//------------------------------// // The Diamond Digging Crew // Story: The Conversion Bureau: Preservation // by Westphalian_Musketeer //------------------------------// "So we need to make a cavern big enough to house everything ever written by a human?" I rolled my eyes at my adoptive brother as he bounced on my back. His weight made me exhale a little every time he came down. "Yes Spike," I said. "We need a place for the Human Archives Project, and Ponyville is the logical conclusion. It has solid bedrock, is close to Canterlot, and, it's where we live." "But let me get this straight, you want to try hiring diamond dogs in order to build the cave? And your first gut was to try and ask the diamond dogs that once kidnapped Rarity?" Spike asked. "Am I the only one here who thinks that's a bad idea?" "They're the best diggers of any race in Equestria, they'd be able to make room the fastest, I'm not entirely sure how much space we'll need, so we need to make the cave as large as possible. That way, it won't matter how much stuff comes over, we'll have room for it." I felt Spike hop off my back, giving myself a needed break. He walked in front of me two stubby little wings poking out of his back. He turned, and continued his questions. "Diamond dog, you seriously think that they'll be willing to help us out with this?" I nodded as I glared at him, hoping to end this conversation that had gone on for the past hour. "Six feet tall, predatory troglodytes with no personal hygiene?" Again, I nodded. "Rude, but good use of vocabulary." Spike turned to one of the royal guards accompanying us. "Hey big guy, you think this plan'll work?" Thankfully, the guard didn't so much as respond, giving me the time to do so myself. "Spike, I know you're worried about my safety, but we have an entire contingent here." I pointed my hoof at the other guards to emphasize my point. "Besides," I continued, bring my hoof to point at his chest. "I've got you to protect me." He flinched as I pointed at him, looking at my hoof as though I was handing him a precious gem. He looked at me, eyes wide. "You really mean that?" "Of course! You're getting pretty big! Pretty soon you won't be able to ride on my back anymore." I added some bounce to my step to emphasize the point. "Heh, yeah." Spike scratched behind his head and scratched vigorously. He rotated a little bit to show off his wings. "Guess I'll have to get used to these babies, huh?" "Miss Sparkle," one of the guards, a pegasus, said. "I believe this would be an entrance to the diamond dog's territory?" I looked up to see a cave with a massive boulder blocking the opening It was tinted with brown dust and sat there as though daring somepony to try and move it. It was well over a dozen feet wide wherever you measured. "It's as good a place to start looking for them as any," I answered. The captain nodded to one of the earth pony guards. "Rock Steady, think you can move that for us?" he asked. "Eh, no problemo!" Rock Steady walked up to the boulder and braced his front hooves against it. He strained for a second before the oversized rock shifted a few inches as he pushed off the ground with his back hooves. "Hyeagh!" he yelled as he pushed the boulder over several feet, the bottom grinding in the dirt. He turned back to us and waved a hoof. "There we go!" The guards proceeded to enter the cavern with Spike and I following behind closely. Looking around the tunnel as we delved deeper into the cavern, I was reminded of Rarity's kidnapping all those years ago. Hopefully the years had made the diamond dogs more and not less amiable. A few minutes later, the entire group picked up on the distant sound of arguing. We followed the tunnels towards the source as close as we could, and I began to make out snippets of the conversation. "So... brought ponies... our den, again?" "NO! ... No see us... not followed! Came here on... own." "What did they look like? Guards? Did the have any ... with them? What about...? If you put our pups in danger by trying something stupid near that town again, I'll make you regret ever having joined the pack." "But this quarry have no gems left! We find all, but underneath town..." The voice trailed off, and rounding another corner I began to make out the sound of sniffing, digging, and then silence once more. "I don't like this," the pegasus guard said. He didn't have time to continue the thought as we rounded one final corner to see a lone diamond dog standing in the tunnel. It, or rather he near as I could tell, was grey. His only adornment was a belt from which five daggers hung. He stood there for a moment. Sizing up the group with his yellow-green eyes. His eyes squinted as he moved from his slouch, the daggers clinking together like a bag of gems. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of over twenty noise makers tromping about our home?" he asked. "Hey!" Spike yelled, hopping forward and extending a claw at the diamond dog. "Don't talk down to ponies like that!" The dog's left ear twitched, and a grinding sound emanated from below and behind us. Three holes formed in the cavern wall to release an eventual four diamond dogs from each. The royal guards faced off against the group, waiting for them to move, and leaving Spike and I to face their alpha. "I'll talk to trespassers, and do to them, as I please... little lizard." The diamond dog stepped forward once. "Stay away from her," Spike growled, only reaching up to my neck, the anger in his voice made me worry he'd actually throw himself at the dog in front of us. I extended a hoof towards him and brushed his shoulder. He looked at me, and I shook my head. He lowered his purple claw. The diamond dog alpha craned his neck, snapping tense muscles in a cracking noise as he did so. "A purple dragon for a purple unicorn. You've got a lively one there." He blinked and focused his eyes on me once more. "So I'll ask once, why are you here?" "I am Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here on behalf of Princess Celestia--" "To waste my time apparently, get to the point." I looked at the diamond dog briefly. My planned request being thrown to the proverbial fire as he drummed his claws against his hip. I opened my mouth to speak. "I would like to hire your pack to build an underground cavern." The diamond dog's eyes narrowed. "Your desire is a cave?" "Underneath Ponyville, yes." A quick bark from the alpha made all the other diamond dogs relax and sheath their weapons. The diamond dog rubbed his chin, his ears twitching. I gave him the benefit and imagined each twitch was another thought flying out of his head. "How large?" "As big as you can make it, I need to store lots of things in it," I replied. "Things? Like diamonds?" came a guttural voice behind me. "No, books." "Why we build cave for books?" Came another voice in response to my simple answer. "Rover, Fido, Spot: silence." The diamond dog in front of me glared past my group. I followed my gaze to see the three diamond dog leaders who had kidnapped Rarity all those years ago. "You'll pardon the idiots. Now, if we agree to this, part of the cave will always be dedicated to our exclusive use, what we leave behind us will be yours to use as you see fit. We get to hunt in Ghastly Gorge, and any gems we find are ours to keep, trade, or craft with." The diamonds dog extended an open paw towards me. Spike looked at me and shook his heads to the side by mere millimeters. I extended my hoof, wondering if I'd get it back, and let the diamond dog wrap his paw around my limb. I asked, "Do we have a deal? Mr...?" "Cyrus."