Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

The train whistled loudly as its wheels began churning to life.

“Last opportunity to go to Ponyville!” Called out the pony in the blue uniform before boarding on himself. Quite a few ponies had boarded on and were already assigned seats in the various carts. Others chose to stay behind, and they began to return to life as normal: farming, drinking in saloons, and playing cards.

The train whistled again and it was off. The wheels begun churning faster and faster, gaining momentum to move away from the boarding dock. The sun was setting, and some ponies were eating. Others had been talking casually.

One pony was kind of multitasking, having been holding a soup-eating spoon in one crook of his foreleg and a set of cards in another. He was smiling as he finished a bowl of soup and moved the bowl into a stack of six others.

“Ya full yet? I couldn’t eat that many bowls of soup in one sitting.” Braeburn asked, eyes wide at the stack of bowls that a waiter pony took up and trotted off with.

Tenmei nodded, then burped rather loudly. “P-pardon me.” He said before chuckling.

“It’s alright.” Braeburn said, smiling. “Hey, ya got a king?”

Tenmei looked at his hand of cards. “Go fish.” He replied.

Braeburn drew a card from the deck. “We’re gonna be on this train a while.”

“Why say that?” Tenmei inquired.

“It’s gonna be a few hours from here to there.” Braeburn answered, frowning.

“Might as well kill the time. Got any two’s?” Tenmei said, also frowning in disappointment.

“Nah. Gofish.” Braeburn replied, watching as Tenmei drew a card from the deck.

The toll from the earlier battle was now taking its course on the tan-pelted stallion. In addition to a lot of food in his stomach, he began to feel really tired and dizzy.

“You alright?” Braeburn asked, now sounding worried.

“Just...exhausted. Is it alright if I took a nap?” Tenmei asked, heavy eyelids becoming harder to keep open by the passing second.

“Sure. If I fought a train like you did, I’m pretty sure I’d be tired too.” Braeburn answered smiling.

“Wake me up when we reach Ponyville.” Tenmei said, putting his cards down and laying down in the seat. Soon, sleep took him in its grasp, and it was aided by the soft moonlight and gentle bumping of the cart he was in as the train kept going towards its destination.

An orange hoof nudged the tan stallion on the shoulder, and he opened his clouded eyes before yawning. He forced himself into a sitting position with his front hooves. He rubbed his eyes lazily before looking out the window and seeing a town with houses that had straw roofs and many ponies trotting past, some with horns and wings and all with more colors than could be found in a rainbow.

“This is the place.” Braeburn said, smiling. “Nice, ain’t it?”

“Very.” Tenmei replied before yawning again. He quickly shook off what sleep clung to him and got off of his seat.

“Just follow me. I’ll show ya around.” Braeburn said, still smiling as he trotted away to join the other ponies who were getting off the train. Tenmei did as told, and spotted the orange stallion already going off somewhere without him. The tan stallion sighed and quickly caught up to him before noticing another orange pony, this one with a blond mane tied back, who was striking up a conversation with Braeburn.

Said mare noticed the tan stallion. “And who is he?” She asked.

“Applejack, I was just about to tell ya all about him.” Braeburn replied, wrapping a foreleg around Tenmei’s back with a big grin on his face. “This here’s Tenmei, and he’s somethin’ alright!”

“Ah see you’ve made a new friend.” Applejack said, smiling as she held out her hoof. Tenmei held out his hoof (the one without the crossbow strapped to it) nervously. Hooves touched and bobbed in unison as they were shaken up and down briefly before being returned to the ground. “And why do ya say he ‘is somethin’ alright’?” She asked.

“He’s mighty wicked with a crossbow. I’ve never seen somepony as good as him.” Braeburn said, still grinning. Tenmei now noticed he was sweating quite a bit and his eyes widened a bit.

“You better NOT tell her about the monster I fought yesterday.” Tenmei thought, sweat also forming on his face.

“Well, I’ll see y’all later. Gotta help my brother with the apple trees.” Applejack said before bounding off to who knows where in a hurry.

“That’s my cousin Applejack for ya. The apple orchards need tending to.” Braeburn said, patting Tenmei on the back before returning his hoof to the ground.

“Wait, she has an orchard?” Tenmei asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yep. She runs Sweet Apple Acres with her family. I’ll take ya there later. Main priority’s showing you round town since this is yer first day here.” Braeburn pointed out, smiling. He then began galloping off again, and Tenmei followed in haste. The orange stallion kept going straight ahead, but his companion didn’t falter once.

Braeburn took a left, and so did his friend. They passed by a rounded building that had a red roof on it before taking another right and finding a house that looked like it was made of gingerbread. In front of it were three ponies, one of whom was quite literally pink all over bouncing around a white mare with a soft pink mane tied in a bun.

The other one was blue all over, and one of her forelegs was held to her chest thanks to bandages and cloth. Poking out of a saddlebag strapped to her midsection was a blue boomerang with purple teeth.

“Wait a second….Koto?” Tenmei murmured, trying very hard to keep his jaw from dropping open.

“Who?” Braeburn asked, now noticing the blue mare was looking at him and his friend.

The pink mare noticed the two stallions and hopped to them as if she were made of rubber. She circled them whilst chanting something along the lines of “I’ll throw you a Welcome to Ponyville Party!”

The blue mare hobbled her way to the duo that was being circled, and so did the white mare. The blue mare’s face looked as though beaming with hope, a bright smile adorning her face despite her predicament.

The white pony, who was wearing a nurse hat, suddenly stepped in between the two. She looked at the blue mare with an annoyed look on her face. “I’m sorry, but you can’t talk to this pony.”

“B-but he’s my friend…” The mare replied, ears flat on her head and eyes watering already.

“Oh hell. Puppy eyes.” Tenmei thought, ears flat on his own head as a sense of dread overcame him.

“He is?” The nurse asked, disbelief in her voice. “My apologies.” She moved out of the way.

The pink pony then said something along the lines of “Does anypony want sweets? The bakery has lots of sweets!”

“Sweets?” Tenmei asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yes! There’s cookies and cupcakes and other pastries galore!” The pink pony answered, brimming with enthusiasm like none other. She stopped jumping around long enough to reveal a poofy mane, blue eyes, and three balloons for a cutie mark. "Come on inside already!"

"What do you say, Koto?" Tenmei asked.

"I haven't eaten since this morning. Why not?" Koto replied, her face once more brimming with a smile.