//------------------------------// // Chapter D1: Find the Diamond // Story: Undead Robot Bug Crusaders: Unusual Lives // by Banjo64 //------------------------------// *tink* *tink* *tink* The sound of Diamond Tiara’s pickaxe hitting the rocks echoed around her. The same high note, again and again. Almost like some kind of stone-based chorus. Diamond couldn’t help but wonder if anypony had ever invented an enchanted singing rock, and if they’d sound something like this. *tink* *tink* *tink* It was a familiar sound at this point, but also a surprisingly pleasant one. It sounded like progress. It was like the sound of coins chiming. Or maybe not. It’s not like hearing a bag of coins jingle meant you were making money, after all. *tink* *tink* *tink* It was funny really. Here she was, working her flank off, yet her mind was wandering further than it had in ages. She seemed to be running with every tangent that popped into her head. Like her mind was a flowing river, being constantly misdirected by the stones she was cracking open. Maybe being out here working was affecting her more than she thought. Or maybe it was just because she wasn’t constantly lying to herself anymore. *tink* … … Diamond Tiara put her pickaxe down and sighed. “It’s been weeks now, Diamond Tiara. You can’t keep letting it mess with you like this. You've always known your mom hated you. This shouldn’t be bothering you now,” she mumbled at herself. But it did bother her. The truth had hurt her so badly that she still felt that overwhelming emptiness in her soul. Which was why she was here, at the West Silver Mine, swinging a pickaxe at her own request. Nopony was forcing her to do it, and yet here she was, working in the dirt and stone. Though, after a few hours of breaking rocks, Diamond Tiara had to admit that her future probably wasn’t in mining. It was just too tedious for her. Still, at least she could say she had tried it before dismissing it. That was more than she could have ever said about almost anything else she’d refused to do. She probably could have even stopped by now. But she didn’t. With a grunt of determination, she picked her pickaxe back up and started swinging it again. She had spent far too long as a quitter, never willing to put herself through anything. Silver Ore had asked her to break down this pile of stones and, by Celestia, Diamond Tiara was going to finish what she had started this time. *tink* *tink* *tink* Unsurprisingly, as she started swinging again, her mind began to wander again. This time onto the Ore family and ore mining in general, and how weird it was. One of the first things Diamond Tiara had learned while staying at the mine was that ore mining was a completely different beast from rock farming. Not that Diamond was particularly knowledgeable about such things, but she knew the basics of the latter. With how much her mother spent on precious stones, it was hard not to pick up a few things. Rock farmers spent their time moving common stones around in their fields, their unique magic slowly changing the stone into more valuable materials, or even gemstones. It was a slow process, and often took years, or even decades to complete. Ore mining also involved using unusual magic to change normal rocks into more valuable materials, but rather than years, it took generations. *tink* *tink* *tink* It was a fascinating process, especially with the return of the Crystal Empire revealing the source of this amazing rock-changing magic: faint traces of Salvares magic that lingered in certain earth pony family trees. Rock farmers and miners alike had gem pony ancestors. And with the crystal ponies now adding their own magic and ancient techniques to the table, both industries were experiencing a bit of a boom. And yet, ore mining was still a slow process. So slow, in fact, that once a mine had been picked clean, it would be refilled with the tailings plus other wasteful rocks, and be abandoned for centuries so the ores could regrow. Unsurprisingly, many mining families owned multiple mines, moving between them as each was drained and refilled every generation. *tink* *tink *tink* Which was why Diamond Tiara was breaking down a stack of stones. Rock farms were willing to buy quality rocks from miners, but only when broken down to sizes that they could work with. If they weren’t ideal farming size, the rock farmers would just make their own. It was bottom tier work breaking rocks like this, but it was work that didn’t require a pony to actually set hoof in the mine. When Diamond Tiara had asked for a chance to try her hoof at mining, the Ores had insisted that Diamond not enter the mine. Professional excavations were apparently a lot more dangerous than the tunnels beneath Ponyville. And so, here she was: breaking down rocks that probably wouldn’t be put to use in her lifetime. *tink* *tink* *tink* It was so strange, working like this. More than once Diamond Tiara had pinched herself to make sure this wasn’t some kind of crazy dream. She was even going to be paid for her efforts. She was going to get bits that she had earned, and had not been given by her father. Not to mention the look of joy on Silver Spoon’s face when she realized her friend was trying to rise from the ashes of her family life... And there her mind went again. Diamond started to consider if she should look into more mentally-challenging careers. Maybe she’d find something more engaging that way. At the very least, that might help keep her head below the clouds and away from unpleasant topics. Diamond Tiara wondered what it was like to be on a cloud... *tink* *tink* *thunk!* Blinking in surprise as she was snapped out of her pondering, Diamond Tiara looked down at the rock she’d been breaking. She’d barely cracked it. What in Equestria had made that sound? She tried to hit it again. *thunk!* Yep, there was something off about this rock. Maybe there was something inside it? She rolled it over a bit, then swung again. *tink* *tink* *thunk!* This time, a chunk of the rock came off, revealing… some kind of weird white lump inside. “Mr. Ore? Can you take a look at this, please?” asked Diamond Tiara as she made her way to the stallion’s office. Silver Ore was a large pony, with a grey coat and silver mane that was a few shades darker than Silver Spoon’s. He was a gruff pony who took his job very seriously, but greeted Diamond Tiara with a smile. He had a soft spot for his niece and her friend. Especially after he’d been told about what the little filly had gone through. “Oh? What is it, Diamond Tiara? Find something interesting?” asked Mr. Ore. Diamond Tiara shrugged and showed him the rock with the weird white stuff inside it. Mr. Ore let out a whistle. “Well, what do you know. Looks like you went and found yourself a diamond,” said Mr. Ore. Diamond Tiara looked down at the stone in her hoof, somewhat confused. “This ugly thing is a diamond?” she asked in disbelief. Mr. Ore let out a chuckle, before reaching into his desk and pulling out a bottle of polish and a rag. “Yep. You ever hear the expression ‘a diamond in the rough’? It ain’t just a bit of flowery language. This little thing just needs a bit of cleaning up,” declared Mr. Ore. Mr. Ore took the ugly diamond, and started cleaning it. After a minute or two, he showed it to Diamond Tiara, revealing the bright, shiny gemstone that the filly was familiar with. “We ain’t rock farmers. The gems that form in our mines don’t grow because we tell them to. As such, when one forms, it doesn’t grow all that cleanly. They ain’t flawless either. There’s bound to be cracks and other marks in it, so it won’t sell for very much,” explained Mr. Ore. Diamond Tiara looked at the diamond. She could see that he was right. It was clearly a substandard gemstone. And yet... “But it’s still a diamond. It won’t be as pretty as one grown on a rock farm, but it can still shine like any other gem with a little polish...” she mumbled. Mr. Ore blinked in surprise, but then gave her a warm smile. “Just like a certain other Diamond, right?” he asked. Diamond Tiara blushed, but nodded. It was kind of fitting, actually. She was a Diamond in the rough...