//------------------------------//
// 12. [Applejack] Back in the Mines 
// Story: Deep Rock Equestria: Into The Abyss 
// by The Atlantean 
//------------------------------//




Full Mission Roll:
225 Morkite, 12 Gunk Seeds, Haz 1, Radioactive Exclusion Zone
Warning: Shield Disruption, Anomaly: N/A
Machine Event: Omen Modular Exterminator
Encounters: N/A
Extra Resources: Bittergem x1
Roll System in Phase 3




Several days had passed since the failed mission. Applejack sat in the newly repaired Drop Pod, listening to the drill’s loud clanging as it tunneled down to the team’s next cave. It wasn’t supposed to be hard at all: the assignment system had rolled them a Hazard 1 cave in the Radioactive Exclusion Zone. Unfortunately, their shields were useless in this particular cave, but a sympathetic dwarf from Team 17-D had bought them all the Red Rock Blaster, giving them extra suit health on top of the compensation boost from the Shield Disruption.
The trip down had been quiet. Knowing just how close they had been to dying and Fluttershy’s loss was a sobering reminder of the dangers of Hoxxes. Despite their experience, the company couldn’t resist the resources here, so they were again sent into a highly dangerous cave in a similarly dangerous biome to meet an arbitrary quota of Morkite and a dozen Gunk Seeds if they had the time.
Applejack checked her drill arms again and faltered when she saw a pink butterfly painted on the inner side of her left drill. Twilight must’ve put it there. Whatever her reasoning, Fluttershy’s favorite mark would forge the path ahead and lead them home.
The drill stopped clanging, and the pod dropped a dozen meters to the surface of their next cave. Applejack was slow to move as she grabbed her flamethrower off its rack, but Sunset bolted through the open door and threw a flare to the left as she circled the pod while Rainbow guarded the center. Rarity took the right, and Applejack jogged down the ramp to meet Rainbow Dash.
This biome was filled with all sorts of particles that gave a little life to an otherwise desolate cave. Applejack could see the occasional dark green crystal her laser pointer identified as “inert uranium”. There were no bioluminescent flora or fauna that they could see, making the cavern completely dark without their flares. Around them, the rock was dull and gray. The silence was almost deafening.
“”Hey, we’ll make it back,” Rainbow Dash assured her as the Drop Pod began its ascent back to orbit. “We’ll make it home. It’s what Fluttershy would’ve wanted.”
“Ah know,” Applejack replied. “Ah just wish she was here now.”
“This is a simple mining mission,” Mission Control said over the comms. “Deposit your quota of Morkite into the M.U.L.E. and we’ll send a Drop Pod in to get you out. Good luck!” He didn’t immediately shut off his mic, however, continuing after a second: “The mines are dangerous even on lower Hazard Levels. Keep your guard up, girls.”
“Thank you for the advice, sir,” Rarity said as she finished circling the room. “I see a few Gunk Seeds in here, but no minerals. Look for dirt and advance to the next tunnel.”
“Are you takin’ charge?” Applejack asked, watching Rainbow Dash place her minigun into a special lock on her back and unholster her revolver out of the corner of her eye. Rainbow then tossed a flare and jogged farther down the tunnel.
“I don’t want to lose another friend. If that means I take charge, then that’s what I’ll do.”
A sharp bark echoed off the walls. The three girls turned to Sunset, who then dumped a Gunk Seed into Molly and shrugged. She equipped her grapple gun and zipped across the cavern towards Rainbow Dash’s dimming flare.
“I’m worried about her,” Rarity whispered. “She’s gotten extremely quiet and closed. You wouldn’t believe what it took to get her out of her room this morning.”
Rainbow’s comm crackled from some interference--probably the background radiation. “Hey, I found some dirt!”
Applejack threw a flare and followed Sunset and Rainbow. Sunset was now mining a small patch of gold near a large chunk of compressed dirt, completely ignoring the others, while Rainbow carefully pulled her minigun back off its lock.
“Y’alright, Sunset?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Sunset curtly replied, turning around to move to the dirt. A small but intense fire burned in her eyes, and Applejack could tell she wanted to avenge her friend.
“No, you’re not.” She put her hand on Sunset’s shoulder when she tried to move away. “Just don’t get hurt.”
“I won’t.” Sunset pushed her hand off and gestured with her rifle. “You’ve got the drills. Use ‘em.”
Applejack nodded and turned to the dirt. She slid her arms into the drill mounts hooked to her belt and unlatched them, feeling their weight pull her arms down as her torso stopped holding them up. With a quick twist, the drills whirred to life, and she steadily walked into the dirt. It crumbled under her advance, and she made short work of the meter thick wall blocking the tunnel ahead.
Like the trip down from orbit, the journey was solemn. Only the occasional bark of Sunset’s rifle or whirr of Rainbow’s minigun broke the silence. The tink-tink-tink of a pickaxe striking Morkite, Nitra, or gold echoed in the dark. Their only replies came from the Glyphids, who howled and screeched from somewhere ahead or behind. Despite being with her friends, Applejack felt completely and utterly alone.
After what felt like forever, they were traveling down a fairly wide corridor when the radio crackled to life with Mission Control’s voice. “Bad news, team: a pack of Praetorians has diverted towards you. Get ready.”
“I’m calling a resupply,” Rarity said. She threw down a beacon and checked her shotgun. “Stay together, girls. They won’t get us this time.”
“Supply drop has been ordered, and is on the way,” Mission Control reported.
Applejack switched her drills for a flamethrower. She checked its fuel as they clicked into their field mounts on the back of her rig. The loaded canister was full, and her entire reserve was down by a dozen units from torching some bugs earlier.
“Praetorians engaging! Let ‘em have it!”
Despite Mission Control’s announcement, no Praetorians appeared for several moments. Sunset fired another flare into the ceiling just as the supply drop tunneled through and clanged onto the ground.
Just as the pod’s leaves opened, the first Praetorian's growl echoed in the darkness. Several more replied, their roars sending shivers down Applejack’s spine. Rainbow’s minigun whirred to life, and Sunset’s rifled barked.
There! A Praetorian appeared up the tunnel behind Rarity and crawled towards the group. Applejack pulled the trigger, and orange-yellow fire streamed towards the monster, barely licking its forelegs. It roared at her.
Rarity whirled around and fired a grenade into its mouth. The grenade exploded, forcing the bug to stagger, but still it approached. Behind it, a second Praetorian stomped.
“Do you have something with a little more range, dear?” Rarity asked over the noise.
“Ah have a few axes if you can turn its green butt around.”
Rarity said nothing but ran forward, firing her shotgun into the Praetorian’s mouth. It roared and turned to face her as she ran, spraying acid onto the rock behind her. As it turned further, its glowing green insides were exposed to Applejack, and she quickly pulled one of her eight Impact Axes from her belt and hurled it at the Praetorian. The axe expanded as it flew, exposing dual blades with tiny arcs of electricity between them.
The axe sank into its weak flesh and released a blast of electricity that stunned the beast momentarily. The Praetorian howled, then collapsed to the ground with a thud and released a now-familiar cloud of dangerous green gas that filled most of the cave.
Rarity skirted around the cloud at full speed, skidding to a stop next to Applejack again. “That was amazing, darling. Can you light it?”
“Light the gas? Rarity, what good would that do?”
“Twilight told me it’s highly flammable. Just do it,” she panted. “And stand back.”
Applejack dutifully aimed her flamethrower and fired. Nothing happened for a moment. Then it suddenly flared, blowing smoke everywhere and damaging her shields. The Praetorian that had been behind the one she killed roared in pain, but it was silenced by Rarity’s grenade launcher.
She sighed in relief. “How many of those things do you have left?”
Rarity smiled tiredly. “Five more. Don’t worry about me, darling, I’ll be alright.”
Rainbow laughed. “You know, we have the Morkite. Can we just go back?”
“Yeah,” Rarity agreed. “I’m not too keen on going farther if I don’t need to. Let’s just go back to the station and assure Twilight that we’re alright.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Sunset muttered. She pressed and held Molly’s big red button.
“Good work. Sending in the Drop Pod,” Mission Control announced.
Applejack nodded. As long as they worked together, they’d make it back safely.