Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

“Well, if that’s all you know, then I suppose I won’t waste anymore of your time asking about something you know little about.” Twilight sighed, eyelids slanted slightly.

“You didn’t waste my time at all. You merely did as your Princess had asked, and that I respect. Though, I must ask: how did you find out where I was?” Nagare inquired, one of his eyebrows arching.

“Well, my friend Applejack said your guardian or something bought this place the other day, and she said he showed her where exactly it was.” Twilight answered, her tail twitching again.

“Oooooh. That explains it.” Nagare said, a faint smile on his muzzle accompanied with a small nod of his head.

“Oi!” Called a feminine voice, causing both ponies to turn to the stairway. They witnessed Koto hobbling her way up the steps, as well as Kaguya trotting into the bathroom, then towards them with twitching ears.

“Hmm? What is it, Koto?” Nagare asked, rolling his eyes and sighing.

“I want to ask Twilight something.” Koto replied, eyes narrowed a little bit. A frown was on her muzzle, and her ears still twitched.

“Hmm?” Twilight hummed, her eyebrow arched.

“This...thing. It...had a horse foot, a dragon foot, a lion paw, and bird talon. And mismatched wings. Do you know where it is? I want to bash it for dragging me here and causing my leg to be this crippled, among other things.” Koto stated, her eyes narrowing further. A vein appeared on her cheek as her ears twitched still.

“Wait...are you talking about Discord?” Twilight asked, eyes widening as Koto’s words hit her.

“Is that what it’s called!? Can I bash it?!” Koto barked, her face darkening as she spoke.

Twilight groaned, then turned back to Nagare with both eyebrows raised. “What does she mean by ‘dragging me here’?” The unicorn inquired.

Nagare cleared his throat and sighed. “We...aren’t from this world.” He said, his tone not having any subtle hint of emotion. “Now that I dwell on it, I want to go back home too.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m starting to get confused.” She said, her ears flat on her skull.

“Why this ‘Discord’ threw us in here to begin with is beyond me as well.” Nagare replied, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders at the same time.

“I want to bash something!” Koto shrieked, her eyes burning so much her irises began to turn a hue of dark crimson. It was then that a very strange smell hit the noses of Twilight and Nagare, both of whom recoiled in surprise.

Kaguya trotted out of the bathroom, and her nose instantly curled up as the smell hit her too. Her face began to turn a light grey-blue in color, and her irises and pupils shrank to mere pinpricks. One eyebrow arched, and the other lowered. “Who...what is that smell?!” She said, her head twitching a bit alongside her throat. She grit her teeth, looking about ready to gag.

Nagare quickly clamped his hooves on his nostrils, scrunching his eyes shut as he did. “I’m not sure who it’s coming from, but good heavens is it bad!” He said, his ears flat on his skull.

Kaguya masked her muzzle with one hoof, her eyelids twitching as she moved a cursory gaze to Koto. Upon seeing that, when staring at the blue mare, the smell was strongest with her, she quickly grabbed her tail with her free hoof and yanked her into the bathroom before trotting in herself and closing the door soon afterwards.

The stallion removed his hooves from his face, finding that with each passing second the smell was going away. He breathed a sigh of relief through his nostrils.

Twilight also sighed. “Is it just me, or did she start a really bad cycle?” She inquired, arching an eyebrow.

“That may explain her grumpiness.” Nagare replied, his ears twitching. He shuddered a bit. “I hope it’s not one of those ‘give me chocolate or you’re all going to die!’ ones. Those are the worst kinds, especially when they hit older mares.”

“How do you know this?” Twilight asked, blinking a few times.

“I’ve been with Koto, Kaguya, and Yuuki long enough to see it for myself. Kaguya’s a freaking nightmare when her body starts its cycle…” Nagare murmured, shuddering a bit more as he spoke. “I simply tend to avoid them when it happens.”

The bathroom door swung open, and Kaguya was standing there staring at the green stallion with a darkened face of her own as well as glinting eyes. A fanged mouth befitting a great white shark was plastered on her muzzle. The eyes of the two ponies locked for a moment before Nagare got up, turned tail, and galloped to his room as if his hooves were covered in hellfire.

Another door opened and then slammed in the same second as the stallion entered the room beyond. This was promptly followed by Nagare shouting one thing and one thing only: “Nope!”

Kaguya turned her head to the unicorn, her darkened face and glinting eyes replaced with a serene look. “I’m probably going to talk to him later, when the cycle ends.” She said, her tone soothing and nonchalant.

Koto hobbled past Kaguya, her eyes still narrowed, though not as much as before she was dragged inside the bathroom. She said nothing as she descended down the stairs, her tail twitching a bit as she did. The elder mare followed in short order, and so did Twilight. Before the trio even reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw the other stallions looking at them with cautious gazes.

Another thing the descending triad of mares witnessed was Yuuki being up and about, pacing frantically in circles. She had her head hanging low the entire time, and her mane looked even more of a mess than it did minutes ago.

Kaguya shot a glance at 01, pointing a hoof at the circling mare. “What is it now?” She asked, an eyebrow twitching.

“I don’t know, and I’ve yet to ask.” The stallion replied, sweat forming on his face as he spoke.

The circling mare stopped, groaning in sheer annoyance. She let her rump fall to the floor and her front hooves hit her forehead. She removed her hooves from her face and snapped her head in the direction of those who still sat at the table, purple eyes narrowing upon seeing the lot.

The mare’s midsection began to twitch as she stared at the group. “Anyone have a spare hoof and set of eyes? My back’s feeling kinda funny.” She said, her midsection twitching more noticeably now. A few moments passed without an answer.

Koto sighed, shaking her head sadly. “I’ll do it since the guys are wussing out.” She said, her voice still having subtle tones of anger here and there. She descended down the stairs, her own forehead having a slight tingling sensation that she ignored as her three-legged form got closer to that of Yuuki.

When she was within hoof’s reach, Koto sat down herself before raising her good leg up. Her friend’s midsection seemed to ripple and resonate with something she could not identify; all she knew was that something had been wrong.

And when her blue-coated hoof connected with purple pelt, the reason why made itself apparent and caused her to recoil in such a way she landed flat on her backside. Everyone else present gasped in shock, eyes wide and jaws hanging ajar at the sight.

Koto scrambled to her three hooves, and her jaw fell open as well. Two appendages clad in dark purple feathers had suddenly sprouted from Yuuki’s backside, and they were spread as wide as can be. They twitched nonstop, making them appear all the more unnerving.

Everyone--save for Mimi, Spike, Twilight, and Mimu--then let one thing fly from their mouths right then and there.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”