Nar Yakushi

The Attack on Mango tour van pulls up to a one story house just outside the suburbs of Ponyville. After three days of driving, Nar, Asuka, Juno, and Cookie are glad to have finally reached their destination. With a big stretch, and a long sigh, Nar surveys his surroundings. (https://youtu.be/WhexSDjwXrM?si=dQy6fJ1gd5JRTKSo) It's a beautiful, sunny day in Ponyville. It's warm, but not too hot, or humid, and a soft breeze blows through the town. There's hardly a cloud in the sky, letting the sun shine bright all over. As Nar unbuckles Cookie from her kid's seat in the tour van, and sets her down he smiles brightly. On the other side of the van, Juno lets out a whistle. "You picked a cozy little place for yourself, huh Asuka?" As Nar heads around the front of the van, he hears Asuka respond. "Yeah. I figured Hiari and I wouldn't need a big place. Since neither of us are likely to spend much time at home." Nar cocks his head slightly at this. "What do you mean? You plan to crash at my house all the time?" He asks with a grin. Asuka shakes her head. "I already have a job with the Ponyville EMS. Applied two weeks before the move, and i start Saturday." Nar claps his sister on the back. "Can't sit still for one second, can ya' Sock?" Asuka rolls her eyes, also grinning. "Neither can you." Juno laughs beside the two. "It runs in your family!" Inside, they find that the movers they hired have already dropped off all of Asuka's stuff, and set up the few pieces of furniture she has. It'll be a few weeks before Hiari moves in, so for now, Asuka will be living on her own. The group hugs, and says goodbye before Nar, Cookie, and Juno pile back into the van, and leave. Now that Asuka is alone in her house, she comes to the retaliation at how quiet her life is about to be. She was so used to all the noise of Vanhoover, and the band house. That's gone now though. She's not upset though. Nar's house is just a 10 minute walk away, with her parents practically right next to him, and Juno lives fairly close by as well. If she ever needs company, she'll always be able to find it.  A short drive later, the tour van pulls up to a small apartment complex just inside Ponyville's main street. Nar, Juno, and Cookie take a short walk down main street as the two best friends reminisce about their childhood here. They talk about visits to the old bakeries, especially that one... What was the name? Sugarblue Corner or something? They point out old places they used to go to. Some still open, some having been replaced, and some permanently closed. They both light up when they realize there's a Tex-Mex restaurant in walking distance from Juno's apartment. After the walk, the two head back to the apartment, where they share a hug. "Take care of yourself man." Nar says, patting Juno's back. "You too dude. Don't forget to visit often." Juno replies, returning the pats. Then, the two part, and Nar, and Cookie get back into the tour van, as Juno waves goodbye. Yet another short drive, and finally, Nar arrives home. A quaint, two story house on the outer edge of the suburbs near main street. Plenty of yard space, front and back, a backyard patio, and easy access to the neighborhood pool, just a block away! Nar parks the van inside the garage, and helps a sleepy Cookie inside. Looks like the movers have already been here. All he needs to do is unpack, and everything should be ready! Buuuuut, that can wait. Tired from three days of driving, Nar plops down onto his living room couch, Cookie sprawled over his chest, with her chin resting on his shoulder. There, father, and daughter quickly drift off for a quick (multiple hour) nap.

(https://youtu.be/5bO7u_1C6hs?si=NH1PGHAmPsm0CJsH) It's the night before Nar, Asuka, and Juno move back to their hometown. After a lively goodbye party with all their friends at Stinkin' Steve's, the three, along with Cookie, have made their way home to sleep for the night. Once everyone else in the house is asleep, Nar quietly slips out on his own. He has one last goodbye to say before he leaves the city. After a night skate through the city, Nar arrives at his destination. A lone Astral Highway door sat within a brick wall of a building that stands between two office buildings. There's a wooden sign hanging above the door, but any wording it featured has faded away due to lack of maintenance. Nar remembers the door being boarded up the last time he came through, but it looks like he wasn't the only former member of the Equestrian Society of Extraplanar Exploration who still wanted to visit their old, northern headquarters. Opening the door, and stepping through the threshold, Nar finds the abandoned HQ exactly as it was left. Not so much as a single sheet of paper in the HQ's clerical office has been disturbed. Odd. He'd expected to see at least some signs of recent use. Unless the Astral Highway door just got rid of the boards out front itself. He wouldn't be surprised. The Astral Highway System was weird like that. He glides through the HQ's main hall over to the back wall. It's filled with pictures of people. Some old enough to be in black and white. A sign above the pictures reads . Sat in the very center of the wall is a panoramic picture of a group of 7 young adults, huddled in a group photo. Strangely, the 7th figure, in the middle of the photo, has been ripped out of it. Nar grabs a chair from a nearby table, and pulls it up to the center picture. After a long moment of silence, he smiles a bittersweet smile at the photo, and begins to speak. "Hey guys. Sorry I haven't come to visit in a long while. Life's been pretty busy for me." He pauses, as if waiting for a reply. It never comes. "I just... I wanted to say goodbye." Another pause. Still no response. "I'm moving back to Ponyville tomorrow." Nar shuffles uncomfortably in his seat. He stares into the eyes of the mare nearest the center of the photo for a good, long while, then heaves a sigh. "Just wish I could bring you guys with me." For the next hour, Nar tells those in the picture about what's been going on since he last saw them. He tells them about his band reaching the top of the national charts. He tells them about his daughter, and how happy he is to be a father. He tells them about his recent forays into romance, and how he's currently seeing someone. He tells them about some of his adventures back into the AHS, and some of the people he's met from them. After he's done, Nar stands, and reaches into his satchel. After rummaging for a moment, he produces a scrap of paper from it. Carefully, Nar fits the scrap into the torn out section of the picture, and gingerly tapes it on. As he backs away, tears well in his eyes as he beholds himself among his old friends of the Northern Adventure League one last time. "At least." He begins, before taking a shaky breath. "In this way, we'll be together forever." Nar bows his head, muttering a quick prayer to whatever higher power there is out there that his friends souls are at peace. Then, with a final, sullen "Goodbye." Nar turns, and heads to exit the headquarters.