing in red-striped pink flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves and blue jeans. My civilian clothes. I walked back to the main lobby, where my partner, my boss, and our new friends were waiting.

"You sure change fast, even being a former conmammal," I mumbled. I moved toward Sonic and leaned on him with my arm around his neck.

"Hehe, that's pretty funny, Hopps," Tailsko chuckled. She was referring to my comment about Nick being the only one not under the effect of the speed zone.

I frowned, relaxing on Sonic as I spoke, "Please just call me Judy. I don't want another cape buffalo in fox's clothing to call me like that. No offense."

"None taken," Chief Bogo mumbled, leaving the group. While Sonic slid his arm on my back and held me up lightly, he remarked, "Told you, Tailsko… No need to call them by their last name if we are going to be their friends."

The canines shook their heads in response to Sonic's words. I snuggled against his side lightly as the gears in my head started to turn. Before I could speak, Sonic beat me to it.

"So let's hit the casual lunch?" he inquired.

Tailsko and I nodded in agreement, leaving Nick in dismay. I spoke, "I am thinking of the 'Casually PreyPred' cafe on the road down from Precinct One, considering that we should take it easy."

"Sounds good, see you there," Nick replied, nodding.

I felt a stir on my back before I found myself in Sonic's arms, bride-style. I frowned at him while he grinned at me.

"Can't afford to piggyback you this time around. Just lemme carry you like this for now," he pointed out.

I scowled at him as we left the building. I chose to close my eyes and let Sonic take care of searching. After the travels that I had experienced with him, I knew that he could find the 'Casually PreyPred' cafe quickly. I felt the wind die down shortly after I finished my thought.

"We are here. You can open your eyes now," Sonic said, purring in my ear.

I opened my eyes and frowned at him once more. I admitted, "Alright, we can eat outside for now. I need some fresh air."

"You got it," he said. He carried me to the small area outside the cafe and put me on the chair.

The table that we occupied was made to hold an elephant-sized umbrella, however I didn't see one. It also contained a box of napkins and a holder for the menus. I blinked as I watched Sonic take a seat to my right. At the corner of my eye, I saw Tailsko flying and landing on the street just out of the waiters' sight, where she let Nick go. They jogged up to the fence and joined us to my left and to my front. The waiter, a male deer, came to us.

"What drink would you like?" he asked, readying his pencil and pad.

I glanced at my friends and mouthed a word; 'water?'. The predators nodded in agreement. I turned to the waiter and replied, "Four glasses of water, please."

He nodded and wrote that down on the pad then he departed from the table. At this minute, I felt a little drowsy and started to see the things surrounding me and Sonic start to slow down. I blinked then pressed my right forepaw on my forehead to relieve the stress.

"Judy? Are you alright?" Tailsko inquired, drawing me out of my self-concern.

I put my forepaw down. I replied, "Yeah. I am fine. I guess I really need to let it go."

I just now recognized that the flow of time had returned to its regular pace and the glasses of water had been served.. Sonic pawed me the lunch menu. I took it and checked it out. I picked my meal - 'Farmer's Salad'. I put down the menu and gave the waiter my order. He wrote it down then glared at my friends as they gave their orders to him. I blinked as I noticed that Nick was acting little off.

"Nick, are you okay?" I inquired once the waiter left the table.

"Yeah," he nodded. I frowned at his choice of words. I tried to draw it out of him, "Something bothering you?"

"Am I bothered by something strange in my head? Yes, yes, I am. But that would be related to the case. So it's better to discuss that when we are back on duty," Nick explained, dodging my question.

I was about to scold him when a paw rest on my shoulder. I turned to Sonic. He replied, "Hey, take it easy - you were knocked out at the same time Nick was. It's no use to cry over spilt milk."

I sighed then glared at the table. I let myself loosen up and rested my back on the back of the chair.

"The only problem is…" I said, reaching for the glass of water. I continued, "We only have water here, not milk."

My predator friends laughed as I sipped my water. I put the cup down and huffed. The laughter died a minute later. Not so long after that, the waiter arrived with our meals and he served them to us.

"It's quite surprised that you got conned by a bunny here," Sonic exclaimed, pointing at me. We were starting to eat and we had to chat, getting know of each other better, as Chief Bogo suggested.

I ate two bites of my meal when Nick answered, "Yeah, I didn't know that she used her recorder carrot pen to throw back my quote to me the next day."

"It was for his tax evasion, if you are asking for the details," I responded, piercing the couple of lettuces with my fork.

Tailsko smiled as she set the burger down, at the same time I put the lettuces into my mouth. She replied, "And you made him go with you until you both found the secondary source in 'The Missing Mammals' case."

I nodded as I chewed my food. I eyed Sonic's plate, which contained three hotdogs… half size. He had already devoured one of them.

"So did you have to eat your tie for delaying her from finding the source for the case?" Sonic joked.

Nick shook his head as he lifted his purple tie. He pointed out, "I still have this tie."

"We never bet on each other. He was the first and only lead I had when there were nothing else to track down," I explained.

Tailsko swallowed another bite then nodded, "I see. There was only one paper in that file when Chief Bogo gave it to you, correct?"

I nodded. However, Tailsko decided to change the topic; "I am impressed that you could master the time warp in a matter of an hour."

"I agree," Sonic said, nodding. He added, "It took Tailsko a full month to master it when she first experienced it."

"Wha- Wait! Wait! Carrots did what?" Nick called out, reminding us that he didn't know about my ability to move faster than a twitch of a digit.

"I mastered the time warp. That's why you witnessed me moving fast enough to avoid bullets, like Sonic," I explained.

Sonic nodded, "Yep. It seems like my passengers gain the ability to move as fast as lightning whenever I carry them."

"I don't know why, but… she seemed to get handle of it completely different than me. Perhaps it's because of our species difference," Tailsko provided her reason.

I was halfway through my Farmer's Salad as I turned my attention to Nick. I spoke, "Do you still remember that place where Sonic and I were attacked shortly after we left Precinct One the second time?"

"Yeah," Nick said, frowning.

I flickered my arm once, "That's when I mastered the time warp. I won't grant that I have fully mastered it yet."

"Bah. With you three possessing 'Time Warp' or whatever. That makes me a BadDonkey Normal," Nick complained.

I shook my head, smiling. I commented, "At least you still have a silver tongue."

He blinked then nodded in agreement. I looked down to my bowl and found out that I practically devoured all of my salad. How did I do that? Perhaps that must be my subconscious using the speed zone ability. Sonic also finished his meal, following by Tailsko. Now was the last one due to learn my newfound ability.

"Guess I will pay for your meals," Nick called out once he finished his meal.

I reached for my cup of water, only to find that it already empty as well. It seemed like I had picked up Sonic's slack or I must be more exhausted than I realized. We stood up after Nick paid the bill.

"I think that we should go to my place. It has plenty of room to relax and lay low until tomorrow," Nick volunteered.

I peeked at Tailsko, who shrugged at the idea. Suddenly, I was back in Sonic's arms, bride-style. I scowled at him for pulling that stunt again.

"You're still exhausted and will collapse after a half mile of walking. Trust me, I know when I see it," Sonic said, pointing out his experience with his partners in the past.

I grunted as I slid my right arm behind his neck and rest it on his shoulders. I responded, "Alright. Just don't be so smart to us. Just say the words, and I will consider it. No need to pick me up each time I am like this. Personal space, you know?"

We left the cafe and walked down the street to Nick's home. I cuddled closer to Sonic as we moved down the street. I blinked as I recalled that Tailsko was attacked due to her mutant appearance, but now, it seemed peaceful. I glared at the twin-tailed vixen and saw that she twisted her tails into one. Clever.

"Here we are," Nick said, climbing up the porch to his 'home'.

We entered his home and going onto the living room. Along the way Tailsko moved closer to Sonic and I. She reminded me, "Like Chief Bogo said, you should take a break. Just don't let it come to you… block it out. Get me?"

I nodded in understanding. Sonic sat down on the couch then he put me on the seat next to him. I released his neck.

"Tailsko's right. You were already exhausted from your first try. Congratulation for holding out until our 'reinforcements' arrived," Sonic said, laughing at his last three words.

I shook my head, "You two sure know how to make some fast friends, regardless of the situation."

From what I could see, there were two couches and a oval table placed in between. Sonic and I were occupying the couch on the left side as we entered from the door, while Tailsko went to the unoccupied one on the right. I rested on the couch cushions. But for some reason, Sonic's arms felt more comfortable than the cushions. I shook my head to pry that thought out of my mind.

"So I see that you both sure know how to keep your 'normal' face in public," I said, changing the topic.

Tailsko nodded, "Yeah. We had to adapt to survive the worst part of our life."

And if my clothes fell off, I would just tell the mammalians that I was a secret clown agent after all. It's because I have blue fur, which is not natural. If they ask, It's permanent color dying," Sonic explained.

Nick walked in the room with a silver plate that contained four cups of tea. He placed the plate on the table.

"Please serve yourself," the red fox stated, smiling.

I smiled, "I think my drink can wait. I need to wash my face quickly."

The canines nodded in understanding. I stood up and started to move toward the doorway. Sonic joined me and gave me a boost. I got t he hint that he showed me his caring side and wanted to help me out just in case I collapsed again.

"You can help, but I need to walk," I reminded, allowing him to assist me. He nodded, "Yes, Judy."

"The bathroom is at the end of the hall at your left," Nick said, giving the direction.

"Gotcha," Sonic and I called out, leaving the room.

As soon as we were out of their sight, I huffed lightly and wrapped my arm, which was closer to Sonic, around his neck. I blinked as we approached the bathroom and spotted another room beside it. It was a guest room, currently vacant. A strong pull from Sonic helped me back on my hind-paws.

"Here ya go. I will wait outside," he said, leaving my side.

I nodded as I walked into the bathroom. I went to the sink and turned the knob to get the cold water running. I moved my forepaws under the running faucet to soak my palms then I swung my paws to my face and splashed myself wet. With my eyes closed, I rubbed my cheeks and temples with my wet palms. That felt refreshing. After I pulled my palms from my face, I flicked my paws toward the sink then I turned the knob to stop the water. I reached for the towel and pulled it off the hanger. I brought it to my face and dried my grey and white fur. I lowered the towel from my face and blinked as I dried my forepaws with it. I put the towel back where it belonged.

"Hm," I sang, leaving the bathroom.

Sonic smirked with his arms crossing. He asked, "Feeling squeaky clean?"

"Funny," I responded.

We walked back to the living room. I was a little ahead of Sonic so I was first to reach the living room doorway. I peeked in the room then I smacked my left forepaw on Sonic's chest to stop him from going past me. The reason I kept Sonic from witnessing what was going on in the living room - it was Tailsko straddling on Nick's laps, sharing a snout-to-snout 'kiss' with him. I backed away from the doorway and turned around.

"It seems like they need some time of their own to catch up so it's better to not interrupt them" I explained the reason of backing out. We were now walking back toward the bathroom, only we were going to the guest room instead.

Sonic nodded in understanding, "Smart choice. It's her curse that made it happen. And if they pulled it off…"

His voice grew quiet so I leaned closer to his so I could hear him better. He finished his sentence in quiet voice, "…then why wouldn't we do the same?"

"Oh, you jest," I laughed, straightening myself up and elbowing his chest lightly.

I closed my eyes and put my forepaws on my face as I felt my eyes getting wet from laughing.