Nar Yakushi

With Nar's wedding fast approaching, it was finally time for he, and his buddies to get together, and celebrate! Early this morning, Juno dropped by Nar's house in the Attack on Mango tour van to pick Nar up for their drive to Vanhoover. The drive takes almost a full day of driving, but the duo manages to make it to their hotel before sundown. As much as Nar wants to go meet with his buddies right away, they have a full schedule tomorrow, and he'll need some good rest to make it through the day.  The next morning, the two hop back into the van to go pick up the rest of the party's participants. First are Ryuji, and Steeltrap, who take up the back row of seats. It's a little uncomfortable for them with their height, but not enough to be an issue. Next, the group swings by an apartment in the city's downtown to pick up Steve. The moment the older man steps out of the apartment, he throws his arms open wide. "Nephew! It's been too long!" The older man quickly approaches, and pulls Nar into a tight hug, accompanied by a hearty pat on the back. "Good to see you too, Uncle Steve." Nar responds with a chuckle. After breaking the hug, Steve takes a step back, and lets out a long whistle. "You've gotten bigger since I last saw you. Lookin' huge nephew!" To which, Nar grins, and flexes a bicep. Once everyone is back in the van, the group heads to pick up their last member. Pulling up to a house in the suburbs, the group picks up the sixth, and final member of the bachelor party, Artuo. Once everyone is together in the van, Steve poses the question everyone's been wondering. "So nephew, where we headed first?" "Pancake cabin." Yeah, that sounds about right for Nar. No doubt most of the places they visit today are going to be fairly modest. Nar's not exactly known for being extravagant.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ElNa2KYuI) Breakfast at Pancake Cabin is nothing special. The food is alright, and it's reasonably priced, but nobody goes to Pancake Cabin for the food. You go there for the atmosphere, and the open kitchen where you can hear the cooks all shouting orders aloud. Of course, Nar goes for the Grand Slam Special. 2 Pancakes, about a quarter of a pound of bacon, 2 eggs, toast, and loaded hash browns. Enough food to feed a normal man for two meals, or, enough for one hungry Nar. Juno tries to dare him to eat it all in 5 minutes, but for once, Nar does the sensible thing, and takes his time. Last thing he wants is to start his bachelor party off by spewing his breakfast inside the van.  After breakfast, the group drives around the city hitting up various spots Nar used to visit. There's the game store he used to go to for his D&D supplies, the old, nearly abandoned mall that Astral Outfitters used to be in, a visit to central park, and lunch at Shifty Sai's. The moment Nar takes his seat in his band's old booth, he almost regrets moving back to Ponyville. Shifty Sai's is the best Tex-Mex in all of Equestria, and he left it for a place that isn't even half as good, for double the price. I'm sorry, Artuo. I have betrayed you.  Following lunch, the group continues to visit places Nar used to go to. They take a detour to visit Stinkin' Steve's, where Nar catches up with some of the old regulars he knows. Then, they take another detour to visit the band's old friend, Deena, in her wilderness shop. The three-eyed zebra is quite happy to see her old friends again, and playfully berates Nar for not bringing Cookie for her to meet.  For dinner, the group hits up a restaurant known for having the spiciest food in the city. Though, Nar notes that the food itself kinda sucks. Not worth the pits of Tartarus opening in his mouth, and stomach.  At the end of the night, Juno pulls a van up to what looks to be a large warehouse. Out front is a simple sign that reads "Adventure Mini Golf." Though the group has arrived well after the place's hours of operation, they're let inside, and given free reign of the many courses. A lone employee watches over the group, and provides them with snacks, and drinks when requested. Though, they only get through the first of the 5 courses before inviting the guy to join them. Nothing says he can't, so long as he gets food, and drinks when they want it! With their new friend, the six guys play minigolf well into the wee hours of the morning. Nar puts on a good showing, but comes in third. Juno nabs first, and Steve shows that he's still got the ol' mini-golf skills of his youth by snagging second. Poor Steelrap got stuck in last because he kept hitting his ball too hard, and knocked it off the course almost every hole.  After dropping the others back off at their homes, Nar, and Juno return to their hotel at 4 in the morning to crash for 8 hours, then head back to Ponyville. It was great to get to hang out with the guys again, but now Nar's focusing on his wedding! 

Fall, Ponyville, 2037.  Only an hour after she, and her father, returned home after a TTRPG club meeting, Cookie is preparing to head out again. After slipping into some rather stylish streetwear, Cookie slips a cute little "3" mouth mask over her face, and grabs her messenger bag. Then, she slips on the cat beanie she got on her last trip to Neighpan. She's careful to make sure all of her hair fits underneath it. Finally, she completes her fit with a pair of pastel colored, motorized in-line skates. Afterwards she makes her way to the front door. The lights are off, and it appears her father is in bed. However, it looks like he's left her a bottle of water, and a note on the table next to the front door. "Stay hydrated out there! And remember, 'I want a lawyer!'" with a little heart at the bottom. Cookie takes the bottle, and stuffs it into her messenger bag, alongside cans of spray paint, and other graffiti materials. Slipping out into the night, Cookie can't help but thank the monarchs her dad is the way he is. If anyone else in her family knew that she was slipping out at night, and what she was slipping out for, they'd probably have a fit. Granted, it wasn't like she told her father she was slipping out. She just couldn't hide it from him. After all, he used to do the same thing when he was her age. The fact that he was helping her hide it from her mother was a whole other thing entirely. (https://youtu.be/VedheUcbyKM) The crisp night air feels refreshing against Cookie's fur on her midnight skate. As much as she'd love to lap up the cool night air on the open roads, she can't risk someone noticing her. She uses back roads, and alleyways on her path to her destination. Places where the lights of street lamps are dim, or nonexistent. As much as things have changed since she was a kid, many things are still the same in Ponyville. The streets are still just as empty at night as they were in her childhood. At least, when it comes to civilians. All throughout the town stand signs, and billboards advertising the various different services of 'Dreamglow Incorporated'. Though by far the most advertised is their insurance services. Just seeing the billboards with that prick billionare Winston Dreamglow's face on them makes Cookie sick. It's all a scam. His company takes your money in premiums every month, when when you have the AUDACITY to need some of it, they deny your claim, and leave you to foot expensive medical, dental, or auto bills out of pocket. Because of this greedy jerk, one of Cookie's best friends, Chrome, almost had to go without the medication he needs for his chronic illness. If it wasn't for her father stepping in to pay for the medication himself, Chrome could very well have died.  Cookie arrives at her destination at around 11:20 PM. A small, abandoned mechanic's shop rests on the outskirts of the town. From what Cookie remembers, the place used to be rated as the best mechanic's shop in town, but about 11 years ago, it was raided at night by three individuals. Turns out, the owner was hosting some unsavory 'meetings' at his business, and three vigilantes showed up to bust it up when the police wouldn't do anything. Same shit, different year. The Ponyville police have been fairly corrupt for as long as Cookie can remember. Sure, they've tried to clean the department up a few times, but corruption is a cancer. It always seems to come back. The higher ups aren't willing to take the drastic action needed to eliminate it for good. Cookie knocks on the left garage door in a carefully practiced pattern. She's deliberate in only knocking the pattern once. A moment passes. Then two pass. Before a third can pass, the garage door is lifted open. On the other side stands a teenage minotaur. His eyes are obscured by long. shaggy hair. His clothing is baggy, and ill fitting, but keeps him covered. "Dozer." The minotaur greets with a hint of excitement in his voice. Cookie pops herself into the minotaur's fur for a hug. "Good to see you too, big guy." Breaking the hug brings a few strands of matted fur with it. Cookie begins the pick the fur out of her outfit when she spots a second figure sat atop an old mechanic's workbench. "Sup Cook." The zebra flashes a grin to Cookie. His outfit is the definition of "streetwear." Baggy cargo pants, tank top, a sleek green jacket, and a baseball cap of Ponyville's professional football team covering messy hair underneath. She gives him a nonchalant wave in greeting. Zev here is the little group's de-facto leader. Seeing as how he's the most streetwise of the four. Speaking of the fourth, Cookie hasn't seen Trashua yet, but she knows he's here somewhere. Yes, that is his real name. His parents were some real pieces of work. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Cookie catches movement from one of the many piles of trash scattered around the garage. Slowly, a unicorn covered in a trash ghillie suit rises from the pile with a yawn. He lifts a newspaper covered hand to rub the goggles over his eyes, while surveying his surroundings. "Time for the meeting already?" Tonight, the group is hitting 3 targets. First is the Dreamglow Insurance office in downtown Ponyville. Second, is a statue of Winston Dreamglow that acts as the centerpiece of an outdoor mall he sponsored. The statue, and the mall are both monuments to his greed, and the millions of people who suffer because of it. Security would be an issue, if the mall had any to speak of. Beyond the security cameras, which Trashua knows how to turn off remotely, there won't be any guards, or anything else to pose any problems. Lastly, the group is going to split up into two groups. Zev, and Dozer are going to hit a local store that's well known for having shady dealings after hours. Cookie, and Trashuia are going to hit a billboard that sits prominently on the highway leading into the town from Canterlot. Winston's big, ugly face is just too juicy a target for them to ignore. (https://youtu.be/0WHWBjjJbz0) Under the cover of night, the four teenagers don their skates, and make for the Dreamglow Insurance office. They weave through alleys, and back streets to avoid being spotted. All while communicating with state of the art earpieces that let a whisper be heard as clearly as someone talking normally. Cookie's father may not have known EXACTLY what she wanted those for when she asked for them for her birthday last year, but he certainly wasn't asking questions. It helps that she got two extra for her friends, Silver, and Chrome.  Down the street, the bland building that acts as the office for Dreamglow Insurance's Ponyville branch comes into view. Zev's voice comes up in Cookie's ear. "A'ight. We comin' up on the office. Trashua, do yo thing bruthah." The group pulls to a stop in an alleyway about 2 blocks from the office. Trashua appears to reach into a bag underneath his trash suit, and produces a tablet. Cookie actually has no idea where he got it from, but she's not about to ask. The trash covered teen breaks off from the rest of the group, and heads towards the office. Cookie watches as he leans in front of the front door. She's not sure what he does, but the door opens for him about 10 seconds later, allowing him inside. 2 minutes pass, then his voice comes over their earpieces. "We're clear." That's the signal for the others to roll in, and begin their work.  Over the course of 20 minutes, the group covers almost every wall, and window in, and outside of the office with graffiti. Pieces of men in suits sat atop stacks of bits, and corpses. Words like "MURDERERS", and "LIVES OVER MONEY" are sprayed in prominent, bold, eye catching fonts. On the front windows of the store, Cookie has sprayed the message "75% OF CLAIMS DENIED. 13,634 DEAD BECAUSE OF HIS GREED."  The second location goes much the same as the first. Trashua works his magic, and the group hits Winston's statue, and the little plaza built around it. Though, the group doesn't touch any of the mall itself. It may be sponsored by Winston Dreamglow, but the stores themselves are run by local businesses, just trying to put food on the table for their families. Plus, Tino's has BANGIN' tacos, and they would never desecrate the holy land of Tex-Mex in Ponyville.  After the group splits up, Cookie, and Trashu make their way to the town's outskirts to hit their final target. Cookie climbs the ladder up to the billboard to spray paint a similar message to what she sprayed at the office. Trashua stays below to keep an eye out. His natural trash camouflage blends in with the discarded rubbish around the edges of the highway. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Cookie is just about to wrap up. Trashua's voice comes over her earpiece. It's urgent, but quiet. "Cop car comin'. North." Sure enough, Cookie hears the whoop of a siren, and spots blue lights come on behind her. A voice comes over the car's speaker system. "Hey! Come down, and let's chat!" Fuck no! Pig!  Cookie may not be able to fly, but she can still glide! She quickly weaves through the walkway of the billboard to make it to the other side. Once there, she unfurls her wings, and leaps from the billboard! She keeps her wings straight in order to glide across the gap between the billboard, and a nearby building. Behind her, she hears the police cruiser begin to move in an attempt to follow her. They never even noticed Trashua, laying only 15 feet from the road. The wheels of Cookie's skates graze the edge of the building's rooftop, almost causing her to fall over upon landing. She quickly regains her footing, and breaks out into a dash to leap across to the next building. She can hear the police cruiser pull to a stop on the street next to the building she landed on, but by the time the officer inside is able to get out of her car, Cookie has cleared a third rooftop, and glides down into an alleyway to make her escape.  With all their targets hit for the night, it's time for Cookie to lay low for a bit. She'll head home for some sleep when she's sure the coast is clear. Police usually don't spend much time looking for vandals once they lose sight of them anyway. Just not worth it for them.