As the trio made their way out of the lab where Jak had been experimented on, a voice called out from a communications grille. "Alert! Prison escape in progress!"
"Is that us?" Jak asked.
"Let's not stick around to find out," Shining suggested.
As they progressed, Jak discovered that his jump boots Keira'd made him had been taken. However, as a result of the experimentation, he found he could now jump a second time in the air without them. Shining teleported up to his side after each double jump, as he didn't have such an ability.
As they continued outward, they encountered a few Crimson Guards blocking their path. Neither Jak nor Shining hesitated to strike them down, though at this point Shining focused on using his Eco Blade, rather than the Morph Gun. It was less noisy, and more precise. At one point, however, the group came under fire and Shining was forced to haul out his Scatter Gun to shoot back, making the path easier for the group. Finally, they managed to make their way outside.
"We should be safe for now," Daxter spoke up. "But we need to head for the apartment so you can rest up, get the lowdown on what's going on, and eat something Jak."
As they walked, an old man approached them. "Hello strangers," he greeted softly. "My name is Kor. May I help you?"
Jak started to step forward angrily, the rage fed by the Dark Eco in his blood. Before he could get a word out, however, Shining kicked him in the shin. This resulted in a pair of giggles from nearby. Turning, the group saw a young human boy with sharply pointed ears...and a unicorn colt not much bigger than Daxter, still a bit unsteady on his hooves with visible baby fat.
Kor cleared his throat awkwardly after the long silence. "Is...is there a problem, strangers?" Turning over his shoulder, he saw approaching Crimson Guard. "Oh dear...perhaps we should talk later..." Taking hold of the young boy and colt, he moved away as quickly as he could.
The leader of the Crimson Guard unit stepped up. "By order of His Eminence, the Grand Protector of Haven City, Baron Praxis, everyone in this section is hereby under arrest for suspicion of harboring underground-"
The Guard's words were cut off as Jak's fist slammed into his gut hard enough to break his armor. "You annoy me," Jak grunted out as the Guard fell over.
The other Guards moved in quickly, and backup moved in from elsewhere. Shining quickly pulled out his Scatter Gun. "Just like old times," he muttered, shooting and slashing away.
At one point, Dark Jak came out again, smashing the Guards to the ground and shrugging off weapon rounds. When the last of that Guard unit was gone, Jak reverted to normal. "You okay, Jak?" Shining asked as he holstered his weapon.
"N...not sure," Jak replied. "I...I'm not sure I can...control that...side of me."
"Then I'll just sit on your shoulder," Daxter offered. "If you ever get too out of control, I'll bite your ear."
Jak and Shining both let out a laugh at that. "Thanks, Daxter," Jak replied.
"Just as long as you have better hygiene than you used to!"
As the trio laughed, Kor slowly approached. "Thank you for your assistance," he said softly. He gestured to the young boy. "This child is very important."
"No kidding," Shining muttered under his breath. He was pretty certain he knew exactly who the child was...but he decided to speak with the colt to confirm his suspicions. "Hey little fella," he whispered as he leaned down to the colt's level. "What's your name?"
The colt stuck out his chin challengingly. "We're not supposed ta talk ta strangers!" he proclaimed pugnaciously.
Shining chuckled. "And you don't get much stranger than us, right?" Seeing the laugh that got out of both colt and boy, he smiled. "I'm Shining Armor," he introduced himself. "That's my brother Jak, and our friend Daxter. What are your names?"
The colt smiled. "I'm Ar-Mar, who Shines. This is my brother Mar." Shining did his best not to show his best not to show his reaction, but Ar-Mar apparently noticed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Shining hastened to assure the colt. "Just...the names sounded familiar is all."
At that point, Kor stepped up, taking hold of Mar's hand. "See you later!" Ar-Mar called happily as he followed after his brother.
Jak and Daxter stepped up beside Shining. "Looks like we need to head to the slums, near the city wall," Daxter explained. "Right after we get some food in Jak back at the apartment." Noticing the look on Shining's face, he tilted his head. "What's bugging ya, fuzzy?"
"I'll...I'll tell you back at the apartment," Shining replied, turning to head right back. Confused, Daxter led the way for Jak.
As Jak sat down for a real meal - Daxter had splurged with the last of their Precursor Orbs for a real-food meal as opposed to the synthetic rations - Daxter once more turned to Shining. "So...what happened back there? You looked like you'd seen a ghost."
"I know where we are," Shining replied.
"Yeah, Haven City," Daxter drolled. "Not that that tells us anything-"
"We're in the past," Shining continued. "Or, at least, my past...and Jak's."
Jak stopped eating as he and Daxter stared at Shining. "What do you mean?" Jak asked worriedly.
"Because that boy and colt...they're us."