It had been two months since Drek's defeat, and the restoration of the damaged planets, which went off without a hitch. Between that and Gadgetron releasing the anti-pollution air and sea mechas - dubbed the Sparklers by the marketing department - Veldin had actually been declared off limits to tourism just so Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight could have some peace and quiet. While Ratchet and Twilight had both wanted to live quiet, peaceful lives after defeating Drek - at least for a while - both forgot that Drek was broadcasting the destruction of Veldin live...and as a result, their work defeating Drek and restoring dozens of planets across the galaxy was also broadcast live across Solana galaxy. As a result, they were literally the big name in news for a full month afterward.
Eiken had suggested that actually making a few public appearances - and the occasional TV interview - would go a long way towards giving them the peace and quiet they desired. They had thus attended several parades, feasts, festivals, and conventions held in their honor. Twilight had only particularly enjoyed the conventions, as she got to meet and talk with adults who could actually understand some of the technical concepts she brought up. No interviews had been held yet, as Twilight had become painfully aware how things she said casually could affect things due to her sudden celebrity. 12 planets were now vegetarian due to her saying she didn't eat meat, and 20 more had gone vegan as a result of her unease at the sight of a whole cooked lamb, both at the same feast held in the heroes' honor.
Finally, much to all their reliefs, the furor had started to die down and they were able to relax again. Twilight had immediately gone to tinker with all the new toys they'd brought back from out in the galaxy. Ratchet had gone to design something he had in mind that he refused to talk about, and Clank settled for romancing the one female robot who had managed to evade the "no tourism" ban on Veldin.
One morning, however, Twilight had quite a few surprises for Ratchet and Clank regarding her tinkering.
"Wow," Ratchet said as he stared at the result. "That's...impressive."
"Isn't it though?" Twilight asked excitedly, looking up at her creation.
The device itself was rather simple, being a simple sphere of metal image projectors. However, when combined with the signal from a Pilot's Helmet and the included database and high end processor, it expanded outward to generate a complete holographic display of anything the user could think of, complete with a full 360 degree view of the generated image, which could be interacted with physically, by thought command, or by voice or text based commands.(1)
Presently, it was displaying some tweaks to Twilight's armor design, as she was trying to figure out how to expand it for more impact reduction without reducing maneuverability.
"This thing is amazing!" Ratchet praised, looking at the device. "With this, anyone could do what you do when you cause a device to expose all its component parts, or at least a simulation of it!"
"Except without the massive strain you experience when you do so," Clank pointed out.
"That's what I was thinking of when I made it," Twilight explained. "I wanted to be able to experiment like that without massive mental fatigue, so I figured a simulation would take much less energy than the actual thing, especially with the processor taking most of the strain of the computations. I made one for you, too, Daddy!" Smiling, Twilight levitated another simulator over in its compact form; a simple metal sphere on top of a simple metal box.
"Sweet!" Ratchet said happily, taking it into his hands, holding it carefully.
"Can it project things other than technical designs?" Clank asked curiously.
"It can project anything you can imagine," Twilight explained. "But what else would you use it for?"
"Depending on the individual, there are any number of unsavory things the capacity to generate any image you can imagine could be turned to," Clank explained.
"About 90% of it would probably be porn, though, given the statistical nature of people," Ratchet pointed out.
Twilight blinked. "...huh. It's a good thing I never planned to put this design on the market." Twilight shivered a bit. "Well, that's not all I have to show you! Check these out!" Turning, she posed, showing off her new footwear.
"Magnegrindboots!"(2) Twilight proclaimed happily. "After studying your magnet boots and grind boots, I was able to combine their functionality in a single set of foot wear, and use the spare set to make ones for me!" She levitated the new boots over to Ratchet. "Not only that, but the new design will actually allow you to leap off of a surface they're magnetized to without losing your orientation, as long as you maintain a straight line between the bottom of the boots and the surface they're locked onto, so you can jump over obstacles while walking up a magnetized wall!"
"That's incredible!" Ratchet said happily. "What next? Redesign the Swingshot so it can lock onto another Swingshot so you can pull yourself up somewhere after me?"
Twilight shook her head. "That won't work as long as the Swingshot uses a physical cable and hook," she countered. "However, I hear the next model will be using an energy cable! It's still in the very early stages of development, but when it comes out I'll see if I can manage that!"
"Why do you keep making those joking suggestions?" Clank asked Ratchet. "You know she always takes them seriously."
"That's why I wasn't joking this time," Ratchet replied. "Do you have any notion how many of the obstacles we faced pursuing Drek would have been easier for Twilight to clear if she could lock onto my Swingshot and drag herself after me? And vice versa?"
Clank raised a hand, and froze. "I had not thought about that," he admitted. He turned to Twilight. "And how goes converting the RYNO to energy based ammunition?"
"Already completed in theory," Twilight replied eagerly, calling up the design in question on her simulator. "I've already sent the design to Mr. Fixxit so he can see how to produce it cost effectively." She frowned. "He flat out vetoed the energy collector for rearmament on commercial models, though. Apparently, that makes it too dangerous to sell, as the one thing holding someone back from marching into a world with a RYNO model and obliterating everything is the cost of the weapon and its ammunition. If ammunition is suddenly free..."
"I see your point," Clank admitted. "Speaking of, how goes the magical formula? Have you worked out the magic stepladder yet?"
Grinning widely, Twilight called up the formula in question, and the two began discussing the various points of magical theorem and practice. Ratchet, meanwhile, took his simulator elsewhere to work on a project of his own.
Much later, when Twilight had gone into town to pick up some food for that night's dinner, Clank wandered around to find what Ratchet was up to. He found the Lombax a good ways behind their home, entirely focused on his simulator. The image of a suit in his dimensions with wings attached to the underside of the arms was visible. "Highly inefficient," Clank pointed out.
"Waagh!" Ratchet yelped, flailing as he desperately clung to the visualization. "Geeze, Clank! Can't you...I don't know, clank when you walk? I nearly lost the design!"
"The simulator auto saves whatever visualization you were working on in the event of a distraction," Clank pointed out. "As I was saying, that design for a flight suit would at best allow you to glide. It would not provide enough lift to get one of your mass airborne."
"That's where the suit comes in," Ratchet explained. "Micro-gravity generators sewn into the lining throughout the entire thing. When activated, it reduces my gravimetric profile, to the point that - as far as aerodynamics is concerned - I weigh much less than I actually do."
"Greatly reducing the amount of lift you need to generate to get airborne," Clank concluded. "But the amount of energy that would require would mean that you could not wield any weaponry while the suit is active, and you would have to hold perfectly still to maintain the balance of the field."
"Yeah, that latter part is causing problems with the wings," Ratchet muttered. "But I wasn't designing this for combat, or even for regular use. It's only meant for one thing."
"One thing?" Clank asked, confused. Then his eyes widened in understanding. "May I?" Clank asked, gesturing to the simulator. When Ratchet nodded, Clank plugged himself in. In the image, the wings separated from the suit, and extra details were added, slowly expanding. "I believe it would be a good idea to invite Al to install these in me," Clank suggested. "While the problems of energy use and stability will still be present, but I believe this will solve all other problems. Besides, I understand that various companies are currently working on creating other methods of personal flight that utilize energy platforms to charge functionality(3). Perhaps we can design the suit to tap into those for replenishing and activating this function."
Ratchet grinned as the two worked on the design further. "Not a bad idea, Clank. Not a bad idea."
Two weeks later, Al arrived on planet, surprising Twilight. "Al! What brings you here?"
"It's a surprise," Al said with a wide grin. "Ratchet, I brought everything I'll need based on the design you sent me. Rather ingenious, if somewhat inefficient, though I see why. And the suit?"
"Already completed," Ratchet replied. "I'll show it off to Twilight while you install the Pack in Clank. Come on, Twilight."
"O-okay," Twilight replied, torn between the pleasures of seeing something new Ratchet had made and seeing more robotics work. In the end, she followed Ratchet.
Ratchet was wearing a pitch black bodysuit with small white circles sewn into the lining in a pattern not unlike motion capture balls on suits used for CGI characters in films in ages past. "Like it?" Ratchet asked. "I call it the negative gravity suit. When active, it reduces my gravitational field in relation to all things around me in order to effectively reduce my effective weight as far as physics is concerned."
"That's incredible!" Twilight gasped out. "Did you make one for me?"
Ratchet chuckled. "You don't need one, Twilight," Ratchet chided gently. "The basis for this suit is what your own magic does when you spread your wings to glide. I even got the idea from reading pages of 'Flight of the Pegasus'."
"Oh," Twilight replied, frowning. She sighed sadly.
Ratchet grinned, knowing what was bugging Twilight. "Is Clank ready yet, Al?" he called out.
"Yup!" Al replied, walking Clank back. "All ready to go!"
Clank took his accustomed place on Ratchet's back. The new Wing Pack expanded, and shiny metal wings spread from his arm slots, matching in proportion to Ratchet's body the exact dimensions of Twilight's wings relative to hers.
Twilight's eyes opened wide as she realized what the purpose of this suit and Pack was. A huge smile crossed her face as tears of joy fell from her eyes.
"Ready to fly, Twilight?" Ratchet asked, going to all fours on the energy platform he'd prepared, charging the micro-gravity generators in the suit.
Twilight nodded. "Yes!" she said happily, matching Ratchet's pose.
Ratchet smiled as the Pilot's Helmet he wore linked him to Clank's circuitry for working the Wing Pack. "What's the first lesson of 'Flight of the Pegasus'?" he quizzed Twilight as they prepared to fly.
"Feel the wind currents with your feathers..." Twilight recited, as the pair prepared to reach for the clouds.
(1)The holodisplay inspired by this comment by Pinklestia.
(2) The Magnegrindboots and image are thanks to Tangent, and this comment here.
(3) This refers to things such as the Momentum Glider and the Levitator, which can only be activated on specific panels. It's not just Twilight who can come up with new tech that trumps canon availability, after all.
Daa'ww!
5795122
I might recommend adding a timeline to the description on the front page. like
Rachet & Clank: Done
R&C, Going Commando; In-progress.
R&C, Up Your Arsenal; Planned.
R&C, Secret Agent Clank; N/A.
R&C, Size Matters; Planned.
Just a thought. Keep up the good work by the way.
This entire collection is close to if not most anticipated of the many stories I read.
And I read a lot.
5795623
Done. Thanks for the tip.
...
Demon.Exe is not responding. Would you like reboot?
Y/N
Y
Rebooting...
Rebooting...
Reboot failed. Activating NOPE Procedures.
I can't even the CU- Ngufbra qobafn437hgtskjeajamnkuHnfgs j ah ER vh etskjgbdvtsdb4151245bs15bg0dsbtgbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
5795733
I will not be doing the comic (which I've never read) or Secret Agent Clank, but I will be doing Size Matters. I have plans for that one.
Pretty sure "'May I?' Ratchet asked" should actually read "'May I?' Clank asked"
Edit: Ah, you got it. Cheers, mate.
So much D'aaaawww at the end of this chapter.
Great Job, Commander.
5795655 can you at least add a interlube of secret agent clank in the story, please!
The sentence structure here is a bit awkward, I suggest something like "No interviews had been held yet, as Twilight had become painfully aware how easily things she mentioned casually could have a widespread effect due to her sudden celebrity."
If you don't rephrase, just change 'effect' to 'affect'. The latter is the verb, and the former is the noun.
never thought i say this, but i can't WAIT For qwork to show up again!
Whoo! Now that both Ratchet and Twilight have (or will have by the next adventure) Gadgetron Magnigrindboots with limited Surface-Aligned Jumping capability, clearly customizable for various types, sizes, and number of feet, Blargtech is going to take another hit to their market base. After all, while they may have designed the original products that Twilight reverse engineered, Blargtech also severely limited their target market by not considering different possible customer needs, instead only offering what was effectively one foot type (bipedal plantigrade) in a limited range of sizes (Blarg military standard).
And with their wings (both Twilight's and the new Wing type for the Utility Pack functions Clank lends Ratchet), they can now leap over broader gaps, taller obstacles, and larger mine clusters on grindrails, they can now easily jump between even widely separated grindrails. Although, more care is warranted for transferring to grindrails farther away than a few body lengths (Either make sure there are boost rings, know how to navigate air currents and use updrafts and thermals, or simply make sure that the grindrail they are aiming for is sufficiently lower than the one they are jumping from).
As for Clank, either Ratchet or Twilight could easily design a magnigrindsled for his own personal use, since he does do his own solo missions on occasion. Then Al, his brother, or another roboticist could install it for him (Otherwise it would remain as a separate minivehicle for Clank).
And now... The six month gap between the first and second game...
I don't see any of them having money problems, even if the need for heroes drops off for a bit. For one thing, they are a proven design team and excellent field testers for various products, often not only spotting flaws, but including how to fix or even improve the designs when they file their reports. On the other hand, having had their taste of adventure, the slump in available quests may leave Ratchet and Twilight admitting feeling a bit wistful that their adventure is apparently done and over with during a certain upcoming interview, just in time for Abercrombie Fizzwidget to see it.
Ratchet gets recruited to be a Megacorp Commando, Clank gets offered his fully equipped lab, and the bribe for Twilight is the slightly different laws in the Bogon Galaxy allowing for her to study and apply for a Roboticist License! This allows for certain early plot points to remain the same, with the addition of a separate subquest for Twilight before the three are once again reunited. Perhaps here we'll see the first signs of a certain Qwarktastic individual attempting to make use of the inadvertent advice Ratchet had given him?
Also, I can just see Twilight after every single time Abercrombie Fizzwidget mangles any word with more than three syllables...
"Ow..." "Ow..." "Ow..." "Please stop talking, Mr. Fizzwidget. "Ow..." "Ow..." "Why!? Why can't I stop!? I know he's just going to keep using nonsensical portmanteaus of two completely unrelated words every time he speaks! I should have better self control than this! "Ow..." *whimper*
So heartwarming and adorable
A thought projection sphere would also be too awesome...
5796070
While that's actually a very good idea for what Twilight's bribe could be, I actually have a very different one in mind...one that will take teh story down a very different path.
Just an average, peaceful day at home...
The best kind of days!
5796084
Looking forward to your litiginary versimillipede!
"OW!" "NO! Bad Tangent!" *thwaks with a rolled up newspaper* "I'll be getting far more than enough horrible portmanteaus and inappropriate word substitutions from Abercrombie Fizzwidget during the next quest arc without you adding to my upcoming headache!"
I'm sorry. I offer my sincere condiments for your upcoming vocabulific trauma...
"Ow!" "Stop doing that!"
Doing what? I don't undertabulate what you're getting at?
"Ow!" "THAT'S IT!"
"The rest of this here post has been deemed Not Safe for Woona due to unspeakable violence committed by an alicorn."
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/191/d/3/not_safe_for_woona_by_grievousfan-d6ads81.png
I wonder what happens when Megacorp comes to pick up Ratchet and the others.
Also,
"This is bad. They are multiplying at an exponential rate!" Clank said while frying a flock of Proto-pets with his newly-installed eye lasers.
"What's wrong Twilight?" asked Ratchet while swinging his OmniWrench at the blue-furred pest that had just barfed up it's offspring.
"I'm not sure." She said in thought, while trying to understand why she suddenly had an impulse to gather a bunch of instruments together and play polka.
5796243
I can't believe I never made that connection before.
5795623 You DO realise that Ratchet: Gladiator/Deadlocked is an official part of the Ratchet Chronology, right?
There's a Gleeman Vox statue in the museum in Nexus.
5796243
"Okay, lets see if this works!" Twilight Sparkle created a flute using her magic and started to play it in a specific tune outside what was considered normal hearing, but it didn't seem to affect the Proto-pets until Twilight channeled her magic in the flute making them fall asleep
"Wow, how do you that?" Rachet asked
"I got the idea of using music to deal with these creatures then remembered the tune of a lullaby, but when it didn't work I channeled a sleep spell using the music." Twi then feel a tad woody and shock her head "Uh... I think I might have gone a bit overboard... just how many of them feel asleep?"
"According to my scans, all of them, please try to limit yourself to close range the next time you do that spell." Clank
"Okay. So what we do with them now? Do I turn them into chickens?"
"Negative, Proto-pets seem to be somewhat resistant to your magic, hence why you got so tired."
5796728
/bobs you over the head with a newspaper, bad troll, bad
I don't want to sound like a jerk, but I was just using a few games as an example.
Tatsurou did indeed go through the full list of games like I had hoped, just check the description of the story.
5796924 *swipes paper and bops back* That hadn't been added by the time I got to posting my comment, so don't be calling me troll for it.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I just got Screamride.
5783815 ...
...
...
MAKING BAD PUNS IS MY JOB.
5738438 Necromacy? Noooo....
RICOCHET LOVE!
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Why doesn't this story have a Comedy tag?
5803215
Because it didn't start out intending it to be a Comedy. Also, later chapters...
Well, spoilers.
Whatever you do, don't stop.
Huh, I swear I remember reading about Twilight eating a fish during that hero test bit. I'll have to double check that later.
5821633
She doesn't classify fish as meat, since it's a different nutritional compound. When she said "I don't eat meat", she was referring to red meat.
she didn't eat meat
but didn't the last few chapters say that she roosted and ate a shark.
5950145
Fish, not beef.
I call BULLSHIT!!!
in the chapter, Clank: Umbris
Didn't Twilight fly in, like, the second chapter?
6303925 This issue has been addressed twice already. Read the comments.
6335432
Pound Cake flew too. He's still going to have to learn to fly when he grows up.
Same thing there.
Yes Twilight, people having sexualities is icky. And denying the wider universe an invention that can revolutionize art, engineering, and medicine because the fact that a lot of people will use it for porn is squicky to you is the height of moral judgement.
Fuck you Twilight.
6695493
Not that it can be used for porn.
Think about it. If a device can be used to create any image you can imagine, and to the point of realism that it's indistinguishable from reality...
What happens if that device falls into the hands of an unscrupulous gossip columnist...who can suddenly write any story he or she wants about anyone, and provide 'holographic proof' that it's real?
To quote Hopper from A Bug's Life, "LET'S FLY!!!"
6695519 wait hold the freakin phone you say twilight dosnt eat meat but back at quarks course she killed and ate the shark fish thing
7359514
Fish, not meat. From a dietary perspective, they are different.
7359514
Yeah, I noticed that as well. The thing is, Twilight isn't vegan by choice; it has more to do with the fact that ponies are naturally herbivores. At the same time though, fish actually has a lot of benefits for a winged creature; very little fat, and the oils that are in fish are very beneficial. Most that are vegan will eat things like tuna or even chicken at times; those are those that are vegan for health reasons. It's only those that are vegan due to concerns over cruelty to animals that won't even eat eggs.
7359514
7359571
I suspect the real reason Twilight will not eat most forms of meat is due to the fact that, back home (even if she cannot consciously remember it yet) a lot of the animals said meat comes from are creatures she can/has hold a conversation with.
But, she ate a fish...
Fish meat, is still meat...
7963447 good to see someone else who has the same idea
Without a hitch, you mean? Things only vanish or disappear without a trace. The cliches, they have been mixed like metaphorical orangickens!
7963447
Nah, it's too dumb to be meat. It is like a floating potato.
Due to, here. Also, Twilight ate a fish during Quark's training course while she was waiting on Ratchet and Clank to use the hydro displacer. She even shared the rest that she had with Ratchet when they caught up with her.
10644076
The "meat" she said she didn't eat was cow.
10644077
Aaaaaaaaaah...right right. Clearly the gal is too cute and folks really jumped the gun in what she meant.
10101912
hysterical laughing
10644076
It’s a common thing in fanfics for pegasi to eat fish to a certain extent. I wish I was actually focused enough to write up the silly little plot bunny I had: Fluttershy admits that pegasi eat fish not out of any fondness for it, but because fish are total bastards and are only getting what they deserve.