"You sent HOW MANY??!!!" Surprise yelled as she grabbed the stallion by the throat and threw him through the hospital's front doors and outside. "When I asked you to send others down into the sewers..." she started as she slowly walked out of the building towards the stallion. "I meant a big group... Like 20. NOT FUCKING 4!!!"

"I-I'm sorry..." the stallion pleaded. "I-It won't happen again."

"Yeah..." Surprise sighed, pulling out her gun. "It won't." She then aimed at the stallion's head and fired twice. "Is it too hard to ask for my team to use their fucking heads?!"

An Apocalypse stallion walked down an alley, gun drawn.

"Any Elementals hiding back here?" He asked, leaving the alley and standing in a slightly larger opening. A dumpster sat near the back door to a nearby building, a bunch of trash bags around it as well. "I saw your shadow! No use trying to hide!"

Just then there was a whimper coming from behind the trash bags and dumpster. The stallion smirked and quietly made his way towards the noise. Aiming his gun, he licked his lips. He then kicked the bags away to reveal a cowering Fluttershy.

"I knew it," he said. "Now, come with me or I'll be forced to kill you."

Fluttershy whimpered and covered her eyes, shaking her head wildly. "No!"

The stallion sighed and aimed his gun, hesitating. "You know... On second thought... It'd be such a shame... to waste such a great body..." he said, moving towards her with a grin.

Flutters gasped and clenched her eyes shut tightly. "No, please!"

Just when the stallion was about to reach out and grab her, a figure dropped on top of the dumpster and kicked him in the head, knocking him over. Letting out a grunt, he scrambled to get back up before feeling an arm wrap around his neck. His attacker than gave a jerk, snapping his neck, before letting his body fall to the floor.

The mare then looked over at Fluttershy and gasped. "Fluttershy?" She asked, quickly making her way over to her.

The pegasus opened her eyes and sniffled. "S-Sunset?" She whimpered.

The orange mare smiled and knelt down, hugging her. "Oh, Flutters... I'm glad I found someone still alive..." She then looked around before looking back at Shy. "Where's Angel?" In response, Flutters' lips quivered as more tears began to run down her cheek. Letting out a soft gasp, Sunset pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so sorry..." she whispered, comforting the crying mare.

Rainbow looked over at Kyra as the group entered an alley a ways away from the docks. The red mare slowly walked over to a crate and sat down with a sigh, before covering her eyes with he hands. Rainbow walked over to her as the others found a place to rest.

"Apart from the obvious..." the cyan mare began as she sat beside the red mare. "What's wrong?"

"Malice..." Kyra said softly, sniffling. "She's out there somewhere..."

Dash hesitated before placing a hand on the mare's back. "She's a tough kid... I'm sure wherever she is... she's fine..."

Kyra nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah..." she said with a light smile. "She's always been a fighter..."

"Takes after her mom, huh?" Dash asked, receiving a smile from the red mare. "She'll be fine," Rainbow said, hugging her as Kyra hugged back. "We're gonna find her... I promise..."

The back of the van opened as its occupants were pulled out one by one. When they got to Malice, she leaped at the stallion on the right and kicked the other in the face. Afterwards, she jumped of the stallion and began running towards the open garage door.

One of the stallions sighed and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the filly. "They never learn..."

Just then there was a gun shot as Malice stopped running, panting lightly. She then slowly turned around to see the stallion with his gun aimed at her. It didn't take her long to see the blood pouring from a bullet hole in his neck. There was another gunshot that left another hole in his head, making him drop.

Malice stared at him before looking at the shooter. It was Bit.

"Boss wants her alive!" She called out as she approached Malice, who turned to run again. "Hey!" She yelled, firing her gun. Malice stopped when the bullet shot passed her head and hit the floor ahead of her. "I don't got a problem shooting you in the leg!"

Malice gasped and looked down at her leg, remembering the pain she was in from when Dash shot her there. She soon felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. The green mare knelt down and smiled.

"You know, you're a cutie," she said, running a finger over the girl's cheek. "If you behave... maybe we can be friends," Bit said as she stood up. She then holstered her gun and stood behind Malice, placing her arm around her. "Now, come on. I'm sure Surprise would want me to make sure you're nice and comfy."

"Why does she care?" Asked the girl, looking up at the green mare with a confused expression.

"Not sure... But, she seems to have taken a liking to you... You should feel lucky."

Malice scoffed and looked away. "Lucky... Sure..." she muttered, looking back at the other captives and spotting Cadence and Shining Armor being pulled out of the van.

Vinyl kept stroking Octavia's hair as the two remained cowered in the only dark corner of their bedroom.

"What are we gonna do?" Asked the cellist.

Vinyl shook her head. "Stay out of it..."

"Stay out of it?" Octavia asked, surprised by the answer as she lifted her head to look her lover in the eyes. "We're vampires. Can't we just swoop in at night and take her out--?"

"Octi..." Vinyl said, almost cutting her off. "Even vamps have things to fear... I have encountered a few Hunters in the past... Most were well-equipped to finish me off... If Surprise knew about us... and has that UV necklace... I'd imagine she's prepared to deal with us an I can't risk losing you." Octavia opened her mouth to be speak but said nothing. She simply closed her mouth and nodded. Vinyl then pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Don't do anything reckless..."

Octavia nodded and nuzzled the DJ. "I won't..."

Surprise left Dune's car after the stallion parked it in the mall's huge storage room.

"Well, I see you've all got the party started," the white mare sang as she skipped over to the van, seeing a large group of Elementals surrounded by a larger group of Apocalypse.

She then peeked into the back of the empty van before scanning the crowd.

"Looking for Malice?" Asked Byte as she approached Surprise. "My sister took her to the furniture department."

"Furniture?" Asked the white mare.

Byte nodded. "Beds. She's trying to keep Malice comfy until you arrive."

Surprise smiled and nodded, patting the blue mare's shoulder. "I think you two are my favorite," she said before walking passed her.

Byte blushed as she watched Surprise leave, before smiling lightly.

Surprise entered the furniture department and made her way passed various desks and cabinets before arriving at the beds. When she got closer, she saw Malice laying on one of the beds with Bit sitting in a chair beside it, facing Surprise's direction.

"Ma'am," she said with a smile, making Malice look over at her.

Surprise smiled and kept walking over to her. "Malice... Sweetie," she cooed, before kneeling beside the bed. "How are you?"

"How am I?" Asked the filly, narrowing her eyes. "You blew up my home and took me from my mom!"

"Your mom?" Asked the white mare. "You mean the one who has teamed up with the mare who shot your leg?" Malice let out a soft gasp and looked away. "Tell me, did she ever yell at Rainbow Dash for shooting you? Did she ever mention anything?" Malice closed her eyes and covered her ears, not wanting to hear. Surprise, however, grabbed the filly's wrists and leaned in with a somewhat crazed smile. "But, I did, didn't I? I shot her in the leg... Just like she shot you. Don't you see, Malice?" She asked as the filly tried to pull away. "I did that for you. To teach that bitch a lesson."

Malice eyed her as her struggling faded. "Wh-Why do you... care?" She asked.

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Asked Surprise as she ran a finger through the filly's hair.

"You seem to be... obsessed with me... Why? What's going on?"

Surprise hesitated before her crazed smile faded into a blank expression. She then stood up and rubbed her forehead. "Malice... Please..."

"Why?" The filly asked again. "Tell me why. If you're planning on keeping me, then I wanna know why!"

The white mare was silent for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine... I can't say no to that face," she said with a light smile, which soon faded. "I had a daughter once... and this fucking city took her from me..." she explained with a look of hatred. "That's when I ultimately decided... Fuck the city. Before that, I was actually considering cancelling my plans but after my parents when I was a kid and then my own unborn child..." She then crossed her arms and looked away.

Malice let out a soft gasp and slowly stood up. "H-How? I-If you don't mind me asking, that is..."

Surprise eyed her, hesitating for a few seconds. "I was beaten in an alley... After I left the hospital, I hunted them down one by one and made them suffer..."

Malice stared at her before sitting on the bed. "Sorry, I didn't--"

"You didn't know?" Asked Surprise. "Someone doesn't get to be like me unless they experienced something tragic in the past. Don't you know about conditioning?"

"Yeah, I figured something happened, but... that?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," the white mare said before smiling and kneeling down. "I have you." She then leaned in and hugged the filly.

Malice went wide-eyed slightly before slowly, and hesitantly, hugging back.

Sunset went over to Fluttershy and sat down beside her against the building. "They're everywhere out there," she said, looking over at the mare. Shy had her knees pulled up to her neck and was hugging her legs close to her body. Shimmer put an arm around her and nuzzled her cheek. "Relax... I won't let them harm you... And you will see Chrysalis again... We just have to avoid Surprise's gang and find the others, okay?"

Fluttershy sniffled and nodded. "O-Okay..."

"For now... let's rest..." Shimmer said as she leaned her head back against the wall. "We need our strength of we're gonna survive..."

Chrysalis looked down an alley at the main street and sighed, crossing her arms.

"Hey, Chrysalis?" Asked Rainbow, coming up behind her.

The Changeling looked over her shoulder. "Yes, Dash?"

"I was thinking..." she said, stepping up beside the queen. "Couldn't you just turn into one of them?"

"I've been considering it... But, if they are on the lookout for a Changeling I am wiling to bet that they're prepared for something like that..."

"Maybe..." Dash said with a sigh. "Shame, though... If it had worked, you could've scouted ahead and found our friends..."

Chrysalis nodded and thought for a moment before gasping. "Wait... There might be a way..."