The Prompt: Your mind makes it real.
"You know, this doesn’t make any sense."
"What doesn’t, darling?"
Rarity glanced over at Twilight, horn alight as she uncovered another gem for Spike to dig up. Twilight shrugged slightly, watching the dragon’s progress, and Rarity smiled.
"You mean my talent for finding gems? Well, Twilight - you should know as well as anypony that the cutie mark doesn’t necessarily make the career, though my talent, and Rainbow’s speed talent, and so on certainly enhance our true callings!" She chuckled, levitating the gem into Spike’s claws. "Really I think a failure to interpret cutie marks in our own context was what caused such trouble in the mark swap!"
"Er… maybe. But I meant the abundance of gems here." Twilight gestured at the rocky landscape with one wing. "I mean, you’ve been mining this area for years!"
"And what an area it is!" Spike said appreciatively, appraising the wagon of gems they’d already unearthed with a hungry eye before looking mournfully at Rarity. The white unicorn nodded after a moment, smiling as she levitated a fat citrine into her friend’s eager claws.
"Spike’s right, darling, some places must simply have an abundance. This place was where I found that first stone, after all, and it’s never yet failed me."
"Hm." Twilight looked the area over, but ultimately nodded.
"I guess you must be right. Still, it’s pretty interesting."
***
"It doesn’t make sense," Twilight muttered much later. The outlandish bounty of Rarity’s hunting ground - dozens, hundreds, thousands of perfectly cut gems lurking just below the surface - was like nothing she’d ever seen or even read about. "I mean… why is it no one managed to mine this area before? Even the Diamond Dogs don’t seem to have showed up until after Rarity was operating, and even mining ponies with equipment have barely turned anything up. It’s why they all left it to Rarity."
"I dunno. Maybe Rarity’s just that good." Spike was lying on his back in bed, holding the citrine up to the light to admire it. "I mean… you’ve got a really strong talent, right? So maybe Rarity’s just really strong in one or two areas. You know, like those illusions for the fashion show?"
"Even that we might be able to attribute to her gem talent," Twilight said absently. "You know, reflecting and redirecting light the way it’d refract through a gem to get the effect she wants… anyway that’s not the point."
"Eh, what is the point then?” Spike shrugged, watching the spots of light the gem reflected. “I thought you learned not everything has to be analyzed. So what if only Rarity can get at the gem deposits?” He sighed, holding the stone against his heart. “Maybe she’s just that magical.”
"Maybe. Eat your snack and go to bed, okay?"
"Okay."
Spike ate half the gem and then curled up holding the rest like a teddy bear. Twilight smiled wryly as she pulled a blanket over him and then turned back to her books.
How was Rarity doing it?
***
"I have a theory!" Twilight sang the next morning. Spike (who had eaten the rest of the citrine in his sleep) blinked up at her and yawned.
"Again? ‘Bout what?"
"Rarity’s talent!" She bounced a moment and grinned. "You see, the stone full of gems - it must have been there for ages, and there were mining ponies in that area, but no one knew!"
"So? I thought we already established Rarity’s just that magical."
"Established nothing. Spike, are you up to visiting Rarity today?"
“Am I!” Spike bounded out of bed, beaming, before shuffling his feet with a clearing of throat. “I mean uh… sure, if you want.”
"Just you today - I have a lot of work to do to confirm this, and on some other duties. But could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, name it."
"Take this stone to Rarity. I think it might have more gems inside - just what she needs!"
***
"Just what I need?"
Rarity looked at the chunk of rock Spike had struggled to carry in, ears forward.
"That’s what Twilight said. Seems to think only you could really open it up and wedge ‘em out, though."
"Well. That is my specialty. Set it down there, Spikey-wikey, and let’s have a look!”
Dragon and unicorn circled the stone a long few moments, giving it light taps here and there with hoof or claw, Rarity lighting her horn now and then and Spike giving the stone the odd sniff.
"I dunno, Rarity, I don’t smell any gems…."
"No." Rarity’s eyes were alight with pleasure and certainty. "They’re here. I know they are! Stand back, please."
Spike did as he was told as Rarity focused on the stone. Slowly, surely, it split apart under her magic.
Inside lay a little treasure trove of pale green, blue, and pink gems.
"Why… why they’re perfect,” Rarity breathed after a long moment. “Exactly what I needed for those ceremonial solstice dresses!”
"Wow." Spike touched a gem almost reverently. "And even a dragon couldn’t tell. Rarity, you’re amazing!"
"I know, darling." The unicorn beamed, levitating one of the small gems to the dragon. "Here you go, for being such a darling to carry this in for me! Now sit back while I finish these, and you’ll see some real magic!”
It never occurred to her to wonder how Twilight had known there were gems there, or known what it was she needed.
***
Twilight nodded in satisfaction as she read Spike’s note, giving Owlowiscious a triumphant smirk.
"I knew it! I knew that was how she was doing it!”
"Hoo?"
"Rarity! You see, that stone had no gems. I spent hours analyzing it. But Rarity thought there were. Her mind made it real! Oh Owlowiscious - her talent isn’t finding gems at all! She makes them, and can even use their properties in seemingly unrelated pursuits like illusion!”
A moment more, and Twilight grew solemn about the implications. Gems were part of the economy, and Rarity was generous - the very spirit of generosity.
Twilight Sparkle would have to consider very carefully how to present the finding to Rarity - so that no one could take advantage of her friend’s talent and so that Rarity would not be overwhelmed by her own generosity… or vanity.
She turned back to her papers to start notes on that - but even the heavy responsibility couldn’t keep back the joy of a problem solved and of how much a pony’s mind could really do.