Hi! Hyena King here! This is the final confrontation with Rajan, with a huge shocker at the end. So, without further ado, here's chapter 17!

Sly, Murray, (Who had joined them some time ago,) Thunder and Lightning quickly ran from the bomb they had set in the elephants mouth. A few tense seconds later, the explosion occurred, immediately flooding the entire temple. Rajan came out just in time to witness this and jumped higher onto the temple to avoid the flash flood.

"Black clouds and thunderbolts! My spice temple...ruined!" Rajan cried, anger in his voice. "I will no longer hide while you villains destroy my hard won empire! This place is mine! Here, I am king! Come, face me Cooper! With Clockwerk's black heart, I'll so you true power! You are nothing! Come face the might of Rajan, lord of these hills!"

Sly, who had been watching this whole tirade, finally said. "Boy, when we try to tick someone off, we really do the job."

Lightning grinned at this. "Well, why don't we-"

Constable Neyla appeared suddenly, jumping down from some incredible height. "Yes, you seem to have quite a talent for it."

"Constable Neyla, slumming it with the thieves again?"

"That man is an illegal spice trader...He should be brought to justice."

"And he will be." Thunder said, a determined look on his face. Lightning was looking like he was in deep thought. (Which is a big deal when it comes to Lightning.) Something about what Sasha said earlier, about that prophecy of a purple tiger...

"I,m only after the Clockwerk heart." Sly assured. "You help me take him down, and the bust is all yours."

"Just try to keep up."

Sly and Neyla went to get Rajan, who was shooting lightning at them. Lightning suddenly stopped Thunder from taking of. "Thunder, somethings wrong, I can feel it."

"Lightning, when do you worry? Look, can you just go see to Applejack and Twilight?" They're probably bored out their minds."

Thunder flew off before Lightning could argue further. Lightning just sighed. Maybe he was being paranoid. At any rate, he went towards the spot where they had left AJ and Twilight when they went to lay the bomb.

Thunder and Sly went right to the edge to where Rajan was perched to se Neyla...Just standing there. "Neyla, now!" Sly cried, giving her the signal to strike.

"Sorry." Was all she said in response, beore she jumped away.

"What are you doing?" Sly asked, just as Thunder noticed Rajan about to strike.

"Sly, look out!" But it was too late. Rajan's lightning struck Sly and sent him falling to the ground. Murray, having noticed this, went to help the raccoon thief, Thunder flying down to grab him in desperation. However, it was in vain. When Murray fell into a pit in the temple that was only covered in enough water to soak his feet, an electric field powered to life, trapping the hippo. Thunder, meanwhile, was grabbed by Rajan, who had swung down from his perch and thrown in along with Murray. Murray helped Thunder up and they tuned to face the lord of the hills.

"This is it? This is the cooper gang I,ve heard so much about and feared these long hours?" Rajan said, obvious disdain in his voice.

"The Murray will renew your fear." Murray stated, stepping forward in a boxer's stance.

"Who's 'The Murray?' all I see is a at, pathetic, weakling!" Rajan responded.

"I might be big and not as smart as the other guys..." Murray began, sadness in his voice for a second. Then he looked at Rajan in anger. "But one thing I,m not is weak!"

Thunder stepped forward. "Don't worry, Murray. I got your back."

The two then lunged forward and the fight was on.

Meanwhile, Applejack and Twilight, who had defeated the fast majority of the guard with their respective majic and kicks, were waithing for the others to arrive when Sasha and her sisters suddenly poofed into assistance beside them.

"Hey Sasha." Twilight said, getting used to the goddesses sudden appearances. "We got it all handled, but-"

"No time, where's Lightning?" Sasha demanded, an unusually urgent tone in her voice.

"I,m sure he's with the others-"

"Hello ladies."

The five of them looked behind them to see Neyla and...Devitra and Shade!?

"Howdy, there, Neyla." Applejack said, having heard about the constable from Sly. "Mind tellin' us what you're doing here with those two?"

Neyla ofered her a sweet smile. "You're all under arrest for ading a fugitive."

That got all their attention. Twilight looked confused.* "What do you mean."

"Exactly what I said." Neyla still kept up that sweet smile. Sasha went forward, along with Maria and Yukie.

"Or you'll what?" Sasha asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Just this." Neyla nodded at Devitra, who held up a suit case and opened it to revel a glowing green stone.

Sasha looked at it in confusion, while Maria and Yukie knew exactly what it was. The sisters nodded to each other, then put themselves in front of their eldest sibling. No sooner had this happened that the green rock began to glow brighter. A golden essence began to leak of of Maria and yukie and began being absorbed by the rock. A few more minutes of this, and the rock had changed color from a bright green to a dull gold. Maria and Yukie were collapsed on the ground, groaning.

"What..?" Sasha managed, before her sisters were dragged forward by ethereal chains that had been spawned for nowhere to Shade.

"Awww, isn't that sweet?" Shade taunted, lifting them both to their feet. "They sacrificed their immortality to save yours. How pathetic."

"Sasha, they have a god stone!" Maria cried. "The only thing that can take away a god's powers!"

"Get out of here, Sasha! You can come back to fight another day!" Yukie added, tars forming in the shrine maiden's eyes.

Tears were also forming in Sasha's eyes, but she nodded. Twilight and Applejack, however, weren't about to give up so easily.

"Let them go!" Twilight cried, her horn glowing in anticipation to cast a spell. Applajack was going to attack too, but Sasha grabbed their hands before they could do anything.

"They're right, we have to go." Twilight looked at Sasha in sorrow. Th normally happy goddess's current face was heartbreaking, to say the least.

"Don't worry, Sasha. We'll take good care of them." Devitra said, a malicious smile on her face to match Shade's Before Shasa could teleport them to safety, she saw someone come up behind the horible trio.

Lightning.

"Let them go!" Lightning cried. He then charged straight at the three rhymes with witches. Ney looked back at him with a casual glance.

"Does lord Malice need both of them?" She asked Shade.

"Nope. Just one." Shade said with a vicious smile.

"Good." With that, Neyla pulled out a gun. Not a shock blaster. A real, bullet-using gun.

"Lightning!" Sasha cried. Too little, too late. Neyla pulled the trigger.

The resounding bang echoed through the jungle. Lightning put his hands up to his chest, shock on his face, then collapsed to the ground.

"Lightning!" Twilight and Applejack cried, as Sasha teleported them out of there.

Meanwhile, back at the fight, Thunder and Murray were doing well. Rajan had proved to be no pushover, fighting with his staff with a skill unmatched by any other. But Murray was a determined bugger, fighting with his fists and taking whatever Rajan threw at him. Thunder helped by taking out the legions of guards that Rajan would summon at regular intervals with his Thunder blasts and fists. The pegasus thought he heard a gunshot, but concentrated on the fight.

The battle was finally won by Murray punching Rajan through the electric field, knocking him out. "Victory belongs to the Murray." Murray cried in triumph. He then took the Clockwerk heart of the staff.* "Sly's going to want this half of the Clockwerk heart safe and sound."

Thunder nodded at Murray's logic, then heard someone say. "Happy day!" They looked up to see Neyla perched on the edge of the pit.

"Whuh? Neyla!? Throw down a ladder, Sly's hurt real bad! Can you hear me!? Sly's hurt!""

Murray, she's betrayed us!" Thunder cried, preparing to fly up and meet her, only to get zapped by black lightning and collapse to the ground. Murray huried over to the black pegasus. "You OK, Thunder!?" Thunder didn't reply, just groaned.

up on the edge, Neyla was joined by Devitra, Shade, Carmelita and the Contessa.

"There they are, Contessa. Just as I promised. The Cooper gang and Rajan, all incapacitated."

"Excellent police work, Constable Neyla, ." The contessa said. "Carmelita's never been able to capture the Cooper gang, yet you and your assistants managed to capture them in a few short weeks."

"Well, I never.." Carmelita began, only to be cut short by the Contessa.

"Really, Carmelita, accept your defeat gracefully."

"Actually, Contessa, there's a good reason Carmelita's never caught the Cooper gang." Neyla said suspiciously. "She's ben in league with them the whole time."

"Liar!" Carmelita all but screamed. "Prove it!"

"This is a photo of Carmelita dancing with Cooper on the night the Clockwerk wings were stolen." Neyla said, showing said picture to the Contessa.

"But I didn't know I was dancing with Cooper!" Carmelita insisted.

"You two seem very...familiar in this picture." The Contessa said, then turned to some officers who were hanging back. "Men, place Inspector Fox under arrest."

"I'll get you, Neyla, don't think I won't!" Carmelita snarled as she was arrested.

"Such a pity when an oficer falls from grace." The contessa said with a sigh.

"Yes...it is." Neyla said with a sad look on her face.

Bentley, who'd been watching this whole thing, stammered. "The that no good...cockeyed...Liar!

There you go. How do you feel about cliff-hangers? You probably have a lot of questions. Don't worry, they'll be answered...In the next couple of chapters. R&R please!