With Metal Kor defeated, and the Shadow sent back into the past with both the young Jak and the young Pinkie, the group remained on Brutter's balloon and let him take them out of the Nest. Daxter and Raven, however, both agreed on one thing before they left, as they, with the help of Jak and Pinkie, hauled the large head of Metal Kor onto the wooden planks that the Rift Rider had been resting on. As they floated away from the Nest they got a change to look at the Metal Heads that had survived Jak and Pinkie's assault, where they discovered that many of them were lying on the ground and had gone still, meaning that Ashelin had been right... taking out the Leader was taking out the army at the same time.
Raven was thankful that he was technically the leader of the Neo Metal Head hive, as he wasn't attached to his father and could easily survive what was happening to the other Metal Heads... and that meant that his kind, the intelligent Metal Heads, were safe at the moment. He also knew that his kind would be questioned by the higher ups in Haven City, but he had his father's head to present them and silently hoped that it would be enough to earn him and the other Neo Metal Heads safe passage... and he was sure that Ashelin would be willing to help him in the end.
"Raven, are you okay?" Pinkie asked, noticing that her ottsel friend seemed concerned about something, but she was sure that the people of Haven would praise him and his kind for helping the Krimzon Guard in stopping the other Metal Heads from taking the city.
"Just worried about the future, that's all." Raven replied, though at the same time he looked down at the fading form of the Nest, where he had been born and raised, up until he departed, found her and Jak, and came back with the intent to kill his father, who now rested in the heart of the Nest.
"I am sure that Ashelin and Torn, once they take up their new positions, will be able to ease whatever is troubling you." Samos commented, already knowing that the disguised Metal Head was worried for his hive, the fifty intelligent Metal Heads that had escaped from the Nest to protect Haven from Metal Kor, "Besides, I'm sure that the people will want to know that one of the heroes that saved the city was a new species of Metal Head that we recently 'discovered'."
Raven knew that Samos was trying to cheer him up, by saying that the people would be happy to hear that a different type of Metal Head had helped them take out the main hive, but that still didn't keep him from worrying about what would happen when they returned to the city.
It didn't take them too long to reach the outside of Haven City, though as they flew over the top of the wall they noticed the large number of Metal Head bodies that were scattered everywhere, indicating that the weakest of the bunch, as determined by Raven, had been the ones to die from his father's death. He didn't see any of the larger Metal Heads anywhere, so he knew that they weren't completely safe yet, but for the moment the rest of his father's hive wasn't a threat and his friends could start searching for them in a few days. Once Brutter reached the stadium, where they had lifted off from earlier that day, he patiently waited for them to get off before ascending to the sky, where he waved them goodbye for now.
The moment they were back in the city they made their way to the Palace, where Ashelin and Torn were waiting for their return, along with their report as to what happened in the Nest. Ashelin was shocked when she saw Pinkie again, because the last time she had seen her she had been completely different and now she was the same person she had been before heading into the Fortress to save Jak. After that Jak, Pinkie, and the ottsels told everyone what had happened in the Nest, revealing the truth to everyone, while at the same time making sure to mention their brief encounter with one of the legendary Precursors.
Samos was, of course, annoyed that he had missed their meeting with a Precursor, but he was pleased to hear that they had brought an end to Metal Kor... to which Daxter exclaimed that they needed a party, and someplace to party in. Ashelin, however, had the solution that he had been hoping for, as she could easily give them the Hip Hog and have it receive some renovations, as there were parts of the city that required more attention. Daxter was fine with that, though there was a special sign that he wanted made for the official opening of the new building... and he needed Raven's help in decorating the place once it was ready.
A week passed before the new saloon was finished, to which Daxter called for everyone to gather for the grand opening and celebrate the defeat of Metal Kor... before he officially opened the building the following morning, to actually bring in some revenue while they waited for the next adventure to come knocking on their door.
On the day of Daxter's private party, however, Ashelin let out a sigh as she finished working on the paperwork that had come with her taking over her father's position. Sure, her father had been preparing her for this in the off chance that something ever happened to him, but actually taking over as the leader of Haven City was more draining than she had originally thought it would be. She often considered asking Jak to take the throne and become the King of the city, as they had all determined that the boy the Underground had been keeping safe was the heir to the throne, which, seeing how Jak was actually the older version of the boy, was technically his to take... but then she threw the idea away every time she thought about it.
Jak wasn't cut out to lead a city, and she knew that it would take some time to even teach him how to properly run a city, so Ashelin had to accept her fate... until she found a way around her situation.
"Your transport is ready, m'lady." her personal communicator said, though she immediately recognized the voice of Brutter, to whcih she smiled as she shut down her computer and pulled herself from the chair she had been sitting in.
"Thank you, Captain Brutter." Ashelin replied, to which the communicator powered down and returned to it's hiding place, though she then turned towards Torn, who was watching her from the pillar he had been leaning against the entire time, "Come on, we'll be late for the party at Daxter's new place."
"I've got so much work to do." Torn commented, which wasn't a lie, considering his position in the Krimzon Guard and all of the work that came with it, though he did look Ashelin in the eye, "Besides, it's not my thing."
"You know, as the new governor of this city I could easily order you, the Commander of the New Krimzon Guard, to escort me to an official function." Ashelin said, causing Torn to sweat for a moment, but they both knew that this was just a reminder of her new position, "But we both know it won't come to that. So, shall we head to Daxter's party?"
"Yes sir!" Torn replied, the reminder serving its purpose, though at the same time he was now prepared to leave, "I mean, yes ma'am! I mean..."
"Relax, you can start rebuilding the city tomorrow." Ashelin said, waving a hand in a dismissive manner, though at the same time she smiled at Torn a little bit, "Tonight, we get to celebrate with our new friends. Besides, tough guy, I'm dying to see you dance."
"Not likely." Torn stated, though at the same time he echoed Ashelin's small smile, before he grew serious and followed her out of the Palace.
Once the two of them were near the opening of the Palace, and the new Krimzon Guard understood that they weren't to contact them for anything, save for instances like the near disaster they had just escaped from, before they climbed into the zoomer that Brutter had prepared for them. A few seconds later they departed from the Palace grounds and headed towards the building that had once been known as the Hip Hog Saloon, which Daxter had remained to something completely different... and was keeping a secret until they had arrived. It wasn't hard to find the building, especially since they had both been there several times in the past, but it was even easier to find this time thanks to the large ottsel sign that had been installed above the saloon's entrance.
The moment they arrived at their destination they climbed out of their zoomer and walked towards the entrance, knowing that the others had to have arrived... and they found their suspicions to be correct, as the moment the door opened they spotted everyone already waiting for them.
"Welcome to the Naughty Ottsel!" Daxter said, beckoning the two into the renovated saloon, which had some of his own tastes all over the walls, which apparently were great in the focus groups they had talked to, "The hippest, happenest, hoppinest joint in town! Check out the new decor!"
Daxter was, of course, pointing to the head of Metal Kor, one of the main attractions that he planned on showing the people of Haven City, so that they knew that the threat of the Metal Heads had been finally taken care of.
"Ooh, what a big trophy!" Tess commented, looking at the head for a moment, though while she was impressed by it she was also slightly terrified of it.
"As if size matters?" Daxter asked, before he let out a sigh and looked over at the dark ottsel, who was sitting on the counter next to Pecker and Onin, "I wish I could say that I bagged that bad boy myself, but the honor of taking that head belongs to Raven."
"Onin says she doesn't know who has a bigger head, him or you!" Pecker translated, as apparently Onin had something she wanted to say, but it appeared that it might have been meant for when Daxter was actually boasting, which he wasn't doing at the moment.
"We must not forget Vin," Samos said, raising his glass for a moment as he approached the whole group, while at the same time Ashelin and Torn took the drinks that were offered to them, "and all of the others who sacrificed their lives to defeat this great evil and protect the children."
"You know, I still can't believe that the little boy was me... and that the little girl was Pinkie." Jak commented, knowing exactly what the little boy and his 'sister' would be going through at the moment, as both he and Pinkie had lived through that part already, "Those were better times."
"You miss him, huh?" Keira stated, placing a hand on Jak's shoulder, while at the same time noticing that Pinkie was more concerned about her own mental problems than anything else, "You know, the kid grows up to be a handsome hero! And the little girl grows up to be one courageous heroine."
"Speaking of which, what happened to you?" Ashelin asked, recalling the differences between her sister and the other version of her that she had seen, the one called Pinkamena.
"Oh, you mean Pinkamena." Pinkie said, to which she placed her cup on the counter and sighed, before she faced everyone else, "I never told anyone this, but for as long as I can remember there was another voice in my head, another personality that always wanted to get out and never had the power to do anything. Pinkamena is, as you no doubt noticed, a more depressed version of myself, one who enjoys breaking the rules of reality to avoid damage and have her weapons contain an infinite amount of ammunition... by channeling Eco into them..."
"So she's a little like you." Daxter commented, recalling everything strange that Pinkie had done in the past, like pulling a pad of paper and a pencil out of her hair that one time.
"I guess so." Pinkie said, though she clearly didn't want to talk about her alter ego, "All I know is that the Dark Eco I took in, back when I tried to ease Jak's pain when he first transformed, allowed her to wake up and, with some help from... my father... she finally took over. I can still feel her behind the scenes, silently waiting to come back, but for now she is content to let me have my fun..."
"Hey! That's enough for you, lady." Daxter suddenly said, to which everyone noticed that he was looking at Onin, who was drinking from one of the bottles, almost as if she hadn't drank anything in a long time, "I'm cutting you off!"
That was swiftly followed by Onin moving her fingers and knocking Daxter back just a tiny bit, indicating that when she drank she wasn't the friendly old lady they were familiar with.
"Trust me, she gets real mean when she's like this!" Pecker commented, though whatever he was going to say next was interrupted when he noticed that Onin was weaving her signs again.
"What did she say?" Daxter asked, to which he picked himself up, with both Raven and Pecker's help, before he glanced over at the old lady and silently told himself not to do something like that again.
"Something about rubber tubing and certain parts of your mother!" Pecker replied, though his tone indicated that whatever Onin had said wasn't something he was going to be repeating any time soon, "Trust me, you don't want to know."
It was at that point that the door opened, causing everyone to look back and find that Sig, wearing all of his armor and having all of his limbs, had walked into the building with a big smile on his face. It was clear that he was pleased to be here, though everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they realized that one of their friends had survived the ordeal that Krew had forced upon the city.
"Sig!" Jak and Pinkie exclaimed, to which the duo walked up to Sig, while at the same time Daxter and Raven watched what was about to happen with some interest, though it was Jak that spoke next, "You're okay!"
"You cherries didn't think some nasty-breath, giant-sized lizard was gonna keep me from the biggest party in town, did you?" Sig asked, which earned him some chuckles from those that were sitting around the room, before he pointed at Raven, "Besides, a little birdie told me that there is more to Raven than I originally knew... and I'll admit that I am eager to see your true form one day."
"Oh trust me, I'll show you when we're not in the city." Raven commented, though he was sure that showing Sig his true form might actually strike some terror into the wastelander's heart... for a moment or two anyway.
"I will hold you to that." Sig stated, indicating that he wasn't scared of anything, which made sense considering that he dealt with Metal Heads all the time in the wastelands, before he turned towards Pinkie, "And you have to tell me about this alter ego of yours... maybe I can give you some hints on finding a cure to help the two of you reach some sort of harmony with each other."
Pinkie nodded and went back to her drink, saying nothing about the matter, as she wondered if such a harmony between her and Pinkamena was even possible. She only took a life when it was necessary, like when she infiltrated the Fortress she wounded her opponents until they couldn't fight back, while Pinkamena slaughtered everything in her path. She was positive that she was going to need the help of the Precursors to come to some understanding or middle ground with her alter ego, so she dropped the thought and focused on the party that was happening around her... to which she smiled as she joined the others.
Eventually Jak, Daxter, Samos, Pinkie, and Raven went outside to stare at the stars, though they suspected that there was something that Samos wanted to tell them before they got serious with repairing the city in the morning.
"Jak, Pinkie, you and your friends have saved the city and more!" Samos commented, to which he waved his staff to the stars, as he was referring to the Precursors, "Metal Kor and his menace are history, and somewhere out there, an ancient race has begun again."
"We're just glad to be back home." Pinkie said, to which she looked back at the saloon for a moment, where she spotted Ashelin staring back at her for a brief second, before turning her full attention back to Samos.
"Yeah, well rest up." Samos stated, his tone indicating that he must have been told what could possibly happen in the future and wanted them well prepared for what was coming, "We've got a lot to do, and so much time to do it in!"
"Don't say "time"!" Jak replied, knowing that the mere notion of time travel hurt all of their heads, despite the fact that they had figured things out pretty early on, "The Rift Ring was destroyed, remember?"
"You know, my momma used to read bedtime stories about Mar when she'd tuck me in." Sig said, indicating that he had left the party to invade their private conversation, "She'd give me a nice glass of warm yakow milk, my little poopsy bear."
"Bedtime stories? Warm milk? Poopsy bear?!" Daxter exclaimed, as if he couldn't believe that Sig had been a normal person at some point in his life, "Buddy, you just blew your image!"
"I've got a feeling we'll meet Mar someday." Samos commented, once more looking to the stars, almost as if he was looking for something that wasn't there, "He may be closer than you think."
"You're the designated driver!" Sig stated, to which he produced the Ruby Key that he had been holding onto since Krew had sent him on that suicide mission.
"Of course we are." Pinkie said, to which she took the artifact, before her brother could grab it and drop it into the water in front of them, and offered Sig a smile, "Besides, Samos will tell us before something happens next time, right Samos?"
"Of course." Samos replied, though at the same time Daxter glared at him, because his experience told him that Samos had to be hiding something from them, even on the day they were celebrating the defeat of Metal Kor.
"You never know what the future may hold." Pecker commented, flying out of the saloon to see what the group was doing, and to see if their conversation was interesting at all.
"Wait... you know something, don't you, feather breath?" Daxter asked, because the way Pecker talked made him wonder what the parrot, Samos, and Onin had been talking about.
Who? Me? Ah, no, we're just guessing, right Samos?" Pecker replied, though as he asked the question Samos nodded his head, causing the ottsel to glare at Pecker for a moment, "Today, tomorrow, only time will tell."
"Fine, keep your secrets to yourself." Daxter stated, to which he looked up into the sky as the fireworks started going off, which put him in a better mood than he had been a few minutes ago, "Just make sure you tell us what's going on before we blindly walk into something important."
"Jak, Daxter, Pinkie, Raven," Samos said, drawing the attention of the four individuals he had named, to which he waved his staff towards the night sky once more, "the future awaits!"
Jak and Pinkie knew that they would be focused on rebuilding the city before they even considered whatever adventure was coming their way... but they were sure that they would be well prepared for whatever was coming next.