Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

A golden carriage being pulled along by pegasi in gold armor wheeled in the sky, wings beating at steady but impossible rates. Four ponies in said carriage merely sat back and awaited the moment the wheels and hooves would touch ground.

The pegasi pulled the carriage towards a small town--particularly, what could best be described as a tree that doubled as a house, complete with windows and a door at the trunk. The carriage landed gracefully a few feet from the treehouse.

“I suppose we can get out of this thing now?” Nagare inquired, scratching the back of his head with a hoof.

“Yes. Just don’t cause trouble.” Answered a pegasus guard, removing the harnesses which connected him to the carriage.

“I can’t exactly make a promise. But I will try.” Nagare replied, a small smile on his face.

The other pegasi removed their harnesses and quickly trotted off somewhere. The ponies in the carriage got out quickly before glancing around at the surroundings.

Nagare was quick to notice something odd about all the other ponies who were out and about: they all shared one look on their faces, one look that said something terrible had happened. But what was it that caused them to be this way? To whom did it happen, and who was responsible? Was there even a culprit or victim involved?

“It’s not just you. I see it too.” Kaguya sighed, sitting on her rump with her forelegs crossed together. “Something’s not right about this place.”

“And we were told it had a bunch of friendly ponies!” Mimi pouted as she too saw what it was Kaguya had addressed.

“Maybe they are friendly,” Nagare started, “but they could’ve been spooked something fierce.”

Kaguya registered Nagare’s words, then she remembered hearing something about a train wreck. She quickly connected the dots in her head. She rose onto all fours and exchanged glances with those she arrived with and nodded to each of them. She then spotted a cyan mare with a mane the colors of the rainbow. The mare had a pair of wings on her back, and she wasn’t somber like the other ponies out and about.

Said mare was also trotting towards the group, an eyebrow raised as she approached. Her eyes were the color of dark pink roses, and she had a white cloud with a tri-colored lightning bolt on her flank.

Once she was face to face with Kaguya, she asked, “Hey, do you know what happened? All I know is a train crashed in a way the carts kinda went everywhere.”

“We have no clue ourselves.” Nagare answered, eyes widening a little as he spoke. “We just got here, for starters.”

“Really?” Asked the rainbow-maned mare.

“Mhmm. Oh, we never got your name.” Nagare replied, smiling a bit.

“I’m Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria.” The mare answered, smiling as well. Her smile soon faded into a frown.

“Is something on your mind?” Kaguya inquired as soon as she noticed the sudden change in Rainbow’s expression.

“I just remembered something about the hospital getting three new patients…” Rainbow trailed off, her tone cracking as she spoke. Her ears fell flat on her skull.

“...Could you tell us about these patients?” Mimi asked, her own ears flat on her head. Her eyelids drooped in a sad look.

Rainbow sighed, ears perking upright again. “...One of them died. The other two are going to be out cold for a few days, and I heard one of the patients screams in her sleep.”

Nagare’s eyes widened as the mare’s answer flew from her mouth. Part of his mind screamed at him to simply deny her words, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, let alone speak about it.

Kaguya took a moment to register Rainbow’s words before they hit her harder than a brick. “There...was a...a casualty?!” She said, gulping hard. “W-who was killed?!”

“I...don’t know the details. I only heard something about a stallion being the one to die…” Rainbow answered, eyelids drooping well over her eyes.

Mimi’s eyes began welling with tears waiting for their release. She moved her mouth up and down, but could not speak beyond trembling huffs and gasps filled with sorrow.

“Did….you say something about a female patient?” Nagare asked, eyelids drooped as if he were bored. He was trying very hard to not let his emotions get the better of him.

“Yeah...I did. But I don’t know much about her either.” Rainbow answered, her somber look unwavering. “Listen, I can show you the way to the hospital, but after that I gotta visit my friend Twilight. I heard a blue mare said something harsh to her. Would that be okay?”

“Please do. At any rate, it’s better than standing here moping around.” Nagare answered, the bored look still on his face.

“But wouldn’t that cause more moping?” Kaguya inquired, glancing at the green stallion with a neutral look on her face.

“We don’t know who the patients are. And we won’t know until we get to the bloody hospital.” Nagare quickly pointed out, his bored expression unchanging.

Kaguya sighed, then turned to Rainbow who looked at her with more of a shocked expression than a sad one. The white mare nodded, and the rainbow-maned pegasus turned around and began trotting away.

“Their prognosis looks poor.” Nurse Redheart said, her voice as somber as one of her occupation could muster. “I’m not sure if either of them will live tomorrow.”

“B-but you’ll keep trying, right?” Koto inquired, ears flat on her head and tears beginning to twinkle in the corners of her eyes.

“Yes. It’s not a nurse’s job to abandon her patients even if the chances of them dying outweigh the chances of them living.” Redheart answered quickly, a small smile on her face.

“I think Mr. I-Will-Ask-The-Same-Question-Twenty-Damn-Times is about to speak again.” Tenmei sighed, pointing a hoof rather accusingly at 01.

01 turned to the teen with the lopsided grin once more adorning his face. He raised one of his hooves high above his head, about two seconds away from smacking the glasses (and some teeth out of) Tenmei’s face. “Say that again young colt, I dare you.”

“I’ve finally found something else wrong with Yuuki.” Redheart answered, her voice sounding very grim as she spoke. Both the stallions turned their gazes to her in that instant, and 01’s smile turned into a frown.

“That being?” Tenmei and 01 asked in unison, their voices filled with dread.

“I’m almost afraid to find out…” Koto murmured, ears still flat on her head.

“Doctor Stable has found a foreign substance in her body.” Redheart answered, eyebrow raised as she now noticed said doctor just down the hallway being asked questions by a group consisting of a white mare, a green stallion, and two fillies.

“Was it a drug?” Tenmei asked, raising his eyebrow as well.

Redheart returned her gaze to the tan stallion. “No. It was something...pardon me if you and your older friend get a few horrid images, since I will be very blunt here: it’s something only a stallion can produce, and it was found in her lower region.” She answered.

01 then looked at the nurse, pupils shrinking and face darkening. His lopsided smile made a comeback as he registered her words. “Y-you can’t be serious!”

“Frankly, I wish I wasn’t.” Redheart replied quickly. She returned her gaze to Doctor Stable, who was now trotting towards her with the group that had questioned him not too far behind.