AN: It's here! It's finally here! We've made it to the finale! Time to find out if I manage to stick the landing on this baby or not XD. I'll save the speeches for after. For now, though, let's get on with the story one last time. Hope you all enjoy.

"Judy! Judy!"

Nick ignored the stinging sensation in his eyes as he pushed through the dust, trying to wave it out of the way as he desperately searched for the bunny.

Gods no, not like this...

"Please be alright…" he whispered, feelings of despair burning in his chest. It was all his fault, the only reason she was even on this stupid island to begin with was because he talked her into coming along. This wasn't her fight, she had her whole life ahead of her. She didn't deserve to die deep underground in the ass end of nowhere just because she got caught in the middle of his damned pissing contest with Dante.

"Please…"

"I'm here," a voice called out faintly amidst a fit of coughing.

"Judy?" Nick called back. The despair dieing down as he began to feel hopeful.

"Over here," the rabbit called out again, much louder this time.

Nick zeroed in on the sound of her voice, the dust finally starting to clear as he saw a pair of black-tipped ears poking out over the rubble. "Judy! Hold on!" he shouted as he ran towards her, clambering over the debris. "Oh thank the gods, I thought you were done for! Are you hur-oh…"

The rabbit was pinned to the ground, her leg trapped beneath a large piece of the statue that had nearly flattened them. He couldn't see any blood, but the sight of her leg vanishing beneath the rubble was not an encouraging one.

"Your leg…"

"It's...not as bad...as it looks," Judy replied, although the strained grunt of pains in between her words suggested that it wasn't exactly great either. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine, Fluff…"

"I'll manage well enough until we can get out of here," Judy argued. "Just...help me get this thing off my leg. It's got me stuck pretty good."

"Alright, I got it," Nick bent down and tried to get his paws as far under the statue piece as he could. "Just focus on pulling your leg out."

Once Judy gave him a firm nod, Nick planted his feet and lifted with all his might, growling in exertion as he strained to move the rubble. But the stubborn chunk of stone refused to budge no matter how hard he tried. The damn thing probably weighed as much as an elephant, if not more. He could hear the bunny fighting to get her leg free, but it didn't sound like she was having any more luck than he was.

"No good," Judy said. "It won't budge."

"Try again!" Nick ordered, refusing to take no for an answer. "We didn't come this far just for you to get done in by a stupid piece of rock right before the end!" He pushed deeper and tried to lift the statue, his muscles screaming in protest at the seemingly impossible task. But if he could just get the damn thing to budge a bit…

"Just go, Nick!" Judy shouted. "We're out of time!" Nick felt the ground shudder as a piece of debris landed somewhere nearby, a reminder that this city would bury them alive if they didn't get moving soon.

"Not before we get you out," Nick argued, ignoring the collapsing rubble and the bunny's protests as he kept pushing.

"You really are a dumb fox if you think you can lift this thing!" Judy growled frustratedly. "It probably weighs at least a ton."

"And you're an even dumber bunny if you think I'll leave you behind!" Nick snapped back at her.

"It's too late for me, just save yourself," Judy said, her voice starting to waver as she pleaded with him. "Please, just go."

"It's not happening, Carrots!" He yelled, the volume of his words bolstering his stubborn refusal. Judy's ears splayed back from the force of his voice, lips trembled, eyes enormous and pleading. He drew his paws back from the stone and cupped her face with them, locking his eyes on hers as he lowered his voice to a near whisper. "We both get out, or neither of us do. You didn't work your fluffy butt off trying to make the world a better place just to die out here. Not when you've got a hell of a lot of good left to do… and I'm going to make sure you do it."

"Nick…" His name was made more of breath than voice when she spoke it. She pressed her cheek against his paw a little more, mouth moving to form words that never quite made it past her lips. "I…"

"Nicholas Wilde," a voice equal parts familiar, infuriating, and dread inducing called out from somewhere above. "Still alive, I see…"

"You've gotta be kidding me," Nick groaned. Releasing his hold on Judy, he stood up and turned around, already certain of who he would see. "Dante…"

True enough, there the zebra was, standing above on a stone bridge connecting a set of ridges that overlooked the path he and Judy had been following. He looked worse for the wear, a bruise right above his right eye where Cackler had struck him and a line of dried blood that ran down his face. Given the icy glare he was shooting Nick along with the RPG gripped in his hooves, it didn't take a genius to figure out why that statue had exploded in the first place.

"You really needn't bother yourself with Ms. Hopps," Dante said in a mocking tone. He was trying to come off as casual, but there was just a bit too much anger and malice in the tone for it to be convincing. "Neither of you will be leaving here."

"Really? Now of all times?" Nick shouted incredulously. "Are you crazy? Or are you just completely oblivious to what's going on right now?" He gestured around to the collapsing cavern. "I mean look around, Dante. This whole place is coming apart!" He slowly stepped away from Judy as he spoke, making sure the vengeful zebra kept his attention focused squarely on him. When Dante inevitably fired another round, he'd prefer the worst-case scenario being chunks of fox splattered all over the ground rather than chunks of fox and rabbit.

Just try not to get yourself blown up, he silently reminded himself. As noble as sacrificing himself to save the bunny would've sounded on paper, there wasn't exactly anything stopping Dante from just finishing Judy off afterwards, and that would've really undermined his heroic self-sacrifice. Not quite the inspirational tale to regale young children with years later.

"Oh, I'm well aware of what's happening, Nick." Dante pointed his free hoof squarely at the fox. "It's you who can't seem to see what's going on." He raised the RPG and took aim. "For instance…"

Dante pulled the trigger, and the explosive round took off, barreling through the air straight towards Nick. He threw himself to the side, landing painfully against the ground as the RPG round sailed past him and slammed into the stone somewhere behind him. The blast rang in his ears as a wave of heat washed over him, but it quickly faded. He could still move, and it didn't feel like anything was missing, so the impact was probably too far away to do any real damage.

"Really, Stripes?" Nick shouted as he slowly picked himself up. "The entire city's coming down, and you decide the smart thing to do is lug around a freaking rocket launcher?" He couldn't help but shake his head, almost embarrassed by Dante's choice of weaponry. "I guess it's to be expected with that piss poor aim of yours, only way you'll ever stand a chance at hit anything." He briefly glanced over at Judy, just to be sure she hadn't caught in the blast. She looked fine, still stuck, but otherwise unharmed. She silently told Nick to run and save himself, but he just shook his head in refusal. There was no way he was going to leave her to the mercy of this asshole.

"Oh, this thing?" Dante gestured at the RPG, oblivious to their silent exchange as he loaded in a round. "This is all that's left of my dream. A dream I came so very close to achieving until you and that damnable rabbit ruined it!"

"Did that blow to the head knock loose the last of your common sense or something?" Nick asked rhetorically. "Cackler was the one who screwed you over and left you to die, not me."

"He would've paid for that betrayal, in time. And then, those flowers would've been mine." Dante paused, letting out a frustrated snort as he glared down at the fox. "But now they're gone...gone! Burned to ashes! Because of you...Nick…" the zebra venomously uttered, practically spitting the name. He wasn't doing a good job of hiding how much Nick had pissed him off. "There's no recovering from that!"

"Well, you know how it is." Nick gave a mocking shrug. "Sometimes jobs just go bad. Live and learn, Stripes. That's the nature of the business!"

"Live and learn…" Dante chuckled bitterly. "I put...everything into this! Everything!" he began to shout, unable to contain his fury any longer. "I would've changed the world. But you went and dashed it all away!" His hoof sliced through the air to emphasize the point. "It's all over now, I was born a nobody, and I'll die a nobody. But if this is how my story ends, then I'm going to make damn sure this is how it ends for you and your friends, too!"

"Oh, boo hoo, spare a thought for the supervillain wannabe!" Nick mocked, having had enough of the asshole and his self-indulgent pity. "You think just because you hustled your friends out of their money that it makes you special? That you're entitled to the world? Well, you're not! You're just a slightly more articulate thug! A dime a dozen asshole with an inflated ego," Nick angrily yelled, it seemed he had a lot more resentment against Dante than he'd thought. "I'm sick of this talk, if all you're going to do is bitch about how the world owes you, then let's just get on with this already!"

His tirade over, Nick stared at the zebra, trying to gauge his reaction. The tension was so thick that it seemed to drown out everything else around them. A mighty impressive feat given the fact they were trapped in a cavern that was literally falling apart. Dante's expression was unreadable as he just stared back. All Nick could do was wait to see what he would do next.

Finally, Dante closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You're so right, Nick," he finally said as he lifted the RPG and took aim. "Enough talk."

Shit...

As Dante fired, Nick charged forward and leaped over the edge of the path, throwing himself towards the cliffside beneath the bridge. Even as he soared through the air, he felt the force and heat of the blast as the RPG exploded behind him. Unfazed, he grabbed an outcropping as he slammed into the cliffside, managing to get a firm grip and hold on.

Nick started scaling up the cliffside as fast as he could, leaping from one ledge or pawhold to the next, determined to close the distance with Dante. Getting in close and fast before the zebra could load his next shot was his best chance at ending this quickly.

Should be able to reach him before he has time to fire off another-

That thought was cut short as Nick heard the sound of a rocket igniting and speeding towards him. He hadn't expected Dante to be able to reload that thing so fast. Apparently, he was more practiced with it than Nick had thought.

He released his hold on the side of the cliff, dropping down just before the round hit. As soon as he felt the cliffside explode just him, he reached out and caught the next pawhold he could find, only getting a quick jab of pain in his paws and arms for his trouble as he held on. That grip was tested when a chunk of rock debris clipped his arm and knocked it loose, throwing his balance and leaving him holding on for dear life by a single paw over gods' knows how steep of a drop.

"Did that one get you, Nick?" Dante called out. "I mean I'd hate to see you get done in that easily. With all the trouble you've been causing me, I'd expect you to put up more of a fight."

How about you spend an entire day climbing, running for your life, and fighting off mercenaries and mutated freaks with barely a moment's rest, Stripes. Then come talk to me about how much of a fight you can put up!

Nick fought the urge to blurt that thought out, forcing his muzzle shut. There was no way he'd beat that rocket launcher, not if Dante knew where he was. He needed to catch him by surprise. And right now, Dante wasn't sure whether or not that shot had got him, which meant he still had a chance.

Just follow Gramps advice and this one time, don't be a smartass.

Nick started making his way up, taking advantage of the rushing water and collapsing debris to mask the sound of his approach. He wasn't exactly going full speed, but things were noisy enough that he could climb at a moderate pace.

"Got nothing to say, Nick? That's a first," Dante taunted. Nick could see the zebra's muzzle poking out over the edge of the bridge as searched for him.

Come on, Judy and I didn't make it this far just to get blown to pieces by this asshole right before making it out…

As Nick grasped a pawhold, he felt it start to shift. He released his grip on it and stopped moving. The last thing he needed was for another part of the cliff to break loose and broadcast his position to Dante.

Although…

Glancing over at the path and Judy, still pinned and trying to free herself from the pillar, he came to a realization. Carefully prying the loose piece of stone free, he aimed for the far end of the path, away from Judy, and threw it as hard as he could. The piece of stone clattered loudly as it smashed against the ground.

"Lost your nerve, Nick?" Dante mockingly asked.

Nick craned his head up and saw the RPG poking out over the edge of the bridge, aimed in the direction of the thrown stone.

With Dante distracted, Nick resumed climbing up until he was right underneath the bridge, the supports jutting out from the cliffside and just within reach. He'd need to time this right.

"If you don't show yourself soon. I may just have to settle with using this thing on Ms. Hopps instead," Dante threatened.

If Judy had heard the threat, she didn't show any indication beyond a flicking of her ears. Her focus still on wrenching herself free. It wasn't like responding to Dante's threat would change anything.

Nick, on the other hand, abandoned any pretense of caution, quickly reaching for the support and pulling himself on top of the stone guardrails of the bridge itself, getting up and behind Dante as he searched the path below.

Not giving the mammal a chance to realize where he was, Nick leaped onto Dante, planting his feet into his back and grabbing the RPG's strap. He pulled hard and the weapon flew out of the surprised equine's grip, slamming right into his neck. Dantetumbled backwards and thrashed around, trying to shake Nick off as he worked to pry off the launcher pressing into his throat.

Come on...go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!

Nick kept pulling until Dante threw his head backwards, connecting painfully with Nick's muzzle. He felt the weapon strap rip as he fell to the ground, the RPG coming loose and crashing somewhere out of sight. He tried to get back up when he felt a pair of hooves grab him by his arms and lift him into the air. He briefly made out Dante's muzzle, twisted into a grimace of pure fury as he threw the fox backwards, smashing him painfully against the bridge's stone guardrail.

Godsdammit! Twenty years later and this asshole's still kicking my ass...

Nick tried to steady himself when a hoof slammed into his side followed by another, and then an uppercut that knocked him right back into the guardrail again. Dante seemed intent on making him suffer, he'd have to make a note to try and piss off less mammals in the future. At least then, the next time some asshole was trying to kill him, they'd probably make it quick.

As Nick tried to stand up straight, Dante began winding up his hoof for what would probably be one hell of a nasty hit. Managing to clear his head enough to see it coming, he rolled out of the way, the hoof missing and crashing into the guardrail behind him.

As Dante's hoof connected with the stone, Nick heard a loud snap follow. The zebra screamed in pain, gripping a hoof that had clearly cracked when it connected with the guardrail. It was just Nick's luck that the only good hit against Dante so far was one the asshole managed to do to himself.

Oh well, if anybody asks, I can just say I cracked it.

While Dante grasped at his mangled hoof, Nick delivered a hard kick to the back of his knee, the zebra grunting as his leg gave out and he fell on one knee. Nick flew into a frenzy of punches, striking his nemesis in the muzzle again and again, finishing with an uppercut that knocked Dante onto his back. Nick jumped on top of him, getting in a couple more shots before Dante managed to grab him by the scruff of his neck and smash his head right into Nick's muzzle.

Nick stumbled and fell backwards, stars dancing around the edges of his vision as he tried to process what the hell just happened. He got his answer quickly enough when he felt Dante lifting him into the air and pressing him hard against the guardrail.

Getting real sick of being slammed into this stupid thing!

"No lucking your way out of trouble this time, Nick!" Dante growled, his muzzle mere inches from Nick's own. He let out a furious snort that Nick felt wash over his face.

"Come on, Dante," Nick tried to reason. "Is this stupid feud really worth dying over?"

"You just don't get it," Dante growled, his every word dripping with hatred and malice. "This is one job neither of us will be walking away from. Death is the only certainty here."

"Well, you say that..." Nick brought his foot up right into Dante's throat, the prey mammal's grip faltering as he was sent into a coughing fit. Nick planted both his feet into Dante's muzzle and kicked him backwards, dropping back to the ground now that he finally had some room. "But this dance ain't over yet!" he growled as he unsheathed his claws and splayed them out, ready for another round.

Gods, that comeback was terrible...

Dante cleared his throat and readied himself, balling both of his hooves into tight fists. Despite the immense pain that must've been causing his cracked hoof, he barely seemed to register it. Evidently, rage must make for one hell of a painkiller.

Nick charged towards Dante, rolling out of the way of a wide punch and planting his foot into Dante's back. He tried to land another blow only for his thrown paw to get caught in the larger mammal's hoof. He didn't even have time to react before he felt Dante grab him by both his shoulders, a pained grimace on his muzzle as he lifted Nick in the air and once again hurled him towards the guardrail. This time, it shattered on impact and Nick was sent sliding over the edge of the bridge, just barely managing to grab on as he was left dangling by his paws over the deep abyss below.

"Shit, that could've gone better," Nick mumbled to himself. He looked up as Dante slowly stepped up to the edge of the shattered guardrail, standing right above Nick and smugly looking down at him as he hung there.

"Can't believe 'this dance ain't over yet' is the line you're going out on," Dante said mockingly, giving Nick a contemptuous look.

"I'll admit, it's not my best…"

"Too bad, they say you really should save your best for last." Dante stomped a hoof down on Nick's paw, the fox managing to let go before the hoof could crush it. A move that was almost brilliant except for the part where he was now hanging by a single paw instead of two.

Not an improvement! Not an improvement!

Dante just scoffed and stepped on the other paw, taking his time to slowly press down harder and harder, taking the time to savour the moment.

Nick yelped in pain as he struggled to hold on. He had no idea why he was still struggling now that it was basically over. Maybe it was spite that drove him, maybe he was just determined not to die, or it might've been because of what would happen to Judy if he let go. Either way, he refused to give up, fighting through the pain and digging in. He'd hold out until the bitter end.

Then, a fast grey blur came out of nowhere and crashed into Dante, sending him stumbling to the side and giving Nick's paw some much needed relief. It took him a moment to realize there was a different figure standing over him now, a much smaller one sporting a very familiar set of grey fur and black-tipped ears.

"Judy?!"

"Nick!" Judy bent down to offer the fox a paw. Nick was so shocked to see her that it took him a moment to stop staring at the paw realize he was supposed to grab it.

"What the hell are you doing up here?"

"You really didn't think I was going to sit this one out, did you?" the bunny asked as she helped pull him back onto the bridge.

"I mean...don't get me wrong," Nick replied, taking a moment to shake out his sore paw. "I know you're probably the single most stubborn bunny on the entire planet. But I didn't think even you could manage to outstubborn several tons worth of stone pinning you to the ground."

"It wasn't that bad, really. My leg was mostly pinned, nothing serious" The reporter put some weight on the leg to try and prove it only to yelp and nearly stumble. "Okay...maybe a little serious…"

"Yikes, I don't envy you having to climb up the cliff with your leg like that, that must've sucked big time." Nick winced at the thought of having to fight through that pain to climb up to the bridge.

"Being in pain beats being dead," Judy reasoned.

"Well, now that you're here...any chance I can convince you to take it easy on this fight?"

"Think Dante's gonna take it easy on me if he beats you?" Judy snapped back.

"Good point…" Nick replied as he and Judy watched Dante slowly pick himself back up. The zebra snorted furiously as he glared at them. "It's gonna hurt a lot, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Judy struck a fighting pose, wincing slightly as more pain shot through her leg. "But I'll power through it if it means getting out of here alive."

"That's awfully optimistic Ms. Hopps, to think either of you is making it out of here," Dante growled through gritted teeth. He charged at them with his hooves raised.

"Just try not to do anything-" Nick was cut short as Judy sprang forward, a bit of a limp in her run as she charged towards Dante, sliding under his hoof as he swung at her.

"Reckless…" Nick ran in with his admittedly less than pristine claws, catching Dante across the muzzle while he was focused on Judy.

Dante let out a furious roar as he turned to Nick, blood trickling down from his new claw marks. He raised a hoof to swing back only to stumble forward as Judy struck him from behind.

As Nick and Judy fought, they acted in nearly perfect sync, each taking it in turn to dodge Dante's swings while the other would strike the distracted zebra. If they kept this up long enough, the two of them might have had a chance of bringing him down. That was what Nick was thinking, anyway, when he dodged out of the way of a wild swing from Dante and moved to counter, only to get kicked in the chest and sent flying backwards, landing painfully on his back. "Ow…" he groaned. Judy was supposed to hit him, that bad leg must've finally caught up with her.

Still dazed, Nick made out Dante and Judy clashing, the zebra furiously throwing punches and kicks. Judy was certainly fast, bouncing and dashing out of the way of his attacks, but she had no openings, and she was limping more and more as her leg slowed her down. Nick needed to get back into the fight, and quickly. As tough as that bunny was, she couldn't possibly keep the momentum going much longer.

Finally, the pain was too much, and Judy stumbled, a hoof managing to connect and knock her to the ground. Dante grabbed her by the neck and lifted her in the air, the reporter kicking and squirming as she tried to break free. Nick had been slow to recover from the kick, but the sight of Judy being grabbed like that was enough to finally get him moving.

"Let her go, you bastard!" Nick roared as he charged towards them.

Dante glanced over at Nick and gave him a malicious grin. "Sure thing, Nick." He took Judy in both hooves and threw her straight into Nick, a blur of gray smashing into the fox and sending them both crashing to the ground.

"Not...what I meant…" Nick groaned in pain as he tried to move. "You alright, Carrots?"

"Not really…" Judy admitted as she rolled off Nick, wincing as she got back on to her feet. "This isn't going well…"

"No...no it isn't." The two of them bent over to catch a breath as Dante watched. He gave them a sickening smirk as he waited, content to let them make the first move. He knew they'd have to get through him if they had any chance at escape. "Definitely not before the entire city goes, at this rate."

Things in the massive cavern network had only been getting worse. The gaps in the walls and roof were growing even larger as more rubble came crashing down and water forced its way through cracks in the walls. With every passing moment, branching fractures in the wall grew and expanded, more water pouring in and stone breaking loose, a dishearteningly loud roar of crashing rocks and rushing water reverberating throughout the cavern. At the way things were going, they'd have minutes at the most before the whole place was gone.

"Well, Dante's not going to let us go." Judy glanced past their adversary to something on the other end of the bridge. "We need to end this, and now."

Nick glanced at the edge of the bridge, then at Dante, and finally back at Judy. He saw what she was getting. "I got it," Nick nodded, the bunny was a bold one. "You slip past, I'll take the psycho."

"Good luck, Slick."

"Don't need it, Fluff."

"That's an obvious lie if I ever heard one."

"Yeah, fair enough...luck's probably at least half of the reason we're not dead yet."

Nick took the lead and charged towards Dante. He sidestepped a swipe while Judy slid between Dante's legs and kept running. Caught off guard by the move, Dante turned to try and grab the bunny when Nick gripped his tail and pulled him back.

Dante let out a surprised shout and spun around, trying to knock Nick down with a sweeping kick. Anticipating the movie, Nick released the appendage and jumped out of the way.

He tried to get in close and go for Dante's knee again, but as it turns out, there's only so many times one could use that trick before the opponent catches on. A lesson Nick learned the hard way when Dante stepped out of the way and smashed his knee into the fox's side, knocking him to the ground.

"What is this, you hoping to buy time for the bunny to escape?" Dante sneered. "She won't get far, not on that leg of hers."

"Oh I don't know, I wouldn't be so quick to underestimate her," Nick responded as he got back up. "She's a sly one, that bunny."

Nick came at Dante again, only for the larger mammal to sidestep him and deliver a swift kick to his back. Nick once again found himself having another reunion with the stone floor.

Dante disappointedly shook his head. "This is getting sad. Just give up before you make an even bigger ass of yourself."

"Oh, I've never been one to shy away from making an ass of myself," Nick replied as he slowly got back up. "Besides, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve." He swiped at Dante with his claws, only for his arm to get caught in a hoof. "Crap...that part wasn't supposed to happen."

Dante twisted his arm and shoved him to the ground. Nick tried to move when Dante stomped down hard on his chest, pinning him in place. He tried to pull it loose, but Dante only pressed down harder, staring down at him with disdain.

"Alright, this was cute at first, but now, I'm done with you and your games," Dante growled as he pressed down harder, causing Nick to yelp in pain. It felt like he was having the life crushed out of him. "Could have saved yourself a lot of trouble if you'd worked with me on this, but you just had to be the stubborn idiot. You might've even stood a chance if the bunny hadn't run, but now, you're going to die alone. I guess some things never change."

"You're partly right, Stripes. I am a stubborn idiot," Nick managed to choke out in a tone that probably would've sounded pretty cocky if he wasn't struggling so hard to breathe. "But Judy didn't run."

The sound of an igniting rocking went off, catching the two mammal's attentions. Glancing behind them, they saw Judy on the ridge just off the bridge, struggling to balance Dante's missing RPG in her paws. The weapon was aimed at the cavern roof, its' attached warhead noticeably absent.

*BOOM!*

The cavern ceiling violently exploded above them. Nick grabbed the zebra's leg and twisted hard, hearing something snap. Dante roared in pain and fell to his knees as Nick broke free and jumped backwards.

Trembling with fury, Dante glared at Nick with a look that could probably turn a mammal to ash. He looked like he was about to start charging the fox when his ears flicked, swivelling upwards along with his gaze. The zebra had just enough time to look up at the massive pile of debris plummeting straight towards him. He instinctively tried to shield himself with his arms as the rubble fell on top of him in a thundering crash. The zebra and a good chunk of the bridge disappeared as the debris smashed through, sending everything crashing to the bottom of the cavern.

"So long, Stripes." Nick mockingly waved at the empty space that now sat in place of the obliterated section of bridge. "It's been a pleasure."

"Sweet potatoes, that was incredible!" Judy squeaked, jumping excitedly into the air. "Ow!" she yelped as her leg punished her forgetfulness. "Shouldn't have done that, definitely shouldn't have done that." She stared at the gap now separating her and Nick, a concerned look creeping onto her face as she gauged the distance. "Uhh...are you going to be able to make that jump?"

Nick looked down nervously at the jagged rocks and water. As awesome as that plan was, they may have slightly overdone it on the whole blowing up the bridge thing... Sure, it was nice to see Dante get a face full of rubble, but the whole point of that stupid stunt was to make sure that they wouldn't be going down with the zebra.

"I'm not sure…" Nick finally answered, glancing back the other away at the cavern and city ruins still coming apart. It wasn't like he was expecting them to change up their routine anytime soon. "But then again, I'm definitely dead if I stay here so...screw it."

"Be careful, Nick!" Judy called out, a strong hint of worry in her voice.

"Way too late for that, Carrots." Nick backed up and sprinted towards the end of the destroyed bridge, throwing himself across the gap and arms flailing as he tried to reach the ledge on the other side.

Gonna make it! Gonna make it!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he reached out, his heart skipping a beat as he barely grasped the ledge and smashed into the side of the cliff.

"Ow…"

"Nick!" Judy cried out in alarm.

"Still alive… somehow." Nick groaned, giving the bunny some assurance. "Getting real sick of slamming into shit..."

"Come on, then. Let me help." He felt Judy's paw grasping his, helping him up and over the ledge.

"Thank goodness." She practically jumped the fox, tightly wrapping her arms around him. "You had me so worried you dumb fox."

"Easy, Fluff." Nick patted the bunny on the head. "I'm glad you're okay, too." A warm feeling was starting to build in his chest. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, but it seemed like it just got stronger the more the rabbit held him. It didn't help that she was burying her face in his chest, squeezing even tighter, and for a hell of a lot longer than the urgency of a collapsing cavern would usually dictate. He wondered if maybe there was-

The feeling was shattered as a large piece of stone smashed into the cliffside alarmingly close to the two of them. They leapt to the side with startled yelps as the rubble took out a small chunk of the ridge, sending it tumbling into the depths.

Nick looked down at the bunny, a paw placed on her shoulder as she looked back up at him. "We...should probably be making a run for it," Judy said.

"Yeah, save the touchy feely crap for later," Nick agreed. He looked down at the reporter's leg, he could see that it was bruised and swelling beneath the fur. "Are you going to be alright with that?"

"Don't worry, I can hold out a bit longer." Judy nodded her head firmly. "Now come on, we need to go."

"Right." The two of them turned and headed up the passage, following its twists and turns as it led them closer to the surface.

"Ow, this is really smarting," Judy winced as she limped along.

"Yeah, well, that tends to happen when you take a nap under several tons of solid stone," Nick pointed out. "Climbing up cliffs and getting into punch-ups with psycho zebras probably didn't do it any favours either."

"Yeah, well you'd be a stain at the bottom of these caverns right now if I didn't do all that and bail you out of trouble, so you better appreciate it!" Judy snapped at the fox.

"Believe me, it's appreciated."

The duo kept moving until the path came to an abrupt stop, their progress blocked by a cliff of smooth stone.

"Crap, dead end…" Nick looked around for a way past, but all he saw were steep drops in every direction. If there was another passage, it was long gone. "Not seeing any other way around."

"Can we climb up?" Judy asked, pointing at the cliff.

Nick shook his head. "No way, that cliffside is way too smooth. There's nothing to grab onto."

The ground shuddered ferociously as the pathway behind began to break apart and collapse. Nick and Judy both watched in surprise as the path was swallowed whole by a sinkhole too deep to see the bottom of.

"And... now we're trapped…" Nick's tail and ears slumped. "Great…"

"Nick?" A familiarly grumpy voice called out from above.

Nick's ears snapped up, not quite certain that he believed them. Part of him thought he was just imagining what he wanted to hear, but he noticed Judy's ears perking up as well. "Finn?" he called out, just to make sure. "Is that you?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course it's me!" Nick and Judy both looked up. At the top of the cliff, they could make out the features of the desert fox poking his head over the cliff ledge. "What the hell are you two still doing down there? You stop to smell the godsdamn roses or something?"

"Why the hell would roses even-"

"Not the time, Nick!" Judy cut in, punching him in the shoulder. "Finn, we're trapped down here."

Nick couldn't help but rub the sore spot on his shoulder, he kept forgetting how hard that bunny could punch. "Got anything you can use to get us up? We're boxed in down here and this whole place is about to go."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Finnick sarcastically replied as he disappeared behind the ledge. "Hold on a sec, you two, I think I've got something."

Nick and Judy found themselves anxiously leaning from one foot to the other as they waited for the old fox to return. He was probably only gone about thirty seconds at the most but given that the surface they were standing on was only getting more unstable, it felt a hell of a lot longer.

"Any minute now, Gramps," Nick called out impatiently.

"I'm working on it, quit riding my freaking tail," Finnick shouted back. A moment later, a bundle of rope flew over the ledge and dropped down towards them. "There, you impatient ass. Now shut up and grab it."

"Got it," Nick shouted as he gripped the rope tightly in his paws. He looked down at Judy and motioned to his back. "Climb on, Fluff. Unless you wanna try your paw at climbing with that bad leg of yours again."

"No." Judy vigorously shook her head. "I think once was enough." She climbed up his back and wrapped her arms and feet tightly around him. "Let's go!"

Nick planted his feet against the wall and started scaling up, making his way to the top. The rope shook and strained as they ascended, but it managed to hold firm.

"Come on, hurry it up you two!" Finnick shouted in a strained voice, it sounded like he was exhausted. "I didn't come back for you idiots just to get buried along with the both of you."

"Gramps, are you seriously holding the rope yourself?" Nick questioned.

"Just shut that godsdamn trap of yours and get your ass up here!" Finnick practically roared in anger. That would be as good an indication as any that the answer was yes.

Nick picked up the pace, finally managing to get near the top. Judy quickly pulled herself over the top and then helped him up. They saw an exhausted and panting Finnick leaning against a stone, the rope lying next to him. He'd found a decent enough anchor point to wrap it around, but it seemed like he'd still gotten pretty winded supporting the two of them.

"Pretty sure I told you to get out of here, Gramps," Nick said. He was thankful his partner had come from him, but at the same time, annoyed that he hadn't listened. Apparently, Nick wasn't the only one who had trouble doing as he was told.

"Wasn't about to leave you morons behind," Finnick replied.

"You of all mammals know what a stupid risk that was," Nick argued. On reflection, he could see why Finn was so pissed at him and Judy during their earlier rescue.

Finnick seemed to take offence to that remark. "Hey! You may be a dumb reckless moron who never listens, but don't think for a second that you get to have a monopoly on that shit!" he snapped at the younger fox, baring his teeth. "You two took a stupid risk coming to save me, and I sure as hell wasn't going to leave without taking an equally stupid risk. If nothing else, I'd come out of that story looking like a major asshole."

"Nobody's chewing you out for coming back Finn," Judy said, giving Nick a look as she said it. "We're all here now, let's just stow the arguing and be glad we're all back together and still alive."

"Carrots is right," Nick said, nodding in agreement. In truth, he wasn't surprised Finnick had come back, he was as loyal as he was grumpy and stubborn. Nick was just glad that he didn't get hurt...or rather, any more hurt. He'd probably need to buy his partner a hell of a lot of drinks for all the beatings he had to put up with after getting tangled up in his scheme, that or risk getting his face bitten off since he'd gone and proved that saying to be more than just a threat.

"Right...right," Finnick grumbled, calming down. Beneath the scowl, Nick could tell he was ultimately glad that the two of them were okay, even if he wouldn't say it. "So… the flowers?"

"Incinerated."

"Cackler?"

"Same."

"Dante?"

"Blown up and smashed to the bottom of the cavern."

"Sweet." Finnick nodded his head at the passage behind him. "Time we got the hell off this damned island." For the first time, he seemed to notice the limp in Judy's posture, staring at her injured leg. "Carry the bunny."

Judy's ears shot up in alarm. "What? No way!"

"You're going to slow us down like that. You really want to die here for the sake of your pride?" Finnick snapped back at her.

"But-"

The ground started shaking violently beneath their feet as cracks formed along the ridge and started rapidly branching out. They could already hear parts of the cliff starting to break away just below.

"Sorry, Fluff, no time to argue." Nick scooped up the objecting rabbit in his arms and took off running after Finnick, dodging the rubble coming down on them as the city started going through its final death throes.

"This way, move it," Finnick shouted as he led them to an underground cove. At the opposite end, they could finally see an opening to the jungle and sky outside. Nick probably would've thought it was even beautiful if it wasn't on the brink of caving in like every other damn part of this nightmare of a city.

Sitting on the edge of the water was a Coastline patrol boat tied to the rocks, swaying from side to side as turbulent waters thrashed at it. There was something on board covered in a sheet, but that was the least of Nick's concerns as he hopped onto the boat and set Judy down. "Gramps, get us the hell out of here!" He yelled as he tore the rope loose and pulled it over.

"Quit tellin' me to do shit I'm already doing!" Finnick growled as he powered on the engine and set the boat speeding off towards the exit in a flurry of foam and spraying water. He sped right through the collapsing rubble as it rained down on them, several chunks bouncing off the boat with dull thuds.

"It's gonna be tight," Finnick growled as he pushed the boat to its limits, barely managing to tear through the exit and out into the bay as it collapsed behind them.

"Sweet cheese and salted crackers! Look!" Judy pointed at the ridge above as they sped away. Rubble, buildings, even entire city blocks were breaking off and collapsing into the water as they fled.

"Godsdamn, the whole damn city's crashing into the bay!" Nick yelled. His mangled claws dug into the boat to the best of their ability as he watched almost the entirety of Henosia plummeting into the bay, piece by ridiculously large piece. Any one of the pieces dwarfed their small patrol boat and could've easily pulverized the whole lot of them, something Nick really didn't want to think about, yet couldn't help but do so.

"Only you of all mammals would land me in a job where I end up having to dodge freaking buildings," Finnick growled, baring his teeth as he tightly gripped the wheel. He maneuvered the boat through the chaos as rubble and buildings rained down from above. All three of them were soaked in water as Finn banked hard out of the way of a large chunk of building that managed to crash down right in front of them.

"Just keep going, we're almost clear!" Judy shouted as the boat sped further and further away.

The plummeting rubble became less and less frequent the further they got. By the time they passed the wrecked remains of the Blackhorn fleet and made for the open sea, they knew they were free from the worst of it.

"We made it…" Nick gasped in relief, only now realizing he had been holding his breath. "Holy shit, we actually made it!"

"You doubted we would?" Judy asked.

"For a bit there...yeah, kinda."

"There might still be some blowback from all the crap dropping into the water, but we should be in the clear for the most part," Finnick informed the two.

"Gods, I sure hope we are, Gramps," Nick sighed. "With all the damn shooting, punching, and running for our lives, I could really do with a moment to just take a breather."

"Oh my goodness..." Judy pointed back at the city. "Look."

Nick and Judy watched the chaos unfolding behind them. The entire city was breaking apart, the very foundations splitting and cracking as the ridge it sat on broke away and collapsed into the bay, sending buildings tumbling down and crashing into the water. Even from this far away, they could hear the thunderous crashing of the water and shattering of stone as the entire city began to slide into the ocean, throwing up giant waves as most of it disappeared into the water.

"And there goes the city." Nick gave a halfhearted salute. "So long, Henosia. You were way more trouble than you were worth."

"It really is gone…" Judy stared at what was little remained of the collapsing ruins in disbelief. "I mean...Henosia...one of the greatest wonders of the ancient world...just…gone." Her ears were drooped behind her back, a melancholy look on her face, as if she were mourning a tragic loss.

Nick winced at her reaction. In all the frantic chaos, he'd forgotten that they had just destroyed a veritable treasure trove of ancient knowledge, something that would have likely propelled her career to unparalleled heights. It had to be done, but still, the deed probably didn't sit well with her.

"Hey." Nick placed his paw on the reporter's shoulder. "I'm…sorry you didn't get your big story. I know how important this was for you."

Judy looked up at the fox, eyes wide as she gazed at him. A small smile formed as she placed her own paw on top of his. "It's alright," she replied, her ears lifting up a bit. "There'll be other stories. Besides, it's probably for the best that Henosia is gone."

"You really think so?" Nick asked. "You're not wondering if we could've done things differently?"

"I mean, sure, it'd be nice to imagine that things could've gone differently," Judy answered. "But you saw what those flowers could do. Dante may be gone, but others would've tried to use them if knowledge of their existence got out." The reporter stared down at the floor of the boat in thought as she considered her next words. "It's a tragedy that all that knowledge is lost now, probably forever, I won't dispute that. But if Henosia and its secrets really were that dangerous, then I think it's better off as a myth. Some things are just too dangerous for mammals."

"I guess you're right." Nick took one last look at what little now remained of the city as it crumbled into the water and then back at the bunny. "Any idea what you'll be doing next?" He asked as he finally removed his paw from Judy's shoulder.

"No clue," Judy shrugged. "Kinda in a pickle given the payoff this job was supposed to have. I don't really have anything to fall back on."

"Yeah, sorry about that..." Nick grimaced. "I really did think this would pay big. Sucks that we'll be leaving with nothing after all that."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Kid." Finnick cut the engine and the boat glided to a stop as he joined the others.

"What are you talking about, Gramps?" Nick raised a curious brow at his partner.

"Oh, nothing really," Finnick replied in a devious tone, reaching for the sheets covering whatever cargo the boat had. "Just have a little surprise for you two is all."

He tore the sheet away revealing several treasure chests filled to the brim with gold, gems, and all manner of artifacts glinting in the sunlight. Nick recognized several of the pieces from the vault back in the city, it seemed that some of the treasure had managed to make it out of the city after all. A part of Nick wanted to cry, it felt like one of the most beautiful sights the fox had ever seen.

"Holy mackerel," Judy uttered in mystified awe.

"Gramps, you magnificent bastard!" Nick exclaimed, eagerly clapping Finn's paw in excitement.

"Borrowed it off a couple of our Coastline pals who were too dead to care," Finnick explained with a cocky grin.

They started sorting through the treasure, looking over the various artifacts. Judy and Nick each tried to look over and determine the historical significance of each piece. Finnick, on the other paw, seemed far more interested in how much each piece would sell for.

"What do you think this stuff is worth?" Nick asked, examining a ring with a sigil that resembled a nighthowler before placing it back in the pile.

"The biggest payday of our godsdamn lives, that's what," Finnick replied, eyeing a very elaborate and pricy looking chalice encrusted with gems.

"Well, I'm sure Zootopia's Natural History Museum would provide us with a very generous finder's fee for the recovery of such valuable artifacts," the rabbit suggested, placing a paw on Nick's shoulder. She looked up at him with a heartfelt smile on her face. "What do you think, partner?"

Not even a week ago, Nick would've laughed the bunny right off the boat for even suggesting something so crazy. A museum 'finders fee' couldn't hold a candle to the kind of scratch private collectors would doll out for this sort of thing. But after everything that had happened, and with the way Judy was looking at him right now...it had really put things into, he wasn't sure how to describe it, perspective maybe? It didn't seem like that crazy of an idea anymore.

"Hmm, museum donations, you say?" Nick flashed an intrigued grin at the reporter. "Interesting idea."

"Haha, you two crack me up," Finnick chuckled. "The Natural History Museum, that's one hell of a good joke." He stopped chuckling once he realized the other two didn't seem to be in on the joke. "It... it was a joke...right?"

The desert fox's head snapped back and forth between Nick and Judy, the look on his face transitioning from confused to uncertain to downright horrified. "No…"

"Oh yes," Judy said, smiling mischievously.

Finnick looked back at Nick. "Kid, tell me you aren't serious!"

"I mean...maybe?" Nick shrugged. "It sounds kinda appealing."

"The city may be gone, but there's still a lot of history and knowledge that could be gleaned from these artifacts," Judy reasoned. "It's the right thing to do, Finn."

"Screw the 'right thing,' Finnick barked. "We just saved the damn world, and if that doesn't earn us the right to some self-indulgence in the form of a literal freaking treasure trove, then what the hell does?" He fixed his gaze on Nick, a pleading look on his face. "Kid...you can't really be considering this!"

Nick raised his paws in mock surrender. "Look, I'm just saying that maybe Carrots makes a good point. I say at least hear her out on this. I mean she is quite the sly bunny." The fox and bunny exchanged looks, each flashing a knowing grin to the other.

Finnick just stood there, his muzzle hanging open in a dumbfounded expression. He shook his head and shot Judy an incredibly irritated look. "I swear, if you ruined him…"

"Hey, hey, easy, Finn. He hasn't made up his mind yet." The reporter playfully jabbed Nick in the side with her arm. "Haven't you, Slick?"

"We've got time to figure things out," Nick reasoned, hoping that would be enough to calm Finn down.

"Bah, freaking kids…" Finnick let out an irritated sigh as he marched back to the cabin and started up the boat again. "Well, before you two go and piss away all your earnings, it's still gonna be a long ass time before we make it to the nearest backwater port that even remotely resembles civilization." He kicked a compartment next to him. "Water, food, and fuel are all good, Coastline actually kept that shit stocked. But we're probably still looking at a good week or two cooped up in this tub."

"Huh, just the three of us for two weeks," Judy pondered. "Well, as insane as this would have sounded to me last week, I don't think there's anywhere else I'd rather be." She glanced up at Nick, leaning her head against his chest as she smiled warmly at him. "What about you, Nick?"

As Nick looked back down, the bunny's presence and smile making him feel oddly tingly, he couldn't help but think back on everything that had led them up to this point. The hustle, the discovery, the revelations, both personal and world-shattering, the highs and lows, the shooting and punches, the repeated kicks to the face. Phantom pains flared up in his chest and muzzle as he remembered how powerful the bunny's blows could be. The amount of insanity the three of them had gone through in the last week was mind boggling. If he hadn't experience it himself, he wasn't even sure he would've believed even half of it. Hell, that shit probably would've broken lesser mammals; Nick was frankly surprised it hadn't broken them. Still, as rough as it had all been, they had gained quite a lot from it, things arguably even more valuable than a pile of treasure.

Things would obviously never be the same again for any of them, you couldn't go through a trial like that and not come out different. But had it all been worth it? He grabbed his signet ring and looked at it again, the motto still ingrained into his memory. 'Sic Parvis Magna.' He'd saved the world, honoured his ancestor's legacy by seeing through his final mission, frankly learned a hell of a lot more about himself and his friends than he ever thought possible, and walked away with some pretty crazy ass stories to tell. So...yes, hell yes it had been worth it!

"No," he finally answered, smiling right back at the bunny as he placed an arm around her and pulled her in just a bit closer. "I can't think of anywhere else either."

The End

AN: Aaaaaaand. It. Is. Over! Wooooo! (Cue Sterling Archer running around in his boxers and a lacrosse stick yelling 'Woo!') Those three have one hell of a story to tell, don't they? Assuming anybody believes them, of course. If not, at least they've got a nice haul of treasure out of all this.

Man, feels pretty crazy now that I've finally finished this thing off. I've been working on this story for over two years now. Also, the first one I've ever written from start to end; never was into writing short stories. Nope, it's straight into the long fics for me, apparently.

I gotta give my thanks to all you readers out there for sticking with me on this little experiment of mine. Whether you were here from the very start or jumped in somewhere along the way (technically, you all fall into the latter category since I started posting on AO3 first, but eh, details), it was a lot of fun getting to share my ideas with you all. I'm glad you guys took the time to check it out and I hope you had as much fun with this as I did.

This fic may be over, but I'm definitely not finished with this little treasure hunting AU just yet. I'm probably going to take a bit of a break. As great as this experience was, it'll be nice to focus on other things for a bit. But I do have a sequel in mind for when I start writing again. Still got some details and planning to work out so no set date, but don't worry, Nick, Judy, and Finn will all be back for more treasure hunting shenanigans down the line.

That's all there is to say for now. Well, not quite, there is one thing left to say...

Until next time, as always, Sic Parvis Magna!