Sneaking around back, the espionage team made sure not to be caught by any Black Mage guards that may have been lurking about, more specifically the two that were scolded by that Trixie woman. With Applejack taking the lead, she lead the party through the settlement and into the tent the other Black Mage, apparently named Rarity, was resting in. Before they entered the tent, they looked around again just to make sure if anyone or anything had followed them. Finally, they paid Rarity a visit.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, sitting on her fancy bed with royal red sheets and golden bracing "Whoever might you be? Are you a part of the Apple Kingdom?"

"Mah name is Applejack of the Apple Kingdom, yes" Applejack bowed "This is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Gilda. Before y'all go and sound the alarm, jus' know we overheard ya talking about another way ta end the war."

"You eavesdropped?" Rarity seemed appalled by the very thought "How rude of you! Don't you know it isn't nice to do that to a refined lady such as myself?"

"Oh no..." Rainbow spoke under her breath.

"Miss, um... Rarity, was it?" Twilight began, to which Rarity nodded in confirmation "We forwardly apologize to you for our eavesdropping. However, you have information that we could use to help stop the war. Even further, you're the only one who knows such information who won't incinerate... we hope... us. Surely you understand?"

"Hmm... Yes, that seems reasonable" Rarity nodded "But how am I to know I can trust you?"

"Listen lady, we don't have time for this!" Gilda shouted "Tell us the damn info!

"How uncouth" Rarity stuck her nose in the air "How do you expect me to tell you when you can't even control your emotions, hmm? I wish to speak with someone who can keep a clean conversation without sounding too important, too loud, too crude, or too... well... nerdy, for lack of a better term."

"Hey!" Twilight shouted.

"W-Well, what about, um... me?" Fluttershy spoke up, stepping forward "I think I can, um... talk to you, Miss Rarity..."

"Oh, well aren't you just the cutest thing?" Rarity smiled "Oh, and she's kind as well. Very well; I will speak to... pardon my rudeness, darling, but whatever might your name be, again?"

"It's, um... Fluttershy..." Fluttershy shyly whimpered.

"Pardon, darling?"

"Her name is Fluttershy, Rari-" Twilight said before being shushed by Rarity.

"For goodness sake, darling!" she huffed "You can see she has anxiety problems, so allow her to go at her own pace! Now, as you were saying, darling?"

"Oh, um... my name is, um... F-Fluttershy..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"What a lovely name, Fluttershy" Rarity nodded "Alright, then I suppose I shall talk with you."

"If ah may?" Applejack spoke up after looking through the tent entrance "Ah dunno how long were gonna have ta talk. Thems Black Mage guards look like their comin' back."

"Very well, I shall forget the formalities for now" Rarity agreed "Until then, I will join you and discover for myself why the Apple Kingdom and Black Mage settlement battle so."

"Great, another member to our dweeb-team" Gilda rolled her eyes, but everyone ignored her by this point.

"Come! I shall release the seal on the cave out back so you all may enter" Rarity nodded before slowly and lightly stepping her way out of the tent, annoying a few team members "What? A lady must still make a proper exit even in a time of distress."

"...we made a bad decision" Rainbow stated as soon as Rarity fully exited the tent.

"Yep."

"Yeah..."

"Uh-huh."

"Whatever..."

(Music Stop)

The quick and quiet trip back up the rocky settlement overlook where the cave was went fairly easy. It would have gone slightly faster if Rarity walked faster, but at the very least the team wasn't caught. Taking out her rod, Rarity cast some magic over the cave that surrounded it and caused the previously very long tunnel to become a plain and simple part of the mountain.

"Thanks, Rare" Applejack deadpanned "Ya made our lives so much easier, ya did!"

"Relax... Applejack? Yes, Applejack" Rarity recalled the commanding Knight's name "This wall is merely a second lock in case someone not from our village with black magic powers came over and wanted to see inside. Now, I must insert a code."

She slammed her rod against the wall, opening it up and shocking the team.

"Some code there" Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"The code is also part of our magic capabilities" Rarity explained "Only a rod from our village could open up the gateway."

"What's stopping anyone from just taking a rod then?" Twilight questioned before realizing something "Wait, I know war is bad, but why didn't the Apple Kingdom just take a Black Mage's rod, reverse engineer it and infuse its power into your swords. That way, all the Knights could have been upgraded to Paladins and the war would have been over sooner, albeit with more casualties."

"Well there ya have it!" Applejack pointed out "It would have resulted in more dead persons! Ah dun exactly want that, if ya forgot that ah said that a million times before."

"Just pointing out logic, Applejack" Twilight huffed.

"You are right, darling" Rarity agreed "That's why our rods are locked with a magic seal-"

"...That could be broken by another Black Mage" Rainbow Dash brought up "Man, your security system is crap! Try and get your guys to think outside the box for once, eh?"

"...perhaps we should simply enter the Black Mage base now" Rarity suggested, everyone agreeing not a few moments later. One-by-one, they entered the area and prepared for anything that was going to pop out and scare them.

"Ooohh... It's very... dark, in here..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Apologies, darling" Rarity apologized "Black Mages have some sort of affinity with darkness. I honestly never cared for it, but there's really nothing we can do. I suppose this is as good a time as any to speak to Fluttershy of what Miss Trixie told me."

"Just pretend we're not here" Twilight suggested.

"That was my intent, darling" Rarity chuckled a bit before speaking once again to the shy woman "Now, Fluttershy, you are aware of Trixie and what she's like, correct?"

"Mmhmmm..." Fluttershy nodded, even if no one could see her do so.

"Then you would know she loves to listen to herself talk, right?" Rarity questioned.

"Ummm... uhhhh..." Fluttershy worryingly stuttered.

"Well, she said something to me that I swear she only said because she speaks in the third person all the time" Rarity spoke to Fluttershy like an old friend "She said..."

"Mmm...?"

"Are you ready?"

"Mmmhmmmm...?"

"Are you sure?"

"JUST GET TO THE POINT!!" everyone else shouted.

"Fine, fine... How, uncouth..." Rarity sighed "She mentioned about something inside the mountain. Something that's regarded as a god of sorts. I suppose that's why I have never seen such a creature, and I highly doubt anything like it exists."

"What about the guardian of the earth crystal?" Twilight brought up "That is something that could be what the Black Mages think is a god. While it does have incredible power, I don't think it has the exact power of a god, per-say."

"Perhaps..." Rarity thought aloud "But perhaps not?"

"We're always open ta possibilities" Applejack stated.

"Hey, looks like we're actually getting somewhere!" Rainbow Dash pointed to a bright light at the end of the tunnel "Hopefully this time it doesn't send us back to the entrance."

"It probably won't, darling" Rarity smiled.

Finally, the team reached the exit of the cave. Much to their joy, they had not been turned around and sent back to the start. Much to their shock, however, the area behind the cave was a giant metal platform with gears, cranes and blinking lights everywhere. Wherever the team looked, there were Black Mages working the day away, pulling levers and powering machines. Loud clangs and smashing noises emanated throughout the rocky area coming from great machines that dug the earth and sent it away on loud conveyor belts.

"Welcome to the Galloping Gorge mines!" Rarity spread her arms wide and smiled "This is where all us Black Mages work, live, and plan our battle strategies. Of course, I don't attend such barbaric councils, but just to let you know."

"Hey Rarity! Shout louder and maybe you can get us caught!" Rainbow sarcastically said.

"Oh, sorry, Rainbow Dash darling" Rarity bowed in forgiveness "In short, this has been my home since I was but a child. I was discovered by the elder Black Mages in the settlement when I was a newborn baby. That was 23 years ago, and I still thank them to this day. I truly can't believe I rebelling against them..."

"Then leave" Gilda stated "For real! Not only will you not have to worry about your stupid family, but you'll put off some unneeded weight from this team full of dweebs."

"How rude of you to say!" Rarity gasped in shock "Mind your manners next time, filthy Thief. I plan on staying with these kind souls, but if you want leave this 'Team full of dweebs', as you call it, then no one here is stopping you."

"Fine" Gilda scoffed "This mission isn't worth the money anyway. See you later, dweebs!" she extended her wings and flew off out of the cave. The team looked back and watched her leave, hopefully never to be seen again.

"So, uh... What does this mine do?" Twilight wondered, still curious as ever about the world.

"Besides just mining resources," Rarity chuckled "this mine takes specific rocks known as Magistones from the mountain and uses them to power our daily objects. Well, half the stone supply goes to power our daily objects, that is. With you, I plan to understand where that other half goes."

"Probably to that quote unquote 'God' that the Black Mages worship" Twilight suggested.

"Well, we ain't gonna learn anythin' from standin' 'round here" Applejack pointed out "C'mon; let's have a look around ta see ifin we can find anythin' interestin'."

"Probably not a wisest idea to be wondering around here while not a Black Mage, darling" Rarity awkwardly smiled "Perhaps it would be best if only the magic users looked around, as to not spark anything... um... bad."

"Alright, ah can git down with that" Applejack nodded "In that case, good luck, y'all."

"Thank you, Applejack" Twilight nodded before lightly taking Fluttershy's hand and guiding her to follow Rarity "We'll be back soon. In the meantime, could you keep Rainbow Dash out of trouble?"

"Will do, Twilight" Applejack nodded.

The entire facility proved to be gigantic the closer and closer the trio got to it, with metal contraptions scattered everywhere and drills making the loudest noises. Fluttershy was terrified of them, but Twilight was fascinated by them to no end. Her eyes lit up with excitement every time she saw a foreign machine or a classic, but reliable, contraption of the old days. It took every ounce of her power not to scream with excitement.

The three approached the main gate, where two male Black Mages awaited anyone to come by their posts. They saw the three women and immediately came up to them to inspect them.

"Ah, Miss Rarity" one of them said "Good to see you back. I see you have some company as well..."

"My apologies, good sir" Rarity apologized "This is the White Mage, Fluttershy, and the Summoner, Twilight. They have requested to help us defeat those vile Apple Kingdom Knights!"

"I dunno..." the second mage sounded skeptical "How can we be sure they're not spies of the Apple Kingdom?"

"Good sir, they're magic users!" Rarity laughed "Why on earth would the Apple Kingdom use magic?"

"...good point" the first mage nodded "Very well. Welcome back, Miss Rarity. I hope you and your friends enjoy your time in the Galloping Gorge mines. But if we catch them doing something shady, I'll have them and you thrown out of our establishment. Nothing personal, just protocol. Surely you understand?"

"Of course, dear. Ta ta!" Rarity nodded before entering the gate with her new friends. She breathed in the air of the mine, feeling home once again. She then lead her team to one of the upper levels of the platform.

"This way, darlings" she happily urged them to follow her "I wish to introduce you to my father, the Black Mage elder who found me outside the mine."

"Oh, how sweet" Fluttershy kindly said with a smile on her face "He must be the most humble, kind old man here..."

"Well he's, um... certainly something..." Rarity nervously chuckled "I can not deny that..."

"He isn't cruel, is he?" Twilight wondered.

"No, he's not that either" Rarity shook her head "He's, um... Well... You see... um..."

"RARITY!! My precious baby!!" a senile old Unicorn man hugged Rarity the second she came though the door of their home. His robe was blue with stars and moons over it, as well as golden bells on the end of it. His pointed hat was the same with a golden bell right on the tip of the point. His skin was grey and wrinkly, as well as his hair was white and curly. He had a magnificent white beard on his chin.

"F-Father, not in front of my friends!" Rarity blushed heavily.

"Oh, sorry dear!" the old man laughed, letting go of his adoptive daughter "You're just so cute and easy to hug, that I couldn't help myself! Anyway, whoever are your friends then?"

"Father, I would appreciate it if you don't embarrass me any further with talk you should only use when we're alone" Rarity scolded her adoptive father, Twilight and even Fluttershy giggling in the background "But anyway, yes, these are my friends Twilight and Fluttershy, the Summoner and White Mage respectively."

"A pleasure to meet you fine young ladies" the old man nodded "My name is Starswirl the Bearded, and I'm the greatest Black Mage that ever lived!"

"When you were 30, father" Rarity smiled devilishly "I think my powers far outmatch your own now."

"I wouldn't bet on that, Rare-rare" Starswirl chuckled, making Rarity blush again.

"Rare-rare?" Twilight giggled.

"Father... I told you to silence yourself..." Rarity spoke, gritting her teeth.

"No, you told me not to embarrass you any further with the talk I use with you when we're alone" Starswirl pointed out "Never once did you say what that was, nor did you say I couldn't say Rare-rare."

"F-Father... Please..."

"Oh, don't worry too much, Rarity" Fluttershy tried to comfort her friend by patting her back, still giggling a bit "This could have been much worse: Rainbow Dash could have been here."

"Y-Yes, indeed" Rarity stuttered "This conversation never leaves this room then..."

"Kaw!" Spike blissfully cried out.

"Anyway, what can I do you for?" Starswirl asked.

(Music Stop)

"Father, I think I am ready to finally learn of where the other part of the Magistone shipment goes off to" Rarity nodded "Besides my age now, it is vital that my friends and I know where it goes."

"Well, I didn't want to tell you since you weren't born Black Mage..." Starswirl closed his eyes and scratched his chin "But I suppose you're old enough to know now... Heck, you're 23! I think that's as good a time as ever to stop keeping childish secrets from you. Okay, you all better sit down for this..."

The three did as told, sitting down on the old man's couch.

"One of the very, very, very few recovered manuscripts from 10,000 years ago states the origin of the guardians, great beasts with tremendous power that not only guarded the crystal, but protected those in need of defense."

"So the rest of it goes off to the guardian?" Twilight wondered "That... makes sense. The guardians are mainly made of magic, so a diet and surrounding area of magical qualities would be ideal."

"I'm not finished, young miss" Starswirl continued "Anyway, yes, that's part of the reason. But the other half is what only a select few people know. The guardian that protects the earth crystal is a cruel and destructive being that forces people to bow to it."

"WHAT?!"

"A war broke out against the guardian many, many years ago" Starswirl somberly sighed "Many lives were lost in the conflict, but eventually the Black Mages were able to drive the beast into the mountain. To this day, we mine Magistone ore to throw down to the giant and keep it pleased, less we want another outbreak."

"But there's one question I have if this story is true..." Twilight began "Why wage a war against the Apple Kingdom? Surely their forces could prove to be a big help to you?"

"I suppose you wouldn't understand..." Starswirl sighed once more "You see, the Apple Kingdom was the nation that released the guardian in the first place."

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted again.

"In a lust for power, the Apple Kingdom thought it would be a splendid idea to release the power of an ancient creature to try and harness it, making way for their global domination, which I guess was just in at the time" Starswirl explained "Because of this, the Black Mages and Knights of the Apple Kingdom have NEVER gotten along."

"Don't tell me you agree with this, father!" Rarity was utterly shocked by what she was hearing right now.

"I don't follow anything our so-called leader, Trixie, says" Starswirl convinced the team "The Apple Kingdom has long since learned their lesson by doing good for everyone in Equestria, but that witch Trixie somehow convinced the entire Black Mage colony that they're still up to no good. It sickens me..."

"That's terrible..." Fluttershy shuttered in sorrow.

(Music Stop)

"So, I'm guessing you three have sided with the Apple Kingdom then?" Starswirl asked, pulling out a pipe and starting to smoke.

"W-What?" Rarity questioned "F-Father, how did you-"

"Hahaha! You take this old man for granted!" Starswirl laughed "I'm not as senile as you think, my daughter. I knew you two were siding with the Apple Kingdom since the second you walked into my house. But I'm not angry. In fact, I support your 'betrayal', for a lack of a better term, since Trixie is starting to become a nuisance for us all."

"So are you saying you want us to defeat Trixie?" Twilight questioned.

"No, dear" Starswirl said before smiling "I want to to kick her from here to next Tuesday. I don't care if she's possessed by some sort of ancient force or even the guardian itself, she was already, again for lack of a better term, a bitch even as a child."

"Oh... I see..." Twilight nodded.

"Well, thank you father for that... conversation..." Rarity was still trying to process everything told to her "But we must be off. We have other friends of the Apple Kingdom waiting for us to return, and I'm not sure how much longer a certain Dragoon friend of ours can hold out until she does something bad."

"I understand. Take care!" Starswirl nodded and waved the trio off, but quickly calling them back not a moment later "Oh! I almost forgot! I suppose I am senile after all!" he laughed as he brought out three scrolls and gave each of the women one "These are Magic Lv.2 scrolls. Each explains the fundamentals of magic for Lv.2 black magic, Lv.2 white magic, Lv.2 summoning, so on and so forth. I believe there's even a tutorial for blue magic, but I haven't seen a Blue Mage for years now..."

"Starswirl the Bearded, thank you" Twilight bowed "This could prove extremely helpful to us."

"Yes, thank you father" Rarity smiled.

"Um... thanks..." Fluttershy shyly, but kindly, thanked.

"Not a problem, my fair ladies!" Starswirl laughed again "Now go! Trixie's defeat could finally end this war for good!"

"We won't let you down, father!" Rarity waved before she and her friends exited his house. Starswirl sighed and sat back down, smoking his pipe once again.

"You've grown up so much, Rarity" he said with a smile "I truly wish you could have met your parents. They would have been so very, very proud of you."

Author's Notes:

Could it be Starswirl is keeping more secrets? We no crap! But we won't delve back into that until the fourth act! Sorry! LOL!

READ THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!

This was a slightly shorter chapter than the average 4000 words, but it's a school week and it looks like I was wrong that I could get things done faster now. That being said, every bit of my free time will be dedicated to writing this story for you guys. You guys have been so supportive and so awesome that it makes me really, really happy. Already we've reached 50 Likes! 50! That's more Likes than Monster Hunter MLP: Ultimate achieved in a month! It's been a week! You guys are just so, so awesome!

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, dream on everyone!