Serendipity and Karma were both seated in one of the main "viewing areas" for astral windows, near the center of the Celestial Realm. The two looked with intense concern as their exemplars Nick and Judy were working together on the missing mammal case. The two seemed to be making some progress, but were abruptly captured by polar bears that worked for a crime lord.

"Uh oh..." Serendipity fretted, placing her paws on her cheeks. "Nick isn't exactly on good terms with Mr. Big."

"Has he done anything to deserve death?" Karma asked, turning to the bunny, who wasn't finding it in her to float at the moment.

Serendipity's colors became Mr. Big's. "I dunno, he's one of those hard gangster types, so the wrong word at the wrong time could set him off."

The two watched with increasing tension as Mr. Big met with the fox and bunny. Nick seemed to be making some headway in apologizing to him and distracting the arctic shrew from Judy and Nick's activities, when Judy fearlessly stepped in to set the record straight.

"That bunny..." Karma drooped her head. "She just does not know when she should keep her mouth shut."

Serendipity grit her teeth. "Um... something lucky's going to happen; I know it. I've got that feeling again in my ears."

"I thought you said it buzzes almost constantly every time Nick and Judy are close," Karma looked skeptical.

"Well, yeah, but..." Serendipity pointed. "Look- that shrew that Judy saved from the bouncing donut? That's Fru Fru, Mr. Big's daughter, and she's headed right for them."

"How contrived," Karma looked baffled, straightening up, "but I suppose Judy does deserve recompense for her heroic actions."

"See? Felicitous justice; the best kind!" Serendipity giggled nervously, fluttering between different colors and ending up on icy blues. She heard a deliberate, slow movement behind her, then turned to look and yelped at the sight. Destiny was walking slowly toward them, and stood in just the right position so that her skeleton showed. Colorful soul energy swirled through her, with two spheres of it seeming to settle near her eye sockets.

"Hello," Destiny greeted in a low-key voice.

"H-hi, Destiny!" Serendipity waved gregariously. "What's up?"

Karma shot Destiny a wary look as the skeletal head turned toward the two.

"The threads of your exemplars' mortality are being pulled taut," Destiny explained in her dry, authoritative voice. "I thought I would just... wait."

"A bit presumptuous of you," Karma's brow lowered. "Look, due to a joining of happenstance and righteousness, Nick and Judy have survived." Karma actually half-smiled at the particulars of the occurrence, and Serendipity floated off of the ground, looking hopeful.

"Only to plunge themselves deeper into this conflict," Destiny went on, looking through the astral window. "The two keep tugging at this dangerous conspiracy, egged on by its perpetrator. Doom surely awaits them."

"Premature," Karma said dismissively. "I find it hard to believe that you of all Celestials would be here so early for their demise. They both likely have many years ahead of them until they accomplish all of their goals.

Destiny half-turned her head toward Karma, the energy near her eyes seeming to flare up briefly. "I just thought I'd be proactive for a change. Presumably you'd want your exemplars to experience another life sooner rather than later assuming they fail in this one. I thought I'd be doing you two a favor."

Karma fixed a testy look on Destiny while Serendipity continued to rise, becoming a pale bluish-white with pale yellow eyes.

"Hey, listen here, Destiny," Serendipity floated in front of her. "Nick and Judy are not going to die today. They have too much to do! What they're doing is super important, and they're our exemplars, so..."

"What do you think that is supposed to mean?" Destiny gently turned her head to look at the bunny floating in front of her unsettling visage. "One of the most recent exemplars on Earth was Acceleration's. He became one of the first predator newscasters."

"See?" Serendipity threw her arms out. "That means Nick can't die unless he does something really surprising-"

"Oh, can't he now?" Destiny asked evenly. "My point was that an exemplar isn't 'bound' to be anything special. He was only the third predator news reporter. What mortal remembers the 'third' of anything? The tangle of the fabric of life can still choke out even the most promising threads, or they can just drag on continuously without true purpose."

Nick and Judy's lives were imperiled several times on that night. They nearly fell to their death twice, and Karma and Serendipity audibly gasped each time they evaded their doom.

"Hmhmhm..." Destiny gently laughed. "Nick must have that natural luck you believe he has, Serendipity. Either that or Growth or Industry could be messing with the vines..."

"Nick is protecting Judy with his luck," Serendipity nodded, "just like Judy protected Nick with her karma."

"She seems to be endangering him with it as well," Destiny noted, turning slightly and her form appearing over her skeleton again. "I still feel the tension on their cords. I should remain... just in case."

"Is that just because they're so high up in the canopy?" Karma asked wryly. She blinked as she saw Fertility approach the three Celestials. She took small hops over, looking up at the large astral window curiously. Karma glanced over at her. "What brings you here, Fertility?"

"I noticed a sudden change in the feelings between your exemplars," Fertility noticed. At the time, Nick was scolding Chief Bogo, who towered over the fox. "What happened? He seems to have figured out why Judy's been so oppressed in the workforce."

"Judy saved Nick's life," Serendipity smiled. "So I guess he felt the least he could do would be to save her job, right Karma?"

"Maybe there's more to it than that," Karma said, her face unsure. She watched the fox and bunny enter a gondola and Nick began to open up to her.

"Oh..." Fertility blinked with interest. "He's opening up about his past. He's never really done that for anyone before, has he, Serendipity?"

"Nope," Serendipity shook her head. "Maybe he's starting to feel something for Judy?"

"Near-death experiences can severely rattle mortals," Destiny explained. "Perhaps Nick is just opening up because he fears that no one will hear his story."

"There's a tenderness there, though," Fertility nodded decisively. "Judy is proving that her experiences with foxes in her past don't completely dominate her thought about them." The fluffy bunny tilted her head and groaned in disappointment when Nick pulled away from Judy's gentle touch to his arm. "Aww... moment over. Nick's defenses were down and now they're rapidly coming back up."

"Do you still feel the tension on their lives, Destiny?" Serendipity asked anxiously.

"It's still there," Destiny confirmed. "Keep in mind that they are going to the perpetrator of this fiasco for help. Surrender's exemplar."

At this statement, all three of the other Celestials around her looked at Destiny in shock.

"Oh, did I fail to mention that to anyone?" Destiny almost looked sheepish.

"Dawn Bellwether is Surrender's exemplar!?" Karma voiced the obvious question.

"That's... certainly surprising!" Serendipity scratched her head. "But it makes no sense! Surrender's all about acceptance and tolerance and basically just... well, 'surrendering' to whatever comes your way. Dawn... well, she wants to control the city and demonize predators!"

"As I keep saying, mortals have their own free will," Destiny sighed. "Maybe Dawn's form of 'acceptance' is getting everyone to 'accept' her twisted viewpoints. She had a difficult life, and those experiences may have colored her traditionally Order trait."

"Or, perhaps her soul still has a remnant of Calamity festering within it," Karma growled as Nick and Judy talked to Dawn in a cramped office.

"Ah yes, this 'theory' of yours," Destiny rolled her eyes.

"A troubling one," Fertility nodded. "The idea that Calamity might have existed and doesn't any longer."

Karma's jaw slightly dropped as she looked between the giraffe and the fluffier bunny. "Wait. I haven't told anyone but Serendipity."

"I didn't tell anyone," Serendipity shrugged.

"You 'haven't done' a lot of things lately, or so you claim," Karma accused with an almost playful sternness.

Destiny began to look alarmed. "...No, Serendipity's right. I heard the theory from Karma. Something about the Book of the Lamb, if I'm right?"

"I remember it too..." Fertility considered. "I don't... don't really remember how it came up, though. It feels like it was a long, long time ago."

"I... vaguely remember telling you two, but I can't really remember the circumstances-" Karma's eyes went wide as she cut herself off. "Hh- has this happened before?"

"What, does Calamity keep showing up and vanishing, you mean?" Serendipity asked. "And... somehow taking our memories of him with him?"

"No," Karma crept back in a defensive posture. "...Has a Celestial vanished before Calamity? Have I found the evidence that Calamity existed as an example or a warning... and then keep showing it to other people, only to forget because those Celestials no longer exist?"

"I'm- this is getting a bit confusing," Fertility looked upset. "Why is it only you who seems to be able to figure out what happened to Calamity?"

"Karma is very adept at connecting circles and finding the way of things," Destiny declared. "It could be that she's right."

"Is it the exemplars?" Karma asked quietly. "Do they have the power to destroy us?"

"Or is it like you said earlier?" Serendipity added. "When a Celestial goes beyond their bounds and thus they're no longer needed... they're just gone?"

"A sobering and worrying possibility..." Destiny mumbled. "If mammals could no longer die, or they were all dead... what use would there be for Destiny? ...Is this process by which exemplars come to be some sort of... winnowing process? Perhaps to filter out nonessential Celestials?"

Serendipity and Karma looked at each other in horror.

"I suppose we might soon find out," Destiny adjusted her stance to appear as a skeleton again as Nick and Judy were once more found out by their adversaries. The two nearly died when they both went over a waterfall.

"Hmhm, I think that's the first time he called her by name, and when he was desperate," Fertility almost smiled. "...Cute."

"The tension seems to have passed," Destiny noted, appearing as her furred form once more. "I thought they were done for that time."

Leodore Lionheart was taken into custody, as he had all of the savage mammals locked up both for their safety and to keep the incident secret.

"Dawn's scapegoat," Destiny observed. "Everything went exactly as well as it could have... for Dawn. She can spin this in the way she most wants, with no one to stand against her."

"Judy is deluded into thinking Leodore was the real culprit," Karma frowned. "And while kidnapping the affected mammals was wrong, Leodore is innocent of the main charge."

"How sweet," Fertility smiled as Judy offered Nick the idea to become her partner, along with the pen that she had been keeping him "hostage" with. "Perhaps chance and justice can work well together after all." Karma and Serendipity shot each other a wary look.

"But, but- now Judy's supposed to speak about the case?" Serendipity looked very worried. "That... that doesn't seem like such a good idea to me. I'm definitely getting an- um- whatever the opposite of my lucky vibes are."

"No, it doesn't seem wise," Karma agreed, sneering. "Judy still has those subconscious thoughts and fears about predators rolling around in her head. They've been validated to her throughout her life, by her parents; even by that badger doctor they recently eavesdropped on. Her logical conclusion may just-"

Judy spoke to the crowd, and the color seemed to drain right out of Serendipity. She became dim and the sparkle in her eyes shrunk.

"Oh no..." Karma and Serendipity breathed out, nearly in unison. The speech seemed to get worse and worse, with mammals muttering and murmuring about Judy's claims.

"Dawn tries to reassure Judy that she did 'fine'?" Fertility seemed disgusted. "In spite of all the damage those words will do?"

After the conference, Judy rushed over to Nick to ask how she did. Nick, who was hurt and angry, calmly exposed the bias in Judy's actions and challenged her views.

"She's defending herself?" Serendipity began to panic, floating near Karma's face. "Karma, help her!"

"I can't interfere with her free will, you know that!" Karma shook her head. "And- and Judy deserves this in some ways... she deserves to see that her preconceptions about predators are wrong."

"Their relationship is about to snap, Karma," Fertility said sadly. "If you do nothing, it surely will."

"Can't you give her an idea on how to bring this back around?" Serendipity squinted her eyes, becoming Karma's colors. "Anything? Please?"

Karma looked between the Celestials and the mortals, seeming to fumble for the right words to say. As soon as it had started, it was over, and Nick stormed out of the police station.

"Karma...!" Serendipity became completely colorless. "Ngh..." Serendipity flew off swiftly, an upset look on her face.

"Even inaction is an action," Destiny said succinctly, starting to walk away. "Perhaps a well-placed idea there would have mitigated some of the damage done."

"That's such a shame," Fertility frowned, also turning to hop away. "They would have made a really cute little duo. I have to prepare for all of the damage that Judy's words will have caused to families around Zootopia. Bye, Karma." Fertility waved a paw then hopped off.

"Of course..." Karma said wearily, squinting her eyes shut. "Ugh, the damage..." Karma thought about the consequences of Judy's actions and how she opened a circle for many, many other mammals. This kind of power, she figured, must be the true power of an exemplar. But with Dawn's goading, it was used to instigate Chaos, not Order.

Karma kept her eyes shut as she heard a faint rumbling. When she opened her eyes again, she flinched at the appearance of a large black bear Celestial. A wreath of fire flared around his neck, his eyes randomly crackled with cyan lightning, and his final steps toward the astral window caused rumbles through the ground. This was Paradigm, Chaos Celestial of harsh change.

"Paradigm..." Karma breathed out. "You're up?"

"The lives of many predators and prey alike will change because of this day," Paradigm said in a deep, rich voice. "I must be here to accept the prayers of concerned mammals as they pray to their deities. I will attempt to send them some measure of mental peace in the difficult times that are to come."

"Judy..." Karma winced, but then looked up at Paradigm, determined, "she will fight against her own actions. She will seek to repair the damage done. Now that- now that she understands where she was wrong... she will work to make things right."

"A mere mortal cannot hold back a storm, can they?" Paradigm asked solidly. "Zootopia faces a new social catastrophe, and I doubt very much that one little bunny could again reverse its fortunes."

Karma gave a resigned whine and walked away slowly. She looked back at Paradigm with a desperate look; he was fixated intensely on the bubbling news stories about Judy's press conference. Karma had no idea what to do.

Some time had passed. Karma lay alone in her Territory. Despite all the subtle encouragement and even hopeful dreams Karma tried to send Judy, it was not enough. Judy began to heavily blame herself for all of the disasters happening in Zootopia. Every time she saw an oppressed predator, she felt guilty, and the problem with predators turning savage was only worsening. She found herself somehow to blame for all that, too. Finally, Judy was offered the chance to be the poster mammal for the ZPD by Mayor Dawn Bellwether, but turned it down in disgust, gave up on her dream, and went home.

Karma sighed heavily. It was just as Nick told the little bunny, though with a set of circumstances he couldn't have predicted.

Industry approached Karma, an anxious look on his small mouse face.

"Hey Karma," Industry greeted. "Well, it's been three months, and Zootopia is still in social disorder. The structure of the social norms threatens to buckle further with every day."

"Indeed," Karma said with a forceful, though glum voice.

"But you're going to fix it somehow, aren't you?" Industry pointed a paw at Karma. "Judy made the mistake, now she needs to fix it, right? That would be justice."

"What would you have me do, Industry?" Karma groaned. "Judy has given up. Her spirit is very strong, but not indomitable. Would you have me reveal to her the source of her woes in a vision? That would be awfully 'serendipitous' of me to do, wouldn't it? Wouldn't you be better off asking her?"

"N-no, you shouldn't do anything that overt, but..." Industry walked around, attempting to think. "Hey, why don't you talk to Surrender? See if you can get anything from him about Dawn? Then maybe a solution to this mess will reveal itself!"

Karma gave a dispassionate groan, looking away from Industry. The mouse looked at her expectantly, then slowly looked determined.

"Okay, I suppose I'll just have to take matters into my own paws," Industry said, suddenly becoming a large swarm of bodies. He advanced on Karma and lifted her up with innumerable tiny hands.

"Wh-what!?" Karma sputtered. "Industry!"

"Something must be done, Karma," several of Industry's voices claimed. "I can't bear to see one of the worlds most structured cities keep falling further into disarray."

"I can walk myse- whoa...!" Karma braced herself as she was placed on Industry's tiny backs and shuffled rapidly to Surrender's Sanctum.

Industry made all of his bodies except for one vanish, and Karma dropped a few inches to the ground with a tiny "oof".

"Just talk to him, okay Karma?" Industry shrugged.

"Very well," Karma said, walking into Surrender's Sanctum. Surrender was there, and to Karma's bewilderment he actually seemed at peace; his cloudy fur fluffy white and flowing. Karma cleared her throat and approached.

"Yes...?" Surrender asked in a tired voice.

"You seem fairly relaxed for the calamity that your exemplar has caused!" Karma accused, lifting up a paw to gesture at the ram.

"Calamity, hm?" Surrender slowly opened his eyes. "I have heard of your rumors and theories to that effect. The Celestials are all talking about them now. They are disquieting, to be sure."

"So, what do you think?" Karma asked him sternly. "Do you think that Dawn somehow- does she have some sort of shadowy remnant? Some little piece of Calamity still lurking inside her? Some residual effect from whatever happened to her soul in the past?"

"All of that is speculation that I will not partake in," Surrender stood up on all fours and looked wearily at Karma. "Let us focus on what is. Whether or not any of what you say is true, Dawn has brought Chaos to Zootopia, using the other two exemplars as pawns in her game."

"And you want me to fix that?" Karma sneered.

"No, I want you to accept it," Surrender said calmly, "as I finally have."

"What...?" Karma's eyes narrowed in disgust and she turned her head slightly away from him. "How can you accept that your own exemplar, who should stand for acceptance and tranquility, has brought intolerance and disorder to Zootopia!?"

"Because of the conundrum of mortal free will," Surrender said, looking at the floor. "A mammal is as capable of the opposite of what we expect from them as what is likely. That... and it completes a cycle, does it not?"

"What sort of cycle-?" Karma began to ask, then cut herself short with a gasp.

"Yes, that's right..." Surrender looked grave. "My exemplar has now both brought predator and prey together and driven them apart, in separate lives. In one, she brought Order, and in another Chaos. In a way, is that not balance? Is that not the circle of completion? As sure as a rotation of the Earth contains both day and night, so too can a single soul contain the brightest light and the deepest darkness."

Karma looked at a loss for works, then she steeled herself, crouching down slightly.

"If that is justice," Karma declared in a voice of tranquil anger, "then perhaps the Earth would be better off without it."

Surrender's eyes widened dramatically. "Karma? What are you saying?" In response to this, Karma merely turned tail and fled, running past a bewildered Industry who was still standing at the entrance of the Sanctum. Surrender moved quickly to the edge of his Sanctum and called out to the fleeing Celestial. "What are you doing, Karma!?"

Karma's answer was full of a cold conviction. "What must be done."