I awoke with a start, realizing I hadn't set any alarms, and I had no idea what time it was.

"Oh crap," I said to myself, then I realized I also had no idea where to go or what to do anyway, which worried me even more. Upon checking my wristband, the hologram told me it was only 0637. Good, I hadn't slept unreasonably late, but that still didn't tell me where I needed to go this morning.

I puzzled over this while I showered and brushed my teeth. I didn't really want to message Director Stephens and ask, drawing my boss's attention to my ignorance. I could message Mia, but I was fairly certain she had not been briefed with my schedule. That left James, and I just wasn't ready to face him. I had honestly thought he liked me, and I still felt humiliated by my own naivete.

"That's what you get for assuming someone is your buddy after just a few hours," I chided myself in the mirror. "Oh hi James, wanna show me around the facility? Oh hi James, I know we just met but wanna watch me mess myself and cower in fear, then maybe after you clean my poop off the floor we can go back to my place and I'll sit in your lap while you ruffle my fur? Stupid, stupid filly. He probably really dodged a bullet avoiding your dumb ass." I stuck my tongue out at myself, and went to get dressed for the day. I had brought some clothes along with me, and after a day of having my pistol harness chafe my skin, I was ready to try them on. Most ponies don't seem to mind, maybe I'm just a little sensitive. Not to mention with all the tentacles around, I'd feel a little better with my girly bits covered up. If you've watched a few Japanese animes, you'd know what I'm talking about. You may wonder how I even know about this kind of thing, but I'll just say that anime is becoming quite popular in Equestria, even in the short time since our worlds collided. The initial Internet connections were slow at first, but ProteC has since dropped some fiber-optic lines and figured out a way to shield them better from Gate anomaly interference. Apparently ProteC also had a stash of older company-provided communication devices that had been outdated since the ARHUDs came online, and they handed the crates over to Princess Celestia after installing some wireless network towers. Now a lot of happy ponies with cellphones and tablets are downloading copious amounts of human porn around the clock. Such is the world (worlds?) we live in.

Anyway, I opened my pink bag and pulled out my boots, stockings, shorts, and a top, all neatly matching in black. Once I finished putting them on, I surveyed the effect while reared up in front of the bathroom mirror.

I looked like a hooker.

"I know," I said to myself, and quickly buckled on my pistol and holster.

Now I looked like I was wearing a policewoman fetish costume.

It was certainly more comfortable to wear my gear over clothing though, the straps didn't press into my skin as much. The freedom of movement was very good too, and I mentally balanced that against the possibility of encouraging Mia to hit on me without mercy. I figured I could probably live with the latter effect. Besides, who cares? I'd been nude yesterday. Now I was wearing clothes. Get over yourselves, people.

I exited my room, and as it was still a bit quiet, I went upstairs to see if I could pick up the weapon I'd requested, if the armory was open.

"Mornin', lass! You are lookin' most easy on the eyes today, if I do say so."

It was open.

Willy hooked me up with a nice pump-action dual-magazine 12-gauge bullpup shotgun, complete with holographic sights, a built-in green laser sitting right above an equally embedded LED flashlight, and a bandoleer belt containing additional glowing magic-enhanced shells that fit nicely around my waist. The shotgun itself strapped onto my back through the use of a specially-designed-for-ponies harness that kept it secure and out of my way. The entire system, like all ProteC weapons, immediately synchronized with my ARHUD visor whenever I held it, providing me with ammunition count and other useful diagnostic information.

I was very pleased, and so was Willy when I gave him a peck on the cheek.

"All in a day's work ma'am," he said, blushing slightly.

After finishing at the armory, I headed down to the chow hall for breakfast. I was greeted by fantastic smells as I approached the door, and upon entering, confirmed that chow line indeed had a different atmosphere this morning. People were smiling, and the air was of festivity rather than depression. Cookie was behind the counter, grinning and making omelettes. "And how about for you, Miss Eris?" he said, upon catching sight of me.

"Cheese omelette please, no meats, all the veggies," I requested, then I leaned closer to the counter. "You did it, Cookie. This looks so much better!"

"Thank you, Missy! And your breakfast is comin' right up! Enjoy! Oh, and Mexican for lunch. There will be cheese enchiladas and bean burritos for you, don't worry!"

After Cookie slid the omelette onto my plate, I thanked him and I completed my trip through the breakfast line with the addition of some pancakes and hash browns.

I finally decided to check in with James via text.

Eris Sky - Good morning.

James Ruttege - Hey Eris. How are you?

Eris Sky- Not bad, thanks. Do you have any idea what my schedule is supposed to be today? I have no notifications or appointments on my calendar.

James Ruttege - Just stop by the Director's office sometime this morning. He didn't specify when. Oh and Eris?

Eris - Yes?

I waited. There was a rather long delay.

James Ruttege - Sorry, never mind.

Eris Sky - Okay, thanks.

I rubbed my nose in thought. I knew he wanted to ask me something and had eventually decided against it, but what could it have been? As I sat there puzzling, Mia appeared out of nowhere and banged her tray down on the table next to mine.

"Hey sunshine!" she chirped, sliding into the booth next to me.

"Oh hey, good morning."

"That's a nice outfit you've got on. It's sexy."

"Thanks?"

"And a nice shotgun too. The perfect accessory."

"I just picked it up from the armory. I am already rather fond of it."

"Mmm. There's nothing quite like a pretty girl with a big gun," Mia said with a wink.

"The same could be said about you," I retorted. Is it really a retort to fire back a compliment? I'm not sure. It just sounded good.

Mia's perpetual smile widened. "Aww. You're adorable!" she cooed, and I had the distinct feeling if we weren't in public I'd be getting squeezed silly again.

"You're like a wolf," I said.

"Because of the way I'm wolfing down these sausages? Does it bother you to watch me eat meat?"

"Not at all. I meant because of the way you were looking at me. Yeah, like that."

"Maybe I'd like to eat you up," she giggled.

"I'm sure you would. And you're very pretty. However, I'm not sure I'm into the whole girl-on-girl thing."

"Aww, I'm sorry Eris. I'm just playing with you. I mean, not that I wouldn't like to play more, but I just like flirting with you, ya know? I can stop if it's making you feel uncomfortable."

"Naw, I like you the way you are," I said, decisively. "Keep on making me smile. From what I can see, smiles can be hard to come by down here, and the last thing I want to do is waste them being a prude."

She grinned at me. "Thanks, Miss Boss Lady. The truth is, I don't like girls that way either."

"Wha?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "But all this time...? And you've been...?"

"Let me tell you a secret, okay?" Mia leaned in very close, pressing her slender, smooth body against me. I felt her hand resting gently on my stockinged thigh, and my body shivered involuntarily at her soft touch. I inhaled sharply, and I could feel her warm breath tickling my ear as she whispered into it. "I don't like girls, darling. I just like you. In every way."

I felt my cheeks heat up again. "Oh my," was all I could think to say.

Mia quickly slid away from me. "Well, I've got to get to work. I'm in the Level One labs today, babysitting scientists and evil space plants that shoot itching powder. It'll be a cakewalk." She reached a fist out to me, and I bumped it gently with my hoof. "See you later, fuzzpoof!"

I nervously glanced around the room as she walked away, but either nobody noticed or nobody cared about what had been going on at our table. There was plenty of animated conversation, and it appeared everyone in the vicinity was deeply engrossed in their own interests and problems.

Somewhat relieved, I bemusedly watched Mia head out the door, her petite hips swaying in her tight-fitting cargo pants, her collar-length pink hair contrasting sharply with the black ProteC tactical shirt she wore. Several furtive glances were cast her way by momentarily distracted males of both species as she sauntered past.

I couldn't blame them. She certainly was something else.

"This can be your office, Advisor Sky," Director Stephenson told me some time later, as he opened a door in the long tunnel a fair distance from his own. The room beyond was perhaps twice the size of my bedroom, and had a desk with a nice holoterminal on it. The walls were lined with shelves and filing cabinets, most of them empty, some with books and folders on them.

"I've had hard case files on many of the creatures down below placed in your possession, and you have full access to all digital data on contained entities, as well as the data compilation from ProteC field agent teams and facility links," he told me. "This should help you perform any research you need, at least to the best of our ability to provide you with information. Of course you also have Internet access at the terminal."

"Thanks Director. If I might ask, can't the ARHUD do the same job as the holo terminals?"

"Well of course, but do you want to wear it all day if you don't have to? It's nice to sit back and relax sometimes, right?"

"Good point," I agreed. "Thanks."

"Anything to make your time here more agreeable and productive, Advisor Sky. In the meantime, I have duties I must return to. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, thank you Director, you've been more than helpful."

"Then if you need anything, simply ask." Director Stephens stepped out the door. "Oh and one more thing," he said, pausing in the doorway.

"Yes, sir?"

"You have access both to the labs in Level One and Level Two. Just remember, in Level One you're okay wandering around by yourself as long as other people are present. In Level Two, be certain you request a security escort before entering the area."

"Yes sir. I will be careful."

He smiled, and left me to examine my work area, the door closing behind him. I found the desk and holo terminal to be agreeable, and the desk chair was comfortable and elaborately adjustable, perfect to fit my non-human stature. On exploring further, I found a closet and a small bathroom.

"I have an office with my own bathroom," I whispered to myself, feeling rather pleased. Okay, it was like a couple hundred feet underground in a monster-infested maintenance tunnel network, but that's just small details. Right?

Standing my shotgun in a corner near the desk chair, I took my ARHUD off, rubbed my forehead a bit, then activated the holo terminal and began poking around the Internet. On a whim, I visited Princess Celestia's page. Scrolling along through her numerous posts, I found many pictures of both her and Luna, as well as pictures of her driving her ProteC car around Canterlot and the surrounding countryside.

The page was immensely popular. She had millions of human fans, most of them delighted by everything she did. Scrolling through the "Best Pony!" and "my waifu!" comments, some of which Celestia responded to herself, I eventually saw ongoing arguments about whether she was real or not. Apparently some humans were still convinced she was simply an elaborate Hasbro marketing scheme. Chuckling at this, I also discovered a minority of commenters talking about the "rise of the Lunar republic" and the "overthrow of the tyrant Celestia." Apparently Luna herself condemning these trolls on Celestia's page still wasn't enough to deter the deluded clowns.

Shaking my head, I scrolled back up, upvoted some of Celestia's cuter pictures, and then spent a little time browsing videos on the Net with titles like "faceplant" and "people falling down." This gave me a brief case of the giggles, and eventually led me to a video of some overweight woman in a swimsuit eating cereal out of a bathtub full of milk, at which point I decided I'd had enough Internet for the time being.

I got up and pulled down a few files off the shelf, spread them across my desk, and got to work studying everything I could learn about the main mission of the Menagerie.

Hours ticked by, during which I was engrossed in intense reading. I'd taken only a pee break and a few short stretches, and I was starting to think about lunch, when the lights flickered.

"What the hay?" I said to myself, sitting up alertly and waiting for anything else to happen. I glanced up at the lights, but they gave me no clues. After several seconds of quiet, a longer brownout ensued, with the lights dimming slightly before coming back to full brightness.

Minorly worried, I texted Mia on my ARHUD.

Eris Sky - Hey, what’s up with the lights?

Mia Carson - I’m not sure, but it happens sometimes. It’s probably no big deal.

Eris Sky - So I shouldn’t worry? Don’t some of the cages down below need electricity to maintain containment integrity?

Mia Carson - Yeah, but as long as we don’t lose power, it’s fine. Don’t worry, hon, it hasn't happened yet. This place isn’t the newest, a lot of the systems have hiccups now and then. It'll be okay.

Eris Sky - Thanks, Mia. That makes me feel a lot better.

Mia Carson - <3

Somewhat reassured, I returned to the papers I was studying. There was a lot of information contained within. The dossiers on a single creature were extensive and thick, many containing technical data and scientific jargon I couldn't even understand. With a sigh, I reached out for a sheet of paper and-

The lights went out abruptly, and my room was plunged into pitch blackness.

“Oh, crap.”