I love these "what if" scenarios. And I have a theory as to what happens:



Judy's too stubborn to stop now. So she continues on alone, using her own wits to aid her. However, things go south very fast.

SCENARIO 1: She gets captured and killed by Bellwether. Perhaps Bellwether spices it up by kidnapping Nick and hitting him with the REAL Night Howler poison, and presenting this horrific finding to the ZPD, forcing them into action.

SCENARIO 2: By some miracle, she manages to get the evidence to the ZPD and put Bellwether away. From there, she'd have two choices.



1st choice: Return to the ZPD

In this outcome, she gets reinstated as a police officer. However, with this traumatic experience under her belt, plus effectively alienating Nick Wilde, she'd be a lot more focused on her work, possibly foregoing true friends altogether. She'd definitely be a lot more cold, calculating, and merciless. Not the kind of bunny you want to hang around with. In a worst case scenario, she'd develop prejudices of her own against foxes, unable to see anyone but the face of Nick in them all.



2nd choice: Go home

On the flip side, she could simply give up this madness. This little adventure into being a cop would be just that; an adventure in her youth to tell to her children and grandchildren (assuming she has any). She'd live out the rest of her life as a farmer just like her parents. However, she would never truly be happy. In her obscurity, her fame would diminish and Zootopia would go back to how it was in time...and nothing would have changed.



Some of these outcomes are definitely more favorable than others. However, they all lack one thing; true closure. Even when Judy wins, it's a hollow victory in the end. When all is said and done, Nick's choice to forgive her or hate her, whether he knew it or not, was the pivotal moment in deciding Zootopia's future. Every choice made creates ripples, and that choice would have rippled far out and for a long time to come no matter what he decided to do.