While Dad's memory was still slow to come back, the bonds he'd forged were now remembered. As such, we spent the next few years slowly reintroducing him to everyone he used to know, watching as that slowly began to bring back associated memories. The happiest moment had to be when Murray and Bentley joined Sly at Uncle Scrooge's mansion for one of their classic video game sessions. For that moment, as Mom, Penelope, and I watched, it was just like it had always been, as though nothing had ever changed.
Surprisingly enough, it was Uncle Scrooge who brought that to an end...
As yet another game ended without a clear victor, Scrooge cleared his throat to get attention. "Bentley, your appointment."
"Oh, right!" Bentley responded, his expression excited and nervous. Setting his controller down, he took the controls of his wheelchair and turned to leave.
"Appointment?" Sly asked in confusion.
"I really wish I could be there with you, Bentley," Penelope spoke up softly. "I mean..." Her words faded as she rested a hand on Bentley's shoulder.
Bentley smiled as he looked up at her, placing his hand on hers. As their work and time together had progressed over the years, both had grown and changed. While Bentley still went with his usual wardrobe - all he could deal with from the wheelchair - Penelope had traded her overalls for a yellow jumpsuit that fit her quite well to show how she'd grown. She'd also traded glasses for orange safety goggles, and her braids for a long ponytail. "It's alright, Penelope," he said softly, taking her hand to his lips to kiss it. "Mr. McDuck got the best doctors for this, and the treatment's tested out fine. I'll be fine."
"Doctors?" Coco asked in confusion.
"Treatment?" Carmelita added worriedly.
"Bentley...what's going on?" Murray pressed, staring at his old friend nervously. "Are you...sick?"
Bentley chuckled softly. "Spinal reconstruction," he explained softly. "The goal of these treatments is to improve my mobility...and hopefully eventually let me get up out of this chair, permanently." He smiled at the shocked looks. "Well, the time machine Penelope and I have been working on is nearing completion...it'd be fitting if my first steps into this unknown frontier...were actual steps."
Sly and Murray quickly moved to Bentley's sides, the trio sharing a brotherly hug as they saw him off. Coco noticed that Penelope seemed oddly conflicted as she watched. Hopping down, she decided to try and help. After all, all signs suggested she'd be her aunt before too much longer. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked curiously.
Penelope jumped at the approach. Turning, she stared down at Coco for a time...then sighed. "In private, okay?"
Nodding, Coco turned to lead Penelope to another room while Bentley was led to the car to head for his treatment. Once they were both seated, she looked up at the mouse girl. "Something's bothering you, I can tell. And it has something to do with Uncle Bentley. It's...not 'trouble in paradise', is it?"
Penelope shook her head. "No, nothing like that." She leaned back, staring up at the ceiling in thought. "It's just...this is probably going to sound silly, but it feels like Sly's holding Bentley back."
"Huh?" Coco asked in confusion. "How can that be? They haven't even spent time together in a while."
"Well...we've had a lot of sidelines in development while working towards the time machine," Penelope explained. "A lot of it...dangerous. We could make a fortune - both in terms of money and criminal political power - if we were to take those developments into arms manufacture. And there are other things we could get into that would be...amazing and fun, but Bentley won't hear of it." She shook her head. "I love him...but it feels like Sly's moral code is holding him back from his full potential." She looked towards Coco. "Does that make any sense?"
Coco frowned, rubbing her head with one hoof. "Not...really?"
Penelope sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think you-"
"I mean, it always seemed like pulling teeth to get Bentley to break the law in new ways, when Dad would jump right in as long as it wasn't hurting anyone innocent. Seems more like Uncle Bentley is holding Dad back in that way of thinking." Coco shook her head. "But that doesn't really make sense either, you know?"
Penelope blinked in shock. "Wait...you mean Bentley's even more morally centered by nature than Sly?"
"Well, yeah!" Coco confirmed. "Uncle Bentley always told me stories about the early years with Dad. He was super straight laced back then, always toeing the line of the rules cause that was what got kids adopted. But because he was tiny, nerdy, and weak, he was always overlooked and shuffled from orphanage to orphanage when the bullying got too bad. And Uncle Murray had the same problems cause he was too big and not very fit, except he was shuffled around because he got into fights. If Dad hadn't been there, Uncle Murray probably would have wound up bullying Uncle Bentley, and Uncle Bentley would have grown up as some office worker statistic, just pushing whatever buttons he was supposed to on the computer when he was supposed to with his only release being fantasies of crazy adventures starting with his coworkers mysteriously vanishing." She grinned happily. "Dad was just remembering those times, talking about how he and Uncle Murray always had to cajole Uncle Bentley into each new mischief beyond just planning their antics, convincing him how fun it would be." She paused as she noticed Penelope's face go pale. "Penelope?"
"...I'll be right back," Penelope responded as she stood up. "There's...there's something I need to go take care of, and fast." With that, she turned and ran out of the mansion.
I don't know what it was, but Penelope never came back after that. We were all really worried about her, but we figured she'd be back in a few days, or contact us...or at least Bentley. But a few other things quickly leapt to the forefront of our attention.
One thing of great importance, though, was the Thievius Raccoonus. The writing in the book...was vanishing.
A certain plot with a time machine . . . sooner or later, the history begin re-writing itself.
and here... we... go.
Stupid girl, you can’t change the past and get what you FIND you truly want in the present\future.
wow. Are you really going to give us that hope for Bentley? Please don't be pulling my leg.(I know that was in bad taste.)
Welp. Next chapter is most likely going to start Thieves in Time. Looking forward to that. And the Cooper ancestor's reactions to Coco. Will we finally find an individual capable of resisting the puppy-dog eyes+pout?
8269955
Was that a reference to Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight? Because I read that line in his voice and the EXACT way he said it too.
And somewhere along the line a DeLorean is involved.
8269979
My money is on either Rioichi or Salim.
Looks like there might be hope for Bentley and Penelope yet.
It's a little late for that, Penelope.
So the controversial event was averted... but its consequences are happening anyway. I'm rather okay with that.
Well someone has been playing The Stanley Parable lately... I miss Mr. Adventure Line and the rather charming music that went with it.
Time Travel in the reverse direction always causes all kinds of trouble and problems, but time is not exactly easy to rewrite and there's the diverging timelines thing. The timeline you left behind is still there and ongoing while the new timeline is going off in an entirely different direction.
Wait... so Penelope thought that Bentley was the maverick and Sly was the straight laced one keeping everyone from crossing the line?
Well, anyway, looks like Thieves in Time just started. And it looks like Penelope tried to correct a mistake. But, from the looks of it, it doesn't like she was too successful.
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Bentley? What are you doing in the broom closet?
Broom closet ending? Well, you better get your gay turtle butt back to work!
Not gay? Well, you're getting out of the closet one way or another.
Uh oh... someone buggered up!
I'm a little in the dark about "The Stanley Parable" can someone clue me in?
If I didn't know any better, I'd say Penelope is starting to turn yellow.
What a way to shell shock the others Bentley.
Guess this means Bentley's gonna get some backbone now.
It looks like Penelope will not have to have a Starlight glimmer moment of coming to the Future looking and what she did and saying "oh Buck this is not good"
Looks like we will soon go back to the past.
This is gonna be crazy
8270310 Gotta get back. Back to the past.
I think Penelope just learned that she should not assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually — from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint — it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff.
8269992 Or a certain Blue box. Or a fairy boy with an Ocarina. A young witch with an hourglass necklace, a killer robot in a time portal, two high school kids gathering famous people from throughout time, or Merlin himself going to train a young Arthur are also possible canidates. Just imaging all the possible time travelers is mind boggling.
it was at this moment Penelope knew...she ed up
Speaking of classic games, is Crash Bandicoot a game here? I can see Crash and Coco being real and the games telling their story to the world.
8270408
WAATCHAA
8270072
Given that the next villain has no qualms of trying to kill people... our poor Gadget Gearwrench epxy is probably stuffed sometime in the space-time continuum just to ensure the Cooper and friends don't mess with his plans...
... which is probably his downfall because messing with people who Cooper considers friends is probably the worst thing you'll ever do. Ever.
Bently seems a little nervous. If the procedure goes well, he'll be a lot more nervous afterwards.
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that and more... without counting myself and my boys /girls (My personal timeline is a MESS.. worst part: I can’t Time travel in my own Universe...)
Le Paradox's has already started, hasn't it Penelope?
...
Ahhh so tragic how love can cause good people to do bad things like mess with time so there love can be a bit less moral
1:12 in just about sums it up.
https://youtu.be/E2DHfvtgNRo
Uh oh, now begins Penelope’s falling out. But I do like that we actually see the signs early on this time.