Night in Zootopia.

It was a historic night. An optimist would say for a city as great as Zootopia, every night is historic. A pessimist would say that maybe the more accurate statement is that every night is equally unimportant. A master thief would say that the night the world's largest gemstone arrives is pretty notable.

The Nope Diamond was going to be the greatest attraction ever housed at the Zootopia Natural History Museum. Three armoured trucks were bringing it through the brightly lit streets. Given its immense value, the ZPD had naturally been tasked with safeguarding it. Officer McHorn was in charge of the operation, driving the primary truck alongside Officer Delgato. Officers Wolford and Higgins were in the front truck, Officers Fangmeyer and Snarlov had the truck in the rear, and Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde – the department's first rabbit and first fox, lauded by their fellow officers and the public for stopping a conspiracy which threatened the entire city – were on the other side of District One on traffic duty.

"Aaaaaaagh," said Judy.

"Hang in there, Fluff," said Nick. He was relaxed in the passenger seat of their cruiser, hands behind his head. He was wearing his aviators despite the fact it was nearing 9pm – he wore them constantly on the job. "Not much longer 'til we can call it a night."

"I don't want to call it a night! This is not a night!" Judy gripped the steering wheel tightly. "We could be there, Nick! We could be helping!"

"What, you're questioning Chief Bogo's judgement? Think you could run the department better?" teased Nick. "Just relax." He cast a worried eye to how Judy's foot was tapping furiously right next to the pedals. "No, but seriously, relax," he added. "Please don't crash the car. I'm far too handsome to die."

Judy sighed heavily. "I'd just feel better if I could help out with something this important."

Nick chuckled. "Define 'important'. Can't be death-defying adventure every time, Carrots. The everyday stuff is important too."

"That's true," conceded Judy. "That's completely true. It's just... this doesn't feel right."

A dark silhouette was cast against the shining full moon. Lithe and wiry, he stood on a rooftop, the moonlight glinting off the large golden crescent at the tip of the cane he gripped in one hand.

The grey raccoon watched the street below him. The wind was cold up here. It pushed at his navy shirt, threatened his matching cap, and lightly ruffled the black cloth of his entirely extraneous domino mask. But he was in his element – physically, at least.

Sly Cooper, legendary thief, put a gloved finger to his ear. "I dunno, Bentley. This just doesn't feel right."

A nasal voice came in through his earpiece. "For the last time, Sly, this is our only chance at the diamond! The museum's too well protected – we need to hit the truck!"

Sly paced along the roof impatiently, entirely unconcerned by the several storeys between him and ground level. "It's so anti-climactic, though. This isn't a heist, it's a hit and run. It's not exactly going to sound impressive in the history books."

The turtle sighed. "I still can't sell you on the 'But the diamond never even arrived!' angle, huh?"

"I'm just saying," Sly just said, "a daring heist of the museum feels a lot more appropriate."

A third voice joined in, contrasting Sly's rich tones with a loud energy. "Guys, this is taking too long!"

"Murray's right," said Sly. "I've been up here for like half an hour now. I'm running out of dramatic poses."

"The Murray always appreciates dramatic pose etiquette, but that's not what I mean!" said the hippo. "They should've driven past by now!"

"That's an... excellent point," said Bentley, concern creeping into his voice. "The convoy's been delayed. According to my intel..." A pause as he consulted his computer. "...they're still several blocks away."

Sly smirked. "I'll investigate."

"What? No! We need you in position!"

"I'll get into position once I find the truck." Sly was already running for the far side of the roof. "I can keep up with it, Bentley. This is me we're talking about."

Bentley sounded uncertain. "Just... be quick about it."

The edge of the roof was approaching. "Always am."

And then he jumped.

The truck hit another red light. McHorn huffed.

Delgato raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The lights," McHorn replied stiffly. "They're not right. Every junction turns red as we get to it."

The lion sat up. "You think something's wrong?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Let's not take the chance. Ask HQ if we can go red."

"On it." Delgato flicked on the truck's radio. "Clawhauser, this is Delgato. Requesting permission to go red, over."

The cheetah's good-natured voice came in crisply. "Roger that, Del, gimme just a tick..." Delgato shot McHorn a smirk. The rhino rolled his eyes. "Alright, the Chief says you're clear!" Clawhauser said after a brief pause.

"Copy that, Clawhauser. Delgato out." The lion switched frequencies. "All convoy units, we are going red."

After two curt confirmations from the other trucks, McHorn turned on his truck's sirens. The others followed suit, and the convoy tore through the junction, cars awkwardly moving out of its way.

"No more red lights," said Delgato.

"Don't relax yet," McHorn said. "It's a long way to the museum. Something could still go wro-"

With a furious roar, a muscular figure landed on the front truck.

"-ng."

Sly ran along a telephone wire and jumped. He fell and hooked his cane in the crook of a street lamp and let the momentum take him and swung up, then landed neatly on the next roof, tucking into a roll. And then he was running again.

Zootopia was beautiful at night. And the view was always better from the rooftops.

As he cleared the roof and grabbed a pipe to climb to the next one, Bentley's voice crackled onto the comms. "You there, Sly?"

"Read you loud and clear, pal."

"It looks like the convoy has suddenly come to a complete halt."

Sly reached the top and jumped up, running to the other side. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll pick up the pace."

Officer Wolford was backed against the armoured truck, gripping his radio tightly. "Clawhauser, we need backup, and now! We've got three officers down!" Fangmeyer slammed against the truck next to him, striped arms flailing. Wolford started. "Uh, four officers down!"

A broad-shouldered shadow passed over Wolford, covering him completely. A large grey fist grabbed him by the collar of his uniform.

Wolford's ears drooped in resignation. "F-... five officers down."

Nick stared in concern at the cruiser's radio. Judy's purple eyes flicked calmly between it and the road.

"Repeat, this is an emergency broadcast," came Clawhauser's voice. "Be advised that the convoy has a... uh, a situation. We have lots of calls for backup, so if all units in the area – repeat, all units – could just, uh, head on over -"

"Hopps," said Nick, "let's be smart about this, okay?"

"Oh, totally," said Judy. "Totally, totally smart. As we rush towards adventure and save the day. Again." She gleefully activated the siren and sped the car toward the co-ordinates Clawhauser was giving out.

Nick rubbed his eyes. "Oh, god."

Sly stopped just above the convoy. After many years as a thief, he was used to violent, even bizarre, sights. Even still, the scene gave him pause.

The trucks were messily piled on a road by the canal. The front truck was on its side, its upper wheels still slowly spinning. The middle and rear trucks had stopped awkwardly, not quite in line with the road. Officers lay scattered and moaning, but there didn't appear to be any causalities.

"Something hit these guys hard," Sly said into his earpiece. "But I don't-"

Suddenly, McHorn flew into view from behind the middle truck. The huge cop slammed into the third truck's front, but recovered. Sly could see that the holster on his belt had been roughly torn off. With nothing else, the rhino raised his fists defensively.

A snow leopard exploded from the same place McHorn had emerged. He was massive. He only wore a pair of purple slacks, leaving his powerful torso uncovered. He ran at McHorn on all fours, snarling.

McHorn readied himself but he couldn't prepare for the leopard's brutally fast movements. He leapt at the officer and fired off a combination of strikes that Sly almost couldn't follow: right hook left hook right kick left kick roundhouse. McHorn blocked the punches with his arms but the kicks surprised him, catching him in the stomach. His guard failed and the leopard slammed a palm into his face. McHorn fell with a grunt.

The leopard let him drop. He looked around. His eyes travelled upwards and Sly quickly ducked back into the shadows. He waited for a few seconds. No sound from below.

Sly peered over the roof. The leopard was satisfied. He left the officers where they were and went to the main truck. He took hold of the handles of the back doors, and then pulled. He pulled and growled to himself and pulled and the doors burst open, a few pieces of metal flying loose.

Sly raised an eyebrow. "He probably could've just taken the keys off a cop."

The snow leopard stomped inside. Sly went to the edge of the roof. Finding a pipe, he slid easily to ground level. "Yeah, guys, we have... competition. Big, angry competition," he murmured. "I'm going for the diamond."

"What?!" Bentley yelled. "If there's a threat, wait for us!"

"He'll get away! I have to at least slow him down." Sly crept toward the truck. Some officers watched him as he passed, but the snow leopard had been brutal and they weren't about to stop him. "Try to get here as fast as you can, but for now, I'm going in."

He reached the truck.

The convoy held a state-of-the-art containment unit – just one of many high-end toys the museum's curator had procured for the exhibit. The Nope Diamond sat in a small dome of reinforced glass. The dome was on top of a black box with a handful of visible lights. The device looked innocuous, but was actually a labyrinth of alarms, requiring careful, precise handling in order to be disarmed. It was Sly's role in his team's quote unquote "heist" to deactivate it, and he was one of the few people on the planet who could possibly pull off such a task.

Tai Lung walked up to it, examined it for a moment, and then punched it. The glass shattered. The box immediately let out a chorus of wailing alarms. Tai Lung punched it again and it went quiet.

Sly winced. A part of him died a little.

Tai Lung took the diamond and turned around. His golden eyes widened when he saw Sly, as though he was shocked – insulted – that someone could approach him silently.

"Hey there," said Sly guardedly. "It's okay, you probably didn't know, but that's my diamond to steal. So how about you just scamper back to where-ever you came from, alright?"

Tai Lung took a second to look him up and down. Suddenly his fist was flying at Sly's face.

Sly tilted his head out of the way, looking mildly put out. "Rude."

Tai Lung snarled and struck again, but he only used his free hand and it was all too easy for Sly to lean nonchalantly out of the way. Tai Lung kicked out and Sly slipped back, his cane reaching out and snatching the diamond from Tai Lung's grasp.

"Thanks, Snowflake!" Sly turned and went to leave, breaking into a sprint.

He must not have been fast enough. A fist closed around his shirt collar and a second later he was flying backwards into the truck. Sly hit the back wall, disorientated. The diamond fell from his hand.

Tai Lung stalked toward Sly, one fist at the ready. The thief wasn't going to get in his way again. He took a step forward and suddenly a grey blur flew in from nowhere and kicked off of Tai Lung's fist so hard that he punched himself in the face.

Judy landed smartly, eyes on the leopard. "I never get tired of doing that," she whispered to herself.

Tai Lung wobbled slightly, dizzied from the force of the blow. He recovered quickly and whirled around. When he saw Judy, he seemed entirely at a loss, but his amazement soon melted into something more controlled.

"You... hit me. You actually hit me." His voice was quiet and oddly refined. "I'm impressed." He took a few steps towards her. "I am also very, very angry," he added calmly. "You are going regret that immensely."

"ZPD!" said Judy, flashing her badge. "You are under arrest for -" and then Tai Lung leapt at her.

Judy rolled out of the way, but Tai Lung was fast. Despite his size, he was precise, controlled in his movements. He missed her but turned on his heel and went for her again. Judy used the cramped space to her advantage, kicking off the walls of the truck, dodging through Tai Lung's arms.

Outside, Nick was still checking on the wounded officers, his sunglasses tucked into his shirt pocket. His ears perked at a sound, and he noticed the main truck was rocking on its wheels.

"Um," he said.

The truck's motion jostled Sly into regaining his focus. His eyes landed on the Nope Diamond, lying defencelessly on the floor. It glinted in the half-light. All he had to do was take it and slip away.

Judy flew straight through Tai Lung's grasp and kicked him hard in the nose. Tai Lung yelled, falling on one knee and curling up.

Judy landed neatly in front of him, folding her arms. "That's more like it. As I was saying, you are under arrest for -"

Tai Lung shot up like lightning and grabbed her in one huge fist. He slammed her into the truck's wall with a loud bang, grabbing Sly's attention. Judy immediately started kicking at his arm, but he was too strong.

"You idiot." Tai Lung unsheathed the claws of his free hand, his eyes narrowing. "I'm going to make you to remember this." Judy's hard expression faltered, memories getting the better of her.

From the floor, Sly glanced from Tai Lung to the diamond and back again.

It would've made for a bad story anyway.

Sly jumped up and tackled Tai Lung at the shoulder. It was like hitting a wall – the leopard was as solid as stone. Sly recovered quickly, bringing his cane down hard on Tai Lung's head. For a family heirloom, it made an excellent weapon.

Tai Lung took a few blows before retaliating. He rolled his shoulder, dislodging Sly. He twisted diagonally and shot out a kick, knocking Sly into the opposite wall from Judy. He grabbed Sly with his free hand, pinning him against the wall at the neck. He stood there, facing the door, Judy in one hand and Sly in the other.

"Hah!" said Sly. "What exactly are you going to do now, smart guy?"

Tai Lung tightened his grip on Sly's windpipe.

"Oh," managed Sly.

Nick appeared in the doorway. He looked uncertainly, rapidly, between the three. "What the hell is going on in here?!"

Judy wiggled ineffectually. "Hi, Nick!"

Tai Lung huffed in exasperation. He looked around the truck, unwilling to release Judy or the increasingly desperate Sly. He noticed the diamond below him. With two sharp motions, he bounced it off the floor with his foot, then kicked it at Nick's face.

Nick's eyes widened and he threw his arms up, barely managing to catch the gem. Tai Lung threw Sly at him, threw Judy into the back of the truck, and jumped forward.

Sly hit Nick and they both rolled on the road, Sly coughing and catching his breath. The diamond skidded along the tarmac before coming to a stop. It gleamed, entirely unharmed.

Tai Lung bent to pick it up and Judy flew in, kicking him in the back of the head. He tipped forward and Sly struck him full-force in the face with his cane. Tai Lung growled and Nick pulled himself up to shoot Tai Lung in the knee with his shock pistol.

Tai Lung roared furiously at the sting of the electricity. "Enough of this!" He grabbed Judy by the ears and Sly by the cane and bashed them into each other before flinging them in opposite directions. He kicked at Nick angrily, his technique sloppy. He caught Nick in the shoulder but the fox managed to get a hand on the diamond before momentum threw him back into the wall of a nearby shop.

Nick grunted on impact and tried to recover as quickly as the instructors at the Academy had demanded. Tai Lung approached him slowly. His voice was low. "Give. Me. The diamond. Fox."

Nick noticed a familiar look in the leopard's eye. "What, this diamond?"

"I won't ask again."

Nick smiled. "Here." He threw it as hard as he could.

Tai Lung's eyes widened in genuine shock and he turned, following its path. He jumped for the diamond but Sly stepped on his shoulder and reached for it but Judy bounced off the ground then Tai Lung's face then Sly's chest and flew towards it, wrapping her arms around it in mid-air.

"A-HA!" yelled Judy triumphantly. "I got it! And there's nothing either of you can-" and it was at that point she fell into the river.

She disappeared into the dark water with a muted splash. Sly moved forward, concerned, before getting punched in the back.

He rolled and managed to recover before Tai Lung came at him again. He was furious now. Unfocused. Easier to dodge, but deadlier.

Nick pulled himself up, took one look at the kung fu warrior trying to murder the master thief, and promptly gave them a wide berth. He ran to the river, trying desperately to remain focused. "Judy! Judy!"

Tai Lung heard it first, the sound snapping him out of his rage. It soon became clear to Sly as well. Sirens. Sirens from all sides. From both ends of the street, walls of bright lights and wailing noise approached.

Tai Lung and Sly each took stock of the armada of police cars. Tai Lung seriously considered staying, fighting his way through the entire city if he had to. But too much had gone wrong already. Another time.

Tai Lung glared at Sly and ran a finger along his throat. Sly shrugged and gave him a bland smile.

They ran for different roofs.

Nick stood on the bank of the canal. He'd found a ring buoy. He didn't realize how tightly he was gripping it. His eyes followed the movements of the water easily despite the darkness. His heart was in his throat.

Judy exploded loudly, inelegantly, out of the water. She held the diamond tightly against her chest.

"Ohthankgod," Nick muttered. "Judy! Judy, are you alright?"

Judy spat a mouthful of river water right onto the diamond. She didn't notice. "This thing is heavy, Nick!" she called, a little woozily. "Diamonds are really heavy!"

Nick smiled. He felt tired. "That's... that's great, Judy." He threw the ring buoy out to her. "Just keep a hold of it, okay?"

He dragged her back to the river bank. Judy soon felt earth underneath her paws again. "What, you weren't going to heroically dive in to pull me out yourself?" she asked mockingly.

"Not my style. You know that by now." Nick's smile faded as he looked her up and down. "You sure you're alright?"

Judy scoffed. "I'm fine, you big baby. Just wet. And very, very cold." She shifted a little in her drenched uniform. "Let's, uh... let's get this diamond to the museum, and then go home? Please?"

He slipped his sunglasses back on. "Sounds good, Carrots. You want to drive, or..." He gestured broadly to the twenty-five police cruisers on the street above them. "...will one of these do instead?"

Tai Lung reached the rooftop. He cast a disdainful look down at the street, now swarming with police. He could see the rabbit and the fox bringing the diamond away.

"This isn't over," he muttered to himself. He took off in a four-legged sprint.

On the next roof over, Sly watched him from the shadows. He smiled.

"You got that right."

[Howdy! Thanks for reading this far! I just wanted to make a quick note here. Some of you may have recognized tonight's antagonist. Some of you may not have. It's cool either way! I've filled the gaps in this story by borrowing characters from elsewhere. I'll be trying to write them in-character, but also so that prior knowledge isn't necessary. This is primarily Zootopia, then Sly Cooper, then the villains, and finally there's a handful of minor characters you might or might not know. Hopefully you'll enjoy it either way. 'Til next time!]