In the middle of an open range, a train sped forward as it sprayed thick black soot into the sky, causing Celestia’s sun to be temporarily obscured in a choking darkness that would subside with the slightest gust of wind.
The train was unlike the ones that would transport ponies on a daily basis in Equestria. Despite having the same cheerful designs that were standard on the engine and cars, the paint was long worn off, leaving nothing but a dark colored metal hunk that creaked and banged with every little bump it encountered.
The inside of the train showed only more wear and neglect. Where there would be chatter and laughter, one only met silence, save a cough from a pony not quite used to the thick smoke that somehow found its way into the cargo carrier car that doubled as a makeshift passenger car.
The pony in question eventually decided that it would be wise to cover his mouth with a cloth to avoid suffocating before even reaching his destination.
The light gray pony looked at his ticket stub and checked the destination slot. The ticket, covered in black marks that were smeared across the paper, had only one legible word. The word was stamped into the yellow page with an archaic looking font, “BRIMSTONE”.
The stallion looked around the car and saw that he was the only pony there. He felt relieved since it would be embarrassing for a pony from Canterlot to be seen coughing like he had the flu.
He sighed and put the ticket back into his tan safari jacket. That was the seventh time he had looked at his ticket, and yet he continued to check the destination hoping that it would state that he was returning home.
After he put the ticket back inside of his jacket, he opened his saddlebag and inspected the gear inside: A notebook, pen, flares, flashlight, knife, and his most prized possession, a brand new rock hammer, given to him by his parents after he graduated from the Canterlot School of the Sciences. The metal on the rock hammer was shiny, barely showing any scratches while the handle was a solid black leather. The protective leather cover had the name of its owner stitched into it, Ash Cloud.
“Only three months...” Ash whispered to himself, “Three months of mining and I can return home with a nice paycheck. My dad mined for years. Surely his son can handle three months.”
As soon as he finished whispering to the wind, his body was thrown forward as the train slowed to a halt. The sound of the wheels grinding on the rusted rails filled the stallion’s ears with a loud screeching that could drown out even the Royal Canterlot Voice. Before he could recover, an uncaring voice blared through the speakers.
“End of the line! Everypony out!”
The engineer’s well-rehearsed lines were enough to make Ash grab his stuff and jump out of the train, in case the engineer didn’t even know that there anypony still on board, not that the soot choking him wasn’t enough to make him want to get off in the first place.
Sure enough, as soon as Ash Cloud hit the mud, the whistle screeched and the train slowly trudged forward before reaching its full speed. Eventually, the tracks formed a massive U-turn, causing the black hunk of steel to speed back towards civilization.
Ash got up and brushed as much mud off as possible. The entire ground beneath him was pure wet earth and the air had a fair amount of humidity with dark grey clouds covering the sky, suggesting that it had recently rained.
Ash collected his belongings and attempted to walk, but his legs immediately collapsed from under him due to not having to support any weight for the train ride that lasted several hours. He took the saddlebag off and sat on top of it so his legs could recover from the trip. He took in a deep breath and almost gagged as the smell of rotten eggs filled his nostrils and throat. He quickly put a cloth over his mouth yet again to filter out the smell as best as he could.
“No wonder why they call this place Brimstone. The only thing that is missing is the entrance to Tartarus.”
He looked toward the massive cluster of mountains in front of him. They were definitely taller than any of the mountains he saw around Canterlot. Their peaks reached so high that they were obscured by the clouds. Most of the mountains were completely bare, showing jagged gray and black rock formations along their length. Towards the bottom lay dense forest as far as Ash could see. Animals and birds wandered around freely due to the lack of pony presence in the area. If it weren’t for the smoke rising from the general location of the mine within the mountains, one would think that the entire area was deserted.
After resting for several minutes, he put his saddlebag onto his back and began walking up the muddy trail that went up the large mountain range in front of him. When he reached higher ground, he took a look out towards where the train sped off. All he could see was a never ending line of track that vanished into the horizon.
“I can’t see any civilization around here. It looks like there really are some ponies that are willing to work in the middle of nowhere for a large paycheck. At least it’s pretty around here.”
He continued onward, the increasing fall of ash and soot from the sky suggested that he was heading in the right direction.
Eventually, he stopped two miles down the beaten road at a small booth in front of a gate that blocked the road. Past the gate was a series of horribly run down wooden structures, which made up his destination: A secluded town that existed for the sole purpose to mine coal from the mountains.
Inside of the booth was a rust colored stallion, barely older than a teenager. He was leaned back in his chair and he wore a dirty leather vest with a blue hard hat that was covered in oil and grease. His head was buried in a newspaper and he is oblivious to Ash’s presence.
Ash tapped the window for attention, startling the young stallion.
“Excuse me sir,” stated Ash, “I am a new worker here and I need to speak with the foreman.”
The rusty stallion got up and slowly studied Ash, his face showed an increasing amount of disgust as he looked at Ash.
“You must be the new contractor, ain’t ya?”
“Yes, I am,” replied Ash, a bit shocked at the harsh look he was receiving.
“We don’t need your kind, glow horn!” The stallion pointed back down the path. “I suggest you take your flank elsewhere before you cause any trouble! We’ve had twelve miners die in the past couple of months!” He continued shouting at Ash, who was now backing away. The teenager’s voice was getting louder with each sentence.
“Excuse me?” exclaimed Ash as he put his face closer to the teenager’s face. “I just got here! What kind of trouble could I have caused?”
The teen replied, “I know what you unicorns are up to! You think you’re better than anypony else just because you can do some tricks with your fancy magic and that us earth ponies are expendable!”
When it appeared that both ponies were about to fight, a massive voice roared out and startled an entire flock of birds from their trees.
“That’s enough, Rock Burst! I’ll take care of him!”
The voice came from the elderly pony that was slowly making his way towards the booth. His coat was gray, like Ash’s, but unlike Ash he had a white mane and tail. His head had a rough texture and his cheeks were covered in a massive beard, giving him the appearance of a stereotypical miner from cartoons. He stood on his hind legs, with his weight shifted onto a cane that was underneath a stub where his left foreleg should have been.
“Boss, you can’t let him go around the mine! We don’t know where he’s from or who he’s working for!” insisted Rock Burst.
“Quit your yapping and keep watch on the road or you ain’t gettin’ your rations!” responds the elder pony, obviously not amused with the younger stallion’s outburst. Rock Burst simply shakes his head, goes back into the booth, and went back to reading the paper. Ash looked at the three-legged pony, who motioned at Ash to come closer.
“You must be Ash Cloud, young one.” He held out his left foreleg. “My name is Quicksilver. I’m the boss of this here fine coal mine of Brimstone!”
Ash gave Quicksilver’s foreleg a firm shake, relieved to see his first friendly face since he left Canterlot.
“You are correct. It is nice to meet you, sir. You obviously know who I am so I’m guessing you won’t need much of an introduction from me.”
Quicksilver let out a wheezing laugh that made Ash fear for Quicksilver’s health.
“Nonsense, it ain’t very often we get new faces! I would love to hear a little about ya!”
“Well, my contract says that I have to stay here for three months. That should be plenty of time for us to get acquainted,” responded Ash.
“Indeed. Let’s head to the camp, shall we?” Without even waiting for a response, Quicksilver began his slow shuffle away from the toll booth and down the trail, and Ash followed.
“So, why is this place called Brimstone?” asked Ash.
Quicksilver began to give a talk about Brimstone, occasionally stopping to catch his breath.
“Well we first started to call this place Brimstone, on account of how this entire area is rich with sulfur deposits. One of the largest in all of Equestria as a matter of fact! The problem was that they’re in hard to reach places. I guess the companies found that mining it would be too costly despite the large supply, seeing as sulfur ain’t exactly a popular material to use. As a matter of fact, I’m sure you figured out why when you stepped off the train. But luckily, we learned that these mountains had a large supply of coal that was accessible a few decades ago. So, we began a mining operation here, and well, the name of Brimstone just stuck. It’s a bit confusing to some as to what we are mining.”
“Very interesting,” Ash replied while he made a mental note to explore and see what other interesting geological features were in the area. “What was the gate pony’s problem? What did he mean about ponies dying? And what do I have to do with it?”
The elderly pony had a look of sadness in his eyes at the mention of the dead miners.
“Some poor souls were killed in a cave in. We’re not really sure what caused it, our engineers were one hundred percent sure that the shaft was stable. A lot of the workers think that a curse was put on the mine.”
Before he could continue, the pair found themselves in the middle of the town, which was revealed to be much larger than what Ash saw at first. Quicksilver gave his good fore leg a long sweeping motion as if he was revealing an expensive painting.
“Welcome to Brimstone. Where our toil powers the rest of civilization.” Quicksilver then pointed to one of the taller buildings. “This is the building you will be sleeping in. Your room is 409B. Once you drop off your stuff, look for a tall light brown stallion with a pencil and helmet cutie mark. He will get you set up. If you need me, my office is the small house on top of that wall.” He immediately points to a wall with a lone single story building on it. He then turned back to Ash. “Enjoy your stay, and do be careful! We’ll talk later. I have some business to finish up.” He gives a small wave, and then began shuffling deeper into the town.
Now that Ash was alone, he looked around the mining town that would be his home for the next three months. He noticed that the town was built along the face of the mountain in a terrace-like pattern upon slabs of solid rock that were made by the miners to make the buildings more stable.
The buildings themselves were mostly wood except for the buildings that housed machinery, which were made out of metals of various shades of brown and orange from the heavy rust that infested their surface. Most of the buildings were in fairly decent repair, but they showed signs of heavy wear. It was obvious, to Ash at least, that the constant humidity and rain were not helping the buildings’ life span.
On the farthest end of the village, where the ground was the lowest, laid the black, dark entrance to the coal mine. Surrounding the entrance were mine carts, various pieces equipment and machinery, and ponies wearing light clothing that were completely covered in black smudges and grease stains. They paid no attention to Ash.
Ash looked back at the tall wooden building where his room was and sighed. “Three months...Three months of keeping my head down and choking on dust, then I will be home free.”
Ash jumped into the air as a painful high pitched noise filled his ears. A steam whistle signaled that the day of labor for the miners had come to an end. Shortly after the whistle ceased its sound, the ground rumbled as various elevators and mine carts brought the blackened ponies from the dark pit.
Everypony that was emerging from the mine had a rock hammer similar to Ash’s saddled to their sides, blue crystals attached to a necklace, and hard hats that were embedded with glowstones on the front that lit a path in front of them. Aside from those three objects, the gear was varied. Larger stallions carried heavy equipment, including jackhammers, oversized power drills, and buzz saws. Smaller ponies carried bags filled with maintenance tools. Their clothing was completely covered in oil, grease, and black soot. Despite the amount of punishment they had received, they remained in a relatively good condition. But all of them, even with their varied sizes and gear, wore the same expression: pain, exhaustion, and a massive desire for fresh air.
As Ash continued to look towards the massive horde of miners, several looked back. At first, they looked at him as if he was some kind of strange animal. Their looks quickly changed from curiosity to looks of disgust and hatred, as if they saw Ash as a beast from the Everfree Forest that needed to be put down. Some just kept staring at him with looks of anger or disgust while continuing to their destination and others just spat on the ground as they walked away.
As they went farther from the entrance to the mine, some groups split off and went to a building that housed the changing rooms and showers while others went towards the board house. Ash decided that it was best to head to his room and set up since it wasn’t the best idea to try and start up a conversation with ponies that were probably in some kind of pain. He quickly went into the boarding house while avoiding as much eye contact as possible. He climbed up the stairs, which creaked with every step he took. Eventually, after reaching the third floor, he found his room number.
He opened the door and was greeted with a wave of dust. The room was completely made of wood, except for the window which was so fogged up that the outside could not be seen clearly. Inside was a mattress on a wooden frame and a foot locker.
“I really hope there isn’t a specific reason why this room has been unoccupied for such a length of time,” Ash thought to himself, “Good thing I don’t have a dust allergy.”
“Hey, glow horn!” yelled a rocky voice from right behind Ash.
“Would you mind keeping it down? And what’s with the name?” replied Ash.
“Awww, is the pampered prince afraid of a bit of noise? Do I need to stock up on some gel to keep your mane slicked back?” The dark blue stallion said in a whimpering voice. He then brought his face close to Ash’s. “I’m assuming that you are here to work. Let me give you a fair warning you spoiled brat. I can smell Canterlot all over you and it is not a scent you want to have. If I see that stick of bone jutting out of your forehead glow at all, you will have a complimentary surgical removal via diamond covered saw blade. You got that?”
Ash attempted to look tough, but the miner pony was completely unfazed. Seeing this, he decided it was best to avoid as much conflict as possible.
“Yes sir,” Ash responded in a monotone voice. “I promise not to get in your way.”
The burly colt gave a grunt, and walked away. Ash shook his head and unpacked his stuff. Several minutes later, he had his room completely set up. Just as he was about to collapse onto his bed, he heard another voice. This one was much calmer than the last one, but still had a gruff tone.
“You the new guy?” said the new pony that was standing in the doorway.
He was a tall colt with a more slender build compared to the other miners, but he still had quite a bit of muscle that showed the toil of his work. His coat was a light brown with a very short mane and tail that were both black. His cutie mark was a helmet and pencil. His coat was damp, suggesting that he recently showered. Despite that, there were still faint oil stains on various parts of his body.
“Yes, I am,” Ash responded in an annoyed tone, “I’ve already been called ‘glow horn’ several times so if you’re going to insult me, at least come up with something fresh.”
“You better watch your smartass mouth, unicorn,” The miner pony responded with a firm, but calmer attitude compared to the others, “Ah’m your only hope for you getting out of here alive. I was sent by the boss to get you. He’s going to explain what goes on around here. I can tell you already made a couple of enemies, but they will be the least of your problems if you mess something up down in the mine.”
Ash nodded and followed the miner outside.
“I take it by looking at your cutie mark that you are the foreman?” asked Ash.
“Yes. My name is Flowsheet. You will be reporting to me during your work.”
“I see.” Ash decided to not ask any more questions so he doesn’t get on his superior’s bad side. They head outside and walk towards Quicksilver’s office. Quicksilver was leaning on the deck as they approached.
“Well hiya Ash!” Quicksilver said in an excited voice. “Did ya get your living quarters squared away?”
“Yes sir,” Ash responded. “I am ready to get to work.”
“Excellent! Let’s walk into my office and I’ll give you the rundown on the operations of the mine. I hope you don’t mind some storytelling!” Quicksilver turned to Flowsheet. “You may leave us, Flowsheet. I’ll call you when he is ready to go.”
The tall colt gave a simple nod and walked away. Quicksilver motioned Ash to follow him into his office.
“Let’s step inside and have a drink, son,” said Quicksilver.
“Okay. May I ask you a question?” asked Ash.
“Go right ahead. What’s on your mind?” responded Quicksilver.
“It seems like the ponies here do not like me because I'm a unicorn from Canterlot. Is it because of the curse?”
“Yes, the workers believe that the mine was cursed by a witch. She is believed to live in an area over yonder in an area called The Glow.” As Quicksilver continued talking, he pointed his hoof towards a heavily wooded area east of the town.
“The Glow?” Ash asked in a tone of disbelief.
“Yes,” Quicksilver looked towards the forest as rain fell. “They won’t admit it, but there is something in the forest that’s scaring them.” He turned to Ash, his face looking much more serious than before. “There are things in these mountains that are more dangerous to the miner than animals, bad weather, and even cave ins. The things we worry about the most are the Supernaturals.”
“Who are the ‘Supernaturals’?” Ash asked.
“The Supernaturals are creatures that miners deal with on a daily basis,” Quicksilver explained. “There are different types of creatures. The ones we run into the most are the Knockers. They are small gremlins that also mine for materials, like us. If you are alone in a shaft and you hear knocking, that’s them. They are peaceful as long as you leave them alone. But if you mess with them, they will make your life miserable and maybe even end it.”
Ash nodded, not wanting to offend his boss by disagreeing with the veracity of his ridiculous folk tales.
“Another type is the Wisp. In a nutshell, they are ghosts of past miners that lost their lives that come back to continue their work. No one knows why they would come back, but it happens.”
“Okay, how do I deal with them?” Ash asked.
“They only come out when the day is over. Occasionally our inspectors will see them, but they always let them be.” responded Quicksilver.
“I see,” Ash said while hiding his unconvinced tone. “So, tell me about The Glow.”
“The Glow is where the witch’s hut is located. If you walk towards the edge of the mine, you can point out a faint green glow coming from the woods. We’ve sent scouting parties to check it out, but none have returned. That, along with the recent accidents, have caused us to believe that a witch lives there and she wants us gone.”
“Have you sent a messenger to Princess Celestia to send some guards over there?” Ash asked.
“The workers don’t trust any being that has the ability to manipulate magic. They think that they will bring a curse to the mine as well as the witch.”
Ash could not take any more of what he was hearing. He slammed his hooves on the desk and shouted, “Unicorns putting curses on ponies!? First of all, putting a curse on somepony or something is not an easy feat. It requires a lot of skill and years of practice. Second, curses are products of dark magic, which is forbidden except for research purposes. If you are caught performing dark magic, you could get sent to prison for life!”
Quicksilver put his hooves in the air as if he was trying to block rocks being thrown at him. “Trust me son, I don’t agree with them either. I’m sure you’re a great kid, but you have to understand that the folks around here are very superstitious. They don’t like having mares around the mine because they believe it’s bad luck. The fact that they lost many of their brothers in a mining accident that shouldn’t have happened isn’t helping either.”
Ash’s face went closer to Quicksilver’s.
“Folk tales, superstitions, what’s next? Do they believe that the unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi still live in three different kingdoms too?”
Quicksilver sighed, “I was afraid of this when I saw that you were a student from the academy. Our two worlds coexist just as well as oil and water.”
Ash responded, “I’m here because I needed a job and there were not any available from Los Pegasus to Manehattan.” He sat back down. “I apologize for my outburst. I just thought that attacking a pony just because of their race was a thing of the past.”
“It’s not necessarily because of your race, it’s more of your abilities. There is a bit more to the story, but I’m sure your coworkers will give you hell about it.” Quiksilver opened a drawer and pulled out a notepad. “Here, this is a manual of operations for the mine. Know it like the Moh’s hardness scale or Bowen’s reaction series.”
“Will do,” Ash said as he put the notebook in his jacket pocket. “I guess I better get some rest. Got a busy day tomorrow.
“Indeed you do,” responded Quicksilver. “Stick with Flowsheet for a bit. He’ll show you the ropes and he’ll keep the workers off of ya.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ash got up and walked towards the door. “I’ll see you later.”
“Take care.” responded Quicksilver as he took out a bottle of cider. As soon as Ash walked out of the door, he took a long drink from the bottle, then talked to himself.
“Watch your flank out there, son.”