"Tell me everything!" Ratchet demanded eagerly as the group returned to Alister's little residence at the top of the defunct mining robot. "How did the two of you meet? What was my dad like when he was younger? How did my parents meet? How did he become friends with so many different people? How did he start working on all these-"
"Whoa, whoa!" Alister interrupted. "Easy there, Ratchet. That's a lot of questions, and I only have so many answers." He sighed a little sadly. "It's...it's been a long time. And...as fond as the memories are, some have faded a bit." Seeing Ratchet, Twilight, and Aphelion's disappointment, he sighed. "Alright, I'll try..."
He leaned back, letting his mind reach into his foggy past. "Your father was brilliant, even as a child. He used to brag that his parents found it impossible to contain him, since he could dismantle his play pens and turn them into mobile walkers with just his binky and a well sucked candy. Despite that, he wasn't very physically fit until he reached his late teens. But one thing that stood out for everyone who knew him...as we put it, the only thing stronger than his brain was his heart. Friends, family, strangers...if there was someone in trouble or needing help, he wouldn't leave until he'd tried to help them." He chuckled softly. "The only thing more frustrating for those of us who called him friend than that part of him was the fact that he usually succeeded.
"We first became friends...when we were about six," Alister explained. "I'd gotten a bit...reckless with my father's hoverboots, and found myself trapped at the bottom of a cliff. He stumbled across me, and scaled down to ask me what was wrong." He chuckled rather fondly at that. "Of course, then we were both trapped at the bottom of a cliff. But he managed to supercharge the boots to get us both to the top...where our folks found us, and we both got in trouble for recklessness and burning out the boots. We became fast friends ever since."
"Yeah, definitely sounds like something you'd do, Daddy," Twilight said happily.
"I really do need to learn to look before I leap, don't I?" Ratchet agreed, rubbing Twilight's upturned head.
"And that's why looking after you is so stressful," Aphelion grumbled.
Laughing, Alister continued. "As for Vashiir...we met her in secondary education, about equivalent to what the rest of the galaxy calls 'middle school'. Kaden was still a bit physically limited, so he struggled in the more physical aspects of the curriculum...but even though he could have chosen to drop those and specialize in the academic, he wanted to stick with me, so I helped him get through it. Vashiir was at the complete opposite end of the social ladder from us. Top of the physical classes, the most popular girl in the school, but she struggled a bit with her academics relative to the other students...not that she'd let that slow her down. If there's one thing she was - other than beautiful - she was stubborn.
"The three of us were actually born to the lower echelons of Lombax society," Alister explained, "but your level in society was based on your talents, not your birth. All three of us were determined to climb all the way to the top...and when Kaden freely offered to tutor her without asking for anything in return, she stuck with us just to figure him out."
"Sounds a lot like most of your girls, Daddy!" Twilight offered with a laugh.
"Eh...not really," Ratchet responded, not quite agreeing with her.
"Funny you should say that, though," Alister commented to Twilight. "When Kaden finally got his growth spurt, he turned into a total chick magnet. I can't count the number of times Vashiir and I would be talking about some assignment or other in Tertiary school - high school - and Kaden would charge into the dorm room the three of us shared, dive under his bed, and beg us to 'keep the crazy chicks away from him'!"
Twilight and Aphelion burst into peals of laughter. Ratchet found himself feeling nervous, trying not to imagine what it would be like if Angela, Sasha, and Talwyn decided they wanted to share him...only to learn they weren't interested in taking turns.
As Alister started to take a drink, Twilight spoke up. "So at what point in Kaden and Vashiir's courtship did you get over your unrequited crush on her?" She quickly raised a magical shield to deflect the spray.
Alister coughed a bit, then set his cup down. "We have more important things to talk about," he stated firmly. "The fate of the entire universe hangs in the balance." He stood up, moving to a shelf where various objects were set.
"Oh...never..." Twilight murmured, glancing away worriedly.
"Kaden was the first Outsider to theorize the existence of the Great Clock," Alister explained, pulling out an old parchment. He unrolled it to reveal some old runes and their translations. "'Clock' being a crude translation of the runes on Quantos, as they actually mean 'Keeper of Time'. Since the Fongoids - who know more about the Zoni than anyone - refer to them as the Guardians of Time..."
"Then you think the Zoni took Mommy to the Great Clock?" Twilight asked, surprised. On the way back, Aphelion had given Alister the Cliff Notes version of their reasons for being in the system.
"If Clank's connected to them, he must play some part in its operation," Alister agreed, returning to a large chest where he began fishing around for something.
"...Vorselon said something about how the Clock was theirs," Ratchet murmured. "And we saw that the Zoni brought Nefarious to 'repair' Clank..."
"Then we'll need to go fast if we're to save your friend," Alister replied firmly. "And the universe as we know it. And for a Lombax, there's only one way to go fast." Grinning, he tossed Ratchet a pair of boots. "Your father's hoverboots. Ready for your first lesson-"
"No, Twilight!" Ratchet scolded, glaring down at Twilight's pouting begging face. "You may not take them apart to study how they work or try and combine them with the magne-grind boots. Make a duplicate and experiment with that."
"Okay!" Twilight agreed happily, using her magic to duplicate the circuitry of the hoverboots before taking them into Aphelion to study their workings.
Alister stared after her. "...how is it she takes after Kaden almost more than you do?" he asked.
"We were well matched," Ratchet offered lamely. "So...about that lesson?"
Interesting chapter now how close will Ratchet and Twilight cut it?
LOL this chapter was funny as hell!
Well, a harem was on Ratchet's to-do list, wasn't it?
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
... Suddenly, twilight makes sense in her relationship with Ratchet, beyond simple parental bonds. Also, for fun I bet her and Alister can compare stupid inventions across generations. No, I am not letting the stunderwear thing go.
Daaawwww, so adorable and in keeping with her character. And I don't blame Ratchet, if that was the first thing of my dad's I got I would not want any harm coming to it.
6828861 No, it was on Twilight's list.
Don't you mean Third-iary school?
Then again, lombaxes probably have a better grasp on linguistics than whoever programmed Vorselon's ship computer.
Are we sure Twilight has zero lombax ancestry? Funny things can happen with time, magic, time magic, and dimensional travel...
6829464 After rereading the many chapters in this story, I can confirm that I was correct
6828861 Specify, to-do?
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Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
6830515 Well we know Twilight has her possible Mommies list and keeps adding to it, so we're both right. I had forgotten Ratchet had one of his own, thanks for reminding me.
6831113 True. No prob
6830874 Oh, you
Too much shipping.
6837443
Sorry- their ain't no such thing as 'too much shipping'.
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Now then! Onto the Critique!
So far- I like where you are taking the 'Time' Chapters Tats (Tatsy? Tatsu? .... Nah- sounds like Natsu. I'll just go back to Tats.) I like the idea's so far- Orvus might STILL be alive. Better to cling to a small hope than to accept total loss- I like that interpretation of what happened to Orvus in the game, though I wish that Insomniac didn't just leave it up in the air like they did.
I also like the fact that you brought Back Aphelion- my GOD. In the Crack in Time games the only thing I could think about was the lack of Voice-Lines she had- how she had just now become 'The Space Ship' in the Game. (Also- I feel like there are many Doctor Who and TARDIS references in Aphelion. All that needs to happen now is for Clank to call her 'Sexy' and the Joke would be complete!) I loved seeing her, and listening to her in the Tools of Destruction- she had such a personality! Almost like a spicy little Cherry Bomb, wrapped inside a well behaved hunter (or, something along those lines.)
So far- Azimuth is alright. He's got that hint of Maddening Guilt still- just in the way he acts alone. If Azimuth hadn't felt guilty for Ashiire's Death (also- how in the name of Celestia did you come UP with that name? I don't think they gave her name in the Cut scene's did they?) he probably would have told Twilight the truth.... But- Because feels so angry and guilty, he is far too serious for her childish, and 'cuteness' (my grammar here is terrible- I know.) for it to have any real effect on him like it would almost anyone else in the Universe.
However- one of the shortcomings I feel in these chapters- is the lack of Clank actually 'Enjoying' this new world of Discovery that has been behind the scenes this entire time. I understand why- we all know what is going to happen- even Orvus must have realized what was going to happen as he watched his son grow up with Ratchet and Twilight.... No matter how much we show off the Great Clock- no matter how much of Clank's Destiny is revealed- even if HE is the ONLY ONE who can fulfill it- .... We all know he would pick Twilight over the Universe any day. He would Pick Twilight over Destiny. Twilight over Fate- even if that was what brought them together. The Fact that we no longer have the suspense of whether or not Clank will actually choose to stay in the Great Clock or go back to his family, kinda makes the Great Clock Chapters seem a little pointless. (Which is TERRIBLE- because the Great Clock has SO MUCH POTENTIAL!) No matter what- getting back to Twilight and Ratchet, and Quark, and Aphelion, and Talwyn- Getting back to his FAMILY- will take Priority over everything else to Clank, because when they all come together, there is nothing in the Universe that can stop them.
.... And that is his strongest belief....
Now, I'm not saying that I know what you're characters believe in, or have faith in- but from what we have seen of Clank, and his usually Calm demeanor with them- is that he has faith in all of them.... Together, or Apart
My Suggestion for Future Chapters.... Perhaps you should try and beat on that Faith a bit? Weaken his belief in his family- not so much as to permanently hurt them- or worry him that they might die, but present something to him that even he would have to admit that not even He, Twilight, and Ratchet together can stop.... It's just a thought though- you probably have something good in mind already....
Bonus Ducks!: R.Y.N.O. V
(I'm so glad you gave it to Ratchet. I cannot see Twilight Using that thing AT ALL.)
6837660
Vashiir is derived from 'washer', as in 'nuts, bolts, and washers'.
Ratchet already has like 6 pairs of Charge Boots.
6846355 Never hurts to have spares...or spare parts if Twilight has her ways. Which she does
That last part reminded me of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. Remember the scene with Mini Me in the red harness, trying to get Scotty's chocolate?
7140560 semievil quasi evil
Child prodigy and Element of Magic.