Dad wasn't as quick to forgive Clockwerk as I was...and neither was anyone else. I honestly wasn't surprised, and couldn't hold it against him...anymore than Clockwerk did. I'm...honestly not sure why I was so quick to offer forgiveness. Just...he'd done wrong, but now chose to do right, and sought to aid those he'd long wronged... I just couldn't turn my back on him. It seemed...built into my instinctive nature to offer forgiveness when it was sought. He wasn't even seeking forgiveness, but...
I can't wrap my head around it. I just knew I had to give him forgiveness, give him hope.
Dad didn't hold it against me, and neither did anyone else. They didn't forgive Clockwerk right away - to be perfectly honest, it didn't look like Dad would ever be able to forgive him completely - but no one said anything about me spending time with him, either. I was...glad of that.
Unfortunately, things elsewhere didn't look very hopeful. We'd stopped Seft, but...
"What do you mean we're stuck?" Murray gasped out in shock. "I thought once Seft was dealt with-"
"The threat to the timessstream is no more," Wadjet explained. "Time isss no longer in danger of breaching itsss banksss, and Ssssset and Apep will no longer awaken. However, the Cooper bloodline isss ssstill in flux. Assss time isss now, a key ancessstor will not be born. Without Sssslytunkhamen I, the Thieviussss Raccoonusss will not be written, the lineage not presssserved, and your perssssonal timelinesss unraveled. Asss issss, I have energy to sssspare now to repair the damage to the River of Time and to maintain you all asss rogue elementsss...but if I tried to place you all back into Time now, you would be erassssed..."
"Makes sense," Bentley allowed. "All the time travel that led to this point was focused around the Thievius Raccoonus and the Cooper Canes. If the book is never written, the canes never get passed down, and everything unravels." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm surprised Sly's even still here if his connection to Bob Cooper was severed-"
"It wassss not," Wadjet interrupted. "The ancesssstor that wasss ssslain wasss not the Cooper ancessstor, but from the branch of the line that would have joined it to continue it." Dipping her tail into the River of Time, she used the water to draw an image on the wall, showing the descent of the line of Cooper from Bob Cooper to one of the lesser wives of Egypt's present Pharaoh. "The pressssent Cooper ancestresss will, in ssssome yearsss time, have a daughter from her union with the Pharaoh. While the youngessst child of the Pharaoh and thusss unlikely to sssucceed him, she will be hissss favorite daughter. At one point in her life, while far from the capitol with ssssome of her father'ssss ssssoldiersss, the group will be attacked by banditsss. In the original timeline, she isss sssaved by a wanderer, whom she falls for. The Pharaoh rewardssss the wanderer with wealth, landsss, and hisss daughter'ssss hand, asss he ssseesss the ssstrength of their love. It isss thisss wanderer'ssss father that Sssseft slew, before he could be born."
She struck the branch that represented the wanderer from the image...and the small figure representing the Pharaoh's daughter began to pulse with light. "Her training in the Cooper wayssss isss incomplete, due to them being imperfectly recorded. It isss becaussse of thissss that Ssslytunkhamen authors the Thieviusss Raccoonusss, ssso no one of the Cooper Line should ever be in ssssuch sssstraitsss without meansss of sssaving themssselvesss. Without the wanderer'sss aid..." The glow around the Pharoah's daughter turned from white to red, then to grey...and then to black. "She will meet a fate worsssse than death, and sssseek death with her own handssss. The resssulting war asss the Pharoah sssseeksss vengeance will tear the world apart...and without the Cooperssss to contain the criminal world, peace will be forever an unreachable dream."
A new figure appeared in place of the wanderer, and the figure representing the Pharaoh's daughter once more glowed with white light. "Thussss, my current endeavor. Finding sssssomeone within the presssent time who can take the wanderer'sss place, to have the right qualitiessss to resssscue the Pharoah'sss daughter and for her to become sssmitten with him, and thusss have him ssssire Sssslytunkhamen I."
The images vanished as she turned back to the group. "Until then...my apologiesss, but you all musssst remain here in the Divine Cavernsss or at the Birth Oasssisss jussst outssside, sssso asss to not accidentally disssrupt the timessstream through interacting with others. I will make it asss comfortable asss I can."
So that's where we've been since for the past couple of years while Wadjet looks for the right 'substitute ancestor'. It hasn't been all that bad. Wadjet's an incredibly good host, happy to reach anywhere in time to get us things we're aware of to keep us entertained. No TV, but plenty of movies to watch and games to play. Divine magic makes a really good substitute for a lack of electricity. She can also provide anything we could want to eat, so meals aren't an issue and are never dull.
I've spent most of my time - when I'm not exercising in the obstacle course she provided to keep in shape and keep my skills up - with Clockwerk, both to keep him company and to try and learn more about him. He's been...very closed-mouthed about his past and why things wound up like this. I'm not sure if it's shame for how he behaved and what he'd done...or if he honestly can't remember anymore. He gave me permission to ask Wadjet...but she told me she can't reveal those details until the Cooper Line is restored. She has said that when the time is right, it will be possible for all of us to see Clockwerk's real story. ...the way she emphasized that, I'm guessing a lot of what we think we know about it is...wrong.
Uncle Murray's had an easy time adjusting to things. Wadjet can generate opponents from throughout history for him to fight when he feels antsy, more food than even he can eat when he's hungry, and a perfect spot for meditation when he wants inner peace. The only time he's at all upset is when something reminds him of Jing King, but he deals with that quite well.
Uncle Bentley and Penelope have adapted somewhat. While there aren't that many options for tinkering, both have found studying the scientific aspect of Applied Divine Magic to the space-time continuum absolutely fascinating...when Penelope hasn't been distracting Uncle Bentley with matters other than scientific to keep his attention. ...pretty sure I can officially call her Aunt Penelope, now.
Dad's memory is still in flux due to the timeline being in flux, but he's managed to remember all the important things. He and Mom have spent every waking moment together...and Mom seems to understand my need to forgive Clockwerk, even if she doesn't agree. Still, even if they are antsy to get back to our own time now that the adventure is over, they're very happy together.
Still, I should get back to them. Last I heard, Mom was checking something with Wadjet, and Dad implied they might have an 'announcement'...
...okay, why is that so amusing, Deik-Beck? ...and yes, when I talk to you as opposed to about you, I'm going to keep calling you that, because that's who this you is to me. ...yeesh, you're so mushy now...
Oh ho, Coco has a younger sibling on the way. Huh, it seems this story is starting to wrap up. Shame.
Oh crap......Is Carmelita pregnant?!
Why am I able to form a perfect mental image of a tiny pony next to a giant mechanical murder-owl with the pony calling the owl Deik-Beck and the owl blushing. I'm talking quality fan-art style mental image.
oh, is a little Racox coming?
Well, somepony's going to be a big sister in however many months a raccoon/fox hybrid pregnancy takes. And I take it the entire story is something Coco's telling Deik-Beck/Clockwerk to both store the entire thing in his memory and to alleviate boredom.
Calling it now. Clockwerk replaces the ancestor.
I think Coco is going to find herself being a big sister soon... and I hope her sibling likes getting ponyback rides. I can just imagine Coco creating jumper, mittens, and all those other things babies need with her sewing skills. Now, can she make something so cute Clockwerk/Deik-Beck collapses with a "HHHHHHNNNNNNGGGGG!" from cuteness overload????
8869408
Because that's clearly what's happening right now???
Ohhhhhhhh, that what I think it means?!?!
8869418
I’ll take that bet.
It's a Pony thing.
great story just hoping this is not one big time loop and sly is not disown descendent and ancestor
Good chapter
Let's see... all game plots covered/averted? CHECK
Loose ends from said games tidied up? CHECK
Only thing left on the "PWNY-verse iteration schedule" is getting back to Equestria!
8869402
Logic points in that direction... as well as narrative tropes.
In all honesty, I'm kind of banking on the idea that they have a son and he becomes the Cooper ancestor... because time travel shenanigans.
LOL
That is adorable.
Any food, any entertainment, safety in spades. Who would ever want to leave
Guess Coco and the gang Aunt surprised about Penelope and Bentley's... 'predicament'.
Guess we're all wandering who'll be saving the princess from the castle. Oh wait, wrong series.
We can all guess Carmelita's announcement is going to be the birth of something exciting.
I wonder in which style Coco would return to Equestria? Taking the whole gang with her would give Celestia headache - a whole group of specialized, cunning, techno-advanced thieves?
8869418
I'm thinking that Coco's new brother does.
8869776
That's a grandfather paradox and they are trying to avoid paradoxes.
8869768
She'll manage. Sure, the guards won't do much, bur maybe she can become the next Scrooge McDuck. ^^
8869803
That only counts if the genetics between point A and point B aren't diverse enough. They're far back enough that by the time Present Sly is born he will be far enough removed from his son's genetic code so as to not affect him. Of course, time travel being the most temperamental science out there, even a tiny change could kick off a cascade of closed temporal loops, each one slightly more different than the last, so I acknowledge that you could be right.
Then again... Coco's not a blood relative. Technically she could stay behind and fit the role perfectly if she so wanted. The only alteration to history would be the genders of the daughter and the hero. And since the Cooper techniques don't require a blood connection to the clan, nothing is really changed in a noticeable way.
But that would kinda kill the story.
Hence why I say Clockwerk will stay behind. He's the last of his line, and technically dead in the Present. Leaving him in the past to fill in for the missing Cooper would change very little, except maybe the species of the Coopers. I doubt Wadjet couldn't restore his flesh and blood body. It's really just a matter of turning back his personal timeline until before he turned himself into a machine, which... if I remember my Sly Cooper lore correctly, was actually around the current time anyways, so really he'd probably fit right in... if he avoided his Past self. With Wadjet's help, I doubt that would be problem.
8869926
You seem to be overlooking the fact that there's a Goddess there whose specific duty is to make sure time flows properly balancing things to avoid those cascading butterfly effects once she finds someone with the right traits.
Also the fact that Clockwerk is a bio-metal construct without genetic material right now.
8870021
And I mean honestly game cannon has sly poofing in a time rift, so it would make sense for a closed loop of events for him to replace one of his ancestors to keep time stable with the alteration from him being lost in time leading the world to set up for the events that happen in this story that are different from the game, such as Ruby and her daughter instead of Demitri playing roles in getting to the vault, and dealing with the book.
Ooooh boy... interesting and veeeeery confusing to an immense degree
But I shan't question it, accept and adapt!
Good show.
8869768
How would this be a headache? She would have the greatest spies her world has ever seen under her command. Why, she could potentially completely shut down S.M.I.L.E. and instead opt to having a family controlled intelligence agency…
…
My god. Tats has been writing the story of how Coco became Equestria's counter part to Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing!
8869694
I don’t know about Carmelita and Penelope but Sly, Murray, and Bentley don’t have any relatives to see.
8869724
So... If Bentley wears a pair of sunglasses... is he the Wheel Slim Shady? 🔥🔥🤣🔥🔥
This one had me laughing for a bit.
8869776
My thoughts too. (Literal grandfather paradox!)
Also wondering if they can simply have history just go slightly different, but get misrecorded. Different daughter or perhaps rescuer...?
All they need to do is save said daughter, not necessarily find a replacement husband. I am sure she herself would be capable of the last one.
8869418
I say, you've cracked the case, Sherlock!
........ ok. time travel should NEVER be done. at all.
8869494
That's what I'm expecting too.
8869926
Not a paradox, a closed, stable time loop. A happens because B happens, but B only happens because A happened first. Also representable by the old Chicken And Egg line, Which Came First?
Also a Grandfather Paradox is SPECIFICALLY a case where you go back and kill your own grandfather/grandmother/ect BEFORE your parents were even born. This prevents you from being born in the first place, which prevents you from going back to kill your grandfather, which allows you to be born, which allows you to go back and kill- and everything explodes because temporal paradox loop.
8871763
The grandfahter paradox can allso acount for you being your own grandfahter.
You go back in time and fuck your grandmother, give birth to your parent. this forces you to go back in time to fuck your own grand mother or you whont be born. Hello, All you zombies!
There is a group name for these type of paradoxes but I dont remember it.
8871107
Agreed!
Though what about a time window?
8872122
Sorry, but no. Grandfather Paradox has zero to do with becoming your own grandfather. Becoming your own grandfather is a Time Loop, also called a predestination paradox. Events in the past REQUIRE that the time traveler go back into the past to cause those events in the first place. In that example, you MUST go back into the past and sleep with your own grandmother, or you won't exist at all. Also called a Causality Loop
8878418
............ maybe.
8879336
Yay!
8881257
yeah. yeah. I know.....
8869418
I'm betting that Clockwerk's family is collateral damage from Cooper shenanigans
8883150
Oh don't worry, as long as we have an entire squad of guards and Security system tighter than fort Nox, I think We'll be fine.
Warning DO NOT read final word, risk of jinx.