It was sunset by the time the expedition returned to the Guild. As soon as they were through the front door, Lyra and Thunder called a meeting in the team room.

"As you already know," Thunder began, "We have failed to stop Whooves from taking the Gear of Kindness. There's only three more Gears left, and the Guardians are desperately trying to fill the voids that Whooves has created."

"We're almost one hundred percent sure that he's going to strike at the Orchards of Honesty next," Lyra continued, "If this is the case, we need to head to Dead Mare's Desert as fast as we can before Whooves gets there."

"We also believe that a large expedition is too noticeable," Thunder added, "Whooves was able to locate us last time and avoid us. Therefore, we are only going to choose four pairs of ponies to carry out the mission to the Orchards of Honesty."

"With that being said," Lyra scanned the group of ponies surrounding her, "We need four pairs of partners to go to Dead Mare's Desert and help Applejack protect the Gear of Honesty. Any volunteers?"

Carrot Top and Derpy were the first ones to raise their hooves, followed by Minuette and Lucky. Vinyl and Octavia also raised their hooves, raring-to-go after the last expedition.

"Any others?" Lyra asked. She glanced at Thunder, a slightly seductive smile on her face, "How 'bout you and me, Black Thunder? Bonbon doesn't really care about going on missions that much, so we'll go together."

Thunder started sweating, "Uh, deserts aren't really my thing. I mean, I've just had some really bad experiences in deserts and I'd rather not relive them."

Lyra seemed let down, "Oh. Well. I guess we need somepony else then. Anyone at all?"

"We'll go!" Shrieked a female voice with a heavy southern accent. Just then, the Cutie Mark Crusaders pushed through the crowd, trying to get to the front.

"We want to go!" Screamed Scootaloo, jumping up and down.

Lyra raised an eyebrow at the fillies, "I don't know. You three get in a lot of trouble on more than one occasion. Plus, you don't have anything to defend yourself with."

"We'll go with someone!" Apple Bloom suggested. She glanced over at Vinyl and Octavia, "We'll go with the Musical Mares!"

Lyra pondered over this suggestion before turning to the two mares, "Is that alright with you two? You don't mind watching over them while you explore Dead Mare's?"

Vinyl and Octavia exchanged glances, as if asking each other: "Do you mind?"

"No we don't," Vinyl answered with a sincere smile, "We'll take them with us if they really want to go."

The three Crusaders jumped up and cheered as loud as they possibly could before charging at the two mares and hugging them.

"Thank you, Miss Vinyl and Miss Octavia!" Apple Bloom said with pure happiness in her voice.

"You guys are awesome!" Scootaloo added, her little wings buzzing with joy.

"Yeah! What they said!" Sweetie agreed, her horn sparking very slightly with magic.

"I expect that you keep a close eye on them, Musical Mares," Lyra said, "If they get hurt or go missing, it's all your fault."

Vinyl gulped a little, "Got it."

"Alright," Lyra concluded, "We have our teams. You need to set out tonight in order to make it there before Whooves. Be careful. I know the Guardian's realms aren't dangerous to those with good intentions. But still, there could be some untamed creatures wandering out there; poisonous snakes especially."

Octavia's blood ran cold. She elbowed Vinyl in the ribs.

"Sn-snakes?" The brown mare asked.

"Yeah," Vinyl answered, "But we'll be careful and watch our step."

"Uh, Vinyl... I have a confession to make..." Octavia whispered, making sure that no one could hear.

"What's up?" The unicorn replied nonchalantly.

"I'm uh... I have an irrational fear of snakes." The mare admitted, immediately dropping her gaze to the floor. Vinyl raised an eyebrow, "Why are you acting like it's a big deal? Everyone's afraid of something!"

"Yeah, but you're always talking about how I'm so brave..."

"Octavia, don't worry about it," Vinyl dismissed, put an arm around her friend's shoulder, "If we run into any of those creepy-crawlies, I'll blast 'em with my bass cannon."

"That's your solution to everything, isn't it?"

Vinyl bit her lower lip, "Maybe."

"Alright!" Lyra called, interrupting the two mare's conversation, "We have our teams! Get packed and head out to Dead Mare's Desert when you're ready!"

With that, the teams were dismissed to their rooms to pack once again.

---

The Cutie Mark Crusaders ended up following Vinyl and Octavia to their room. As the two mares packed, the three fillies wouldn't stop talking about their soon-to-be adventure.

"I'm so excited!" Squeaked Sweetie Belle.

"This is going to be awesome!" Scootaloo cheered.

"And I finally get to see my big sister again!" Apple Bloom added.

This caught Octavia's attention as she turned to face the small filly.

"Wait," She began, "Applejack is your big sister?"

"Uh-huh!" Bloom replied while nodding, "When Applejack became a Guardian, she put Lyra and Bonbon in charge of me."

"Same with me and Rarity," Sweetie added, "They knew that when we got old enough, Lyra and Bonbon would start training us to be a rescue team."

"We want to start early!" Scootaloo explained, "That's why we're coming with you!"

"You never get to see them?" Asked Octavia, becoming curious.

"Well, not really," Bloom answered, suddenly looking solemn, "We write letters, but Applejack can't abandon the Gear of Honesty without somepony else guarding it. I mean, I've got my big brother and my granny... But it hasn't been the same without Applejack."

Octavia began to feel heavy sympathy for the little filly. She had personally never had any older siblings that she knew of, but she would be mighty upset if she never got to see her big sister.

"Well don't worry," Octavia spoke up, "We'll see your big sister, and you'll get to talk to her face-to-face."

"Really?" Bloom asked, excitement lighting up on her face. She charged at the brown mare and hugged her foreleg, "Oh thank you Miss Octavia! You're the best! I've missed my sister so much and I can't wait to see her again!"

Octavia smiled and patted the little filly on the head, "Of course."

Vinyl interrupted the conversation by hefting her saddlebag onto her back with a loud grunt.

"Well! I'm ready," She said, "Let's head out."

Octavia nodded towards the unicorn before herding the fillies to the door.

---

Vinyl, Octavia, and the Crusaders met Derpy, Carrot Top, Minuette and Lucky just outside the Guild before they began their trek. Vinyl, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo led the pack. Octavia once again hung back, though Apple Bloom slowed down to be with her.

"You know, you don't talk very much." She stated.

Octavia chuckled, "I get that a lot."

"Miss Lyra told me you washed up on the beach about a week ago," Bloom rambled on, "Miss Trixie told me you had amnesia, and had a cool ability to see the past, present, and future."

Octavia's ears laid flat, "I suppose so. I can't control when my visions come up; usually when I touch a certain thing or hear a certain word is when it triggers."

"Oooh!" Bloom exclaimed, "See what happens when you touch me! Maybe you'll see my past!"

Octavia wasn't sure, but she laid a hoof on the filly's shoulder. Surprisingly, her visions did indeed trigger, as she saw Apple Bloom's past. She saw her family, her home, and various glimpses of her life. It was clear that the filly had had a great past life, for it made Octavia feel warm and fuzzy inside. As soon as she took her hoof off of Apple Bloom's shoulder, her vision returned to normal.

"Whatcha' see?" The yellow earth pony asked expectantly.

"Your past, I guess," Octavia answered, "Your family, your home, some snippets of your life, stuff like that."

Bloom smiled, "Cool!"

They continued on. Apple Bloom refused to leave Octavia's side as she rambled on about some of the most random things. Octavia didn't really mind, for she knew kids always looked up to older ponies because they were, well, older. Eventually, Octavia blocked the young filly out, retreating back into her thoughts.

Ever since she saw Whooves take the Kindness Gear, her hatred of him had been growing. She still didn't exactly trust Black Thunder, but she certainly wouldn't be defending Whooves like she did in the beginning. How could someone be so cruel as to take away something that supplied happiness and protection to all of the ponies?

I'm sorry, the brown stallion had said. How could he possibly be sorry? He was clearly doing it on purpose and causing the beautiful lands to fall into darkness. There was absolutely no way his actions could be justified at this point.

Octavia was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even feel the drastic change in temperature. Only when the arid dryness blasted into her face did she realize that they had arrived at Dead Mare's Desert. She looked up, discovering a sandy landscape dotted with cactuses and other desert plants. The sun had completely set, for the moon now began its journey across the sky.

"I thought deserts were supposed to be cold at night!" Cried Vinyl, "It's still super hot!"

"It takes a little while, Vinyl," Explained Miuette, "By the time we finish looking for the Honesty Gear, the temperature will probably be in the lower thirties, upper twenties."

"Sweet Celestia," Carrot Top muttered, wiping her brow of sweat, "That's hard to believe in this heat. It feels like an oven."

Lucky harrumphed, "Well, Whooves isn't going to stop himself. Let's split up. We'll stand a better chance of finding the Orchards of Honesty and keeping Whooves from getting the Honesty Gear."

And with that suggested, the ponies split up, Minuette and Lucky going south, Derpy and Carrot Top going north, and the Musical Mares and the Crusaders going west. The sand beneath Octavia's hooves was still very hot. The Crusaders justified this thought by yelping and jumping around, complaining about how hot the sand was.

"Where do we even start?" Vinyl questioned herself, "I don't see any apple trees, so it's obvious that we're nowhere close."

"Let's keep walking west," Octavia suggested, "Black Thunder said that the Orchards of Honesty lie west of Dead Mare's Desert."

"But how far?"

Octavia wasn't sure how to answer. How was she supposed to know? She had never been here before. Even if she had visited here once, she wouldn't remember it.

"Well, let's keep going." Vinyl broke silence.

The two mares and three fillies continued walking. As Minuette had said, the temperature began to drop steadily until the sand actually felt good to Octavia's cold hooves. The Crusaders eventually stopped complaining about the heat... Then started complaining about the cold. About thirty minutes into the walk, Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks.

"This is hopeless," She groaned, "We've been wandering for half an hour now and we still haven't found anything!"

Octavia's ears pricked. She heard something about a mile up ahead. It sounded like the churning of sand, as if it was getting sucked down into a vacuum.

"Let's keep going," Encouraged the brown mare, "I think I see something up ahead."

In order to move faster, Octavia placed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on her back and sped up to a gallop. Vinyl did the same with Scootaloo and followed close behind her friend. It turns out that Octavia was right. In a small cove of sandstone rocks were a collection of churning sand, falling into itself in the middle. The biggest one was in the middle of many smaller ones, and took the most sand down with it.

"Quicksand," Vinyl stated, "We can't go any further or else they'll suck us down."

Octavia took a small step foward, then started to feel dizzy again. It was clear that another vision was coming towards her.

"You okay, 'Tavia?" Questioned a concerned Vinyl.

"Is she having a vision thing again?" Asked Scootaloo.

Vinyl wasn't sure, but her friend wasn't responding to the question. This signaled that she probably was indeed having another vision. For Octavia however, she didn't even hear her friend or the small orange filly. She was off in another world that wasn't much different from her's.

She saw a dark figure standing before the very same quicksand that she stood at. The figure didn't hesitate and jumped into the churning sand, sinking down. Octavia almost wanted to close her eyes and not see it, but her vision forced her to. However, the vision shifted to a dark, sandy cave. The figure fell from the roof, landing with a thud. The cave in which the pony had landed was filled with apple trees, growing healthly. Light streamed in from the ceiling above, as orange crystals illuminated the cavern. The vision cut, blasting heat in to Octavia's face. She stumbled, but Vinyl kept her from face-planting into the sand.

"Whatcha' see, Octavia?" She questioned. The Crusaders gathered around her with curious looks.

Octavia shook the dizziness out of her head, "The quicksand. We have to jump into it."

Vinyl made a face that suggested heavy distrust, "What?"

"We have to jump into the quicksand. It's the only way we can get to the Gear of Honesty."

Vinyl jumped back, "Are you insane?! If we jump in that thing, we'll suffocate to death!"

"You've got to trust me on this one," Pleaded Octavia, looking the unicorn dead in the eyes, "It's the only way we're going to stop Whooves and save Equestria."

Vinyl bit her lower lip, "But-"

"I'll do it!" Scootaloo interrupted, "I'm not scared! I trust you completely, Miss Octavia!"

"Uh... I don't know..." Said Sweetie Belle, staring at the churning sand with fear in her eyes, "What if Octavia is wrong and we do suffocate to death?"

"I'm not," Argued Octavia, "I saw a vision of somepony jumping into the pit. They ended up in a cave with apple trees, and I guarantee that's where the Gear of Honesty is at."

Vinyl stared at Octavia with a pang of sadness. She glanced at the quicksand before turning back to her friend again.

"Octavia, you haven't lied to me yet," She began, "I've put my faith in you, even when you were a complete stranger to me. You haven't killed me yet," A pause, "I need to stop being such a scaredy-cat about things, because it won't get us anywhere."

Octavia stood there patiently while Vinyl drew in a deep breath.

"Let's do it."

They all turned to the pit, staring at it intently. Octavia grabbed onto Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's hoof while Vinyl did the same with Scootaloo. They took a step closer to where they were right on the edge of the quicksand.

"On three," Vinyl said with a shakiness in her voice, "One... Two... Two and a half... Two and three quarters..."

Octavia rolled her eyes, "Three!"

And together they jumped.

---

The only thing Octavia remembered after jumping was being pulled down by a tremendous force, then total darkness. She still had a tight grip on Bloom and Sweetie's hooves, refusing to let go of them as they slid down in the sand. It felt like an hour of being in the sand before Octavia felt open air on her hind hooves. She wiggled her body through the sand, her lungs about to burst from no air. Eventually, she found herself free falling from ten feet up before she fell on a cold, sandstone floor. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle laid beside her, while Vinyl and Scootaloo were sprawled out a few feet away from them.

Vinyl spat sand out of her mouth, "Well, that was fun."

"Look!" Exclaimed Bloom, pointing to something.

All of them turned, discovering a huge cave filled with apple trees of all kinds. Any type of apple they could name, and ones they couldn't grew in this cave. Sunlight streamed in from the ceiling above, lighting the cavern in a beautifully mysterious way. Orange crystals grew in and on the walls, also lighting the cave.

"You were right," Vinyl breathed, "This is it. This is the Orchards of Honesty."

"Where's my sister?" Questioned little Apple Bloom.

Octavia glanced around the cave, spotting a lake in the distance. She could see the orange glow of the Honesty Gear under the lake's surface.

"There," The brown mare said, pointing to the lake, "That's the Gear of Honesty. Applejack must be there. We've got to hurry before Whooves gets to it first."

They hurried through the apple trees, sprinting until their legs felt as though they were about to give out. They came to the lake, which was surrounded by a small sandstone canyon. The orange glow of the Gear seemed to brighten up upon their arrival.

"Hello?" Vinyl called out. Her voice echoed through the cavern, but no one replied.

"Whooves obviously hasn't been here yet," Octavia stated, "That's a good sign."

"But where's Applejack?" Asked Apple Bloom, becoming more worried by the second.

The fur on the back of Octavia's neck stood on end again, like it always did before something bad happened. Her ears rotated and twitched, as she could hear something hissing. She whipped around, screamed, and jumped behind Vinyl before the others could register what was happening.

"Octavia, what are you-?" Vinyl began to question, but she saw what Octavia had screamed about, "Oh."

A very small, red, black, and yellow snake had slithered out of the bushes behind them. It was currently sitting there staring at them, its forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth.

"'Tavia, it's just a little old harmless corn snake!" Vinyl explained, laughing a little, "It's more scared of you than you are of it!"

"Get it away get it away get it away get it away!" The brown mare panicked, almost breaking down into tears.

"Huh, I take that back."

Unexpectedly, the supposedly harmless snake raised up on its front half. It opened up its hood that had originally been hidden and hissed loudly.

"That's not a corn snake," Cried Bloom, "That's a cobra!"

"Step back," Vinyl warned, pushing the fillies back away from the snake, "As long as we don't disturb it, it shouldn't attack us."

The snake didn't seem to think this. It advanced foward, striking dangerously close to Vinyl's left foreleg.

"Vinyl, blast it like you said you would!" Octavia begged, "Please, just to do it!"

Vinyl stared at her friend, "Good gosh, you weren't kidding when you said you had an irrational fear of snakes."

"LESS TALKING MORE GETTING RID OF SNAKE!"

Vinyl drew her bass cannon. However, upon expanding it, a heavy southern accented voice rang through the cave.

"Go on, get! Dang snake!"

Immediately, the sepant closed its hood and slithered away. That was when an orange alicorn landed before the group. Her blonde mane was pulled up in a messy ponytail. Her dark green eyes were the eyes of an incredibly trustworthy pony. Her wings were very strong, as if she spent most of her time flying. Her cutie mark was of two red apples, and she wore a golden necklace bearing the same apples.

"Applejack!" Cried Apple Bloom. She ran up and embraced the alicorn in a strong hug. The orange mare returned the hug, but her face was still serious.

"What are y'all doing here?" Questioned Applejack, "And why have you brought my sister? You should know good and well that it's dangerous out here!"

Vinyl respectfully bowed her head towards the orange Alicorn, "We came to assist you. Fluttershy alerted you about Whooves coming to steal the Honesty Gear, right?"

Applejack nodded, "Yep. But I don't need no help. I can handle this Whooves fellow all by myself."

"But AJ," Bloom objected, "Remember what happened last time you said you didn't need help? You tried harvesting those apples all by yourself, and you almost went crazy!"

"Yes, but Whooves is just one pony," Applejack reminded, "There's a reason the Princesses made me the Guardian of the Honesty Gear; and I can guard it perfectly by myself! Y'all should go home and leave me to handle Whooves. Besides, the guy's a raging psychopath, isn't he?"

"No, not exactly," Vinyl said, "Let's just say... He's kinda... Weird."

"But he's dangerous none the less," Insisted Applejack, "Go home and get some rest. I'll have this Whooves fellow hogtied in no time at all!"

"No, you won't," Vinyl insisted, "He took out Fluttershy with one hit. He could just as easily do the same with you. Let us help you."

Applejack pondered over this for a few seconds, "Fine. Since you're so keen to help, I'll let you."

Octavia had finally come out of hiding behind her friend, hearing that they were to fight Whooves. Her little freak out over the snake had probably made her look like a fool in front of Applejack. Why was she so afraid of snakes anyway? Another question that most likely would never be answered.

Just then, the bushes behind them rustled. The group of ponies whipped around, discovering the stallion in question. He seemed a bit surprised to see so many ponies in one spot.

Applejack stepped foward, "Why are you doing this? These Gears are the only thing protecting us from certain doom!"

Whooves' gaze rose up to the orange mare. His sapphire blue eyes seemed full of wisdom and experience, as well as lots of pain.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." He replied.

"Try me," Challenged Applejack, "I've heard some crazy things in my time."

Whooves shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I need that Gear."

The stallion started to charge, but Applejack blew him back with a blast of green magic. He stumbled back into the bushes, but shot up again. Pure determination could be seen in his eyes.

"Apple Bloom!" Cried Applejack, "You and your friends get back! This fellow's dangerous!"

The Crusaders obeyed, scrambling into the bushes. Vinyl and Octavia however, stood bravely by the Guardian of Honesty, staring down the enemy.

"I must admit, you're a persistent bunch," Whooves commented, "I commend you for it; but I'm afraid I need that Gear anyway."

Whooves charged at Applejack, using his shoulder to knock her away. Applejack was quickly back on her hooves, using her magic to throw Whooves into the wall. Octavia assisted by galloping towards the stallion, pinning him against the wall. She drew her cello bow, about to give him a good beating with it but what he said next stopped her.

"You know, you haven't changed much, Octavia." Whooves said with a slight smile.

Octavia froze, staring the stallion straight in the eyes, "How... How do you know my name?"

"Long story." Whooves answered. His face became solemn again, "I'm sorry my friend, but I believe I'm going to have to hurt you in order to get that Gear."

With a powerful kick to the chest, Whooves launched Octavia ten feet back, knocking her into Applejack. He got up and began to sprint to the lake, but Vinyl was right behind him. Unfortunately, Whooves jumped into the lake before Vinyl could tackle him.

"No!" Cried the white mare.

Octavia jumped up off of Applejack. The Alicorn groaned, and the brown mare noticed her wing was bent at an odd angle.

"Dangnabbit!" Cursed Applejack, "You done broke my wing! And you let Whooves distract you!"

"I'm sorry, I-" Octavia began, still shocked from how Whooves knew her name when she had never introduced it to him.

"It doesn't matter!" Growled Applejack, "We got to stop him before he gets the-"

However, she was cut off as a guttural creak shook the cavern. The orange glow of the Gear disappeared, as a wave of gray rose up from the bottom of the lake. It caused rocks and debris to fall from the ceiling.

"You didn't get Whooves?!" Cried Scootaloo, as she and her two buddies ran over to the three mares.

"That ain't the problem!" Yelled Applejack, glancing at the ceiling which was now falling in on them, "Without the Gear, the cave is going to collapse! I need to get y'all out of here!"

"How?" Questioned Vinyl over the rumbling of the collapsing ceiling, "We don't have time! We'll be crushed by the ceiling before we even get halfway out!"

"Magic," Applejack answered, her horn glowing a bright green, "Gather 'round me! I'll teleport us out of here!"

The others obeyed without question. The Musical Mares and the Cutie Mark Crusaders held onto Applejack.

"Hold on to your hats!" Warned the country mare.

With that, they all disappeared in a green flash as the ceiling came crumbling down, crushing the many apple trees in the process.