Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

Later that night, Tenmei lay in his bed. The blanket shrouded his form entirely, and he had his eyes shut tight. His friends did have reason to still hold a great amount of concern for him; that much he couldn't deny. Twilight went and sent Celestia a letter explaining his little mess to her (against his wishes to boot), with the details Rekka and Nagare had relayed.

A familiar, horrid image soon played out in his mind: he lay on the forest floor, broken and battered, his body numb. He had bouts of shifting between being awake and being asleep. Beasts that looked like wolves amassed of twigs, half-logs, and leaves surrounded him, sniffed him, growled at him constantly. Green-gold eyes glowed like fireflies in the night sky, and some even put their impromptu paws on his body as if to assess the damage done, yet it was all but a blur for him.

Why, then, hadn’t they ended him then and there? The opportunity had been present, that much was true, but it was like the timberwolves, so they were called, thought him an inanimate object. Snarling ferociously as they were, and drooling as much as they had, he had assumed they were hungry.

The poor stallion closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. Then he heard the voices of shouting stallions. It all went black afterwards.

He sighed softly, keeping his eyes closed. The stallion could hear those wretched demons now, taunting him incessantly about this and that. If anything, all he had to do was ignore those insulting bastards and they’d go away to pester him another day. Tenmei’s mind drifted off somewhere else, and as it did, he fell fast asleep.

The blackness of sleep greeted him with open arms, as if it waited for his presence to make itself known here. The demons were far away; they couldn’t get him where he currently stood.

Wait. He was standing?

“This isn’t right…” Tenmei mumbled, glancing around his bleak surroundings. Black was here, there, everywhere; it expanded to the vastness beyond, if there was any vastness at all. He was indeed standing up as well, on all four legs. His glasses were also on his face, enabling him to see clearly--like it mattered thanks to the accursed darkness.

Must’ve been the laws of the dream world at play.

Then, a blue alicorn with a wispy, dotted mane suddenly appeared before him, eyes of turquoise staring into his own. They radiated warmth, but also concern. Tenmei backed off quickly, ears flat on his skull.

“Please,” The alicorn started calmly, “don’t fear me. You did not earn my ire, nor that of my sister’s.”

“A-Are you Luna?” Tenmei croaked, beginning to shake.

“Yes, I am. The night is my domain, and that by extension means dreams as well.” Luna replied with a nod.

Tenmei gulped hard. He continued to shake, ears perking up as he trembled.

Luna continued, “I’ve seen your dreams as you remained in that hospital. Most terrible dreams indeed. Please, tell me what it was that caused you to have those nightmares.”

A lump lodged itself in his throat. He scrunched his eyes shut, pursing his lips together, and let his ears fall flat on his head again. He had already told his friends he didn’t wish to speak of whatever had made him silent--what, then, would make him speak about it to Luna herself?

The princess was quick to notice his silence. “You do not wish to speak?” She asked.

Tenmei swiftly shook his head, quiet as ever.

Luna sighed, but it remained as calm as she appeared moments ago. She approached him, wings spreading as she drew nearer and nearer to the stallion.

Tenmei stood still, shaking very much, and his eyes widened as the princess sat before him and embraced him in her wings.

“I had seen the dreams of three of your friends. They too had been awful--no, horrendous to watch. Yours are no different.” Luna paused, another sigh escaping her lips. “They told me why those nightmares haunt them every night…”

Tenmei shook, tears beginning to escape his eyes and streaking down his cheeks. “I...I told them...I couldn’t tell them…” He murmured.

“Why...is that?” Luna inquired, ears perked to attention as she heard him begin to cry.

“I...can’t tell anyone…” Tenmei murmured, voice shaken as his body. “I’m...afraid…”

“Afraid?” Luna asked, blinking. “Of what?”

"I am afraid...for my friends…” Tenmei answered, looking up into the princess’s eyes. Tears continued to streak down his face, and his ears still remained flat on his head.

“Why...is that?” Luna inquired, blinking once more.

“If I told anyone, he’d...he’d kill my friends…” Tenmei uttered, lowering his head and closing his eyes. He shook even more now, and before long, he was whimpering in his sobs.

“Hmm?” Luna hummed, arching a brow. Who would want to kill Tenmei’s friends if he said anything about...whatever it was that had tormented him so?

Tenmei continued to cry, his body shaking with his sobs. Luna could sense his distress, and by instinct, wrapped him with her forelegs.

To her immediate surprise, the stallion then tried to jerk himself free of her grasp. He was still crying, that much was true, but it became very clear he was fearing her more than the death of his friends. He planted his front hooves on her chest and tried pushing her away, rear legs trying to scoot him in the opposite direction.

Something was dreadfully wrong, and it made itself more apparent with the passing second. Luna’s horn glowed on its own, and the light blue aura encased itself around Tenmei, thus keeping him very still. She pulled herself away, just enough to avoid further intruding in his personal space, and then looked into his tear-riddled eyes.

The glistening voids were filled with fear.

The alicorn then approached him once more, and this time she wiped a tear away with her hoof. Tenmei still trembled, but his eyes relaxed as the tear was gently wiped off his face, as if he knew now Luna had meant well.

“Are you...sure you cannot tell me what is wrong?” Luna asked, her voice soft and hushed.

“I...I can’t…” Tenmei answered weakly, another tear streaking down his face and hitting the darkness that made up the supposed platform he stood on.

“I...see.” Luna hesitated for a moment. “I shall...look into your memories now.”

Tenmei’s heart sank immediately. “DON’T!!” He protested, his voice echoing afterwards.

Luna stepped back a bit, eyes wide in shock. She had not expected this outburst. “How about this?” She started, wiping another tear off of the stallion’s cheek.

Tenmei’s ears perked to attention. He seemed to be waiting for her next choice of words.

“I look into your memories, and tell not a soul of what it is I see. Are you...alright with that?” Luna asked, her voice still soft.

“Who...would you tell...if you had to break that promise?” Tenmei inquired, ears flat on his skull again.

Luna paused for a moment, letting the question sink into her mind. “Only my sister, Celestia.” The princess answered at last. “Nopony else would know about what I’ve seen.”

“A...Alright…” Tenmei relented, scrunching his eyes and expecting the worst to happen. All he felt, though, was the bare tip of Luna’s horn touching his forehead after a hoof brushed his bangs aside.

Blurred images greeted the princess as she scanned the memories. Blue, red, gold, navy being most prominent. Masculine, sinister voices constantly shouted insults and talked to one another, the only other sound that could effectively be made out was--from what Luna could tell, at any rate--Tenmei’s wails of pain.

The pain the stallion felt in those memories was effectively felt by the princess, and she scrunched her eyes and grit her teeth as she continued to search in his mind.

Darkness.

Demon-like ponies.

The princess’s horn stopped glowing, and she moved it away from Tenmei’s forehead.

“I…” Luna hesitated, trying her best to shake off what the memories presented before her, “I...I had no idea it was that horrendous.”