Shining Armor awoke alone like he had for the past two weeks. Although he knew Cadence was fine, it still gave him an idea on what it would be like without her. It was if a chunk of his soul had been torn out and thrown into a well like his heart had been tossed into ice-cold water. He wanted to visit her multiple times to talk, but he was far too busy. He had work to do now, work that required his full attention. If he was going to keep her safe, if he was going to keep Equestria safe, he had to ignore his wants and focus on the needs of everypony else.

Shining Armor got out of his pajamas and into another suit, then he changed again, believing that a suit would be too ostentatious of him. If he wanted to make a little more common ground with his new team, he had to make sure he looked casual enough to be trusted by them. Granted, Gizmo was more of a stallion who wore suits, but he was the minority out of the bunch. Shining Armor put on a white dress shirt with the collar undone, rolled up the sleeves, then put on a pair of khaki pants. Admittedly, he found it far more comfortable wearing his casual clothes than a fancy suit.

"Daddy...?" Flurry Heart knocked as she peeked around his door; she was wearing a frilly pink dress.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Shining Armor crouched down to her height as he approached her. "What is it?"

"Are you gonna go see those ponies now?" Flurry Heart asked him as she rubbed the residue sleep from her eyes.

"Yes, pumpkin, Daddy's going to go and help our new friends get settled in their new home..." Shining Armor answered her as he stroked her cheek. "I'll be back in the evening."

"Can I come...?" Flurry Heart said with her largest, big, blue puppy-dog eyes.

"Sorry, sweetie, I can't. They need some time to adjust to their new home," Shining Armor shook his head slowly, trying to ease Flurry Heart; she could often be quite persistent.

"Okay..." Flurry Heart moped with a quivering lip as she hung her head.

"Hey, don't worry. Maybe you can visit next week when we've got them settled?" Shining Armor suggested.

"Really?!" Flurry Heart's eyes lit up, nearly melting Shining Armor's heart.

"Well, we have to see how this first week goes, alright?" Shining Armor gave Flurry Heart a warm hug before taking the stairs down to the main floor; Twilight was waiting for him. He turned back to his daughter one more time before she was out of view. "Love you! Be good while I'm gone and be in bed by eight. Aunt Rarity will come and visit while I'm gone."

"Yay!" Flurry Heart cheered as she ran back to her room down the hall.

"You're late," Twilight was leaning against his door at the bottom of the staircase, wearing a black suit, eyeing his outfit up and down. "What in the world are you wearing?"

"Casual attire. I don't think it's wise to dress fancy— it'll make us appear like we're better than them, and I don't want that, because we're not," Shining Armor said as he made his way down the stairs. "Would it be too much to ask you to use some of Cadence's clothes to change as well...?"

Twilight stared at him for a moment in disbelief, then sighed to herself as she ran upstairs. "Fine..."

****

The ride to the military outpost was smooth and very quiet; the single-lane road was void of any other traffic, and the surrounding countryside was pleasant. The rolling, emerald hills and steady streams that ran through the valleys seemed to blend with the partially cloudy skies, and the odd willow tree atop a hill gently swayed in the light breeze. It was quiet in the car on the way there as well; no music or conversation, just deep thought. Shining Armor was too busy thinking of Cadence, and Twilight could see this clearly. With a light tap on the console, she turned on the radio, hoping to cut through the silence. She leaned back in her seat and put her hands behind her head; it had been a while since she took a moment to unwind, and perhaps her more casual red blouse and blue jeans eased her into it better.

*'Maybe' by The Ink Spots plays*

"I love this song..." Shining Armor grinned as he turned the radio up a hair.

"Me too," Twilight laughed as she looked over at her brother, who tried mimicking the soprano voice of the lead singer— quite terribly, but with sincerity. "Oh, wow... you definitely didn't get mom's voice, did you?"

"Nope. You've got to listen to the sweet, sweet sound of dad's instead!" Shining Armor laughed as he continued singing, causing his sister to crack up.

At that moment Shining Armor realized how much he missed his sister— what time had deprived him of. As they grew older, the gap separating them only grew with them, and they almost forgot what it was like to be with each other again— how much they needed each other. Shining Armor gave his sister a light shove as she snickered at his sub-par vocal skills, and she snorted to herself as he turned down the music.

"Thanks, Twilight..." Shining Armor sighed as he released his tension and leaned back in his seat. "For sticking with me."

"I can't let you make any mistakes without me here to scold you," Twilight grinned as she peered out her window, gazing at the emerald countryside.

"Sorry, too..." Shining Armor frowned a little as he saw the barbed gates of the outpost approaching fast.

"For what?" Twilight wondered.

"You know, for not calling you back when you called me last week," Shining Armor reminded his sister as he slowed the car down. "I think I needed to hear your voice."

"Thanks, Shining Armor..." Twilight gave him a warm smile as the gates opened, leading them into the outpost hidden in the remote valley. "Looks like we're here."

As the road straightened out, Shining Armor and Twilight watched as helicopters and other military vehicles made their way from place to place from the air base to the left of them atop an overlooking hill, all the way down to the bunker sitting down within the valley. The troops were in the midst of moving their supplies from one base to another, and Twilight and Shining Armor saw many vacant parking spots filled to the brim with military supplies— all packed up in crates and ready to be shipped. They had prepared them the day before and were only shipping them out now that the convicts had arrived. It wouldn't make too much sense to leave the largest stockpile of ammunition in Equestria a few meters away from some of the most powerful and dangerous ponies on the planet, and to add to the sketchiness of the whole ordeal; to be honest, most of the military were quite livid about the whole idea of leaving the base to ponies as dangerous as them.

The facility itself was massive; landing pads on the other side of the building for helicopters, hangers for high-ranking members of the government to land their jets, and a specialized guard patrol who kept watch over the facility twenty-four-seven. Shining Armor pulled the car into an empty lot right next to the entryway of the massive facility— a set of high-tech titanium doors with facial recognition software and a slew of guards surrounding it. There were barely any windows, as protection was vital, and the complex had heavy reinforced concrete walls to protect from any attack from the north— the changelings were always a real threat, and the base was the first line of defence.

"Certainly impressive... I've never been here before," Twilight remarked as she stood in the shadow of the looming facility, walking over to the entrance with her brother.

"I've been here only once before," Shining Armor said, reminding himself of his wedding. "It has certainly grown over the years. Now it looks like we'll be setting up shop elsewhere."

"If this team of yours succeeds, that is..." Twilight added as she tied her hair back into a ponytail.

"It will work, Twilight, trust me," Shining Armor insisted as he approached one of the guards.

"Captain Shining Armor, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," The guard bowed in respect as he stepped aside and activated the console next to the entryway. "The door will give you a scan really quickly, sir."

"What's the recognition software for?" Twilight wondered.

"Protection from changeling shape shifting," Another guard chimed in next to her. "This system recognizes abnormalities in the facial structure of a pony— changelings can't match a pony's face perfectly."

A small opening in the concrete above the gate shot out two beams of light that shone down on Shining Armor and Twilight, illuminating them both. After a few seconds, the light dimmed, and a robotic voice confirmed their identities. "Confirmed: Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Shining Armor. Welcome."

A magnetic lock on the door turned and the gate opened up, revealing the inside of the facility— completely overhauled and refurbished. The lobby was the first floor, and three other levels were visible on either side of the pathway leading to the front desk of the complex. Everything was either made of glass or steel in the building, giving off a very futuristic look, and the lobby and hallways were void of any extra decoration, as the establishment was still under construction. Agents in two piece suits who were hand-picked by Shining Armor patrolled the halls of the complex, monitoring the new facility and tending to new computers linked to criminal databases provided by the Equestrian Bureau of Investigation. And as Twilight followed her brother through the lobby, she looked at some of the badges the agents wore on their chests; they had the same symbol she saw in Shining Armor's room the day before— The Equestrian Knights ensign.

As they approached the front desk, Twilight stared at the empty seat in front of her; no secretary. "Um... is there supposed-?"

With a bang, followed by the sound of a box of files tumbling down close by, a familiar pegasus emerged from the front desk. "Hiya!"

The mare in question was around the same age as Twilight; gray fur, blonde hair done up in a slightly tangled bun, and yellow eyes with round glasses. She wore a suit like the rest of the employees, but it was a little more ruffled and was light blue covered in white polka dots. The glasses masked her trademark lazy eye, but Twilight still recognized her instantly.

"Derpy?" Twilight gawked as she saw the same badge on her chest and a nametag next to it that read 'secretary'.

"Hi, Twilight! I didn't know you were coming here!" Derpy smiled in her usual bubbly fashion as she adjusted her corrective glasses and picked up the files beneath her feet that she had dropped.

"Um, yeah, surprise. Hey, I need to talk to my brother for a second..." Twilight took her brother by the shoulder suddenly, turning him away from Derpy. "Why is she the secretary?"

"I thought she'd be a good choice; she gets along well with others, she's eager, and she has experience in the courier profession. And also..." Shining Armor looked back at Derpy, to which the infamously oblivious mare waved at him. "Nopony else would take the job."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Twilight said as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Yes, I have one hundred percent confidence in Ditzy..." Shining turned around again to find Derpy tripping over her own hooves behind her desk. "Eighty-eight percent confidence. Besides, I think she'll be able to get along well with the team whenever I'm gone."

"Whatcha guys talkin' about?" Derpy asked as she got onto her hooves.

"Nothing, Ditzy. I was just talking about the newly redesigned interior is all," Shining Armor lied as he set his hand on Derpy's desk. "Care to take us to them, Ditzy?"

"Oh, yep! They're just a door away in the living complex! Here, follow me," Ditzy said as she tried to look professional and stood up straight, walking like a runway mare from Las Pegasus. "They're pretty cool guys! Especially that Blue Thistle! Wowee is she ever tall!" Derpy exited her desk all-encompassing desk through a back door and looped around to meet with the two siblings, then she guided them towards the set of steel doors down the long hallway behind her. "Fae is really nice, and she's been taking real good care of the plants here! Oh, and Gizmo is super-duper smart; like really smart! He solved my crossword in just ten seconds! Shadow Dancer's been listening to music non-stop all morning, and she's super pretty! I also really, really like Blaster! He likes muffins!"

"Eighty-eight percent, huh...?" Twilight muttered to herself as she listened to Derpy drone on.

Derpy placed her badge on a console next to the entrance, verifying her identity to the scanner and unlocking the door. "Check this place out!"

Shining Armor and Twilight entered the main living area in awe. And although it was of Shining Armor's design, seeing his dream become a reality was more than enough to gobsmack him. The massive chamber was divided into three levels with platforms; a lounge with a bar and a television dominated the ground floor, a workout room was on the smaller second floor, and five secluded rooms each catered to the members of the team stuck out of the sides of the main chamber on the walls like glass boxes, overlooking the lounge. In the center of the chamber was a large central computer with many monitors and wires running beneath the facility. It was the fastest in Equestria, and it was linked to the whole collective criminal database of Equestria.

"Um, hello, everypony," Shining Armor announced faintly to his new team, who were all seated on the arrangement of sofas around the television in secluded silence, save for Gizmo; he was halfway inside the computer, rewiring and rearranging the circuitry. As soon as Shining Armor spoke up, he had their attention and they stood up. "You've already met my sister and I before back at the prison..." Shining Armor didn't know what to expect; they all simply stared at him in an awkward manner. "How is your new home treating you all?"

"It is good, yes..." Blue Thistle grumbled as she turned towards the bar fridge. "But you have no food."

"No food?!" Shining Armor began to panic as he ran across to the fridge to check. "What? I thought I told that-!"

"No, you misunderstand," Blue Thistle cut him off as she stood up and pointed over to the bar sink— filled to the brim with dirty dishes. "I have eaten all of food."

"Oh..." Shining Armor gawked as he gazed into the empty fridge. "Alright then." He cleared his throat as he walked back to his sister at the center of the room. "My sister and I wish to do field work as soon as possible, but first, we all need to establish an understanding with one another." Shining Armor and Twilight sat down at sofa furthest from the bar attached to the wall. "Please, everypony, have a seat. We should probably introduce ourselves; you've only been let out into the lower floor just an hour ago after all. Let's begin by introducing ourselves and telling each other how we got here."

The whole team sat down with them, but at a safe distance from one another—around an arm's length. Shadow Dancer was wearing a white tank top with quite prominent cleavage and blue jeans, and she was the first to speak. "What is this? An AA meeting? Um... hey, I'm Shadow Dancer. I've killed bad stallions for money... and that's pretty much it."

"How... nice," Derpy said with a tinge of concern in her tone.

"I am Blue Thistle. I punched police officer assaulting zebra in face, then ended up in jail," The giant mare wearing a red baggy sweater and sweatpants chimed in as she took a carrot from the coffee table in front of her. "I like carrots."

"Also nice..." Derpy forced a smile.

"I am Doctor Gizmo," Gizmo, wearing his yellow plaid suit and red bowtie spoke up as he adjusted his glasses, tapping his foot on the floor incessantly. "I dislike most things accept my machines. I also have crippling OCD and ADHD."

"That much is obvious..." Shadow Dancer muttered under her breath as she watched his eye twitch involuntarily.

"I'm Fae! I think you're all very interesting, and I love plants and animals and rainbows!" Fae sang with a sparkle in her eye, wearing a frilly white dress. She suddenly hung her head in shame as she recalled her reason for imprisonment. "I beat up bad stallions who were hurting my forest, and I don't remember anything before my imprisonment. This makes me very sad..."

"I'm Blaster, and-... I don't want to talk about why I'm here," Blaster sighed as he held one of Derpy's blueberry muffins in his hands, causing her to blush slightly. "I'm glad to have a muffin after all those years of slop..."

"Alright, now that we're-..." Shining Armor trailed off as he looked over to Derpy who sat next to him on his left with her hand up, barely able to contain herself. "Did you want to introduce yourself, Ditzy-?"

"I'mDitzyDooandIlikemuffins!" Derpy blurted out loud as she grabbed a muffin out of the satchel she always kept close at hand. "I'm super, super exited to work with you guys!"

"Yay!" Fae clapped her hands together like a foal who had finished watching a puppet show.

"So... what now?" Shadow Dancer asked as she looked at each pony around her.

"Hmm... well, it's eleven now..." Twilight stared up at the clock just above the TV. "Perhaps we should get a taste of all your abilities in a basic training exercise then break for lunch?"

"A good idea, Twilight," Shining Armor nodded to his sister as he stood up along with the others; all except Blaster. "Everypony, let's go downstairs to the training room. Blaster, you can stay right here close to the blast chamber. Don't worry, you'll be able to train with us once your armor is complete tomorrow."

"Alright..." Blaster nodded slowly as he took a bite of his muffin.

As the others made their way downstairs through the main entrance, Ditzy tagged back and stayed in the empty lounge area with Blaster, watching him for a moment from a distance, unsure if she was welcome to stay or not. "Do you... want to share the rest of my muffins with me?"

"Um... I don't know... I think it'd be best for you to just go with them, Ditzy Doo..." Blaster shook his head as he ate the last of his muffin. "I just-... I'm trouble is all. All I do is cause trouble for everypony else."

"I-It's okay... I'm known for that too..." Ditzy squeaked cutely as she sat down with him and placed her satchel on the table. "And you can call me Derpy too— that's what my good friends call me."

"A-Alright, Derpy..." Blaster grinned as he ate muffins with his new friend.

Author's Note

Well... I don't think I could've titled this chapter any better than I did! I hope you enjoyed!