The Sparkle in his Eye

by Tatsurou

Arsenal: Final Battle 3 - Mylon 2, Aftermath

Sasha flew them to where Nefarious had fled, taking them to the air over his destination. Once there, Ratchet, Twilight, and Clank leapt out of the dropship, free falling to where Nefarious had been detected, evading around the mortars being fired at them. As they landed, Nefarious spun to face them from his control panel. "You again?" he demanded angrily. "You will pay for your insolence, you miserable rodent! And your little pony, too! You will regret-"

Ratchet cut him off by hurling his Omniwrench at the control panel behind him. Nefarious dodged out of the way before he was hit, but the control panel exploded on impact. "Sorry Nefarious," Ratchet joked. "Your flight's been canceled."

Nefarious growled in frustration. "Lawrence!" he shouted out. "Lawrence? ...LAW~rence!"

Lawrence's hologram appeared. "How can I be of assistance?" the hologram asked.

"Annihilate them!" Nefarious proclaimed angrily, pointing at Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight.

"Just kidding!" the hologram added. "You've reached my holographic voice mail. Leave your name and a brief message. Ta-ta!"

Nefarious growled dismissively at the hologram. "Fine!" he snapped. "I'll do it mys-"

"Question!" Twilight interrupted.

Nefarious blinked. "Yes?"

"The Qwark vid-comics implied that you used to be an organic life form before an accident converted you into a mechanical organism," she explained. "Is that the same process that was the basis of the Bio-bliterator's functionality?"

Nefarious' eyes widened in surprise. "Why yes, yes it is!" he replied eagerly. "For only true genius can take one's greatest defeat and turn it into an ultimate weapon!"

"Have you made any alterations to your circuitry since then?" Twilight asked.

"Why would I need to improve upon perfection?" Nefarious demanded. "Aside from occasional repairs, I am exactly as I was then, reborn as a glorious machine!"

"Then that means your circuitry isn't hardened, any more than the Robo-Noids' circuitry was, right?" Twilight added, grinning widely.

"Well...no," Nefarious admitted. "But it should not matter! I have no need of-"

A click interrupted him as the combat gadget on Twilight's foreleg dispensed another EMP mine. "I restocked on the way in. The dropship has built in armament synthesizers, after all." She hurled it forward with both her own physical power and her telekinesis.

"AAAAAUGHHHH!" Nefarious shouted, turning and fleeing. "Keep it away! Keep it away! Keep it away!"

As he fled as fast as his legs could carry him, Twilight, Ratchet, and Clank raced off in hot pursuit. Nefarious summoned many of his robotic minions in an attempt to delay them, but not only were they too fast - Twilight had pulled out her hoverboard, and Ratchet was making use of his Charge Boots (Twilight had made a mental note to see if she could incorporate the rocket thrusters into the Magnegrind boots so Ratchet wouldn't have to keep switching shoes) - Sparkle Squad teleported in to join the final battle, obliterating everything in their range that moved that wasn't Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight.

"LAWRENCE!" Nefarious shouted again at last.

Lawrence beamed in, though he was dressed as some sort of rocker and had a guitar in his hands.

"Is this important, sir?" he asked as he strummed his guitar. The EMP mine went off against his back, doing nothing. Apparently, his circuitry was hardened. "It's almost time for my solo." He strummed his guitar, seeming completely oblivious to the chaos going on around him.

"Begin the transformation!" Nefarious proclaimed dramatically.

"I call it...Bass Odyssey." Lawrence continued his strumming.

"Now, Lawrence!" Nefarious shouted in his face.

"Aw!" Twilight complained. "Can't we hear Bass Odyssey first?"

Nefarious paused. "Promise not to throw an EMP mine at me?"

"Cease fire while the song plays?" Twilight countered.

"Deal."

Smiling, Lawrence began playing his musical solo.

---

Once his solo was complete, Lawrence pressed a button on a remote, causing the Bio-bliterator to unfold into a giant robot.

Nefarious cackled madly as he and Lawrence were beamed into the cockpit. A barrage of missiles came down on Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight. Twilight fled, circling the massive battle bot on her hoverboard. Ratchet hopped into a nearby land assault craft to race away along with her.

The barrage was interrupted as an assault craft that had obviously been green at one point but had been inexpertly repainted another color that didn't handle reentry well dove in, unleashing a barrage of laser fire.

"Who dares?" Nefarious demanded angrily.

The ship gave no response as it dove in for another strafing run.

"Whoever's flying that ship sure knows what they're doing," Ratchet pointed out.

"You can do better, Daddy!" Twilight said happily, pointing to another assault craft nearby.

Grinning widely, Ratchet hopped into the cockpit while Twilight braced herself on top of the ship. As the craft rose into the air, she pulled out her old Tesla Claw, amping it up for greater range.

---

It wasn't long before the endless barrage broke down the Bio-bliterator-bot's defenses, and it eventually exploded. Twilight managed to pick up a teleporter signal indicating that Nefarious and Lawrence had escaped. She attempted to trace the signal, but found it had no destination coordinates programmed. That might prove problematic for finding them, but it did indicate that it would be some time before they were seen again.

The welcome back aboard the Phoenix was spectacular, as was the celebration of victory. "So...any idea who that was who came to our aid?" Ratchet asked.

"We don't know," Sasha pointed out. "However, we're getting an automated request for docking from the ship. We'll be meeting them soon."

The entire crew went to the docking bay as the ship came in for a landing, parking gently in the empty spot left for it. As the door slowly irised open, Twilight spotted the half painted over symbol on the side. "...Captain Qwark?" she asked in joyful surprise, causing everyone to gasp.

A familiar voice spoke from the ship in unfamiliar tones as movie smoke poured out the door. "Captain Qwark fell with the Leviathan," the voice stated firmly. "He died trying to be a hero, trying to save everyone. The burden was too big, and it destroyed him. From this lesson, I have learned...how to save one. For I am..."

Qwark's silhouette appeared in the smoke. As the smoke faded, his costume could be seen to be different. Rather than the usual green, it was bright purple. Floppy wings were attached to his back, and a floppy purple horn was slipped on over his antenna. Instead of the usual Q, a purple star against a white star was emblazoned on his chest.

"SERGEANT...SPARKLE!" he shouted as he became fully visible, posing dramatically.

Everyone but Clank and Twilight burst into helpless laughter at the sight. Clank stared in fascination. "Oh...my," was all he could bring himself to say.

Twilight hid her face in her wings. "Qwark...please tell me you still have your old costume...that's terrifying..."

Comments

[Emtu]

Sasha flew them to where Nefarious had fled to,

redundant 'to'

However, we're get an automated request for docking from the ship.

getting

[SilentMech]

I agree with Twilight on the costume change. That is a terrifying mental image.

[Kenshinryuu]

"AAAAAUGHHHH!" Nefarious shouted, turning and fleeing. "Keep it away! Keep it away! Keep it away!"

CYBORG SUPERVILLAIN.... CHASED..... BY LITTLE FOAL PONY PRINCESS.....BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Qwark's silhouette appeared in the smoke. As the smoke faded, his costume could be seen to be different. Rather than the usual green, it was bright purple. Floppy wings were attached to his back, and a floppy purple horn was slipped on over his antenna. Instead of the usual Q, a purple star against a white star was emblazoned on his chest.

"SERGEANT...SPARKLE!" he shouted as he became fully visible, posing dramatically.

First of all, for some reason my eyes read sparkle as Squirrel and I was "That's not a squirrel costume!" Then I got it and was very amused.

Yay, Qwark is back, and I'm glad he's trying to be a good hero!

[Crux]

someone needs to do fan art of Quarks new costume

[Lon35hadow]

That outfit is terrifying. Kill me as quickly as humanly possible after burning it please.

[PoisonJoker09]

NO! Twilight PLEASE! A new name and costume means I can still make fun of Quark but say Sargent Sparkle is a badass!

So, yeah, standard fight and all except for that one gag, can't help but be reminded of Conrad from Mass Effect 2 with that one.
So... I want to hear Bass Odyssey now...

[Ri2]

QWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!

[the wind in the air]

We all know what game is Next!!!
FALLOUT 4.... Wait

[Tangent]

Ratchet *thinking*: "Okay, I get that you want to reinvent yourself. I really do. But this is..."

Sergeant Sparkle: "Too much?"

Ratchet: "Just a bit, yes. You might want to lose the wings and the horn."

Clank: "And perhaps use a deeper shade of purple for your base color."

Twilight Sparkle: "I'm flattered, really, Captain. But you don't have to try to be me to be a hero. Just try to be the best you that you can be."

Quark *as he plucks off the fake wings and horn*: "Can I keep the name Sergeant Sparkle?"

Twilight Sparkle: "If you must, but I'd really rather you didn't. True heroism isn't about being fearless, Captain, and even heroes can have flaws and make mistakes. Heck, my role as Sparks on Clank's show is all about heroic misadventures, and all sorts of people look up to that!"

Quark: "I don't know..."

Twilight Sparkle: "Well I do. And I think I know exactly what you need to hear. Let's go watch the eulogy speech that Daddy did in your honor. He said it best there, and it's from his heart!"

*Later, after watching the eulogy*

Quark: "A bit harsh, but fair. You guys really think I have it in me to actually be a hero?"

Clank: "Indubitably!"

Ratchet: "I wouldn't have said those things is I hadn't. Or at least not as well as I had."

Twilight Sparkle: "You're already a hero, Captain. You just have to keep choosing to be one."

Quark: "Alright! I'll do it! I'll choose to be the best hero that I can be, or my name isn't... Captain Purple Pony!"

Twilight Sparkle: "Please don't call yourself that, either!"

Quark: "The Pony Avenger?"

Twilight Sparkle *trying not to giggle*: "No!"

Quark *smiling slyly* "Pony-man? Private Purple? The Boastenator?"

*Twilight Sparkle breaks down laughing, shortly followed by everyone else*

[GuardianofRoin]

6142031 Tangent. You always make the absolute BEST suggestion scripts!

[Dirty Bit]

The part with Lawrence and his Bass Odyssey solo was hilarious

That, and Qwark's new superhero identity.

[Tatsurou]

6142031
I won't be putting it in a chapter, but consider this an official Omake.

[Sentinel053]

Wait when did twilight get a prostetic still confused on that bit

[Tatsurou]

6142140
It's a movie prosthetic, from her role as Sparks in the holofilms. In "Secret Agent Clank", she plays a cyborg pony, and thus wears a half mask that makes half her face - including one eye - look robotic.

[Sentinel053]

6142172 how could I forget that so stupid 'facepalms' dangit

[rikusorasephiroth]

And then we go to the new S.A.C. episode breaking the Galactic record for its opening

[Remmy4warlord]

Sergeant Sparkle

......i have no words for this..........................

[Tatsurou]

6142231
...it's Sergeant.

[Remmy4warlord]

6142239
Fixed

[buboniczarz]

I have no words for that ending

[Codyray1]

I dunno what I find more amusing, the story itself or Tangent's comments.

[Reese]

:D
So... Next, probably after an interlude... Deadlocked, the last game in the series I actually played. More to the point, though, I suspect that Gleeman Vox is going to have a very... very... very bad time of it. Kidnapping Ratchet and his daughter, Twilight and her father, sticking explosive collars on them, forcing them to go through mortal peril... Yeeeeah.
It's slightly better if Twilight gets to stay behind with Clank, but still.

[Blaze rod]

"SERGEANT...SPARKLE!" he shouted as he became fully visible, posing dramatically.

lh5.googleusercontent.com/-igDUHTlt3FM/Uawk40yu92I/AAAAAAACQP8/DuqlhbERiHs/w540-h383-no/76Picard%25E2%2580%2599s%2BInfinite%2BFacepalm%25E2%2580%25A6.gif

[RanmaChaos]

Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.

[Gale Singer]

6142676 I feel your pain....

[Ota-Con]

not enough hands

[dunnie_172]

6141805 The mind bleach is on it's way my friend. Stay strong

[Dawn Flower]

With all the character development that Qwark has received, he better be one of the heroes kidnapped for Gladiator.

[KiaraGate]

You know, I have to wonder, who will be the first villain to successfully nullify Twilight's magic?

EDIT: Dang auto correct on phones.

[Bugsydor]

6152284
My guess? Gleeman Vox.

[Pinklestia]

6152284

The one who wants the Lombax dead?

[Kage no Brony]

6154033

You know it. Vox is a bastard, but he's a magnificent one. I still don't regret killing him at all, though.

And blowing him to pieces. And throwing every piece into a void…

[Artimis whooves]

"Aw!" Twilight complained. "Can't we hear Bass Odyssey first?"
Nefarious paused. "Promise not to throw an EMP mine at me?"
"Cease fire while the song plays?" Twilight countered.
"Deal."

[Biker_Dash]

Ok, that end scene for this chapter... all I could think was the last scene in the movie, Cannonball Run

[Jake Witt]

Sergent Sparkle? ...How about- Never mind. I got nothing.

[shapeshiftingpedro]

Time to bring in the big guns:

s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d3/12/de/d312de3263488215aaaa60fd3a43652d.jpg

Meh, not enough.

images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/aozWb5x_700b.jpg

Somewhat better.

images.stopgame.ru/uploads/images/239182/2011/02/26/1298752442.jpg

Almost there...

Because imgur is a derp and can't be linked directly to the photo, just imagine this link as the photo.

Now we're talking!

[KtarraMoon]

derpicdn.net/img/2014/4/29/612973/medium.png

More like this.

[proto20]

Imagine how the others would react to "Sergeant Sparkle":

Rainbow Dash and Spike:

Applejack:
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/5/5a/Applejack_annoyed_S03E10.png/revision/latest?cb=20130120173530
"That ain't right"

Pinkie Pie:

Rarity:
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/1/10/Rarity_in_shock_S4E23.png/revision/latest?cb=20140428225712
(Screaming internally)

Fluttershy:

[Raul]

Aww, i was hoping for a link to a bass solo...

[Dakingace]

6152284 lol I know what you mean

[Black Ash]

Oh, sweet Luna, I'm dying!

The worst part is Quark would totally do this. He's done much worse!

[Darqfang343]

Lawrence with the guitar pic is busted

[Tatsurou]

10177384
Fixed.