The next day, the sun was shining over the big city of Zootopia. Hundreds of mammals were on about with their daily lives; prey and predator. Zootopia was where their ancestors first joined together in peace when the predators moved on from their primitive savage ways, and declared that there, anyone can be anything.
In a manor uptown, was another interview going on for Dowager Emperor Otto Hopps.
"Ah... yes..." a female sloth named Priscilla was very slowly trying to do her best "Judistasia" impression for Otto.
But the elderly rabbit was slumped in the shadows of a canopied chair.
His trusty lieutenant, Gazelle, was standing nearby.
"Ah, yes... I remember... so... well..." Priscilla continued. "Uncle Randolph... was from... Moosecow. Aunt Penelope... was from... Odsheepsa. And... every... spring..."
Otto shook his head impatiently. "We would take picnics by the shore on Sunday." He stood up, leaning on his cane. "Haven't you anything better to do? And not to mention faster?" He gestured his paw to shoo her away.
Waddling in unison, Gazelle ushered Priscilla to the door. "Oh, oh, dear now, you have to leave now, yes? Goodbye."
"No more," Otto whispered quietly to himself. "No more."
After escorting Priscilla out of the room, Gazelle came waddling back to Otto's side. She helped herself with a lavish preparation of tea. "Oh, I must say I'm so sorry," she apologized to Otto, as he sat back down.
Gazelle took a glance at a photograph of Judistasia. "I thought that one surely was for real. Well, she was real. She may not have been a rabbit, but she was an animal. But not our real." Then, she took her teapot and poured it into a fishbowl. The goldfish seemed a bit confused at the sight of tea in its bowl.
Gazelle turned back to Otto and assured him with a determined look. "But we won't be fooled next time! No, I'm going to think of some really hard questions!" Gazelle then placed an ice cube and a sugar cube into the fishbowl, finally convincing the fish to lap up some tea in its water.
But Otto shook his head. Ever since he lost his entire family - including Judistasia, whom he had failed to save - Otto had become a miserable, stubborn, and rather cold-hearted rabbit. "No," he frowned, and stood up from his seat. "My heart can't take it anymore!" He said bitterly. He looked over at Judistasia's photograph, before settling on a final decision. "I will see no more girls claiming to be Judistasia!" He sighed sadly, as he placed the photograph face-down on the desk, giving up all hope of ever finding his beloved granddaughter.
In the meantime, a familiar group of friends were just arriving in Zootopia by motorcar. Judy gazed out the window, amazed at seeing different landscapes to reflect the types of animals who lived there. For instance, there was Sahara Square, a desert for camels, gemsboks, and armadillos; there was Tundratown, an Arctic terrain for mammals that could stand tough blizzards and snow; there was the Rainforest District; a rainforest for jaguars, okapis, gorillas, and other great apes; there was a deciduous forest for bears, wolves, deer, and other forest animals; and then there came the most exciting thing of all - a big city where all animals lived in peace, no matter what.
Judy looked around the city in awe. Then, she spotted a giant billboard with a photo of a female gazelle reading I'm Gazelle. Welcome to Zootopia.
"This is all so amazing!" She gasped as she continued to look around.
"It sure is, Judy," grinned Nick. "It sure is!"
As they traveled with Finnick and Fru Fru at their sides, Nick was doing some last minute quizzing to help Judy prepare for her meeting with Gazelle and the Dowager Emperor Otto. "Where was Uncle Terry from?"
Judy didn't answer, as she began to fret. "What if Gazelle doesn't recognize me?"
"She will!" Nick protested. "You're Judistasia!"
"It's just that-"
"What?"
"Well, three days ago I didn't have any past at all and now I'm trying to remember an entire lifetime!"
"That's why you've got me!" grinned Nick. "Now, where was Uncle Terry from?"
"Moosecow?"
Not too much later, the gang finally arrived Gazelle's house.
They went up the front door. Finnick knocked on it, and hastily straightened his clothes out to look his best for Gazelle.
The door was answered by the maid; a female pig. "Yes, sir?"
Gazelle came over, peeking over her maid's shoulder. Gasping with delight, she pushed her maid aside to greet her guests herself.
"Gazelle!" Finnick greeted gleefully. "Angel with Horns, Greatest Singer of Our Lifetime!"
The female gazelle grinned, flattered by the little fennec fox's sweet-talk. "Ele-Finnick!" She responded. "Little Toot-Toot!"
She extended her hoof to him, and Finnick kissed it repeatedly.
Nick and Judy tried not to show their awkward reactions to this rather-weird scene.
"Well, this is unexpected," Gazelle said, with a smile. Then, she noticed Nick and Judy. "Oh! But look at me! Where are my manners? Come in, come in, everyone!" she gestured for the group to follow her inside.
Nick was the last to head inside. He looked back to notice Fru Fru struggling to squeeze past the gate to the front pathway. She managed to fit through, and scurried up to join them.
With a smirk, Nick shut the door in her face, just as she jumped over the threshold.
"Hey!" complained Fru Fru. She growled at Nick for locking her out. Looking over her right shoulder, she spotted a windowsill with a plantar box filled with tiny flowers.
The little Arctic shrewd went over and climbed up the windowsill. She gently pushed her way past the flowers, and pressed her nose on the glass to peek inside.
Gazelle led the group into the drawing room. "I'm palpitating with amazement, and such surprise," said Gazelle. "All three!"
"May I present," Finnick gestured to Judy, "her Imperial Highness, the Grand Duchess Judistasia Laverne Hopps."
Gazelle took a good look at Judy, examining her from head to toe. "Oh, my heavens." She circled around the bunny, who stood with grace and regal poise. "She certainly does look like Judistasia. But, so did many of the other rabbits." Sitting down, Gazelle began to interrogate Judy. "Where were you born?"
"At the Critterhoff Palace," Judy answered.
"Correct," nodded Gazelle. "And how does Judistasia like her tea?"
"I don't like tea. Just hot water and carrots."
"Good..."
Hours passed by as Judy's interrogation kept going.
Outside, Fru Fru was pacing in the plantar box through the flowers like a tiny forest. She even glanced repeatedly at a nearby sundial, showing how much time has passed.
"Finally, you'll most likely find this an impertinent question, but indulge me..." Gazelle paused to take a breath. "How did you escape during the siege of the palace?"
Nick and Finnick exchanged a nervous glance. It was clearly obvious to them that they never briefed Judy on this question.
With no other option, Nick turned away, facepalming.
Judy was silent for a moment. She thought hard, then the bunny softly began to answer. "There was a boy... a fox... a fox who worked in the palace. He opened a wall..." Judy quickly realized what she said, and looked up to see Gazelle staring blankly at her. "I'm sorry," she chuckled. "That's crazy. Walls opening."
Nick, on the other hand, suddenly looked up from his paw. He glanced over at Judy in shock, staring at her as if she were a ghost. He realized at that moment, that truly was how the princess escaped. He knew, because he was that fox who used to work in the palace. He couldn't believe it... Judy, the very rabbit he had aided, bonded with, and taught so much to, was really the Grand Duchess Judistasia, herself.
"So," Finnick started to say, "is she a Hopps?"
"Well..." Gazelle thought aloud, "she answered every question," she grinned, before picking up a tea tray and stood up.
Judy's face lit up.
Finnick's eyes widened. "You hear that, child?" He said to Judy, leaping up from his seat next to Gazelle. "You did it!"
While the fennec fox embraced with the rabbit like a child would with his mother, Nick did not make any reaction to their success. Still traumatized by Judy's description on her escape from the palace, he silently wandered outside, unnoticed by the others.
"So, when do we go see the Emperor?" Finnick asked Gazelle.
"I'm afraid you don't," she responded.
Finnick's smile slowly vanished. "Come again, my pet?"
"The Emperor simply won't allow it," said Gazelle.
Judy sat back down in her chair.
But Finnick would not accept this so suddenly. "Now, Gazelle, my bright diamond" he walked up to her, and tugged at her skirt. "Surely, you can think of some way to arrange a brief interview with the Dowager."
Gazelle looked down at Finnick. She seemed a bit surprised when he wrapped his tiny arms around her legs like a child would do with his mother.
"I refuse to budge, 'till an answer occurs to you. Please?" He begged.
Gazelle thought for a moment. Then, she got an idea. "Do you like the ballet?" She asked. "I believe they're performing here in Zootopia tonight. The Emperor and I love the ballet. We never miss it," she smiled with a wink.
Judy and Finnick both nodded, easily convinced by Gazelle's invitation.
Nick was outside in the garden, still in daze about what Judy had said inside, putting it all together in his head.
Finnick then came rushing out. "We-e-e-e..." he started to say in an excited sing-song tone before cheering "...DID IT!" The little fennec fox jumped into the air. "We're going to meet the Imperial Highness tonight! We're gonna get the ten million rubles!"
"Fin," Nick gently tried to tell his co-partner.
"We're gonna be rich!"
"Fin... Fin... she is the princess."
But Finnick wasn't fully listening to him. "Judy was extraordinary!" He beamed. "I almost believed her! And Gazelle!"
Before Nick could explain what he meant, Judy came rushing outside, looking excited herself. "Gazelle wants to take us shopping for the ballet!" She announced joyfully. "Shopping in Zootopia! Can you believe it?!"
"Shopping?!" Fru Fru exclaimed, and squealed in delight.
Judy went over to Fru Fru, and extended her paw for her to climb onto.
Both girls squealed with excitement at what was happening to them.
Finnick danced around, joyfully.
Nick just stood where he was in silence. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. But he knew, sooner or later, Judy would have to find out that she really is the Grand Duchess Judistasia. But most of all, he was feeling downright conflicted. For he had begun to develop feelings for the rabbit, after all they've been through together.