//------------------------------//
// Slave to the Black Gold 
// Story: Rebirth of Magic: Law and Order 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

It seemed after that we struck lucky, because after turning a few more corners we found the trapped miners. Another access path around the side brought us to a loose wall of rock, and then once me and my new ally had opened up the path with some tools and a small bit of brute force, we were at last into the chamber where they were.

One of them glanced up at us. "Rescue's here, boys!" he called. "They found us at last!"

The other miners dropped whatever they had been doing and got up, clearly keen to return to the surface. I know I would be, if I had been trapped underground for some time.

I took a look around the chamber they were in. Apart from the collapsed walls on each side that prevented entry or exit to the chamber, it seemed surprisingly intact and livable. Tools were discarded all over the place, and the miners were now busy picking them up and preparing them for movement out of the facility.

I did another sweep of the interior and found some other interesting artefacts from the mining operation. Including a newspaper with a date on it. I glanced closely at it, but not knowing the date today was proving to be a bit of a drawback. It meant that, amongst other things, I couldn't figure out what or how long these miners had been trapped underground for.

So I turned to ask them as they moved into the next set of tunnels. "I don't mean to sound rude, but how did you guys survive down here for so long?"

One of them glanced over to me. "We had reasonable rations, and made sure to share to ensure we had enough," she replied, as we walked along. "One thing you learn down here is that food needs to be saved carefully so it can make the best impact during the day."

I nodded. "What did you do for air? I know gas masks filter out gasses, hence the name, but what about when there's no air to be found?"

"There we got very lucky," said another. "We just happened to be trapped in an air pocket, which gave us plenty of breathable air until you guys found us. It wasn't fun being stuck underground for so long in the dark, but I will say that I am very glad to be out of that mess now."

Truth be told I was relieved too. It meant that I could leave this mine, return to the surface, report to the other ponies that the lost miners had been found, turn in the quest, and get some XP for it. Hopefully. Does Equestria have Experience Points?

It's a game analogy, in case you're wondering. As we continued to walk down the corridors and tunnels underground, the exit gradually approached. This was a large group, so there was no way we would all fit into the cage at the same time. It looked like we'd all be taking turns.





The town of Hope Hollow celebrated the safe return of the miners. There were vast tables laid out in the streets clearly for a street party, and the community turned out in droves to see them marching through the streets as though they had just come home from a war. I suppose they had, of a sorts, but some of it still felt a bit odd. Leading the parade through the town was the Hope Hollow Colliery Brass Band, playing a sort of marching tune that sounded somewhat familiar. Let's say that back in the old world it would have led to people commenting on whether to expect the Spanish Inquisition or what constituted an argument.

I got invited to the street party, of course. The ponies who had sent me on this quest invited me to their table as a way of saying thank you for all I had done. Whilst I will admit it was quite the honour, and I was certainly enjoying the atmosphere produced by the scenario, there were still a lot of nagging doubts within my mind as the merriment unfolded around me.

As a fresh plate of food was passed around, my thought turned to the worker who had attacked me, who was sitting opposite me. She seemed, in all regards, a completely normal mare, albeit a slightly scruffy one, who was happily engaging in conversation with the others. Which made what had happened underground even stranger, to say the least. What had been controlling her when she had attacked me, and how did she not recall any of what had happened between leaving her house and the time I spoke to her?

Who was responsible for that?

I had to find out and fast.

As the brass band switched to a new and jaunty tune, I noticed the tables being suddenly moved. "What's going on?" I asked.

One of the older ponies glanced over. "It's time for a street dance, Hitch!" he said. "It's a tradition to temporarily fill the space with dancing, as it helps clear the appetite for the desert later on!"

Oh no. I had no idea how good I'd be at this. Or even how pony dancing worked. I mean, figuring out quadruped forward motion was hard enough. How would I cope with having to manage four limbs in this situation?

The mare I had met turned to me. "Come on, Hitch!" she said. "Shake loost, bust a hoof! Show me your pony moves!"

If that was supposed to be a reference I didn't get it at all. Also, why did she feel the need to clarify 'pony moves'? I knew that in G4 almost every dance was prefixed with 'pony', but at least there they had numerous races buzzing about the continent. I'd seen nothing but ponies so far.

Still, I did my best out there in the streets. It was fun enough, once you got used to it. I only fell over twice!





Once the festivities were over, I made my way away from the streets lined with house and found my way to the local office of the mine manager. I had borrowed the tavern typewrighter for a bit, and had typed out a series of information points that I believed that the officer on duty would find useful.

I stopped and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" said the voice on the other end,

I pushed the door open to see a worker sitting behind a desk. He glanced up and saw me. "Ah! It's the visiting police pony," he said to his fellows, who all looked over to me.

I stepped forward and placed my report upon the desk. "This," I said, "is my safety report for your mine, or rather outlining all of the various problems I spotted whilst looking for the trapped miners. I noticed a lot of violations. These included, but are not limited to, poorly maintained tunnels, badly equipped lighting, and a lack of adequate hiding spots in the events of a mine collapse. This is, quite frankly, not up to code, and it needs addressing. You guys got lucky that no miners died in that collapse. You may not get lucky next time."

The pony on the desk looked at the report and nodded. "We'll get to work on it," he replied, with a tone of voice that implied he saw a lot of these reports. Safety clearly wasn't a concern around here.

"You'd better," I said. "There'll be a spot inspection at some point, and if these changes haven't been started you'll be in trouble."

There was a nod. "Very well." There was a pause. "So, what's next for you? Will you be returning to Maretime Bay, or heading elsewhere?"

I sighed. "I can't quite return home just yet. I have a bounty to collect from the edge of earth pony territory, and I shall not rest until it is collected. Well, obviously I need to sleep."

"Thank you for your help," another pony said. "Without you we may never have found them."

"I hope you know what to improve for the future," I replied, and then exited. As I closed the door, it started to rain, and I glanced around myself to see the flames of a steel mill burning high into the sky. The mine continued to dominate the landscape around me.

I walked down the streets towards the tavern, the rain slowly picking up. I felt a degree of ambivalence, despite this world being my heritage. Equestria had been a stunning place, and although I understood why this was being done- power and fuel, of course- it was still a bit saddening to see such a beautiful place being torn up for the resources under the ground.

I guess I finally understood how those who rediscovered Erebor felt when they first arrived. I pushed my way in through the door of the tavern and made my way to the fire, which was roaring in the hearth.

As I warmed myself, I glanced out of a window. "Sunny," I whispered. "Where can you be now?"