Moore stood at the door, unsure of whether to move in or not. Was he ready to see her in that condition? Sighing, he backed away a little. "John, come on." Rainbow said with enthusiasm. Moore looked to the pegasus, full of energy and ready to go. Moore nodded and gently pushed open the door. There, lying on the bed, was Fluttershy. Backed turned, rising and falling slowly in sync with her breathing. "Shhh..." Moore gently shut the door, not wanting to wake her. "I'm already awake." She whispers as she turns to them, smiling. "Hi." She says, still giving the heartwarming smile. Moore smiles and walks over. "How ya' feelin' there sugarcube?" Applejack asks as she places a hoof on Fluttershy's. Fluttershy looks to her midsection, which has been bandaged and contains two large blood marks where her wings should be. "It... It still hurts a little... but I'll be okay." She said as she adjusted her head on the pillow. Smiling, Rainbow walked up to her and spoke. 'You really scared us Fluttershy, we thought you weren't going to make it." Fluttershy gives a quick giggle, and breathes slowly. "I'm still here." She said, which caused the others to chuckle.
Moore once again felt his hand shake, and sighed as he realized what was going on. "Stupid disorder..." He said as he took his hand and held it. The mares seemed to notice this and stared with concern. Looking down, Moore tried to turn their attention away. "It's just a shaky hand, don't worry." The mares seemed unsure, but nodded anyway. "So I guess nopony wants a party celebrating Fluttershy's recovery?" Pinkie asked sheepishly. Moore shook his head, still trying to stop his hand. "Maybe when this is all over we can do that, but for now there's too much to be done." He said. That was enough to give Pinkie a huge smile and a jump of happiness. Fluttershy giggled. Twilight turned to her and asked her something. "M-hm." Was her only response. Moore just shook it off as his hand finally stopped shaking. Sighing, he knelt over the recovering pegasus and frowned. "You want to tell us what happened?" Fluttershy gave a whimper and closed her eyes, pulling the blankets over her mouth. Moore sighed and put a hand on her head, rubbing it. "I understand." He said.
"That bad huh?" Rainbow asked. The others gave her a dirty look, and she withdrew her question. "They... they told me why those things come after us..." Fluttershy said as she trembled. Moore looked back to her, a caring look on his face, and continued rubbing her mane. "What is it darling?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy gave another whimper, and dug her head deeper into her pillow. Moore shushed her, and spoke tenderly. "Hey... it's okay, we're right here. We're not gonna let anything happen to you. Ok? " He said as he looked into her eyes. The mare gave a sniffle and nodded. "O...O...Our blood..." She said, voice shaking greatly. "Our blood?" Pinkie shouted in question. Moore shushed her, but more assertively. The hurting pegasus nodded. "It... It's their food." She said. Moore stopped his rubbing momentarily, and thought for a moment. Blood? Why blood? Let alone what were these kind of things doing in this world? "John?" Fluttershy asked. Moore looked up, and saw her concerned eyes. He shook it off and told her not to worry about it.
"So when do you get out?" He asked. Fluttershy shook her head. "I don't know, the nurse just said she wants me to stay here for a while." She says with a somewhat sad tone. "I'm sorry." "What for? I'm not the one who needs rest." Rainbow chuckled and pointed at his eyes. "You sure about that hotshot?" Moore rose an eyebrow in confusion, and looked to the others, who also had their own smiles. "What?" He asked. "You have some really big bags under your eyes, you should get some sleep." Twilight said. Moore shook his head and stood. "Rangers are used to going without sleep. I once had to stay up four whole days for siege on a hostile village back on my world." Undoing a glove, he sees his scar from his first day as a Sergeant, when a piece of shrapnel blew into it, cutting it. That seemed like such a long time ago, but it had only been three years. Sighing, he put his glove back on. "Besides..." He began. "I have to make sure nothing attacks tonight. I'll get some rest in the morning, I promise." The mares seemed unconvinced, but nodded nonetheless. Turning to Fluttershy he leaned down and placed his hands on her hoof. "Be strong Fluttershy. It'll be alright." She nodded and smiled.
At the library... 3 hours later...
Moore sat as Twilight wrapped a bandage around his arm. The Chaos Bringers had attacked again, and while no Royal Guards suffered anything worse than a minor scratch, the entire right side of his arm had been clawed away. "I don't think this world likes my arm very much." He said jokingly. The unicorn tightened the bandages and Moore gave a quick groan of pain. "Sorry..." She said. Moore just shook it off. "Twilight, you have anything on those creatures? Or anything similar?" He asked as he inspected his arm. Twilight shook her head and frowned. "The princesses looked in every library in Equestria, and they couldn't find anything. Whatever these things are, we have to figure them out as we go." Moore sighed and gave his arm a pat. Looking over to a group of bookshelves, he stood and grabbed one. "Elements of Harmony..." He said as he read the book's title. "What is this?" He wondered to himself. Twilight walked over and saw the book he was carrying. She smiled and took the book, putting it back. "The Elements of Harmony are a special force that holds the bond between peace and harmony." Moore nodded. "Makes sense." "There are six Elements of Harmony. Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, and Magic. A long time ago, the princesses used them to save Equestria from eternal chaos. They were lost in time, but we rediscovered them, and now are represented by us." Twilight explained with a smile.
Moore took all of this in, nodding slowly. "So, you and the five others represent the Elements?" Twilight nodded. Moore looked over to Spike, who was carrying a large platter of pitchers containing water. Moore got up and took the platter. "It's okay I got it." The dragon said as he took it back. "You sure?" "Yeah!" Spike walked off and went upstairs, checking on the refugees most likely. Moore walked back over to Twilight. "You think you can treat this injury? It's a lot more severe than the others." Twilight nodded. Closing her eyes, she once again allowed her horn to illuminate a white glow, and Moore felt a cooling sensation. Sighing in pleasure, he removed his bandages, and sure enough, the wound was gone. He chuckled, still amazed by the capabilities of this magic. Looking out the window, he couldn't help but smile. The stars in the sky calmed his nerves, they always had. He grabbed his assault rifle and walked outside, inhaling a breath of fresh air.
He sighed in pleasure as he watched Royal Guards grab young fillies and escort them to their parents. Looking back at the hospital, he thought about what had happened, and how he had been there three times already with injured ponies. The Commander, Rainbow Dash, and now Fluttershy. Sighing, he looked back up to the sky. The stars shone brightly as he breathed in the fresh air. "Things will be alright." He thought to himself. Fighting for peace always had dire consequences, but he would always be willing to pay the price. Looking back over to the library, he saw Twilight speaking with a family of ponies. He smiled. Those creatures wanted pony blood? They would have to stomp on a pile of human remains to get it.