Rebirth of Magic: Law and Order

by The Blue EM2

Spirit Lingers, Torn in Two

After several minutes of travel, the cage I was in finally reached the bottom, and we were in the depths of the mine. I stepped out of the cage with the others and looked around me. Tunnels snaked away in both directions and ran along following the coal seams.

"Welcome back, boys," said a figure standing nearby. He looked to be some form of administrator. "I know this isn't your first rodeo underground, but remember; safety first. There's carbon monoxide down here, so don't go anywhere without your safety lamp or head torch. No exposed flames, so that means no smoking. And always stay in pairs, and keep your gas mask on. I know the gear is bulky and uncomfortable, but it will save your life in the event of an accident. Best of luck to all of you."

The groups of ponies trotted off in different directions, and I consulted my map again. The electric light near the administrator was the only thing cutting through the gloom, and I knew I had to focus on it. My studies had revealed that the trapped miners had apparently been in Sector 5, which according to the signage was to the left.

"You must be new," said the administrator. "Which sector are you assigned to?"

"Sector 5," I replied.

"To your left and straight down the tunnel," the administrator replied. "This place may seem confusing at first, but it gets easier to find your way around the longer you spend down here."

I nodded. "Thanks." I turned to the left, and then set off on my way through the tunnels.

The tunnels must have been a few miles under the ground, as it was very claustrophobic. If you don't like tight spaces, don't go down a coal mine. Not only that, the tunnels in this sector were poorly lit. There was an electric light every 200 yards or so, which meant long patches of darkness.

I passed by a group of miners heading back, and they glanced to me. "Enjoy your time underground," said one.

"If I can ever see where I'm going," I replied.

"Ah, a newbie," he said. "Still, you have it easy compared to us. Back when I started we didn't have lights in the tunnels. We only had portable electric lamps. And these lamps were the only thing to cut through the darkness. Down here the blackness is so intense that if the lights go out you can't tell if your eyes are closed or not."

That must be what the miners who are trapped are going through, I thought to myself. "Thanks for the tip," I replied. "I'll try not to get lost."

"Very good. The foremare doesn't like to be kept waiting," the miner said. "And remember; she decides your wages as she counts how much coal you pull out. Annoy her, and... well, let's just say some creative accounting might occur."

Great. So it's that kind of industry. "Again, thanks for the warning," I said, and was on my way.

As I continued on, the mine began to look increasingly problematic. The lights only being placed every 200 yards or so meant I was dependant on my helmet lamp and breathing gear to move about. Not only was the very limited light making it hard to read the map, it also caused other problems. My ability to look at things was limited by the gas mask, as it severely restricted my vision in all directions. The bottled air would also presumably be limited in amount, so I had to avoid exerting myself too hard.

I turned another corner and spotted more signage directing miners to individual sections of the coalface. That was another thing about this place. Not only was it dark, it was incredibly noisy. Machines were roaring in the distance, presumably designed to break up rocks and other useless items into coal, ready to be shipped to the surface.

I continued to calmly trot along the pathway, looking about for other things to find and try to locate. This place was giving me the creeps. The sooner I found the lost miners and got out of here, the better. I continued to make my way along the tunnels as best I could with the light I had.

It was then I noticed something that correlated between the map and the tunnel numbers, as I entered into a large, circular cavern. The tunnels split off the central cavern like the spokes on a wheel, presumably to make accessing them easier for personnel in a hurry.

Each of the tunnels was numbered in order from one to ten. Ten tunnels from this hub. Simple, but easy to remember. I made my way over to the tunnel list and noticed that one of the tunnels was marked as blocked. This was probably the one I wanted, so I made my way down it.

The light had previously been pretty bad. But here the lighting conditions changed from bad to simply nonexistant. The lights just... stopped. The only thing illuminating the gloom was the glow from my helmet lamp, and even that was pretty bad, as I had to slow down to avoid tripping on things. If I broke a leg down here it would probably be game over. I could radio for help, but I had no idea how good horse medicine was in this world, seeing as characters seem to be able to survive major falls without serious injuries.

But I wasn't ready to take that risk. I continued slowly down the tunnel, getting a bit concerned when I began to hear a slow drip.

Is that water? I thought to myself. I had heard horror stories of coal miners working in deep pits of water in tunnels when the pumps had failed, and even worse of entire caverns flooding. I didn't know which was worse- drowning down here, or choking on carbon monoxide after a leak or explosion. Best be careful and make sure I don't set either off.

When I was partway into the tunnel, I found more evidence that I found disheartening. The tunnel did the same thing as the lights and simply stopped. The roof seemed to have come down, and a series of rocks marked where the collapse had happened.

It seemed as though there'd been a cave-in or a tunnel collapse, which blocked the access to the lower end of this tunnel off from the rest of the system. I had to head another way round to get down this tunnel, and the dripping wasn't slowing down. If anything, it seemed to be intensifying.

I soon found another way round, as when I had turned I saw a large map on the wall. This map had the tunnel network for the region fully mapped out, and it revealed something interesting. Each section of tunnel had a crosscut coming out of it. There was one right before the collapse, roughly about where I was standing now, and it connected across to another tunnel. There was another one further up, so hopefully I could bypass the blockage and make my way into another section of the tunnel higher up.

I made my way into this crosscut, noticing again the lack of light or smooth ground. It would probably have cost too much to put something like wooden boards down to walk on. Imagine if a place like this had to be evacuated in the event of an accident? Hopefully there were more ways to escape than just the main shaft. If not, then getting out would be extremely hard.

I passed by a room called SAFETY SHELTER. I looked inside, and saw it was stocked full of provisions and supplies a miner might need in the even of an accident. Good thinking, building those in. I then continued on my way, turning to the left to access the main tunnel once again.

I made my way along and soon found myself standing before another crosscut, which would presumably lead me back to the correct tunnel and hopefully the lost miners. I quickly shone the helmet lamp down, and spotted something on the ground.

Water was pooling quite deep inside the crosscut. This indicated the pumping systems were malfunctioning, or were never installed at all. Either way, it was going to make forward progress slower.

I checked my boots were properly secured before making my way in, trotting slowly down the pathway and making my way towards the end of the tunnel. The gloom seemed to be even more oppressive than before, like a thick blanket that sticks to you- only this blanket was of no comfort to me. I couldn't fathom what working down here in an environment like this for years would be like. I'd been in here an hour at best, and already I just wanted to return to the surface.

I was about to move forward when suddenly I was knocked to the side. I hit the ground, yelping in surprise, and looked up.

Into the face of another miner, a pickaxe about to swing.

Author's Note:

This chapter is based on the tunnel systems that exist within Caphouse Colliery, a mine on Yorkshire which is now home to the National Coal Mining Museum for England, and the Red Mountain Mine in Birmingham, Alabama. The overall tone and feel of the light conditions is based on a series of sketches conducted by Henry Moore of conditions in mines during WW2.

The reference to 'creative accounting' is based on a real practice. Before the mines were nationalised, miners were typically paid by the ton, and as a result the more coal they shifted out the more they got paid. The amount removed was verified by the shift supervisor, and it is suspected that some supervisors underreported the coal yields of workers they didn't like. This practice was, thankfully, eliminated under the NCB, who introduced hourly pay to counter this abuse of power.

Finally, the flooded tunnels draw inspiration from the horror film My Bloody Valentine, which is partially set in a coal mine.

Next time will see the cycle begin anew.

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

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Hi everybody. The last chapter for a bit is now live.

[Comickook]

REALLY good descriptions of the mines and the mapping systems. Yeah, between the limited light, also limited air and the dangers of the water and poison gases, it DOES provide a good imagery just how bad the situation is. And almost hitting another miner when he was about to start digging? Yikes.

Anyway, certainly looking forward to seeing which of the three other stories you're working on right now in this series is going to get five more chapters next month.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"Welcome back, boys," said a figure standing nearby. He looked to be some form of administrator. "I know this isn't your first rodeo underground, but remember; safety first. There's carbon monoxide down here, so don't go anywhere without your safety lamp or head torch. No exposed flames, so that means no smoking. And always stay in pairs, and keep your gas mask on. I know the gear is bulky and uncomfortable, but it will save your life in the event of an accident. Best of luck to all of you."

It feels like I'm rewatching the movie I watched last Friday all over again but in word form as coal mines were a huge part of the movie since it took place in West Virginia in the late 50s.

The tunnels must have been a few miles under the ground, as it was very claustrophobic. If you don't like tight spaces, don't go down a coal mine. Not only that, the tunnels in this sector were poorly lit. There was an electric light every 200 yards or so, which meant long patches of darkness.

I hate being in tight spaces so I doubt I'd ever go in one.

"Ah, a newbie," he said. "Still, you have it easy compared to us. Back when I started we didn't have lights in the tunnels. We only had portable electric lamps. And these lamps were the only thing to cut through the darkness. Down here the blackness is so intense that if the lights go out you can't tell if your eyes are closed or not."

That's pretty much why I hate being in thick darkness. Even with no light and my eyes are wide open, I'll feel like they're indeed closed.

When I was partway into the tunnel, I found more evidence that I found disheartening. The tunnel did the same thing as the lights and simply stopped. The roof seemed to have come down, and a series of rocks marked where the collapse had happened.

lights had simply stopped.*

I passed by a room called SAFETY SHELTER. I looked inside, and saw it was stocked full of provisions and supplies a miner might need in the even of an accident. Good thinking, building those in. I then continued on my way, turning to the left to access the main tunnel once again.

in the event of an accident*

[shining paladin]

great chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter

[The Blue EM2]

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Back in the really old days of Lego, there was a game called Rock Raiders, which very accurately captured the claughstrophobia of working underground. It's currently being remade in the Unity engine, and is well worth a play.

[The Blue EM2]

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1. How strange.

2. Me too.

3. You probably wouldn't cope well in Mammoth Cave, KY, then.

4 and 5. Corrected.

[The Blue EM2]

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Brutal stuff.

[The Blue EM2]

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Hey folks! Rebirth of Magic is back! And we have formally returned to Zipp!

TRebirth of Magic: Zipping It

• MLP Gen 5
• Adventure
• Comedy

The life and times of a flightless princess.

• Sex
• Izzy Moonbow
• Sunny Starscout
• Pipp
• Zipp
• Queen Haven

The Blue EM2 · 31k words  ·  28  2 · 1.1k views