Aphelion stopped off at Planet Igliak to drop off Qwark, Twilight, Cronk, Zephyr, and Neftin. Twilight stopped long enough to buy a Netherbeast weapon - which utilized a trained Nether creature (confirmed non-sapient) to attack enemies, using the weapon's energy supply to provide the Nether with the energy it needed to be stabilized in the local dimension - for herself and Ratchet before sending Ratchet and Clank off in Aphelion to hit the Destructapalooza. With Twilight's security clearance, the group was able to march right into the museum and straight into the high security wing where the Dimensionator was stored.
Unfortunately, the Nether army was either larger or faster than the group had anticipated, and a large group was already invading Igliak by the time they got the Dimensionator to Neftin. Twilight quickly took charge of the situation. "Qwark, Cronk, you two take the air taxi and my weapons and guard us. Zephyr, you fight them off in the sky. I'll stick close with Neftin and get the Dimensionator fixed, and keep these guys off our backs until Dad and Mom get back here. Mom's the only one who can get into the Netherverse to rescue Vendra, and we'll need her power to banish the Nethers!"
"On it!" Qwark barked out, hefting several weapons as he rushed for the air taxi.
As Twilight and Neftin worked quickly on the Dimensionator, Neftin grumbled about the level of damage. "Well, the power source is intact, as are the dimensional circuits. Couldn't reproduce those accurately enough in my knock off for full strength, no matter how hard I tried. But something snapped off the primary reflux coil."
"Here," Twilight offered, pulling out a three and three quarters cubit hexagonal washer. "We used this for spot repairs when it broke last time. Should work again this time around."
Neftin glanced between the circuitry of the Dimensionator and the washer Twilight was offering him. "I was wondering about these burns," he grumbled. "It'll work, true enough...but only twice more. Once to get Vendra out, once to send the Nethers back. After that...this thing will be burned out completely."
"That's fine," Twilight stated firmly. "It's too dangerous as is. Better it doesn't exist."
"...the program's still trying to track your point of origin," Neftin pointed out. "If we burn it out, it won't be able to give you that information..."
"Last time, it said to contact Orvus about the error message," Twilight countered. "We'll just remember to ask him this time."
Nodding, Neftin installed the part. "Soon as Ratchet and Clank get here, we fire this thing up."
Seemingly as he spoke, Mr. Eye swam into the atmosphere, heading for the pair. Before it could get too close, Aphelion dove into the atmosphere, Ratchet and Clank both leaping out of the cockpit as she shot back into space. As Ratchet descended with his hoverboots, Clank floated over to Twilight and Neftin. "With the plan to activate the Dimensionator, Aphelion cannot remain," Clank explained quickly. "Ratchet will hold off Mr. Eye until I retrieve Vendra."
"Right," Neftin confirmed, pulling the Dimensionator on as Ratchet unleashed his full arsenal against Mr. Eye. "Dimensionator, find Vendra!"
As the Dimensionator activated, a Nether Rift opened. Clank instantly dove through.
"Be careful Mom, Dad..." Twilight whispered softly.
It didn't take Clank long to make his way through the Netherverse to where Vendra was being held. She looked up as he approached. "Ratchet and Twilight sent you?" she asked softly.
"With help from your brother," Clank confirmed. "Come, it's time to get you out of here."
"I'm not strong enough to break this barrier," Vendra explained quickly. "Just surviving here has sapped most of my strength...and I need to be at full strength before we leave."
"Aphelion foresaw this possibility," Clank observed, pulling out a small device. "This has been collecting Nether Energy with every Nether Aphelion destroyed on the path here. It should be strong enough to both break this barrier and restore you to full strength."
"I hope so," Vendra observed. "Mr. Eye is the reason the Nethers are in this state. Before we can send them home...we need to destroy him."
"I am certain we will find a way," Clank promised, hurling the device at Vendra as it glowed a bright pink.
As power flooded into Vendra from it, she grinned widely. "I think I already have a way..."
In a flash of light, Clank and Vendra returned from the Netherverse. "You said you had a plan," Clank addressed Vendra as they were greeted by the sight of Ratchet desperately trying to hold back Mr. Eye as he leapt from magnetized floating platform chunk to platform chunk. "Enact it."
Nodding, Vendra floated over to Twilight. "Our energies are antithetical to each other, so using them against each other causes crazy explosions."
"Right," Twilight confirmed. "Which is a pity, because from what I've seen of your tech and weapons you designed, it looks like it would work with the same spell forms my magic does-"
"So what happens if we wield them together?" Vendra asked. "Not fighting each other...but combining them?"
Twilight's thoughts raced as her eyes flicked back and forth rapidly. "...total thaumic reversal," she concluded finally.
"So is that an actual conclusion, or we just liked the same Old Earth Sci Fi?" Vendra asked as she gathered her power as Mr. Eye turned to charge them.
"Little of column A, little of column B," Twilight responded as her own power gathered.
As they faced Mr. Eye, they unleashed their power in matching weaves. The streams of energy crossed, intertwined, and punched straight through Mr. Eye, leaving a hole in its body from the eye all the way to the tail. It slowly collapsed towards the ground, dissolving.
Neftin acted quickly while the Nethers were distracted. "Dimensionator! Find the Netherverse!"
As another rift opened, Vendra added her power to Neftin's, and the rift began to suck up all the Nethers who had escaped into the world, sending them back to their own dimension. As the rift finally closed, Vendra collapsed, falling into Neftin's hand as he rushed forward to catch her. "Nef..."
"It's alright, Vendra," he offered softly. "It's over now."
Vendra nodded softly. "So...what now?"
Sighing, Neftin lifted Vendra onto his shoulder. "Now we face justice, and probably go to jail."
"What?" Vendra gasped in shock. "No! I absolutely won't go to jail!"
"A deal's a deal, Vendra, and I made the special promise," Neftin insisted, turning to walk towards where Ratchet had rejoined the group.
Vendra grumbled irritably for a time. "...can we still be evil?" she pleaded.
"No!" Neftin insisted.
"Yes," Twilight countered.
"What?" nearly everyone else gasped in shock.
"What, my boyfriend's evil," Twilight pointed out logically. "Why can't I have an evil Mommy, too? Besides, don't go counting your fate before you're judged. See, since you were being manipulated by an enemy superpower...this falls under a different court..."