Interlude: Interview
It had taken a while for Eiken Fixxit to find the right show to handle Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight's first big TV interview. He knew a straight news show was right out, as they wouldn't be able to take the time to ensure the comfort of a six year old genius being interviewed for saving the entire galaxy: too many other priorities for a standard news network. A standard press conference would also be a bad idea, as that would open the door to questions that would likely scar poor Twilight. Eiken could already imagine the first reporter for a gossip column asking about the exact nature of Twilight's relationship with Ratchet when they were so close in age, relatively speaking, with Ratchet mid-puberty after all. He didn't want to risk that.
Eventually, though, he found the right talk show host to handle it. She was popular enough to be well known, but not yet popular enough that keeping high ratings drove the material of the show. The exact right balance to coast along on giving the people who watched exactly what they tuned in for, what the show promised: Optimism.
And so it was that the trio appeared on the show, one that would get more ratings on this day than the production team had ever dreamed.
The host of the show smiled at the camera as the show began rolling. She was a Squiggly, a squid like amphibious race with eight tentacle like arms, two tentacle legs ending with club feet, a dome head with two eyes above the mouth, two more on the left and right sides of the dome, and two in back. Her skin was pale blue with dark blue squiggles over her tentacles, and darker blue suckers. Her yellow beak shaped itself around her words. "Welcome to The Bright Side!" she said happily. "I'm your host, Aska Ni Teng, here to give you the news that will bring you hope, not despair. Today we have a very special show in store for all of you.
"As we all know, recently the late Chairman Drek of the Blarg brought great devastation to many planets of the galaxy, trying to create a custom made planet as a crazed money making scheme, manipulating his entire species and many others. As many news agencies have already reported, three new heroes on the scene not only stopped and eliminated Drek, but repaired the devastated planets so that it was as though it had never happened!" As the audience applauded, Aska gestured with one of her tentacles. "And here's the special treat, boys, girls, and others: we have them on our show today for an interview! Please help me give a warm welcome to the heroes of Sollana: Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight Sparkle!"
The applause was thunderous as Ratchet, Clank, and Twilight made their way out from backstage. Clank walked easily, waving to the audience as he approached his small chair, which then extended upward so he was at eye level with those around him. Ratchet was somewhat more nervous, waving shyly as he approached Aska's desk before taking his seat. The applause slowly trailed off, followed by curious murmuring.
"Welcome to the show," Aska said calmly, "but where is Twilight?"
Ratchet sighed. Reaching behind his back, he pulled the lavender filly from where she'd been hiding under his shirt, clinging to Clank's usual spot. "Come on, Twilight, it'll be fine," he reassured her.
The moment Twilight saw so many people staring at her, however, she let out a loud "Meep!" and dove into the third chair, rapidly assembling the pillows - and a few books she yanked telekinetically from Aska's desk - into a make shift fort to hide her. This brought a huge, uncued burst of laughter from the audience.
Aska chuckled indulgently. "Her first time on TV?" she asked reassuringly.
"Yeah," Ratchet said. "She's been nervous since we agreed to come."
"It is the first TV appearance for all of us," Clank added.
Aska whistled appreciatively. "Television virgins, huh?" she teased. She winked flirtatiously. "I promise I'll be gentle."
As Ratchet blushed, Clank chuckled, and the audience laughed, Twilight stuck her head out of her fort, her natural curiosity getting the better of her nerves. "What's a virgin?" she asked eagerly.
Now it was Aska's turn to flush as the audience laughed uproariously. "Whoops! Forgot how young our guests were. I'll try to keep the rest of the show G rated." After another round of clapping, Aska addressed her guests. "So tell us a bit about yourselves."
Ratchet chuckled. "Well there isn't much to tell, really. Most of what we could tell is already public record from those official bios Mr. Fixxit released to the press. I don't think we've really got much to add to those."
Aska smiled. "Well, as those bios are now being displayed on screen for our viewers at home and our live studio audience, perhaps we'll just go straight to one of the major questions we have for you: how does it feel to have saved the galaxy?"
Ratchet chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "A little overwhelming, actually. When we first left Veldin, we were just trying to see the galaxy. Never would have imagined saving it. It's still hard to wrap my mind around it."
"I am quite proud of what we've managed to accomplish for ourselves," Clank replied. "While my initial goal was to gather forces that could stop Drek, I did not imagine that I would be stopping him with my own hands...or foot, as the battle proved." As he laughed at his joke, the audience followed the cue to laugh with him.
"Exhausting!" Twilight added her own answer. "I slept for a week when we finally got back home!" The laughter at this from the audience was far more genuine.
Aska laughed as well. "Now then, in preparation for this interview, we asked our viewers at home what they wanted to ask you three. Let's take a look at a few of those questions now, shall we?" The camera panned to the teleprompter, where questions began to appear. "Let's see what you make of these."
The messages on the teleprompter began to appear.
Dream asks
Twilight, does Ratchet know how to preen your wings properly?
Twilight shook her head after reading the question. "Daddy doesn't preen my wings. By the time we realized my wings needed preening, I had enough command of my magic to do it myself." She flushed. "Besides...it makes me feel weird when someone touches my feathers..."
After the laugh, the next questions came up.
Crimson asks
Ratchet, how do you feel knowing your daughter is much smarter than you in some ways?
Twilight, do you realize that your level of sheer adorableness could cause villains to simply surrender to your will? if so, why haven't you used this power?
Ratchet chuckled. "Humbled and challenged," he answered the question for him.
Twilight blinked, tilting her head as she put her hoof to her chin. "I'm adorable?" she asked, surprised, absently chewing on the tip of a pencil from her nervousness. The audience let out a concerted 'Daw!' that didn't need to be prompted.
Knight asks
Twilight, what was the strangest product you ever had to salvage?
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "I...wouldn't actually classify anything I've scavenged for my inventions as actually being strange. So I don't really know how to answer that question."
Refferee asks
Twilight, ever considered domesticating any one of the indigenous species of the planets you have visited as a pet? Or even somewhat modify one to your liking and its benefit?
Oh, there's also a rumour that you are weaponized cuteness or are in the process of weaponizing it. Is this true?
Twilight groaned. "Back on Veldin before this all started, I tried to domesticate one of the native horned toads, and one of the Thunder Soldiers some space pirates left behind. It...didn't end well. I'm not trying that again any time soon."
Awesome asks
Ratchet, when did you meet Twilight? How has she changed your life? Do these questions apply to Clank as well?
Ratchet chuckled. "Pretty sure most of the info about when we met and all that is in the official bios. As for how she's changed my life..." Reaching over, he scratched Twilight gently behind one ear. "Definitely for the better."
Twilight leaned into the caress, stimulating a chorus of Daws from the audience.
Brony asks
1. Twilight, have you done any more racing since the last race that you won?
2. Rachet, do you have any plans on maybe finding out more about your past?
3. Twilight, what was the funnest project you consider getting to work on?
4. Twilight, just how did you get hired in the first place? Or is that confidential?
As the questions scrolled up the screen, Twilight and Ratchet answered. "Well," Twilight began, "I do hope to do more racing in the future. It's just so fun!"
"My past?" Ratchet asked. "You mean, how I wound up on Veldin? I admit, I'm somewhat curious about that...but just now taking care of Twilight has to be my priority."
Twilight smiled back at him before answering her questions. "The project I had the most fun working on was building my magnegrindboots, since they were the first one I made all on my own just for me. And how I got hired is actually public record. Look it up!"
Cauchemar asks
Clank, have you ever tried to analyze Twilights Magic in depth?
Ratchet, how long did it take before you figured out Twilight didn't just eat grass like regular horses/ponies?
Twilight, Has Ratchet given you the talk?
"I have attempted in depth analysis of Twilight's magic," Clank explained. "However, my own sensors are unable to fully analyze it. I do not believe the technology yet exists to do so...and if anyone will create it, it will be Twilight herself."
Ratchet blinked at his question. "Horses eat grass?" he asked in confusion, startling laughter from everyone.
Ratchet looked nervous at the question about 'the talk', but Twilight rapidly grasped what was meant. "Oh, you mean about romance, sex, and reproduction?" she asked. When Aska nodded, she continued. "I don't really think that's something that needs to be addressed. For one thing, I'm six. I'm still just a little filly, nowhere near sexual maturity for my species, however my species matures. Beyond that, I'm of a race unknown to this galaxy. For all I know, I'm still in the larval stage, and at puberty I'll spin a cocoon of pure magic before ascending into a being of pure energy that reproduces by sporing!" Seeing Aska's shocked expression, Twilight blushed. "I...read a lot of classic science fiction. It gives me a few ideas for inventions sometimes."
The next set of questions appeared on the teleprompter.
Tanget asks
Ratchet, you have undoubtedly performed an outstanding job raising your adopted daughter, Twilight Sparkle, despite being an orphan yourself. Did you have inspiration from role models of your own? Perhaps a hero figure or parental substitute?
Clank, how do you carry all of those items and devices? Many of those seen in verified recordings of your adventures seem to be as large, or even larger, than you are.
Twilight, what is your response to accusations of industrial espionage committed on your part against Blargtech?
Ratchet, how do you feel about being the last of your kind now that the Lombax Race is apparently all but extinct?
Twilight, are the orange/chicken hybrids poultry or fruit? Dieticians across the known galaxies want to know!
Ratchet sighed sadly. "The only example I ever had for parenting...was the nursemaid bot that took care of the children back on Veldin when I was Twilight's age. She didn't distinguish: if there was a child, she took care of them. That's...the only exposure I had for parenting. Beyond that...I made it up as I went along, did the best I could...and loved her." Another series of Daws greeted this statement.
Clank chuckled at his question. "My interior compartments come equipped with a spatial compressor and miniaturizer. Anything I pick up I can shrink to put away and expand when I take them back out."
Twilight stared at her next question for a while. "What's...industrial espionage?" she asked in confusion.
"It means you stole technological secrets from your competitors," Aska explained.
"But Blargtech and Gadgetron have never been in competition!" Twilight pointed out. "Blargtech sold exclusively to Blargians, and Gadgetron has never sold to Blargians. Not to mention the tech I took from them was while they were trying to destroy the galaxy, and I improved on it!"
Ratchet chuckled at her indignation, but then frowned as he saw his next question. "I...never really thought about it..." He was distracted from dismay as Twilight answered her next question.
"How should I know?" she demanded, throwing her hooves up in exasperation. "I'm a scientist and a magic user, not a nutritionist! Cut one open, analyze the nutritional content, and find out for yourself!" Her frustration was met with sympathetic laughter from the audience.
Dragonok asks
"Miss Sparkle, what inventions do you plan on inventing in the near future? Will they benefit the universe at large? If not, will they be focused on dealing specific issues?"
"Which past invention would you consider to be your biggest achievement yet on a planetary scale?"
"Are you by any chance considering to join the sports industry after your recent victory to perform in front of trillions of viewers universe-wide?""Mister Ratchet, how has it been being a father to a child prodigy such as Miss Sparkle?"
"What would you consider to be your greatest achievement when taking care of Miss Sparkle?"
"Do the both of you plan to go advertise your services like Captain Qwark?""Mister Clank, how has it been for you journeying with these two individuals?"
"What model are you, specifically? I haven't seen it before and the audience would be quite curious to learn as well!"
"What are your plans for the near future?"
Twilight chuckled at the first question. "I don't really plan my inventions. The ideas come to me, I record the details, and when I have time I build the prototypes. As for my biggest past achievement invention, that would be the..." She blushed. "The Sparklers, the planetary anti-pollution trawlers. I wish Gadgetron had named it something else, though. It sounds so cheesy..." She shrugged her shoulders. "And I don't have any plans to join professional sports. For me, hover boarding's mostly for fun."
Ratchet chuckled at his questions. "Raising her has been a real trial, I have to admit...but also the most rewarding experience of my young life. Though I can't say I've been at it long enough to really name achievements." He laughed. "She actually potty trained herself rather than use my Diapertron, and I was proud of that thing!" At his last question, however, he frowned. "I'd rather not discuss Captain Qwark, if that's alright," he said as Twilight pulled her head back into her fort.
Clank decided to answer his questions to distract from that. "Journeying with Ratchet and Twilight has been the most harrowing, exciting, enlightening, and rewarding experience of my life." He chuckled. "Of course, aside from crashing a space ship onto Veldin, it's also the first experience of my life." He frowned at the second one. "I...I am not actually a specific model number. The computer records of my actual manufacture are corrupted, but it appears some sort of computer error resulted in me coming out very different from other robots being manufactured there." He smiled. "As for my plans, I don't have any beyond enjoying time with my new friends." Ratchet reached over and patted Clank's head, and Twilight extended her own head from her fort to solicit Clank's affections. The audience Daw'ed once more.
Azreal asks
What do you have to say about all the plushies that have been made of the three of you?
"If they weren't made by Gadgetron under our licensing agreement, expect a lawsuit," Ratchet growled.
"If they were, no comment," Clank added dryly.
"Either way, I want some!" Twilight chimed in happily, startling more laughter from the audience.
Pink asks
Will there any official toys released soon?
"Gadgetron has already made a few designs," Ratchet explained. "Plushies, playsets, and even action figures!"
"Unfortunately, mine doesn't actually do magic," Twilight pouted. "I really tried, but I just couldn't figure out how to make that work..."
"The horn does light up, though," Clank added.
The next questions were skipped as per Ratchet's request not to talk about Captain Qwark.
Cobalt asks
So, Twilight, what's it like to earn more bolts a year than most of our audience?
Clank, are you multi-purpose? Say, could you make a smoothie or cook a stew in your chest compartment?
Twilight blinked. "I do? I didn't know that. Umm...I'm sorry?"
Clank chuckled at her awkwardness before answering his question. "I have not yet experimented. However, it would be easy enough to acquire a smoothie pack for installation, and it is easy enough to download a stew recipe."
Meddlers asks
Twilight, have you invented a time machine? And if so did you went ahead or back in time?
Ratchet, did your daughter ever made you do tea time with her, and if so who else she bring along?
Twilight shook her head. "I've never made a time machine. I wouldn't even know where to begin. And what's tea?"
Ratchet chuckled. "If that doesn't answer your question...Twilight was never one for tea parties."
Fanatic asks
Twilight, With the many advancements in technology and the rate at which it advances. Do you believe there will ever come a time when technology will be unable to develop further as the knowledge required will take longer than a whole lifetime of any existing organism to learn, and utilize?
And if so, will we even be able to reach so far, or will we by then have satisfied the universe and it's hunger for development?
Clank, How much information are you able to process?
Who is the smartest out of you three?
Twilight tilted her head. "Huh?" she asked, not really following the question she was being asked. "Daddy, did that make any sense to you?"
"Not really," Ratchet admitted. "It's a little over my head."
Clank chuckled. "Obscure philosophical debate is a little outside my friends' areas of expertise. And I am unable to answer the question put to me, as I have not yet discovered the limits of my computational capacity. However, I do not think that final question can be answered explicitly. We each have our own genius, and excel in our own areas. And we all surprise each other at times."
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," Aska concluded the Q&A session. "I have to say, thank you for being on the show today. Is there anything any of you would like to say before we sign off for the day?"
"Reading is fun!" Twilight said eagerly, startling more laughter from the audience.
Clank thought for a time. "Don't let your goals blind you to what you really need. It could be right in front of you."
"Never stop dreaming," Ratchet concluded.
Aska smiled. "Well, with those words, I'm Aska Ni Teng saying, keep your eyes on The Bright Side."
Stats
Page generated in 0.04 seconds
Total duration
1,047 users online
1,433,041 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
i like it and that is a really good interview chapter
Calling it now: one of Twilight's inventions explodes, taking her, Ratchet, and Clank to Equestria.
Either that or they travel there by ship, if you want to be boring.
NICE
Not sure what to think... the chapter was good, it's just the fact that this going to end soon... I made myself sad. But will you follow the sequels, definitely wonder how the "future" series will bode for the dynamic trio. Think of the possibilities!
5808154
This story isn't going to end.
All the games I go through will be part of this story. No sequels, since it's all part of the same story.
I might turn the Future games into a separate sequel, but only there if at all.
The credits were a stroke of genius
I feel stupid for missing an opportunity to ask a question
Quark: "Reading is fun... I suppose I could give that a try some time. If only bookpads didn't use such tiny fonts all the time! Don't let my goals blind me to what I really need, it might be right in front of me..."
Quark glanced down at his crystal coffee table, where the hygenator he was supposed to promote was sitting, still in its box. "Heh. Maybe this little device will be just the thing to jumpstart my career again after all!"
Quickly opening the package, Quark takes a brief glimpse at the instruction manual, squinting at the too tiny text, before discarding it. By chance, it falls under the coffee table, allowing him to actually see the words properly!
"That's it! I'll design a more portable version of this table so people who can't read standardized publication fonts can see them better! Perhaps a back-mounted harness with a servo-arm to hold the table? And I shall call it: the Portable Textable - for all your text magnification needs!"
Sadly, on top of forgetting to actually read the instruction manual for the Hygenator prior to attempting to demonstrate it in the live commercial shot, Captain Quark's Portable Textable proved to be a poor seller, as only a limited portion of the available market could wear them and still consider them to be both portable and convenient (among that limited market, however, they were very popular, as very few beings were inclined to make derisive comments about large muscular individuals pulling out table sized reading aids - especially when said aids could themselves be used as blunt trauma weapons).
Quark: "Well, I suppose I could train an elite team of combat librarians and archive commandoes. Gotta keep dreaming, after all! Ow... Maybe after I recover though..."
5748048
Awesome artwork. And it looks canon. Some don't achieve that, nice job.
"Aska Ni Teng"/ Ask anything, that's funny.
Nice chapter, and it was cool when you included actual questions from people.
Carry on!
5808131 my guess is she just uses the dimentionator after she fixes it and ratchet solves the lombax disapearing
5808443
Combat librarians and archive commandos...that sound hilarious.
I also like the idea of Qwark having vision problems, which is why he's so uneducated.
Come on, Twilight, it'l be fine
1. It'll.
Oh Twilight... Wait till puberty.
Really?
Yes, my questions made it. The answers, I can deal with that.
5808131 But if so, then will they appear in an Equestria without Twilight? If so, how will that look? Or will she be able to meet herself? Or maybe even find out that she came from this world after "Season 4" as she is an Alicorn and somehow reverted back into childhood. So many questions.
"So you mother is a Human, Dragon, Metroid and Chozo hybrid? What are chozo and a Metroid? And how did that even happen?" Twilight asked curious, there was something very familiar yet different about the tall armored dragon creature in front of her.
"Chozo are a extinct race of bird like humanoid, Metroids are the ultimate predators, created by the Chozo to hunt a copycat parasite called X who treated to destroy the entire life in several galaxies. The Metroid worked too well and the X were almost extinguished, but then the Metroid turned feral. And you can guess how the rest of it goes, right?" That was an oversimplification of what happened, but different universe or not, most details were classified.
"And why is your mother a chimera?"
"Well, Samus Aran was born human, then rescued by the Chozo when her village was destroyed by an evil Space Dragon I don't really want to talk about. Since the gravity of the Chozo's homeplanet is way bigger than a human can handle and Samus was injured, they genetically modified her with Chozo DNA so she could survive and adapt. The Dragon part comes from me, as I grew up, I started to become too aggressive, and we discovered that only way to fix that was if an older dragon was around to calm me down, or if I found a mate. Since dragons are very rare, Samus volunteered to have some dragon DNA added to her, then kicked my ass regularly so I didn't become an evil jerk like a certain Space Dragon that never seems to stay dead. The Metroid DNA was added to save her life from the X parasite, I didn't need it since my inner fire seems to repel and hurt X easily. Samus still looks human in the outside, but she is way stronger and resistant than regular humans, specially as her body is designed for heavy gravity planets." Spike then covered his mouth, why he was saying soo much to this strange talking pony.
"Wow, if I was a geneticist I would keep chasing her around for samples. Say, any chance you can let me look at your armor?"
"No chance. Besides, while new versions can be made, they will only work for me. The same for my mother armor, they have genetic locks to Chozo DNA and in my case, my dragon DNA. Thank the Great Bird of the Cosmos that I am a different species than that space Jerk, the last thing I need is Ridley wearing an armor like mine!"
spore repopulating ponies. huh....sooooo The last of us with adorableness? not sure how to feel about that idea.
I think that it should have ended with Mr. Fizzwidget watching the interview and getting ready to teleport them on board the ship.
5809573 Oh my God... That would be beyond epic...
What's the pun for Aska NiTeng?
5811203
Ask Anything.
5811213 So, what would you do if you suddenly turned into the opposite gender?
5811217
...I walked right into that joke, didn't I?
5811218 Yes and no.
Seriously, what would you do?
5811227
It would depend entirely on the nature of the transformation and what I looked like afterwards.
5811232 For sake of discussion, you are sexually attractive.
5811245
First, explore how my body is different in a manner I shouldn't discuss on a T rated story.
What I'd do next would depend on how that goes.
5811266 You are one of the few people who are absolutely honest about how they'd do it!
That should be a side project of yours. Try and write a genderbending fiction!
5811710 Seconded.
5811710 XD I'd read it, only to see how it differs from Tatsurou's regular stories.
I love those end credits! Always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the bright side of life! *Whistling*
Not Twilight...
But maybe it works like that for Discord?
Headcannon tentatively accepted.
Only question now is which stage he's in on the show.
5812953
5812803
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!
Do not piss off the 5813334
5813881 THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!
5809573 Wait…Spike is…but then…who's the father?!
5809573 Oh, wait, never mind. Same deal as Twilight and the other girls.
5809573
Um...i could just be tired...but whats the relevance here?
5816163
The big crossover stuff.
5816225
...ok?
That was the response i was hoping to get.. ;P
welp the Next chapter should probable have Quark's traumatizing infomercial in it. Which also means Either Ratchet will by one for the novelty, or so Twilight can turn it into something actually useful/safe.
5809573
..... Pinkle don't tease people with Awesome story idea's that don't exist. Cause that Spike Story sounds incredible Awesome.
5818385
Tatsurou is actually planing to write a story were baby Spike is hatched and adopted by Samus.
Is Aska Ni Teng supposed to sound like "Ask me things" with an accent? Cause that's how it sounded in my head, if so, way to go on following a Ratchet & Clank like pattern of punny names, if it was an accident, well... good on ya anyway!
5820285
Actually, it's supposed to be "Ask Anything" with the syllables split up differently like those pronunciation word puzzles where you get the answers by reading it out loud really fast.
But yes, it was deliberate and in the spirit of Ratchet & Clank - and MLP - punny names.
......well atleast the chosen comments were Spoiler free
5818632 MUUUUUSSSSTTT....REEEEEEAAAADDDD!!!!!
5818632
That sounds like one of the greatest ideas ever. Of all time.
D'aww!
It's wonderful to have parental support in hobbies and such.