Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

“Your Majesty, you have a visitor.” Spoke a guard. He stood in the throne room with the alicorn sisters, who glanced at one another for a moment before turning back to the guard.

“And who, may we ask, is this visitor?” Luna asked, brow arched.

“A former member of the Quartet who wished to see you in person.” The guard answered quickly.

The eyes of the princesses widened. They glanced at one another again before turning back to the guard. “Very well. Let the visitor in.” Celestia spoke with a nod. The guard nodded back, and the closed doors of the throne room burst open with an aura of blue. In strode a mare with a white pelt and mane of wavy light blue, accompanied by two guards, one at either side of her.

“Put a magic limiter on--” Luna started, only for the guest to raise her hoof and shake her head before the princess could finish speaking.

“Pardon me for being rude, but I do not wish to conjure a monster to harm anyone.” Raki said, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “In fact, I’ll refrain from using magic during my stay here.”

“Very well, then.” Celestia replied with a sigh of her own. “But, why, may I ask, did you come all the way here to see me in person? I’ve ordered you and your colleagues to be placed in the dungeon.”

“So I was told by the guard who so kindly escorted me here.” Raki sighed. “I’d like to speak to you and your sister in private, if you don’t mind.”

The sisters exchanged another glance, then Luna turned to look at the visiting mare. “If that is what you wish, that we can provide.” She said. “Guards, leave this room and close the door.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The guards replied, quickly trotting out of the room and going about their business as the doors closed behind them.

Both alicorns looked at the lone unicorn, who trotted to them until she was within hoof-shaking distance of the two.

“What is it that is so imperative that made you want to speak to us in private?” Celestia asked, brow arched.

“Before we get into that topic, I must ask: what made it so paramount to imprison me and my former colleagues? Them I don’t mind being jailed; especially in regards to atrocities they’ve done.” Raki sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Those very atrocities were what drove us to that decision.” Luna answered. “I documented nightmares yesterday and found some disturbing things about the Quartet in the process, so disturbing in fact we felt it had to be addressed immediately.”

“I see.” Raki replied, opening her eyes and blinking afterwards. She sat on her rump before the sisters and sighed again. Celestia opened her mouth to speak, only to watch the unicorn raise her hoof to signal she wasn’t done speaking. “Those same atrocities drove me to...how shall you say, distance myself from the Quartet.”

“I guess we’ve similar motivations, then.” Luna remarked, shifting her wings a bit. “Now, what did you wish to speak to us about?”

“My dimwitted, perverted, should-be-hornless-at-this-point-but-aren’t ex-colleagues happen to be constructing something. What that is, I know not. Since I’ve broken away from them and their shenanigans, how am I supposed to know what the finished product will be?” Raki said, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

“Do you know what they intend to do with this ‘something?’” Celestia inquired, brow arched.

“I do not have an inkling of an idea. All they told me before I decided enough was enough was that the ‘something’ in question would be immensely powerful. If I had a scale on how powerful I think it may be when it is complete, I’d have to measure it by how that ‘something’ performs.” Raki answered, shaking her head again. “Would it rival you two? Would it send this world into a black hole? Nobody knows yet--not even me.”

Celestia and Luna shared another quick glance with each other.

“That sounds rather worrisome.” Luna remarked dryly before glancing at the unicorn again. “Why would they tell you so little?”

“I think it had something to do with my calling out of their misdeeds.” Raki replied quickly, rubbing a foreleg with a hoof.

“You...called them out on it?” Luna inquired.

“One of them always shot his mouth off after doing something particularly awful. Had a thing for a purple mare whom I’ve since befriended after my departure from that monkey business. And when I say ‘thing,’ I mean he went to radical lengths just to bed her.” Raki sighed. “The more I think about it, the more I want to rip his horn off with my bare hooves and ram it into his throat before jamming his head between his shoulders.”

“You mean...he spoke of the misdeeds as though it were nothing?” Celestia inquired, blinking a few times.

“Yes--once that mare got someone else, or so he ranted, he went and took two of her friends and tortured them before I got the brunt of what seething rage he had left.” Raki answered yet again, this time nodding.

“Sounds like his mind’s not in the right place.” Luna remarked.

“Seems to be the case, sadly. I helped the other two escape, and then what happens? Another one vanished, only to re-appear six days later near dead. I feel Maki had something to do with it, but I could not do anything after I helped the first two.” Raki sighed.

“Why is that?” Celestia asked, brow arched again.

“Simple: He broke one of my hind legs, and the doctors to whom I was taken told me to refrain from doing anything magic-related no more than once per week until I fully recovered. I only got out of the cast three days ago.” Raki answered, shaking her head again.

“At least you made the right choice. I shall spare you from the dungeons on the grounds you don’t cause trouble. I will order the guards to leave you be, and return you to wherever it was you were taken from. Are we clear?” Celestia stated, staring at the unicorn.

“We are clear.” Raki replied with a nod.

“Before you go,” Luna started, causing the unicorn to look at her with an arched brow, “do you know a stallion named Tenmei?”

“I know him. Went mute for a day, and then he’s suddenly back to his old self.” Raki answered.

“Could you give him my regards? And the other three victims who were terrorized at the hooves of your ex-colleagues?” Luna asked.

“That I can certainly do.” Raki answered, smiling faintly. She nodded and got off her rump, turning around and going towards the doors without hesitating. The doors opened, grasped in auras of gold, allowing the unicorn to walk out. The guards who had accompanied her took their place at either side of her, accompanying her back to Ponyville every step of the way.