Chapter 3 The Florida Project -Around the world in 80 days, or minutes-
Written by Bluelighthouse
Edited by Cimar
"Searching for some lunch," Judy sang as she bounced in front of her fox as the two exited a theater with a giant sign that read "Food Rocks!" in bright neon.
Nick couldn't help but laugh at his mates antics and even joined in as he put his paws to his knees and leaned down so he was eye level with the doe. "On a kitchen expedition"
"Whats you crave in the microwave, but how about nutrition," Judy sang the next part of the rap they had just heard.
The doe couldn't complete the song however as she was suddenly scooped up by her fox who spun the doe around. Judy letting out a series of squeaks and giggles as she let her feet dangle in the air.
"That had to be the cheesiest show I have ever seen," Nick said as he set his bunny down to the ground.
Judy scoffed at the comment, "What? How could you say that! It was a show with food singing to us using 90s pop songs!"
"Exactly.."
"Well I thought it was adorable. We learned so much about nutrition and eating healthy," Judy explained.
They had just sat through a roughly 15 minute show where different types of food and kitchen utensils sang about eating healthy and using moderation when it came to certain foods. It was cheesy and a bit much for the fox, but even he had to admit the tunes were kind of catchy and it was fun watching a corny show like that.
It was especially adorable how Judy bounced in her seat when a giant carrot came out and sang about eating vegetables. While Nick normally found the gray ball of fluff he had chosen as a mate cute, she had been kicking it up a notch during this vacation.
"Well I learned I need to increase my carrot intake!" The fox said quickly as he reached down and scooped the bunny up in his arms once more, playfully nipping at her fur which caused her to squirm and giggle with happiness.
Ok, so maybe Nick was acting a little extra goofy himself.
As the two shared a sweet moment they heard a loud series of chimes behind them. It sounded just like a PA system of sorts.
"Attention passengers, now boarding flights to Zootopia," a lovely voice announced over the speaker system.
Nick and Judy's spinning came to a stop and they turned to look behind them. The theater they had just exited was gone and had been replaced by what looked like the entrance to an airport. Everything was so clean and bright.
"Oh no….is the vacation over?" Judy asked as her ears dropped to behind her back.
"Don't think so, Carrots," Nick said as he held the bunny in his arms and nodded upwards.
Where the 'Food Rocks' sign had once been, was a giant streamlined sign that looked like it belonged on the side of a passenger plane.
"Soarin' over Zootopia?" Nick read the sign in the form of a question.
A lovely looking red panda in a blue flight attendant outfit suddenly bounced from behind a pillar that held up the sign and hurried over.
"The flight is now boarding for our scenic tour over one of the most beautiful cities in the world," the small mammal explained. "You two better hurry or you will miss your flight."
"A tour?" Nick asked as he swallowed nervously. He remembered the last tour they had gone on and it ended with them being chased through a mountain by a snowcone wielding mythical creature.
"It's a tour of Zootopia?" Judy asked, it didn't exactly sound exciting to her. Though she loved the city she had been all over the metropolis in her job at the ZPD and didn't exactly need a tour of the same streets she saw behind the wheel of a patrol car.
"Not just any tour," the red panda said as she put her paws together and began to rock back and forth on her feet. "Trust me Judy, you are going to love it."
Both Nick and Judy had grown accustomed of everyone at the parks knowing their names and treating them like old friends. It was actually a kind of fun surprise when they had first arrived.
Nick and Judy finally agreed to give this tour of their home city a chance and followed the red panda down a series of open hallways.
The sides of these halls were covered in towering screens that each changed to scenic views from around the city they called home. Judy was mesmerized by an image of a snowy field from Tundra town. She then realized that she had never really had a chance to just sit and enjoy what the city had to offer sometimes.
"Right this way," the red panda said happily as they turned a corner. The screens were now gone and the lights were low as they passed a series of doors with numbers on them. The occasional chime from the PA system followed by a travel announcement of some kind would play over the speakers.
Their hostess stopped in front of a door with some writing in block letters: Bay 3. Flight 4.
"Ready to board?" the red panda asked with a smile.
Both Nick and Judy nodded excitedly, after seeing the images in the other hallways they had become somewhat eager to see exactly what this tour would be like.
The large silver door slid open and they were escorted into a darkened room. Judy looked up and noticed how the massive room looked a bit like a hanger bay. Several lights glowed overhead, all of them angled so they illuminated what could only be assumed was their tour vehicle.
Judy had never seen anything like it. It reminded her of a hang glider she saw in videos. This one however had two seats underneath the wing, like a small couch. There were several devices which beeped and hummed that were attached to the wing and the back of the chairs. Judy assumed they were there to help give the odd vehicle power. Or maybe they were just for show, it was kind of hard to tell.
"Just take a seat and buckle up," the red panda instructed as she waved them over to the vehicle.
Nick had a smirk crossing his lips, the fox having grown far more adventurous over the course of their vacation. The fox held Judy's paw as they strolled over to the vehicle and got situated.
The red panda had to help with Judy's straps since she was a bit smaller than most mammals who must had ridden this ride. The bunny requiring an extra strap or two to keep her in place.
Once they were secured to the odd looking glider the red panda gave them a quick safety brief. It was the basic paws in or you lose them kind of deal. After the briefing was done the small red and black furred mammal gave them a playful salute before skipping away.
After a few moments of sitting in the quiet hanger bay, both Nick and Judy began to hear the sound of a turbine spinning up along with radio chatter overhead.
"Control flight for Zootopia requesting lift off," came a voice from the speakers just over Nick and Judy's heads.
"Request granted, clear for takeoff," a voice responded.
The glider suddenly lurched forward and Judy instinctively reached out and held onto Nick's paw. The fox gave her an encouraging squeeze as they were lifted into the air.
A large hanger door slowly slid open before them and revealed a black screen. This wasn't just a normal screen though. It was curved so the glider could be hoisted right up to the point it was surrounded by the screen. At first everything was dark. The only thing they heard was the sound of the wind rushing past them as they were lifted up.
The screen came to life suddenly as a blinding white flashed before them.
Slowly and steadily bits of blue began to appear and they realized the screen wasn't blank but filled with clouds. Music began to blast from the speakers all around them as they soared through the open skies.
They passed through a large white cloud which filled their view with white once more. Once through the clouds Judy let out a happy gasp as she looked ahead of them.
Zootopia had never looked so beautiful as it did right then. The way the colors of the different buildings shown made it look like the city was a canvas for an artist who was using every color imaginable.
The aerial tour started out high above the city. It allowed them to take in the views of all the city had to offer at once. Even Nick, who had lived in the city his whole life, was astounded at how magnificent it could look from high above.
Soon the glider began to descend towards the city which allowed them to get a closer view of a few of the districts.
They started in Tundra town. The glider weaving through a series of mountain ranges on the district's edge before coming upon the main shopping center. Tundra town was famous for having a small town feel while sitting in the middle of a bustling city. The shops were all covered in a light snow as mammals looked up and waved towards Nick and Judy.
To both their surprise they felt a cool wind blowing around them as if they truly were soaring over the snow covered district.
Judy tugged at Nick's arm and pointed over to one of the many frozen lakes where several mammals were busy skating and laughing.
"I know what I wanna do when we get back," Judy exclaimed which earned a laugh from Nick.
The glider shot up into the air suddenly and over one of the barrier walls that separated Tundra town from the neighboring desert district. The Sahara Square district felt so warm but thanks to the wind it was actually a pleasant feeling. At one point Judy closed her eyes and felt like she was really soaring over the sandy deserts that filled the district.
As the flight went on they saw their city in a way they never had before. Both Nick and Judy couldn't remember a time ever seeing the sprawling metropolis from the sky.
The tour was more fun than either of them had expected it to be. It even ended on a fun note. The sun was setting over the city of Zootopia and the glider dived down through city central till it was directly over a concert in the city's center. Gazelle could be heard serenading the crowd with, "Try Everything" before a series of fireworks blasted above the concert. Of course this meant the fireworks were directly in front of both Nick and Judy. The glider shaking as the last firework exploded before them in a brilliant blast of purple and green.
The screen before them faded to black as the twinkling lights from the fireworks faded.
They felt the glider slowly falling back towards the hanger. As they came to a stop, the lights began to slowly fill the room with a light blue color.
"Welcome back," the red panda said as she approached. Something seemed off. Her outfit flickered slightly and the color changed to a dark red before changing back to the blue it had been before. "Did you enjoy your flight?"
"Yes! So much!" Judy exclaimed as she hopped from the glider, a skip in her step which made her look even more adorable.
"Never thought I would be in a fireworks show like that," Nick said with a smirk.
"Well, we are glad you enjoyed your flight," the mammal explained as she ushered Nick and Judy towards the exit.
Nick and Judy strolled over towards a set of open doors before turning around to thank their hostess who was now in a dark green flight attendant suit. Nick looked over at Judy who had noticed the wardrobe change as well.
"Is everything ok?" Nick asked hesitantly.
"Of course," the mammal behind them said with a smile. "Please come by and see us again soon." With that the doors closed behind Nick and Judy, leaving the pair somewhat confused as they strolled down the hallway towards the exit.
Besides the slight glitch at the Soarin' over Zootopia ride, the rest of the day went off without a hitch.
Nick and Judy enjoyed their time in the Future World section of the park. While some of it was dedicated to education the rest was the same thrills they had come to expect during their vacation.
At one point they were speeding along in a test car with a series of warning stickers all over its bright red frame. The car weaving through a series of tests. Judy especially enjoyed the brake test when then anti lock system was shut off. Their car spun out to the side of the track before continuing on.
She of course could have done without the comments about her own driving from the fox sitting next to her. Nick, however, couldn't resist and felt the few slugs on the arm were worth it.
The last bit of their cars trials was a crash test. They found themselves sitting on one end of a long room with a giant steel wall at the other end. A giant yellow and black circle sat in the center.
"Alright, clear the floor! Crash test in 3,2,1" a voice shouted from an intercom built into the car.
When the countdown was complete they felt themselves shot down the small track towards the wall. Both of the officers tensed up and prepared for the worse when the steal wall fell away at the last second.
They were suddenly flying down a highspeed track that was suspended in the air around the building before heading back to the loading zone.
Judy wanted to go on Test Track again but Nick convinced her to try out a ride that sat right next to the large circular building.
"Which one?" Judy asked as she looked in the direction of Nick's gaze.
"The one with the giant red ball in front of it," Nick said as he nodded towards a smaller building nearby.
"Mission Space?" Judy asked as they approached. A giant futuristic looking sign announcing what attraction they were about to try.
"Looks fun," Nick said with a smirk.
"Not fun! Not fun!" Judy was screaming a few minutes later as they sat strapped in a tiny compartment and were shot into space. The doe felt cramped in the spaceship's cockpit, which was saying something for a bunny.
Nick however looked right at home which made little sense because seriously, that cockpit was super small and in no way shape or form should anyone see it as fun. I mean, who wants to be strapped in a tiny little compartment and spun around at super high speeds to the point you want to-
Judy needed her back rubbed as she stood over a trash can. The occasional dry heave making it clear she wasn't a candidate for the space program.
Once done with their tour of the futuristic part of Epcot the couple made their way to the second half of the park. A large sign on the side of a bridge announced they were entering The World Showcase.
"Oh I heard about this," Nick said with some excitement in his voice. "They have pavilions from all over the world serving food and drinks."
"I am pretty sure it's more than that," Judy shot back as they continued down the bridge.
They heard the sound of fast moving paws behind them and turned to see the red panda from the Soarin' ride jogging towards them.
"Well hey there," Nick greeted their friend from before. "See you went with teal this time."
The pandas outfit was now a bright teal. The mammal blushed and kicked a paw to the ground.
"Sorry, sometimes the costumes get mixed up when we change attractions like that."
"You are alright though, right?" Judy asked in concern.
"Better than a certain someone over at Mission Space."
Judy's ears dropped behind her head at these words. "You heard about that?"
"Whole park did."
"Great.."
"You wouldn't happen to have pictures would you?" Nick asked which earned him a slap on the arm.
"No but I did want to bring you these before you enter the Showcase," The red panda said as she held out a pair of passports.
"Do we need these to travel across the borders or something?" Nick asked playfully as he looked through the small booklets.
"Not exactly," the red panda explained. "They are for the drinks."
"Drinks?" Both Nick and Judy asked at the same time.
"Well you can't very well visit the World Showcase without trying the drink around the world challenge."
"Drink around the world challenge?" Judy asked as she looked at her own passport.
"I would start with Mexico if I were you," the red panda said with a wink. "Get the hard, hard stuff out of the way then stick to beer."
"We didn't come all this way just to get drunk.." Nick began but heard a coughing from Judy.
Nick looked over and saw a smug look on his bunny's face.
"Really?" Nick asked in an annoyed tone.
"You afraid this little bunny is gonna out drink you?"
"Carrots you remember the last time you tried to out drink me?"
"I won didn't I?"
"Only because you had Trisha-" The fox began but stopped mid sentence. "You know what, you're on, Carrots."
"Oh! A little competition. I like it," the red panda said as she watched the fox and bunny couple hurry off to a part of the park that was designed to celebrate the heritage and beauty of different cultures. Nick and Judy would of course enjoy learning about the countries from around the world. Along with the many different spirits they served.