6 Months After Fluttershy's and Chrysalis' Wedding...

It was around noon and a car was parked on the side of the road, the pink mare inside looking at the building on the other side of the road. She was holding a pair of binoculars and was scanning the building's windows. Cars were going by as normal and ponies walked the sidewalk. It seemed the city had finally recovered after the Apocalypse incident.

Beside the pink mare was Bit, the green techie who once worked for Surprise. She was simply watching Pinkamena with an uncertain look on her face. Both mares had said nothing for the past few minutes and Bit was getting bored.

"So..." she began. "What are we doing? You just sort of dragged me into the car..."

"We're staking out the building," the pink mare replied, not taking her eyes off the building. "We got a tip that Dune was spotted in there... And I dragged you along so we can get to know each other." Pinks then lowered the binoculars and looked over at the green mare with a smile. "Since you're part of the team, and all."

Bit smiled lightly before looking down at the floor. "I know it's been... 18 months since I... since we joined your team, but... I don't feel like a part of it..."

The pink mare tilted her head before glancing out her window. "What do you mean?" She asked, looking at Bit once again.

"I haven't really contributed..." Bit said with a sigh, before smiling. "But, I know how I can..."

Pinks smiled lightly and nodded. "Mmm... And how exactly are you gonna contribute?"

"By making Twilight something," the green mare replied, before her smile faded. "But... she doesn't get out much anymore, does she?"

Pinkamena hesitated before looking out her window again. "No... She spends all her time in her room with Tech's laptop... monitoring the city..." she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "She never got the time to get to know any of us, aside from Dashie, and... now, I feel like none of us will ever get to know her..."

"Surprise really messed her up, huh?" Bit asked as she noticed the sadness in her voice. "I... I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to be sorry..."

"No, I do," Bit insisted. "I helped Surprise... If it wasn't for me... all the others would still be alive..." she said, her breathing becoming more ecstatic. "I-I'm surrounded by lives I helped ruin, I... I-I can't do this--"

She was cut off when Pinks pulled her into a hug. "Shhh..." she cooed, rubbing her back. Bit closed her eyes and sniffled. "Surprise fucked us all... Twilight more than others... and she used you to do it... She used you... Just like she used our trust and turned it against us..."

Bit nodded before opening her eyes, tapping Pinks on the shoulder. "I know her..." She said as Pinks broke the hug and looked out the window, spotting the white mare. "She was dating Dune..."

The pink mare grabbed her binoculars and watched the white mare walk up to the building. After looking around a little, she entered.

"Suspicious..." Pinks sang.

"Are, uh... we gonna be the ones to take him in?" Asked Bit.

Pinkamena shook her head and lowered the binoculars before pulling out her cell phone. "Twilight wanted me to call her when I found him."

"Look, uh..." Bit began. "I know that since we're technically working with the police now... that we're supposed to arrest the not-as-dangerous criminals like Dune, but... you think Twilight will honor that? I mean, she's... not that stable anymore..."

Pinks hesitated, her thumb hovering over the call button. "She'll do the right thing, I'm sure..." the mare said, hesitating to hit Call.

Elementals Hotel...

Midnight opened the door to her room and entered. She was wearing blue shorts and a white tank top. Looking towards the back of the room, near the door to the bedroom, she saw Twilight in her usual place. The purple mare was seated at a desk facing the wall, staring at a laptop. On the screen were several shots of the city. The mare didn't even look over at Midnight when she entered.

The black mare let out a sigh and closed the door. "Have you had anything to eat?"

Twilight's ears twitched before she shook her head. "No..." she replied in a monotone.

Midnight began walking over to her, eyeing Azure, Collie, and Diamond who were sleeping naked together on the unfolded futon. "You know... the others may look up to you, but... you're scaring them. They haven't seen you in so long..."

"What do you want me to do?!" Twilight yelled, standing up to face her. Collie, Azure, and Diamond all awoke with a startled jump. "I'm trying to keep the city safe! We can't afford to overlook a single thing or we risk another Surprise incident!"

"Y-You can take a break," Midnight said with a small smile. "Come out and spend some time with the others... "

"Right... So, I can miss something important?" Twi asked, before her cell rang. "I don't think so..." She then grabbed her cell from the desk and answered it. "Hello?" Her eyes slowly grew big before a smile appeared on her face. "I'll be there shortly."

"Was it Pinks?" Asked the black mare, an upset look on her face.

Twilight nodded and put her phone away. "Finally found the fucker..." she said with a dark tone before walking passed Midnight, heading towards the door.

"Remember, Twilight..." the black mare said suddenly, getting the unicorn's attention. "Bring him in. Alive."

Twilight let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine..." she growled, before grabbing her long leather coat from the coat hangar and leaving the room.

Midnight closed her eyes and let out a sad sigh. "What's happened to you?" She asked, not actually expecting an answer.

She then looked over at the three mares on the couch and smiled, walking towards them. "Sorry we woke you..."

"I-Is mistress okay?" Asked Collie, watching the black mare walk over to her.

Midnight nodded with a smile, kicking off her running shoes. She then climbed onto the futon and got to her knees. "She's just a little on edge... It seems she took it the hardest..."

"Wh-What about Flora?" Asked Azure. "I mean, her brother..."

Midnight eyed her before sighing. "Flora is taking this extremely hard, but... Twilight blames herself for not only Tech... but also for everyone else... including Aqua... and everyone who died when this hotel went up in flames..." The black mare reached out and gently placed her hand on Azure's cheek. "It's been hard on everyone else, too... Even for us... W-We lost two who were... c-close to us..." Midnight said as her voice began to crack and tears rolled down her cheek.

Azure, Diamond, and Collie all leaned in and hugged her, the black mare hugging them back.

"We miss them, too..." Diamond whimpered.

Midnight broke the hug and sniffled, rubbing her eyes as she looked Diamond in the eyes. "Come here..." she said softly before gently pulling Diamond into a hug. Azure and Collie both rubbed the purple mare's back as they let the two hug it out.

Fluttershy walked up to the counter in the dining hall as a blue mare with swirly pink hair approached it from the other side.

"Hiya, dearie," the mare cooed soothingly. "What can I do for ya?" She asked with a warm smile.

"Hey, Mrs. Cake," Shy greeted with a smile. "Twenty-three hay burgers, please."

"Twenty-three?" Asked the blue mare. "For your Changelings?" She then asked with a smile.

Fluttershy nodded with a blush. "Mm-hmm..."

"How about a bulk discount for the newlywed?" Mrs. Cake asked as she went to go prepare the burgers.

"I-It was six months ago, but... O-Okay..." Shy stammered as she watched the mare walk away.

Once she had paid for her food, she took the bags towards the elevator and stumbled a little. She let out a soft "eep" when she felt as though she was about to drop everything. Though, before she could, a dark blue, unicorn mare quickly stepped up to her and put her hands under the bags to keep them up and steady them.

"Oh... Thanks, Mystic," Shy said with a smile.

The unicorn nodded and smiled back. "Need some help?"

"Yes, please," Fluttershy replied, before Mystic took half of the load.

The two then entered the elevator and waited for it to reach the fourth floor.

"So, you... really have Changelings in your room?" Mystic asked, breaking the momentary silence.

The pegasus nodded and let out a soft coo. "Twenty-one, to be exact... and I'm married to one..."

"Right... Sorry, I missed the wedding..." Mystic replied, sounding apologetic.

Fluttershy looked at her and smiled. "It's okay... Wedding still happened, right?"

The unicorn let out a chuckle and nodded. "Yeah... Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks. I must admit that taking care of twenty Changelings is... tiring," Shy said as the elevator bell dinged.

"I'll bet..." The unicorn replied with a chuckle as the doors opened. "Don't they feed off love?"

The pink-haired mare blushed and hesitated before leaving the elevator. "Yes..." she said simply before making her way down the hall, towards her suite. She then eyed the unicorn with a smile. "Would you like to meet them?"

Mystic blushed and let out a nervous chuckle. "Ha ha... Maybe another time..."

Fluttershy nodded as they approached her door. "Maybe..." she sang, making Mystic blush even more.

Pinkamena was leaning back in her seat as she saw Twilight's sleek, black car speeding towards them.

"Here she comes..." the pink mare said with a sigh before opening her door and stepping out.

Bit followed as the two watched the car skid to a stop in front of them. The engine soon turned off before the driver's side door opened. When Twilight stepped out, the two saw that she was dressed in her dark purple top, skin-tight purple pants, black shoes, and long leather jacket. On her face she wore black shades. Pinks expression turned into a somewhat sad one, which usually happened every time she saw what Twilight has become.

"Where is he?" Asked Twilight plainly.

Pinkamena eyed Bit before looking at Twilight again, pointing at the building across the street. "In there."

"What do we know?" Asked the purple mare, turning to face the building as she eyed it over.

"It's a shitty apartment building," Pinks explained, crossing her arms. "Low rent. Crappy rooms."

"A-And, the white mare we saw go in there is named Daisy," Bit added. "She was going out with Dune..."

"And if she works and lives in a nice hotel..." Twilight started as a smirk grew on her face. "why would she be here?" She then began making her way towards the small hotel.

Daisy was seated in a chair in the small room, watching Dune. The stallion was working on a gun at his desk, taking it apart to clean it.

"Why won't you... l-let me go?" Daisy asked with a sniffle. "How much longer do you... th-think you can keep this up?"

"As long as I need to," the brown stallion replied before setting his gun down and walking over to her. "And I won't let you go... because I like you," he said as he leaned in and kissed her neck.

The mare whimpered and looked away. "Y-You're a murderer..."

"I only helped..." he cooed, his left hand resting on her right breast. "Surprise did most of it..."

"Most?" Daisy asked as she closed her eyes and blushed.

Dune chuckled before standing upright. "Enough talking," he said darkly, stating to undo his pants. "More suck--"

He was cut off when the door was kicked open, revealing an angry-looking purple mare. Dune quickly grabbed Daisy and picked her up, holding her in front of him.

"Twilight..." the stallion cooed. "You found me."

"Release her," the unicorn growled, aiming her gun at him.

Dune smirked and grabbed Daisy by the back of the neck. "As you wish."

He then shoved Daisy towards Twilight, who simply stopped her in her magic. During all this, Dune was able run to the window, open it, and climb out. Letting out a growl, Twilight gently set the white mare down and rushed towards the window, seeing Dune escaping down the fie escape. Climbing out herself, she grabbed the side and climbed over, hanging by one hand.

Letting go, she let herself fall two stories before hitting the ground with a grunt. She landed just in time to see Dune drop from the fire escape ladder. Holding up her gun, she gave him a smirk.

"End of the line, Dune," she hissed.

"Not bad..." the stallion said somewhat mockingly, holding up his hands. "Consider yourself lucky I was cleaning my gun..."

"I don't need luck to take out a piece of shit like you..." Twilight growled.

"Oh? And how did you find me?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. "You would've made a mistake eventually..."

"Perhaps..." Dune said as she slowly got to his knees. "Well, come on... Take me in..." he said as Pinkamena and Bit came around the corner.

"I can't..." she said as she started to pull the trigger ever so slightly.

"Twilight!" Pinks yelled. "Remember, you can't--"

BANG!

The brown stallion's body fell as the other two mares stared in shock. Twilight eyed them both before holstering her gun in her jacket.

"What?" Asked the purple mare, walking passed them. "He pulled on me..."

Pinkamena and Bit both eyed each other before looking at the body.

Police Station...

"She did WHAT?!" Spitfire yelled, slamming her hands on her desk. She was wearing a police uniform, minus the hat.

Pinkamena rubbed the back of her head as she eyed Bit, the two sitting in chairs in front of Spitfire's desk.

"She... shot him," the pink mare repeated. "In the head."

The yellow pegasus sighed and sat down in her chair. "Look..." she said, somewhat forcefully, like she was going to regret what she was about to admit. "Your group has saved this city three times thus far and we all owe you our lives... If it wasn't for the... Elementals... we'd be in much worse shape than we are now... But, we have a new system in place now."

"I understand that," Pinks said suddenly, wanting to get that fact out.

"Do you?" Spitfire asked just as suddenly, leaning back in her chair. "Because it doesn't look that way. The arrangement was your group deals with the bigger threats... and we deal with the smaller ones. Dune wasn't some power-crazy Changeling or a company creating monsters... or even some bitch who came so fucking close to taking over the city... He's just one stallion."

Pinkamena looked away briefly before looking at Spitfire again. "Twilight's been through a lot... Killing Dune was probably just to tie up loose ends... since he was partly responsible for what Surprise did. Not to mention he killed two of our friends... It's probably the last time."

"It had better be," the pegasus replied before getting up. "We have ignored a lot of questionable things your group has done... like befriending that Changeling, the wolf, and the succubus... No more. It's time to play by the rules so we can avoid chaos. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Pinks sighed in annoyance and stood up. "Yeah..." she replied as Bit stood up with her.

Spitfire eyed the green mare with a look of warning. "You two are dismissed..."

The pink mare gave her a nod before gently taking Bit's arms. "Come on..." she said, leading the mare away. As they left the room, the pink mare looked over her shoulder at the yellow pegasus. "Congrats on the promotion, by the way," she said before turning and leaving.

Spitfire gave a light smile before sitting back down. "Oh, what's happening to this city?"

Elementals' Hotel...

Fluttershy lay on the bed on her back, letting out a sigh as a Changeling Drone laid atop her. Smiling, Shy rubbed the Drone's back as the Changeling kissed her neck. Chrysalis watched them for a moment before looking over at Nala, who was sitting in a chair in the corner. Letting out a sigh, she walked over to her. As she got closer, Nala eyed her before looking at the ground, a look of shame on her face.

"What's wrong?" Asked the queen, kneeling down and placing her hand on Nala's knee.

The Elite looked away and closed her eyes. "I... I just... I wish we could go back to the way it was before... When it was just you, me, and the hive..." She then quickly looked at the queen, eyes full of tears. "I-I know that's selfish b-because you're so happy now, but... I-I can't help it..."

"Why do you feel that way?" Chrysalis asked with a light smile. "Talk to me."

Nala nodded and sniffled. "W-Well, uh... ever since you met her... you've been spending less and less time with... me..."

The queen let out a sigh and leaned in, gently pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Nala... I didn't realize..." She gently nuzzled the Changeling before pulling away once more. "I was just so happy..." she continued with a smile. "But, I promise I'll spend more time with you, okay? I want you to be as happy as I am."

Nala wiped tears from her eyes and nodded, smiling a little. "Alright, my queen..."

Chrysalis then leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before standing up. "Care to join us on the bed?" The Elite eyed her before looking over at Fluttershy and the Drone. "Maybe you could get to know my wife..."

The Elite looked up at her again and smiled. "Okay..."

The Docks...

Night had fallen and most were asleep, apart from a few... including a grey stallion wearing a brown jacket and jeans and drinking from a bottle. Letting out a loud burp, he threw the bottle aside. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he glanced over at the docks and saw a figure standing there, looking out at the ocean.

A grin appearing on his face, he pulled out a switchblade and made his way over to the figure. As he stepped onto the dock, the wood made a creaking noise as the figure looked back at him.

"Look, buddy..." the stallion slurred. "All I want is you wallet. No one has to get hurt..." The figure said nothing as he got closer. "Are you deaf? I said hand over your--"

Before he could finish speaking, the figure whipped around and grabbed his wrist, squeezing hard. The stallion let out a yell of pain as he was forced to his knees.

"What do you say, girls?" The figure asked as two more figures walked passed him from behind. "Is he a keeper?" The other two then stood beside her, one on the left and one on the right.

The one on the left pulled her hood off and scoffed. "No way... I don't want that loser worshiping my body..."

The one on the right lowered her hood as well. "Yeah. What she said."

The figure in the middle pulled her hood off and placed a hand on the stallion's head, grinning. "Come here..." she cooed gently, the stallion slowly getting to his feet.

As he got closer, he saw that the figure was a bright olive mare. A jewel around her neck began to glow as she got in his face. She then began to hum a sweet tune while stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. The stallion stared into her eyes, his own going wide as he couldn't look away. He slowly raised the switchblade to his neck as the mare took a step to the side. After she did, he walked to the end of the dock before driving the blade into his neck. Letting out a gurgle, he soon toppled into the water with a splash.

"I hope the rest of the ponies in this city aren't like him..." the purple one said as she sat on the edge of the dock and pushed the body away with her foot.

"Relax, Aria," the olive mare cooed. "I'm sure we'll get what we want here. I can just feel the energy..."

"Adagio?" The blue one asked, walking up to her. "Surprise knew what he was talkin' 'bout... right?"

"Oh, sweet Sonata," Adagio cooed, placing a hand on the blue mare's cheek. "If you two would take a moment, instead of asking me questions, you'd simply feel the energy for yourselves. There's so much magic here... and I intend to use this magic to make this entire world do our bidding..."

"What about Surprise's plan?" Asked Aria as she stood up and walked over to them, crossing her arms.

"I'm making some slight changes but the outcome will remain somewhat the same..." Adagio cooed with a smile. "Now, come, girls... It's time..."

"Ooo, I can't wait!" Sonata squealed happily.

Aria rolled her eyes as she began making her way towards the main road. Sonata skipped behind her as Adagio took one more look out at the water.

"Hmm..." she simply said, before following the other two.

Author's Notes:

OC Info
Mystic Star - Cute Alex