As the sun set on another evening in the countryside of the low plains, Coop's steed carried him across the open roads, towards the sprawling metropolis of "Bee-Bee Estonia". Not totally independent of the kingdom of Newgrounds, but a fiercely governed part of the country, it was possibly to find a point of view from every angle possible here. Trotting up to the gates, his authority was recognised as a member of the knights moderator and his mount carried him through the gates toward the speaker's corner.

The broad streets were crowded as usual and there was a clamour to hear what was going on with all of the discussions. Coop watched from his vantage point, as he saw a small person scuttle from discussion to discussion attempting to incite hatred within the discussion. Raising his hands toward the offender, Coop spoke the name, looking within his helm, to see where this offender had been before. As he traced back the footsteps of this individual, he watched the ghostly images of the young man, linked up by ethereal cords, binding them together. He pulled one closer that was racist and hateful in nature. Bringing his hand together in a bunched fist, the image shrank away, until the sound that it made could not be heard. The two ends of the ethereal tether joined themselves together and tightened the bond between two images that were previously separated by this phantom.

Coop nudged Dawn Chaser onward through the crowd, seeking out the original perpetrator. As his mount walked up to him, the young man went silent, suddenly shaded by the moderator's presence.

"Do not abhor others, because they are different. They are the same as you. At dawn, the light shall enable you to speak once more." Coop held out his hand towards the individual, whose scream of anguish was cut short and he fell to the floor, wailing in pitiful silence. He dismounted, spotting a nearby market stall and walked over, in search of some sustenance. A skin of water and an apple were the order of the day and Coop stood, talking to the stallholder for a short while.

"A calm day, sir. Could bode badly for those wishing ill of us."

"How so?"

"Well, people's tongues are quite loose around here, sir. You hear things that people might not necessarily want you to hear, but they don't bother to guard so much, as they feel safe in the crowds." Coop smiled and reached into a small pouch, placing a small gold coin on the stall.

"Such as?" The man stared at the coin, not believing it for a short while, before quickly scooping it up and into his wide sleeve.

"I heard that there would be a terrible reckoning. The people of Clocktopia are to invade out shores, seeking space for their hundreds of offspring."

"Such is the case every August. I am well aware of this." Coop smarted for the waste of his coin on idle chit-chat.
"Not in January though! They plan to make their way through the grand portal and overwhelm those who stand against them. StrawberryClock yearns for the crown and he will stop at nothing to get it back to him. This war will be bloody, sir!" Draining his water skin, Coop turned to his mount, swiftly jumping up to her back, gripping the reigns with his left hand, the apple in his right.

"I must away. Fare thee well, good sir and pray that such a force never comes this far." Walking his mount through the crowded streets was long enough for Coop to eat his apple, but he hit the open road with all due haste. The Portal was over a day's ride from here, but Dawn Chaser was more than equal to that task.

All day he rode, with only the stars to light his night, as he slept, before continuing. When they came upon the grounds of the Portal, hope seemed to be fading, as the defenders were outnumbered by a sudden influx of Clocks. Spurring Dawn Chaser on to get him to the fight, he dropped neatly off her back into the middle of the field, allowing her to finally get some respite. As he stood, surveying the field, he heard the Speakonia battle cries of the Clock Crew, as they advanced upon him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" They cried as only Clocks can, charging in towards the lone warrior. Coop merely dropped his helm over his head and took a grip rolling his fingers slowly around the sword.

The unlucky pawn that was first in line to meet Coop's wrath was a gooseberry. The angry clock face bouncing along as Coop took a half pace forward and flashed his blade across the face of his foe, reducing him to compote rather quicker than GooseberryClock had foreseen. Meticulously, conserving energy, Coop's swings took down wave after wave of the ticking menace. As he looked up, wiping away a mixture of fruit juices and preserves, he spotted his quarry, one solitary Strawberry standing atop the hill, content to sacrifice his minions during this assault.

Purposefully, Coop moved towards isolated defenders, offering his aid to the situation, as his katana sliced through clocks easily, sending them to their deaths. As he approached the gates of the portal, he left behind a trail of destruction - clocks too weak to continue, that would be finished off by the defenders who fought alongside Coop, willing to do their duty to both the Portal and King Tom.

The massed ranks of the clocks, feeling that their defeat was near, started to waver, almost afraid of the deaths that awaited them, regardless of what happened here. Either they would die by Coop's sword, or die by the wrath of their general. Truly, these wretches were worthy of some pity. With this in mind, Coop accepted a few surrenders, granting some of them a token chance to at least remain alive and prove that they had worth in questioning later on. They were dragged away, for investigation at Prince Wade's own pleasure.

Casting his gaze back to the hill, StrawberryClock appeared to know that his forces were beaten. As he turned and bounced beyond the horizon, a cheer went up from the few defenders, as the remaining clocks were either captured or put to death.

"We beat them, sir! They are retreating!" A young police officer declared happily. Coop just removed his helm and cast a glance at the young man, with an interested look on his face.

"Well, for now we have. They will return. StrawberryClock will only give up when he is truly defeated. Perhaps even then, there will be others to take over the Clock Crew and rule in his stead. I've seen a lot of fights in my time and will carry on, until there is no strength left in my body." He picked up a rag off the floor and cleaned his blade, delicately, before re-sheathing it. "Perhaps when you've risen through the ranks of the Police, you'd consider becoming a guardsman? EagleRock could always use more keen individuals like yourself. Perhaps you could speak to Lizzardis, he spends a lot of time at the Police HQ." The young officer saluted smartly and beamed at Coop.

"Thank you sir, I will!" Coop wandered back through the portal gateway and found a quiet spot, where he removed his armour from his chest. As he looked at his left arm, he felt a sharp pain as he reached beneath his tabard, the warm splash of his own blood. Easing the arm out, he felt something sharp lodged in there, near the bicep. He drew his dagger and worked out the shard of glass, probably from one of the variously shaped clocks that now littered the battlefield. Using a piece of his undershirt, he bound his arm tightly and replaced his armour.

"It takes more than that to kill me, Clock." Coop put his fingers to his ear and whistled, waiting for Dawn Chaser to trot over to him. Mounting slower this time, he rode away to seek some answers about the Clock Crew and their incessant attacks. Perhaps there was a way to stop them...

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