The Brighter Horizons Coalition

The Brighter Horizons Coalition

Chapter One

“Darn it! Should’ve brought my shades!” Hannah was always cold—and, consequently, happy to have warm sun—but its persistent winter light was a nuisance. “Sun that bright in the winter makes no sense!” She chuckled to herself, continuing on her morning commute.

Pulling up to the bakery, she stopped in her tracks when she saw a sign on the door: CLOSED. “Wha…?” she sputtered. Whenever something out of the ordinary occurred during her morning routine, her first instinct was to blame herself; being perennially fatigued and usually frazzled meant being forgetful from time to time.

But then a soft, familiar voice next to her said, “Oh, Hannah, I’m sorry. Things have been so nuts around here, I must’ve forgotten to add you to the e-mail.” It was Sam—but the hare only noticed her after the startle reflex kicked in—go figure. With a sigh and a satisfying shake of her fur (to rid it of nerves), Hannah replied, “Um, Sam, when is it not nuts?”

The rabbit laughed, reaching for her key. “You have a point. Come in.” Once inside, Sam shut the door and led the way to a table. When they were settled, she spoke again. “I’m sure you’re wondering why we’re closed today...” After a pause, where Sam seemed to falter, she gathered steam again. “There’s an organization called the Brighter Horizons Coalition. They sponsor prominent Zootopians abroad to help those in need and attend a social change summit. Guess who signed up for this year?”

Upon seeing the happy hare’s expression crumble, Sam immediately regretted the question. Coupled with her enthusiasm, it was clearly too much for her friend. “I-I don’t c-care about w-work. I can m-manage...b-but my friends are l-leaving me?” Sam, who was usually a pillar of strength, put her head in her paws. “Oh, carrot sticks, why did I have to be the one to do that to you?”

Even as she spoke, she knew the answer: hearing it first from Herb would only add insult to injury. Placing a paw on Hannah’s shoulder, tears welled up in her own eyes. This wasn’t easy, but there was no sense in beating around the bush. “The list of participants was released this morning—I saw J-johnny’s name on it, too…!” Broken, Hannah looked her right in the eye and wailed, as though her world was falling apart...which, in a way, it was.

Chapter Two

When the two companions composed themselves several sobs later, Sam said, “You know Herb can’t resist an opportunity to improve.”

“Which is malarkey, because he’s perfect already.” Sam smiled.

“I’m going to miss that outspoken affection of yours.”

“Well, you haven’t left yet. You are, too, Sam. Love you.”

“The rest of the gang will be here any minute. Don’t get me started again.”

WildeHopps and Clawhauser arrived first. Normally Hannah hated small talk—and gossip, which was basically Ben’s bread-and-butter—but right then, she’d never been more thankful for them in her life. She needed the distraction if she wanted any hope of getting through the day.

Some time later, Sir Horse and Johnny arrived—one after the other, chatting amicably. But one look at Hannah’s red-rimmed eyes told them all was not well. As one, they turned to Sam, who shrugged.

“I forgot to send her the staff e-mail, but we met at the door, and it all just slipped out.”

“What slipped out?” asked an increasingly suspicious Judy. With an encouraging glance from his wife, Herb stepped up to the plate.

“You may have heard of an organization called the Brighter Horizons Coalition. They allow prominent Zootopians to go abroad, assist the less fortunate, and participate in workshops pertaining to social good.”

“Sure, we’ve heard of it,” Nick drawled. “So?”

“So...” Herb stopped, took a deep breath, “After much consideration, Sam and I have decided to leave office—and relocate—in order to contribute.” Relieved that he’d finally spoken those words, Herb looked around at his friends.

Nick’s arms were crossed in silent frustration, while Clawhauser’s lip wobbled. But Judy sat ramrod-straight in her seat and smiled. “That sounds like a great opportunity, Herb. I’m really happy for you guys.”

“Way to go, Carrots—you made us look bad,” grumbled Nick. But then Hannah laughed.

“You’re such a grump,” she teased, “but you’re cute when you’re annoyed.”

“Don’t call me cute!” he snapped, and then… “Crimini! I’m turning into Carrots!” Everyone laughed at that, and the tension disappeared.

Chapter Three

“I’ve decided to join the efforts as well,” Johnny put in. “Gazelle has her charity work under control without me, and I’d like the chance to show my children the world. Zootopia needs work, for sure, but we have it better than so many places out there.”

Hannah locked eyes with Johnny for a full minute before exclaiming, “Gosh darn it, you two, why do you hafta look so absolutely adorable when you talk about saving the world?!” Still, she smiled.

“Only then, Hannah?” asked Sir Horse, raising an eyebrow. Hannah had laughed herself almost to the point of hiccups by the time Nick spoke.

“Welcome to my life. All I wanna do is crash on the couch and catch up on some good T.V., and then I fall in with a police officer.” Clawhauser giggled.

“Don’tcha mean you fell in love with one?” he supplied eagerly.

“Don’t remind me,” Nick answered, giving the cheetah a wink. For that, Judy elbowed him—naturally.

“I really should side with Judy,” Sam added, “But if I hadn’t been asked to come out here and expand the family business, I would’ve gladly stayed on the farm. And, once I got that settled, if I’d thought for a second this place wasn’t for me, I would have left. But I stayed because it felt right—when you have that feeling you have to go with it, even if others think you’re crazy.”

“Hear, hear!” Hannah shouted. “And speaking of crazy, I’m gonna miss you guys like crazy. You have to promise to e-mail, and call, and video chat, and...”

“Of course, Hannah,” smiled Sir Horse, “but I think the three of us,” he said, motioning to himself, Sam, and their koala compatriot, “should do so concurrently, because from the looks of it, you’re giving Johnny a headache.”

For his part, Johnny seemed relieved to have that out in the open. “Thanks, Herb. I’m not the best with the internet.”

“So I’ve gathered, my friend—but neither am I. We can learn together.” Nick made a gagging noise. “There they go again…!” Clawhauser clapped.

“Ooh! Do I detect bromance vibes?” Hannah snickered.

“Ben, you crack me up!”

“As I said earlier,” Judy interjected, “this is great news, but...What about the city?”

“And the bakery? I need my morning muffin.” Nick put in. Judy almost jabbed him in the ribs again, but Sam stopped her with a glare.

“Those are both valuable questions. Mrs. Otterton will step in until the next election. And I’ve asked Bruce to run the bakery.”

Puzzled, Nick asked, “Bruce? The security guard?” Hannah smirked.

“If you’d been paying attention to him,” she began in a mock-haughty tone, “you’d know he went to the police academy with Sir Horse.”

“And he also loves him some baked goods,” the mayor added helpfully, making them all laugh. “No, really,” he went on. “He’s a moose of many talents, and baking is among them.”

Now that all the changes had been discussed, Hannah felt a little better. She wasn’t good at many things, but she prided herself on being a loyal friend. To her, that meant encouraging them to do whatever would make them happy. But it would be nice if the lingering loneliness that had settled in her chest would let up a little.

Sam must’ve sensed her unease. “To be fair, this isn’t what I envisioned myself doing at this point. I love Zootopia, and I want to make it better. But I support Herb, and we both believe that stepping back will shift our perspective and enable us to do more for the city.” Sir Horse nodded, just as an epiphany dawned.

“Wow. So this is how Phinneas felt when he resigned as Assistant Mayor.”

“And how is that, my friend?” asked Hannah, her voice quivering slightly.

“Sad, grateful, relieved, hopeful, and even a little anxious.” The group was silent for a minute.

“So our heroic mayor is a bundle of contradictions—who’da thunk?” observed Nick. Horse and fox exchanged smiles.

“We’re all complex beings, Nicholas. Yourself included.” Nick shrugged.

“Don’t bank on it, Hoss.” But his words surely tugged a heartstring, because there were tears in the tod’s eyes.

Chapter Four

“Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the toil of a baker bun!” The ridiculous rhyme, delivered in a booming baritone that reached beyond the enclosed room, caused everyone to look around in cheerful confusion.

“How about that?” Sam mused aloud. “Guess I’d better see who it is.” Meanwhile, their visitor was getting impatient. “Let me in, let me in!” Sam grinned.

“Watch this, guys.” To the voice behind the door, she retorted, “Not by the fur on my chinny-chin-chin!”

“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blo--” Sam opened the door.

“Oh...uh, hi there. It’s just me.” Everyone was shocked to see Lory standing there...everyone, that is, except Hannah.

“Ooh, you got ‘em good, Lory-Love!” She bounced in her seat, equal parts smug and smitten.

“Did you tell him to do that?” Johnny asked with a teasing grin. Beaming, she shook her head.

“Nope. That’s all him!”

“Wow! Bravo!” Johnny applauded, and the others followed suit.

“Thanks.” Lory said, shy.

Then, from the depth of Lory’s pocket came a clatter of chatter, ending in a much clearer plea: “What about me?!” With that, Zipper appeared.

“My Zip-Zip!” Hannah cheered. “You’re supposed to be decorating your house today.”

“He was,” Lory assured her. I just came by to check on him and see if he wanted a snack.” So, while Sam brought out a platter of petit fours for her guests, Hannah introduced Zipper—and reacquainted him with WildeHopps.

After the excitement had abated, Lory took a seat. “I’m sorry if I interrupted anything, Sam. I didn’t even know the bakery was closed today.” Hannah’s face fell, and her ears drooped anew. She sighed.

“So you didn’t hear the news.”

“What’s that?” Zipper asked.

“Yeah, what about?” agreed Lory.

This time it was Johnny who filled their friends in on the changes to come. “Oh…!” Lory gazed at Hannah; there was such sympathy in that one syllable, and such empathy in his eyes, that she almost broke down again.

Zipper had a slightly different reaction. First he flew over to sit on her shoulder, intoning an affectionate, “Awww…!” But then he turned to horse, koala, and bunny, eyes blazing, and snapped, “What’s the big idea?!” as loud as his tiny frame would allow.

“Improvement, Zipper.” Sir Horse replied gently. “That’s my big idea, and I think I speak for Sam and Johnny when I say it’s theirs as well.” Zipper got the picture, but begged to differ.

“Make your own ‘Rescue Rangers’!”

“Uh, pardon me, Zip, but this town already has law enforcement...?” Nick pointed out, polishing his badge. “And it’s top-notch. Much better than the town you lived in. We don’t let cases go by the wayside. Besides,” he added with a smirk, “don’t you have to be less than a foot tall to join the Rangers?” Zipper bristled—still, he realized, Nick was right.

Chapter Five

“Cheer up, Zipper, because I have a proposition for you.”

“For me? I’m listening.” Any excitement he may have expressed at the Mayor’s words was replaced by skepticism, followed by a full-blown poker face.

“I understand you like to have a fair stake in your friends’ welfare.”

“Yes, sir!” Zipper confirmed his stance with a salute.

“Well, then,” Sir Horse lowered his head so as to be eye-to-eye with the fly. “It seems to me that you’re capable of taking full responsibility of Hannah while we’re away, and delegating partial responsibility when, and to whom, you see fit. Would you do that for us?”

“Aye, aye!” Another salute sealed the deal.

Nick scanned the group with amusement. “Well, I see everyone’s frowns are turned upside-down, so my work here is done.” As he stood and stretched, Judy poked him in the ribs. “Youch!” he winced. “What I mean is, we gotta get back on the beat. Later!” He only took a few steps before Hannah called after him.

“Wait! Hugs!”

“Ha, ha, ha. Hustled ya. You didn’t think I’d forget after all that, did ya?” The hare smiled.

“Just checking.”

“I hate to say it, but we have to get going, too,” Sam put in, chagrined. There was a collective groan as everyone realized their impromptu outing had come to an end. So, a series of hugs, goodwill wishes, and even a few kisses was set in motion. Hannah closing remarks to each friend were the same as always: she told them she loved them and would eagerly await the next talk.

Chapter Six

It was painful not knowing when that would be. This was something Hannah only admitted in her thoughts as she sat in the now-empty bakery, silent. Lory and Zipper watched with worried expressions when her shoulders slumped; she tried to stifle a yawn, but even as she gave in, reflexively shutting her eyes, twin tears ran down her cheeks.

Lory sat down next to her and wrapped her in his wing, while the fly hovered nearby. “Well, you’re stuck with me now,” quoth the parrot, chuckling, and Hannah was on him like a rabbit on a carrot.

“I am not stuck with you, Lory. I love you.” She hugged him, snuggling into his embrace.

“My turn!” Zipper nuzzled her cheek, and she giggled. “Aww, Zip-Zip, that tickles! I love you, too.”

“We’ll be havin’ a chinwag later, ye puny scalawag,” grumbled Lory, eyeing Zipper with annoyance. This caused Hannah to launch into a full-blown laughing fit. Lory was even more adorable than Nick when he was cranky, and Zipper’s zest for life was heartening. ‘Three can play this game,’ she thought. The truth was, she loved them both so much...She’d show ‘em…!