Nar Yakushi

Getting stood up on a date, and ghosted by the mare who asked you out in the first place, really stunk. Nar COULD feel sorry for himself... OR, he could- oh hey! A text from his friend, Spins! Meet up for pizza? Hell yes! Nar quickly begins to draft a reply, excited for some pizza with his friend whom he hasn't seen in quite a while. As Nar exits the little park he'd just been in, he stops to complete his reply to Spins. However, he can hear a sounds quickly approaching him from down the street. It sounds like... Skateboard wheels on concrete! Nar stops texting for a moment to look over his shoulder. He looks just in time to see a talon swipe towards his face. Quick reflexes save Nar's eyes from getting clawed out, and he ducks to the side as a gryphon on a skateboard flies past him. The gryphon quickly powerslides to a stop, then turns to stare Nar down with a death glare. As Nar's head snaps back, he briefly catches a glimpse of a camera crew nearby, filming the two. (https://youtu.be/rJj0OuBbUaI?si=zPjqIZLw4TsOtE4x) "Any time, any place, bitch." The gryphon growls, with a smirk. Nar shifts his stance. "Alright then. Let's dance!" The motors in his skates whine to life, as Nar goes to return the favor of a blitz attack. The gryphon manages to evade the punch, despite not moving off of his skateboard. Nar continues on past the gryphon, causing him to turn to give chase. Back at the hotel, Asuka's phone buzzes as it receives a text. Looks like Juno sent a text to the band's group chat. "Channel 2. It's going down." With that, Asuka flips the channel on her suite room's TV to channel two, and is greeted with an isometric view of Nar, and the gryphon guitarist of Def Metal skating down the streets of Manehatten at breakneck speeds. All the while, they throw punches, kicks, and other attacks at each other. Even worse? It's being broadcast to the whole country. Asuka begins to scream at her television at the disgusting lack of safety gear either of the two are wearing. "" A slashing talon barely misses tearing a chunk out of Nar's left arm. Nar attempts to retaliate with a punch of his own, but he can't turn his body to punch effectively. There isn't as much power behind the punch as there would be if he was punching to his front. The position Nar finds himself in is really starting to frustrate him. He has to face forward to keep moving, but the gryphon can still face him, while moving forwards. Because of this, Nar has already taken quite a beating, but the gryphon is largely unscathed. A punch knocks Nar to the side, causing him to stumble slightly. He regains his balance before his face has a catastrophic meeting with the sidewalk. With a frustrated grunt, Nar initiates a hop up onto a railing, hoping to get some sort of advantage. He throws out a quick kick, which the gryphon ducks under, then retaliates by trying to grab Nar's other leg. Nar re-chambers his kick, and goes for another, causing the gryphon to disengage momentarily. His wing flashes out, and Nar barely manages to hop over it before it can knock him off the railing. As Nar brings his foot back down, the gryphon's wing flashes out again. Nar manages to hop just in time again, but his landing is shaky, and he wobbles a bit before finding his balance. If he does that shit ONE MORE TIME, Nar is gonna break that fucking wing! Sure enough, the wing comes out again. This time, Nar hops up, but quickly slams his feet back down onto the rail. The gryhpon quickly retracts his wing, but Nar catches a good chunk of feathers under his skate, ripping them out of the wing. This seems to set the gryphon off. He cries out in pain, then growls a low growl. "Fucker! I'm gonna smash those skates of yours into pieces after I beat your ass into the pavement!" A flurry of punches, clawing slashes, and wing strikes follow. Nar barely manages to avoid getting knocked off of the rail, but his legs take a beating. At the end of the rail, Nar hops back onto the pavement, and pushes the motors in his skates to their limits. He tears down the sidewalk towards a plaza full of modern art pieces, leaving the gryphon in his dust. The gryphon's shout is drowned out by the wind in Nar's ear. As he enters the plaza, he spots a large art piece of a bunch of concentric, metal rings in the very center. He has an idea. The gryphon looses sight of his quarry as it passes into the plaza. With as much speed as he can muster, the gryphon barrels into the plaza, roaring his anger. The bystanders in the plaza watch in confusion, and fear as this seemingly feral gryphon on a skateboard screams obscenities into the sky, promising an 'ass whopping of the century' to some unseen person. The gryphon's head jerks erratically as he searches for his quarry. For a moment, he thinks he can hear the sound of metal grinding on metal. He looks to the central art piece in the plaza, but can't see anything. His head jerks to his right, then, up, and to his left. He sees a split second of Nar's foot swinging towards his face, then, The gryphon's skateboard continues on it's path, as the rider slams onto the concrete of the plaza. Nar lands two feet away, and quickly skids to a stop. The skateboard slams into a bench, and comes to a halt. The gryphon lays on the concrete, out cold. Nar cringes, hard. "Oooooh shit. He hit the back of his head, really hard." Immediately, Nar pulls out his phone. He scrolls off of his drafted text to Spins in order to dial emergency services, and call for an ambulance. Around two minutes later, the unconscious gryphon is loaded into the back of an ambulance as the camera crew assures Nar that as long as the damage isn't permanent, he's covered by the waiver. Thankfully, no police are called, and Nar is free to go about his evening after having won his fight in the Battle of the Bands. That just leaves Asuka to win her fight, then... Attack on Mango is the number one band in Equestria! After the ambulance pulls away, Nar pulls out his phone once more, and finishes up his text to Spins before sending it off. "Hey! Sorry for the late reply! I'm sure you saw why. If not, battle of the bands stuff. Anyway, pizza sounds awesome! I'll send a text in the band group chat and see if the others can come! Cookie's spending some time with her grandparents in Ponyville right now, so she won't be able to join. Just send me an address, and I'll have everyone meet you there!"

(https://youtu.be/_TePxy7Hc3M?si=-235qI6PPKKdUDSB) Day 10. The last of the evidence has been presented, and closing arguments have been made. Now all that's left, is the verdict. "The jury will now deliberate." Judge Vindicant's words prompt the jury to rise from their seats, and be lead into a door at the back of the court room. The courtroom falls silent for some time. Sat at the defense table, Nar's strong, stoic mask finally cracks, and he slumps forward. His head rests on his arms as his eyes shut tight. In the gallery, Asuka sees her brother shudder once, heave, then become largely still. Litigious reaches over to gently pat his back, and reassure him. It's been a tough battle, and it's unlikely Nar won't get a conviction, but he's confident his sentence will be lenient. They did everything the could. All they can hope is that the jury, and Judge Vindicant have mercy on him, and don't send him to the dungeons. Six hours. For six, torturous hours, the jury deliberates. In that time, many leave the gallery, and return. Asuka, Juno, and Scrappy leave the gallery to get food for themselves, and Cookie. When they return, the jury is still deliberating, and Nar is still slumped in his seat. Neither Betty, nor Kisho ever move. Not to eat, not to use the bathroom, not even to shift in their seats. They are determined to be there for their son for every second. To remind him, he's not alone. After six hours, the jury finally files back into the courtroom. They take their seats, and Nar sits upright. Judge Vindicant looks to the foreman. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" The foreman, an older pegasus stallion responds. "Yes, Your Honor." Judge Vindicant nods, then turns to face his front. "The jury shall now deliver it's verdict." The foreman clears his throat. "In Canterlot Criminal Case number CHZ418561036, Canterlot vs Yakushi, on the charges of five counts of Aggravated Assault in the Second Degree, the jury finds the defendant-" There's an ever so slight pause. Asuka holds her breath. "Not guilty." Nar's eyes widen. Asuka gasps, but keeps her breath bated. "On the charges of five counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, the jury finds the defendant, not guilty." Litigious Exculpation places a firm hand on his client's shoulder. They may just have done it. "On the charges of two counts of Grievous Bodily Harm-" The second slight pause feels like an eternity. Asuka's heart nearly beats out of her chest. She clutches her niece tight in her arms, as Juno places a hand on hers. "Not guilty." (https://youtu.be/-Q2X1uoWEdI?si=1N_-YeH8St25xOeq) On one side of the courtroom, tears of joy, and hugs of happiness. On the other side, tears of anguish, and hugs of comfort. Asuka wraps her niece in the tightest hug she's ever given anyone, just as she's pulled into a hug by Juno. Tears flow freely as the two celebrate the exoneration of their brother. Beside them, Kisho and Betty share a tight embrace, shedding many tears of their own. On the opposite side, Hiari pulls Scrappy into a side hug. At the defendant's table, Nar's head tilts back, and he stares at the ceiling, mouth open, and tears streaming down his cheeks. Litigious gives him a gentle, reassuring shake of his shoulder. On the other side of the courtroom, an older mare lets out a heaving sob. She is quickly helped to her feet by two family members, and lead out of the courtroom as her wracking sobs fill the air. Judge Vindicant's face takes on a much lighter expression, and his eye locks onto Nar. "Mr. Yakushi, on behalf of the Canterlot Justice System, I would like to sincerely apologize for the treatment you suffered during these last two weeks. You were labeled a violent criminal, and treated as such before guilt was proven. For that, there is no excuse." His face then becomes stern. "I will be calling for a thorough, and complete internal investigation into the actions of Corporal Gallant Lance. That a member of the Canterlot Guard orchestrated an attack on citizens of Equestria is completely unacceptable, and such corruption must be rooted out at all costs!" Judge Vindicant then dramatically slams his gavel one last time. "Court is adjourned!"

Day 8. After many days of evidence, testimony, and questioning, the trial was reaching it's conclusion. Following testimony from a captain of the Canterlot guard, multiple witnesses, the two guards who responded to the incident, and even the two guards who had been stationed to patrol the streets around the alley the night of the incident, it was time for one last witness. At this rate, Litigious is hoping for a lighter sentence for his client. He doubts their self defense angle has done much to sway the jury, but... There's still a chance. All the evidence "C.G" had sent him somehow managed to get accepted into evidence, and he'd already revealed it, but when he questioned Corporal Gallant Lance about him being in the pictures, he denied all involvement. However, the other guards did identify the Corporal when they were presented with the photos. Litigious had to get something out of this last witness, or his client could very well end up in a dungeon for the rest of his life. At last, the prosecution calls upon one of the men Nar Yakushi fought during the incident. The supposed leader of the group no less. He gives a testimony about how he and his group never intended to harm anyone, and had fallen on tough times. He says they were going to let the women go after getting their money, then describes how they were viciously attacked, and only barely escaped with their lives. Two of them are permanently injured with life-altering injuries. One of which will never be able to talk properly again, and another who's left side of his body has been paralyzed. He spins a real sob story, and Litigious believes it might be working on the jury. He paints the defendant as a sociopath, who was just looking for an excuse to let loose, while still looking morally right, and the jury seems to be buying it. Notably, he avoids looking over towards Nar. After the prosecution has finished their questioning, it's time for Litigious to cross examine. He has to do this right, or things are going to get very grim for Mr. Yakushi. (https://youtu.be/AzT40NNJaAA?si=y23C0P3hQcSHirPi) "Mr. Crickets, on the night of the incident, what time did you, and your group enter the alleyway between Crown Street, and Canterlot Avenue?" On the stand, Jimmy Crickets tilts his head slightly. "I dunno. Maybe 7:30 or something." He pauses for a moment, then quickly seems to correct himself. "Wait, it was 7:50." "When you entered the alleyway, what were your intentions?" He sees the prosecutor move ever so slightly. Likely thinking about objecting, but he doesn't. "Well. We were down on our luck, and couldn't find any jobs that would hire us, so... we..." He pauses for a moment, prompting a "Please continue, Mr. Crickets" from Judge Vindicant. "We had to turn to doing some shady stuff. Nothing hard. No violence, no drugs, nothing like that. Just... Small stuff." "And was the night of the incident the first time your group had done this 'shady stuff'?" Jimmy shuffles in his seat slightly. The prosecutor's voice calls out. "Objection! Character Evidence, Your Honor." Followed by a calm "Overruled" from Judge Vindicant. He then looks to the stand once more. "Mr. Crickets, please answer the question." The answer is a quiet. "Yes." Litigious turns towards a screen in the well. "If you could please turn your attention to exhibit 11 A." The screen then displays a photo of an official Canterlot Guard document. It appears to be a report from Corporal Lance which describes his attempted arrest of a group of muggers, who managed to escape. "Official reports from the Canterlot guard have mentioned a group of young men with descriptions matching those of your group." He asks for the next document to be shown. This one is another report from Coproral Lance, only this time, the suspect descriptions are much more vague. Jimmy seems to become much less comfortable in his seat. Litigious asks for the next document to be shown. This one is from a Guard Sleuth, which describes the arrest of a young man who mugged a nobleman alongside 5 other suspects. This one details each suspect quite clearly. All descriptions matching Jimmy, and the 4 others of his group. "Are you certain this is the first time you, and your group had committed such acts?" Jimmy can feel Judge Vindicant's eye burning a hole into him. "Well... We may have done it a few times before." The prosecutor's voice speaks up once more "Objection! Character Evidence, Your Honor!" This time, Judge Vindicant gives him a less patient "Overruled." (https://youtu.be/b6pvnwwbNFA?si=paeywUYlAeCX6YmC) Litigious continues. "And in your previous 'encounters', did you, or your group use violence?" Jimmy shakes his head. "No. They usually just hand over the-." He stops himself again. He seems to realize he's made quite a big mistake. Damn it! He's not the one on trial! He shouldn't have to answer these questions! "Look, I'm not answering any more questions about that." Judge Vindicant seems to scowl. "Mr. Crickets, you will answer all questions posed to you unless stated otherwise. Do I make myself clear?" In the gallery, Betty Yakushi finds herself surprised. In Ponyville criminal trials, people on the stand can legally refuse to answer questions to avoid incriminating themselves. It looks like the Canterlot criminal courts don't have those same protections. "Answer the question, Mr Crickets." Judge Vindicant appears to be losing his patience. "They usually hand over the money... No problems." Litigious doesn't give Jimmy any time to gather himself. He launches right into his next question. "In the report from the incident, it says Mr. Currant shot Ms. Yakushi with a homemade crossbow. Was this planned?" Another raised voice from the prosecutor. He's starting to sound annoyed. "Objection, Speculation, Your Honor!" Another short "Overruled" is the response. After a moment, Jimmy responds. "No. We were just going to take their money, and leave." "And when Mr. Hedgerow asked you 'Hey Boss, do you think we could get more than money out of them?' What were your thoughts?" The prosecutor seethes quietly in his seat. "I just wanted the money! That's it!" Litigious allows him a moment before continuing with his next question. "Most of the reports from the Canterlot guard indicate having encountered your group near Solaris Plaza. That's quite a ways from Crown Street, and Canterlot Avenue. Was there a reason you changed locations for the night of the incident?" Someone with their wits about them likely would have said something along the lines of "We thought the people there would be richer." Unfortunately for Jimmy, everything was beginning to compound. He knew he was going to be thrown in the dungeon soon enough, but he wasn't going down alone. (https://youtu.be/UtXiYk1WUwQ?si=DnmPMsBAzZXKEtvg) "Lance told us to set up there! Said we'd score big!" Eyes widen, a few voices utter hushed whispers in the gallery. Litigious hides his surprise. "Lance? Are you referring to Canterlot Guard Corporal Gallant Lance?" "Objection! Leading! Your Honor!" A perfectly valid objection in this case. Unfortunately for the prosecution, Judge Vindicant didn't seem to think so at the moment. "Overruled!" His eye burns holes through Jimmy's skull. The young man is visibly in distress. "Yeah! Corporal Lance told us everything! Where to set up, when, and who to target! He knew those girls were rich or something! Told us if we got a decent chunk of money off of them, he might let us off the hook!" Asuka's eyes quickly scan all the guards present in the courtroom. How did that guard know when, and where they would be to tell the muggers? WHY would he tell them? Had he been watching them? For how long? Asuka doesn't feel safe anymore. Beside her, Scrappy looks as though she's about to have a panic attack. Asuka pulls her close, then begins to help her up. Kisho, Juno, and Deena stand with them, and help the two women, and Cookie exit the courtroom. Scrappy only barely able to stop herself from having a full on panic attack in the courtroom. The six sit in the court lobby, doing their best to help Scrappy calm down. They stay in the lobby for an hour, with Kisho consoling the two while Juno, and Deena pull security. Nearly an hour later, Asuka hears a commotion in the courtroom. It begins with angry screams, followed by the muffled shout of Judge Vindicant shouting for the bailiff. There's a thud, then after a few moments, the screaming gets closer, and closer until... Corporal Gallant Lance is dragged from the courtroom by two guards. He screams vitriol back into the courtroom as he's dragged away. "You fucking rat! We had a good thing going! I'll kill you! KILL YOU!" Not long after, Judge Vindicant calls for an early end for the day.

Day Three. "The Prosecution calls the Defendant to the stand." Nar rises from his position at the defense table, and is escorted to the stand by the bailiff. As he sits, he is sworn in, and the prosecutor approaches the stand. (https://youtu.be/AzT40NNJaAA?si=bTSAG5Q7IVUgsudd) "Mr. Yakushi. On the night of January 10th, you were involved in an altercation with six other men, is this correct?" Nar nods. "Yes sir." "Could you please elaborate on how this altercation took place, from your perspective?" Nar takes a deep breath, then begins. "I was on my way down Crown Boulevard to meet up my bandmates at the Rock n' Stop Diner, over on Canterlot Avenue. We'd just won a pretty big battle of the bands the day before, and had elected to spend the day doing our own things before we planned to meet up at the Rock n Stop at 8:10. On my way down the street, I heard my sister's voice coming from an alleyway. I thought I'd sneak up on her, and surprise her, but when I peeked into the alley, I saw her, our bandmate Scrappy, and my daughter surrounded by six men in hoodies, all of them holding weapons. I saw a fair amount of blood dripping down Asuka's right arm, and some sort of bolt stuck through her shoulder. There was one hoodied guy with a pretty big knife standing behind them, blocking the alley. So, I took out a metal baseball bat, and hit the guy in the side of the head to knock him out. I ran past my sister, and took a swing at the lead guy. I heard some shouting, then I heard my daughter scream, and I knew then, and there if I didn't fight those guys, they might hurt my family more than they already had. I started swinging my bat at any of the guys who got close, or tried to get past me, but I took a few blows, and cuts in the process. After I took a cut from a knife to my side, I just... Saw red, and my body started acting on instinct. It was either me, or them. I don't remember anything past that. I only remember coming to on the ground, in handcuffs." The Prosecutor does not allow for a pause, as Litigious did with Asuka. Instead, he launches directly into his next question. "When you swung your bat the first time, why did you aim for Mr. Fairway's head?"  "To knock him out quickly. I needed to make sure Asuka, Scrappy, and Cookie had an escape route. If I didn't take him out in one swing, I'd be out of position in case the others tried to attack, or grab the girls. I had to get him out of the way, and get between them, and the muggers as quick as possible." "Are you aware of the damage that can occur when the head is struck with force?" Nar gives a slow nod. "If he was the only attacker, I would have just tried to grapple him, but I didn't have that luxury. I had to knock him out quickly, and that was the quickest way I could think of in under a second." "And with the others, did you target any specific body parts during the altercation?" Nar shakes his head. "No sir. I just wanted to keep them away so the girls could run away." "And at any point, after the three women had fled, did you make any attempts to flee, yourself?" Nar gives a nod. "I did, but every time I tried, they'd try to surround me, or one would lunge at me to keep me in place. By the time I would possibly have had a chance to flee, I was acting purely on instinct, and I never saw the opportunity." "Do you feel any remorse for the damage you inflicted upon those men?" Litigious speaks up from his position at the defense table. "Objection, Leading, Your Honor!" From his bench, Judge Vindicant lets out a firm "Overruled." The courtroom is filled with silence. The prosecutor seems to pierce Nar with his icy gaze. After a moment, Nar finally responds in a fairly low tone. "No. They hurt my sister, and put my daughter's life in danger." This time, the Prosecutor lets the silence hang, but only for a few moments. "No further questions your honor." With this, the prosecutor returns to his seat, and Litigious stands to take his place. He wastes little time in beginning his cross-examination. "Mr. Yakushi, just before the altercation began, how did you feel?" "Well, before I heard Asuka's voice in the alley, I was pretty excited. I'd heard a lot of good things about the Rock 'n Stop, and was looking forward to eating there. When I heard Asuka's voice, I was feeling a little mischievous. I didn't know she was in danger at the time, and well, big brothers are going to tease their little sisters. Then, when I saw what was going on, I was shocked. Then I saw she was hurt, and that Cookie, and Scrappy were with her, and I feared for their safety, and lives. Then, I focused, came up with a plan, and put it into action." "And how did you feel during the altercation?" "I felt... Angry. Enraged, even. They hurt my sister. One of the people most important to me. When I heard my daughter scream... I got so enraged that anyone would dare to make her, my little, four year old daughter, fear for her life... I had to stop them." In the gallery, Asuka wraps Cookie in a tight hug, as she begins to heave quiet, gasping sobs. A wet patch slowly grows on her shirt as Cookie sobs into her chest. Litigious allows a moment's pause, before asking. "And after the altercation?" "I was worried. Worried for Asuka, and for Scrappy, and for Cookie. I was worried one of the muggers had got by me, and gone after them. When you told me they were safe when you met me in the detention center... Well, I've never felt more relieved in my life. Those 15 hours I spent, not knowing if they were okay, were the worst 18 hours of my life. Worse than anything I've experienced during my time as an Astral Highway explorer." Now, Asuka feels tears welling in her eyes. Beside her, Juno wraps an arm around her shoulder, and pulls her in close. "No further questions, your honor."