//------------------------------//
// 16. A Mare in Need 
// Story: Guardians of the Elements of Harmony 
// by mcb893 
//------------------------------//

A/N This chapter contains dramatic, frightening, and graphic material that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader Discretion is advised.

"He's waking up..." "Do ya' think he's alright?" Moore could barely hear the voices as the black slowly, and blurrily formed a picture. "John?" A voice asked. Moore groaned in pain, recalling the events that felt like only moments ago. "Fluttershy... they... they took her..." He whispered at an inaudible volume. "Shh, easy John, you'll be alright." The voice said, sounding more and more like Twilight. Moore faded to black for a second, and a blurry room came to focus. Over him, a blob of purple, orange, light blue, white and pink stood. "John? Darling? Are you alright?" He heard. "She... she... She needs... us..." He said, barely audible, out of breath. Once again his vision faded. When it returned, his strength did as well. Looming over him was Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack. Looking to down, he sees that he still has his dark green shirt, and his camo pants. Moore began to panic, and breathes heavily. "Fluttershy?" He nearly shouts. Twilight places a hoof on his chest, trying to calm him. "Get off of me!" He shouts as he tires to get up. He is connected to wires that cause movement to be difficult. "John relax, everything's fine." Applejack says with a calm voice.

"Shut up! They took her! I need to go!" He shouts as he rips the tubes out of his arm. A machine next to him gives one long continuous beep as he rips something else away. "John stop! You need your rest!" Rarity says, a slight hint of panic in her voice. "NO!" Moore shouts as he crawls out of the bed and falls to the floor. "I have to save her!" Getting to his feet, he tries to run out of the door, but collapses to the ground. Giving a quick shout of pain, he covers his gut and rolls to his side. "SON OF A..." He says through grit teeth. He had never experienced so much pain. The mares rushed over to him and try to talk to him. "John calm down! What's going on?" Rainbow asks. With an angry glare, Moore feels a tear fall from his eye. "Fluttershy... they took her..." He says as he again tries to stand. He groans in pain again and nearly falls again, but is caught by the mares. "Who? Who took her?" Twilight asks. Moore turns to the young unicorn. Fear, concern, sorrow, and panic all in one stare. "Dogs..." He said through grit teeth. "The dogs... they took her..."

Meanwhile...

"Hey... MULE! Wake up!" Fluttershy gave a slight groan as her eyes opened. She felt so nauseous, and dizzy. She moaned as she tried to grab hold of reality. "WAKE UP!" She heard again as she was slapped. She whimpered and shut her eyes, not wanting to see what might lie before her. "Shock her!" In an instant, Fluttershy felt hundreds of volts shoot throughout her body, causing her to scream in pain. "Please..." She cried as tears fell from her eyes. She just wanted the pain to end. The electricity ceases to run as her head falls, causing her to stare at the ground. "Good... you're awake..." She hears a sly, snake like voice say. Trembling, she looks up and opens one eye. In front of her are diamond dogs, seven standing around her, and ten more backed away. The room had two tables on either side, candles on each one. On them, several tools that usually are used for cutting vegetables. Besides them, spikes, with ponies having spears stuck through their rears, all the way through to their heads. Blood dried on the shafts of the spear and it's tip. Confused and frightened, she tries to move her foreleg, but is stopped after a few centimeters.

Looking up, she sees that she has been strapped to a group of wooden planks. Breathing heavily, she struggles to move, whimpering as she goes. "No use with that little girly..." A dog says with a chuckle. Cringing as much as the planks allow she stares into the demonic eyes of the dog. "What... What do you want from me...?" She asks as she tries to adjust her hoof. The dog chuckles. "An interesting question really..." He says slyly. "You know of the Chaos Bringers, correct?" Fluttershy gulps as sweat begins to fall from her forehead. These dogs knew about the Chaos Bringers? How? "Y...Yes..." She answered with a trembling voice. The apparent leader of the dogs gives a satisfactory sigh, walking back to the others. "Do you know... why they hunt you?" He asks, once again giving his deranged chuckle. Fluttershy looks to her right foreleg, which has also been restrained. Fearfully, she shakes her head no. "Your blood, it's their food source..." He said evilly. Her eyes grow wide. "O...Our blood?" She asks. The dog nods. "When they first arrived, all they did was slaughter, not taking anything but what they could." He said as he walked to her side, digging a nail into her flank, right next to her cutie mark. She whimpers.

"Now, we were able to convince them to ally themselves with us... We promised them more blood, in exchange for diamonds... and other jewels." He said as he pushed deeper and deeper into her thigh. Fluttershy felt the intense burn as she softly wept. The dog smiled. "And everyone knows the best way to get blood..." Forcefully, he shoves his nail completely into her flank, causing her to give a quiet shout of pain. The dog came to her ear, teeth dripping saliva. "Slowly... by torture..." He said fiendishly. He pulled his claw out of the pegasus, and she released a exhale, feeling like a anvil had just been lifted from her back. Even so, blood slowly poured out of the wound, staining her fur and causing her thigh to burn intensely. The dog inspected her, as though she were a simple piece meat, waiting to be sliced, diced, and processed. "Hmmm..." He said in thought. Looking back to the wound in her flank, his tongue fell from his mouth, and he groaned in pleasure. "Cut off the marks, that'll surely bring blood from her..." He said, licking his lips. The dogs chuckled and moved closer. Fluttershy closed her eyes, crying as she began to tremble in fear. "John... please be okay..." She whispered to herself.

Back in Ponyville...

Moore slipped on his kevlar, placed a magazine into M4 and Berretta. "John..." "Save the chatter... plenty of time for that when Fluttershy is home safe in bed." He said before Twilight could voice her opinion. Moore put on his helmet and threw open the door. "John, you didn't see yourself when those dogs were done with you..." Twilight said, sadness in her voice. Moore growled, and quickly turned to the unicorn. "Does it matter? She'll be ten times worse if we don't get there in time!" He shouts. Twilight walks up to him and places a hoof on his hand. "John... we need a plan." "THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT! WE ARE OUT OF OPTIONS! WE NEED TO SAVE HER NOW!" Moore shouts at a deafening level. Twilight rears back, appearing hurt. "She's my friend too John..." She says as her voice shakes, and tears fall from her eyes. Moore slowly loosens his face, dropping his anger. Sighing, he crouches down.

"Listen to me... all of you..." He says. The other mares turn and face him. In Pinkie's face, determination. Rarity's, concern. Applejack's, anger. Rainbow's, courage. Twilight's... sadness. Thinking of his own face, he wondered what it portrayed. "Leadership." Was the only word that came to mind. "I know you're scared, all of you. Not for yourselves, Fluttershy. I am too." Rising, he packs the two mags that Twilight had managed to recreate, thanks to her magic. "There's a mare out there who needs us. If any of you want to opt out... Do it now." He said, pulling his Beretta's top back. Hearing the clip smack back into place, the mares raise their heads... and step forward. Smiling, Moore turns and faces the outside. "Please..." He hears a young filly say. Turning, he sees it's source. A small, light red pegasus, male by the looks of it. "Save her." He says. Moore nods and turns to Twilight. "Have you locked on yet?" He asks. Twilight closes her eyes and her horn glows purple. After a few seconds, she opens her eyes. "That direction, there's a hold that will lead to the dog's den. If we run we can make in 20 minutes at most." Moore nods. "Alright troops... LET'S MOVE OUT!" He shouts as he takes off sprinting. "Hold on Fluttershy... we're coming..." He thinks to himself.

Elsewhere... 4 minutes later...

"No, please..." Fluttershy begged as the dogs continually circled their claws around her thighs, digging and cutting deeper as seconds rolled by. She couldn't stop panting, or crying. "Does it hurt mule? Does it make you want your mommy?" A dog said mockingly, causing the others to laugh hysterically. Fluttershy threw her head down. "Happy place... Happy place..." She thought to herself, wincing at every excruciating twist of a claw. "Wait!" She hears one cry. The dogs back off, and Fluttershy finds the strength to open her eyes, and looks to her flanks.

Her cutie marks are cut halfway off, flopping as the other half tries desperately to clutch to her thighs. She clenches her teeth and lays her head back on the planks, letting more tears come. With an insane cackling, the lead dog come to one side, grabbing the loose part of her cutie marks. "Ta ta..." He says in a girlish tone as he yanks the mark off of her. Fluttershy gives a bloody murder scream, her chest, stomach, and part of her back legs lifting from the planks. Laughing manically, the dog places a bucket under her as blood drips from her exposed flank and drips into it. He walks over to the other side, watching as the mare breathes heavily, trying to cope with the intense pain. Licking the bare piece of flesh, he discards it to the side, onto a table that had been set there. With a grin, he grips the other cutie mark and whispers to her; "Bye bye!" She grips her teeth and closes her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. The rip nearly causes her to scream again, but she manages to suppress it.

The dog waves the piece of flesh around, and places another bucket as blood slowly drips form that leg as well. "Wasn't that fun?" He says fiendishly as he brings his paws together. Fluttershy doesn't respond, she's too busy crying. The dog sees this, laughs, and punches her in the face again. The yellow pegasus spits blood from her mouth and makes a choking noise. The dog slams his fist into her gut, causing her hit her head on the back of the planks. "You wanna answer me now... MULE?" He shouts with a smile. Fluttershy opens her eyes, and shakes her head. The dog falls back from her, and looks over her once more. "Hmmm..." He says in thought again. He takes a wing, and stretches it out, making it flap a few times. Taking a nail, he pushes it slightly into a feather, and cuts it loose. Grabbing it out of the air, he looks from it to Fluttershy's wing, and back to the feather. "I want to go home..." Fluttershy thinks to herself. She closes her eyes and thinks about John, whom she had last seen being beaten by the dogs, bloodied, his gut letting it flow like a waterfall. "Please be safe John... Please..." She says between her tears. "John?" A dog asks. "Is that the creature we left for dead back there?" Fluttershy gasps, resulting in another slap from the lead dog. "Quiet mule!" He shouts. Overcome with shock and trauma, the young mare blacks out. The dog notices this and rolls his eyes. "Another weak one..." He thinks. Walking away, he tosses the feather he had taken, which lands in on the table. "Wait until she wakes up, then cut off the wings. We'll see what I feel like doing after that."

16 Minutes Later...

Moore skids to a halt, breathing slightly heavily as the girls collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Other than Rainbow Dash, who had been flying ahead. In front of them lie a mass gathering of holes. Question was, which would lead them to Fluttershy? "Well?" He asks as he turns to Twilight. Panting, she rises to her feet, looks around. She squints, trying to distinguish which one could be right. "Uh... I don't know..." She says, out of breath. Just then, they hear a cry of pain, very loud. Moore quickly looks around. Where had it come from? "Did anyone hear which way it came from?" He shouts as he looks down a hole, crying Fluttershy's name. Another scream sounds, and he looks to his right. A hole appears to have been freshly dug, and he moves around a pile of dirt. "Is that it?" He hears Applejack ask, almost instantly refreshed. Moore sees a red fluid, and tastes it, instantly spitting it out. Bitter, disgusting. "Euh, blood..." He says as he stands. "This is it." Staring down into the hole, just black nothingness. The mares walk up next to him, staring into the hole. "This where we'll find her." Rainbow says as she spits into the dirt. Taking the newly made mud, she rubs some under her eyes, and gives a growl. "Well... What are we waiting for?" Moore asks as he leaps. "Let's go!"

Down the Hole...

Fluttershy screams again as the dogs cut into her wings. She feels the bones snap, creating a distinct popping noise. The dogs just continue to laugh like lunatics. "That's it! Bleed you worthless horse! Bleed!" The leader shouts. More blood falls from the areas the wings are being torn, causing Fluttershy constant pain. The leader once again punches her face telling her to shut up. "Hey mule, KNIFE!" A dog shouts as it drives a knife into her wing. She lets out another cry, hanging her head. "I want to go home..." She says as her tears fall. The leader once again punches her, now in her gut. Coughing up blood, she stares sadly as she feels one wing fall to the ground. Blood pours from the large opening, and she cringes. "One down!" A dog shouts. Fluttershy can't deal with this pain much longer. Her vision fades black, flashing between blurs and regular vision. "Aw... She's falling asleep! Rip the last wing off!" The dog shouts. Fluttershy hears a ripping noise, and screams as her body erupts into flames.

Moore busts down the door, raising his rifle. "Get down on the ground!" He shouts at the surprised dog. The dogs stare, as one holds one of Fluttershy's wings. Moore grits his teeth. "I SAID GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!" He shouts. The dogs begin to laugh softly. Then hysterically. "Look! It's mister hero again! Here to save the..." The dog is cut short by the bullets of Moore's rifle. The dogs try to surround him, but are ambushed themselves by the other mares. Moore kicks a dog to the ground and shoots it. Looking around, the mares have successfully put down their dogs. Sighing, he walks over to a group of planks, toward a non moving Fluttershy. "Fluttershy?" He asks quietly. No response. He places his hand to her cheek and rubs it with his thumb as the other mares get closer. "Fluttershy?" He asks again, this time with a shaky voice. A tear falls from his eye as he comes to a horrifying idea. "Were we too late?" Just then, the young pegasus gives a whimper. Moore's heart bounces, and he turns to the others. "She's alive!" He shouts. Quickly taking his knife, he cuts at the leather straps that are holding her to the pieces of wood.

The young mare opens her eyes slightly, breathing slow, heavy breaths. She squints as she observes the Staff Sergeant cutting the leather. "John?" She asks weakly. Moore finishes the last strap and catches her as she falls. Moore places his hand on the back of her head, resting her head against his shoulder. "It's okay Fluttershy... you're gonna be alright." He says as he rubs her mane. Moore looks around the room, seeing her cutie marks, and her wings. "Grab those... we'll need them." He says as he turns Fluttershy's mane away from her face. Her face is bruised slightly, but mostly untouched. She gives a small smile as her eyes flutter weakly. "You came for me..." She says. "Of course I did..." Moore says as a tear leaves his eye. The other mares join around, crying at the discovery of their friend alive.

22 Minutes Later..

"Out of the way!" Moore shouts as he rushes past the ponies. He looked down to the paralyzed pegasus in his arms, who is struggling to breathe. "Hurry!" He shouts to the following mares. "We're trying!" Rainbow shouts as she carry's her friend's wing in a large basket they had found in the caves. Ponies everywhere stare in horror on the young mare, who is giving out very weak signs of life. "Come on stay with me..." Moore says, desperate to hold back tears. His legs were burning, his muscles ached, and he was exhausted. But he would not stop. The doors to the hospital flew open as the doctors looked to him, then the injured pegasus in his arms. "Hurry! Do something!" Moore shouts in desperation at the medical staff. Bringing out a bed, Moore gently places the now trembling pegasus on the soft mattress, eyes seemingly focused on the far wall. The doctors take her away, and the others try to follow, only to be stopped by other doctors. "Let us through!" Moore shouts in anger. He tries to shove them away, but he's too tired. He hears Pinkie cry out for her friend, reaching her hoof out as though to grab her. The others also try breaking through, their own wetworks in tow. Just before the doctors turn away, Moore hears the doctors shouting; "Her body's gone into shock! We need another team down here STAT!"