Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

A train whistling in the distance resounded once more, the hollow echo that came afterwards putting the group of three at unease. All ears were perked to attention, and their owners frozen stiff for a few moments.

It whistled again, this time sounding much louder and clearer than before. The station began to rumble and tremble slightly as a large, circular light blinded the only three ponies who had set hoof into its dirty frame. The owner of said light then shot past the lot before quickly coming back and stopping to a dead halt, wheels loudly grating and screeching against the worn, rusted tracks as it did.

The strange thing was that the only light present was at the front of the damn thing, which was now quite a ways off. Yuuki narrowed her eyes, letting them adjust to the dark scenery and found that the cart that had stopped before her and her companions happened to have a ladder settled at the very back.

A door then opened, blotting out the lower part of the ladder with its frame. Yuuki then noticed that part of the rails had either been chewed off or sawed off long ago.

The two stallions shambled their way towards the anomaly, stopping when they stood by the purple mare. All three had raised eyebrows and slightly-tilted heads. The door on the back almost seemed as if it invited them in, but it felt ethereal. Almost...foreboding.

“You first, Yuuki.” Rekka said, ears now falling flat on his head.

The purple mare turned to him, eyes wide and mouth nearly dropping open. “W-why me?!” She asked, her voice cracking in shock.

“You’re the only one who can walk properly. Besides, it’s also for our own safety.” Blade answered for the red-maned pony, shaking his head and sighing.

The young mare took a moment or two to register the unicorn’s words, and then the fact that both stallions were crippled also hit her harder than a brick. She sighed and proceeded to board the train’s back entrance, then helped the other two goofballs onto the small walkway that led to the inviting door.

Beyond said door was a stagnant and horrifically stale air permeating the dark, dusty inside that looked as though untouched for at least a solid year. Any possible light sources had been crushed, snuffed out as if disregarded altogether.

“A-Am I dreaming?” Yuuki inquired, ears falling flat on her skull as a feeling of dread washed over her.

“If you are, then I am too.” Rekka commented, his tail twitching nervously.

“I don’t like the looks of this. Not one bit.” Blade hissed, his nose wrinkling as the stagnant air hit him.

The trio exchanged glances with one another before tentatively setting hoof within the darkness, old wood creaking to adjust to their weight. Only the soft light of the clouded full moon could let them see, and glass crunched noisily under hooves.

Then, as soon as all three were inside, the door slammed shut behind them before any could react. All eyes widened and ears were perked to attention as the sudden noise left as quick as it had come. The train whistled once more, and the wheels churned to life on their own accord, causing the cart to vibrate gently.

A masculine chuckle filled the darkness with a feeling of dread. Then, a crimson light began glowing, revealing a gold-coated unicorn stallion with a short red mane and glinting red eyes, standing on the other end of the cart. His ears were barely tufted, and a small but wicked smile adorned his face.

“To think that we’d meet once more, you insensitive brats.” He said, his smile widening as he spoke.

“And just who do you think you are?!” Blade nearly shouted, anger rising in his voice as he glared at the unicorn.

“My, my, you filthy brats have befriended one who knows not of my grandeur?” Replied the unicorn, shaking his head as if to pity the three-legged stallion. “Fortunately, I am feeling a bit generous today. I am Maki, one of two subordinates of Baki in an organization called the Frontier Quartet.”

Yuuki’s eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to speak, but she could not form any words at all. She took a step forward, her breathing ragged and heavy thanks to the stale air.

“You are tempting me, filly.” Maki said, his horn glowing brighter. A crimson aura then appeared, holding a wooden bench within its grasp. “And you do not want to tempt me.”

“How is she tempting you? And why do you hold a bench in your magic?” Blade inquired, stomping his front hoof angrily.

The other unicorn’s smile seemed to darken, eyes glinting with some kind of evil intent as his magic placed the bench before him. “Do you really wish to know?” He asked with an audible sigh. “I could do so much to all three of you, but she has so much more…all by herself.”

The sole mare took a deep breath. She shook her head sadly. Her eyes narrowed further. “You...you...UGH! You don’t deserve to be alive!” She hissed angrily.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘pedophile.’” Rekka growled, his eyes burning with anger and his blood roiling with white-hot fire.

“Pshhhh. I am not a pedophile, I simply have taste in younger people...or ponies, in this case.” Maki cut back tauntingly, his sickening smile unwavering. The bench before him vanished into thin air. He took a step towards the group, and another. Yuuki and Rekka were particularly tense now, but held their ground nonetheless. “Just be glad I pity you for once.”

“If you have pity, then you aren’t showing it.” Blade swiftly pointed out, stomping his front hoof again.

The gold-coated pony stopped in his tracks...before letting out a small laugh as he shook his head at the remark. “Me, not showing pity? Good sir, what kind of delusion has befallen you?” His horn glowed brighter once more, and both stallions in the group suddenly found themselves being hoisted into the air and then slammed into decrepit seats whose use had long since passed into the ether. Both were knocked out cold on impact.

Yuuki’s body betrayed her, completely freezing stiff as a rock as the unicorn took another step forward with that damned horn still aglow. Her breathing was now frantic and her mind was thrown into a frenzy of panic. Her eyes widened in shock and terror as he took another step.

“Don’t be frightened, dear. It won’t hurt one little bit.” Maki said, his smile darkening as he took yet another step. He took another step, only to stop as the cart he and the others were in began shaking with enough force to make the mare lose her balance and fall onto her side.

“What is the meaning of this?” The smiling stallion hissed, glancing around briefly as his hooves nearly slipped out from beneath his frame. He quickly righted himself, however, and took two steps forward. Now, his target was practically inches from his front hooves. She was trying to scooch away from him, using her hooves to do so.

Maki’s horn lit up even brighter, and shackles appeared instantly around the mare’s hooves, holding them firmly in place. He took another step, the smile widening in a twisted way as he then forced his new catch to stand on her legs without using his hooves.

He then looked into her terrified eyes, malice glinting in his own. The train shook once more, this time knocking both predator and prey onto their sides. The stallion righted himself quickly, then proceeded to do the same with his catch. He trotted around her, only to be met with another frightened gaze.

Then, the train shook another time. It suddenly fell onto its side as its carts detached from one another quickly, causing those who were awake to black out as all the carts got off the rails and skid in the dirt towards a small town.