Hello! This is my first one-shot in a long time! I originally wrote this to be published before Rift Apart came out so there are no spoilers or connection to the canon established in Rift Apart.


You Should See Me in a Crown

"It's over, Emperor Nefarious. You lose." Rivet sneered at the once great robot now lying in a heap on the ground of their battlefield. Smoke filled the air of the central plaza of Nefarious City as sirens wailed in all directions. Most of the smoke was coming from the Emperor himself as he laid with his body in pieces around him. A leg here, an arm there. One eye hung from the socket whilst the other stared back at Rivet. She stood among the orange glass that once protected the machinery of his head.

Ratchet was just glad he wasn't stuck reciting random moments from whatever this dimension version of Lance and Janice. He could only take that from one version of Nefarious.

The fight against the Emperor had lasted longer than Ratchet would have liked. He could not deny that this alternative Nefarious was far tougher than his own. It explained how he had so easily managed to enslave the Dr. Nefarious that they knew. He was faster and stronger but, with the help of Rivet, Ratchet had finally been able to wear him down and neutralise Emperor Nefarious. His arms were aching from holding so many different weapons as each one was depleted of ammo one by one. His knees sore from flipping and jumping out of the way of bullets, rockets, and lasers. He had only just got his breath back when Rivet approached the Emperor.

He stepped away, allowing Rivet to have this moment. He knew what it meant to both herself and the resistance – they had swapped stories when he had finally reunited with Clank on the alternate Sargasso. After a brief accusation of stealing Clank for herself and a combustor pointed at Rivet's face from a very angry Lombax, Clank had reassured Ratchet that Rivet had caused him no harm and had assisted in fixing his broken parts. Once Ratchet has calmed down and put the combustor away, Rivet explained exactly who she was and why she was on every wanted poster that he had seen in this dimension. She took them to the nearest resistance cell to prove she was telling the truth and for assistance to their own predicament. It had taken both Ratchet and Clank a moment to adjust to see alternate versions of their own friends – Qwark, the humble hero who blamed himself for Nefarious' rise to power, Talwyn as the mechanic of the group alongside her historian father Max Apogee who assisted with providing intel to the team, and even Al repurposing the Emperor's trooper bots for the resistance. Even some old enemies of their own had been amongst them. Vendra Progg had fixed Clank with new dimensional rift technology based off his time in Mr. Eye's dimension before. She did not have her powers here but instead was a scientific expert on the multiverse. Neftin was muscle for the resistance – his size no different between the dimensions. Ratchet wondered what their counterparts would have thought of them had they met. It was meeting them that reassured Ratchet that Rivet was telling the truth and taking Clank was a simple accident.

Ratchet looked over to the robots who had been working on fixing the Dimensionator as he and Rivet had kept the Emperor occupied across the city. The duo knew the resistance trusted them too when they agreed to break Dr. Nefarious out of the Zordoom prison cell that his Emperor-self had thrown him in after Ratchet had left him knocked out in the Emperor's office. He was the only one that could have helped Clank to fix the Dimensionator after he had made several modifications from the original design. Neither Dr. Nefarious nor the alternate version of Qwark were happy to see each other. It was only when General Qwark (he had been very confused when Ratchet and Clank referred to him as 'Captain') held a very large Negotiator to the Doctor's head and threated to send him back to his own dimension in pieces did Nefarious even begin to take them semi-seriously. He was smart enough to take the deal offered to him – help fix the Dimensionator and return to their own dimension if Ratchet, Clank, and the resistance helped him escape the Emperor. He was not proud but even he could recognise that he would not have been able to escape on his own. Ratchet made a mental note to taunt him later about it. He was even tempted to tell Captain Qwark, just to really stick it to the robot.

However, neither Ratchet nor Clank believed he would stick to the deal so they had been keeping a close eye on him since but for now he was helping Clank with the Dimensionator – probably just so he could get rid of them.

He was about to ask the pair of robots how the repair was going when a voice spoke up behind him.

"You don't understand what you've done" Emperor Nefarious finally croaked out with his damaged voice box. "He… he will kill you. He will kill all of us."

Rivet and Ratchet exchanged a look of confusion. They spoke together, "Who?"

A slow clap emerged from the shadows behind where the Emperor laid. The clapping made the city go silent. They could no longer hear the sirens wailing, the citizens cowering away, or the ships flying above. All they could hear was one, slow clap.

Clap.

Rivet looked down to Emperor Nefarious and saw something she never thought she would see.

Clap.

Fear.

The grip on her hammer tightened. She had always dreamed of the moment Emperor Nefarious would look at her with fear. It would be the moment she finally stopped him. That dream was what got her through some of her toughest battles as if it was some form of drug. He would look on in fear as the empire crumbled and the people revolted. The moment the resistance would set the galaxy free.

Clap.

That dream was crumbling with each clap from the darkness.

Clap.

Ratchet looked once more to Clank and Dr. Nefarious. They had paused their work on the Dimensionator as soon as the clapping had begun. The Emperor's words had caused a curiosity in them.

Clap.

Nefarious rose to his feet. He kept glancing between the shadows and his doppelgangers face. If he were still in his organic body, he imagined he would have been feeling some form of nausea. He would whenever he had felt fear. It was not a feeling his robotic self was familiar with, and he had never known what it would look like on his robotic face – one that had seen so many more battles than his old self could even dream. Things that would have kept him up when he used to sleep. When he was weak.

Clap.

His doppelgangers face had rendered him silent. He wished he could have never seen what true desperation looked like on his robotic face.

Clap.

Ratchet's fur stood on end when the voice called out.

It couldn't be.

"Outstanding! I knew you truly were something, but that? That was certainly a show."

"Who are you?" Rivet called out. Not because she didn't recognise the voice but because she refused to accept that she did.

"Me?"

The figure stepped out the shadows. He was staring directly at Ratchet.

"I'm the real Emperor".

Ratchet's own face stared back at him.

He never thought he would see another version of himself in this dimension. The resistance had told them their stories and the most surprising story amongst them was Rivet's own. She explained how she was the only Lombax here after being sent away from Fastoon as a baby when Tachyon attacked. It had happened here too, but the Lombaxes here had not been so lucky to have the Dimensionator. Ratchet's stomach had turned when Max Apogee talked of the genocide of the Lombax people in this dimension. Max had been the one to tell Rivet exactly what species she was and where she had come from. He answered questions she had been searching for all her life. There was no Alister Azimuth here to tell her about her family. Or what had happened. At least Ratchet had always been able to hold onto the hope that they were alive somewhere. Rivet had never had that, and the resistance was the only thing that gave her hope.

Ratchet had just assumed that Rivet was this dimension version of him. There had been no trace of anyone called 'Ratchet' on any Solana or Polaris records – the whole of the Nefarious Empire. The resistance had searched when he first arrived. He had to assume he had either not been born or was never sent away from Fastoon.

But he was stood in front of him with a smirk Ratchet knew he pulled too often. The one he pulled when he quipped in a fight. Or when he told a bad joke to make Tal laugh. Or when he and Clank would joke about. But now it was twisted on a face with a distinct scar running from his forehead down to his chin, just narrowly avoiding the same green eyes. The light of the city illuminated his black holoflux armour and the grey combustor in his right gloved hand.

Despite being the same height as Ratchet, he looked taller. Like he was looking down on all that stood before him. He did not have a version of Clank on his back. Nor did he have his own omniwrench. He didn't need it.

"How is this possible?" Rivet asked. She too had believed that Ratchet was her own doppelganger. Her whole life she thought she was the last of the Lombaxes and she had accepted that a long time ago. Now one stood before her claiming to be the real enemy.

His gaze shifted to her, "Oh, Rivet. You really think you were the only one to survive the genocide? Stop me if you've heard this before but the universe… the universe really does have a cruel sense of humour." The other Ratchet laughed, "I survived. And I made the best of a bad situation. Nefarious wasn't the master. He was merely a puppet."

Nefarious looked to his alternative self. Emperor Nefarious remained a pile on the floor. He refused to look at anyone. It unsettled Dr. Nefarious. He could never see himself like that, so powerless. He was supposed to be a leader! An overlord! And yet here he saw himself cowering away from his own nemesis. What led someone as powerful as Emperor Nefarious to becoming this? This Nefarious had easily overpowered him, though he will never admit it to anyone, and it had taken two Lombaxes and a lot of guns to finally bring him down. But even they had struggled with the task.

Yet, here he was, a coward.

The other Ratchet seemed to read his mind, "You can't believe it, can you? How the mighty have fallen." His attention turned back to Ratchet who was yet to speak, "Fifteen years old. Veldin. You? You got Clank and a family and unconditional love, and do you know what I got?" Alternate Ratchet pointed lazily with his combustor at the crumpled pile that was once the great Emperor Nefarious, "I got a homicidal maniac who tried to manipulate me and turn me into a freaking TINCAN!"

Ratchet could not help but wince when he screamed at the end. He had never screamed like that before, and it was jarring to hear his own voice sound so distressed. Seeing this version of himself… he didn't know what to think. What to feel. He could feel everyone's eyes on him – even Dr. Nefarious.

"No, no. I refuse to believe that you… he… overpowered me!" Ratchet's own Nefarious finally spoke. Ratchet could not blame him for asking – Dr. Nefarious knew how much more powerful this version of himself was. He was the one who had to break him out of his clutches. How did he manage to overpower him at fifteen?

The other Ratchet ran a hand between his ears as if trying to smooth down what fur was hidden by his black helmet. Ratchet noticed the tip of his left ear was missing. The alternate smiled, regaining his coolness from before, "I found him in pieces after his little scrap with Qwark. I was the one who put him back together. He promised to help me get off Veldin. But that bastard got cocky. He thought he could manipulate me. He trained me. Taught me everything he knew so I could lead his conquest, but he was stupid. He let me lead so he could build he precious biobliterator."

"The biobliterator?" Ratchet questioned before glancing to his own Nefarious. That had been the first time they had met and fought. Now the same machine was a museum piece.

Nefarious was staring at him too. Their disbelief at their alternate selves dynamic bonding them for a brief moment.

"He had no idea he was giving the keys to the kingdom to me. I let him build his army, but he had no idea that I was making my own modifications. He let me get too close. Call it sentiment".

Both Ratchet and Nefarious stared at him. They really were different from their counterparts.

"You gave the robots a master, didn't you?" Rivet gestured to the Emperor, "and added the code to him too? Didn't you?"

"You're smarter than I originally gave you credit for, Rivet."

"This is ridiculous!" Nefarious screeched, "No version of me would be stupid enough and… and… sentimental enough to let a squishy get that close!" he grew more agitated, "The Emperor maybe weak but I am not! I told your pathetic counterpart I will win! Don't think you can sto-"

The emperor turned his back to the screaming doctor and pointed to him, "you see that? This is who you could have become if you hadn't been so stupid"

He was now addressing the Nefarious doppelganger in pieces on the ground. The other Ratchet looked over his shoulder, "I gotta say, Doc. I do admire you in some ways. This plan of yours was almost genius." He looked back to the fake emperor, "at least I know there is a version of you who is capable of such things"

He raised the combustor.

Ratchet and Rivet raised their weapons too but aimed for the Lombax. As much as they wanted the Empire to fall, they had to get more information about the true emperor first.

Emperor Ratchet did not even bother to look back at them. His voice was low and heavy as he spoke, "Don't bother with the show. I know those combustors are empty. Most of your weapons are. Do you really think I was stupid enough to waltz out here knowing what you two are capable of with your arsenal?"

"I don't need a gun to tear you apart LIMB from LI-"

"Nefarious? I command you to be quiet."

Ratchet scoffed, "Good luck with…that…" he trailed off as he watched the Doctor's mouth move but not a noise come out. Nefarious put his hands to where his voice box was located. His movement grew erratic as he kept trying to talk as he prodded at his voice box.

Eventually he looked between Ratchet, Rivet, and Clank in desperation. The same look the Emperor had on his face when he had delivered his warning.

Ratchet looked to Clank.

Clank stared back.

Ratchet wished he never saw the look of fear on his face.

He turned back to his parallel, "why are you doing this? Coming out the shadows now?"

"Being the face of an empire makes you a target" the Emperor Lombax gestured to their surroundings, "I mean, look at all this! Look at him! There will always be a resistance. There will always be a spy on the inside. A robot can be repaired or replaced if there is a misstep. So I kept Nefarious as a walking, talking target but I was really who was in control. Until today. Until I realised that I could be just as powerful. Until I saw you in action today, Ratchet. And realised one detail."

"And what was that?"

"I am better than you." Emperor Ratchet laughed before he returned his attention to the robot in front of him, "I have no use for this puppet anymore."

And for the first time, Ratchet heard a Nefarious beg for mercy. If he still had his knees, he would have pulled himself to them in front of the Lombax emperor.

"Please… please… I promise I can do better… we can grow your empire! We kill these pests and… and we can continue as we were! No one has to know of your existence! I can keep being your puppet!" The Emperor pleaded. "Spare me, please!"

Emperor Ratchet took a step forward, his combustor still aimed at the robot, "Didn't you just hear a word of what I just said? I'm done. It's time the universe knew it's true ruler. I have no need for you anymore." He winked, "I'm taking back the crown"

None of the observers could do anything to stop the homicidal Lombax from pulling the trigger. The light in Emperor Nefarious' eyes dimmed as his systems shut down for the last time. The hole between his optics sparking and smoking as he grew limp.

The Emperor's heavy breathing was all that could be heard. Clank was the only one not to be staring at the body before them but at the Lombax stood above it. Before, when the alternate first revealed himself Clank thought of him as a version of Nefarious simply wearing Ratchet's face. This was not the Lombax he knew. He had not seen much of Ratchet in him.

But now? Now, Ratchet was all he could see. The way he held himself above the enemy. Straight back, ears high, and tail low. The confidence oozing from him. The way he held onto the gun like it was a part of his body. That was his best friend stood in front of him.

And it terrified him.

Ratchet tore his eyes away from the corpse that was the previously proud emperor. He hated Nefarious, that was no secret. But he could never be this cruel. He had given Nefarious chances in the past. And when he didn't take them, Ratchet would try to stop him. That was their dynamic. The normal hero and villain type of relationship.

He looked at his Nefarious who had gone still with shock when his counterpart was murdered in front of them.

Nefarious stared at the body. He hated that furball, but even he knew Ratchet would never take it this far. The Lombax he had fought before had what some called good morals. He only wanted to stop him from achieving his brilliant plans. Because that was what heroes did.

Nefarious knew evil. He saw it in the mirror every day. He prided himself on it.

But the Lombax in front of him was not evil. No.

He was a monster.

He had to warn the squishies. He may hate them, but they were all that stood between this monster and his home.

The alternate Ratchet finally turned back to the heroes stood before him. He lowered the combustor and grinned to them as if he had not just casually murdered one of their doppelgangers in front of them. "Now I can conquer dimensions." The Emperor laughed, "I have to thank you for the idea, Doc!"

"Good luck with that" Ratchet sneered. "If I can't stop you, my friends will."

"But… how will they know? You're the one who is going to do it" Alternate Ratchet grinned, "Don't you get it? I am you. They won't suspect a thing until it's too late. But first, I gotta get rid of anything that could stand in my way. And that starts with him."

Emperor Ratchet raised his combustor. Ratchet instantly knew who he was aiming at.

He dove at the Emperor as he fired, pushing both to the ground and sending the combustor clattering to the ground away from them. Clank jumped out the way of the oncoming blaster shot and narrowly avoided having his head separated from his body. Rivet sprinted to him and slid to her knees in front of the small robot. "Are you okay?"

He quickly ran through his systems, "I am okay". He looked to where both Ratchet's were, "we must help our Ratchet".

Rivet looked to where the pair were beginning to fight. The Ratchet she knew was repeatedly punching the Emperor's face. "Ratchet won't be able to last long. Neither of us will. We didn't have the chance to get nanotech and our ammo-"

"Rivet." Clank interrupted, "Please, you must help Ratchet. Please keep fighting for as long as you can. I will help Dr. Nefarious. If we can get the Dimensionator working again we may use it to rid this galaxy of the Emperor. Trust me, Ratchet and I have done this before. But Ratchet needs you now."

Nefarious continued to make wild gestures without a single noise. Clank stood in front of him and looked up, "Doctor Nefarious, I am aware you are in distress, but you must help us. If we can remove the Emperor Ratchet from this dimension, it may break whatever control he has over you. But you must help. Please."

Nefarious stared at the small robot for a moment before nodding. He may hate Ratchet and Clank, but he hated this Emperor far more.

And there was something in that final please that would have softened the robot had he still had a heart.

Rivet nodded, "we'll keep him distracted."

She stood to help Ratchet when Clank spoke again, "and, Rivet?"

"Yes?"

"Please, keep Ratchet safe. And be careful."

She gave a quick, small smile to the little robot. He had been silent for the whole exchange with his friend's alternate self, but she could tell that he was also a little shaken at the sight of him and what he had said. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Ratchet and Clank, but she recognised the strong bond between them. From Clank's desperation to get back to Ratchet when she first found him to Ratchet threatening her life when he believed she had stolen him. They were brothers. They were each other's family. She envied the bond they had.

And now they had met a version of Ratchet who did not have Clank. And he was broken. A shell of the version they knew.

Ratchet was kneeling above his alternate self who had crashed to the ground when he had shoved him away from Clank. He had made no move to retrieve his wrench – instead, choosing to use his own fists to fight. He repeatedly punched this version of his own face who took each one without fighting back. No one attempted to kill Clank and got away with it. Not even himself, it seemed.

Between each punch Ratchet spoke, "you can't be me!"

His ears dropped slightly when his alternate smoothly caught the fist flying towards his face and snarled, "No. I'm better than you."

In two moves he flipped both him and Ratchet over, so he was kneeling above Ratchet and had pulled a small dagger from a holder on his belt. He took aim for Ratchet's throat and brought the dagger down with as much force as he could. Ratchet's eyes widened in surprise. He quickly dislodged his arm from under the Emperor's knee and blocked the attack. He felt blood begin to drop onto his own chest. He couldn't tell who it was coming from.

Emperor Ratchet was grinning menacingly as he pushed down on Ratchet's arm. Blood had begun to pool from his nose. He took no notice. The dagger was slowly getting closer and closer to Ratchet's throat as he struggled to push back. The demented alternate couldn't help but laugh at his pathetic doppelganger, "what is it they say? You are your own worst enemy? I'm gonna kill you. Then Clank. Then I'm going to take over your stupid little dimension. Even that excuse for a resistance won't even be able to stop me!" Ratchet could feel the tip of the blade on the fur of his neck. He was desperately pushing with all the energy he had in him. "No one can stop me!"

Suddenly a scream erupted from beside them. Both Ratchets looked and saw Rivet merely inches towards them. Using her hooverboots she pushed the Emperor off Ratchet and caused him to go flying towards the heap that was the old Emperor. She quickly came to stop and held out a hand to Ratchet.

"Thank you" he said as she pulled him to his feet.

"We need to keep him occupied. Clank has a plan." She looked at his arm, "you're bleeding".

"Huh?" he looked at the arm that had been blocking the dagger attack. Blood was running down his hand from a cut in his glove. He hadn't felt the cut when it happened but now that Rivet had pointed it out, he could feel the sting. "I don't know how much more damage my armour can take."

"Well, it looks like he doesn't have any other guns other than that combustor, but you knocked it out his hand which is good for us because neither do we." Rivet took her omnihammer off her back, "so we do this the old-fashioned way."

Ratchet grabbed hold of his omniwrench off his back and nodded. "We do this as a team."

The Emperor staggered back onto his feet and cocked his head to the side, "you two really think you can beat me? With tools? Now that is cute."

With a yell from both, Ratchet and Rivet lunged forward towards the Emperor. The Emperor merely smirked before dodging the first attack from Rivet's swing towards his head. He quickly side-stepped the attempt on his torso from the wrench as he unsheathed two daggers from his belt. He blocked another incoming wrench attack whilst aiming the first dagger for Rivet's chest.

Clank looked up from the Dimensionator a moment to watch the three Lombaxes battle it out. The Emperor was quick on his feet and clearly well trained in close quarters fighting. He had not learnt how to fight on the go like his Ratchet or Rivet had done. Their approach was hit as hard as they could, his was far more elegant and thought out. He could see the two Lombaxes struggling against their foe. If they had not just been engaged in a large battle, he would have betted all his bolts on his friends winning. He had seen Ratchet walk away from much bigger foes with barely a scratch. He had known from the moment that he had met Rivet that she was a fighter.

Clank brought his attention back to the task as hand when the robot doctor besides him began to gesture wildly towards him. Nefarious was still unable to talk but he was making an attempt at translating something to the smaller bot.

Clank quickly thought of an idea. "Doctor, I suggest you use binary code with me to communicate. Use a fist for a zero and hold up a finger for a one."

Nefarious quickly changed to the tactic suggested. If ther was one thing all robots understood it was binary code. He always knew Clank was the smarter one of his enemies.

Your friends will not last long.

"Thank you for your optimism" Clank deadpanned. He turned back to work on the complex machine. A small part of him was thankful that Nefarious was currently muted. He was patient but even he would not have been tolerated the mad doctors screeching right now.

Nefarious glanced up to watch Ratchet be punched in the nose by his doppelganger as Rivet clutched her arm where she was too slow to miss an attack by the Emperor and his daggers.

He tapped Clank before making another series of gestures to him.

We need to imprison him in another dimension. Quickly. I know some coordinates.

Clank hesitated. He wanted to trust Nefarious and hand over the Dimensionator – let him save Ratchet and Rivet. But what would he do after that? There would be no stopping him from sending the group to the same empty dimension after. He believed Nefarious wanted to get rid of this alternate Ratchet, but before that he had wanted to get rid of him and his own Ratchet. It had been what had gotten them into this mess in the first place.

He made up his mind as soon as he realised Rivet was lying on the ground and making no effort to get back to her feet. It was now just the Emperor and Ratchet.

He had to take the risk. It was better than the alternative. Ratchet was beginning to truly struggle now without Rivet's help. Clank just hoped he would be able to hold on a little longer.

Ratchet yelled in pain when the other him plunged a dagger into his right shoulder. The shock caused him to lose the grip on his wrench.

The Emperor took great delight in twisting it until Ratchet dropped to his knees as the white-hot pain from his shoulder began to make him light-headed. He could hear Rivet behind struggling to get back to her feet. He had tried to warn them of what he was capable of.

"I can see it in your eyes. There's a darkness in you. You're still holding onto your anger."

Ratchet spat blood into his own face. "I could never be you."

The Emperor let go of Ratchet's face and wiped the blood away in disgust.

"If you were to live you would see some day. You'd start to realise that taking lives is easier than saving them. One day they would have called you up and asked you to sacrifice yourself yet again and for what? I know you've lost people. Friends. Your own kind. Our kind."

His attention turned to Rivet who had started to slowly push herself back to her feet. "I read about you, Ratchet. I sent a minion to your dimension for an infobot. I know about the other Lombaxes. I know they left you. Doesn't that just make you angry?"

Ratchet groaned as he wiped away the blood pouring his nose. He could feel the broken ribs burning with every breath he took. His left knee was screaming in pain and his right shoulder still had a knife buried in it.

Rivet hadn't noticed the Emperor's attention on her. She was using what strength she had left in her to pull herself towards Emperor Ratchet's combustor laying abandoned on the ground. She crawled forward, her robotic arm stretching out towards it.

Her fingers grazed it when the Emperor looked to Ratchet, "what about her? Perhaps we should stop her before she has the chance…"

The doppelganger smirked.

Ratchet realised a moment too late what he was going to do.

"Rivet, look out!" he yelled as the Emperor raised his boot above Rivet's stretched out leg.

The sound of bone snapping made Ratchet feel sick to his stomach. Rivet screamed and clutched onto her leg. Ratchet could see where her bone had pierced through her skin.

The other one simply laughed. All this pain was amusing to him. It was what gave him power and joy. Ratchet had seen all sorts of evil, from Drek to Tachyon. They all had their own versions of what it meant to be evil. Their own motivation. Their own goals. Their own methods to get there. Ratchet had taken them all down one by one. They had done little to scare him. They had angered him or caused conflict in him, but he had always risen above it. He had always held onto the part of him that made him brave. He had always clung onto the knowledge that no matter what he was a survivor. He always found a way to survive.

Now he was looking into the face of true evil. A face that truly terrified him. And his own face stared back with a smile. There were dry specks of blood decorating his face, some his own, and some belonging to his victims. He was finding it harder and harder to hold onto the hope that he will survive this fight too.

Ratchet could not stand to look at him.

Ratchet could see Clank in the corner of his eye running towards Rivet with something glowing in his hands.

Nanotech.

He needed to keep his doppelganger occupied long enough to not notice what was happening behind him.

"What if I joined you instead?" Ratchet pulled himself up to his feet. The Emperor stood a few feet away from him with his back to Rivet and Clank. "Huh? What if you're right? Maybe I am like you. You could teach me, and, in return, I could teach you. I know about parts of our past. Things you probably don't know."

The Emperor raised an amused eyebrow, "Like what?"

"The resistance told me about what happened to Fastoon. That someone gave Tachyon access to the Lombax technology that he then used in the genocide. The person who did it? He did the same thing in my dimension. He was exiled in my universe; he might have been here too. I could tell you where to find him. You could get revenge." Ratchet did not mean a single word he said. They had already been to Torren VI in this dimension. He wasn't there.

The Emperor was silent for a moment before nodding.

He reached into his pocket. He grabbed something and studied it in his hand. Ratchet frowned, unable to see what it was.

Behind the Emperor he could see Rivet holding a hand over her own mouth to stop her screams from coming out as the nanotech got to work on putting the bone back where it belonged. Clank had his hands on either side of her wound as he watched to make sure it was working. They still needed time.

Something clattering to the ground in front of Ratchet brought his attention back to the Emperor.

At his feet was something sickeningly familiar.

"I told you. 'The universe has a cruel sense of humour'. Who do you think I got that from? Azimuth tried to give me the same speech, you know. Told me I wasn't alone anymore. Made me think that maybe… just maybe… somebody cared about me. And I almost fell for it. I really did. Someone showed me some decency for once. Then when he thought I was vulnerable he tried to kill me. He said sorry before he did, would you believe? He said it was for the good of the universe. That I had too much power. So, I took care of him." He closed his eyes, "I can still hear his screams".

Ratchet bent down and took Azimuth's pocket watch into his hand. He opened it to find the same picture inside. His father's smile did not bring him any comfort.

"He didn't understand. Angela Cross didn't either. She put up one hell of a fight." He gestured to the scar on his face, "Neither of them understood. How could they? When the universe beats you down time and time again it's hard to see the good anymore. You think I'm a monster but, Ratchet, I'm just someone who made the best of a bad situation. You recognise that, don't you? I think that's why you fear me. You know there's a part of me in you. The survivor."

Ratchet snapped the watch shut – a new sense of purpose rushing through him. He needed to keep the other Ratchet distracted for just a little longer. He tried to remember everything Max Apogee had told him about the beginning of the Empire. How Emperor Nefarious seemingly took power overnight. How he used robots and technology. How he was only able to even begin planning the building of his empire after the death of-

That was it.

All his doppelganger seemed to want was power and revenge. That's why he did all of this. He used Nefarious as a puppet not only to protect himself, but to get revenge on Nefarious from trying to manipulate him.

But what about on the person who put him on Veldin alone in the first place?

"You're not a survivor. You're a dictator. You're no better than Tachyon, can't you see that?"

His doppelganger paused. Ratchet even thought he saw himself flinch at the mention of the name.

"Don't." Alternate Ratchet warned, "Don't mention that name to me."

"Why? Because you know I'm right? Because he is the reason you were on Veldin in the first place? Because you know that you're no better than him?" Ratchet watched his doppelganger clench his jaw. He was getting to him. "Have you committed genocide yet? Under the name of your dear, sweet empire?"

"Stop!"

"Just a moment you were gloating about how powerful you are! Did I hit a nerve? How did the Cragmite die here anyway?"

Ratchet watched as the Emperor seethed with rage. There was something there. He knew it. He could see that Clank and Rivet still needed time – her leg was still sat at an awkward angle. Nefarious alone was working in the Dimensionator. He just had to continue to pry. He had to keep him talking. He knew if that he would barely last in a fight in this state.

"Oh, that's right. I remember now! He died of natural causes after killing your entire species! How did that feel? Unable to get revenge on the person who truly did this to you? I know I wanted revenge when I found out what he had done. And I got it. I watched him fall through a blackhole with no way to return."

"No, no, no, I'm better than him! That is my revenge!" this time, Ratchet didn't even wince when his counterpart began to scream, "I am more powerful than he could have ever been! I won! I survived!"

"I don't see a survivor. I see a loser." Ratchet simply smiled. "And an idiot. Made you look."

Emperor Ratchet frowned before spinning in the direction Rivet was lying just a moment ago.

Rivet smacked Emperor Ratchet across the face with her hammer, the momentum of her hit making her spin around. Clank smiled from his position on Rivet's back before shooting Emperor Ratchet with the last rocket in the Negotiator.

The Emperor went flying backwards, narrowly avoiding Ratchet who had ducked as soon as Rivet grabbed the Emperor's attention.

He had kept the Emperor distracted long enough to not even notice the Dimensionator opening a portal behind him. The power from the Negotiator was enough to push the Emperor through the portal to whatever empty dimension Clank and Nefarious ha selected as this Emperor's prison.

Ratchet hobbled over to the duo, "are you both okay?"

"…that was oddly satisfying." Clank admitted. He quickly looked over Ratchet, "Are you okay?"

Ratchet attempted to smile, "Me? Always"

Rivet put her arm around Ratchet, "we need to get you some nanotech now. You won't be able to stand for much longer."

"I'm fine" Ratchet lied. His vision was starting to go fuzzy and his head was a little woozy. He silently prayed that they would be able to take care of his injuries before he blacked out. Or worse. He leant his weight on Rivet who gladly took it as Clank jumped off her back to find Ratchet some nanotech.

But first he had to be sure that his doppelganger was truly gone. He shifted away from the Rivet and limped towards the still open rift. He could see Nefarious in the corner of his eye working on closing the rift back up again. Closing one took as many calculations as it did to opening one. He still had a few moments before he needed to step away from the rift to stop himself from being dragged in by the gravitational force as it reclosed.

The end of the fight had been anticlimactic but for once he was glad. Though he would never admit it to anyone, especially after this, but he always found a sense in reward in the moment the enemy was defeated. The moment they had realised they had lost. The realisation on their face as he would stand above them and tell them it was over.

This time, however, he was happy that it had ended so suddenly. He did not want to know how his doppelganger would have reacted.

But he took a moment to stare at the portal. A small part of him wondered if perhaps now the Emperor would find some peace. He was free from those who manipulated him.

Ratchet took a step away as he saw Clank join Nefarious and take the Dimensionator. He was ready to close the rift once and for all. As he turned, he saw a beam of energy release from the Dimensionator towards the rift. He had time to get away before it began to close. He really did need that nanotech.

His heart stopped when a hand emerged from the rift and grabbed onto his left arm with all its strength.

Rivet was alerted when a cry sounded from behind her. She turned to find Ratchet trying to stop his feet from slipping as his doppelganger slowly reappeared from the rift. In his attempt to not be dragged in himself, Ratchet was pulling his doppelganger back out.

"Ratchet!" she cried, causing both Clank and Nefarious to also become aware of what was going on. She ran forward and grabbed onto her friends' right arm and began to pull.

"Ratchet, hold on!"

"I am!"

The other Ratchet slipped further and further back into the open portal. His grip was tight on Ratchet's left arm. He had spent the past fifteen years building this empire, he was not losing it without a fight. Especially not to his own doppelganger. He pulled, not caring whether he was coming out the rift or if he was simply dragging the other two Lombaxes into it.

Rivet had a tight grip on Ratchet's right arm, her robotic arm pulling on his arm that was already sitting out of its socket. Her knees were bent as she used all the strength in her, the nanotech had done the best it could to fix the bone but her previously broken leg was still tender and weak. She could feel her bones on fire – igniting a roar from deep inside her as she kept pulling. Her feet were slowly sliding towards the two Ratchet's. The portal was dragging all three of them in.

Clank looked between the three of them and calculated the odds. The rift's gravitational force had a hold of the Emperor now and the only thing that was keeping him from falling through completely was Ratchet as his tether and Rivet pulling them both back. The smaller the rift was getting, the stronger the force seemed to be growing. They had mere moments before it would be too much and all three of them are dragged in.

Both Rivet and Ratchet were screaming. Ratchet had screwed his eyes closed and Clank could not tell if it was because of the effort of trying to keep himself in this dimension or if the blood that had been pouring from his forehead since this fight began had finally made its way into his eye.

He quickly calculated their chances. They had little chance of both surviving. Either all three of them would go in, or just the two Ratchet's. Either way, his Ratchet stood little chance.

He wasn't going to let that happen.

He jumped into action and began running towards Rivet and changing over to his thruster pack. Rivet gave a quick glance in his direction and, realising what he was doing, twisted her back as best as she could in his direction so he could take his place. Once secured he engaged his thruster pack, giving Rivet extra help. The force allowed Rivet to take a large step back, dragging the two Ratchet's towards her and further out of the rift. He tried to ignore his Ratchet roaring in pain at the added force pulling on his broken arm – he knew he was making the right decision and Ratchet would be thankful later. He could not lose his best friend. Not again.

"If I'm going down, I'll take all three of you with me!" The Emperor yelled back.

One voice spoke. "Not on my watch."

A shot cried out and Rivet, Clank, and Ratchet fell into a pile as the force pulling on them was suddenly lost. They scrambled to face towards the Emperor.

The Emperor was gasping for air.

Clank blinked. He had seen this very scene before. It had haunted him for many years.

The alternative Ratchet staggered backwards towards the rift. Blood had begun to seep through between his fingers on his heart. Whoever shot knew where they were aiming. With what energy Ratchet had left he sat up and looked to see his Nefarious stood behind the three of them. The still smoking combustor in the evil doctor's hand. He had been the one to speak, breaking from the control. Nefarious offered a quick glance down to the trio before looking back to the Lombax Emperor. His face gave nothing away about what he was feeling but Ratchet had a feeling the Doctor was getting revenge for his counterpart. He had to prove he was not weak like him.

Ratchet looked back towards his other self. The face staring back morphed from that of an evil dictator to a scared child. Seeing someone with his own face going through this… it suddenly hit Ratchet just how young he was. Both the Emperor and him. But he had been lucky, he had been found. He was loved. He was only fifteen when Clank crashed into his life and showed him that he could be loved in return.

But staring at the Emperor now he realised he had been right earlier. He could have easily become him. That broken kid still existed somewhere inside him. It came out of him whenever his friends were threatened. He was him again when Clank was missing for two years. It was the love of his family that prevented him from giving in to the darkness. They were the ones who got him through his bad days. Only Clank knew of the frequent nightmares Ratchet had about being left alone again.

The broken kid made eye contact with him as he struggled to keep breathing. The rift had a hold of him now. They all watched in silence as he fell further and further into the rift. No one tried to save him – no one was sure they wanted to. Rivet and Clank both sat up too and watched the closing rift. A part of Ratchet felt sorry for him, but he also no longer wanted to look at his own darkness. At least now he would find some peace. Both him and the Emperor.

The other Ratchet finally looked away from him. His gasping slowing down as his eyes began to close. He was finally free of his demons. In a gust of wind, the portal closed, and the Emperor was gone.

Nefarious was the first to move. He dropped the now empty combustor and walked to the Dimensionator. Clank watched him carefully – not trusting he wasn't about to use this moment to make his own escape. When he reached the Dimensionator he kept walking in silence until he came to a stop and reached over a railing. He watched as he pulled a nanotech box from the other side and began to walk back to them. He was still unnaturally silent.

He dropped it at Ratchet's feet, "Here."

Ratchet simply nodded as a thank you. Nefarious hesitated for a moment before returning it. A silent agreement passed between the two of them that they were now even.

Rivet stared at nothing and said, "this galaxy… it's free."

She got to her feet and turned back to Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet moved his gaze to the remains of Emperor Nefarious. His look of terror when the other Ratchet appeared flashing in his memory. The weight of it all had started to set on Ratchet. The shock that he could cause such fear. That he could care so little for other people. That he could so easily take so many innocent lives.

He didn't even look away when Rivet cleared her throat and told them, "I'm going to alert the resistance… I'll give you both a minute."

He was vaguely aware of Clank finally getting to his feet and walking to the box of nanotech. He couldn't shake the image of the Emperor looking like a scared little boy in his last moments. The same face he had in his own desperate moments.

Clank applied the nanotech to his arms.

He was surprised when Ratchet finally spoke.

"Thank you."

"You were severely hurt in that battle. It is no trouble."

"No, no. I mean yeah but I mean, thank you. You're who stopped me from becoming… him. I don't think I ever realised just how much you saved me until now." Ratchet playfully nudged him, "don't let that go to your ego."

"It is too late. I shall tell everyone that I was the true hero here today." Clank pulled a dramatic pose that made Ratchet laugh, leading to the pair of them giggling before falling into a comfortable silence as they waited for the nanotech to do its job. Ratchet knew Clank was doing it deliberately to break his thoughts away from what just happened. Clank knew him better than anyone. He knew that this was something he was going to be reliving for some time.

But at least he wouldn't be going through it alone.

Rivet approached them and sat down besides Ratchet, "The resistance is on their way. Apparently around the time the Emperor went through the portal all units just… shut down. Al thinks they had a code linked to the Emperor's vitals. "Rivet cut off, wondering if she should continue to talk about Ratchet's evil doppelganger. She did not know him very well, but she couldn't imagine what Ratchet was thinking. He just watched himself die and she wasn't sure if he wanted reminding of that.

"Guess it was a failsafe in case anyone tried to kill him and take over" Ratchet explained, "Anyone who tried to take the empire lost it the moment they killed the Emperor. I trust that the resistance will make it work for them."

"I think it's probably a good idea if I'm not here when they arrive" The three of them bolted up to their feet when they saw Nefarious standing with the Dimensionator, the very sight that got them into this mess in the first place.

Nefarious rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I'm not running off anywhere. Here."

He tossed the Dimensionator over to Clank. "All I ask is you don't try to arrest me the moment we return to our dimension. You owe me that."

Ratchet and Clank glanced at each other. "We'll consider it, Neffy".

"Call me Neffy again and I will reconsider this arrangement."


Hope you enjoyed!