As Troubador 1-4 set down in the Post Office courtyard, flashbacks of the assault on the boardwalk replayed themselves over and over in Twilight's head. The three pulls of the trigger that changed her life forever. The Cleaner falling over backwards, dead before he hit the floor.

"Agent...Twilight? You okay?" Harper asked as they disembarked.

"I'm not...I killed, Harper. I can't get over it. I just can't." Twilight said.

"I see." Harper said. "We can talk later. Right now, we need to Three-R right now."

"Three-R?" Twilight asked.

"Report, Restock, Recover." Harper said. "Standard protocol for Division agents returning from an op. Report your mission status, restock your ammo, recover your senses for the next battle."

"I see." Twilight said. As they walked inside, Faye Lau greeted them with a smile.

"Good work, Agents. That boardwalk was a pain in my ass recently. Now? I can focus on other shit that needs attention. How's our guest holding up?"

"She's shaken up, but fine." Nick said.

"Good. Get her some new gear. You've earned it." Lau said. Twilight sighed and thanked her.

"No problem, Miss. Now that you're around level three, you should work your way up to higher gear status."

"Level? This some kind of game to you?" Twilight asked.

"Not really. The Level Clearance system is how we keep tabs on our agent's well-being and field status. It's really just a shit-ton of complicated math, involving missions, kills, hours spent in field, and the like. It's just a security and safety precaution. ISAC usually handles it." Lau said. "Restock and get some rest."

"Fine. Let's go." Nick said. As the squad walked upstairs to the barracks, Twilight ran over her actions at the boardwalk in her head.

"I killed a human...I've never had to kill before...I mean, the Changelings and Tirek were bad, but they didn't deserve to die! These humans..the Rikers, Cleaners, LMB...are they really so lost, so evil that their members deserve to die? It doesn't make any sense to me...Well, go figure. I'm a pony and they're human. They've been dealing with this for longer than I have. From what I've heard, they've had to kill to survive. I could've stunned or incapacitated him! I didn't have to kill him!"
"Here we are. Home, sweet home." Nick said, opening the door to the team's room. It was simple, with five cots, a Laptop and internet setup sitting on a pop-up table, and several crates with three duffel bags were lined up on a wall. An American flag hung on the wall opposite, hanging above a flag emblazoned with the JTF logo. An open crate full of snacks lay open near the laptop. Nick sighed and sat down on a cot.

"Make yourself at home, Twilight. Feel free to find what you'll like, as the snacks we have here are better than the shit in the cafeteria." Harper said, and Twilight picked and collapsed on a bunk. She curled up and sighed.

"Twilight?" Harper asked.

"I'm...fine...." she replied, barely holding back tears.

"You're not "fine", Twilight." Harper said. "I can tell."

"Is it that noticeable?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. When you're curled up in a ball, ready to have a breakdown, it's easily noticeable. Listen, I know what you're going through. Truth be told, when I had my first kill, I almost threw up in the middle of the street. To be honest, I still haven't gotten over all the people I've had to kill."

"What?" Twilight said, shocked. "Even you?"

"Me too." Nick said.

"Same." Logan replied.

"I as well." Dimitri said.

"But you're Division agents! Surely you…" Twilight said.

"Just because we're agents doesn't mean we're not human. Listen, Princess. I know you're scared, shocked, and pretty damn far from home. We are too. I left behind a pretty nice girl to come here. But I don't see killing as an exclusively bad thing. I think that if I get accept what I did, and move on, focus on one day at a time, I'll find some peace." Nick said. "That's the advice I gave everyone here. When you kill, you learn the significance of taking a life. But when all's said and done, I know this. When I come back here, and it's lights out, I pray to God to forgive me for all the sins I've done. And I wake up each new day knowing he has. That's how I cope."

"Nick…" Twilight said, starting to cry. Harper pulled her close and she let it go. Grimacing, she let the tears streak down her face. Harper's sympathetic smile remained, though a tear still flowed from her right eye. Soon, Twilight let go and slumped down into the bed.

"Agent...Twilight, get some good sleep. It'll do you well." Harper said. "If you need anything, we'll be right here."

Twilight nodded and pulled off her Kevlar vest and combat gear, leaving her in her shirt and pants. She slipped under the covers and soon, her eyes closed and she fell asleep. Nick sighed and stood up.

"Time for lights out, team. Let's get some shut-eye as well."

As the agents changed and headed to bed, the moon flashed light. As the agents slept, the form of Horace the cat appeared in the doorway. He purred, walked over to Twilight's bunk, slinked up next to her, curled up into a warm and furry ball, and fell asleep as well.

Author's Note

Update!

And yes, Twilight has a conscience.