//------------------------------// // On Even Footing // Story: Fight As One // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The team members made their way through the wilderness once more, carrying what little supplies they had been able to salvage from the last two campsites. "I don't know about you guys, but I had a really nice sleep last night." Caboose smiled. "I feel so energized, so ready to face the day." "I wish I could say the same, Caboose." Fletcher declared, his head still a bit foggy from the berry-induced haze from last night, "I really do." "Of course you feel great." Fury sneered. "You're the happy-go-lucky idiot of the group. The kind of moron who'd go skipping around in the rain… in a lightning storm… in an open field." “Hey, it’s better than being just some grumpy Gus.” Caboose frowned, “The view's always better when you're looking on the bright side.” “Well said, Caboose.” Sterling smiled. "Whatever." Fury scowled. He then yelled to Black, "Hey, Black! Mind tellin’ us how far campsite number three is?!" "And more importantly, where it is?" Fletcher asked. “To answer both your questions, it’s a small cave.” Black began, “And it’s towards the west side of the island. So, it’s a bit of a ways there.” "A cave?" Sterling frowned. "That's what I said." Black nodded. "Should provide us with some decent shelter if it starts to rain - which, from the look of those clouds, should be any day now." He glanced up at the sky. “Uh-huh.” Fury frowned, “And what if something is already ‘in’ the cave?” “Then you’ll probably just go in and murder everything in sight, littering the cave with their corpses and ruin another perfectly good site.” Fletcher said bluntly. “So what if I do?” Fury spat, “Would you rather we leave the critters alone while we sit out in the rain? Called ‘survival of the fittest’, soldier boy.” "I'd rather we not have to contend with the stench of blood and decay." Fletcher retorted. "You may seem to enjoy it, but the rest of us aren't so keen on it." "Wimp." Fury smirked. "If not wanting to slaughter innocent animals makes me a wimp, so be it." Fletcher retorted. "Hate to say it, but I'm with him." Sterling stepped in. "No more dead animals, please." “There’s no need to worry, you guys.” Black declared, “It was pretty far, but I didn’t see anything that looked like tracks leading in or out. It looked empty. Once we get there and get a fire going, it will stay that way.” "Got it all figured out, huh?" Sterling mused. “Didn’t think I’d learn my lesson?” Black gave a smug smirk… which soon faded, “Unfortunately, we have a long walk ahead of us. I was hoping we wouldn’t need it since we had two viable sites but...” “It’s alright, Black.” Fletcher declared, “It seems we’ve severely underestimated our ability to keep a campsite in one piece.” “Speak for yourself.” Fury huffed, “By the way, is nocreature going to ask what exactly happened last night? Because I got squat.” "It's all a blur to me." Sterling shrugged. "I remember nothing." Fletcher admitted. "Same here." Black frowned. "I remember a dream about a movie of aliens fighting predators." Caboose announced. "Except all the ponies were replaced with elderly ladies." “Look, whatever happened last night, it doesn’t matter. Hopefully, this cave will be more difficult to destroy.” Black shrugged. "With this crew, I wouldn't be so sure..." Sterling joked. Meanwhile, above them, jumping tree to tree was Turbine, who was keeping a close watch on the group. At first, upon seeing the group deep in their delusions last night, he had considered going back to camp, feeling he might have been wasting his times. But he quickly reconsidered, as that would had meant admitting that Broker was right. And to say the least, he would rather waste his time rather than do that. "He is not right." He muttered to himself as he leapt between trees. "Not this time..." Turbine suddenly heard his mirror ringing, and stopped at his current tree. “Oh, jeez…” Turbine growled as he pulled out a mirror from his pocket, “Turbine here.” “Ah, Turbine.” Broker’s face was revealed… however, the image was staticy, the voice audio coming in less than clear, “I was just checking in.” “Checking in?” Turbine grimaced, “Aren’t I supposed to be doing that?” "Not if I have anything to say about it." Broker retorted. "I'm not waiting hours just to hear more a whole lotta nothin' about those guys." "You say that like you're sure there's nothing to them." Turbine frowned. "I am." Broker replied. "I'm also sure you're wasting your time." "We'll see about-" Turbine stopped, noticing the image in the mirror fading in and out. "Oh, it's happening again." "I know." Broker groaned. "Must be those Faust-damn towers." “What do you want, Broker?” Turbine huffed, “You never call me when I’m out scouting. Especially with how crappy the reception been lately.” “I just wanted an status update.” Broker declared. He then took a sip from his glass of milk, “See how our ‘tourists’ are doing.” “Really? And here you were, calling me the paranoid one.” Turbine sneered, “You’re worried about them too, aren’t you?” “No.” Broker swiftly retorted… before letting out a small sigh, “I figured, since you are going to all the trouble to watch them, that I could keep tabs on them through you. That way when those outsiders turns out to be as harmless as I said, I can be the first to say ‘I told you so’.” “Well, prepared to be disappointed, Broker.” Turbine shook his head, “I have reason to believe that these guys may be more... unusual than we thought." "What's that supposed to mean?" Broker frowned. “Last night, when I found them again, they were acting weird.” Turbine declared, “They were running all over the place, punching and kicking at thin air, yelling and screaming like they were fighting ghosts or something.” "... Seriously?" Broker gaped. "Seriously." Turbine nodded. "I'm starting to think these guys are some kind of wackos who were dumped on this island so they can go nuts without hurting anycreature." "Now that's just ridiculous." Broker scoffed. "Who would go to all that trouble, just to get rid of five lunatics?" "Who indeed?" Turbine asked. "Maybe they were just working out." Broker shrugged. "Some kind of crazy, hyper Tai chi. Or ‘sexy kung-fu dancing’. I hear that’s a thing." "Yeah, like that makes so much more sense." Turbine said sarcastically. "The bottom line is, they were tearing up the place like it was no creature’s business. Whether they're crazy, or into 'hyper Tai chi', these guys could still cause trouble if they stumble onto our camp." “Again, they’re over there. We’re over here!” Broker rebutted. “Well, now, they’re coming ‘over there’.” Turbine grunted, as he watched the group, “They’re making their way towards the peak.” “...Really?” Broker resisted the urge to frown, “Why?” “I don’t know, but this is very disconcerting.” Turbine scowled, “At this rate, they could happen upon our camp within days.” "I still fail to see any potential threat from them." Broker declared, trying to keep a straight face. "Well, I do!" Turbine declared. "You've made that very clear." Broker growled. "We need to take them out!" Turbine insisted. "I'm not going to waste time and energy on a bunch of misfits." Broker retorted, barely able to hold back a snarl. The screen started fading again. "Broker, listen to me-" Turbine started. "No, you listen to me." Broker said coldly. "Unless you have actual proof these guys are trouble, I don't want to hear any more about it.." Fittingly, the connection was lost right after that. “Broker? Broker?! Hello?!” Turbine yelled… before he let out a snarl, “Faust dammit! One of these days, Broker… one of these days…” With a huff, Turbine resumed his tailing of the group, jumping silently from tree to tree. ’Why are they coming this way? What could they possibly want?’ Turbine growled. Unaware that they were once again in Turbine's sight, the team continued walking. Save for some occasional chatter from Caboose, they were mostly silent, intermittently helping themselves to some of Fletcher's almonds. "The third site just had to be so much farther away from the others." Sterling sighed. "If my wings weren't tied like this, I could have flown there and back by now." Fury scowled. "Not that any of you clowns would understand..." "Hey, I understand." Caboose declared. "This thing on my horn keeps me from using my magic, remember?" “No. It stops you from using teleportation or any number of spells that could get us off this stupid island.” Fury corrected, “Besides, you don’t seem to use your magic that often anyway. Bet you don't even know that many spells." “Heh, only the useful ones.” Caboose shrugged, “Me and my bros were taught to rely more on our hooves than anything.” "Really?" Fury asked sarcastically. "I never would've guessed, what with you bein' such a genius, and everything." "As, thanks." Caboose grinned. "That wasn't a compliment, Caboose." Fletcher frowned. "Nope." Sterling joined in. "He was insulting you." "He was?" Caboose frowned. "Yes." Fletcher scowled. "Why don't you leave him, alone, Fury? He was just trying to sympathize with you." "I don't need sympathy from the likes of him." Fury growled. "Or anycreature, for that matter." "Here we go again." Sterling sighed. "The ol' 'lone wolf' routine. Seriously, would it hurt for you to actually get along with others?" “I do get along with others. Just not any of you.” Fury scowled, “I mind my own business, so you should too." "Given the choice, I'd prefer to not be an unfeeling xenophobe." Fletcher declared. "He's an alien?!" Caboose gaped, “I knew it! Griffons don’t have red eyes!” “I’m not a-” Fury began, before growling, “You know what, I’m not going to get into this! Not with the academy dead-weight, or a weak-willed doublecrosser!” “Dead-weight?” Fletcher seethed, striking a nerve. “Weak-willed?!” Sterling gaped in outrage, “How the hell am I-” “Can you guys stow it?!” Black barked, as he shook his head, “Honestly, I’m starting to feel more like a nanny for a bunch of delinquent kids!” “Well, you’re not a very good one.” Fury jabbed. "Don't you think it would be in all our best interests if we just get to the site as soon as possible?" Black pointed out. "Which means we shouldn't waste time arguing?" "An excellent point." Caboose smiled. "...Yeah, I can get with that." Sterling nodded. "As can I." Fletcher added. "Whatever." Fury scowled. "Let's just get there already. My paws are killing me..." Their tempers briefly assuaged, the Project Freedom members continued on their journey, followed by the ever-stealthy Turbine. At the same time, the Taskforce and Consul were watching. "I see things are still a little tense." Consul frowned. "Perhaps." Elite admitted. "Still, it was impressive how Black was able to defuse the situation." "Guess you made the right call in making him the leader after all." Ballista smiled. "Of course he did." Armory smiled proudly. "I always knew Black had it in him." "Let's not celebrate just yet." Incognito urged. "I have to agree with Incognito." Master Mind declared. "He didn't so much defuse the situation as convince them to save the arguing for later. Not quite the same thing..." “Hey, I’ll take whatever I can get.” Elite glared, “A small step can go a long way.” “Well, let’s hope it does.” Consul frowned, “Because with the way things have been going so far, I don’t see Wall being impressed by any of this." “Come on, we still have a few days.” Ballista scowled, “Wall might be hard to impress but I bet once the week is out, she will see once and for all that this team will work.” "Not the kind of bet I'd stake the farm on." Consul admitted. "Besides, we still don't know what kind of dangers are on that island, just waiting to be discovered." "Don't be so negative, Consul." Armory declared. "Stay positive. They can do this, I know it. They can come together as a team despite the odds." "That's what we're all hoping for." Elite nodded. "And we might possibly see it today..." Back on the island, the team's trek was halted by a sight they hadn't expected to see: an old decrepit rope bridge across a small chasm. "Is that a bridge?" Sterling frowned. "I thought this island was supposed to be uninhabited." "It is." Black nodded. "Or it should be. There must had been islanders here a long time ago. This bridge looks like it’s been here for ages." “And you didn’t see this on your little scout out?” Fury frowned. "Not really... because that was in the way." He pointed to a peak on one side of the chasm. "But I did see the cave on the over side of that mountain, so we shouldn't be too far off now." "Good." Sterling sighed. "Just gotta cross some rickety old bridge to get there. Easy as pie, right?" "I like pie!" Caboose grinned. "Let's try to use caution." Fletcher advised. "As Black pointed out, we don't know how long this bridge has been around for. It may be old, unstable." "Funny, some folks like to think I'm 'unstable'." Fury sneered. "They, like you, didn't know what they were talking about." "Come on." Black urged. "Let's get moving." One by one, the team stepped onto the bridge, which creaked and swayed as they moved. "Maybe we should be doing this one at a time." Sterling mused. "This thing does seem a little delicate. Too much weight could break it." He smirked at Fletcher. "I'm lookin' at you, pal." "Oh, please." Fletcher scoffed. "I am in perfect shape." "Well, so am I." Sterling retorted. "I wasn't just sittin' around on that farm, y'know. I was working over in the cherry orchards." "Fury looks a little out of shape to me." Caboose joked. "Yeah, right." Fury scowled. "With my wings out of commission, all this walking has kept me burning up the calories." "Perhaps." Fletcher shrugged. "But as a Griffon, genetically speaking, you still weigh more than we ponies do." "Yeah." Sterling smirked. "So move it, tubby." "What?!" Fury suddenly turned around, gripping the ropes as he did. This caused the bridge to wobble wildly, with the group (even Fury himself) having to hold on for dear life. "Watch it!" Black yelped. "That was kinda fun!" Caboose chuckled. "Can we do it again?" "Absolutely not." Fletcher shook his head, looking a little green from all the swaying. "Do you guys really think this is the time to be arguing?" Black sighed. "He started it." Fury pointed at Sterling. "Is it my fault you can't take a little light-hearted ribbing?" Sterling retorted. "Nocreature insults me." Fury snarled. "And those who do end up regretting it." "Ooh, again with the tough guy vibe." Sterling scoffed. "I've heard worse threats from tougher guys than you in my time, so this doesn't really impress me. Either come up with some new material, or learn not to be so sensitive, ya big baby." "Why, you-!" Fury snarled. "Knock it off!" Black got in between them. "Fury, calm down. You really do need to take insults better." "Says you." Fury snorted. "And Sterling, do you really think it's a good idea to Fury all riled up?" Black asked, “Especially now?!” "Hey, he's askin' to be taken down a peg or two!" Sterling protested. "Every since we met, he’s been strutting about like he is some big shot. Acting like he’s so better than any of us, that he is invincible and beyond pain.” He glared at Fury, “Well, I don’t buy it! If you ask me, you're just some glorified thug, lashing out at the world around him because you had a lousy life once upon a time! We've all had it rough at one time or another, so that doesn't make you any different than us! So you can stop acting you're better than the rest of us, because you. Are. Not!” Sterling stomped his hoof to empathize his point. However, this caused the wood he was stepping on to break in half, and he stumbled down, his hoof caught in the gap. "Whoa!" Sterling yelped. "Easy there, Sterling." Black attempted to remove his hoof. "Talk about bad luck." "Yeah, no kidding." Sterling grimaced. "Just help me out of this before another board breaks!" “Well, isn’t this cute?” Fury spat, “Not so tough now, are you? What’s the matter, ‘fraid of heights?” "More like I don't want to fall and die!" Sterling scowled. “Whatever.” Fury huffed. He seemed rather incensed, moreso than usual, “Have fun getting out of that, ya prick.” Fury turned to move… until he felt his talon tugging on one of the ropes, having gotten caught deep when he gripped the bridge, “Oh, for flap’s sake…” Fury tugged his talon, but his claws were well-ensnared in the rope. He tugged on it again, but with each pull, it refused to budge, and Fury’s bad mood only worsen. “Come on…” Fury growled, as he continued pulling, each pull becoming jerkier, “Come on!” Fury's efforts began to make the bridge sway again. "Fury, perhaps you should stop." Fletcher suggested. "Perhaps you should shut up!" Fury growled, doubling his efforts out of spite. "Whee!" Caboose cheered, as the bridge swayed even more. "I love this ride!" "Excuse me!" Black yelled, still trying to free Sterling. "Trying to concentrate here!" The whole scene was being watched by the Taskforce. "...This is not good." Consul said matter-of-factly. "'Not good'? It's terrible!" Armory yelled. "That bridge is about to fall apart!" "It seems likely." Elite declared. "And at least two of them are stuck." Ballista added. "Logically, the odds are not in their favor." Master Mind admitted. "Honestly, I didn't expect this to be the threat that finally got them." Incognito shook his head. "Guess that's life..." "Don't talk like that!" Armory growled. "They'll make it outta there. I know they can..." Back on the island, Turbine was watching the whole mess. "How stupid are these guys?" He scoffed. "Rocking an old bridge like that. Maybe if I'm lucky, this problem will resolve itself..." The bridge was still being rocked by Fury's action. "Fury, stop!" Black ordered. "Yeah, knock it off!" Sterling added. "Cease and desist!" Fletcher agreed. "Does he have to?" Caboose asked. "I'm still enjoying the ride!" In the next few seconds, several things happened at once: Fury freed his talon, snapping the rope into the bargain, and Caboose snapped another due to the recoil of the sudden stop. At the same time, Black manage to remove Sterling's hoof from the gap. Sterling fell backwards into Fletcher, who also fell. Reaching out a hoof out of instinct, Fletcher broke two more boards. As Black stepped backwards, he bumped into Fury, who cut another board in half from reflexively clenching his free talon. The result? The entire bridge fell apart, and the team fell into the chasm. "Ahhh!" They yelped. “Welp, guess that’s the end of that.” Turbine deadpanned, as he then lounged on his tree limb, pulling out his notebook, “Since they’re dead, might as well get in some more thinking…” However, unbeknownst to him, the five’s fate weren’t as sealed as he thought. Luckily for them, the chasm was narrower in the middle; the five of them ended up stuck in a bottle neck-like spot, Sterling and Fury on one side, Black, Fletcher and Caboose on the other. “Ooh…” The team groaned. "...Whew, that was close." Caboose smiled, being the first to recover. "For a second there, I thought we were in big trouble." "We still are." Fletcher pointed downward. "Look!" A glance downward revealed a series of rapids just below the bottle neck. "Ooh, that's bad." Caboose frowned. "Still, it was a fun ride, huh?" "If I could reach you, I'd hit you." Fury snarled. "Don't even try it." Sterling ordered. "Why, you gonna try and stop me?" Fury challenged. "No, I mean you literally shouldn't even try it." Sterling declared. "If one of us moves too much, we could all slip out of here, and go for the last swim of our lives." "Sterling's right." Black nodded. "We need to be very careful in what we do. One false move could be the end of us." "Ugh, I so don't want to die alongside you clowns." Fury scowled. "The feeling's mutual." Sterling growled. "Knock it off." Black declared. "We all need to work together if we're going to get out of this one." "Does that mean you have a plan?" Fletcher asked. "Sort of." Black glanced around, taking in the surroundings. He spotted a small tree at the side of the chasm they walking toward. Quickly, a plan formed. "Okay, what we need to do is link our limbs together, so we're connected." "And what will some crazy backwards hug do for us?" Sterling asked. "It will help us support each other as we climb up." Black declared. "Climb up?" Fletcher frowned. "That's right." Black nodded. "The cliff walls are just close that we'll be able to climb up both sides at once. As long as we hang on to each other, we'll reach that tree, and those of us on this side will be able to grab and lift the others up." "Well, since there are no better ideas at the moment, I guess it'll have to do." Sterling nodded. "I'm in." Caboose smiled. "If it gets us out of this mess, I'll gladly go along with it." Fletcher agreed. "Yeah, yeah, let's just do it already." Fury shrugged. "Okay then." Black nodded. "Link limbs, everycreature." Black linked one front leg with Fletcher, the other with Caboose. Caboose offered his other front leg to Fury, and Fletcher his to Sterling. Fury and Sterling reluctantly took the offered limb, then, even more reluctantly, linked the remaining front limb with each others. "Now what?" Fury asked, clearly disliking the situation. "We start walking up the sides of the cliff." Black instructed. "Right, then left." "Whose right?" Caboose asked. "Ours, or their's?" "Does it matter?" Fletcher asked. "It does to me." Fury sneered. "Okay, you two can start us off." Black sighed. "But we need to work in perfect synch. In three, two, one... Go!" "Let's do it." Sterling declared. "Just try and keep up." Fury scoffed. In time, Sterling and Fury raised their two right legs. Black, Fletcher and Caboose did the same with their left legs. Slowly but surely, they started making their way up the sides of the chasm. "Hey, we're doing it!" Caboose grinned. "Go, team!" "I have to admit, this idea was quite inspired." Fletcher confessed. "Yeah, smart thinking, boss." Sterling agreed. "Easy on the celebrating." Fury said bluntly. "We're not outta this yet..." "But we will be." Black declared. "Trust me. We're getting out of this... Together." As they neared the top of the chasm, the sides naturally grew further apart. Both sides had to stretch out as far as they could to stay aloft. Just before they reached the tree, they found they had stretched as far as they could. If they tried to go any further, their living structure would break apart, and they would all fall down the chasm. "Now... What... Genius?" Fury asked. "Okay." Black glanced at the tree branch, just out of reach. "The rest of you need to push me forward a little more. Once I get close enough, I'll grab the branch, and we can all lift each other up." "Oh, yeah?" Fury frowned. "How do those of us on the bottom know that certain others won't let us fall?" "Good question." Sterling agreed. "And how do those of us up here know you'll give it your all?" Fletcher countered. "Wait, what?" Caboose asked. "We're just going to have to trust each other." Black declared. "It's the only way we can pull this off. Ready?" The others looked at each other. Realizing the need for co-operation, they nodded grimly. "Ready." They chorused. "Alright, let's go for it." Black declared. "One at a time, nice and easy..." Fury pushed Sterling, who did the same to Fletcher, who returned the favor to Caboose, until finally, Black had been raised enough to raise the branch. “Oof, it’s a good thing you’re not a big burly stallion, or this would be really difficult.” Caboose groaned. "Almost got it..." He stretched out his hoof. Just as Black reached the branch, the five creature suddenly collapsed. "Whoa!" Caboose yelped. Moving quickly, Black grabbed Caboose's hoof. Caboose moved just as quickly to grab Fletcher, who grabbed Sterling, who grabbed Fury by the tail. "Ow!" Fury growled. "Watch it!" "You wanna live, right?" Sterling frowned. "Quit complaining!" Aware of the strain of holding the group's combined weight (not to mention the strain on the branch), Black swung them back and forth, then, with one almighty thrust, threw them up and around so they landed on the cliff edge. He then climbed up himself. "What a ride!" Caboose chuckled. "Can we do that again?" "I'd prefer not to, thanks." Fletcher groaned. "That's a major ten-four over here." Sterling agreed. "As long as we're on the ground again, who cares?" Fury snorted. "Good thinking there, boss." Sterling smiled. "If it weren't for you, we'd be in big trouble right now." "Yes, superlative thinking." Fletcher admitted. "Thanks." Black grinned. "But we did it together, as a team." "Enough of the mush." Fury scowled, rubbing his still sore tail. "As come on, ya big grump." Caboose teased. "We should celebrate!" He began trotting in place, “We showed that crumbling canyon who’s boss! Ah-ha! Ha-ah! Ah-ha! Ha-ah! Ah-ha!” "Color me impressed." Sterling smiled. "We actually pulled it off." "Good thinking, Black." Fletcher added. "Your strategy turned out to be an effective one." "I'm glad it worked too." Black grinned. As Caboose continued his impromptu victory dance, being happy to be back on solid ground, he was unaware that the ground beneath him was beginning to shift. “Come on, guys, it’s no fun if I’m doing this on my own!” Caboose whined… before pausing, “...Also, are you guys getting taller?” Suddenly, before anypony could react to Caboose’s odd question, the ground gave way, and the mafioso stallion began to fall. "Ahh!" He yelped. "Caboose!" Sterling and Fletcher cried out. Instantaneously, Fury, having being the furthest from him, quickly leapt forward, grabbing Caboose and with a quick heave, he threw him away from the edge. Fury, letting out a small pant, got up. “If you’re done dancing on the edge of a crumbling cliff like a moron, I would like to go now.” He huffed. “...Fury…” Caboose murmured, as he also got to his hooves, “You… saved my life.” “Yeah, so?” Fury scoffed. “Well, I’ll be a son of a draft horse.” Sterling gave a small smirk. “You already are.” Fury growled. “You saved the ‘clown’.” Fletcher remarked. “You, of all creatures.” Black added. “Look, can we get going already?!” Fury snarled. “I knew it!” Caboose smirked. “Augh, what?!” Fury demanded. “There is a nice guy under all that meanness after all.” Caboose pointed out. "Oh, please…” Fury shook his head. “Hey, you could have let me fall, but you didn't." Caboose smirked. "You must like me after all!” "Not even close." Fury scowled. "Yeah, you do!" Caboose teased. "Wrong." Fury turned. "Then why did you save me?" Caboose asked. "If you really don't like me, you would have just let me fall, and never have to be annoyed by me again." “Hey, lay off! I may be a 'glorified thug', but I’m not heartless!” Fury roared. The other four took a step back… as Fury realized how his outburst looked. “...B-besides.” Fury rubbed the back of his head, “If anypony was going to kill you, I would rather have it be me rather than some stupid cliff.” “...Yeah, sure.” Caboose smirked, “Anything you say… best buddy.” "Okay, enough playing around." Black rolled his eyes. "The cave shouldn't be too far away now, so let's get going." "That's what I was saying!" Fury pouted. "Agreed." Fletcher nodded. "So let's move." Black agreed. The group were about to depart, when Caboose looked back with joy. “Man, I knew I made the right choice picking this bridge!” He smiled. “Yeah, good for-” Black paused, as he glanced back at Caboose, “Right choice?” “‘This’ bridge?” Fury followed up. “What are you talking about?” Sterling frowned. “I’m talking about the fact that I picked this bridge…” Caboose gestured to where the old bridge stood, “...Over that bridge.” Black and co. glanced over… and to their collective shock, there stood another bridge, naturally made of several rocks, compounded into a solid and stable crossing. “...Caboose… be honest with us. Was that bridge there the whole time?” Black asked, his eye twitching. "Well, yeah." Caboose shrugged. “...Yet you didn’t feel the need to bring it up while we almost died on this one." Sterling pointed out. “I only assumed you wanted to take the shortest path across." Caboose admitted, “Besides, that other bridge looked boring and uneventful!” “...Black, can I-” Fury began, his eyes both twitching. “No. We mustn’t.” Black cut him off, though his voice was showing great restraint, as he glared at Caboose, “Next time, Caboose… if you see another alternative… speak up. For the love of Faust, speak up.” "What?" Caboose frowned, confused by the looks the others were giving him. "What's the problem? We all made it across, and we did it as a team. Yay us, right?" The others stared blankly. "...Let's just go." Black said finally. "Yes." Fletcher agreed. "Onwards..." "I'm in." Fury scowled. "Come on, Caboose." Sterling sighed. "Coming!" Caboose said brightly. Meanwhile, Turbine was still in his tree, scribbling in his notebook. He was drawing what looked like black, metallic wings, with large fans on either side. As he absent-mindedly glanced over, he saw that the group had made it to safety. 'They got out?' He thought. 'Huh. Guess they’re not as idiotic as they seem.' As the group continued onward, the kite flew above them. Back at the Taskforce headquarters, Elite and the others stood, having watched the whole event unfold. "Well, how about that?" Consul mused, pleasantly surprised. "Now that's teamwork!" Ballista grinned. "I told you guys, didn't I?" Armory smirked. "Black really is great leadership material!" "I stand corrected." Master Mind conceded. "And as Ballista stated, they all worked together to escape their predicament both quickly and efficiently. Very impressive." "Gotta say, I never expected Fury to make a move like that." Incognito frowned. "Me neither." Consul agreed. "I've heard Barbossa talking about all of Fury's so-called good points in the past, but this is the first time I've ever seen them in action." "It's just as I knew from the beginning." Elite smiled. "They all have it in them to be a capable, effective and tight-knit team. This is just the first sign. I am confident there will be many more to come." "I suppose it is a good sign." Master Mind agreed. "Hopefully, this will mark the beginning of an upswing in their unity." "You really think so?" Incognito asked. "Take it from me, nothing bonds soldiers together like helping each other out of certain death." Ballista grinned. "It won't be long before they have each others' backs twenty-four/seven." "That would be really good to see." Consul nodded. "Especially when it means I can rub Wall's smug face in it." Elite smirked. "Still, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Consul caught himself. "One good day doesn't guarantee a total turnaround..." Back on the island, Black continued leading the group. Fletcher made a point of picking up any new food sources they happened to come across, so they could replenish the supply. Sterling was doing the same with the firewood, picking up any fallen branches or pieces of bark he saw. Though they still weren't talking much, the atmosphere was far less tense than it had been a while ago. They were still inwardly celebrating their success... save for Caboose, who preferred to outwardly celebrate. "Oh, yeah!" Caboose cheered. "We rule! Really showed that lousy chasm what's what, didn't we, guys?" "Yes, Caboose." Fletcher humored him. "I daresay that inanimate, mindless formation of stone will never get over the shame of being bested by us." "Because we're just that awesome!" Caboose grinned. "Can't argue with you there." Sterling chuckled. "Hey, Paladin." Fury called. "How long 'til we reach this cave of yours?" "Not long now." Black replied. As they kept moving, they stumbled upon a wide, open field. "Well, looky here." Black smiled. "It should take even less time to get to the site if we cut across this field." "Works for me." Sterling nodded. "Kinda reminds me of the fields at the old family estate." Caboose admitted as they made their way across. "Ah, memories." "We have fields like this back home, too." Fletcher admitted. "Not in Haygypt." Sterling scoffed. "Nothin' but sand, sand and more sand." "Just trees where I came from." Fury shrugged. "My, what a varied bunch we are." Black rolled his eyes. As they continued onwards, they came across a very strange sight: a large, circular hole, standing alone in the middle of the field. The hole’s wall was clear cut, as if it was meticulously carved right out of the ground. “Whoa…” Caboose gaped, “This island must have some pretty big gophers ‘round here.” "I'm pretty gophers didn't make these." Fury sneered. “Maulwurfs perhaps?” Caboose suggested. “I don’t think so. If there were any of those around, this island would be nothing but holes.” Fletcher murmured, “A sinkhole probably? "Yeah, maybe..." Sterling said flatly, glancing at the holes. "Hey, maybe we could stay in one of these instead of a cave!" Caboose suggested. "Not the best idea." Black shrugged. "No kidding." Fury agreed. "Observe.” Fury let out a small spit, spitting it down the hole. The bit of saliva seem to have fell down a long way, before there was a small ‘splat’ sound. “This hole must be at least be a mile deep.” Fury explained, “And considering there’s no footholds on the side of this thing, it’d be a one-way trip down.” "All things considered, I think the cave would be a better choice." Fletcher declared. "Sorry Caboose, guess you're outvoted." Sterling declared. "Aw, sugarcubes." Caboose pouted. "Democracy in action." Fletcher stated, as he, Caboose and Fury continued onwards. Black and Sterling stayed where they were, still looking at the big hole. “Is everything alright, Sterling?” Black asked. “I… I don’t know.” Sterling admitted, “This hole… it’s too perfect. It’s a clean circle, with the walls carved flat, and it is very deep. I don’t think these holes were naturally made. "Definitely not." Black agreed, as he glanced closely at the hole. "And they look fairly recently built." “Recently? So, does that mean there could actually be someone on this island?” Sterling frowned. “Maybe, maybe not.” Black shrugged, “But I have a feeling that this might not be the only hole we’ll find during our stay.” “Should we tell the others?” Sterling asked. “Tell them what? That there’s ‘might’ be somepony or something digging holes on this island? We don’t even know what’s the deal with these holes.” Black shook his head, “All it would do is make everypony nervous.” “...I guess that’s a good point.” Sterling admitted. "Thanks." Black smiled. "Always nice to get a little support." "A good idea is a good idea." Sterling shrugged. "And you've been having plenty lately. Guess that's why Elite made you leader." "A leader's only as good as his teammates." Black returned. "And you guys aren't so bad yourselves. Especially you, Sterling. You're more than I expected." "Right back at ya." Sterling nodded. The two smiled for a moment. "Hey, slowpokes, try and keep up!" Caboose called. "We're coming!" Sterling called back. Black and Sterling put aside the holes for the moment and joined the others. "'Bout time." Fury smirked at Black. "Isn't the leader supposed to... y'know, lead?" "Just taking a breather." Black claimed. "Yeah, you need to relax more, old timer." Sterling joked. "Very funny." Black snorted. "This old timer's still got plenty of energy, and I'd be happy to prove it." "Any time, pal." Sterling grinned. "As fun as this is, didn't you say the cave is close?" Fury asked. "It sure is." Black nodded. "In fact, t's right over there." Black pointed his hoof nearby, indicated the much-referenced cave. As he'd stated, it was wasn't much, but it was at least big enough to house the five of them and their supplies. "Finally." Fletcher smiled. "Can't wait to start decorating the place!" Caboose grinned. "Forget that." Fury rolled his eyes. "Since we've already got plenty of supplies, I'm just gonna take a nap. I'm exhausted from all this walking... and climbing up a cliff." "I'd say we all deserve a good rest." Black declared. "And a feast." Fletcher held up the bag full of food he had collected during their trip. "No argument here." Sterling smiled. "I'm starving." As the group made their way into the cave, they were once again being observed by Turbine, taking roost in a tree across from where the cave sat. He had noticed them inspecting the holes, but as they didn't seem to recognize them for what they truly were, he paid the incident no mind. 'So this is where they're setting up camp, huh?' He mused. 'Better place than the last two, I guess. Looks like I'll have to get comfortable...' Putting away his binocular, Turbine took out his notebook, and began drawing designs of what appeared to be mechanical wings on it. 'Once these guys are dealt with and Broker’s plan is done and over with, I can move on to what's really important...' He thought.