We weren't really ready when Jean told us Arpeggio was on his way to pick up the battery...the battery that was now empty, and thus the perfect hiding spot to sneak us onto his blimp, and from there onto his flying fortress. Despite this, we went anyway. Even knowing that Jean was going to look after his beloved van didn't cheer Uncle Murray up at all. I did all I could for him, curling up in his lap while we waited inside the small metal canister.
On the other side, Dad actually had Mom sitting in his lap, holding her close. The long confinement was forcing her to face the recent upheavals in her life without the distraction of something immediate to do for our mission. Dad rubbed her back soothingly as she clung to him, doing her best not to cry as she mumbled about what her father and grandfather would think of her. This left Uncle Bentley at odds, with no one to comfort or to comfort him, and nothing to distract himself with. He couldn't even engage in conversation, as all of us were doing our best to be silent.
Once the blimp docked with the flying fortress, we found ourselves a base of operations and began planning our move. First up was reading up on Arpeggio...and discovering just what a genius with tech he was. But given his inability to fly, his reasoning for gathering the Clockwerk Parts became clear. He wanted to fly, and thought installing himself in Clockwerk would give him the ultimate flying body. Although that did make us wonder...why did he spread the parts around and repurpose them for the various schemes in the first place?
As usual, the first thing I did once we were ready to make our move was to go hunting for the Vault. I admit freely that it was the most harrowing mission I'd ever been on. The flying Fortress was stretched out with crisscrossing pathways held aloft by large propeller engines, and no guard rails to keep anyone from falling off to their death, whether off the edge or into the main turbines. The winds were also rather strong...strong enough that they were able to pick me up and tumble me around if I didn't find something to hide behind before the stronger gusts kicked in.
Thankfully, there were interior portions, one of which containing the vault. Inside were designs for thread that could turn invisible when exposed to the right energy...specifically, the very same energy used in Slytunkhamen's invisibility technique. Applying this to our outfits would allow us to move at full speed once invisible, and only draw attention if we made noise. While useful, this was also concerning. It meant someone was involved here who had been studying the Cooper family...with the goal of reverse engineering the techniques. I began to grow suspicious of Neyla...too little too late.
While I was doing that, Dad got the recon photos we needed, which established that Clockwerk had already been fully reassembled in another blimp held aloft a short distance from Arpeggio's flying fortress. Unfortunately, Dad's attempt at a quick counter assault backfired and gave Arpeggio and Neyla what they wanted, locking the Clockwerk parts together. Thankfully, he managed to trick Arpeggio into spilling his entire plan...before Neyla backstabbed Arpeggio and fused herself with the Clockwerk parts. What happened then...
As Coco made her way back from the Vault with the blueprints she'd found, she heard a startling metallic shriek, followed by Sly shouting out, "Coco, watch out!"
Looking up, she froze a moment in fear as she saw Clockwerk swooping down on her. That moment was all it took for one talon to close around her, dragging her into the air. She screamed in terror as she was pulled away from the solid paths and out over open air. "Daddy!" she screamed out.
"Let my daughter go, Neyla!" Sly roared angrily as he raced up to the top of the flying structure, trying to get to the metal bird.
"It's Clock-La now," the unnatural avian proclaimed in a distortion of Neyla's voice. "And I think that's a very poor choice of words." She waggled one talon, showing how releasing Coco now would drop her into open air, much too far from the ground below.
"What do you want with her?" Sly demanded angrily, one hand inside his shirt as he searched for anything he could use to fight with.
"You truly are a fool...this has all been about her from the very beginning!" Clock-La proclaimed. "My Master sent me to infiltrate Interpol and the Klaaw Gang with the express purpose of using the Clockwerk plot to retrieve that which you stole from him all those years ago...his key to ultimate power!"
Sly's eyes widened in fear as he put it together. "...Seft!" he gasped out. "You work for him! That's how you can imitate Cooper family techniques so well, and why so many of the things the Klaaw Gang had in their safes were almost designed to work with them!"
"Yes...he studied your family for a long, long time," Clock-La proclaimed. "And soon this metal body will be charged with all the hate in Paris, rendering it - and whoever rides within it - completely immortal! And then I will carry this foolish pony back to Seft...and the body of Clockwerk will be Seft's weapon to conquer other worlds! Magic and machine, fused together and powered by the darkest forces...they will fall before us!"
"And you think he'll keep you around after you give him what he wants?" Sly called out, trying desperately to resolve the situation any way he could.
"You've seen how big Seft is, and how small this skull is," Clock-La countered. "You really think he can fit? That's a laugh! And besides...once the portal's open, who says he'll still be the one calling the shots? Scorpions aren't the only ones to sting those who carry them!"
Sly leveled his cane at Clock-La. "You won't get that far," he growled out dangerously.
Clock-La cackled. "I'd like to see you try and stop me..."
Ok...
What was already a very diabolical scheme just became far moreso.
I pity Clock-La. She is in a body that feeds off hate, and she wants to go to Equestria? She'd starve to death in a Month! Sure, there are outliers, but on average, finding hate in Equestria is like squeezing blood from a stone.
Okay... this situation went from bad to worse.
Oh I wonder what you're gonna do next with this.
7968778
Less, if she happens to come out near Hearthswarming. I imagine it'd work on Clockwerk about the same as it did on the Wendigos...
I'm certainly blown away by this twist of events but it's also grabbing me at the heartstrings somehow. At this point, I'm not sure whether to hope Neyla doesn't get too carried away or not. Not with Coco in tow anyhow.
7968778
I don't know, they do have a very hate-able plan. Or did we forget about the whole, "strap foals to war machines as living shields" thing?
7968778
A month? "Ppppppth" I give her a week, tops. Even less if she ran into you know who...
But the northern Lights battery is drained, so the light show can't go off. Isn't this a plot hole from the game?
Welp, let's take bets: how long till Clockwerk starts to reassert himself? I'm thinking that our clever kitty has not thought out things completely...
7968778 kind of any anti-changeling, now that I think about it.
I get the feeling that Neyla and Seft have no clue just how powerful the ponies are. Now I wonder just how brutal Neyla will be defeated and how quick it will come as the one of the batteries she intends to use is drained?
Oh hell no! Hurry, Sly!
Ohohohoo.... oooh... Clock-la, you dumb, I mean. I've seen dumb, but you outright dumb as hell.
You're essentially powered by hate, and you wanna go to Equestria? That's a land of love and friendship! You would be owned the second you tried anything! Like some said below, there's some haters, but not enough to keep you powered up ho.
Nicely done Tat!
Well, this doesn't make me despise her even more...
Now I hope she explodes
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7969368 To be fair, they don't know that currently, all they know is that it's full of magic that they want to harness for their own ends.
So many flags?
Why does the villain always trip so many flags?
7969396
I know that. I'm just somewhat looking forward to her crashing and burning, heheheh
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Well, granted, in the original plot of Sly 2, while Neyla DID go nuts over the course of the fight, it wasn't really Clockwerk himself that reasserted himself, just Neyla going crazy from his hatred...but knowing Tat, the original Clockwerk personality could well re-emerge properly.
You know... I am actually excited to see what would happen next but at the same time...
I don't know if Tat will have Bently needing to be confined to a wheelchair.
Great twist with Neyla working for Seft all along.
7969582 Well, this is from my own vague recollection, but through the course of the final mission, the things she said slowly stopped becoming things Nelya would say, and started becoming things that sound more like Clockwerk. I'm pretty sure she even starts parroting lines from Clockwerk's original battle... I could be remembering wrong though.
I say Neyla is a fool if she thinks she can overpower a hate that spans over thousands of years.
Is Arpeggio all right? This chapter seemingly describes him as having another motive with the Clockwerk Parts besides flying of course.
she just told a RACOON to try to stop her from hurting his little girl. bad idea
7970387 I think its safe to assume arpeggio motive is the same as the game. He wanted immortality and nelya killed him. He wasn't really noteworthy to begin with.
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He didn't last long in the game.
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fear the mother Neyla FEAR THE MOTHER
Tigger, how good are the thrusters on our big guy again?
"You're not breaking the sound barrier, but it can fly at a decent rate."
Good...now if you'll excuse me...
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I HAVE A BIRD TO COOK
ive always wanted to have some toasty owl!
looks like I might just get that chance because nobody hurts coco and gets away with it!!!!!
7972152 Eh, dude, looking at the prints? No supersonic and you're screwed.
7987707 Ninjago:
Pythor: "As much as I would like to play with your overgrown toys, [jumps off ship onto helicopter] I have a flight to catch!"
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Give me one shot, that's all I need.
8396089
Hands .50 caliber rifle
9492159
No. Use this instead *hands over WH40K Vindicare sniper rifle*
10060013
I can top that... *rolls up with twin-linked las-cannons predator tank* for when you want something DEAD
10192696
I can do you even better (activates Warhound Titan) this should do the trick.