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Judy Hopps awaited nervously, clutching her props in her hand as she patiently waited her turn. It was the night of All Hallows Eve, and the ZPD had thrown it’s annual Halloween party at Precinct 1, and it was as bustling as ever. Thousands of officers from all across Zootopia gathered in the building for a night of partying and scares. Many gathered on the dance floor, striking moves to the music, and others hung out by the concessions table, snacking away on sweet treats. And of course, no Halloween party would be complete without a costume contest. But this year, there was a twist to it all…
From her spot in line, Judy looked around nervously at the crowd. She hadn’t seen Nick since the two had arrived, as he went off to change into his costume, carrying a worn duffel bag along with him. Glancing into the sea of mammals, she picked out many familiar faces and silhouettes alongside foreign ones, but no sign of her partner. Her ears drooped, as she remembered the announcement at the beginning of the contest…
“WHAT?!” Judy squawked, causing Benjamin Clawhauser to wince and cover his ears. His costume was his standard pair of tiger shorts and nothing else, so the movement caused the folds of his large body to jiggle with the movement. Her ears drooped at that, “sorry Clawhauser, I just… why?” she moaned as she placed her head in her paw.
The overweight cheetah blinked, “Judy, all I said was that this year the costume parade was going to be judged, I didn’t even get to the twist yet.” He had to hold back a laugh as her ears shot up in surprise, almost knocking the hat of her costume off. He knew better than to make Judy ‘Short Fuse’ Hopps mad at him. Not if he wanted to keep his arm bruise free at least. Ben’s eyes widened in fear as said Short Fuse started to impatiently thump her foot, glaring at him.
“Just because it’s Halloween, doesn’t mean you can get away with teasing me Clawhauser,” she threatened him, glaring at him angrily. “And just because Alex is here doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you if I need to,” she added, sending a shiver of fear down the large cheetah’s spine. To think he thought she would have been the one eaten alive when she first joined the ZPD all those years ago.
Ben gulped, “it’s not my fault! Someone had the idea to make this year a contest, and Chief Bogo liked it enough to try it out this year!” He conveniently failed to mention he knew exactly which mammal it was who suggested it. What Judy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him after all. “And the twist was green lighted by Bogo too, he says it’s ok as long as everyone who signed up was ok with it!” he hastily explained.
“WHAT TWIST!?” Judy shouted, at her wits end by this point. She knew she shouldn’t be so mad at Clawhauser, it wasn’t his fault, but at this point she didn’t care. She just wanted to spend some time with Nick, get some sugary treats, and enjoy herself. Not show herself off for some contest to be judged! Clawhauser gave her a worried look, clearly not looking forward to telling her this part.
“Well um…” he began nervously, unsure of how to break the news to her. He swallowed, “remember, I’m just the messenger, this isn’t my fault,” he tried to stall, but only succeeded in making Judy narrow her eyes at him, “but thetwowinnersofthecontestaregonnakiss!” He blurted out, before bracing himself for the bunny’s reaction.
The rabbit shook her head as she recalled those words, the thought of Nick seeing the act as cheating causing her to wince. But as she thought, the more she reassured herself. She was wearing the same witch costume her mom made for her that she’d worn the past four Halloweens in a row. Compared to the other intricate attire that her competitors were wearing, she was sure her simple costume wouldn’t warrant a spot at the top.
“Now calling Ms. Kii Catano to the stand,” Ben announced, as he rubbed his arm slightly where it was punched by an angry rabbit. With a squeal, the cheetah waiting in the front of the line ran out into the makeshift stage assembled at the end of the main hall. She was dressed as the anime and manga character Izumi Hayaka from High School Heroes, wearing knee-high white socks with a blue skirt, a matching jacket, a white undershirt with a logo on it and a deep purple wig. As she walked up into the spotlight, she nervously smiled at the judges as the crowd applauded. The selected judges began carefully examining her costume
“To be honest ma’am, ah dun know what yer ‘posed to be” explained Head Ranger Elijah Doran, in his signature Texan drawl. The coyote was dressed in a simple henboy outfit, consisting of his signature brown hat, a simple white button-down with rolled-up sleeves and brown vest, jeans, and a red bandana around his neck. To the members of the Meadowlands Rangers attending the party, he didn’t look too different from his standard self.
“I mean just because you don’t know where it’s from, doesn’t mean it’s a bad costume!” replied SWAT Captain Alexander Clawhauser. The cheetah was dressed in a store-bought weregator costume, a green scale-printed cloth bodysuit over a “ripped” t-shirt and pants and rubber alligator mask, which Alex had placed down on the table. He pointed a gloved paw at Eli as he confidently made his remark.
“Don’t fool yourself, this outfit is nothing special. It’s just some clothing with a wig on top of it” Chief Mason Bogo piped back at the SWAT capitan, crossing his arms. In an ironic turn of events, the police chief was wearing an orange prison jumpsuit as his costume. “You’re just defending it because that’s your girlfriend up there.”
“I-I-Umm… I still rate it a 7, no, an 8!” Alex stammered out, clearly flustered. He hid his face in his hands from embarrassment.
Eli placed his head on his paw as he tried to hold back a chuckle from watching the ordeal. “Ai’ll give it a 6, for effort.”
The cape buffalo gave a simple sigh, clearly not too enthusiastic about the quality of the costume. “4. Take it or leave it.” He said.
“That leaves you with a total vote of 18. Sorry Miss Catano, but you’re out,”
“Aw, dang. Well, there’s always next year.” she said as she exited the stage. Back over at the judge’s table, Alex blew a kiss her way, causing her to slightly blush. As she exited, she turned to the rabbit who was nearing the front of the line. “Good luck Judy! I believe in you!”
“Now for Mr. Luke Grizzoli!” Ben called after Kii got off the stage. The chief of the smaller Precinct 11 grabbed his costume’s axe and lumbered onto the stage. He laughed and struck a pose, showing off his lumberjack costume to the judges. The red flannel shirt and blue jeans screamed rustic, while the axe he had over his shoulder tied the costume together, even if it was only plastic. Overall, the grizzly bear looked like he stepped out of an add for a logging company, especially with the few wood chips he had stuck in his fur.
“Pardon me if ah sound like a brokin record, but ah don’t get it, pardner, what are you ‘posed to be? Because to me, it just looks like yer everyday casual clothin.”
“I could say the same for you, Tumbleweed.” Luke replied, striking a smirk.
“I mean, it certainly looks like you put a lot of effort into your look. But isn’t it just a little… Plain? A lumberjack isn’t exactly the most exciting costume, you know.” Alex said apologetically.
Bogo snorted, “forgot your costume this year Grizzoli? It looks like you just threw some old work clothes on at the last minute." He leaned forward in his seat, “and just because you’re a fellow police captain, doesn’t mean I’ll give you any slack for that.”
“I’d accuse you of being an imposter if you did Manson,” Luke laughed, clearly not caring if he won or not. Bogo snorted again, the closest he’d ever come to laughing at another officer’s joke. At least out at least.
Eli scratched his head, still confused at Luke’s costume, "well ah still dun get how it's a costume, but I'll give you a 5 for the stayle."
“I mean the wood chips are a nice touch, but this really isn’t award-winning material. I’ll give you a 4 for the attempt. By the way, is that axe real or fake? I can’t really tell from this distance.”
Luke smirked, “Come on Al, you really think I’d answer that question when it’d be so much easier to annoy you by keeping it a secret?” He winked at Bogo while the cheetah pouted. The cape buffalo just shook his head with exasperation.
“I regret letting myself get dragged into this,” he muttered to himself. “3, argue any and I’ll give you an even lower score, Grizzoli.” The grizzly bear tried to open his mouth in protest, but he stopped himself from saying anything more.
“Ooh, that all adds up to a score of 13. Sorry Luke, but you’re out too!” Ben waved him off the stage cheerfully.
Luke shrugged, “this just means I’ll have time to get home to my family, Al gets that don’t you?” he teased, causing Alex to groan with embarrassment. Eli chuckled at that while Bogo just shook his head. Suddenly, a cry echoed across the party floor.
“Walt, stop stuffing yourself! You’re going to get sick if you eat that much candy!” Francine Fangmeyer cried out, desperately to her boyfriend. She was wearing a white lab coat with brown pants, and had protective goggles on her head. Next to her, by the sweets table, Walter Wolford was stuffing himself with as much candy as he could hold. The wolf was wearing tattered clothes and covered in fake stitch marks, with two bolts fixed to his neck.
“Come on Francine, this is the one day a year where it’s socially acceptable to stuff myself with candy!”
“I know how you have a sweet tooth, but it’s not healthy!”
“Don’t worry, I can handle this.” Luke said, as he exited the stage.
Ben stood silent for a second as the two continued to argue back and forth, before taking a deep breath and continuing. “Anyways, our next contestant is Kyle Everfrost! Come on up!” As the snow leopard in front of her ran up onto the stage, Judy took a few deep breaths, searching unsuccessfully to Nick in the crowd. She was up next, and she didn’t know how to feel about that…
A thud was heard as Kyle tripped and fell on the stage, flopping around like a fish out of water. In this case, it worked for him, since his costume was a scarlet and white koi fish. His ears flushed almost the same shade of red as his costume. In the crowd, a single pair of paws clapped, that of his spouse Julia.
The judges stared at him, with a mixture of amusement and pity on their faces. Eli leaned over to Alex, “does thawt happen oftun” he whispered.
“More often than you’d think,” he whispered back, as he watched Kyle continue to flop around on the stage, the snow leopard trying desperately to get back up. He almost succeeded, but he somehow managed to slip on his costume and flop back on the stage. Alex shook his head, “way more often.”
Eventually, Kyle seemed to give up and stayed on the floor, as he tried his best to look like a serious officer instead of a mammal who couldn’t even walk right.
“I have no words.” Bogo said, his voice full of genuine disappointment.
“While Ai’m tempted to agree with Bogo, I like your costume even with you floppin’ on the stage like that,” Eli laughed, hiding his worry over Kyle falling with a quick joke.
“I mean, at least it’s creative. I’ve never seen someone dressed as a fish before,” Alex remarked.
“Weall creative as may be, I’m gonna have to take points off for the floppin, 6.”
“That’s fair, though I feel like a 5 is more appropriate here, sorry Kyle.”
Kyle shrugged, “that’s honestly higher than I expected to get,”
“Everfrost we’ve talked about you needing to work on staying on your paws and not tripping all the time! 2,” Bogo huffed, trying to stay calm for the other officers’ sake.
“That’s still higher to be honest,” Kyle laughed as he tried to get up one final time. He succeeded this time, to the cheer of his wife and some polite clapping from some of the other officers. He grinned and let out a victorious whoop and leapt off the stage, not waiting for Ben to give his score.
Judy gulped, she had hoped that it would have taken longer for Everfrost to get off the stage. As she continued to stand, she could feel herself shaking. She still couldn't see Nick.
“Now for Judy Hopps! Come on up here Judy!” Ben called out, much to the bunny’s dread. Slowly, she began making her way onto the stage, tightly clutching the broom and spellbook she brought as props. After she made her way up onto the stage, the three judges looked intently at her, analyzing her outfit in silence. After a moment, Eli was the first one to speak up.
“A witch, huh? A classic pick for sure, ah approve of that. Far too many mammals seem to have forgottin about the classic costumes. Ai’ll give it an 8.”
Alex laughed, “you sound like an old fart when you say things like that. Even so, I’m digging the props. Tell me, did you make that dress yourself? It looks hand-sewn to me.”
“Actually, it was my mom who made it for me.” Judy responded, actually feeling pretty good thanks to the judge’s compliments.
“Ah, well that’s nice of her. Such a unique twist on a classic look… I’ll give it a 9. You really knocked it out of the park here.”
Bogo sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “after Everfrost’s performance, I’m just glad you made it on stage without falling over. And this costume is at least homemade, I’ll be nice to you Hopps, 5,” he grunted.
“Judy that adds up to a score of 22. Congratulations Judy, you received the highest score yet!”
Judy stood there in shock, a mixture of excitement and dread filling her body. She got the highest score yet, which means that she’s in the running for winning. And while that’s great, this means she’d probably have to kiss someone who isn’t Nick. Frantically, once again, she tried scanning the crowd for him, but like the many other attempts, this was to no avail. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Nick at the party since he wandered off into the break room to put his costume on. Part of her began to worry that he ditched the party, but he would never do that to her. But contest or not, she couldn’t help but imagine the betrayal on his face if he saw her kissing another mammal. She walked off the stage, trying her best to mask her worry as she waited for what would happen next.
“And now for our last contestant, we have… Huh, that’s odd” Ben paused, as he looked to read the name on the card, “we have an officer who requested we call him Ignis. Though he is allowing us to tell the judges who he is, so that’s nice of him,” Ben laughed. He went over to Bogo and handed him a card. Putting on his reading glasses, Bogo snorted with amusement at the theatrics this officer seemed to be going through for such a small scaled party.
Judy waited backstage, silently hoping, no praying , that this “Ignis” would have a bad costume. Suddenly, her ears perked up as she heard stomping coming from the crowd, followed by the growling of a creature she’d never heard before. The music had stopped, as the stomping grew louder and louder and the crowd began to part for this mysterious figure. Suddenly, it emerged from the sea of officers, and Judy’s draw dropped in a mix of amazement and frustration. Whoever it was, was wearing a full bodysuit of a dragon, without an inch of fur visible, covered in blue scales and a red armored underbelly that Judy could only assume to be made of some type of plastic. Two curved, black horns rested atop his head, with one chipped off at the tip, and broken chains rested around his neck and wrists. Bony, spike-like spines ran down from the back of the head to the tail, as black and blue, bat-like wings erupted out of the back. As he got closer, he revealed a dangling jaw full of sharpened teeth, and it’s yellow, reptilian eyes glowed and shined with a mysterious light. It almost looked like there wasn’t even someone inside, that a genuine fantasy creature had stepped out of a novel and into the building. Stepping onto the stage, he let out a mighty roar as smoke bellowed from his nostrils, as if ready to spew fire on the audience. Judy’s ears wilted, there’s no way he would lose and there’s no way she wouldn’t end up having to kiss him.
The audience was stunned into silence, even the usually stoic Bogo looked shocked at how complex the costume of the mammal on stage was. The judges sat in silence for a moment, before Alex decided to pipe up.
“That costume is so damn impressive that it almost made me jump out of my seat with that roar. Did you make this yourself?”
Ignis looked around confused, before nodding no. It seems the actor inside wasn’t willing to break character quite yet.
“Well, whoever did, did an amazing job here. It’s just so lifelike. This is a 10 from me.”
Again, Ignis looked somewhat confused, tilting his head sideways, as if being told that he looked lifelike was confusing.
Eli whistled, “that was an impressive entry Mr. ‘Ignis’,” he winked at the dragon on stage, “and ah agree, yer costume is very impressive, definitely worth a 10.” The dragon tilted his head again, as if he didn’t understand what the coyote meant by costume. Eli realized his mistake and was quick to correct himself, “Oh sorry, ah mean the chains on yer wrists and neck are impressive, that better?” That seemed to please Ignis, who gave a proud nod.
Bogo snorted, “well, unlike the other judges, I won’t be impressed by your entrance Ignis. You're wearing a terrible costume,” he said, causing even Judy to gasp in shock. Ignis put his hands on his hips and angrily stared down the cape buffalo as he said this. Bogo continued, not letting the crowd sway his opinion, “a pair of cuffs might just have to be the worst costume I’ve seen tonight!” he bellowed.
Nobody spoke, stunned. Did Manson Bogo just play along with the dragon’s charade? A few of them glared at the cape buffalo suspiciously, half expecting him to pull off a mask and reveal that he was a different mammal just dressed as Bogo. On the stage, Ignis reared his head back as smoke bellowed from his nostrils, as if he was charging up a blast of fire.
Bogo held up his hooves in a placating gesture, “fine, fine, keep it civil. I’ll give you an 8, happy?” In the crowd, some of the officers started to shift uncomfortably, not used to seeing their police chief acting so… amicable. If this was a set up for a Halloween scare, it was working perfectly, they were thoroughly spooked by the caped buffalo's behavior.
Ben stared at Bogo for a bit, partially confused and partially impressed with his devotion to the act. However, he soon was able to regain his composure, and spoke once more into the microphone.
That leaves ‘Ignis’ here with a score of 28, making him the victor of this contest! Congratulations!” He climbed up on stage and held the dragon’s arm up high in success. And our runner-up is Ms. Judy Hopps!” As he exclaimed this, the crowd erupted in a cheer. Nervously, Judy emerged from the backstage and struck an awkward smile. She took one last glance around the crowd for Nick. Her ears wilted, she still couldn’t find her fox. She jumped a bit as Ben gave her a small push towards Ignis, “go ahead Judy,” Ben gently told her, “it’s time for you two to kiss.”
Judy let out a deep sigh, as she looked up at the dragon. As she stared into his eyes, she couldn’t help but wonder who it could be. He was about the height of a wolf, but it couldn’t be Walt, because she saw him earlier in the crowd. Could it be Charlie? Or someone else, someone she didn’t really know? As she stared into the eyes of the dragon however, she couldn’t help but feel like everything was going to be ok. Ben brought out a chair for her to stand on, and nervously, she stared at the winner. Ignis grabbed the back of her, helping her to stay up straight.
“Umm, are you going to take that off, or should I do it?” Judy asked, not quite sure what to do. Ignis, not quite breaking character, pointed at her, as he used a free hand to remove the chain around his neck. Judy sighed again, as she put down her props and felt around the neck for an opening. Feeling around at the back of his head, she found that the spines folded over a cleverly placed zipper. Taking a deep breath, and hoping if Nick was watching, he’d forgive her, she carefully lifted the zipper up. Now for the moment of truth, she thought. Grabbing the sides of the head tightly, she shut her eyes as she pulled on the head. At first, it refused to give way, so she pulled a bit upward, and she heard the rustling of cloth as it slid away from the body.
“Hey there Carrots,” a familiar voice greeted her, causing her to crack an eye. Could it be? “What do you say, was my little trick worthy of a treat?” Yup, there was no mistaking that sense of humor. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and found herself face to face with her familiar fox.
“Nick!”
“Wow, now isn’t that a twist! It turns out that Ignis was in fact our very own Nick Wilde!” Ben explained as the crowd went wild.
“The hustler strikes again!” Alex shouted as he slowly began to clap.
“Nick, how? I mean, you’re so tall!” She said, slowly putting down the costume head.
“I’ll tell you what, fluffball, I had the maker install stilts into the legs to make me appear more imposing.” He chuckled. “It just had the surprise effect of throwing you off.”
Judy narrowed her eyes and started punching him in the arms, “you jerk! I thought I was going to have to cheat on you!”
Nick started laughing as she continued to punch him, trying to defend himself, “Carrots! Carrots! Ow! Judy! Come on! You know I wouldn’t have let that happen, besides, with how good this sca- costume is, it’s not like I’d lose” he pointed out, which mercifully caused Judy to stop her punches.
She looked down, “and if you won and I didn’t?” she asked nervously, half not wanting to hear his answer.
Nick lifted her head back up, staring into her eyes, “then I would have refused to participate any further, you’re the only mammal for me Judy Hopps,” he said sincerely, causing more mammals than just Ben to give awww at the cuteness. Slowly, Judy leaned in to Nick and threw her arms around him, kissing him right on his mouth, a move Nick gladly returned. The two stood in embrace for a good 30 seconds, as the crowd celebrated and Ben squealed in enjoyment. After they were done, Ben came up to the two, and spoke up.
“Now, if you don’t mind, could we possibly get a picture of you guys? Just so you have something to look back on and remember.” Francine rushed up on the stage next to him to act as the photographer.
Judy turned to Nick, grinning widely. The fox grinned back at her, as he nodded in approval.
“OK!” Francine shouted out, holding her trusty camera. “Take your time to get set up, I don’t mind.”
Judy grabbed her props and hopped down from the chair, grinning widely.
“Now, if you don’t mind, we’re gonna do this in costume, alright?” Francine asked, the two nodding in sync. Nick grabbed Ignis’ head from where Judy set it down, and smiled.
“You ready Carrots?” He asked, as he lifted it back up onto his head, pulling the headpiece back down over his head and re-fascening the chain around his neck, covering the line between the neck and the head. Knowing that her boyfriend was beneath the imposing dragon’s face made Judy feel a lot less intimidated.
“A dragon and a witch huh? What a spooky duo!” The tiger exclaimed, as she readied her shot. “Strike your best pose!”
Nick and Judy struck their poses, Judy sitting on her broom reading from the spellbook, Nick raising his arms up in a lunging pose. As the flash of the camera filled her ears, Judy couldn’t help but smile. This was going to be a Halloween for her to remember, the time that Nick turned into a dragon.