Band of Five Attributes (Re-Written)

The rest of November, and an additional three months, passed by without incident. The royal guards patrolled every which-way Equestria itself had to offer, but so far they had nothing of note to report to the princesses, save the occasional troublemaker they found to be dungeon-worthy. It snowed every now and again, usually just enough for the foals to be entertained and whatnot.

During that time, Koto went and took the test, and the results had turned up negative. She didn’t show any of the symptoms related to pregnancy at all, and she had slept easier knowing that fact.

Spring was just a day away, but even so, it was snowing. The group of ten was at the table, and they were talking when someone began knocking on the door before depositing an envelope under the door.

“A letter?” Kaguya inquired, trotting to the anomaly with a brow arched. She picked it up with her mouth, then returned to her seat before dropping it on the woodwork.

“What’s it say?” Mimu asked, staring at the envelope.

“Give me a moment. I need to open it.” Kaguya pointed out before prying the envelope apart. She then pulled out the letter within and read it aloud:

To our humble and unusual guests,

We here at Canterlot Castle invite you to the Grand Galloping Gala, where you will meet with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, the Wonderbolts, and other ponies of high importance whilst having a good time. This celebration is to welcome spring, and say farewell to winter so the crops can grow in warm conditions.

You do not have to come, of course, but it would be preferable that you do so. The Princesses would very much welcome your presence at the Gala.

“A celebration?” 01 inquired, a brow arched.

“Seems like.” Kaguya replied with a nod as she set the letter down on the table.

“Excuse me?” Nagare stated, raising a hoof to draw attention to himself.

“Yes? What is it?” Raki asked, being the first to glance at the pegasus.

“Can I speak to Rekka...in private?” Nagare asked, causing the unicorn whose name he spoke to arch a brow at him.

“Why...do you want to talk to me in private?” Rekka asked, ears twitching. His curiosity had been aroused, and he blinked a few times.

“The matter’s a bit personal. I’d prefer it not being within earshot of everybody else present.” Nagare replied, a sigh escaping his lips soon after.

“Very well, then. Go on upstairs and have your discussion.” Kaguya said with a nod, and both ponies parted from the table and trotted upstairs. They went all they way to the end of the hall before Nagare suddenly stopped and turned to his fellow stallion.

“What did you want to see me in private about?” Rekka inquired, brow still arched.

Nagare cleared his throat for a moment. He then inquired, “Remember that morning when I saw you honestly looking scared shitless for some reason?”

“Yes.” Rekka replied with a quick nod of his head.

“After changing my bandages that morning, I found something...odd in the trash can.” Nagare stated, his face having no discernable emotion present.

“What...what is that ‘something odd’ you speak of?” Rekka inquired again, a sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead. Some of the beads trickled down his face.

Nagare saw those beads of sweat, and only then did he show emotion in the form of a sly grin. He trotted to the unicorn and leaned his face in close to his ear. “A used condom, wadded up and crammed in some toilet paper.” He answered, his voice naught but a whisper.

In that instant, Rekka’s eyes went wide and his pupils shrank. He was sweating more profusely at this point.

Nagare quickly backed away, just out of reach of his friend’s hooves. He was being wary, knowing full well he pushed one of the unicorn’s triggers. His grin did not once leave his face at all.

“So…” The green pegasus started, “with whom did you share the sausage?”

Rekka’s face turned as red as his eyes in a fraction of a second. He bit his lip nervously.

“Come on. Answer the question. We haven’t all day.” The pegasus taunted, still grinning slyly.

The unicorn quickly wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his face with a hoof. His eyes relaxed as he took in deep breaths to compose himself. “We’ll revisit this discussion later.” Rekka stated at last, turning away and trotting to the stairs. As he did, his blush went away.

“Fair enough.” Nagare replied, still grinning as he too made his way to, then down, the stairs. Everyone was looking at them as they made their descent, and they took their respective seats.

“I assume you two are done?” Kaguya asked, and the reply she got from both stallions was a simple nod.

01 scratched the back of his head with a hoof, yawning with a wide mouth in doing so. “I wonder who gets to go to the Gala.” He said afterwards, blinking harshly.

Kaguya shrugged her shoulders. “Can’t trust Mimi and Mimu to go alone, so that gets them off the list…” She started.

The two young fillies instantly frowned, and shouted “Aww!” in unison.

“No ifs, ands, or buts. We don’t want you two to get hurt. It’s bad enough Nagare and his friends get to go out by themselves, and sometimes come back with bandages on their heads and whatnot!” 01 quickly scorned, narrowing his eyes into a glare at the two fillies. “We’ve all seen their injuries, and we will not let the same happen to you two!”

“That also leaves me out of the list.” Raki stated, drawing attention to her. “My ex-colleagues are probably preparing to hunt me down and deliver a slow and painful death once they catch me. If I attend, I’d only raise the risks of that happening.” She added with a sigh.

“I’m also exempt.” Kaguya stated, causing all eyes to look at her. “My...ahem, mare-related problems as of late might get me in trouble. I may snap at someone and rip their heads off with my bare hooves--I don’t want that happening.”

“So...just me and the others who aren’t off the list?” Nagare inquired, brow arched.

“Pretty much. Take your weapons just in case. And try for the love of all things holy avoid getting injured. We’d seen too much already.” 01 replied quickly with a nod.

“Alright. Though, you aren’t going as you are. I suggest you pay the Boutique a visit.” Kaguya added. “It’s a celebration hosted by the Princesses, or so it seems, so you may as well appear your very best.”

The group of five sighed, and trotted upstairs in unison to retrieve their weaponry and saddlebags. After that, they went out the door into the still-cold outside and closed the door behind them.