The explosions went on for several seconds, one close after the other. Electrical arcs flashed and snapped. The hot shockwaves of plasma discharge and explosive blasts swept over us again and again.
Then finally there was quiet.

I coughed weakly, having difficulty breathing with all the weight on my chest. Confused, I pushed feebly, then realized the weight was James.

"James?" I shoved at him again. "James? Are you okay? Please answer me!"

He coughed and shifted. "Eris? I'm sorry I threw you on the ground."

"James! Oh my gosh, I was afraid you were dead!"

"Not yet, but we both will be soon if that thing has another go at us," he replied, pushing himself up to his knees. He was still straddling my thighs. "Huh, it's kind of quiet in here."

It was indeed quiet. I heard small sounds, low voices, coughing, scrapes, and some electrical sputtering.

James got off me carefully and helped me to my hooves.

"Where's Mia?" I asked.

"I don't know," James looked around, coughing. "She rode past us."

"Mia?" I called. I could hear the fear in my own voice, and I didn't care. "Mia! Where are you!"

"Right here, Eris," came a voice from nearby. "I'm having a nap on the concrete. You should come join me, love. It feels wonderful." She also coughed. There was a lot of dust in the air.

I staggered over to her. "Mia! Are you hurt?"

She grimaced, pushing herself up to a sitting position with my and James's help. "Mildly. Just bruised, I think. But you should see the other guy!" She pointed.

I looked up and saw the drill worm laying motionless, its entire face and head blown open like a soggy rose. Small bluish arcs played across the wound. A slimy jumble of organs spilled out of a huge rupture in its side, reeking and sparking.

"My goodness. What happened?"

"Well, I saw that energy ball coming, and it was kind of slow. So while James here body slammed you, I aimed my ATV at it and gunned the engine. I jumped off before impact, hit the deck, and waited to die, but apparently it didn't go off when the bike hit it. In fact, the plasma sphere attached to the bike and kept going right back into Sparky's ugly face."

"Wow."

"Yeah, go figure, he was allergic to his own belches." She chuckled, which turned into a coughing fit.

"Take it easy, Mia," I said, holding her in my hooves.

"Mmm. Yeah, I could stay like this for awhile," she purred, leaning back against my chest.

James stood over us, watching the tunnels warily. "Our ARHUDs are down." He swung an arm experimentally. "Exo too."

I hadn't noticed, but now that he mentioned it, my ARHUD was completely off.

"Hey you guys, give me a head count! Is everyone okay?" James shouted. After a few seconds observing the results, he gave me a thumbs up. "We're all in one piece, Eris."

"Fantastic," I smiled. As I sat there, a reboot sequence began in the corner of my vision. "My ARHUD is coming back online."

"Mine, too. Must have been some kind of EMP," James speculated. "Not surprising, considering what kind of juice that thing had absorbed. I'm gonna get a security perimeter set up, Eris. You stay here with Mia, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, James. And thanks for tackling me."

"Anytime. No, really. Let me know next time you want me on top of you, Boss." He grinned at me, then moved off, waving and yelling.

"Well then. You guys are so..."

"Forward?" Mia finished.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well you know, you kind of live life in the fast lane when you never know if you'll be something's dinner tomorrow evening."

I shuddered. "You're right, you know. If you hadn't saved us, a lot of us could have died here today, fighting this... thing."

She put her hand on my cheek. "That's why I come onto you so hard, Eris."

Aw crap, it was gonna happen again. I knew she wanted it, and well, she'd probably just saved my life, so I figured I could at least give her this.

I leaned in and kissed her. This time I teased her with my long tongue, and she met me with her short human one, putting her arm around the back of my head, inviting me in deeper and...

She retched, hard. I quickly tried to back off, but she was having none of it. She held me tight with one arm and rubbed my chest with the other, letting me know she didn't want me to pull away. Jeez, my tongue was in her throat now, and she was obviously choking on it. I kind of froze up. I'd never experienced anything like this before. I didn't have the heart to push her away, and I wasn't even sure I wanted to. I finally gave up and let her swallow my tongue to her heart's content, awkwardly maintaining the mouth lock while she gagged herself silly.

So there I was, just sitting on the concrete floor, surrounded by dust and smoke and bits of metallic monster, strangling my kinky little pink-haired subordinate with my pony tongue. Just another boring day at Eris's office.

Finally she let me loose and sank back, gasping for air.

I licked her nose. "Feel better?"

"Oh, Eris. You have no idea how good I feel right now. I hope I didn't go too far this time. I couldn't help myself."

"It's fine, Mia. You're definitely a weirdo, but you don't frighten me."

She smiled up at me. "Thank you."

"In fact," I told her, "I kind of-"

My ARHUD finished reconnecting to the network. "Eris, are you there?"

"Crap. Sorry Mia, duty calls."

She grinned. "Doesn't it always."

"I'm here, Director Stephens."

"We lost comms, I thought-"

"We had a localized EMP blast. It knocked all our ARHUDs and equipment offline for a brief period. However, the area is now secure. For the time being, at least."

"Any casualties?"

"Negative. All personnel present and accounted for, only minor injuries sustained."

"Excellent work, Advisor Sky. Auxiliary power has stabilized on our end. Containment is secure. Expect a repair team for the primary conduit to arrive within thirty minutes. The electrical people are being careful and clearing the tunnel on their way from the power station, now that the situation is under control."

"Understood, sir. And sir?"

"Yes?"

"You should thank Mia. She probably saved all our asses. I will explain later."

"Very good, Miss Sky."

An hour and a half later, the repair teams showed up with a security detail and relieved us. We were down an ATV, but people who had been riding solo doubled up and I got another ATV. Mia rode on my vehicle behind me, happy as a clam with her arms around my waist. We took our time heading back, clearing every creature we saw and taking no chances, aside from the wall ride, as the grates would need to be repaired later.

After several meetings, a doctor visit, ("The hell did you three do, have a contest to see who could fall downstairs the fastest?") showers, and an excellent dinner of the enchiladas and burritos Cookie hadn't been able to make for lunch, it was time for bed.

James and I had been helping Mia get around, as we were moderately less banged up than she was. We half carried her between us to her room, where she insisted we help her get into bed. I personally thought it was an excuse to get undressed in front of us, but I checked out her room while she did it.

"Wow. There is so much My Little Pony stuff in here," James observed, trying not to stare at Mia's semi-naked body.

"I've been a fan for years," she said, perched on the side of her bed in her underwear. "People say I act a lot like Pinkie Pie. That's kind of what gave me the idea to get pink hair."

"Maybe if Pinkie Pie was a total pervert," James deadpanned.

"Uh, I've heard stories..." I began, then thought better of it. Instead I merely walked around, looking at the pony and anime posters hanging on all the walls. "Hey, Ghost in the Shell," I exclaimed, legitimately intrigued. "I watched a lot of this on my tablet in Equestria . I like Motoko Kusanagi."

"You remind me of her, a little," Mia said thoughtfully.

That gave me pause. "Do I really? Why?"

"Yeah. You're cool, and, um, and smart, and strong, and brave. Oh, and sexy."

"I don't know what to say."

She shrugged, and then dropped her panties and bra on the floor before sliding into bed.

"Now you," she said.

"What?" I asked.

"Take your clothes off and get in bed with me. It's a king size, you'll fit."

I looked to James for help.

"Don't look at me, this is your problem," he said. Thanks a lot, James.

"Come on, Eris. I just need you to keep me company," she wheedled. "Ugh, ouch, I got so badly injured saving your life, I just don't think I can sleep without a soft, warm pony to snuggle with. Oh, and that pony needs to be naked so I can feel her fluffiness."

What the hay was I supposed to say to that? "Damn it," I said, slipping off my clothes and climbing in next to her. She immediately grabbed me like a pillow, snuggling her face against me. I looked apologetically at James, who shrugged. "Third wheel." He started to leave.

"James?" Mia called.

He froze, caught in the act. "Uh, yeah?"

"Where's my good night kiss?"

Resigned to his doom, James came over to the side of her bed.

Mia grabbed his shoulder and pulled his face down to hers. Well then. She was definitely giving him the works. When she finally let him up for air, she pointed next to me on the bed. "You too. Get in."

"Wha?"

"Didn't you hear me? It's a king size, you'll fit. Drop your pants and get in there, or are you gonna leave poor Eris unsandwiched all night?"

James looked at me questioningly. I shrugged as best I could while being squashed by Mia. "She did protect us at great risk to herself, right?"

"Looks like I have no choice," James said in mock defeat. He stripped and slid in next to me. Soon I was being double snuggled. I had kind of expected a different outcome, but apparently both Mia and James were so exhausted they fell asleep almost instantly.

As I lay there under the covers comfortably sandwiched between their warm, sleeping bodies, I realized the evening monster concert didn't bother me nearly so much tonight.

All in all, it had been a weird night. But I was okay, and this was definitely better than being dead in some cold concrete tunnel a hundred feet underground.

"Thanks, James. Thanks, Mia," I whispered. James didn't move, his arm hanging gently over my stomach. Mia moaned softly in her sleep, and her breasts pressed against me when she gave me a squeeze.

I smiled groggily, and soon I was fast asleep as well.