Toils of the Heart

       A bright spring day, normal as usual, expected to be really warm today by the grace of Celestia. It's a shame, however, I must spend the whole day in my home office. Stuck in the rut of my daily routine, nothing new, just boring as ever. Managing my sales, calculating the price of each species of gems, relating them to the values of the Equestrian Market, setting my sale price, and putting them on the market to be sold either downstairs or in my newer shop recently opened in Manehattan. I run the business with my brother SteelPick, and my friend Saphire.

       My brother and I are twin earth ponies, each having a light brown coat and blue eyes. The only differences are our mains and our cutie marks (naturally). My mane is a dark, nearly black, brown color with a sleek style while SteelPick's is scruffled and blonde. My cutie mark is of a gray mountain tip with an octagonal diamond in the center, symbolizing prospecting while my brother's is of a pick axe mining a large stone symbolizing mining (if you couldn't figure that one out). Saphire is a young mare with a dark purple coat and mint green eyes. Her mane is platinum blonde and half swirled around her neck. Her cutie mark is a rhombus shaped saphire with a parchmant banner wrapping around it saying edification, therefore symbolizing her imense jewl crafting skills. We all run our private owned jeweler business. We do everything from the prospecting and mining, to the refining and selling.

       My brother and I usually do the scaling of the neighboring mountains, which frankly I don't enjoy for my fear of heights, so that we may extract the beautiful gems. Saphire then refines the Jewels and crafts them into different articles of jeweled accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, tiaras, etc. On an average day we may receive about 5-15 customers a day, mostly passerbys visiting town or local high end class ponies. Though the number of our daily customers is small, the profits are made up by the value of our products. Not much variation through the days, however, everything always seems to repeat itself to me, Paramount. I will admit, though, that I am always arused by the wonderous beauty of the gems and how they will become even greater with crafting care, grinding away the jagged edges, literally.

       So as today goes on, since we are about midway through, so far we have had about 6 customers and sold three rings, one bracelet, and a broach. The sixth customer was only a window shopper. Despite the one that got away, we are having a good sales day so far. Another star cut emerald is produced from the refinery workshop in the back just as ordered. The timing could not have been more impeccable for Twilight had just entered to pick it up for Spike. It is his birthday after all.

       "Thankyou so much, it came out better than I could've dreamed, it's absolutely amazing." said the lavender unicorn. In reply I say, "Thankyou Ms. Sparkle I really appreciate your compliment I'll be sure to let Saphire know." "Please do, so how much will that be now?" Twilight asks. After running the numbers on my sales record scrolls I respond, "That will be about  195 bits, but with the gift discount, it comes out to 170 bits Ms. Sparkle." Answering my set bargain she says,"On a normal surcumstance I would complain, but for such quality, I'll take it." "Thanks again." I say in a dulling voice from my boredome. As I proceed up three stairs the purple mare beckons to me, "You know, I have a frriend that is always looking for gems to fit her gown deigns on a regular basis, and I'm sure that she would be more than happy to do business with you." "That sounds nice." I hollowly respond back to her as I continue on up again.

       As I return to my desk, it finally occurs to me that gaining a regular would be great business for me. It's too late since this dawned upon my brain now, all I know is that I'm a bit retarded for not thinking of it then and perhaps building upon it. This possibly could've led to even further expansion of our business to ahe stores all over Equestria. I can see it now: billboards showing pictures of fine jewels and a text in longated script saying StoneWell & Shine Jewlers. Yet, it is just another dream lost in the river of unforeseeable hopes. Back to the numbers.