Ratchet and Clank: The Starlight of Solana

by Blackdrag-rose

Equus: Homecoming

Despite Orvus' assurances that it would be easy to restore Starlight's memories to their original state, and make sure that the second set of memories had settled in without harming her in the process, they still spent a week going through all the steps and machines that rested throughout the Great Clock. There were some challenges in restoring her memories, as they had to work around the chaotic magic that had touched her mind, but for some of the magical obstacles Sunset stood there and used her knowledge to help them restore Starlight to who she was before coming through the mirror. Ratchet and the others helped whenever they were able to do so, but soon it became apparent that the only one that could truly help Starlight was herself.

As Nefarious, Sigmund, and Orvus helped return Starlight's memories, however, Orvus also spent some time with Sunset, floating around the Great Clock as he explained his position as the Supreme Kai of Time and the fact that Clank was to be his replacement one day.... once he had completed his training.

There were things that he kept from Sunset, information that he deemed important that she discover for herself, though this time she was more than willing to wait for the knowledge to come to her instead of seeking it out. She had learned much about patience and herself thanks to the separation of her aspects, things that she had learned at one point and was only now relearning. This adventure made her forget everything about herself, she knew that to be true, but at the same time it allowed her to come to terms with who she really was and what she was capable of doing, even though she had once hated the power that came with being the God of Destruction... and now she accepted her power.

Ratchet, Angela, and Azimuth spent their time inquiring about the nature of Equus, trying to understand the mysterious planet through the memories that Sunset possessed so they could better plan their visit to the planet. At the same time Talwyn had been invited to join them in the Great Clock, where she had asked her own questions about the planet that her father had almost killed, once she had learned what he had done by taking the Elements of Harmony. All the information that she had to learn, about Starlight, Sunset, and their home planet caused some headache for Talwyn, but she eventually came to terms with what she was hearing.

Eventually the week had passed and Orvus was done using all of the machines in the Great Clock on Starlight, who emerged with a smile on her face, though while everyone else smiled and cheered Sunset smiled, because she knew that Starlight had restored herself, and her magic, to what she had been before they had walked into the mirror.

"Starlight, how are you feeling?" Ratchet asked, knowing that this had to be somewhat painful for both of his sisters, having to regain all of their memories and work to making sure that they knew both versions of their lives without causing pain to their bodies.

"Better to say the least," Starlight replied, a smile appearing on her face as she sat down in the chair that had been pulled out for her, "I will admit that I am somewhat ashamed by what my memories showed me, though at the same time I was pleased to learn that I redeemed myself in the eyes of those around me and earned the praise of my mentor. Princess Twilight is going to be really pissed off with me when we return, though something tells me she'll be more occupied with Sunset's return and the change that will accompany her."

"She'll freak out once she realizes that she cannot feel my energy," Sunset commented, setting down the cup of tea she had been drinking from, before she turned to the others, "To be honest I'm excited to finally be going home, because it will be good to visit all the familiar places that will be unfamiliar to me and speak with the princesses."

"Princess Celestia is going to be overjoyed to see that you have returned," Starlight replied, knowing, from what her sister had told her, that Sunset and the Princess had some sort of bond that she was sure would be mended the moment they came into contact with each other again, "Hopefully our return to our home world is met with some rest and some settling in, after you deal with Discord and the madness he inflicted upon the mirror. I'm going to be honest, you should just 'Destroy' the mirror and be done with it, before someone else crosses through it and is sent somewhere else across the vastness of the universe."

Sunset nodded and said nothing to that comment, because based on what she remembered of the magical mirror she knew that it was only a matter of time until someone else decided to use the mirror to have their own adventure, to which they would stumble into the trap that Discord had set for her. She silently admitted that she was annoyed that the chimera creature had even done this to her, without any regards for everyone else that could get hurt in the process, but at the same time she guessed that she couldn't blame him for wanting to protect his home world. The fact that her awakening as the God of Destruction would have destroyed Equus, if she had remained there, made her somewhat glad that Discord had done this, which was why she made no comment on that as well.

"I have determined that Starlight is now fit to travel once more," Orvus spoke up, reminding the group that he was floating near the table, before he levitated something into Ratchet's hand, "and, as such, I believe that it is time you two return to your home world. Those coordinates will get you close to Equus, allowing you to use your smaller ships to land near the small town that borders the Everfree Forest, where you should be able to piece together what to do without someone telling you what to do next."

"Thank you for all of your help Orvus," Starlight replied, bowing her head to the elderly Zoni in respect, knowing that, without his help, she would have remembered one set of memories and would have questioned everything she would be seeing in Equus.

"Nonsense. its my pleasure to help you and your family out," Orvus said, waving a hand in a dismissing manner, though at the same time those that were around him guessed that he feared Sunset's power and didn't want to upset her at all, considering what she could do now, "Though I suggest that you leave soon... I think something is going to happen on Equus that only Sunset can deal with, so if she's not there the planet's history could be altered once more."

The group nodded and finished off what they happened to be eating or drinking at that very moment, though once they had done that they gathered their gear and headed towards the Hyperion. Clank even came with them, as he was curious as to what Equus looked like and wanted to meet the creatures that had taught Sunset what she knew, as well as the chimera that had sent her and Starlight through the mirror to begin with. Razor, who had been bored because there was nothing for him to do, happily walked beside the group, as the fact that they were moving towards the larger ship told the cat that an adventure was finally happening. When they boarded the ship Sunset and the others nodded to the pony holograms that had been created to replace the four alicorns that they had installed so long ago, as now that they knew that the four princesses existed they needed new helpers aboard the ship.

Sunset would have been fine with the four alicorns remaining on the ship, though Ratchet and the others insisted that they create their own helpers and not use ponies that actually existed, to which she merely nodded and let her family create new AI for them to converse with when they used the large ship... of which she noticed that there was one for every section of the ship, so that way the duties of one didn't overlap with another.

"The coordinates are set and the engines are primed," Angela commented, to which she smiled at everyone as they took their seats, though they had increased the number of available seats due to how many people there were aboard the Hyperion now, "So, whose ready to visit Equus?"

The majority of the group cheered at the statement while Sunset merely nodded, knowing that the true excitement would come when they finally returned home. Angela nodded for a second and input the command that would get them started, while at the same time Ratchet, who was in the captain's chair, pulled the Hyperion away from the Great Clock and entered the warp system that would allow them to get close to Equus. Ratchet smiled as the ship passed into the warp system, because he could finally see the place where his sisters' grew up before they entered the mirror that brought them to this part of the universe... and finally give Discord a piece of his mind if the opportunity presented itself.

---

Even with the skills of Ratchet, Angela, and Starlight it took some time for them to maneuver through the warp system until they were in the immediate area surrounding the planet that they were heading towards, though once they had exited the system Ratchet stopped the Hyperion in its tracks. One of the things that they had been told to not take down to the planet's surface, besides the vast amounts of weapons that Starlight had created over the years, as the Hyperion itself, though Orvus did allow them to take their smaller ships, which consisted of Aphelion, Azimuth's ship, and Talwyn's ship. With their destination in sight the group left the AI with command of the Hyperion and boarded their ships, though at the same time Sunset decided to fly through space itself, another indication of her power as the God of Destruction.

When everyone was ready they left the docking area of the Hyperion and headed down towards the planet in front of them, though they followed Sunset as she directed them towards a proper landing area that would give them time before they reached the town that the magical mirror was located in. A few minutes later they found a good clearing and Sunset landed there, to which she waited for a few seconds as the three ships landed around her, though when the ships opened everyone else looked around the area with shock on their faces.

"So this is Equus," Azimuth said, taking in the fresh air that was all around them, while at the same time actually enjoying the sights of such a pristine planet, "it seems like such a wonderful planet... and we haven't even crossed paths with anyone, or anypony, yet."

"You don't have to say 'anypony' General," Starlight commented, looking around and spotting the crystal castle that Princess Twilight owned, to which some of her memories stirred, "we say 'anyone' and 'everyone' like the rest of the universe... though we'll be meeting more of my kind soon enough."

Sunset nodded as she waited for the group to come to terms with the planet that they had landed on, and how seemingly unspoiled it was in comparison to the other planets they had been to, though as she stood there she detected several powerful beings all moving at the same time; two from the direction of Canterlot and another duo from the direction of Ponyville. She suspected that the ones in Ponyville were Princess Twilight and Discord, while the ones from Canterlot had to be Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, though judging by how fast two of them were moving she knew that Starlight's magic had been detected.

As such Sunset beckoned to the group and they started moving towards Ponyville, though at the same time she cast a glance back at the city she had been staring at and smiled, knowing that someone would be glad to see her again... and would be shocked when she discovered what her destiny had been the entire time.

When the group walked into Ponyville they noticed that several of the ponies that called the place home were pointing a hoof at Ratchet, Angela, Azimuth, Talwyn, and Qwark for the most part, though some of them were shocked when they noticed Sunset walking beside them. After a few seconds the ponies seemed to realize that they had seen some really outlandish things in the past, thanks to Nightmare Moon, Discord, and everything else that had happened, to which they returned to their lives and mostly ignored the group. The only ponies that bothered to come near them were a pair of guards, which Sunset pointed out to the rest of the group because of their golden armor, though it was impossible to tell why they were approaching them from just a glance.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Starlight asked, knowing that they were likely going to ask her about Ratchet and the others, as well as inquire about Sunset.

"We were just making sure that you and your, companions, aren't causing trouble," one of the guards said, staring at Azimuth for a moment, taking note of the wrench he was carrying, as well as the other hand held weapons that the others were carrying, before he noticed his companion beckoning in the direction of the forest, "though you'll have to forgive us for not welcoming you back to Ponyville, Starlight Glimmer. It appears that we are needed elsewhere."

Starlight nodded and the group watched as the guards moved in the direction of the Everfree Forest, which made them wonder if there was something happening near the forest that they needed to be aware of, before they continued towards the castle they had been walking towards. It didn't take them too long to reach their destination, though when they reached the front of the castle Starlight raised a hoof and knocked on the door, allowing the sound to echo through the entrance area for a few seconds. A few seconds later the door opened and revealed a small light purple scaled dragon, with some light green colored scales on his belly and going down his tail, standing on the other side of the door... much to the surprise of everyone except Starlight and Sunset.

The dragon seemed surprised to see them standing on the other side of the door, even when he recognized Starlight, though that was before he let out a sigh and beckoned to them.

"Twilight!" the small dragon shouted, allowing the group to enter the main entrance of the castle, to which he closed the door behind them once they were all inside, "We've got company... and you'll never believe who it is!"

That was quickly followed by a lavender colored alicorn, a mare that resembled the one that they had an AI of up until a few days ago, teleported into the area in front of them, though when she looked at Starlight her gaze turned to one of joy, which matched up with what Starlight remembered.

"Starlight! Thank Celestia that your okay," Twilight said, approaching her student and throwing her hooves over her for a moment, though at the same time she got a little more serious, "You and I are going to have a long conversation about the errors of using a magical mirror for your own adventure, especially when said magical mirror is missing one of its anchors and could teleport you anywhere. You'll have to introduce me to your new friends later, because there's one thing that I need to ask you; where is Sunset Shimmer?"

"I'm right here," Sunset said, to which Twilight looked over at her, where she noticed that a look of confusion crossed the mare's face for a few seconds, "It is good to see you again Twilight."

"Sunset... what happened to you?" Twilight asked, her confusion turning to fear, which meant that she must have discovered that she was unable to feel Sunset's energy, "How have you taken on this form... and what happened to your magic? I can't feel your power at all!"

"I'll tell you in a few minutes," Sunset replied, though at the same time she gestured to the door for a moment, telling her friends and family that she knew someone was coming towards the castle, "once Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and potentially Discord, arrive. We're going to need a large area for all of us to sit in while we have a conversation..."

"Well, we can always use the ballroom," Twilight commented, tilting her head for a few seconds, as if what Sunset had said had made her think about something else, "I can can't figure out why such a room was created when the castle came into existence, though I guess it serves as a large meeting room until I decide what to do with it."

Sunset nodded and they walked into the large ballroom, which Twilight lead them to while making sure that the rest of the group knew her name, though she and Starlight decided to keep her title back until the other princesses arrived. Twilight asked about the various weapons that the group was carrying, as some of them she knew about from her studies and some were completely foreign to her, thanks to the Lombax culture and whatnot. When they entered the ballroom Starlight spotted several tables that weren't currently being used and levitated them over to where they were planning on sitting, while making sure that the dust was taken off of them. Once the tables were set up Angela asked for a portal to the Hyperion, to which Starlight allowed her to travel to the ship and bring back some food for them to eat, while surprising Twilight with what she caught a glimpse of on the other side.

When everything was set up, however, Spike walked into the ballroom and announced the arrival of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, allowing Ratchet and the others to finally meet the living versions of the AI that had been aboard the Hyperion for so long.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna," Twilight greeted, to which she nodded towards the two royal sisters, who nodded to her in return, "It seems that you felt what I felt."

"Twilight, we have told you time and time again that you don't need to address us by our titles," Celestia said, though at the same time she noticed that there were some new faces sitting around the tables that were resting behind Twilight, along with spotting Starlight sitting nearby, "though it seems that young Starlight has returned from her adventure... and she seems to have brought some friends with her."

"Sister, I believe that introductions are in order," Luna stated, to which she turned to the group that had gotten out of their chairs, "Greetings strangers, I am Princess Luna of Equestria, though I am more well known as the Princess that rules during the night and helps ponies confront and defeat their nightmares. It is also rare for me to be awake at this point in the day, but I have been making efforts to enjoy the day more often... because everything interesting always happens during the day, regardless of what my sister tells me."

"And I am Princess Celestia of Equestria," Celestia added, nodding her head to the group for a few seconds, "I rule during the day time, during the more 'interesting' part of the day as my sister claims, where I raise the sun while she lowers the moon... or lower the sun while she raises the moon, depending on what time it is. My sister and I reside in Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, though I'm sure that you all noticed the city when you arrived outside Ponyville."

"Indeed we did," Azimuth said, to which he raised a fist over his heart, which was the old greeting of the Lombax Guard that he had been apart of before the collapse of his race, "I am General Alister Azimuth, former Four-Bolt Magistrate of the Lombax Praetorian Guard and former Elder Councilman for the Center for Advanced Lombax Research, though now I work for Lord Orvus and protect the Great Clock... and, more importantly, the timelines themselves."

"I am Ratchet Cross," Ratchet followed up, though he could tell that the three alicorns were surprised to be meeting someone that watched over the timelines, "well known hero throughout the Solana, Bogon, and Polaris Galaxies. I am also the brother of both Starlight and Sunset."

"And I am his wife, Angela Cross," Angela spoke up, politely bowing her head to the royal sisters for a few seconds, "I happen to be one of the highest ranking members of the Jedi Order, as well as a hero like my husband. I also helped modify the Hyperion, which we'll have to show you at some point in the future."

"I am Clank, son of Orvus," Clank stated, his eyes studying the two alicorns, who seemed a little surprised when they noticed that he had the ability to walk and talk, "I have been a constant companion for Ratchet and his family over the years, where I offered my assistance in dealing with whatever villain showed themselves. As I said, I am the son of Orvus, so one day the Great Clock will be mine to watch over and take care of, though I have much to learn before that happens."

"Talwyn Apogee, daughter of Max Apogee," Talwyn said, this time really surprising the three alicorns with how much she sounded like Twilight, which seemed to inspire the lavender mare in some manner, "my expertise is mainly set on figuring out where ancient Lombax artifacts are being kept and recovering them before they can be used to do harm against the people of the universe."

"And I am Captain Qwark, or Qwark if you prefer," Qwark stated, flexing his arms quite a bit, which was custom for him these days, much to the misfortune of everyone around him, "I am a high ranking hero that is known throughout the three known galaxies, though I am a friend of the family and came to ensure that they made it to their destination."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet all of you, but that leaves me with a question," Celestia commented, staring at all the new faces that were standing before her and her sister, and added Starlight into the mix considering it was her actions that caused someone dear to her heart to follow the mare through the mirror, though it was plainly clear that she was looking for someone, "Where is Sunset Shimmer?"

Starlight and the others shared a look with each other before moving out of the way, to which the two royal alicorns got a glimpse of Sunset's new form, while at the same time Sunset made her way through the group to approach Celestia and Luna. She could tell that Luna was trying to make sense of what she was seeing, which was understandable considering that neither of them should have any experience with humans, but what surprised her was that Celestia seemed to be conflicted. Sunset would have assumed that the mare that had taught her everything she knew about magic would have been shocked to see her in this form, but instead she didn't seem to care that much... which told Sunset that there was more to this than she originally thought.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, I am Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said, bowing her head a tiny bit, making sure to show some level of respect towards the alicorns, especially Celestia, "and I am the God of Destruction for the entirety of our universe."

"G... God of Destruction?" Twilight asked, though at the same time the group could tell that the announcement of what Sunset was had shocked her, as well as the other alicorns.

"That is correct," Sunset replied, to which she beckoned for everyone to sit down, as she knew that constantly standing was against everyone's best interests, especially when there was so much they needed to go over now that she and Starlight had come home, "I am now a powerful being that can pretty much decide the fate of an entire planet, and the people that call that planet home, with a single attack if I so desired, though to be honest I'd rather not blow a planet up unless its necessary."

"It seems that the vision the mirror showed me all those years ago has come true at last," Celestia commented, to which she let out a sigh as everyone turned to her, including her sister and Twilight, "Sunset, back when you were my student I showed you the mirror because it could, given the right circumstances, grant someone a glimpse into their own future, allowing them to see their own potential. It showed you that you would become an alicorn and that knowledge changed how you saw the world, for the worst I might add, though in time events circled back and returned you to the mare I had taught before showing you the mirror... however, you weren't the only one that witnessed what the mirror had to show you. Once you realized your potential future you walked away from the mirror... to which the mirror showed me another future, one that followed your ascension to the rank of alicorn."

"Sister... your not implying that you knew that this was going to happen, are you?" Luna asked, though at the same time she was trying to make sense of everything she was hearing.

"The mirror showed me that Sunset was predestined to become something greater than an alicorn," Celestia replied, earning some shock from Luna and Twilight, while at the same time noticing that none of this appeared to be news to Sunset, Starlight, and their new friends, "of course it also revealed that once she had gained the form she possesses now, and fully ascended into her new position, this world would have been destroyed in a blinding flash of light. I was shocked when the mirror revealed our future to me, and since then I considered how to change the future so such a thing never occurred... but then fate reminded me of the return of Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony, Discord and the chaos he brought, the Crystal Empire and Sombra, and so many other events.

In the heat of all of the changes that our world would be going through, thanks to the rediscovery of the Elements of Harmony, I had all but forgotten about what the mirror showed me and embraced life once again... until you, Sunset Shimmer, returned from saving Nirn, in the form of an alicorn no less. I grew worried for our world, because it was only a matter of time until you realized that you were destined for greater things and ascended once more, but then, on the day you and Starlight disappeared, Discord came to me and confessed his sins. He purposely shattered the anchor on the other side of the mirror so you could grow into your new power, and the position you have acquired, without threatening our world until you returned from your new adventure.

I was shocked that he could so casually stand by his decision to end the existence of another planet in exchange for saving our own, as if he had done nothing wrong, but then I was forced to simply stand by and watch what happened. I felt sorry for whatever world your true power would be awakened on, considering what I knew, but I was unable to go out and assist the people, as the mirror would have sent me somewhere else and would have likely stripped me of my memories and powers. So I watched and waited for you to return until the mirror stopped showing your progress, where I feared the worst... until Luna and I felt the presence of Starlight and departed from Canterlot. The rest you know."

"I... I have a question." Twilight spoke up, causing the group to turn her way for a moment, though it was clear that she was terrified about something.

"Go ahead and ask it," Sunset replied, a smile appearing on her face, because the sooner they cleared everything up the sooner the three alicorns, or rather Twilight and Luna, accepted her new position as the God of Destruction.

"How... how many planets have you destroyed so far?" Twilight asked, though the group could tell that she was inquiring how many innocent lives she had ended since she became what she was.

"Well, there was Koros, PX-17, and Fastoon..." Sunset commented, though she did so in a manner that suggested that she was thinking about something, but that was before she realized that she had only destroyed three planets and had killed only a few thousand people in the process, "actually, I've only blown those three planets to pieces... and each of them had a good reason for their destruction. Trust me, I didn't destroy them for fun."

"Now that sounds like the old Sunset that I remember," Celestia said, to which her own frown was replaced with a smile, "I remember when I was training you in the art of magic you refused to destroy anything around us, insisting that we practice in a mountain cave or near a small body of water. Of course that changed after you looked into the mirror, but now it seems as if you really have returned to who you used to be... only now its your job to..."

Before Celestia could finish what she was saying Spike gagged for a moment and spat out a scroll, which in turn caused both Twilight and Celestia to look at each other for a few seconds, as they were the only ones that sent messages to each other that way and wouldn't have done so when they were in the same room. Sunset, however, realized that the scroll had a fiery aura around it, to which she walked over to it and picked it up, before unraveling it and revealing its contents to her and the others.

"This is from the Wardens that keep the prisoners trapped in Tartarus... and its addressed to me." Sunset commented, to which she looked over what the Wardens could want with her, before she raised an eyebrow, "According to this it appears that Tirek is causing trouble again... though this time he intends on spreading total anarchy throughout the entirety of Tartarus. Such a thing means that he's going to steal back his full power before going through a prison break, which would threaten the entirety of Equus in the process, though seeing how I beat him once in the past they were hoping to enlist my help again."

"Then we had better go there before he escapes... again I might add," Luna said, to which both Celestia and Twilight nodded their agreement, while at the same time they got out of their seats and walked towards the open door.

Sunset sighed as she folded the message and let Starlight levitate it into a folder that she was levitating at the moment, because she had been hoping for some real rest from everything she and the others had been through, but she guessed that ensuring the safety of her home planet would always come first for her. As she and the others followed the alicorns outside she almost felt sorry for Tirek, because he had no idea what was coming his way... nor did he had any idea how much pain he was going to be in once she was done with him.

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

So, um, is Twilight not freaking out about Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie(I assume, since I have not read Children of Eco) having also gone through the mirror? You would think she would have been told that by Spike, or that someone would have noticed them missing by now. I bet that those three also going through the mirror is what really made Discord fess up to Celestia.

..... I just found a good question. And I mean a REALLY good question. Couldn't Discord just pull anyone who has passed through the mirror back to Equus from wherever they are or whenever they are? Since they would have a trace of chaos magic, his chaos magic, on them from passing through the tampered-with portal, couldn't he latch on to that magic trace and summon them? I know that he shouldn't, since doing so would also rip whoever he's summoning from wherever and whenever they are, with no memories of their life on Equus unless they regained them prior to being summoned. Still, it seems that Discord should at least be able to do so.

[Blackdrag-rose]

8249399 Don't worry, Twilight will be freaking out about the others soon enough.
As for your question... I'll address it soon enough as well.

[HB_DS2013]

Tirek is screwed.

[Nova Blaze]

And no one will say a word or blame Sunset if she decides to have a little revenge on Tirek. They'll probably be too busy enjoying the show.

[zalla661]

Sunny is gonna wreck Tirek. Her awesome levels are over 9000 after all. She is a God of Destruction. Love all the DBZ refs.