Stake Out

Rusty's Fix-er-Up is a reputable mechanic shop in Ponyville. Owned, and operated by an older gentleman who customers only know as "Rusty", the shop is considered one of the best in town. Rusty is knowledgeable, quick, earnest, and all around, a great guy! He'll fix your car up quick, and only do what needs to be done! None of that snake oil crap about needing a new alignment screw, or stuff like that! He's an honest, fair, and kind business owner, who really cares about his customers! At least, that's what the locals say. When Nar looked up reviews for Rusty's Fix-er-Up online, he found a seemingly flawless five stars. Most of the reviews were from locals that went on and on about how 'genuine', and 'honest' Rusty is. However, after some digging, Nar managed to find a few 1 star reviews on different review sites. One review by a griffon mentions their review getting taken down on the most popular review site. Another mentioned having to wait 2 hours, just for Rusty to tell them personally that he didn't have the parts they needed. When they asked if he could order them, he just told them they parts were out, and to look elsewhere. A quick search tells Nar that this reviewer is a zebra. More searching, and Nar finds similar stories from all manner of non-pony reviewers. So, when Nar begins his stake out of the mechanic's shop this afternoon, he's  fairly certain of what he'll find. Throughout the day, Nar watches as Rusty goes about his work. Most of his customers appear to be ponies. They come in with car troubles, and leave an hour or less later all smiles. Then, halfway through his stake out, Nar watches a yak step out a large truck, and head into the shop. At some point, Rusty comes out, and pulls the car around. When Nar goes to check if he's pulled it into the garage, he finds the yak's truck just sitting behind the store, out of view, while Rusty works on the car of a mare who came in 40 minutes after the yak. Nearly 2 hours after he pulled the truck to the back, Rusty brings the truck to the front again. About 3 minutes later, the yak exits the shop, visibly enraged. He slams the door of his truck, then peels out of the parking lot. Now, that isn't enough evidence to tell Nar Rusty's allowing the group of punks spreading hate at night to use his garage willingly. There could be any number of explanations for Rusty's actions, but Nar's hopes aren't high. At the end of the afternoon, as the sun begins to set, Nar watches as Rusty closes up shop for the night. However, he never actually sees Rusty leave the shop. Maybe he just lives in his shop, or maybe he's got some work to catch up on. Nar can't be sure. As the light of the sun fades, and is replaced with the florescent glow of street lamps, Nar continues his stake out. For 3 hours, Nar watches Rusty's mechanic shop like a hawk. Looking for any signs of movement. At around 9 PM, Nar sees a group of 3 approach the shop. They go around the back, but by the time Nar manages to move to look for them, they're gone. Looks like they've gone in through the back. Well. Time to wait here for the next few hours. Nar doesn't have to wait long. 10 minutes after the first group appeared, Nar spots the two stallions he trailed from the night before approaching the shop. The two approach a back door. One gives an oddly specific knock. The other keeps watch over his shoulder. Nar slips a little deeper into the dark alleyway he's watching from. A few seconds later, the door opens. Just enough for Nar to get a peek inside. There's no mistaking the face on the other side. That's Rusty. The two stallions slip inside. Nar maintains his vigil throughout the night, watching as a total of 10 stallions enter the shop through the course of the night. A few leave at points throughout the night. Likely to put up posters, or spray graffiti. At the end of the night, Nar returns home. Before he heads to bed for the night, he sends of two texts. One to Steeltrap, the other to Ryuji. "I need a favor. Any chance you could swing by Ponyville sometime soon?"