Interlude: Training Day
Pinkie followed Ashelin through the Palace, taking a few seconds every now and then to stare at something new that they didn't have back in her original era, before they arrived at the room that she would be using for some unknown length of time. There was a bed, a dresser, a small window that allowed her to see outside, and a few other odds and ends that were different from her time in Sandover, but the overall feel of the room was the same. Pinkie determined that the room was just fine, as it met the same standards that she had back in her old room that she had originally shared with Jak, only this room was definitely twice the size of her old room. Besides, she wasn't about to complain over what she was being given, especially since the Baron was being kind enough to allow her to stay in the same area that he and his own daughter lived in.
Once they had showed Pinkie where her room was, and she knew how to reach it, Ashelin took her to an area where she could get cleaned off from her fall, to which she had to demonstrate how the 'shower' worked to a very confused Pinkie. She then spent some time trying to clean herself, to the best of her ability considering most of what she was using was unfamiliar to her, while Ashelin gave her some privacy. While she used the shower Pinkie's mind turned to Jak and Daxter, wondering where her brother and her best friend had landed in the area that rested around Haven City. She was sure that, once she had given the Baron a description of what her brother looked like, the three of them would be reunited in no time... then they could begin looking for Samos and Keira.
She was sure that Samos would say something about the fact that Jak was sixteen years old, pretty much a man at this point, and that she shouldn't be worrying about him all the time... leading her to wonder what she would be like when she finally reached that age and matured. Before she strayed too far down that train of thought she shook her head, messed around with the controls until the shower was off, and grabbed a towel to clean herself off.
"I'm glad I managed to find some of my old clothing from a few years ago," Ashelin said, which stopped Pinkie from moving the screen that was separating her from Ashelin for a few seconds, to which she spotted something being placed nearby, "though we'll need to have some new ones made for you in the near future... I don't think you'll like clothes that hardly fit."
Pinkie waited until she heard the door close again, to which she pulled the screen back and found some clothes waiting for her, though they appeared to be more in the style of the citizens she had seen when Erol had brought her to the Palace. She already knew that she would be smaller than Ashelin, considering that the other lady had to be at least twenty years old at this point, but she decided that this was better than what she had been wearing when she landed. She slipped on a pair of shorts, that actually reached her knees, and a heavy duty top, where she discovered that it had to be the norm for people in Haven to show off their midriff, leading her to wonder what Samos would make of this place.
Once her new outfit was on, and she was sure that she didn't need to use the shower area anymore, she opened the door and found Ashelin waiting for her, though she appeared to have a small smile on her face.
"There, now you look like you belong in Haven City," Ashelin said, to which she beckoned Pinkie to follow her as she led the way to what appeared to be an eating area, where Pinkie discovered that some plates had been readied ahead of time, "My father will be joining us for lunch in a few minutes... and then, once we're finished, you can describe your brother so we can begin the search for him."
Baron Praxis did indeed join them a few minutes later, apologizing to Ashelin for not being the first to arrive due to a certain adviser that continued to bother him, though Ashelin didn't mind the wait. Pinkie noticed that most of the food on the table was the same as what she and her brother had eaten back in Sandover Village, but as they all dug into the food she found that it tasted the same. The other dishes that were new to her, and that she raised an eyebrow to, either Ashelin or Praxis would tell her about it, allowing her to have some idea of what went into making the dish before she dug into them.
As they ate Pinkie described what Jak looked like, and offered a description of Daxter as well, so that way Erol and the Krimzon Guard would be able to identify them the moment they found them. Ashelin took some time to explain what she did whenever she was on missions, as they all knew that Pinkie would be joining her at one point in the future, while also explaining what the other members of the Krimzon Guard were assigned in terms of missions. Since she was one of the higher ranking officers in the Guard she was either sent on special missions outside the walls or would stay back and defend the city as Erol carried out the Baron's orders.
Eventually they finished the meal they were eating and the Baron excused himself, though he gave Ashelin time to adjust to Pinkie being in the Palace before he gave her any more orders, allowing her to tell Pinkie about anything that she wanted to know about. The two then spent the majority of the afternoon wandering around the Palace, where Pinkie would ask whatever came into her mind and listen to whatever explanation that was offered to her. She discovered that the Metal Heads occasionally attacked the walls and spooked the citizens that Ashelin was protecting, though its was always in small numbers that could be easily repelled by a decent amount of guards.
After a storm of questions and answers, along with the final meal of the day where the Baron was unable to join them, they eventually had to retire to their rooms... where Ashelin admitted that it was nice to actually have some time off. That was when Pinkie returned to her own room and stared out the window as the sun set, before she let out a sigh and climbed into the bed, where she allowed sleep to claim her for the moment.
When morning arrived, however, both Ashelin and Pinkie, who were eating a light meal for the morning before venturing out of the Palace to show Pinkie the city, were interrupted by the Baron, though it appeared that something was wrong.
"Ashelin, I have received word from Vin that there is some Metal Head activity in Haven Forest," Praxis said, causing Ashelin to raise an eyebrow at her father for a moment, "A few minutes ago he detected a group of ten Metal Heads making their way through the forest, seemingly following the lead of another one, and then a minute or two later the group suddenly disappeared off the radar and left the lone one alone. We're not sure if the other ten are lurking in the surrounding area, testing out some new ability of theirs, or if the lone one decided to kill the ones that were following it..."
"So you want me to go and see what I can find?" Ashelin asked, because while she knew she'd go regardless, because this was the type of thing that needed addressing as soon as possible, she wanted to be sure it was under orders or not.
"Yes, and I would like you to take Pinkie with you as well." Praxis answered, nodding his head one to confirm what he had said, just in case someone wanted to question him, "I figure that the trip will show her what you and the other members of the Krimson Guard have to deal with most of the time, though if it turns out to be a trap I want the two of you to retreat and get some backup."
Ashelin nodded to her father before she and Pinkie quickly finished their meal, before they started gathering what they needed before they left the Palace. Seeing how Pinkie was only a civilian, in terms of how Haven City worked, she wasn't supposed to have any weapons, but she was just fine with using her fists and her feet if she needed to protect herself. Besides, she had managed to get a new pair of shoes that actually fit her, as hers had apparently been lost during her ride through the rift and she hadn't noticed it until now, as we as some small gloves that would protect her hands if she did need to punch something.
Once they were done gathering what they needed, and had met back up at the elevator, they traveled down to the ground level and secured one of the two passenger rides that happened to be waiting for them, though it was a civilian ride they had to take because all of the Krimzon Guard vehicles in the area were busy with their own orders. Pinkie discovered that there had to be more Metal Head sightings than what the Baron told them about, though he had decided to give his daughter one that was apparently easy enough for her to handle while watching over Pinkie. They climbed into the vehicle and Ashelin flew through the city, following the flow of traffic until she came to the security lock that would allow them to reach their destination, which happened to be near where Pinkie had landed after riding through the rift with her friends and brother.
When they arrived at the security lock Ashelin parked the vehicle next to the ramp they had to walk up, where they passed through the open door and waited for one side to lock while the other unlocked, before Pinkie noticed that there was a large gap between them and where they needed to go. She then discovered that there was a teleport gate nearby, allowing them to warp up to the cliff that was ahead of them, where she found that there was some sort of ruins in front of them, but one look from Ashelin told her that this wasn't what they were looking for. They then hopped onto a small platform that took them on a predetermined route, allowing them to see more of the ruins before they arrived at a forest area, which had to be Haven Forest.
"According to what Vin sent me on the way here, the Metal Heads are near the Great Tree," Ashelin said, closing something that she was holding and stuffing it into her pocket, though that was followed by her pulling her gun out and beckoning for Pinkie to follow, "or Metal Head, if what the readings say are true. Come on, let's go see what's actually happening here."
Pinkie followed Ashelin as they made their way down the pile of rocks that were to the right of where they entered the forest, carefully walked around all of the trees that were in the area, and crossed the river before they made their way through a decent sized passage in the rock wall they came to. Pinkie looked up at the Great Tree that they had discovered on the other side of the rock wall, as it was much larger than the other trees that they had passed by, but ultimately it wasn't what they were here for. She cast one more look at the tree as she and Ashelin made their way down to a lower area, wondering what Samos would make of such a tree if he had the time to meditate around it.
When they reached the area that Ashelin had been searching for both she and Pinkie were shocked by what they found; the ten Metal Heads that had disappeared from the radar were all scattered about with cuts all over their bodies, and some dark liquid that Pinkie assumed was their blood. It looked like they had gotten into a fight with something that was more dangerous than them, and had lost by the looks of it, but that made both of them wonder what had happened here. Pinkie had to hold back a gasp as she gazed upon one of the Metal Heads, because one of its arms had been ripped off and discarded while most of its body had been crushed by something, though she eventually looked away from what was in front of them.
That was when she spotted the eleventh Metal Head resting near the walkway they had taken to reach this area, though as she took in its large chest and deadly looking head, what with the horns, spikes, and apparently razor sharp teeth, she noticed that it was a quadruped based on the four legs it had, which all ended with a set of four talons for its hands and feet. It had decent sized wings, styled after the mythic dragons that Samos had told her and Jak stories about when they were younger, and a tail that ended in a trio of spikes that were half the size of Pinkie's entire arm. Once she took in the creature's appearance, and noticed that it had fewer metallic plates thanks to the scales that were on its body, she noticed that the Metal Head was wounded as well... meaning that it had been in a fight with the other ten members of its race.
Sure, she was sure that the creature was a little bit taller than her if it was able to stand, but right now she didn't like the idea of even fighting a Metal Head like this... if it was even a Metal Head, as the 'skull gem' in the middle of its forehead was much smaller than the ones that were scattered near Ashelin, as well as the fact that it was dark blue colored.
"Okay... I've never seen a Metal Head like this one before," Ashelin admitted, to which she looked down at the gun she was carrying for a few seconds, before she turned her head back to the creature, "and I don't think we can put something like this down with the weaponry we have at the moment."
"Hello? Is this thing on?" a voice said, to which Ashelin pulled out the communicator that she had been looking at earlier, to which she noticed that Vin had been trying to reach her for some time, "I swear if this is anyone other than Ashelin Praxis I am going to rip apart our own communication array and fix the entire thing!"
"Vin, we found the Metal Heads," Ashelin replied, holding the device to her ear for a moment, while at the same time watching the strange Metal Head and Pinkie, "but Pinkie and I have run into a slight problem..."
"Actually, I have some bad news that will overrule whatever problem you have run into," Vin interrupted, causing Pinkie to look back at Ashelin for a second, "I'm reading another group of Metal Heads closing in on your position... and there's at least ten of them!"
Ashelin turned her head around in time to see the group of Metal Heads that Vin was trying to warn her about, though before she could aim at one of them, the one that looked like a leaping mantis, she heard a rumbling sound that stopped her in her tracks. The strange Metal Head, apparently having heard that more were coming, pulled itself onto its feet and roared at the other Metal Heads, though as it did so both Pinkie and Ashelin moved before they were caught in the crossfire. It caught the mantis Metal Head in one of its claws and cut it apart, allowing the pieces to drop to the ground, before crushing three more of them with the weight of its body. The remaining six zeroed in on where the creature was standing and cut into the scales that were protecting it, one of them even breaking a claw in the process, before it retaliated and smashed one with its tail.
One of the smaller Metal Heads jumped towards the creature, as if it was trying to hit it while it was distracted, but the beast opened its mouth and snapped its foe in half, before spitting the pieces out and focusing on the remaining enemies. Eventually the other four fell to its might and terror, while at the same time it sustained several more wounds in addition to what it had been given from the previous group it had fought, before it was the only one left standing. The creature seemed to let out a sigh as it turned back towards Pinkie and Ashelin, though for a moment Pinkie could have sworn that she noticed a look of pain on the creature's muzzle. Ashelin started to raise her gun at the beast as it slowly limped its way towards them, but Pinkie raised a hand and stopped her as she carefully watched the creature... which had this strange purple mist which started to surround it after a few seconds.
The two watched as the beast seemed to shrink as the mist completely covered its body, though what emerged from the mist was something that Pinkie wasn't expecting; an ottsel that looked like Daxter, though its coat was a dark purple color that mimicked the color of Dark Eco, had no goggles on its head, and had a small necklace like item, with a dark blue crystal at the end of it, resting around its neck. That was before Pinkie noticed that the wounds the beast had sustained in its larger form had carried over to this form, hence the fact that the little ottsel, which was actually a few inches smaller than Daxter, was limping towards them as it dragged its right leg behind it.
"P... please..." the Metal Head turned ottsel said, reaching out towards them with its left hand, but Pinkie could tell that it was looking at her and not at Ashelin, "he... help... me..."
Pinkie immediately ran forward to catch the ottsel as he, based on the voice that had spoken to them, collapsed due to his injuries, but she managed to catch him before he hit the ground. She raised her hands to the ottsel's neck and felt for a pulse, to which she let out a sigh as she felt something beneath her finger, though that was followed by her looking for something she could use to heal the ottsel with. A few seconds later Ashelin walked up to her and pulled out some bandages, which Pinkie could tell were laced with Green Eco, before the two of them gently bound up all the wounds they could find. As they did so, and made sure that there weren't any more Metal Heads in the area, Pinkie noticed that there were some markings on the ottsel's back, which had to represent its wings.
"Are you sure about this?" Ashelin asked, glancing down at the creature that Pinkie was holding, though once they had finished bandaging it she had suggested that they get underway.
"Ashelin, he was wounded and jumped into battle to defend us when we were caught off guard," Pinkie said, a smile appearing on her face as she stared down at the ottsel, as it was easier to think of the creature in its current form and not what it had been minutes ago, "it would have been rude to let him die. Besides, it seems that he might know about the Eco Dome and chose this form to better accommodate us taking him someplace so he can recover... and maybe he's a renegade Metal Head, wishing to give us information on what his species are doing at the moment."
"You know, your innocence and optimism are infectious," Ashelin commented, though at the same time they returned to the platform that brought them to the forest in the first place, but Pinkie spied a smile on her companion's face, "Well then, until we figure out what your little friend has for us I suggest that we keep his true nature a secret... I'll just have to modify my report when we talk to my father."
"So that's your report?" Baron Praxis asked, because based on the readings that Vin had told him about, and the number of Metal Heads that had appeared in the forest, he was sure that one had gotten away.
"Yes. Pinkie and I found the Metal Heads that Vin had told you about." Ashelin replied, her normal expression returning in full force, so that way her father wouldn't suspect anything, "Apparently the Metal Heads attacked and killed each other, though why they did that I have absolutely no idea. I counted at least twenty bodies, but there might be additional pieces to make one more."
"And Pinkie's new 'friend'?" Praxis asked, looking at the creature that was in Pinkie's arms, apparently sleeping while he noticed several bandages covering its arms, legs, and body.
"We found him wounded near the forest entrance," Ashelin answered, glancing back as well, to which she noticed the small smile on Pinkie's face as she looked down at the ottsel, as she had called the creature on the way back to the Palace, "Pinkie insisted on healing him and bringing him back... and I figured that she could use a companion of sorts for when Erol and I are busy with our missions."
Baron Praxis looked at how happy Pinkie was with the weasel otter creature that she was holding, as if making sure that no additional harm came to the small creature. He determined that Pinkie could benefit from having a constant companion, sort of like what her brother had if what she had told him earlier was true, so he didn't see any harm in allowing her to care for the creature. Besides, there were more pressing matters that required his attention and Pinkie's new friend wasn't one of them, so he decided that she and Ashelin could go over what they needed with each other once the creature was awake.
He still had a city to save and an army of Metal Heads to defeat... and he hoped that soon Pinkie would be able to help them in that endeavor, be it by finding her brother or helping take the fight to the Metal Heads themselves.
Stats
Page generated in 0.033 seconds
Total duration
668 users online
927,020 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Wait... was that a Metal Head dragon? That turned into an ottsel?
AND Pinkie's thinking of befriending it?
Huh... really didn't see this coming.
A dragon style Metal Head, with a blue colored skull gem and the ability to change shape... I wonder what that means.
Sweet, Pinkie just acquired a dragon type Metal Head that has the ability to change its shape... and she's got a companion that might make Daxter a little mad when they meet back up.
I really didn't see that coming... Well, Pinkie is now officially overpowered, because she has a dragon.
So Pinkie's going to have a dragon type Metal Head as a companion... whatever, its Pinkie Pie, so its better not to question it.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
this is all i can say to express myself on this development
8147269 Its kind of hard to come up with a proper reaction when Pinkie's new friend is a freaking dragon... that has shapeshifting powers. She's one lucky girl, I'll give her that.
8147287 i was thinking a gummy replacement XD
8147653
I didn't even think about that. I guess the little ottsel is gummy's replacement... and a great one, considering the little guy is a dragon.
8147701 yeah! XD
So Pinkie has a Metal Head dragon thing... that can change its shape... interesting.
8151446
More like a Dark Maker/Corrupted Precursor with shapeshifting powers. Anyone else wondering if it is one of the two Wunder Twins from the previous game?