Breeze Of Cerberus

Beep beep beep

Uhh... I hate that sound... always have hated it... nothing more. Why do I hate this sound? Is it something important like a fire alarm or a bomb? No, it's just my stupid alarm clock saying that it's Monday morning and that I have to wake up... But this morning I'm too tired. I try to reach it to make it stop, and when I do finally reach it.. I just fall off my bed... I hate Mondays, but at least this little fall woke me up.

I get up, clean off the dust I have on my coat, stop the alarm clock and look at my messy room. I'm not a tidy pony. My room is a real mess, nothing more, nothing less, with books, papers and other things everywhere. I should clean up, but it's not like I often get visitors. My room is a classic room on the station; it is opened with my RIG by a RIG scan. That's how we access limited area and personal locations. It has a bedroom as a first room and a bathroom as a secondary room, it's a bit small but it's enough to live properly when you are single. I'm not really interested in anypony right now, this is the same for the others with me...

I take a look at the clock and see that I'm a bit late, crap, don't want to be late on the first day of the week! I quickly go to the bathroom, do what I need to do except shower (it would take too long because I love them so much), I take another daily suit and go outside of my room, trotting fast so that I have time to eat my breakfast at least...

It's a bit early in the morning but there are already many ponies outside of their rooms, parents guiding their foals to school, workers going to their stores or to the mine, many things like that. The majority of them take the elevators to go to the tram station, so we are a bit... crushed into the elevators. The tram is the only way to quickly go from one point of the station to another, really useful. On my way to my work, I stop at a small shop and buy an apple, we are lucky to have a farm on the station. I put it into my saddlebag; can't really eat it while trotting, like the unicorns do, when you're an earth pony.

Thankfully I reach my work in time, even a bit early, I might have galloped at times, but, well, at least I'm not late. I say “hi” to my friends and co-workers then go to the monitoring room and sit on my chair. I take my apple out of the saddlebag and start to watch the monitors... Because yes, watching boring monitors is part of my job, just to check if anything happens. It's not the only thing I do though, I also do some security checking around the station just to be sure that everything is alright and to be able to react immediately if anything happens.

I finish my apple and continue to watch the monitors, but I'm sleepy and start to fall asleep... Ok, I fell asleep, but I'm soon woken up by one of my coworkers and friends:

-“Hello sleeping beauty” he tells me

• “Hee! Geez Snow, don't wake me up like that!” I screamed at him, almost falling off the chair

• “Ahahah, your reaction is so funny”

And he just laughs a bit... He's Snow Fall and he loves to prank me time to time, or just scare me... I can tell he's good with that. He is a white coated unicorn with a clear blue mane and tail, his eyes are as green as emeralds. His cutie mark represents a snowflake in a shield, because his talents are protection and ice magic, which are useful talents... if they were needed, because almost nothing has happened lately.

“So, you fell asleep again?” He asks me

• “Yes”

• “You shouldn't go to sleep that late...”

• “I'm not, I just love my bed and don't like to wake up early...”

• “Whatever, I'm here to take your place, it's your turn to go patrol in the station”

• “Alright then” I say, happy that it's my turn “Those monitors are boring...”

• “I totally understand you there.”

• “What do you mean by that?!”

• “Hmm, nothing, you can go.”

I get up of the chair and he takes my place, as I go out of the room he tells me to go check the medical area closely, because it seems that there were some accidents and the doctors are running to help the patients. Why is it always the others that find interesting things on the monitors? I walk out of the security Headquarters.

I start to walk into the station, it's peaceful as usual, well lighted and heated enough so you don't feel cold or hot. Every part of the station has a different atmosphere, like the shopping zone or the nightclub one, but it doesn't mean we can't find shops or bars outside of these zones, no, we can still find some. The station is more lively now than in the mornings, ponies wandering for pleasure, others working at their shop or industry. I feel good when walking around, even if I do leave my head lowered because I'm a bit shy... A shame for a security mare huh? Well, I took this job because I want peace on the station, so if there is a problem it's my pleasure to solve it.

On my patrol, I see an old mare in front of a food stall, she is looking at some apples... She seems to hesitate with something, I stay on alert, carefully watching her. Stealing might be uncommon, but it stills happens, plus the merchant turned his back to the mare. After a moment, she reaches into her saddlebag, takes out some bits, puts them on the stall and takes an apple, I relax and continue to patrol. “Always stay on alert, anything can happen”: that's what the chief taught me when I was a rookie, and he's right, even if it's peaceful, anything can happen...

I think I should finally go to the medical center of this zone, to make a report on the situation. Snow told me there is a lot of activity there right now. I go to the elevators and take one to the 7th floor, there are many floors on the station, but we are on “the ring”, a halo that is around the administrative zone, which is 100 floors high. The highest floor on the ring is floor 37 and the security HQ is on the 16th. So yes, it's better if you don't fear heights.

I reach the floor and go out of the elevator, then I start to walk towards the medical center. After 10 minutes of walking I finally see the red holographic cross that indicates the medical center. I enter it and go where the disorder seems to of come from and as soon as I arrive a horrible smell enters my nose. I try to resist it and go near the doctors. There is some blood on the ground. I ask for a report from one of the doctors, he comes near me, allowing me to see the RIG of the patient: he is in the blinking red, meaning he's close to death!

I ask the doctor about what happened and the only thing he tells me is that there was a mining accident and two miners are badly hurt; one is in the blinking red and the other one in the red. He then left immediately after because the patients are more important, I understand, they have to save them... And that smell... I start to feel really nauseous. I run out of the room and sit on a chair in the waiting room... I breath calmly, slowly... But it stays in my nose... It's horrible!

I run for the toilets, I need to wash my face! I arrive and wash it, I want that smell off or I'll puke! It finally wears off... I sigh in relief, happy that it came off. I look at myself in the mirror... I see a dusty silver coated mare, with a slightly darker shade of gray mane her tail is the same. Her mane is a bit long, but it's a bit messy-looking... She has normal blue eyes, not too dark, not too light and also has a black citizen shirt, with the security symbol on it... Yes, it's me... well I can't say I'm ugly but I'm not beautiful either. I understand why nopony has any interest in me.

I finally go out of the toilet and reach the waiting room, but as soon as I sit down I hear a flatline sound... It's over. Doctors start coming out of the room, a sad look on their face. They didn't succeed in saving the miners lives... I call one of the doctors to ask him what had happened for my report.

“Hey doc! Do you mind giving me a second so I can write my report please?” I asked

• “Sure thing” answered a mid aged mare

• “Can you tell me what happened exactly?”

• “Apparently, there was an accident in the mines involving sharp rocks and acids, the two miners got caught. Apparently one of them needed to...”

• “Needed to what?”

• “Cut off one of his hooves... He arrived one hoof less”

• “Oh my!”

• “Yes, they were severely cut by some rocks apparently and they also got touched by the acid, it was not beautiful to see, not at all... When they arrived, one was in the yellow the other one in the red but now... they are not with us anymore...”

• “I'm sorry... Is there anything else I should know?”

• “You should ask to the miner that saved them in the tunnel, he is right here...”

And then she points at a stallion, who is sitting on one of the waiting room seats. I thank the doctor and make my way to meet him. He looks... traumatized. I ask him the same question, the only thing he could add is how horrific the scene was... he called it a “bloody hell”. Tears start to form at the corners of his eyes as he tells me they were his friends... Poor thing... it must be really hard for him. I apologise for what he must have gone through and for making him remember it, then leave the medical center.

Well, it was a sure break from my daily routine, finally. I shouldn't be happy of somepony’s death. At least I'm doing my job, even if it's not helping, it's a part of it, and I'll have to do a report. Well mining accidents have happened in the past, causing the deaths of ponies. The mines are dangerous with all the heavy rocks above their heads, it just needs to collapse and it's all over with... These ones were unlucky to find some acid in there. The only thing I can tell myself is: at least they won’t suffer anymore. But still... I'm sad for them.

I use my HOS to display the time; 11am. Geez it's not even noon yet and I'm already starving! Well I'll continue my patrol a bit, I guess. I patrol on this floor for 30 more minutes then go back to the HQ to say I'm taking my break, so somepony else can take my place for patrolling in the station, then I go to the tram station. And I'm REALLY lucky, there’s some maintenance and I need to wait at least 15 minutes for another tram to go to where I want to.

A tram finally arrives... 25 minutes after I had arrived, thank you engineer for telling us it would be only 15 minutes... Geez I'm even more hungry now. I enter the tram and try to find a seat. No one left the tram. I stay close to a bar and lower my head, I don't really like knowing if anypony is looking at me, I want to think a bit about what happened this morning, but I don't have time because we have already arrived where I'm heading: a zone with a bar-restaurant. I know the boss of one of the bars, he is a friend. I like to talk with him when it's my lunch break, and also the dishes there are delicious!

I arrive and sit at the bar, then I put my head on it, thinking of those poor miners from this morning. That guy might need a psychologist after what he saw. As I'm thinking, Sweet Liquor, my friend and boss of this bar, a brown coated stallion pegasus with an orange mane and tail, purple eyes, and a cutie mark of a shaker with a plate (it is a no wonder why he is the boss of this restaurant), comes over to me:

-“Hey breeze, how are you?” He asks me

• “Fine, I'm fine”

• “You don't really look like you're fine”

• “You don't say”

• “I guess it's some problem with your work. You were late again?”

• “Oh, just because I'm a bit sad doesn’t mean my boss gave me more hours again!”

• “Woooo calm down Breeze, I was just joking, same as usual I guess?”

• “Of course, same as usual, this lunch is part of my daily routine after all, hehe...”

• “So what's the matter?” he asks as he starts to prepare my lunch

• “There was an accident in the mines, two ponies died this morning. I like it when something happens but... somepony dying... I feel like I failed in my job...”

• “I guess so, I feel the same when somepony asks for an apple, but I don't have any...”

• “This is serious Liquor, stop joking...”

• “Alright then, I'll leave you to your thoughts, I have other clients waiting, see ya later my friend”

• “See ya Liquor...”

He gives me my lunch and leaves to meet his other clients. My lunch is basic but he makes it so well: lettuce, carrots and mushrooms with his secret homemade sauce, and a cup of cider. As I said, basic, but every time it fills me up and it is so damn good! I hungrily start to eat it, because I am!

After I have finished my lunch, Liquor comes back and asks the usual price: 34 bits. I pay him and chit chat a bit, I do what I want during my lunch break after all. But as usual he reminds me of the hour, but this time he reminds me a bit late. I don't like to run after lunch, but I thank him and leave, galloping a bit to not be late, I can say I have been running a lot today, but it happens. This time, not like in the morning, I'm late. Great, I might do more hours. Luckily, almost nopony is here yet so I'm saved, phew. I look at the digi-clock... one past seven... I'll go check the monitors again.

As I enter the monitoring room, I am surprised by a purple mare that leaves immediately, blushing a bit. Snow is on the chair and when I ask him who she was, he blushes and just says “somepony”. Meh, no need for him to say something to know the truth, we can read in him like an open book, she's obviously his special somepony, and I'm happy for him. He is lucky that it was me who surprised them in here, visitors, even family, are not allowed in here, it being a security pony only area. I tell him that he can go and take his lunch break, and when he leaves I sit on the chair... and start to look at those boring monitors, again. the daily routine comes back. And I fall asleep.

I wake up not long after that, maybe half an hour, but it's still some time taken out of work, which is never good. I can lose track of time if I do this, especially when I have to watch the monitors. I remember that I also have a report to write about this mornings accident. I immediately start, and as usual, I don't forget to put every single detail about what I had learnt, and as soon as I finish it, I will ask for somepony to replace me for a second while I go to the bosses office. The boss is a good mare, even if she is really serious at work, she likes to have fun. She is a dark purple coated mare with a black mane and tail, with orange eyes. She is an earth pony like me, her cutie mark is a security badge. I think that's why she is the boss. I heard her name is Gold Blossom, but this might be a fake, I don't know.

I arrive at the front of her door, knock and open it when she authorizes me to enter, she has got a lot of paper on her desk, being the boss might not be easy everyday. I put the digital report on her desk:

“Here is the report of this mornings accident ma'am.”

• “Thank you Spring Breeze, can you make me a short version?”

• “Yes ma'am, this morning around 9:12, an accident occurred in the mines, severely injuring two miners, they were saved by one of their friends, but died at the medical center, the friend is in a bad psychological state. There are more details in the report ma'am.”

• “Thank you. I heard you were late when you returned from your lunch break?”

• *gasp* (how does she know?!) “I err... I...”

• “It's ok for this time, you were not that late, but do NOT let that happen ever again, understand?”

• “Yes ma'am!”

• “Good... Go now.”

As she says, I go outside of her office... that was really close! Either I got lucky this time, or she was just in a good mood. I go back to my monitors and finish my day of work, I go with Snow to the restaurant to pass some time, I talk to him and then we separate. I go to the tram and take it to the zone where my room is located.

As I walk, I start to think again about those two ponies, I pity them, working hard to help everypony, then dying like that... It's not happy at all. I take another path to my room, so that the walk will be longer, I like to walk while thinking. Well, I walk a lot with my work but I'm ok with this, because in the end I know many ponies just by doing my everyday patrol, and it makes me happy. I continue to think when suddenly, an alarm rings and the lights turn red. I look around a bit surprised, wondering what's happening when suddenly, anti-contamination doors trap me in the corridors.