The Florida Project Chapter 4 -One mammal's dream-
Written by Bluelighthouse
Edited by Cimar
"Please stand clear of the doors, Por favor, mantengase alejado de las puertas."
Judy was shaking with so much excitement she could barely contain herself. Nick didn't even bother hiding his amusement as he looked down at the doe who was bobbing back and forth on her large feet. The doors to the monorail slowly began to slide open. Well, one of them did anyways, the other made an odd popping sound before falling off its hinges onto the platform before them.
While Nick stared in slight concern at the door now wobbling on the cement before them Judy dashed out of the air conditioned cab of their monorail compartment. The large white train had a bright red stripe running down the side. The Monorail had been a staple of the Disney World transportation system for decades. Even mammals who never visited the property knew what the transports looked like.
Now Nick knew what they looked like when they were missing a door.
"Come on!" Judy shouted, the doe having left the fox in her dust.
Nick hesitantly stepped over the parts of the door and then looked down the deserted station, his bunny standing at the edge of a ramp, waving to him eagerly.
Today was the big day of this particular adventure. While Nick had wanted to just visit this one park on their little vacation, it was Judy who decided they needed to see it all.
They had nearly seen it all, that was for sure. They had been through some of the greatest movies of all time on the, "Great Movie Ride!"
Had journeyed up the side of a beautiful snowcapped mountain that was protected by a mystic snow cone wielding beast.
They had managed to drink around the world at Epcot. Well almost, Judy had passed out after the France pavilion. Nick didn't mind though, carrying his doe from a bar after a late night drinking session had become a tradition he thoroughly enjoyed. Mainly because he was able to hold Judy in his arms and drink in her scent. Of course she would also say some of the silliest things on these drunken walks.
"We gotta beat the lines," Judy egged Nick on as she nearly exploded with excitement.
Nick rolled his eyes at the last comment. This whole trip had actually been rather fun thanks to the fact there were no lines. The tod could only imagine what it would actually be like if they visited the real Disney World.
As Nick finally made it to the edge of the platform, he had to let his eyes adjust as the bright tropical sun beamed down on the two mammals.
When he finally moved his paw from his eyes he was greeted by...
"Where is the castle?" Nick asked as he looked down the ramp of the monorail platform.
To their right was a series of docks, some of them had cute little boats tied up to them, the farthest dock housed what looked like an old fashion ferry. To their left was an old fashioned looking train station.
"If I had a nickel for every time," came a grumbling voice behind them.
Judy's ears went up as Nick's flicked slightly. Both of them were surprised to hear another's voice so soon.
Every park had a form of host that would help guide the couple around the different themed worlds. Normally though they didn't show up right away. To have one with them already was slightly odd.
The pair turned to see a jet black rabbit leaning casually against some of the green railing that led down the side of the monorail terminal's ramp. The buck was in a white button up shirt and a wore a pair of light blue slacks that were held up by suspenders.
"How many nickels would you have?" Nick asked slyly.
"Enough to convince the old guy to build another park," the buck shot back with a smirk. "Castle is down Main street bud. You gotta enter the park before you can see the good stuff."
"Well good thing we have our golden tickets then," Nick replied as he scooped Judy's paw up with his own as they turned to continue down the ramp.
"You mean E ticket."
Nick stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Park never had golden tickets. We had E tickets, those were the best kind."
"Thanks for the history lesson," Nick teased as he looked down at Judy who gave him a look that told him he should play nice. The fox let out a sigh and then turned to look back at the buck but he was gone.
"You would think it would have been a mouse for the host here," Nick commented.
"What? Rabbits can't be tour guides?" Judy asked as she gave Nick's paw a squeeze.
Nick scoffed at the comment, "Next you will be telling me they want to be police mammals too."
That one earned him a rather quick jab in the side but the couple was soon sharing a laugh as they approached the train station. Two tunnels lead underneath the train station and the pair casually strolled underneath.
Nick was surprised when he felt Judy stop just beneath the entrance to one of the tunnels. He would have thought that he would be flying in the air behind the doe as she sped into the park. Now though the bunny seemed to be focused on something just above their heads.
The fox looked up in the direction of his bunny's gaze.
A bronze plaque hung just above them.
"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy," Judy read aloud.
Nick was about to say something, but reading the plaque must have been enough to get that bunny of his going again. Nick was barely able to hold on as Judy rushed down the tunnel towards the bright light on the other side. Nick had trouble making out the many posters that covered the tunnels walls. Some of them had attractions on them. Others pictures of the many characters found around the park.
The black buck they had met before was in one of the pictures standing next to a stool with a small mouse waving at them. A large figure stood behind them, but Nick didn't have enough time to take the poster in as his bunny must have thought this was some kind of race against time.
As it turned out, Judy's eagerness was well placed. Once through the tunnel even Nick felt his paws come to a slow halt as Judy stopped in the center of a small grassy park settled in the middle of the streets square.
The shops on either side of the main street all looked beautiful. Each one was covered in a light colored paint that reminded them both of times long ago. Everything looked like it was out of an old timey movie. The shops windows were devoid of stickers and labels. Simple and eloquent signs were in their place instead.
The shops, beautiful as they were, paled in comparison as to what was at the very end of the street.
The icon that sat at the end of Main Street was an image that mammals young and old were able to recognize. It didn't matter who they were, where they came from, when they saw that castle and all its glory waiting for them with a bright blue sky behind it...well...
Judy let out a little sniff as she squeezed Nick's paw.
Having been Judy's partner for as long as he had Nick was always prepared for these little moments. The fox took a knee next to his doe and pulled a small cloth from his pocket.
"You bunnies," Nick whispered. "So emotional..."
Judy put a paw onto Nick's as the fox tried to rub the stormy gray fur of his doe. She nuzzled into his touch and began to bat her eye lashes in a way that gave the fox a hint as to what would be happening next. Nick smirked as he cupped Judy's cheeks in his paw and leaned towards the small bunny. Judy met him halfway and closed her eyes as their lips met. It was a sweet and tender kiss that lasted for who knows how long.
What caused the two to pull away was the odd clicking noise coming from their side. Nick and Judy popped their eyes open and slowly turned to see the black buck from before holding a large camera, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Sorry, but I think that's one for the photo album," the rabbit said playfully as he snapped another picture or two.
Judy began to giggle at the other rabbits antics and even more so when Nick leaned in and gave his bunny a peck on the cheek. Several more clicking noises came from the buck's camera.
"So as much fun as it is smooching on Main Street," the black rabbit began. "How about you two get in there and enjoy the park!"
They didn't have to be told twice. Well Judy didn't have to at least as the eager bunny grabbed Nick by the paw and dragged him off towards the rest of the kingdom.
Nick chanced a glance back at the rabbit who remained on the small patch of grass in the middle of the square. The buck gave Nick a playful salute which Nick returned with a nod. He then turned and hurried off with Judy towards the center of the park.
The Magic kingdom was laid out like a kind of lollipop. Main Street was the stem that lead up towards all the good stuff. The castle sat in the center of the park but a series of bridges lead off in different directions. A sign towering over each bridge told them exactly where they would end up.
Judy hesitated as they stopped in the center of another small park that sat in front of the castle. Nick had never seen his bunny so anxious and undecided before. The doe looked from one direction and then another. Her eyes darting to the large signs. Nick chuckled as Judy's bright purple eyes darted about, the bunny biting her lower lip.
"How about we start left and go-" Nick began, but just saying a direction was enough for Judy who grabbed Nick by the paw once more and hurried off to the left of the castle.
"Welcome to Adventureland," Nick said playfully as he was dragged underneath the sign that looked as if it were made of bamboo.
Nick felt like he was back in the rainforest district of Zootopia. Large trees covered in vines and brightly colored leaves stood above them in every direction. There were several small buildings that looked like they belonged in the Sahara district as well.
"What do we do first?" Judy asked as they passed by a popcorn cart, the salty smells of freshly popped corn wafting through the fox's nostrils.
"You there!" came a confident voice.
Both Nick and Judy froze and looked over to see a strong male cheetah grinning at them. The feline was dressed in a tan explorers outfit standing underneath a large wooden sign with bright red letters: Jungle Cruise.
If there was a ride catered to Nick's sense of humor this was it. As they sat back and enjoyed their boat tour through the rivers of the amazon, their skipper would throw out one liners that had Nick snorting like a school kit.
"We are now heading down the mighty Nile River," the cheetah began. "It goes on for Niles and Niles."
Nick nudged Judy with his elbow as his eyes brightened at the rather cheesy joke.
To Judy's annoyance it wasn't over though.
"And if you don't believe me….you're in deNILE."
It took Nick a whole minute to calm down from that one.
Of course there were more. As they passed a series of ginormous butterflies the skipper had some more jokes.
"Look at the size of those. They can range from one foot to a whopping 12 inches!"
Judy's arm was starting to get sore from all the elbow nudges.
"And now…something you have all never seen before," the cheetah began. "The back side of water!"
The boat went around a bend and they found themselves on the other side of a waterfall. Nick let out a series of oohs and ahs.
"Well thank you for joining us on the world famous Jungle cruise," The cheetah said as they pulled up to the dock. "If you want to go around again I have lots more jokes-"
The cheetah didn't get to finish his spiel as Judy grabbed Nick's paw and dragged him from the boat, fearing her pun addicted fox would want to go around for another tour.
Next up on their little adventure was a ride Judy had really been looking forward to. A black flag with the Jolly Roger blew in the gentle breeze. A familiar tune played from deep inside the building.
"Yo ho, yo ho a pirates life for me," Came a series of jolly and drunken voices.
Pirates of the Caribbean had inspired several movies over the years. Most of them staring a rather dashing fox who always managed to get out of dangerous situations through use of his silver tongue or sheer dumb luck. Many females had fallen for the devilishly handsome vulpine to the point there were many online fan clubs. Not that Judy would know anything about that. Oh no, Foxybun316 knew nothing about those kind of message boards that she may or may not have frequented.
After a series of pitch black drops and a series of splashes Nick and Judy were floating in-between an epic pirate battle. A pirate ship was attacking a small coastal fort. Cannons and rifle blasts could be heard overhead as plumes of water rose up on either side of their small boat as a cannon ball or two came close to sinking them.
Once through the battle they floated into the small coastal town currently under pirate siege. Of course it wasn't a very historically accurate siege. The pirates all hurried around chasing female mammals while carrying chests of gold or other rare artifacts. All of them singing about how they enjoyed the pirate's life.
Judy got in a little trouble when Nick caught her leaning against one end of the boat. Her eyes had a faraway look about them as she drooled over a handsome fox talking about how he lost his compass, blaming some annoying monkey named Jack.
Of course Nick was in equally hot water when Judy caught him eyeing a lovely gray doe dressed all in red. Several pirates demanding that they wanted the red dressed bunny.
"What?!" Nick asked as he felt Judy scoot over to him and give him a playful glare. "She looked just like you!"
That didn't help the fox at all.
Of course Nick was smart and knew that a good cuddling would get him out of trouble. His arm wrapping around the doe as he whispered sweet words about her being the greatest treasure in all the seven seas. By the time the ride was over Judy had forgotten all about the pirate fox from the movie and instead nuzzled into the police fox she called her mate.
The next boat ride they went on had a bit of surprise for the couple. They knew that a ride called Splash Mountain must mean they would get a little wet. As their log boat floated through a southern musical both Nick and Judy were lured into a false sense of security. Their leisurely cruise though suddenly changed as they went over the side of the mountain and were soaked by a series of water cannons.
Next came Big Thunder Mountain. Nick couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows at his bunny when the speaker announced that it was the wildest ride in the wilderness.
"I got a wild ride for ya," Nick joked. Judy blushed as her ears went up.
"Nick!" The doe began as she slapped at her fox's paw. "We are at Disney!"
Next up was Nester's Possum Jamboree. A whimsical musical where several possums dressed in different country outfits-
"Wrong Park," Nick shouted at the sign.
Next up was Country Bear Jamboree. A whimsical musical where several bears dressed in different country outfits-
"We can just skip this one," Judy said as the couple continued on down the path through liberty town square, not knowing what they were missing.
At the end of the liberty square area sat an old gothic looking manor. Its red brick sat in disrepair as vines made their way up the sides of the once eloquent building. A worn brass sign looked a dark gray after years of neglect. The words upon the sign were a dark green: The Haunted Mansion.
"It doesn't look too spooky during the daylight," Nick pointed out.
Suddenly a series of black clouds descended from nowhere and lingered just above the manner, blocking out the bright rays of the Florida sun. A crack of lighting followed by the clap of thunder told the fox he should have kept his muzzle shut.
"You just had to say something," Judy grumbled as she eyed her fox.
Getting into the ride was a rather spooky challenge all on its own. The couple had to make their way through a fog covered graveyard.
Nick stopped to inspect one of the faded tombstones.
"Here lies dear old Fred," The fox began. "A great big rock fell on his head."
As if Judy wasn't on edge enough. The last thing she needed was her fox laughing at all the different tombstones.
"Nick!" Judy shot to the fox who wiped a tear from his eye. "Quiet!"
"Judy come read this one! It's about dear Uncle Tod, resting peacefully under the sod."
Once inside the manor Judy began to wonder what had possessed them to even try this ride. For being a member of Zootopia's finest the bunny sure could be jumpy from time to time.
The bunny held onto Nick's arm almost the whole time they were wandering through the manor. At one point they were locked in a large atrium and the doe suddenly realized that the room had no windows and no doors. Looking up during a flash of lighting however she noticed that there was a window…with a corpse hanging in front of it.
As one of the walls to the room slowly slid open Judy dashed out of the room. Nick meanwhile seemed to be enjoying himself as he looked at all the paintings. He did however notice how his doe wasn't exactly enjoying herself. Once on board the ride itself he held the doe close and ran a paw down her ear. The affection was enough to get the doe to a happy place and soon she was letting out a series of soft coos as their buggy made its way on the track that twisted through the halls of the manor.
Nick may have gone a little far with the ear rubs though. At one point the doom buggy that was their ride vehicle turned around and began to slowly descend into a graveyard. Judy who had been nuzzling into Nick's side reached up and pulled the fox closer. The two's lips met and they shared a sweet kiss which soon grew in passion. As Nick closed his eyes he lost all train of thought and wrapped his doe up in a warm embrace. The bunny in his arms placed her paws on his chest and the two lost themselves in the moment.
Of course that moment came to a rather abrupt halt thanks to a series of coughing. Judy was the first to pull away from the kiss and realized they had reached the end of the ride. A gazelle in a maid's outfit was looking at the ceiling, then the floor, anywhere really that meant she didn't have to reveal she had caught the young couple in a rather risqué position.
Judy and Nick hurried out of the Haunted mansion, neither of them wanting to look back out of embarrassment. Once past the large iron gates though they paused and looked at one another. Nick looked back at the manor and then to his doe.
"One more time?"
"I mean we did miss a lot of the ride..." Judy shot back.
"Yeah…would hate to miss out on all that ghostly scenery," Nick added.
They went on it four more times. Never really noticing anything after boarding the doom buggy. Except for the fact that they had just enough room for Judy to hop up onto Nick's lap.
Ride after ride Nick and Judy were loving their time at the Magic Kingdom. There was so much to do and since there were no lines or crowds the couple managed to do just about everything. It was hard to tell which ride stood out as their favorite.
Nick kept insisting Small World was definitely in his top ten. Mainly because he liked a scene in one of the rooms where two bunny animatronics hopped up to one another, wiggled their noses, then slowly lowered behind a series of bushes. Seconds later they would slowly rise back up, surrounded by at least a dozen small kits.
Even Judy had to admit that scene was pretty funny. Offensive, but funny.
The sun began to set over the kingdom which turned the park into a whole new world.
Luckily, Nick and Judy were on just the ride to enjoy the sudden change from night to day. The Tomorrowland Transit authority or Mammal Mover as the locals called it was a kind of futuristic train ride. Several dark blue open air cars would wiz riders throughout the Tomorrowland area. An announcer would give them a brief explanation for the buildings that popped up all over.
They felt like they were in some actual futuristic city. The mammal mover took them through a form of convention hall that had all sorts of inventions on display. Then there was the Tomorrowland Science Theater which was currently housing Timekeeper. A spunky robot who claimed to have found a way to travel through time.
Judy was especially excited when they went through Space Mountain. They watched as an empty ride car shot past them and into the darkness. Had Judy possessed the same night vision as her fox she would have seen a rather nervous look on Nick's face. The bunny may have not been able to see in the dark, but the fox had a perfect view of the mass of ride track that went all through the building. The thought of boarding the ride made the vulpine a little nervous. He knew Judy would want to try the ride out though so he kept his muzzle shut.
Once outside Space Mountain they were met with a whole new view of Tomorrowland. The sun had finally set and a star filled sky sat above them. Tomorrowland was really a spectacular sight at night. All the buildings were covered in a series of brightly colored lights that illuminated the land in all sorts of different colors. It reminded them a little bit of how Zootopia could look during certain times of the year.
As the pair finally exited Tomorrowland, they found themselves in the small circular park that sat just in front of the castle. If it had looked nice before now it was absolutely stunning. A series of lights were aimed at the castle, illuminating it so well that Judy bet one would be able to see it from a plane overhead.
"You're here!" came an excited voice from just behind Nick and Judy. Both of them turned to see the buck from earlier in the day.
"So are you…you...Umm..." Judy began, realizing she hadn't gotten this host's name.
"Come on I got ya some great seats," the buck exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that both Judy and Nick hadn't learned his name.
The excited mammal led Nick and Judy back down towards Main Street where two large red cushioned couches sat right in the middle of the street.
The buck stood to one side of the couches and waved his paw, signaling for Nick and Judy to take a seat. He then skipped off into the darkness.
Judy snuggled up into Nick who wrapped an arm around the doe, giving her a peck on the head as he made himself comfortable.
Judy's ears suddenly popped up at the sound of coughing. She looked off into the shadows, her nose wiggling as she tried to identify the sound.
The rabbit from before materialized from the darkness, accompanied by an older looking wolf. The canines black fur was peppered with white and gray. The wolf was dressed in a pair of brown slacks, a white button up shirt, and a dress jacket. He had a friendly look about him and simply smiled at Nick and Judy as he approached. The rabbit stuck close to this wolf and helped the older mammal towards the free couch. Judy moved at first to get up and offer some assistance to the elder but the wolf took notice and shook his head as he waved a large paw.
"Stay seated my dear," the wolf chuckled. "Don't fuss over an old mammal like me."
The wolf coughed once more which caused the black rabbit to give the large predator a pat on the knee.
"You ok you old wolf?"
"Never better," the wolf said with a smile and a wink to the concerned rabbit at his side. The wolf's ears flicked and he looked over at Nick and Judy who had equally concerned looks. "Oh for the love of…I ain't gonna keel over during some damn fireworks. Quit fussing."
Judy couldn't explain why but she felt like she needed to go and comfort the wolf. It was like looking at a family member who just needed a pat on the back. Sure he was a stranger. For some odd reason though she felt like she knew him. Not in a recognizing an old friend on the street way though. Like he was someone important in her life that she owed-
The first blast came unexpectedly which caused the doe to jump slightly. Judy's eyes went towards the castle and she couldn't help but smile as a series of fireworks exploded just behind the castle. The vibrant colors of Tomorrowland paled in comparison to the magnificence that was the Magic Kingdom fireworks.
As the sky was filled with different shapes and colors Judy tried her best to take it all in. With such a large canvas though it was hard to see all the brilliant and beautiful images. It was just the normal kind of fireworks one would see during festivals. No these were different. Hearts, squares, even smiley faces popped up in the sky. Each shape replaced by another as firework after firework appeared.
The finale illuminated the sky in such a way that Judy had to squint her eyes. It felt like it was daytime again.
As the last of the embers from the fireworks faded Judy looked up at Nick who gave her a peck on the nose. She then looked at the other couch and was suddenly somewhat confused.
The wolf was gone. Only the rabbit remained. A kind of somber grin on his face as he looked up at the castle. While the buck did his best to keep a smile on his face Judy couldn't help but notice the tear that rolled down one of the rabbit's cheeks.
"He never made the finale…" the rabbit said with a sigh.
The rabbit now had both Nick and Judy's attention as they pair watched the black rabbit with concern.
"Who was that?" Judy asked.
Nick looked down at his doe with some surprise in his eyes.
"You didn't recognize him?" Nick asked.
Judy shook her head as she smiled up at Nick.
"That was Mr. Disney..."
"Walt," the buck corrected which made the fox and bunny to look back at the other couch sitting in the street. "He always preferred going by his first name."
"And what name do you go by?"
"Oswald."
"You knew him..." Judy stated as she sat up and looked over at Oswald.
The black rabbit simply smirked and nodded.
"I…" Judy began as she looked at Nick and then back to the rabbit. "Oswald. We are so-"
"Don't," Oswald said firmly as he hopped from the couch and stood up confidently as he put his paws in his pocket. "You don't have to say a thing."
Judy gave Oswald a worried look which caused the buck to roll his eyes.
"You see. Around here, we don't look backwards for very long…We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
As the vacation came to an end Judy and Nick found themselves standing in front of the castle as the lights of Main Street slowly went out. The lights shining in the different lands that surrounded the castle slowly went out until it was only Nick, Judy, and the castle.
Judy couldn't help but smile as she felt something inside her swell up. Nick reached down and took Judy's paw in his. The doe looked up, her purple eyes meeting his emerald. Before the simulation ended Judy managed to jump up and plant one more peck on the fox's nose.
A/N
Well hope you enjoyed the quick little trip to the happiest place on earth!
Had a lot of fun writing this as a last minute addition to the amazing What If collab.
Special thanks to Cimar for organizing all this.
I know that these were short and we had to skip some rides. Those word counts sneak up pretty quick though. There are tons more rides and attractions that I didn't get a chance to mention or write about in detail. Guess that just means you will have to come and experience it for yourself.
Also it just feels like a thanks to the big man himself should be made. I mean, without him I wouldn't be where I am today, we wouldn't have Zootopia, and this story would have never existed.
Thanks Walt.
-Blue