It took an hour for the staff to round up more food for the team that first lunch at headquarters. Twilight had to leave for an urgent meeting in Canterlot, sadly, and Derpy scurried about the base, searching for rations in the deepest part of the facility. They set up at the long island at the bar, as they didn't actually have a dining room table yet. Blue Thistle didn't seem to complain when she was served non-perishable bread and a hearty stew. Knowing where she came from, Shining Armor assumed she was just used to quick food like that. Gizmo didn't have too many complaints regarding the quality, however, he did nitpick in regards to the asymmetrical and poorly sorted nature of the ration packaging.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shadow Dancer asked with a flummoxed expression as she watched Gizmo use a measuring tape he kept in his pocket to adjust the distance between his plate and his utensils.

"I'm... making sure... this is correct for eating..." Gizmo almost seemed to sweat as he carefully adjusted his fork and knife. "I have to be cautious. One wrong move could-."

Shadow Dancer bumped the table slightly as she rested her right leg over her knee, and Gizmo's face went pale at his fork moved slightly to the right. "Oops."

"Mmmmpphhh!" Gizmo's lips were puckered together as he spat out air, giving off a noise similar to a deflating balloon.

"Mister Shining Armor," Fae spoke up as Gizmo, her neighbor on the bar island, began to make all kinds of awful noises beside her. "I believe Mister Gizmo is having what I think you ponies call 'the seizures'."

"Um, he'll be fine..." Shining Armor shrugged his shoulders as Gizmo stuttered and sputtered to himself, ignoring his sandwich on the table. "I think."

"The food is good, Commander," Blue Thistle grunted with her hood up as she leaned forward to shorten the distance between her head and her food.

"Hey, Blue Thistle, you don't have to call me 'Commander', right?" Shining Armor suggested as he swallowed a spoonful of his packaged rice with green curry.

"Niet, you are my commander, yes? Then I call you by title," Blue Thistle said in her usual headstrong and blunt fashion of speaking.

"Well, everypony else can call me by my name, okay?" Shining Armor stated, to which the others all nodded, save for Gizmo who was still speechless.

"Uh, Shining Armor...?" Blaster piped up as he feasted on his tray of sushi.

"Yes, Blaster?" Shining Armor raised an eyebrow as he turned to the small stallion in front of him.

"When will our first real-deal mission be?" Blaster wondered.

"In no more than three days, I assure you," Shining Armor answered him as he finished off his meal and placed his dishes in the sink.

"Seems a bit too long, don't you think?" Shadow Dancer chimed in as she took a bite of her jury-rigged, foul-smelling sandwich.

"Oh, Sweet Celestia!" Gizmo grimaced; the putrid odor from Shadow Dancer's food was enough to snap him out of his daze. "What is that horrid excuse for food in your hands?!"

"Canned oyster sandwich with mayo— my favorite. Luckily the rations have some good cuisine in em'!" Shadow Dancer grinned as she took a bite of her sad excuse for a meal.

"Ooo! It smells like the toadstools in Everfree!" Fae laughed as the scent of Shadow Dancer's dish wafted over to her.

"Uggh! Put that meal away at once!" Gizmo heaved as he looked at the brownish-white filling between the two pieces of non-perishable bread.

"I agree with skinny gadget-stallion," Blue Thistle interjected as she handed her dishes to Shining Armor.

"Oh, c'mon!" Shadow Dancer threw her arms up in the air as if she had given up, then she grabbed the glass of water closest to her to wash the smell away.

"Oh, shit! Shadow Dancer! Wait!" Shining Armor realized his mistake as Shadow Dancer's hand grasped the glass, but by then it was too late.

"I-..." Shadow Dancer trailed off as she felt the cold of the water inside her glass.

Gizmo snorted to himself as he watched Shadow Dancer whimper. "What's wrong, Shadow Dancer? Too cold for-?"

"Shut up!" Shadow Dancer screamed at Gizmo as she began to have an episode.

Tears began to collect in Shadow Dancer's eyes as visions flashed before her eyes— visions of her drowning and choking in a tank full of water. She began to shiver as she backed away from the island, covering her mouth as she let out soft, anguished cries from her lips. Her tears streamed down her face profusely, and his breath became cold and withered. She was in shock.

"I'm sorry, I-... I have to go!" Shadow Dancer ran to the bathroom, tears still falling from her face as she sobbed to herself.

"What was that?!" Derpy asked Shining Armor, who bowed his head in disappointment.

"Damn it, I knew... I shouldn't have given her that glass..." Shining Armor sighed as he shook his head. "Shadow Dancer has a severe phobia to cold water— it triggers... bitter memories of her past. Though, it isn't my place to tell you why this is."

"Will she be alright?" Fae wondered as she turned to the mare's bathroom on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, but I think somepony should go in there and help her out— just to make sure she's okay." Shining Armor suggested to the mares as he poured out Shadow Dancer's water and placed the glass in the sink.

Derpy was the first to speak up, "I think I'll-."

Derpy was cut off at Blue Thistle marched over to the bathroom in a lumbering fashion. "I shall go."

"U-um..." Derpy muttered to herself nervously as she leaned over to Shining Armor. "Are you sure we should let her... you know?"

"It's fine, Ditzy. It's best we let the members of this team sort out their problems with one another in these next few days," Shining Armor insisted as he let Blue Thistle go by herself.

Admittedly, Blue Thistle didn't hate Shadow Dancer. She was just out of her element was all. Blue Thistle had grown so used to speechless stallions during the revolution, linear objectives, and goals. She knew her duty then, but now she wasn't sure what exactly her true motives were. Regardless, she did feel some duty towards her new teammates. Even though she knew little about them, even though they were nothing like her, she still felt responsibility for them. Besides, Shadow Dancer, though Blue Thistle didn't want to acknowledge it before, still showed her genuine kindness towards her.

As quiet as a two-meter tall mare could, Blue Thistle snuck into the bathroom. Though, Shadow Dancer's enhanced sense of hearing nullified Blue Thistle's stealth abilities. And, to be fair, tip-toeing was not one of Blue Thistle's fortes. Blue Thistle immediately heard sobbing from the furthest bathroom stall. "Who's there?"

"Um... it is me," Blue Thistle replied as she quietly trotted towards Shadow Dancer's stall.

"Wow, I guess they're really sending their best then, huh?" Shadow Dancer said in frustration, not really meaning what she said. "Shit... I'm-... I'm sorry, Blue. I didn't-."

"It's fine," Blue Thistle nodded as she stood outside Shadow Dancer's stall. "I am not best with words." Blue Thistle paused as she tried to soften her fairly harsh voice. "What is... wrong?"

"I'm just-... I wish I could tell you, but-... I barely know you," Shadow Dancer whimpered as she leaned her head against the side of her stall.

Blue Thistle opened the stall next to Shadow Dancer's and sat down on the toilet seat. "My name is Blue Star." Blue stall recollected her faded memories— like dusty boxes filled with old toys in an attic. "When I was fourteen, the rebel alliance of Rukaria inducted me into their army to fight off the brutality of The Red Tsars of my homeland and to defend my family. At age fifteen, a kind scientist named Coil came to me, he tells me; 'Blue Star, you will be saint of revolution'. I didn't really know what that meant at time." Blue Thistle crossed her arms uncomfortably as she continued. "When I awoke moments after procedure, I became what I am now. I became soldier, and I did my duty for home country. In the end, the rebellion won with my help. But... there was something else we didn't know. Whilst I was home, atom bombs detonated across Rukaria. Tsar's had contingency plan in case they lose. They nuked themselves so nopony would win. My little brother was the only one who survived in my family, and we wandered Rukaria for days before we found boat to go to Equestria. That is how I came to this country..."

"I'm sorry... for what happened to Rukaria," Shadow Dancer said quietly through the wall as she heard a small sob from Blue Thistle's stall.

"It is... fine," Blue Thistle sighed as she tried to hold back her own sorrow; she didn't want to appear weak in front of her comrade. "Now we are not strangers."

"My name is Test Subject C-65," Shadow Dancer closed her eyes as she remembered her first days. "I was born in a glass jar along with my other seventy-seven brothers and sisters. I don't have a mother or a father. And if I did, I don't think they'd be too keen on having seventy-seven kids." Shadow Dancer laughed lightly through the pain. "I escaped the testing facility shortly after Apollo Biotech terminated the project. They killed most of my family. I'm not sure how many even made it out alive. They were trying to cover it up. And to be honest, I don't think anypony in Equestria should know what went on in the Badlands twenty years ago."

"I am sorry for your loss," Blue Thistle empathized with her as she got off her seat and exited the stall.

"I didn't like any of my siblings anyways..." Shadow Dancer began to sob again as Blue Thistle stood outside her door, watching as it opened to reveal the now vulnerable mare standing on the other side.

Blue Thistle gave her a moment to take a few deep breaths before they left. "Alright, Shadow Dancer, let's-." Shadow Dancer said nothing as she embraced Blue Thistle tightly, rendering the giant mare speechless. "I..."

"Thanks..." Shadow Dancer wept as she rested her head on Blue Thistle. "You wanna know what the worst part about this all is...?"

"What?" Blue Thistle asked.

"Whoever used the toilet before me in there didn't flush," Shadow Dancer chuckled, tears still running down her face.

****

Shining Armor poured himself a short glass of brandy from the bar stash beneath the island, taking a moment to smell its strong aroma before taking a sip. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice Fae curiously eyeing his beverage like a hawk, piecing together what it was. Without a word he poured another glass, then left four others empty for later. He slid the full glass down the table to Fae, and she peered into the container in awe, admiring the dark and rich brown liquid within.

"What is this elixir, Mister Shining Armor?" Fae inquired as she raised it up to get a better angle on the glass.

"That's brandy, Fae. It's after-dinner alcohol," Shining Armor let out a long relaxed sigh as he savored another sip. "Go ahead, try some. You might like it."

Fae squinted as she kept observing the beverage in her grasp, making sure it was safe for consumption. "Hmm... okay..."

"Make sure you take your-." Fae took a large swig of the dark brandy, downing half of it in one go and leaving it in her mouth and causing Shining Armor's eyes to almost pop out of his skull in dismay. "No, Fae! You were supposed to drink it slower than that!"

"Bah!" Fae gasped as the brandy ran down her throat like molten lava, and she waved her hands in the air frantically as if she were drowning.

"Oh dear! She must be allergic to whatever is in the brandy!" Derpy began hyperventilating as she reached into her pocket and brought out her phone. "I'll call the nurse!"

"Oh shit, what do we do?!" Blaster began to panic as Fae coughed and held her hands over her throat.

"I'll give her some water!" Shining Armor hastily poured a glass of water and hurried it over to Fae, who downed it all immediately. "Fae, can you sp-...? Oh, you-..."

A wide grin stretched across Fae's face as she giggled maniacally. "Oh, wow, you should've seen the look on all your faces! Heeheehee! I was all, 'Blargh!' and you all screamed, 'Ah!'."

"Fae! I actually thought you were dying! What the hell?!" Shining Armor shouted in an outrage as he threw his fist up in the air frantically.

"Oh, be happy, Mister Shining Armor! You all looked so sad!" Fae frowned as she crossed her arms in a huffy fashion.

"Yeah, well now we're in a panic!" Blaster shouted as he heard the watch on his wrist beep, indicating he was about to release the energy pent up in his body. "Shit! Speaking of panic!"

"Go to the blast room!" Shining Armor pointed over the hatch adjacent to the central computer. "C'mon, Fae! You scared him so much you made him explode!"

"Heh, heh... that sounds weird!" Fae laughed as the shockwave from the blast shook the building.

Blaster stumbled out of the chamber, steam billowing out of his mouth and eyes as he leaned up against the opened hatch. "Fuck that hurts..."

"Blaster! Are you okay?!" Derpy raced over to Blaster, helping him back on his hooves.

"Yeah... I'm alright," Blaster nodded as he fastened his watch. "This thing's a lifesaver... literally."

"What the hell is going on here?!" Shadow Dancer called out to her teammates, who were all strewn about the room with crazed hair and eyes as if they had just seen a murder.

"Shadow Dancer! You're okay!" Fae shouted with joy as she gave the blonde mare a warm hug. "Wowee! A lot of stuff happened while you were gone! Shining Armor gave me this brandy-thing, then I faked dying and everypony was screaming, then Blaster exploded!"

"Nailed it..." Blaster groaned sarcastically as he took a load off on the couch.

"Wow... um..." Shadow Dancer only began processing all that Fae said once the hyperactive mare finished speaking. "Shit. Guess things go to crap when Blue and I ain't around, huh?"

"Da," Blue Thistle nodded as she sat back down on her barstool. "Can I have drink?"

"Me too," Shadow Dancer said as she sat down beside Blue Thistle comfortably.

"Huh, guess they hashed it out..." Shining Armor said to Derpy as they both walked over to the bar. "Coming right up, guys."

"Hmm, I guess they did!" Derpy grinned as she sat back down at her seat. "Maybe ponies should trust your judgment more often!"

"I just get lucky..." Shining Armor thought to himself as he chuckled under his breath.

"Hey, Mister Shining Armor...? Miss Ditzy...?" Fae whimpered with a puppy-dog face.

"Yes?" They both replied.

"Can I have some more brandy?" Fae asked in her sweetest and most polite tone of voice.

"No!"

Author's Note

Wasn't this a great idea, Shining Armor?